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Wang Juan, upon hearing her sister-in-law’s mention of her second sister-in-law, scoffed and said, “Her? Right now, the second brother and his wife is eager to establish a relationship with the Ma family. Even if they are dissatisfied, they haven’t said anything. They’ve been at the old lady’s house these past few days, helping out. By the way, are you and your husband going to the banquet the day after tomorrow? It’s an auspicious day, have you made up your mind?”
Zhang Lan glanced at her husband, who shook his head. “We’re not going. If we go, we’ll be expected to do more. If they ask us to do something in front of so many people, should we comply or not? Besides, we don’t have much of a relationship with them.”
Upon hearing her husband’s response, Zhang Lan smiled and nodded. However, Mingyuan interjected, “Dad, don’t say that. If you don’t want to go, we’ll go. All of our siblings will be there, and since our family is contributing money, why should we let them off the hook? We’ll bring back some good food for you and our grandparents. We can’t just let the money go to waste. What do you think, sister?”
Mingyuan looked to Wang Qian for her opinion, as he believed that his sister had the best ideas and was the most capable of handling their in-laws.
Wang Qian chuckled at Mingyuan’s words. “Brother, that’s a good idea. But I’m afraid our little aunt will be watching us like a hawk. However, your idea is good. The day after tomorrow, all of us siblings will go to the banquet together. Let’s see who dares to provoke us that day. If someone is asking for trouble, we’ll give them a taste of their own medicine.”
Wang Qian also thought about it. On the wedding day, Zhu Qiyu would want everything to be peaceful, and she probably wouldn’t want any trouble. If anyone wanted to pick a fight, they wouldn’t do it in public on that day. “Brother, let’s agree. We’ll all go together. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces,” she said with a laugh.
The mother naturally guessed what her daughter was thinking and playfully embraced her, “You’re always stirring up trouble. You’ve really gotten your grandmother worked up.”
Wang Juan agreed, “Sister, if you don’t go, the kids can. After all, we can’t let our money go to waste. Think about how much good food Wang Zhenguo has enjoyed at your expense. If we let our kids enjoy a meal at his expense, it’s only fair. Mingcheng, take your siblings to the banquet the day after tomorrow. We won’t come back until we’ve gotten our money’s worth. I heard that the bride’s family has prepared a lot of good things for us. We might be able to improve our situation.”
Wang Qian understood. Her mother had to help with Wang Zhenguo’s wedding preparations, as they couldn’t escape their status as the eldest son’s family. Additionally, they were concerned about what the villagers might say.
The old lady’s character aside, Wang Juan and the others had to maintain appearances. Her mother was probably feeling frustrated and had no one to confide in, which is why she came to talk to them. After all, Wang Zhenhe and Wang Zhenguo’s relationship was at stake, and she probably wouldn’t discuss this with Han Cui.
In the afternoon, Mingyuan and the others didn’t have classes, so Wang Qian and the others continued to collect scrap. They had already cleared out most of the scrap iron, and there wasn’t much left to collect. The factory didn’t come to dump scrap every day, but only every few days. After selling the scrap iron to the supply and marketing cooperative, they earned a total of 22 cents. With this money, Wang Qian bought pencils for Mingyuan and the others.
As they left the cooperative, they saw Wang Zhenguo with a group of men known as idlers by the villagers, gathered together, smoking and chatting. Mingyuan pulled her hand and said, “Sister, when did Wang Zhenguo start hanging out with those people? I heard they’re not good characters.”
Mingyuan was young, but he was very familiar with the ways of the village. He often heard adults talk about those people.
Wang Qian didn’t know how Wang Zhenguo had gotten involved with those people.
“Bro, Wang Zhenguo used to be different. I’ve noticed a big change in him recently. Look at him, he’s about to get married, but I feel like he’s acting like someone he’s not. And did you see his outfit? It has four pockets, like he’s a leader or something.”
Wearing clothes is a big deal at this time. Wearing an outfit with four pockets is basically a sign of a leadership level. Some ordinary people wear this too, but it’s usually in the city. People in the countryside don’t usually dress like that. When villagers see someone with four pockets, they consider them to be a government official.
Mingyuan stared at Wang Zhenguo in the distance and said after a moment, “Sis, maybe Wang Mei helped him buy that outfit. I heard from Minglin that he went to the city to see Wang Mei a few days ago.”
Wang Qian couldn’t imagine how one visit to the city could cause such a big change in Wang Zhenguo. She wondered what kind of ideas Wang Mei had instilled in her brother to make him change like this.
“Qianqian, isn’t that the uncle who used to bully you?” asked Zuo Yu curiously.
Mingyuan nodded, “Yes, that’s him. Doesn’t he look like a bad person?”
