Siheyuan: Start with a Truck Driver

boom!
The night was as dark as a heavy curtain, covering the area outside the lumber mill. Xu Damao was immersed in the excitement of being able to catch Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong. His eyes were gleaming with greed and complacency, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, revealing a barely perceptible sly smile.

Suddenly, a black shadow rushed out from the darkness behind him, and before Xu Damao could react, a brick hit the back of his head with a sharp sound of wind. With a dull "bang", Xu Damao felt as if his head had been blown apart, and the severe pain instantly spread throughout his body. His eyes went black, and he fell forward to the ground and fainted.

At this time, Wang Niu, the wood factory's cook, came out from the shadows, holding the brick with a little dirt on it in his hand, with a fierce and nervous look in his eyes. He looked at Xu Damao, who was lying motionless on the ground, and spat, "Humph, you want to ruin our good deeds? No way!"

Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong heard the noise and turned around. When they saw Xu Damao lying on the ground, their eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my God! This... Isn't this Xu Damao? Why is he here?" Liu Haizhong's face was full of fear and his voice was trembling.

Sha Zhu was also stunned, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He frowned, looked at Wang Niu, and asked, "Fatty Wang, what's going on? Did you knock him out?"

Wang Niu nodded and said in a rough voice: "When I came here, I saw this guy sneaking around here and eavesdropping on your conversation. Can we keep him here? If he gets away, we'll all be doomed."

Liu Haizhong squatted down in a panic, sniffed Xu Damao's breath, and breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, he's still breathing. What should we do now? If this guy wakes up, we'll be in big trouble."

Sha Zhu paced back and forth, thought for a while, and said, "We can't let him stay here. Let's drag him to the bushes over there and hide him there until we're done."

Liu Haizhong looked at the unconscious Xu Damao, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness, and whispered: "How about we just go all out and throw him into the river to drown him. If this guy wakes up, we will all be in trouble, and he will definitely report us."

When Sha Zhu heard this, his eyes widened and he shouted, "Liu Haizhong, are you crazy? This is going to kill someone! I have a grudge against Xu Damao, but I can't do such a heinous thing."

Liu Haizhong said anxiously: "What should we do? Don't you think about it? If he is alive, we will never have a good life in the future. If our affairs are exposed by him, we will all go to jail."

Sha Zhu frowned, paced back and forth, and said, "Going to jail is better than killing someone! We just wanted to make some money, but if we lose a life, we're really done for. Besides, if this matter is discovered, none of us can escape."

Wang Niu also echoed, "Yes, Liu Haizhong, Sha Zhu is right. This can't be done. Once you kill someone, the nature of the matter is completely different."

Liu Haizhong was a little unwilling and was still arguing: "Then what do you say we should do? Just leave him here? Wait for him to wake up and take revenge on us?"

Sha Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Let's hide him in that abandoned warehouse first, tie him up with a rope, and then gag him. After we're done, we'll think of a way to deal with him. But we must not take his life."

Although Liu Haizhong was still a little worried, he also knew that what Sha Zhu said made sense, so he nodded helplessly: "Okay, I'll do as you say. But this matter must be handled properly, and there must be no future troubles."

Sha Zhu glanced at Xu Damao lying on the ground, with a complicated look in his eyes: "Hmph, Xu Damao, you are such a troublemaker. You are lucky this time, but if you dare to ruin our plans, you will be in trouble in the future." After that, the three of them began to drag Xu Damao to the abandoned warehouse.

After placing Xu Damao in the abandoned warehouse, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, but the atmosphere was still tense. At this time, Wang Niu frowned and looked at Liu Haizhong, his eyes full of suspicion and dissatisfaction. He pulled Sha Zhu over and asked in a low voice: "Sha Zhu, what are you doing? Who is this person? Why did you bring a stranger here?"

Sha Zhu patted Wang Niu on the shoulder, trying to calm him down: "Fatty Wang, don't be anxious, listen to me slowly. This is Liu Haizhong, a neighbor in my compound, trustworthy. He is also short of money now, so we should have more people to help, right?"

Wang Niu frowned even more tightly, his eyes widened: "Can you trust me? You know if one more person knows about this, the risk will be even greater! We are already walking on the edge of a knife, and you still bring people with you casually."

