Chapter 184: Father and Son Soldiers

It was the day of the full-month banquet for the youngest grandson of the third great-uncle.

In the afternoon, Cheng Jingmo, Yu Xiangnian, and Xiao Jie arrived at the house of the third great-uncle’s youngest son for dinner.

Not long after they sat down, Zhao Hai, Cheng Fengshou, and Cheng Guangtong swaggered in and plopped themselves down next to Cheng Jingmo.

“Hey, Jianwa, don’t you know the rules here?” Zhao Hai tilted his head, his chin raised arrogantly, and looked at Yu Xiangnian like a thug. “Can women sit at the table to eat?”

Yu Xiangnian rolled her eyes disdainfully.

Cheng Jingmo calmly retorted, “Do you know the rules here? Did anyone from the third great-uncle’s family invite you?”

Wherever you go, attending a banquet requires an invitation from the host, and you can’t just eat for free—you have to contribute to the gift money.

These three rogues, who were usually lazy and thieving, were never invited by anyone.

They didn’t care whether they were invited or not; as long as they heard about a feast, they would come and freeload.

No one in the village dared to offend them, so they could only endure and give them a meal for free.

Zhao Hai laughed indifferently, “The third great-uncle’s family has a new member, so naturally, we’re here to congratulate them.”

Cheng Jingmo asked again, “And you came to congratulate them empty-handed?”

Zhao Hai snorted coldly, speaking loudly enough for everyone present to hear, “Jianwa, you’ve grown bold! Daring to talk to us like this! Have you forgotten the times you drank our piss when you were a kid?”

Yu Xiangnian was sipping sweet rice wine, brewed from glutinous rice by the third great-uncle’s family. It tasted sweet and fragrant, with barely any alcohol flavor.

Hearing that Cheng Jingmo had suffered such humiliation as a child, Yu Xiangnian didn’t hesitate to throw the sweet rice wine in her bowl right into Zhao Hai’s face.

Zhao Hai couldn’t dodge in time and got splashed in the face. He wiped the wine off his face, squinting angrily at Yu Xiangnian, “You bitch, you’re asking for it! Let me tell you, Jianwa didn’t just drink our piss, he crawled through our legs!”

“Don’t think he’s doing well now. When he was a kid…”

Before he could finish, he was hit hard twice in the face—once by Cheng Jingmo’s fist and once by a bowl thrown by Xiao Jie.

Both of them spoke simultaneously.

Cheng Jingmo said, “I warned you not to talk about my wife!”

Xiao Jie stood up angrily, pointing at Zhao Hai, “You can’t talk about my uncle!”

Zhao Hai pushed his tongue against his aching cheek where he had been punched and touched the spot on his forehead where the bowl had hit him.

“You little bastard, just like your uncle, a wretched soul without proper upbringing!”

Cheng Jingmo instantly stood up, grabbed Zhao Hai by the collar, and started dragging him out, “Xiao Jie’s father is a martyr who died for the country!”

“Mentioning them with your filthy mouth is an insult!” Cheng Jingmo dragged Zhao Hai towards the door, “Stop bragging about the past, if you have guts, let’s settle it now!”

Zhao Hai clung to Cheng Jingmo’s arms, struggling while calling for Cheng Fengshou and Cheng Guangtong to help.

The two of them quickly stood up to assist, and Xiao Jie also followed them out.

At the entrance, Cheng Jingmo threw Zhao Hai to the ground and motioned with his hand, “Come on! Show me what you’ve got!”

Faced with such provocation, Zhao Hai gave Cheng Fengshou and Cheng Guangtong a look.

The three of them had fought Cheng Jingmo three times before, and this time, they attacked simultaneously.

Zhao Hai, still lying on the ground, sprang up and grabbed Cheng Jingmo’s legs, while Cheng Fengshou came up from behind and held his arms tightly.

