??

  "Alright, let's go, Big Brother Zhou." After bidding farewell to the place, the first thought that popped into my mind on the way was that I had to make this deal. I said to Cha Wenbin, "This can be considered accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. We'll buy that girl and have her become Er Dai's wife."

  Za Wenbin said irritably: "Alright, stop talking nonsense, it's pointless to worry about trivial things."

  That Zhou Yuanhua was beaten up during the day, but in the end, Huang Zong still didn't take him away. Under the pressure of letting things slide, that kid has been released now. If I say that enemies meeting is especially infuriating, when I went there, that brat was humming and wiping medicine in the yard, as soon as he saw someone coming, he rushed into the house, I think this must be to find something. However, can I be intimidated by a hoodlum? At the moment when he was about to pick up the shotgun and show off his power, my five-sixths were already pressed against the back of his head.

  "Come on, show me what you've got! Do you know what this is?" I kicked him in the butt: "Put it down for your old man!"

  The grandson raised his hands and begged for mercy: "Elder brother, I was wrong, I know I was wrong, please spare me."

  "Get down on your hands and go into the courtyard, I have something to look for you. If you dare to be reckless, I will dare to disable you, did you hear?"

  "I understand, I understand..."

  When I arrived at the hospital, I first threw a cigarette to him. He didn't hesitate and took it, smoking it. For this kind of scoundrel, I have plenty of ways to deal with him. First, I took out a stack of big knots from my bag, counted out ten sheets and placed them on the small bench, saying to him: "About what happened during the day, my brother was a bit too generous, consider this as medical expenses."

  As soon as he saw the money, that kid's face lit up with joy and he reached out to take it. "Thanks, big brother, no need to be so polite."

  I slapped him on the back of his hand and suddenly changed my tone: "Of course, you can't just take this money, you have to make things clear. You know we're employed by the country, so everything has to be reported." I cleared my throat and said: "Our leader is very unhappy about what happened today. If he's not happy, who knows, he might report your business. Will you get a good outcome then?"

  "Hey, big brother, we don't have any grudges or grievances. I was just blind today." Before he spoke, his eyes were fixed on that stack of money, and my judgment of this person was basically made. So I asked: "What's the relationship between you and that woman?"

  "Huh, big brother, you asked this question, of course she is my wife."

  With a "slap", I slapped the table and stood up, shouting: "Zhou Yuanhua, you're not being honest! You said you and that woman are husband and wife, what evidence do you have? Show me your marriage certificate!"

  "Marriage certificate?" He was stunned for a moment, and then he said: "Lost, can't find it."

  "I deliberately asked sternly: 'Then what makes you prove that she is your lawful wife?'"

  "Just you wait." With that, Zhou Yuanhua turned around and ran back to the room. After a while of rummaging through things, he pulled out a piece of paper and said: "Take a look at this. On this white paper with black ink, it's clearly written that she will be my wife. This is with her parents' signatures and the matchmaker as witness."

  "Really? Let me see."

  Zhou Yuanhua was completely unaware that this was a trap, and with a hint of complacency, he handed over the paper and said: "This time you should know that I am teaching my own wife not to break the law, even if it's the king himself, no one can control her. This thieving wife has caused my brother and me to misunderstand each other, when we get back, I will definitely deal with her properly."

  I took the paper and glanced at it before handing it over to Cha Wenbin: "Got it, let's go."

  "Hey, big brother, where are you going?" He pointed to the 100 yuan on the table and said: "Sit for a while longer, sit for a while longer."

  I walked up to him with a smile and stuffed the cigarette butt in my mouth into his, saying: "Don't worry, Zhou Yuanhua, I'm telling you now that from now on, you'll be guilty of several crimes: illegal trafficking of women, illegal detention, beating and abusing women. As for other crimes, we'll have to wait for the court to investigate. Oh, by the way, the receipt you gave me is evidence, clearly stating that you spent 3,000 yuan to buy this woman."

  "Big brother, don't scare me, it's clearly written on this contract that I'll take her back as my wife for 3,000 yuan. The parents of the other party have signed and stamped their names, which court would dare to arrest me?"

  I slapped him with a loud slap and scolded: "You little brat, do you think this is still the old society? I've told you before that any mercenary marriage is illegal. If it were a few years ago during the Cultural Revolution, your punishment would be too light if you were beaten to death on the street. Now the country is ruled by law and evidence, just wait for a lifetime of imprisonment! Wenbin, let's go."

  "Don't go!" Zhou Yuan transformed into a child and blocked the way forward, saying: "I know you're eyeing that little girl, trying to get information out of me in all sorts of ways. If you really like her, have the guts to buy her from me. She's been eating and drinking at my house for years, with interest, 5,000 yuan. Otherwise, unless I'm dead."