Sha Zhu quickly explained: "I know him, he is a timid person, he won't do anything rash. Besides, he is in trouble now, he is forced into a corner, he will definitely not tell anyone about this. And he has sworn that if any word gets out, he will die miserably."

Liu Haizhong nodded hastily and said with a smile: "Chef Wang, don't worry, I know the seriousness of this matter. I will never cause any trouble to you. I just want to make some money because I have no other choice. Just treat me as a little follower, and I will definitely follow your instructions."

Wang Niu snorted coldly and looked Liu Haizhong up and down: "Humph, what's the point of swearing? If this matter is discovered, can swearing save us? Silly Zhu, you are too confused!"

Sha Zhu looked helpless: "Fatty Wang, I've already brought him here, what should we do now? We can't chase him away. He knows so much. What if he reports us in a rage?"

Wang Niu stopped and said seriously, "Let's not do it today. It's too risky. Originally it was just the two of us, so I could feel more at ease, but now there's him." As he spoke, he pointed at Liu Haizhong, his eyes full of distrust.

When Sha Zhu heard this, he panicked and hurriedly grabbed Wang Niu's arm: "Fatty Wang, stop it! We have come this far, we can't just let it go. Look, I have already made an agreement with Liu Haizhong, he will definitely be fine."

Liu Haizhong also hurried forward, his face full of anxiety: "Yes, Chef Wang, I really came here because I had nowhere else to go. I am very tight-lipped and will never leak this matter. Please trust me this time."

Wang Niu shook off Sha Zhu's hand and frowned, "Trust you? This is no joke. If we get caught, we'll all go to jail. I don't want to sacrifice the rest of my life because of your greed."

Sha Zhu stamped his feet anxiously: "Fatty Wang, didn't we do well before? It went smoothly every time. There will be no problem this time, we just need to be careful. Besides, we all need the money right now." Liu Haizhong also echoed: "Yes, yes, Chef Wang, I have planned it all. I will use the money to fill the hole at home first. I promise that if there is any trouble in the future, I will be the first to bear it and will never let you down."

Wang Niu looked at the two of them, a little hesitant, but still shook his head: "No, there is no room for negotiation. Let's stop here today, both of you should go back quickly, and don't ask me to do this again in the future."

Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong looked at each other, their eyes full of despair. They knew that if they didn't do it today, they might not have another chance in the future.

When Liu Haizhong heard that Wang Niu was determined not to do it, a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes. His originally flattering expression disappeared instantly, replaced by a ferocious face, and he said viciously: "Wang Niu, don't refuse a toast and drink a penalty. If you don't do it today, don't blame me for being rude. I will report you now and let you have a taste of jail time."

Wang Niu didn't expect Liu Haizhong to do this. He was stunned at first, and then he was filled with anger. He had been a cook in this lumber mill for many years, and he had never been threatened like this before. "You bastard, how dare you threaten me?" Wang Niu said with gritted teeth.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu was horrified and quickly advised: "Hey, don't be impulsive, let's talk it out."

However, Wang Niu was so angry that he didn't listen to the advice. While Liu Haizhong was still talking nonsense, he quietly moved his feet, quickly scanned the surroundings, and soon locked onto a brick lying on the ground. He bent down, picked up the brick at a very fast speed, raised his arm high, and prepared to smash it hard on Liu Haizhong's hateful head just like he had just knocked Xu Damao unconscious. His eyes were full of anger and determination, as if he wanted to vent all his anger through this brick.

When Sha Zhu saw Wang Niu's action, he shouted in horror: "Wang Niu, stop!" But his voice seemed to be a little sluggish in this tense atmosphere, and everything seemed to be slowed down.

Just when Wang Niu was about to hit Liu Haizhong with a brick, Liu Haizhong's reaction was very quick. His nerves were highly concentrated due to tension and anger, and he instantly realized the approaching danger. He suddenly took a step back, raised his right foot, and kicked Wang Niu's stomach with all his strength.

