Chapter 63: Discussion

The next day, Zhou Jiwen set off for the city hospital.

Zhou Shu was staying in the men’s ward on the second floor. When Zhou Jiwen arrived, he found a group of young men gathered outside the hospital room, talking loudly and animatedly about seeking revenge for Zhou Shu.

It seemed that Zhou Shu’s parents were not around.

Zhou Jiwen took a seat and silently listened to their conversation.

Blond #1: “Brother Zhou, we’ll take revenge for you! Damn it! Someone actually dared to kick your family jewels? We’ll go break theirs too!”

Red Hair: “Yeah! That’s right! Just tell us who did it!”

Blond #2: “Tell us who did it!”

“We won’t let Brother Zhou suffer a loss. An eye for an eye!”

Huh. An eye for an eye? At least they know their idioms.

Lying weakly on the hospital bed, Zhou Shu sighed, “What are you guys going on about? Women don’t even have family jewels! And besides, none of you are allowed to do anything or spread this around, or I’ll die of embarrassment!”

Blond #1: “A woman? What the hell happened, bro? What kind of woman did you mess with?”

Zhou Shu let out a frustrated sigh, his teeth grinding with hatred. He looked like he wanted to chew Jing Xi up and swallow her whole.

“Damn it! I was just trying to catch her alone and have some fun. I even tied her hands and pinned her to the ground, yet she still managed to fight back and kick me! I really underestimated her. No wonder even my mom suffered losses at her hands!”

Blond #2: “Bro, just give us the address! We’ll go find her, tie her up, and bring her to you to play with!”

Red Hair: “Yeah! No way we three can’t handle her!”

Zhou Shu glanced at the wide-open hospital door and lowered his voice. “Keep it down! Play with who? Look at me—how the hell am I supposed to ‘play’ with anyone now? Forget it. Just let the police handle it. My parents already had my wife file a report. The police are investigating now.”

Blond #1 raised an eyebrow, his eyes shifting nervously. There was a hint of hesitation in his voice. “Bro… you called the cops? Then what about us…?”

Zhou Shu motioned for them to lean in and whispered, “Lay low for now. I can’t cover for you guys at the moment. We’ll talk once I’m out of the hospital. As for that woman… I thought it over. If you get the chance, you can beat her up, but be careful—don’t let the police find out.”

The three nodded in unison.

Zhou Jiwen didn’t hear the last part of the conversation. He simply stood up and walked toward the hospital room.

It was becoming more and more obvious—either Jing Xi or Zhou Shu was lying.

Standing at the doorway, he saw Zhou Shu huddled with the three punks, whispering.

Knocking on the door, he instantly drew their attention. All three of the gang members turned around and saw a tall, upright police officer with a righteous expression standing there. They immediately snapped to attention like guilty schoolboys caught red-handed.

Their synchronized movement almost made Zhou Jiwen laugh.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Zhou Shu, are your parents and wife not here?”

Zhou Shu, startled by his sudden presence, had no idea when Zhou Jiwen had arrived. Fear crept in—had the officer overheard their conversation?

Like a student answering a teacher’s question, he stammered, “I… my parents went home to get some money, and my wife went out to buy food.”

Zhou Jiwen nodded. “Alright. I’ll be leaving for now. When your parents return, tell them to come to the station to find me. Also, when are you transferring back to Beizhen?”

Zhou Shu shook his head. “I don’t know yet.”

“Alright then, I’ll be off.”

As soon as Zhou Jiwen left the room, the three punks let out a collective sigh of relief.

Damn. Talking about shady business and the police show up? No matter how tough they acted, it was still scary.

Now that the cop was gone, Zhou Shu regained his bravado.

“Look at you three! How the hell are you gonna roll with me if you’re this scared of the police?!”

Blond #1: “Heh, bro, didn’t you stutter a little just now too?”

