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Just as the other child’s fist was about to strike, Mingcheng appeared like a god and grabbed the other child’s wrist. “Liu Datou, you dare to skip class and start a fight. Tomorrow, let’s see how the teacher criticizes you. And these are my younger siblings. If you lay a finger on them, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Wang Qian was surprised to find out that the other child was a classmate of her older brother. However, it was clear that this child was not a good student. Skipping class and starting a fight during school hours was unacceptable. At such a young age, he had already learned to dominate others.
“Wang Mingcheng, you tattletale. Let me tell you, I’m not afraid of anything. Go ahead and tell on me,” Liu Datou was stubborn, but Wang Qian was determined to deal with this troublemaker to prevent any future issues for her little brother.
She was certain that Mingyuan wouldn’t have started the fight. He was a well-behaved and intelligent child. He wouldn’t have resorted to violence unless provoked.
With a firm resolve, she stared at the other child and said, “Liu Datou, stay away from my brother in the future. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Liu Datou had never suffered a loss in a fight before, and being hit by a little girl had made him furious. Although Mingcheng had intervened, he wasn’t afraid. The children in their village usually followed his orders. If he lost this fight, how would he be able to command the others in the future?
Thinking about this, he glared at Wang Qian and said, “You little brat, mark my words, this isn’t over. Either you make Mingyuan apologize to me, or he’ll have to listen to me from now on.” Liu Datou believed that he could control Mingcheng and the others due to the number of people on his side.
Wang Qian was furious. This stubborn child needed to be taught a lesson. She remembered that there was a vegetable knife in the space. She was determined to confront this child. She turned to fetch her basket, but in reality, she wanted to retrieve the knife from the space. She brought the basket over and swiftly pulled out a vegetable knife. She then charged towards Liu Datou and his group.
Liu Datou was leading a group of boys from their village to attack Mingcheng and the others. When Wang Qian charged at them with a knife, the timid children scattered and fled. Liu Datou, who had initially intended to take advantage of the numbers, turned red with fear and fled when he saw Wang Qian with the knife. Mingcheng, seeing his sister with the knife, hurriedly chased after her, concerned that she might cause serious harm.
“Liu Datou, stop right there. Today, you’ll see what I’m capable of,” Wang Qian shouted. Liu Datou, who was running ahead, didn’t dare to stop. He wished he had four legs to run faster. A knife was no joke; the girl meant business.
Having grown up in the countryside, Liu Datou knew that getting into a real fight would only lead to trouble. He regretted provoking such a reckless troublemaker. He wished he had checked the almanac before leaving home that day.
After seeing Liu Datou flee, Wang Qian stopped and panted heavily. She was exhausted.
“How are you, sister?” Mingcheng caught up and saw how tired she was. He squatted down and lifted her up. “Qianqian, let me carry you. Take a rest.”
Mingcheng knew that if it weren’t for his sister’s intervention, they might have faced more trouble in the future.
Resting on her older brother’s thin back, Wang Qian felt a warm feeling in her heart. This was her family, the people who would stand up for her in times of need.
“Brother, I’m just tired from running. My legs are weak. But from now on, you’ll be fine. I don’t think Liu Datou will dare to bother you again. If anyone causes trouble for you in the future, just let me know. We’ll figure out a way to deal with them. I refuse to believe that we can’t handle these people,” Wang Qian said fiercely.
Hearing his little sister’s determined words, Mingcheng couldn’t help but smile. “Little sister, no one will bully us. It’s just that Liu Datou is annoying. He always picks on people for no reason. But I think he was scared off by you today. He ran so fast. We’ve never seen him move that quickly even during our physical education classes.”
Mingcheng was quite impressed by his little sister. Despite being only seven years old, she was fierce enough to chase them away with a knife.
When they returned to the fight scene, Wang Xuan was helping her younger brother wipe the dirt off his head. Mingyuan’s face already showed visible bruising. Seeing her older brother’s disheveled appearance, Wang Qian felt sorry for him. How could Liu Datou have dared to lay a hand on her brother like this?
“Brother, are you in pain? I should have given Liu Datou a good thrashing today. How could he have beaten you like this?” Wang Qian said.
After climbing down from her older brother’s back, she walked over to Mingyuan and gently touched his slightly swollen cheek. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Mingyuan was such a beautiful child, and now his face was somewhat disfigured. “Brother, if Liu Datou ever bullies you again, just let me know. We’ll figure out a way to deal with him. I refuse to believe that we can’t handle this bunch of people.”
