Those things that happened in those years

Chapter 78 Intercepted Midway

Seeing the noncommittal expressions of Hong Liguo and the others, Tong Laogeda smirked, a hint of mockery in his eyes, and said loudly, "I've always considered you guys as respectable, capable heroes, but I never expected you all to turn into cowards when trouble comes. What's the big deal? Look how scared you are, like you've been silenced, unable to utter a single word. Give me a straight answer, or no, stop dawdling here."

Yan Daqi and Zhang Dali chimed in, their faces full of contempt, muttering filthy curses: "Damn, I thought they were all upright heroes, but they're all spineless cowards. None of them have any backbone, they're really despicable."

For those of them who live in the underworld, the thing they hate most is being called a coward.

In Hong Liguo's mind, just like everyone else, he regarded himself as a chivalrous hero. If he were called a coward or a coward, it would be as if his heroic image in his heart had been smashed to pieces.

Sure enough, Jun was the first to lose his temper. His face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe tomato, and his anger flared up like a powder keg. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Who the hell said we're cowards? Who the hell said we're scared? I'm the reincarnation of the ever-victorious General Zhao Zilong of Changshan! I've never known the meaning of fear in my life! Let's have a contest! Who's afraid of who? None of us have three heads and six arms, so who can really be any stronger than whom?"

They shouted loudly and swung their fists forcefully, looking like two bulls poised to fight, eager to charge forward and start a brawl.

Fa Zi was always the most composed and calm among them. No matter what happened, he would carefully consider and weigh the situation before making a decision.

At that moment, he sat there quietly, his brows furrowed tightly, forming a deep "川" (river) shape, lost in deep thought.

Yanbin, however, clearly didn't want to get involved in this mess. His long tongue kept moving as he said, "City people can be quite fierce. In my opinion, we'd better not provoke them to avoid getting into trouble."

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, and his eyes revealed an undisguised fear, like that of a frightened rabbit.

Hong Liguo's hatred for Wang Cheng had a long history.

That was a few years ago, when they were all still in elementary school. Although they often played with Jun and his friends, they hadn't yet made a name for themselves.

Once, Hong Liguo went to the city with his family on business. His parents saved up money by scrimping and saving and bought him a large twisted dough stick.

In that era of extreme scarcity, being able to eat a twisted dough stick was like a heavenly treat, and Hong Liguo was overjoyed.

He sat happily in the carriage, enjoying his twisted dough sticks. With each bite, the sweet flavor spread in his mouth, and he felt an instant surge of happiness.

Who would have thought that five or six children of similar age would suddenly appear? Just as they passed by his carriage, one of the big, simple-minded kids suddenly rushed over and snatched the half-eaten twist from his hand.

Hong Liguo was completely unprepared when the twisted dough stick in his hand was snatched away. He felt extremely distressed, as if someone had forcibly ripped a piece of his heart out.

Without a second thought, he jumped off the bus, intending to snatch the twisted dough stick back.

To his surprise, the group suddenly surrounded him, pushed him to the ground, and ran away laughing, their laughter echoing in the air, sounding particularly jarring.

At that time, Hong Liguo's parents were out running errands and were not with him. They tied the carriage to a big elm tree by the roadside and told him to eat fried dough twists and keep an eye on the carriage.

Just as Hong Liguo was getting up in a disheveled state, he heard one of them shout, "Sha Kui, run! Don't let him catch up!"

The boy who snatched his twisted dough stick was stuffing it into his mouth while saying fiercely, "It's okay, if he dares to chase after me, I'll knock his teeth out."

The other children chimed in, saying, "Don't eat it all! Leave some for us!"

From then on, the name "Sha Kui" was like a deep scar, firmly imprinted in Hong Liguo's heart, and could never be erased.

Later, when they went to the township middle school, they heard some classmates who often went to the city talk about Wang Cheng from the Fourth Middle School. It was then that Hong Liguo learned that Wang Cheng had a number two under him, who was particularly good at fighting, tall and strong, and whose nickname was Sha Kui.

Although Hong Liguo couldn't be sure if this "Silly Kui" was the same "Silly Kui" who had stolen his twisted dough sticks back then, from the moment he heard the name, he secretly harbored hatred for Wang Cheng.

