Chapter 17 Knowledge is power! Don’t you think so?

“Uncle! Something’s wrong!” Xie Liye came running to the house where Xie Yu lived, out of breath. As soon as he pushed open the door, he hurriedly spoke up.

Xie Yu’s brow instinctively furrowed, a clear flicker of confusion flashing in his deep eyes. He quickly glanced around, searching for the source of the voice, his gaze now sharp with alertness and concern. “What happened?”

He knew Xie Liye wasn’t one to joke around. If he was this anxious, something serious must have occurred. Since he had earlier asked Xie Liye to help Chang Sui Sui, and now Liye was rushing back like this, chances were that something had happened to her.

Xie Yu’s expression darkened slightly. His lips pressed tightly together, and a complicated worry passed through his eyes.

Xie Liye was still panting heavily from running so fast, his chest heaving intensely. He put his hands on his knees, bent over catching his breath, and then hurriedly spoke, “Chang… Chang…”

“What happened to Chang Zhiqing? Is she in danger now?” Xie Yu cut off Xie Liye immediately, going straight to the point. His eyes were sharp like a torch, closely watching every slight expression on Liye’s face, trying to catch any clue.

Xie Liye wiped the fine sweat beads from his forehead and hastily shook his head, “No, it’s just… just now, my big brother tried to bully Chang Zhiqing.”

He struggled to calm his breathing before finishing what he wanted to say.

Xie Yu, who had been gripping his hands tightly just before, slowly relaxed them. He looked at Xie Liye with a bit of helplessness for a few seconds before sighing lightly, “Tell me, what exactly happened?”

Xie Liye suddenly felt a chill down the back of his neck, but seeing that Xie Yu’s expression didn’t change much, he sat down on a low stool beside the bed.

“Just now I was helping Chang Zhiqing pull weeds, then big brother somehow came to the field, yelling and hitting me. Chang Zhiqing probably couldn’t stand it, came over to help me, and then big brother started harassing her…”

Xie Yu: “???”

He pressed his temple, feeling a bit of a headache. Every word Xie Liye said was perfectly clear, but every single word seemed to silently challenge his logical limits.

Xie Jianguo wouldn’t randomly go to the fields to pick a fight with Xie Liye; it must mean he deliberately went to that responsibility plot. His target was Chang Sui Sui. But why was he after her, and… harassing her?

Though Xie Yu didn’t like this nephew much, he didn’t think he was dumb enough to do something so reckless. But Xie Liye wouldn’t lie.

After some thought, Xie Yu asked, “What did your big brother say to Chang Zhiqing?”

“Oh! I remember! He said, ‘I can’t love you, and I can’t give you children, but I can sleep with you, and the children I have with Meili can be raised by you.’ He…”

Snap! Before Xie Liye could finish, Xie Yu suddenly grabbed a corner of the bed frame by the bedside and snapped it off.

He was clearly angry. His eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed within, like a sharp blade of ice on a winter day, chilling to the bone.

Xie Liye shrank back in fear, the sudden pressure almost making him fall to the floor. He swallowed nervously, scared of the angry Xie Yu. An invisible dark cloud seemed to surround Xie Yu, making the air oppressive and uneasy.

“Uncle…” Xie Liye weakly called out, which seemed to bring Xie Yu back to his senses.

Xie Yu coldly replied with a “hmph,” then casually said, “Go on. What happened next?”

“After that…” Xie Liye pressed his lips, recalling carefully before continuing, “Chang Zhiqing used a fish to hit big brother, even kicked him into the river. Then my dad came and punished big brother by making him carry manure…”

He didn’t tell Xie Yu that when Chang Sui Sui hit Xie Jianguo with the big carp, she was muttering words—words too new for him to remember. But those words were definitely something a knowledgeable person like Chang Sui Sui would know! When she said those words while hitting Xie Jianguo, they sounded powerful. This was what his uncle meant: knowledge is power.

His perspective made him completely forget that the carp was a heavy one, over ten jin (about 5 kilograms). Not just any frail intellectual could wield it so smoothly and powerfully, leaving the other helpless.

Since Xie Liye didn’t say it, Xie Yu naturally didn’t know either. His mind was entirely focused on the harassment incident just mentioned. Clearly, some things needed to be handled immediately.

He lightly rubbed the broken corner of the bed frame, then, as if making a decision, said, “I understand the situation now. You should go back. If your mother finds out Jianguo was sent to carry manure, she’ll definitely bother you. Better to get back early. Also, before you leave, hang that bundle of mugwort by the window on the outside of the main gate.”

“No problem. If my mom hits me, I’ll just climb on the roof. She can’t get me up there, haha.” Xie Liye said jokingly, but still stood up to grab the mugwort beside the window.

He waved at Xie Yu, “Alright, I’m off, Uncle!”

“Hm.” Xie Yu watched the door close, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

He came back to his senses and glanced at the sky outside. Judging by the time, someone should be arriving soon.

Sure enough, not long after Xie Liye left, there was a noise in the courtyard. Then a dark-skinned figure appeared at the gate, grinning broadly at Xie Yu.

“Commander! You finally contacted us! You don’t know how much we’ve missed you!”

He walked into the room and was about to say more, but his gaze landed on Xie Yu’s legs resting against the bed. His eyes instantly reddened.

“Commander…”

“Get lost! Stop with that damn pity! I’m not dead yet!”

Before the other could get sentimental, Xie Yu dismissed him curtly.

Qian Weimin stood there, feeling aggrieved, but held back tears.

Their commander had sacrificed himself to save them. The team originally planned to transfer him to a desk job because his legs were untreatable. But Xie Yu was stubborn and had them send him home silently, forbidding any contact.

If it hadn’t been for Xie Yu sending news recently, they wouldn’t have dared visit.

Qian Weimin suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled a file folder from his pocket.

“Commander, here’s the 1,000 yuan you asked for. This is your bankbook left with the team, and the other 1,000 yuan is from the chief—also the brothers’ best wishes.”

He was nervous, his hands trembling as he held the folder.

“Also… the chief said I’m here to be your bodyguard. You can’t make me leave. I have to follow orders…”