"Crack!"
Before Chen Lishu could even make a move as he approached, she struck first, delivering a fierce slap.
The onlookers collectively gasped.
Liu Dabao was stunned by the slap, covering his face and looking at Chen Lishu with disbelief.
"Not only did I sneak attack you, I did it out in the open," Chen Lishu said, her voice icy. Her gaze at him was so sharp it could instantly plunge someone from the height of summer into the bitter cold of deep winter.
"You, a person with a criminal record and under village observation, dare to cause trouble at school? Believe it or not, I can call the police and have you arrested right now!"
"Who the hell are you trying to scare? I've been to jail once, I don't mind going again. I'm going all out today, I'll kill you, believe it or not?!" Liu Dabao glared at Chen Lishu, his face contorted into a ferocious expression.
Chen Lishu couldn't be bothered with him. She turned to Chen Liyuan and said, "Liyuan, isn't there a police station near the school? Go and ask the comrades from the public security bureau to come over. Tell them someone has threatened my life."
"Don't think I'm afraid of you." Seeing Chen Liyuan turn obediently, Liu Dabao shot Chen Lishu a fierce glare. "If you've got the guts, just keep an eye on her."
He then turned his attention to Chen Liyuan. "And you, unless you stop coming to school, I'll be waiting at the school gate every day. I'll spend my whole life pestering you."
After speaking, Liu Dabao spat heavily towards the two of them and then swaggered away.
Chen Liyuan's face instantly turned pale upon hearing his words.
"What a good girl, how could she attract such a scoundrel."
"I know this girl, she's from the graduating class of the second year of junior high. She always seemed so quiet. To get into this mess, sigh."
Chen Lishu narrowed her eyes dangerously as she watched Liu Dabao's retreating figure. Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, she turned back to Chen Liyuan and said, "Let's go, we should head home first."
The sisters walked in silence, one preoccupied and the other lost in thought. They returned home to find Gu Xingping had already prepared dinner. Seeing them enter, she smiled and asked, "Oh, what a coincidence, Third Sister-in-law, you two came back together?"
"I went to Liyuan's school and came back with her," Chen Lishu said, fetching water to wash their hands.
Gu Xingping glanced at Chen Liyuan's distressed face and only then realized something was wrong. Her expression changed as she thought of something. "Did Liu Dabao block you at school again?"
Chen Liyuan bit her lip. "Mm."
"How can he be so shameless!" Gu Xingping was furious. She had accompanied Chen Liyuan for two days and hadn't seen Liu Dabao, thinking he had given up. Who knew he would be so persistent.
"It's okay, Liyuan. I was careless today. Now that Third Sister-in-law is back and I'm on holiday, I'll pick you up and drop you off at school starting tomorrow. Like you said, it will be fine after your exams. Then we'll see where he can cause trouble for you!"
"People like Liu Dabao are trash. Don't pay him any mind," Chen Lishu said, wiping her hands. She turned back. "Liyuan, come wash your hands. Don't think too much about it. After dinner, you should study."
Chen Liyuan nodded and quietly went to the washbasin to wash her hands.
The next morning after breakfast, Chen Liyuan went to school, and Gu Xingping, worried, accompanied her.
After Chen Lishu finished cleaning the kitchen, Lin Qi arrived on his bicycle.
"Lin Qi, I need you to do me a favor. If you're afraid, I'll find someone else," Chen Lishu said to him earnestly.
Lin Qi's expression became serious. "Just say the word, Sister, and I'll do it."
Chen Lishu narrowed her eyes dangerously, stepped forward, and quietly explained her plan.
...
The July heat was scorching, the sun beating down on the land. By the afternoon, the leaves of the wild grass by the roadside had curled up, wilting listlessly.
Liu Dabao had just finished a few rounds with his disreputable friends. He'd had good luck today, winning two yuan.
He planned to go to town first for a good meal, and then head to the school gate to continue pestering Chen Liyuan.
Chen Mantun and his wife were completely useless, and Chen Liyuan was just a weak little girl. As long as he caused trouble a few more times, she would eventually obediently submit. As for Chen Lishu, she was just a woman with a sharp tongue, not to be feared.
The more he thought about it, the happier he became. Liu Dabao couldn't help but whistle. Unfortunately, before he could finish his tune, his vision suddenly went black. Before he could react, a sack was placed over his head.
Liu Dabao panicked. Just as he was struggling to pull off the bag, he felt a pain in his back, lost his balance, and tumbled forward onto the ground.
Lin Qi swallowed nervously, looking at Chen Lishu, who was holding a stick with a stern expression.
Chen Lishu gave him a look, and Lin Qi, understanding, took out the hemp rope he had brought, stepped forward, and swiftly tied Liu Dabao's hands.
"Which bastard dares to ambush me? Damn you, you only know how to do sneak attacks. If you have the guts, let's have a fair fight. See if I don't beat you until you're spitting teeth!"
Liu Dabao cursed, and Chen Lishu raised the stick in her hand and struck it towards the ground near his head.
The stick hit the ground with a "bang." Liu Dabao flinched, his entire body recoiling.
"You, who are you people?" Liu Dabao's voice trembled with fear. "Is it Zhao Ergou? You're not just going to beat me up because I won two yuan from you, are you?"
After waiting for a long time without any response from outside, he thought he had guessed wrong. Liu Dabao swallowed. "Wang Jinqian? Brother Wang, I never intended to touch your wife. She was the one who threw herself at me. This has nothing to do with me..."
Chen Lishu listened as he rattled on, confessing all his wicked deeds without anyone even asking. The more she listened, the tighter her brow furrowed.
Looking at Liu Dabao, who was good for nothing but causing trouble, Chen Lishu raised the stick in her hand and unceremoniously hit him twice.
"Ouch, who are you? Damn it, if you have the guts, untie me and let's fight one on one. If I beg for mercy, I'll take your surname." Liu Dabao, having been beaten again after talking so much, was enraged and started cursing again.
Listening to his curses, Chen Lishu increased the force in her hands, ignoring him and hitting him again and again.
Liu Dabao felt as if his bones were about to be smashed. After just a few blows, he couldn't take it anymore. He stopped cursing and began to beg, "Sir, good sir, I was wrong. No matter who you are, I was wrong. What do you want? I only have two yuan in my pocket. If you want it, take it. Please let me go."
Chen Lishu looked at his pathetic state with disdain and stopped her actions.
Just as Liu Dabao started to relax, thinking he had escaped disaster, a sharp pain shot through his leg: "Ah—"