Mingcheng was surprised to hear his little sister speak so fiercely. “Little sister, no one will bully us. Liu Datou is annoying, but he’s scared of you. He ran so fast. We’ve never seen him move that quickly, not even during our physical education classes.”
The group was surprised to learn that Mingyuan had been so cunning in the fight, leaving no visible marks on his opponent. Wang Qian had witnessed her brother’s formidable side. At such a young age, he already knew how to play dirty. This was good. With these two children to rely on in the future, she had nothing to worry about.
Xiao Xiang, who had been punished by the teacher to write an assignment, arrived with a group of people. The fight had already ended. Seeing Mingyuan’s face, he patted his shoulder. “Mingyuan, if anyone bullies you again, tell me or your brother. We’ll stand up for you. Look, these are all people from our village. We’re not afraid of them.”
Mingyuan was pleased to have someone stand up for him, but he didn’t want anyone to fight on his behalf. He nodded vigorously. The onlookers had already dispersed, and the siblings and their friends walked back home, chatting and laughing along the way. Mingyuan explained the reason for the fight. It was quite simple. Mingyuan had collected firewood and was surrounded by Liu Datou and his gang, who wanted to take it from him. When Mingyuan refused, a fight broke out.
Wang Xuan felt sorry for Mingyuan. “Mingyuan, if this happens again, just give them the firewood. It’ll save you from getting hurt. Look at your face; it’s going to swell up tomorrow.”
When Mingcheng returned home carrying firewood with his siblings, Zhang Lan noticed that her youngest son’s face didn’t look right. She quickly took his hand and examined it carefully. “Mingyuan, did someone bully you today? Tell Mom who did it. I’ll go to their house.”
Zhang Lan took off her apron and grabbed Mingyuan’s hand, her fair face turning red with anger. Her children rarely caused trouble, and seeing her son being beaten up made her heart ache.
Mingcheng quickly stopped her. “Mom, Mom, listen to us first before you go find them.” The children recounted the scene, and Zhang Lan couldn’t help but feel proud of her little daughter. Despite being young, she had shown remarkable courage. Even the two adults felt inadequate in comparison.
Holding her little daughter, Zhang Lan kissed her on the cheek. “Qianqian, if you ever encounter a similar situation in the future, just scare them a little. Don’t actually hurt anyone. It’s not good to injure others.”
This time, Zhang Lan chose not to scold her children because they hadn’t done anything wrong. Living in the countryside, if there wasn’t someone strong and tough in the family, trouble would find its way to their door. She didn’t want her children to become weak, and she was confident that her children wouldn’t go astray.
Wang Qian sweetly replied, “Mom, I won’t actually hurt anyone. He’s just a kid, albeit an annoying one. I just wanted to scare him a little, so he won’t bother my older siblings in the future. I know what I’m doing. I don’t want to go to jail, and I don’t want our family to lose money. We have a bright future ahead of us, right?”
Seeing her daughter’s obedient demeanor, everyone smiled. “Alright, Mom knows what’s going on. Let’s go cook.”
Thinking about dinner, she remembered the wild chicken she had caught in the space. While the children were doing their homework, she took her mother to the grass storage room and brought out the pine baskets she had collected that day. The wild chicken appeared before Zhang Lan.
Seeing her daughter secretly going to the mountains, Zhang Lan felt a little helpless. She gently touched her daughter’s head. “Little girl, I told you not to go alone. Not only did you go, but you also brought back so much. I’m worried about your safety. If something happens in the deep mountains, how will we manage? In the future, try not to go alone. If you want to go, call me, and I’ll go with you.”
She knew her child was doing it for the good of the family, but even though the seven-year-old was very sensible, she was still a child. If something were to happen, how could she live with herself?
Wang Qian cheerfully took her mother’s hand. “Mom, I understand. I’ll try not to go to the mountains alone in the future. But if I hadn’t gone today, no one would have been there to help my older brother. Please don’t be angry. I’ll be obedient.”
Knowing that her daughter was sensitive to her mood, Zhang Lan couldn’t stay upset. Her daughter looked at her with a pitiful expression, melting her heart. “Alright, I’m not angry. Tonight, I’ll make stewed chicken for you and your siblings as a treat.”