Chapter 14: Ravage
The eccentric man paused his work and looked toward the woman.
“Oh, I just... just got back not long ago.”
The woman nodded, then turned to Wang Chu.
“And this young man?”
The eccentric man introduced,
“Oh, he... he’s someone I asked to help.”
The woman nodded again,
“Oh, I see.”
She took two steaming buns from the bamboo basket she carried and stepped forward to Wang Chu first, asking,
“Young sir, would you like a bun?”
Wang Chu shook his head politely,
“Thank you, I’m not hungry.”
A flicker of disappointment crossed the woman’s eyes. She then walked over to the eccentric man and handed him a bun,
“Brother Changqing, here.”
The eccentric man wiped his left hand with his sleeve, took the bun with one hand,
“Th... thank you.”
The woman sighed as she looked at the coffin mostly covered in dirt,
“Ah, Brother Changqing, don’t blame me. Auntie insisted on carrying the provisions herself. I couldn’t stop her.”
The eccentric man shook his head,
“I don’t blame... you. I... I know you feel guilty.”
The woman glanced at his face, then quickly looked down at his chest,
“Brother Changqing, you’re so understanding. If there’s anything you need help with, just say.”
The eccentric man waved his hand,
“Hehe, no need. It’s freezing today, you should go back.”
The woman looked helpless,
“You’re just like Auntie, don’t like troubling others. Alright then, if you need anything, come find me.”
“Mm.”
The eccentric man took a bite of the bun, ready to continue digging.
As the woman turned away, she suddenly stopped and spoke,
“Um... Brother Changqing.”
He looked back at her,
“What is it? If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t... don’t be so formal.”
She turned back to him, her eyes filled with longing,
“The field Auntie farmed on the hillside—will you plant it again next year? If not, can I have it to farm?”
She lowered her head slightly and adjusted the rough hair at her temples,
“You know, there are six of us in my family. With our little land, it’s simply not enough.”
The eccentric man looked a bit guilty,
“I’m... really sorry, I can’t agree because that land... I’ve already sold it to cover Mother’s funeral expenses.”
The woman’s expression stiffened noticeably,
“Oh, is that so?”
She stubbornly pointed to the patch of land beneath their feet,
“What about this patch?”
The eccentric man scratched the back of his head,
“No... sorry, this is the only field my family has left. Without this land... I can’t survive.”
“Ha ha ha, Erniu, don’t bother. Instead of asking this guy for land, why not hang out with us like last year? When we’re happy, we’ll share some grain with you. Brothers, what do you say?”
“Ha ha ha, that’s right, Liu Erniu, why are you cozying up to such a freak?”
“They say this woman’s something else. Last New Year, she was fierce enough.”
“Ha ha ha.”
...
While the village woman and the eccentric man were talking, laughter and teasing voices suddenly came from nearby.
Wang Chu followed the sounds and saw several burly men in padded coats appear by the roadside.
Leading them was a sturdy man with a round face and eyes narrowed to slits.
Soon, these men walked into the field and stood not far from Wang Chu and the eccentric man.
The woman’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she anxiously spoke,
“Brother Hu, what are you doing here?”
The sturdy man with a sly grin said,
“What, can’t we come? Afraid we’ll ruin your plans?”
The woman quickly shook her head,
“No, no.”
The eccentric man gripped his hoe and stepped in front of the woman,
“Liu Hu, don’t make things hard for... for Niumei. If you have any issues, take them out on me.”
The man called Liu Hu laughed heartily,
“Ha ha, what a filial son. That’s funny, but unfortunately, it’s laughable in a bad way, brothers, don’t you agree?”
The men around him immediately echoed,
“Ha ha ha, Brother Hu’s right.”
“Sharp words, Brother Hu. Didn’t expect you to be so cultured! Using puns, too.”
“This Liu Changqing, not only was his face ruined, but his brain must’ve been kicked by a donkey as well.”
“Look at you! Liu Changqing’s always been like that.”
“True, otherwise he wouldn’t have fallen so low and even protected his mother’s murderer.”
...
The eccentric man tightened his grip on the hoe,
“Liu Hu, what do you mean by that?”
Liu Hu shook his head, eyes filled with pity,
“Brother Hu’s being kind today. I’ll tell you the truth. Do you know how your mother died?”
Liu Changqing was stunned,
“My... my mother didn’t... didn’t fall to her death?”
“Ha ha ha.”
Liu Hu burst into loud laughter,
“You actually believe that?”
“Brother Hu, please stop!”
The woman suddenly stepped beside the eccentric man and pleaded toward Liu Hu.
Liu Hu looked at her,
“Scared? It’s just that I pushed Liu Changqing’s mother down, causing her to fall to her death. What can she do to you? Don’t worry, with Brother Hu here, nothing will happen to you.”
“Pushed her down, fall to her death!!!”
The eccentric man turned his head and glared at Liu Erniu,
“Erniu, you... you!”
Liu Erniu took several steps back, putting more distance between herself and the eccentric man, her expression darkening,
“She forced me! Don’t blame me! Who gave me so little grain and left so much for you! You useless wretch, there was no need to waste so much on you!”
The eccentric man staggered and nearly fell,
“You! From childhood till now, hasn’t our family treated you... well?”
Seeing the furious gaze of the eccentric man, the woman panicked and quickly ran over to Liu Hu and the others,
“Bah! What nonsense. Auntie was so biased, always giving the best to you. To you, I was nothing but a dog.”
The eccentric man trembled with rage,
“Liu Erniu, I’ll kill you!”
Fury blazing like a storm, he raised the hoe and charged at the woman recklessly.
But before he could get far, a fist struck his chest with a loud thud, sending him flying several yards.
Thud!
He fell to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Yet he ignored it and tried to strike Liu Erniu’s head with the hoe.
He tried to stand, but halfway up, a foot pressed down hard on his back, forcing him back down,
“Ha ha ha, I told you, with me here, you won’t harm Erniu.”
Pinned to the ground, the eccentric man clenched his fists and roared,
“Wh... why? Why treat me like this? Is it just because of my appearance? I... I was always good to you all when we were kids!”
Liu Hu shook his head and crossed his arms,
“Tsk tsk tsk, Liu Changqing, you still don’t understand people. Do you know what it feels like to trample someone who used to be a hundred times better than you? That feeling... is wonderful. Besides...”
Liu Hu looked up at the sky and sneered,
“Besides, there’s benefit in doing so. Why not? I’m not afraid to tell you—the immortal who sent you back gave me a top-grade spirit stone before leaving and asked me to do one thing. Do you want to know what it is?”
Before the eccentric man could answer, Liu Hu twisted his toes and pressed hard into his back,
“He asked me to take good care of you, to make your life unbearable!”
...