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Chapter 98: Zhongping Bandits, Yakou Living Dad

It was almost evening and just as it was getting dark, Xie Hushan swaggered along the path in Yakou Village towards Taozi's house, whistling the "Devils Entering the Village" song from the old anti-Japanese movie "Plain Guerrillas".

Wherever his men went, the houses along the way closed their doors and windows. There were a few children who were still running and playing on the road, but they were grabbed by the adults and taken back to the yard.

Some of the local dogs wanted to bark at Xie Hushan, a stranger, but their owners kicked the barks back, turning them into mournful cries.

People hid behind the doors of their main rooms or poked holes in the windows, stealing glances at Xie Hushan who was whistling as he passed by their homes.

This Zhongping bandit, his father from Yakou hasn’t left yet?
Moreover, he injured someone and just walked back so brazenly, and the commune didn’t even arrest him?

There is a bulge on his waist, so he must be carrying a gun! Is he going to stay here tonight?! Is he really going to sleep with Old Liu's daughter-in-law?
There were more than twenty people gathered in Taozi's yard, chattering. When they heard the whistle, they looked over and saw that it was Xie Hushan, and suddenly everyone fell silent.

"Uncle, aunt, is the meal ready? I've been hungry since noon." Xie Hushan pushed open the fence door and greeted Jin Mancang and his wife in the yard with a calm smile, as if he was back home.

Taozi heard Xie Hushan's voice and ran out of the house, holding onto the door frame. When she saw Xie Hushan standing in her yard intact, she breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that her parents hadn't spoken yet, she said to Xie Hushan:
"The lunch is cold. I'll make you something hot. Go inside and rest first."

"Okay, it's New Year's Eve, use the flour and meat I brought to make dumplings." Xie Hushan didn't say much. He nodded to Jin Mancang and his wife who had not turned around in the yard, bent down and entered the low-rise Jin's house.

This was the first time he entered the Jin family's house. The ground was an uneven muddy ground, and it was filled with the smoky smell of fireworks, dry tobacco, and the sweat odor of cotton-padded clothes and shoes roasted over the fire. Fortunately, there was no shortage of firewood because it was close to the mountain, so the temperature of the fire was quite warm.

"You go to this room." Taozi led Xie Hushan to the east room:
"This room is where Er Tao'er and I usually live. It's cleaner. My parents, San Pang'er and Biaozi live in the west room. It's too messy."

When Xie Hushan entered the house, everyone gathered outside looked at Jin Mancang and Li Qiaozhi. They had been discussing that Xie Hushan would definitely not come back, and they all thought that after he finished his business in Lingguanying Commune, he would go back directly with the people from Zhongping Commune.

Who would have thought that this father really kept his word. When he left, he said that he would come back to sleep with the other woman's wife at night, and he really came back!
Taozi waited for Xie Hushan to take off his cotton shoes and get on the kang, and then helped him to warm the shoes. After finishing all this, she did not leave, but stared at Xie Hushan with her big black and white eyes.

"What's the matter? Are you scared? You think I'm a troublemaker and want to cancel the engagement? Cancel? No problem, just say it boldly. I'll help you with your grandmother's ideological work later. Just because I'm a troublemaker, any girl would have to cancel the engagement. I will definitely be on your side and support you." Xie Hushan looked at Taozi who was staring at him in silence, then he approached the oil lamp, lit a cigarette, and deliberately teased her.

Taozi didn't say anything. She was so angry at Xie Hushan that she turned around and left the room. Sanpang'er poked his head in from the doorway, chewing the candy that Xie Hushan gave him when he came. He lowered his voice and said to Xie Hushan like an underground liaison:
"Third brother, don't be afraid. My sister doesn't dare to retreat! My mother has been worried about it all afternoon."

Xie Hushan looked at the chubby Jin Lao San with a smile: "What did your mother say?"

"My mom said that even if you find the wrong person, you can't back out. Who would dare to introduce a partner to my eldest sister if you back out? Who would dare to compete with such a living father for a wife? Are you tired of living? And if you really back out, you won't be able to find a husband. Not to mention my eldest sister, there was a matchmaker who wanted to find a partner for my second sister. She was so scared that she came to apologize in the afternoon, saying that she was blind and didn't know how much she had eaten. What kind of status did she have to dare to introduce a partner to my second sister? My mom is worried now, saying that my second sister might end up being single."

