Chapter 38: I’ll Pay You One Hundred Yuan

“It’s not that I’m saying this, Zhang Datou, but even though your child doesn’t have a mother, you should keep a better eye on him.

This isn’t the first time Goudan has stolen things. The day before yesterday, my son had a peach cake, and Goudan stole it.”

“If your family is so poor you can’t even afford food, you should tell me.  If necessary, I can give your child something to eat.  Why steal?”

“My son Dabing came home covered in mud because Goudan pushed him to the ground.”

“I didn’t even come to you.”

“But you came to me.”

“My son already said that Goudan stole things first, and he helped get it back; he didn’t beat Goudan, but you wouldn’t believe him.”

Zhang Datou was bombarded with accusations, his head spinning.

And because everyone was upset, their words were harsh. The more they talked about Zhang Datou’s runaway wife, the more they mentioned Goudan not having a mother.

Soon, Zhang Datou was furious.

“You’re all lying!”

“You little brat is lying too!”

“At such a young age, you’re already a liar.  Clearly, you gave everyone two candies to hold my son down so you could beat him.”

“Otherwise, how could you, a shorty, beat him?”

“You couldn’t even reach him if you jumped!”

“No,” Ji Lele immediately denied.

“Everyone helped me get my candy back, and I thanked Dabing and the others by giving them candy.”

“I didn’t give candy to get everyone to hold Goudan down.”

“Zhang Datou!”

“Stop framing people! Lele is only a few years old; he wouldn’t bribe people with candy to beat someone up! How can you be so scheming?”

“Zhang Datou, your son started the trouble.”

“Are you shameless?”

To seek justice for their children, everyone naturally stood together and attacked Zhang Datou.

Zhang Datou actually understood that he was in the wrong.

But since he had already come, he couldn’t just go back looking like a fool, could he?

Lately, he had become the village’s laughingstock.

He had to win this today.

“I don’t care.  My son only cursed him a few times. He can curse back; why did he have to resort to violence?”

“He beat my son like this. What if something happens to my child?”

“You’re responsible for this!”

“You have to take responsibility!”

The blame shifted back to Ji Yang.

“Doctor Ji, you must solve this problem with my son; otherwise, this isn’t over.”

Ji Yang shifted his position, settling his leg, his voice neither cold nor warm: “How do you want to solve it?”

“Pay compensation!”

“Without several tens or hundreds of yuan, this can’t be solved.”

Su Ai was suddenly amused by this outrageous demand.

“Is your son made of gold or silver? A few red marks, and you want tens or hundreds of yuan? What? Are you so poor you’re trying to extort money from your son?”

“What few red marks? Look at this, it’s bloody, purple and red, some parts are even broken!”

“I want one hundred yuan today; I’m not leaving without it!”

“I’m not leaving!”

Su Ai patted her pocket; there were no cigarettes.  She withdrew her hand, stopping Ji Yang from speaking.

Then, she took out a hundred yuan bill from her pocket and slapped it on the table in the yard.

“One hundred yuan.”

“I’ll pay.”

Zhang Datou was momentarily excited at the sight of the money, forgetting about Su Ai’s knife earlier. He rushed forward to grab the money.

The people around looked at Su Ai curiously.

Is she that rich?

Is this how rich people spend their money?

If she has so much money she can’t spend it all, can she give some to them?

They’re so poor.

However, as Zhang Datou reached for the money, Su Ai struck his hand with a fire poker.

“What?”

“Didn’t you say you’d pay?”

“I did, but I have conditions.”

Zhang Datou knew the hundred yuan wouldn’t be so easy to get.

But it was still a hundred yuan!  With a hundred yuan, he could do anything.

Anything at all.

Su Ai pointed at Goudan and said coldly: “I won’t make things difficult for you.”

“If you want to take this hundred yuan, you need to prove that my son was wrong to hit your son.”

“My son only hit him because your son cursed him, stole his things, and pushed him first.”

“So, if you want to prove your son is right, then repeat what your son said to Lele to your son.”

“Then have your son grab your pants and push you to the ground.”

“If you can do that, proving your son is right and that what he did was normal behavior, I’ll admit my son, Lele, was wrong, and I’ll give you the hundred yuan.”

There was an uproar, and everyone looked at Zhang Datou as if watching a show.

Goodness!

Su Ai is so clever.

You said your son was right and Lele was wrong?

Then prove your son’s actions were normal.

If you think those curses are normal when you say them to your son…

Then I’ll admit my son overreacted.

Everyone looked intently at Zhang Datou, wanting to see if he would do it.

Zhang Datou’s face flushed red.

How could he do that?

Even if he wanted the hundred yuan, how could he call his own son a “bastard”?

And let his son grab his pants?

Wouldn’t that be too humiliating?

“Su Ai, you’re being unreasonable!”

“How am I being unreasonable?”

“You said you’d pay, and I’m willing to accept it. Then prove that what your son did didn’t deserve a beating. Why aren’t you doing it?”

“Unless you know those curses deserved a beating!”

“Or I can change the conditions.” Su Ai looked at Goudan, shaking the hundred yuan in her hand.

“If you’re willing to repeat what you said to Lele to your dad, I’ll give you the money.”

Zhang Datou didn’t want to be humiliated, but Goudan didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation.

A hundred yuan!

His eyes lit up immediately.

He pointed at Zhang Datou’s nose and started cursing.

“You little bastard, you don’t deserve candy, you dog bastard, your mother won’t care about you, your mother ran away with someone, you…”

“Slap!”

A hard slap sent Goudan’s head spinning.

Everyone present felt their teeth ache at the sound of the slap.

Oh my god, that must have hurt!

Goudan’s face swelled up immediately.

Even Ji Lele was startled and hid behind Su Ai.

Zhang Datou was completely embarrassed to stay and cause trouble. He grabbed Goudan and dragged him away.

“Little beast, I’ll beat you to death when we get home!”

As they walked away, Zhang Datou’s curses could still be heard.

Su Ai then looked at the other people with their children.

Everyone came to their senses, not knowing what to say to Su Ai. Most of them were rural women who did laundry and cooking.  A girl as rebellious and wild as Su Ai was unheard of for miles around.

“Thank you all for helping my Lele today,” Su Ai said first.