Cheng Guangtong swung his fist at Cheng Jingmo’s face, but Cheng Jingmo leaned back and turned his head to avoid the punch.

Seeing Cheng Jingmo being surrounded and attacked by the three, Xiao Jie angrily rushed in to help.

“Xiao Jie, stay out of this, step back!” Cheng Jingmo frowned and said.

Xiao Jie didn’t listen. He charged forward and kicked Zhao Hai, who was clinging to Cheng Jingmo’s legs, several times.

Cheng Guangtong grabbed Xiao Jie by the collar and threw him far away, causing him to fall to the ground.

Xiao Jie got up and prepared to charge again, but Yu Xiangnian, who had just arrived, grabbed him.

“Be careful when you fight, don’t get hurt yourself!”

At this moment, Cheng Jingmo had already freed his arms from Cheng Fengshou’s hold. He caught Cheng Guangtong’s swinging fist with one hand and punched back with the other.

Cheng Fengshou also threw a punch at the same time. Xiao Jie, eyes filled with anger, focused on the four people fighting, barely hearing what Yu Xiangnian said.

“Aunt, don’t come over. I’m going to help my uncle!”

With that, he broke free from Yu Xiangnian’s grasp and charged at Zhao Hai again, kicking him in the head.

Zhao Hai, unable to bear the pain, pushed Xiao Jie, causing him to stagger back several steps. Cheng Jingmo took the opportunity to break free from Zhao Hai’s grip.

The four adults and one child continued to tussle.

The guests came out to watch the spectacle, which ended with the three rogues beaten and fleeing with their tails between their legs.

Xiao Jie was covered in dust from head to toe, with scratches on his face, while Cheng Jingmo’s hand was bleeding.

Cheng Jingmo took out a handkerchief to wipe the dust off Xiao Jie’s face and scolded, “Didn’t I tell you not to get involved? Didn’t you hear me?”

Xiao Jie’s fists were still clenched, “They bullied you so much when you were a kid. Every time I see them, I’m going to beat them up!”

The onlookers laughed, “Jianwa, this kid was raised well!”

Cheng Jingmo took Xiao Jie to wash up a bit before sitting back at the table to eat.

Cheng Jingmo whispered to Yu Xiangnian, “Why didn’t you stop him?”

Yu Xiangnian, justified, said, “I tried, but I couldn’t stop him!”

Cheng Jingmo was a bit helpless.

Yu Xiangnian’s attempt to stop him must have been a mere formality.

At this point, the third great-uncle sat down at their table, laughing, “Today, I witnessed a father and son fighting side by side!”

Cheng Jingmo smiled awkwardly, “Sorry to make a scene.”

The third great-uncle said, “What’s there to apologize for! If all the young people in the village were like you, those three rascals wouldn’t be so arrogant!”

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

Today, he wasn’t fighting for justice; he had other reasons!

The third great-uncle changed the subject, looking at Xiao Jie, “This kid, growing up in the army, sure is fierce!”

Cheng Jingmo tried to restore Xiao Jie’s image, “Xiao Jie usually isn’t like this. He was really mad today.”

The third great-uncle said, “Your family is quite the team. I heard your wife say, ‘Fight if you want to, fight hard!'”

Yu Xiangnian coughed, hinting for the third great-uncle to stop.

During the fight, someone had told Yu Xiangnian to pull Xiao Jie back, but she said, “Let him be, let him fight hard!”

She knew that with Cheng Jingmo protecting him, Xiao Jie wouldn’t get hurt. She also knew that Xiao Jie had a lot of anger to vent.

Cheng Jingmo glanced at Yu Xiangnian, who lowered her head guiltily and continued eating.

The third great-uncle, not getting the hint, continued, “Your wife also said, ‘You’re too quick; Xiao Jie didn’t even get enough time to enjoy the fight.'”

Xiao Jie: “…” Aunt really understands me!

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

What a good wife he had! While he was fighting, she was not only watching but also making comments.