The kick made a sharp sound and hit Wang Niu like a cannonball. "Ah!" Wang Niu screamed in pain, and his whole body hunched up like a shrimp. The brick in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. He covered his stomach and staggered back a few steps, his eyes full of pain and disbelief.

"You... you dare to fight back!" Wang Niu endured the severe pain and roared as he rushed towards Liu Haizhong. Like an angry bull, he waved his strong arms, trying to hug Liu Haizhong and give him a fatal blow.

Liu Haizhong was not to be outdone, he dodged Wang Niu's attack by moving sideways, then quickly swung his right fist and punched Wang Niu's back. With a "bang", the punch hit Wang Niu's back solidly, causing Wang Niu to stagger and rush forward a few steps.

After Wang Niu stabilized his body, he turned around and rushed towards Liu Haizhong again. This time he learned his lesson and made a feint, then raised his leg and kicked Liu Haizhong's knee while Liu Haizhong was dodging. Liu Haizhong didn't expect Wang Niu's move and was kicked in the knee. He hissed in pain, but he quickly adjusted himself and hit Wang Niu's shoulder with his elbow.

The two of them fought back and forth, punching and kicking. You have to know that Liu Haizhong is an old section worker in the steel rolling mill and is very strong. A cook like Wang Niu cannot compare to him.

After a few rounds, Wang Niu gradually lost his strength. Liu Haizhong seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and threw him over his shoulder with all his strength. Wang Niu was thrown high up in the air, and then fell heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, and could not get up for a long time.

Liu Haizhong was panting heavily, his eyes flashing with ferocious and greedy light. He stared viciously at Wang Niu who was lying on the ground, and approached step by step: "Humph, you have no choice now, either take us into the cafeteria to steal meat, or I will report you now and let you spend the rest of your life in jail."

Wang Niu lay on the ground, holding his injured stomach, his eyes full of resentment and helplessness. He never thought that things would develop to this point, and he would be threatened by this hateful Liu Haizhong. "You...you bastard, you will get retribution." Wang Niu cursed with gritted teeth.

Liu Haizhong didn't care at all. He squatted down, grabbed Wang Niu's collar, and pulled his face closer to him: "Stop talking nonsense. I just want to ask you, do you agree?"

Wang Niu was filled with anger, but he also knew that he was at a disadvantage. If he didn't agree, this crazy guy would really report it, and then he would be finished. He was silent for a while, a trace of despair flashed in his eyes, and finally nodded helplessly: "Okay, I promise you."

Liu Haizhong then let go of his hand, stood up, and a smug smile appeared on his face: "That's right, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. Wouldn't it be better to do this earlier? You have to force me to do it."

Sha Zhu watched all this from the side and said hesitantly: "Liu Haizhong, this is not a good idea, right? If we force him like this, what if..."

Liu Haizhong interrupted Sha Zhu impatiently: "There is no such thing as a contingency. Now the arrow is on the string and we have to shoot it. We have come this far, we can't just give up like this."

Wang Niu got up from the ground, dusted himself off, glared at Liu Haizhong, and then walked towards the canteen of the lumber mill. Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu looked at each other and hurried to catch up.

The morning sun shone on the earth, dispelling some of the night's chill. Xu Damao was lying in the field, with messy grass and dirt under his body. A passerby passed by and saw him from a distance. The passerby approached with a puzzled look on his face, only to see that Xu Damao's hair was messy and there was some grass debris on his face.

The passerby frowned, reached out his hand and patted Xu Damao's face gently: "Hey, wake up, why are you sleeping here?" After patting him several times, Xu Damao slowly opened his eyes. There was confusion in his eyes at first, then a trace of horror flashed, and then he suddenly realized.

He sat up suddenly, but felt a sharp pain in his head. "Ouch!" He couldn't help but scream, and reached out to touch the back of his head, where there was a big bump. At this moment, the memories of last night came flooding back like a tide. He remembered that he secretly followed Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong outside the lumber mill, and then was attacked from behind with a brick, and he didn't know anything after that.

"I... I was beaten." Xu Damao said to the passerby, his eyes showing both anger and fear. The passerby was surprised: "Being beaten? Who beat you? Why are you here?"

Xu Damao frowned: "Damn Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu, I will never let them go this time!" (End of this chapter)