This hatred was like a seed buried deep in his heart, quietly taking root and sprouting in a corner unnoticed by anyone, and then growing wildly, waiting for an opportunity, a chance for Hong Liguo to avenge his humiliation and make a name for himself.

After a long debate, everyone turned their attention to Hong Liguo, their eyes filled with anticipation, hoping he would make the final decision.

Hong Liguo slowly glanced around at his brothers, hesitated for a long time, and then slowly said, "This matter is not simple, and there are great dangers involved. However, after careful consideration, I have decided to accept Tong Laogeda's invitation. But this time is different from the past. Who participates and who doesn't is entirely up to personal choice, and I will not force anyone."

Hong Liguo agreed to participate in the competition not because he genuinely wanted to help Tong Laogeda, but largely out of personal revenge.

Over the years, he had been holding onto that grudge in his heart, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to find an opportunity to give that idiot Kui a good beating and vent all the resentment he had accumulated over the years.

Upon hearing this, Jun Ge and Hong Bo immediately responded loudly in agreement, like two wild beasts that had been locked up for too long, eager to break free of their cages.

Fa Zi and Yan Bin hesitated for a moment, a conflicted look on their faces, but finally gritted their teeth and said, "We've been brothers for so many years, always sharing joys and sorrows. Since you've both agreed, we can't back down. Let's go together!"

Although they were still somewhat afraid, the thought of their brotherhood made them decide to bravely step forward and face the unknown danger together.

When Tong Laogeda saw that they had all agreed, a joyful smile immediately appeared on his face, a smile as radiant as a blooming flower.

He stepped forward, patted them hard on the shoulder, and shouted, "Well done, brothers! We absolutely can't lose this time. We'll show those city folks what we're made of, and let them know we're not to be trifled with!"

And so, a great battle seemed imminent, inevitable. They were like a group of warriors about to rush into battle, about to step into this conflict filled with unknowns.

Not long after, Shi Lidong challenged Wang Cheng to a duel, declaring that they would settle the score in a final battle before graduation.

The agreed-upon location for the duel was an open space in the apricot grove of Xishan Park, south of the Fourth Middle School.

After having breakfast, Hong Liguo, Jun Ge, Fa Zi, and the others gathered at the village entrance early, as agreed yesterday.

Today they decided not to go to school, but to go to the apricot grove in Xishan to help fight the epidemic.

Tong Laogeda and his group had already assembled and set off ahead of them. Because among the Thirteen Protectors, only Tong Laogeda, his four henchmen, and Hong Liguo were from the same village; the others were from different villages. They needed to meet up with the others, so they had to leave first.

"Xiao Guo, are you sure you want to go? Shouldn't you think about it some more?" Fa Zi looked at Hong Liguo with a worried expression, his eyes still showing hesitation.

Before Hong Liguo could answer, Jun Ge interrupted, "What's wrong? Are you scared? If you're scared, then don't go. Stop dawdling around here."

"It's not a question of whether we're afraid or not, but whether it's worth it for us to do this. This matter originally had nothing to do with us, so why should we get involved in this mess?" Fa Zi said seriously, frowning.

Yanbin, who was listening nearby, quickly nodded in agreement with Fa Zi's point of view: "I think that's true too. If any of us brothers were bullied, we would definitely fight back without hesitation. But this isn't our own business, so there's no need to get ourselves involved."

Upon hearing this, Hongbo's face immediately showed disdain. He curled his lip and said, "Looks like you two are really old. You've lost all your courage and are useless. You're afraid of this little thing. What great things can you accomplish in the future?"

The four of them talked back and forth, each refusing to give in, their voices growing louder and louder, almost escalating into an argument, the atmosphere thick with tension.

"Alright, guys, listen to me," Hong Liguo raised his voice and said, "There's a reason I agreed to let Tong Laogeda go to the martial arts competition this time. I admit, there's a bit of personal grudge involved. As for what that grudge is, I don't want to talk about it right now. When I agreed to Tong Laogeda's request, I said that going or not going was up to him, and I wouldn't force him. So, those who want to go today, come with me; those who don't want to go, I absolutely won't force them, and I certainly won't let this create any rift between us. We'll still be good brothers in the future, and that will never change."