Jin Laosan reported the intelligence he had to Xie Hushan truthfully.

At this time, Taozi came in with a pine oil lamp made of pine oil lumps, and with one hand, she slapped her brother on the mouth:
"What nonsense are you talking about? Go back to your room or I'll tear your tongue off if you dare to talk nonsense again!"

Jin Laosan immediately covered his mouth and went back to the west room obediently.

There was no electricity at the cliff entrance yet, and the Jin family did not use gas lamps or kerosene lamps, but instead relied on more traditional pine oil lamps for lighting. Xie Hushan thought that the pine oil lamps were quite good. Although the smoke was a bit heavier, they smelled like pine when burned, which was quite pleasant and diluted a lot of other smells.

After placing the pine oil lamp on the table, Taozi said seriously:
"Grandma didn't hide anything from me about what kind of person you are. She told me everything. She said that you have been fighting and causing trouble all the time since you were a child. If someone caught you, you would beat them to death. Fourth sister also told me that she saw you fighting with the people from Lijiazhai with her own eyes..."

"Stop, go, hurry up to the main room to cook and practice whistling." Xie Hushan joked to Taozi:

"You're only seventeen and you want to put on a stern face and learn from my grandma and give me a lesson?"

"Fighting is fighting, as long as you are right, I am not afraid of how big the fight is. If you can't beat me, I will help you. If you kill me, I will wear mourning clothes and become a widow to help you avenge! But you are not allowed to say such disgusting words and ruin your reputation." Taozi looked at Xie Hushan seriously and said:

"Did you hear that? You're doing a good thing. Why do you have to let everyone at Yakou call you a bandit behind your back? Call you a rapist and a womanizer. That's a good thing to hear! Everyone is talking about it. They say the Liu family is gone, and the Jin family... doesn't look like anyone can beat them up."

Er Tao'er, who smelled like soap, came in with two roasted sweet potatoes. Seeing her sister's sullen face, she quickly whispered to Xie Hushan while putting the sweet potatoes on the table:
"That afternoon, someone was talking about you, Third Brother, behind your back. They said you wanted to find a woman to sleep with you. My sister heard it and started a fight with them. Since you went to the commune, my sister has fought with people four or five times."

After speaking the information at a very fast speed, he pushed the sweet potato in front of Xie Hushan: "Third brother, it's just baked and still hot. My mother asked you to eat some first to fill your stomach."

Finally, he looked at his elder sister and said, "Sister, mom and dad want you to make dumplings for our third brother."

After finishing his words, he slipped out sensibly. Xie Hushan clicked his tongue and thought, look at my sister-in-law, how caring she is to me.

Of course, Er Tao'er was not so considerate when she first arrived. Taozi had previously used two pieces of candied melons to trick Daxiu'er into talking to her, and when she first arrived, she bribed her sister-in-law with two pieces of Lighthouse scented soap.

No wonder Taozi had a sullen face. She was angry that as soon as she came to his house, her reputation was ruined. She was clearly trying to get rid of a scourge for the people, but he had to say so many disgusting words, and even had an affair and wanted someone to sleep with him. His reputation in the Yakou Brigade was comparable to that of classic movie characters such as Hu Hansan, Nan Batian, and Huang Shiren.

After all, no woman wants others to think that she married a rogue.

"Oh, okay, I'll pay attention next time." Xie Hushan said to Taozi, and then deliberately asked:
"Let's do this for now. Will the Liu family clean up their granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law and send them over tonight?"

Taozi glared at him. After all, she was a girl, so she couldn't say anything too offensive. She whispered, "The twenty or so people outside are all members of the brigade who have a good relationship with my family. The Liu family cried and asked them to intercede, saying that the men who offended you have been arrested, so they should leave a way out for the old and the young. Don't ruin the reputation of women, otherwise you will have no face to live in the future."

Xie Hushan turned around, opened the window, and said loudly to the silent crowd in the courtyard: "Are they still afraid of losing face? How many young girls and wives stood up this afternoon? They were all coerced and abused by their husbands. Do you know how to save face now?"