The three brothers all nodded. Zuo Hao and Zuo Yue looked at Wang Zhenguo and whispered, “If they dare to bully your family again, we’ll help you get revenge. That guy used to be nothing in the eyes of the people in our old courtyard.”
It’s not that Zuo Hao looks down on Wang Zhenguo, but he’s just not very impressive. He doesn’t have a good appearance or a strong presence. In the old courtyard where they used to live, anyone could easily outshine him.
Wang Qian couldn’t help but chuckle at the disdainful looks from Zuo Hao and Zuo Yu. Children from well-traveled courtyards indeed have discerning eyes. In her eyes, Wang Zhenguo was really nothing special. He couldn’t even dream to compare with her father. It’s unbelievable that some people, with no foresight, cry and beg to marry him. She didn’t want to give him a second glance, given his character.
“Sis, let’s not bother with him. Let him associate with whoever he wants. We’ll go fishing with Zuo Hao later and add some extra dishes for dinner.”
After returning home, the siblings grabbed their fishing rods and headed to the reservoir. From a distance, Wang Qian could see people coming and going in the old courtyard, all busy with the preparations for tomorrow’s wedding.
Observing Wang Qian gazing at the distant courtyard, Zuo Hao quietly asked Zuo He, “Bro, isn’t that the place where Qianqian’s grandmother lives?”
After Zuo He’s confirmation, Zuo Yu gazed at the courtyard for a while, said nothing, then turned around and continued fishing with Mingyuan. The fish were cooperative today, and they didn’t have to wait long before the fish started biting.
“Hey, it’s biting!”
Zuo Hao saw the fishing rod start to sink and quickly pulled it back, with Zuo Yu helping. A carp weighing over a pound was pulled out of the water.
“Bro, you’re amazing. It’s my turn to fish this time,” Zuo Yu said, giving Zuo Hao a thumbs-up. He took the fishing rod from his brother, removed the fish, and re-baited the hook with Wang Qian’s help. Zuo Yu then sat patiently, waiting for the fish to bite.
Suddenly, they heard shouting from the direction of the Wang family’s house, “Fire!” They turned to see flames rising from the small shed they had previously built.
The helpers in the courtyard quickly fetched water to put out the fire, while those who were cooking inside the house rushed out, their faces covered in soot. The house was originally constructed with plastic, and as soon as the sparks hit, the plastic immediately caught fire. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished in time, but the shed no longer provided any shelter from the wind, leaving only a frame standing.
Mingyuan and Wang Qian stood there with smiles on their faces. Their little house wasn’t for just anyone.
Wang Qian saw Zhu Qiyu standing in front of the house, looking visibly upset. She couldn’t make out what she was saying, but her frustrated expression was evident.
“I’ve got a fish!” announced Zuo Yu, sitting steadily on the fishing platform, drawing the attention of the two siblings back to the fishing.
As the fishing rod moved, they managed to pull a large carp onto the shore.
Zuo Yu, feeling proud, turned to Zuo Hao and said, “Bro, how was that? I’m pretty good, right?” Zuo Hao also gave a thumbs-up and gestured, “Not bad. Keep it up.”
With a serious expression, Zuo Hao turned to the siblings and said, “Mingyuan, you don’t need to worry about certain people. If you don’t care, they won’t be able to hurt you.”
Pointing towards the direction of the Wang family’s old house, he continued, “They’re just neighbors at best, or just people from the village. If we don’t want to deal with them, we won’t. But if they provoke us, we can’t let it slide. Some people never change, and we need to make sure they remember the lesson and won’t dare to provoke you again.”
Mingyuan, despite being mature for his age, couldn’t fully comprehend Zuo Hao’s words.
“Zuo Hao, that person is still my dad’s relative. How can we teach him a lesson without upsetting my dad?”
Zuo Hao replied solemnly, “Ignoring them is the best form of retaliation. Besides, if we can’t be direct, we can be subtle. They’ll know who’s behind it. You need to learn about guerrilla tactics, my young friend. It’s all about luring the enemy in, then striking back, harassing them when they’re stationed, and wearing them down before launching an attack. Our grandfather taught us this when we were young.”
Wang Qian couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing that they were using guerrilla tactics against Zhu Qiyu. With these brothers around, things might get more interesting.
Mingyuan nodded, seemingly understanding, still pondering over the sixteen-word strategy.
The next day, Zhang Lan gave Mingcheng five yuan to take the siblings to visit relatives, while she and her husband stayed home.
Mingcheng and the others, along with Zuo He and his brothers, headed to the Wang family’s old house with the five yuan. It was a day of celebration at the Wang family’s, and almost everyone from the village attended. Despite some reservations about Zhu Qiyu and her family, Wang Deshan was well-liked, and people came to show their support for him.