Chapter 43: Grudges and Grievances

Master Huang wore a troubled expression, hesitating for a moment before fawning like a pug, wagging his tail to curry favor. "Brother Guihe, don't rush. Come inside, sit down for a while, and let's have a chat. Shunzi, go pour a bowl of tea for Brother Guihe and his men to moisten their throats!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Guihe immediately dropped his smile, scolding, "Old man! What do you mean by this? Are you treating me like some ignorant brute who understands nothing? The moment we brothers stepped in, you offer us tea—what's this, trying to chase me away?"

"No, no, no, you've misunderstood me. I truly didn't mean that."

"Stop dawdling. Did I come here to wag tongues with you? Hand over the protection fee right now!"

Realizing he could no longer stall, Master Huang rubbed his hands together and said, "Brother Guihe, these past two years the times have been turbulent. From the outside, everyone thinks my family is wealthy and powerful, but it's all an empty facade; I really don't have much money left. Don't worry, though, the protection fee will be paid. It's just... well, could you grant me a few days' grace? I'll pay half now, and the rest can wait until the autumn harvest. What do you think..."

"What did you just say?"

Wang Guihe raised an eyebrow and said, "Master Huang, that's not very loyal of you! Last year, my brothers and I risked our lives on the line to protect your household, and now you pull this routine on me? Use us and toss us aside, do you take us for brothel women?"

"I know, I know, the brothers have all worked hard, but I haven't had it easy either!"

"Go fuck yourself! You have the money to build a fortified earthen stronghold, yet no money to pay the protection fee? Who are you trying to fool?"

As it turned out, that accusation hit the mark.

Master Huang wasn't just pretending to be poor; he wasn't actually a major landowner, and the labor and materials spent on building this stronghold had indeed left him financially strained.

"Brother Guihe, for the sake of our old friendship, please give me a few more days. Three months... a month, even half a month will do."

It would have been better if he hadn't brought up their "friendship." Hearing those words made Wang Guihe's anger flare up instantly.

"Fuck your mother, old man, you still dare talk to me about friendship?"

Wang Guihe grabbed Master Huang by the neck, shoved him hard against the wall, and cursed, "When I was twelve years old, I herded sheep for your family. Just because one strayed and got lost, you hung me from a tree and beat me for a day and a night. If that sheep hadn't wandered back on its own the next day, you would have beaten me to death long ago. Now, sparing your dog's life is already giving you plenty of face—how the hell do you still have the nerve to talk to me about friendship?"

Hearing the commotion, the members of the Huang family, young and old, along with a group of servants, hurried out from the inner rooms.

To their horror, they saw Master Huang pinned against the wall, his face turning a dark purple, letting out raspy choking sounds as if he were on the verge of death.

Upon seeing this, Master Huang's wife wailed and rushed forward, pleading tearfully, "Brother Guihe, that was over thirty years ago! I beg you, let go of him! You only remember that our master beat you, but have you forgotten that the year your mother was gravely ill and freezing to death, it was our Huang family that lent you and your mother money and rice?"

Wang Guihe's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help cursing inwardly: Why are the grievances and debts of this world so hopelessly entangled?

The one who saved him was him.
The one who harmed him was also him.

Now he had become a greenwood bandit, while the other remained a wealthy landowner.

If he repaid kindness, the resentment could never be erased; if he settled resentment, the kindness could never be repaid!

What was the right thing to do?

Perhaps, any final choice would ultimately come down to Jiang Chenghai's words—unwilling.

The Huang family's children and daughters-in-law knelt one after another, kowtowing and pleading.

"Brother Guihe, for the sake of our fellow townsmen, spare the master's life!"

All eyes converged on one point, waiting for Wang Guihe's decision.

Finally, he loosened his grip, and Master Huang collapsed limply to the ground, coughing violently several times before finally catching his breath.

"Thank you, Brother Guihe! Thank you, Brother Guihe!"

However, Wang Guihe could not afford to soften his heart. Letting Master Huang off was fine, but he had to resort to other means; otherwise, his authority among his brothers would be questioned.

"Brothers! Follow me inside, turn the Huang family's ancestral stash upside down. Smash everything! Smash whatever can be smashed!"

"Right! Let's go!"

The men raised their rifles, shouting in unison as they swarmed into the inner rooms of the Huang residence.

Seeing this, the Huang family and their servants hurried after them with panicked expressions.

"No! Good heroes, show mercy! Don't smash that!"

"Brother Guihe, we were wrong! We'll pay the protection fee, okay?"

Wang Guihe kicked aside a member of the Huang family. "Regretting it now is too late! Brothers, check inside the walls, under the kangs, and inside the stoves thoroughly! Whoever finds the hidden stash gets a special reward!"

In an instant, chaos erupted in the inner rooms.

Inside the entire walled courtyard, only Jiang Chenghai and his men remained motionless.

The second brother, Li Tianwei, looked eager to try and asked, "Eldest brother, aren't we going to make a move?"

The fifth brother, Shen Guoliang, also urged anxiously, "Yeah, eldest brother, since we've already come all this way!"

Jiang Chenghai let out a cold snort. "Want to go? Then stay behind and keep being bandits, you won't need to go back to Fengtian."

Both of them had spent time in the greenwood underworld and found it hard to shake off their bandit habits, but with their eldest brother holding the line and having said thus much, they had no choice but to drop it.

At this moment, Jiang Chenghai's brows were also tightly knit. He had agreed to tag along precisely because he thought they wouldn't be raiding any estates today, yet things had ended up in such a mess.

After a long bout of turning the inner rooms upside down, just as Jiang Xiaodao was beginning to feel bored, he suddenly heard the shrill scream of the elderly matriarch of the Huang family echo from inside.

"Brother Guihe, you can't take that! We'll pay the protection fee, we'll pay!"

Immediately following that, Wang Guihe walked out swaggeringly, holding a red cloth-wrapped bundle, flanked by Master Huang and the matriarch.

"Brother Guihe, have mercy, leave our family a way out!"

Wang Guihe swung his hand and slapped Master Huang across the face, cursing, "I already showed you enough mercy by not killing you just now. Don't fucking push your luck when given face; be grateful you have grain to eat. This bag of small gold bars will serve as hazard pay for my brothers!"

Seeing this, the matriarch dropped to her knees with a thud and grabbed Wang Guihe's leg.

"Guihe, you can take the goods, but at least leave something for our family to survive on!"

"Go fuck your mother!" Wang Guihe raised the butt of his rifle and smashed it heavily into the matriarch's face. "Do you think I'm running a street market? You're actually trying to bargain with me!"

The matriarch's nasal bone was shattered, and blood instantly gushed all over her face.

"Brothers! Everyone grab another sack of rice, fall back!"

"Wang Guihe!"

Suddenly, an angry roar echoed across the courtyard!

Everyone froze in shock and whipped their heads around to see the eldest young master of the Huang family, Huang Chengyin, standing there with a face contorted in fury, aiming a rifle directly at Wang Guihe's head from afar.

Jiang Chenghai and his men reacted first, drawing their pistols in a standoff. Even Jiang Xiaodao instinctively thrust his hand inside his coat, gripping his Mauser c96 tightly.

Wang Guihe's men followed suit. With a series of sharp clicks, over a dozen rifle barrels instantly locked onto the young master of the Huang family.

The Huang family actually had guns!

"Wang Guihe! You... put that down!"