"What's the matter? It's ok for his men to sleep with other women, but not for other men to sleep with his women? Are they wronged by having a fight with me? Is there a hook on my dermis? Can a fight hook my intestines? It's no big deal. Just like what Liu Jinsuo said when he bullied other girls, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's not like you're losing a piece of meat. Just go home and wash it after you're done!"

Taozi was so angry at these words. Why did they become more and more disgusting? Bang... Why did they shout these words out loud? Her brother and sister were still in the west room!
"It's fine if they don't send him off. Let him kowtow to the girls and wives one by one and admit his fault! If tomorrow morning I find out that they didn't kowtow tonight, and even if one person tells me that the Liu family didn't kowtow, I will stand at the entrance of the village tomorrow and strip all the men, women, and children of the Liu family naked and hang them up in front of the whole team! Let the Liu family be completely famous!"

"Why don't you ask around? The Xie family in Zhongping has even killed the Japanese devils and has been fighting for decades. Four of the six brothers have died, but they never backed down! If anyone still refuses to accept and wants to fight me again, come find me tonight! But if you can't kill me, don't blame me for killing your whole family!"

Xie Hushan shouted to the intercessor:
"Did you hear clearly? I heard clearly that you should deliver the letter. If you didn't hear clearly, come in and get on the bed. I will tell you again."

More than twenty people ran away in the blink of an eye, leaving only the helpless Jin Mancang and his wife in the yard.

"It's cold outside, uncle, aunt, let's go back to the house and rest." After everyone left, Xie Hushan invited the two to go back to the house.

"Hey." Jin Mancang nodded repeatedly and pulled his wife into the main room from the side.

Li Qiaozhi gave her uncle a smile that was uglier than crying. She almost called her uncle "Third Brother" like everyone else: "Third... Hu San'er, close the window. It's cold."

No other uncle-in-law is as good as his own who shows up for the first time...

When my son-in-law came back to my home for the first time, he was given nicknames by the villagers: Zhongping Bandit, Yakou Living Dad.

Taozi's face was filled with worry, her third brother wouldn't listen to her and the tricks her grandmother taught her weren't working. He clearly wanted the Liu family to apologize to the victims, but he had to say such mean things on purpose and he couldn't even open his mouth when everyone praised him.

"I'm going to make dumplings. Has Leader Yang returned yet? If he hasn't returned to live in the commune, would you like me to make some dumplings and send them to him?" Taozi sighed resignedly and asked Xie Hushan.

Xie Hushan shook his head and said, holding a cigarette between his legs: "No need, Lao Yang and Lao Zhang are probably so drunk that they are almost ready to become sworn brothers with your commune leaders."

"After all, I am the victim. If I eat with the government, I am just waiting for people to scold me for using connections and backdoors, right? I am a principled and reasonable person. How can people find fault with me? So I came back to eat."

"What about the three people from the Liu family?" Taozi looked at Xie Hushan, thinking of what he did at noon. Her eyebrows curved and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but want to curl up. In the dim light, a gentle smile hung on her face.

The three Liu family men and women who bullied men and women at the cliff were dealt with by the third brother alone.

Xie Hushan twisted off his cigarette butt and picked up a roasted sweet potato to peel it. "The leaders of the commune are still fair and they make decisions for the people. Old Feng and your commune's special commissioner only interrogated the other three guys for half an hour, and they confessed to all the crimes we accused them of. Even the unconscious one woke up, and he could still sign with his fingers. The broken arm is obviously fake. I estimate that your commune will have to hold a public trial in a few days and ask everyone to watch it. Kill them quickly and severely."

"Third brother, it turns out that Liu Jinsuo's broken arm was fake?" Sanpang'er, who was eavesdropping in the main room, couldn't help but stick half of his head out and looked at Xie Hushan in shock.

He had been bragging to his friends in the afternoon that Liu Jinsuo's two arms were broken by his future brother-in-law.

"Of course not. You're pretending really well." Xie Hushan glanced at Taozi next to him and said deliberately:

"Even more so than me pretending to be cool."

(End of this chapter)