Blond #2: “Hey! Watch your mouth! Our bro wasn’t scared—he was just properly cooperating with the police’s questioning!”

Red Hair: “Exactly!”

Zhou Shu motioned for Red Hair to shut the door. “No matter what, stick to the plan. Be careful. If things get tricky, go find Old Meng in the courtyard and have him handle it.”

The three of them nodded in unison.

---

Meanwhile, back in the village, Jing Xi ran into Zhou Wenwu and his wife, Li Fenghua.

The moment Li Fenghua saw Jing Xi pass by, she couldn’t hold back her insults.

“Jing Xi! Listen up! We already know what you did to our son! We’ve already reported it to the police! Just wait to be locked up and pay up! If anything happens to my son, I won’t let you off!”

Jing Xi looked at them and put down the farming tool in her hands. “What are you even talking about? I don’t understand!”

“We’re saying that we already know it was you who hurt my son! Just you wait—you’ll get what’s coming to you!”

Zhou Wenwu was all fired up, as if he was about to do something to Jing Xi.

He had never liked her from the beginning.

He had always known this girl was nothing but trouble!

Jing Xi wasn’t about to waste her breath explaining why she had beaten Zhou Shu.

Here, she would never admit it. Besides, they had no evidence to prove she did anything!

She simply walked away. “I said I didn’t do it, so I didn’t do it. Accusing me won’t change anything.”

Jing Xi made a face at them. “Do you know what this is? This is karma! People like you, who do nothing but bad deeds, are bound to pay the price! Also, I’ve already been to the police station and answered their questions. If you have any issues, you should talk to Zhou Jiwen, not me!”

She picked up her farming tool, ready to leave, but Li Fenghua suddenly ran up to her and slapped her hard across the face.

The pain stung sharply, and with nowhere else to vent her anger, Jing Xi immediately returned the slap—twice as hard.

She used all her strength, leaving Li Fenghua stunned for several moments.

Jing Xi glared. “Listen to me—don’t underestimate me! Push me too far, and I’ll do things you can’t even imagine!”

She turned her gaze to Zhou Wenwu, and for a moment, he was startled.

That look in her eyes was too ruthless.

Even as a grown man, he felt a chill run down his spine.

People always said you shouldn’t push an honest person too far.

He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Li Fenghua. “What the hell are you doing? We already went to the police—why are you hitting people now?”

Li Fenghua looked bewildered. “Zhou Wenwu, she hit me too! Why aren’t you saying anything about that?”

Zhou Wenwu scoffed, “Weren’t you the one who hit her first?”

Li Fenghua retorted, “Only because she was bad-mouthing our son first!”

Zhou Wenwu: “…Let’s just go. Our son is waiting for us. Can Xiaowen really take care of him all by himself? That day when we told her to report it to the police, she took her sweet time.”

Li Fenghua stared at Zhou Wenwu suspiciously. “What’s with you? Why are you suddenly taking that girl’s side?”

Zhou Wenwu glanced at Jing Xi, then tugged Li Fenghua away, regaining some sense of reason. “Are you stupid? She says she didn’t do it—what if that’s true? You hit her, and if she reports it to the police, then what? Even if she doesn’t go to the police, what if she complains to the village officials? We already didn’t get any farmland allocation this year, and our income is going to be cut in half compared to previous years!”

Li Fenghua snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? Our son said she did it! Are you saying you don’t trust your own son? What’s more important—money or our son?”

Zhou Wenwu’s expression darkened. “Our son also said he wanted to mess with Jing Xi—did you believe that? No? Then don’t turn around and question me!”

Li Fenghua quickly covered Zhou Wenwu’s mouth. “Don’t say things like that! Our son was just talking big—he didn’t mean it! You better keep your mouth shut before someone else hears you!”

“Either way, right now, the most important thing is getting our son treated. Did you forget what the doctor said? If we delay any longer, he’ll be crippled for life! And then we’ll never get to hold a grandson in our lifetime!”