"I'll go with you, I'll go with you too!" Jun Ge and Hong Bo responded without hesitation, their voices filled with determination.

After listening, Fa Zi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright! Since you've all decided, let's go together. We've been together for so many years, your business is our business, we'll share the good times and the bad."

Yanbin gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, let's go! Who's afraid of who? It's just a martial arts competition; we've had our share of them before."

So, the group of them got on their bicycles and, instead of heading towards the township middle school, changed course and sped off towards the apricot grove on the western hills.

The wind whistled past their ears, as if playing the prelude to their adventure.

As they struggled to the top of the small hill, Hong Liguo was suddenly stunned. There, in front of the hill, stood a bicycle, and beside it stood a person—a very pretty female classmate. It was none other than Wang Yuxin.

They all braked in front of her and jumped out. From her angry expression, Hong Liguo could vaguely guess that Wang Yuxin probably already knew what they were going to do today. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt uneasy.

Hong Liguo asked her cautiously, feeling uneasy, "What are you doing here? This road isn't the way to the village middle school." He asked this because he was really unsure and wanted to test Wang Yuxin.

Wang Yuxin glared angrily at Hong Liguo, her eyes practically spitting fire: "Since you know this isn't the way to the village middle school, why are you here? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

"I, I, we're going to school?" Hong Liguo stammered, even he himself felt that the lie was too clumsy and full of loopholes.

"Going to school? The village middle school is in the south, but you're riding your bikes north. You're telling me you're going to school? Who would believe that? Do you think I'm stupid?" Wang Yuxin's voice rose several decibels, full of accusation.

Before Hong Liguo could speak, Hong Bo couldn't help but interject, "It's okay, we ride fast, it doesn't matter which direction we ride, it's just a slightly longer route." As soon as Hong Bo said this, everyone felt that this was a real-life example of going in the opposite direction, which made them both laugh and cry.

"Then you, weren't you going in the opposite direction too?" Hong Liguo tried to retort, wanting to regain the upper hand.

"Do you know why I'm going in the opposite direction?" Wang Yuxin didn't answer Hong Liguo's question directly, but instead asked him in return.

"How would I know that!" Hong Liguo pretended not to know, but in fact he had already guessed Wang Yuxin's purpose in appearing here.

"I'm here waiting for you. Don't think you can hide your business from me. What exactly are you trying to do? The exam is in a month, an exam that will determine your fate, and you're not taking it seriously at all. At this crucial moment, you still have the mind to go out and cause trouble! You're not children anymore, can't you be a little more sensible and think about your future?" Wang Yuxin became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his emotions were starting to get out of control.

As Hong Liguo listened to Wang Yuxin's words, his gaze unconsciously lingered on Fa Zi's face.

Their operation today was kept strictly secret. How did Wang Yuxin know? Someone must have tipped them off! Jun Ge and Hong Bo would never tip them off. They've always been straightforward; they wouldn't betray their brothers like that.

Although Yanbin was not entirely in favor of going, Hong Liguo knew his personality too well; he wasn't one to have many hidden agendas and was unlikely to betray Yanbin.

After much thought, the only possible culprit was Fa Zi. He had always disagreed with today's operation, and because he had been delivering letters between himself and Wang Yuxin, he had frequent contact with Wang Yuxin and they were on good terms. It was definitely him who didn't want to participate in the battle, which was why he secretly told Wang Yuxin to intercept them here.

Seeing Hong Liguo glaring at him, Fa Zi immediately guessed what he was thinking and hurriedly explained, "Don't look at me, I really didn't say this. I didn't know she was here. I swear to God, if I told anyone, may I be struck by lightning."

"You don't need to look at him, he didn't tell me. Hong Liguo, I just want to ask you, can you go back to school today?" Wang Yuxin turned her attention to Hong Liguo again, her eyes full of expectation, hoping he would change his mind.

"No." Hong Liguo answered her without hesitation, his attitude was very firm, leaving no room for negotiation.