  "Don't even think about wanting a child, or else tomorrow someone will come to take you away." I saw him blocking the way, so I simply asked with a smile: "Will you let me through?"

  "Don't let me, if you dare, beat me to death!" This kid is indeed a sticky and troublesome character. I'm not Ye Qiu, but this sentence is said in a way that's both fierce and intimidating. I quickly came up with an idea: "Alright, I think you're not easy to deal with either. Take this 100 yuan first and buy some wine. We'll discuss the rest of the matter when we get back tonight."

  "Slap" He slapped my palm and said, "Are you driving away a beggar? Either give me the money or return the note to me. And tonight, bring the person back to me honestly. Do you think Shuangyuan Village is easy to bully?"

  Vaguely, I saw someone walking towards me from afar, and suddenly I had the courage to say: "What if I don't give you anything?"

  "Then step on your grandfather's corpse and walk past."

  "Alright." I chuckled and said: "Second Brother, you can make your move now."

  A pitch-black long knife fell onto Zhou Yuanhua's ear, perfectly balanced on his shoulder. Suddenly, the blade turned inward, as if ready to slice through his fragile neck. Zhou Yuanhua turned around and took a look; he recognized this man - it was the killer who almost shot their clan leader in the afternoon. His legs immediately began shaking, and he knelt down: "Big brothers, good men, spare my life!"

  I slapped him with a loud smack and asked: "Do you still want money?"

  "He repeatedly waved his hand: 'I don't dare want it, I don't dare want it.'"

  Another slap in the face: "Can we take the woman away?"

  "Take her, take her... She's not my wife, she's a widow, you want her then take her..."

  "K...". Another slap was given, and he scolded: "Let you K, boy, remember, I'm not an unreasonable person. It's true that the person was bought by you, but it's also because of you that they became like that. We beat you not to avoid responsibility, but for Miss Cheng to vent her anger. This matter is settled, and your 3,000 yuan will be sent over tomorrow by someone I'll dispatch. From now on, this matter is considered closed. If you dare to utter a single word about it outside, I'll come back and break your neck at any time."

  That week Yuan nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice, repeatedly saying: "Yes yes yes yes..."

  "You come with us for a trip, there's still something we need to find you about." As I said that, I grabbed his collar and dragged him towards the village government office.

  We've arrived at our territory, and Zhou Yuanhua has thoroughly behaved himself, no longer daring to have any wild ideas. My business is already done, the rest is up to Cha Wenbin to handle, because he needs to figure out how this girl went crazy.

  "They say people go crazy because of you, how do you explain?"

  He hastily got up and explained: "Big brother, that thief woman went crazy has nothing to do with me!" I was about to slap him again, but this time he behaved himself, gave himself a slap on the face and said: "Sorry big brother, I was wrong. That Miss Cheng going crazy has nothing to do with me. Think about it, she's someone I bought with my own money, and I'm planning to sell her off for cash. Originally people all say that if she's unlucky in marriage, she won't be able to fetch a good price. If I drive her mad, wouldn't that really make her worthless?"

  "You're worth more than me, what's going on?"

  "I'm not very clear about it either, this girl originally served my father at home, and I just beat her a few times when I was drunk, but I never used excessive force." He feared that I would hit him again, so he hastily explained: "If you break something, it's no good..."

  He continued: "Last summer, there was a time when our home didn't have water, so I asked her to go to the river across from us to fetch some water. Our village has had running water for many years now, and we usually don't drink from that river. It wasn't until very late that she still hadn't returned, and I thought to myself, 'She can't have run away, right?' So I went out to look for her, and as it turned out, I found her under a pile of reeds by the riverbank. From then on, she went mad, scratching and biting, and there was no way to deal with her, so I ended up chaining her up."

  "What was she like when you found her?" This was the first time Cha Wenbin spoke up.

  I kicked one foot over and said: "Speak!"

  "Hey, big brother, don't move your hands, I'm talking. When I found her at that time, she kept saying something about not killing her, saying there was a green-faced ghost with sharp teeth who wanted to take her life. At the time, I thought she was pretending to be crazy, but after bringing her back, I realized she had really gone mad. However, I'm a responsible man, and I even sent her to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said she didn't have any illness at all. If you don't believe me, my family still has her medical records, every word is true."

  I exchanged a glance with Cha Wenbin, his meaning was almost there, so I pulled up the goods and said: "Alright, you can roll away now. The money will be delivered tomorrow, not a single cent less. However, it's best for you to keep your mouth shut tight. If you shout randomly again, I'll let that person cut off your tongue!"

  At this time, Ye Qiu cooperated very well and gently pulled Han Yue outwards. This action scared Zhou Yuan so much that he tucked his tail between his legs and ran away with a stream of urine, which made me feel like I had vented my anger.

  As soon as he left, Wen Bin immediately said to me: "Go take a look."

  "Where?"

  "The scene of the accident."

  ...

  ...