Hearing the shouting from outside, Zhao Dong frowned and started for the door without a word.
Zhang Cuimei grabbed him, her voice thick with tears. "Son, don't go, Mom's begging you... We really can't afford to offend these people!"
Zhao Dong took a deep breath. His eyes were bloodshot, and the fury in them seemed capable of incinerating the heavens.
"Dad, Mom! I'm your son. I can forget about the money they stole, but I can't just stand by and watch you two be bullied!"
Zhao Dong gave his parents a long, hard look, then turned and walked straight toward the gate.
The sound of several more kicks on the door echoed from outside, accompanied by a stream of curses. "You motherfuckers! Are you two old geezers playing dead? Open the fucking door! If you don't, I'll break both your legs today! Fuck your mothers!"
With every step, Zhao Dong's expression grew colder. Reaching the door, he grabbed it with both hands and wrenched it open.
The rusty lock snapped, and the gate swung wide open.
Standing outside were two bald, heavyset men. They had fierce expressions and tattoos covering their necks and arms. Thick gold chains rested on their fleshy necks, and each of them held a steel pipe.
Seeing Zhao Dong, the two men froze for a moment. One of them immediately frowned and snapped, "Who the hell are you? Where are those two old geezers?"
Zhao Dong's expression was grim. "Were you sent by Wang Hao?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"Who the fuck do you think you are? You dare say Brother Hao's name? Are you looking to die?"
One of the men stepped forward and gave Zhao Dong a hard shove. To his surprise, Zhao Dong's chest felt as solid as granite; he didn't budge an inch. The thug, however, staggered back a few steps.
The man flew into a humiliated rage. He pointed the steel pipe at Zhao Dong's nose and snarled, "You son of a bitch, I asked you who you are! Speak up, or I'll break your fucking legs today!"
Zhao Dong sneered. "I am Zhao Dong."
"Zhao Dong?" The two men looked stunned for a second before it dawned on them. "You're the son of those two old geezers?" one of them exclaimed. "You're back from the army?"
Just then, Zhang Cuimei came out, supporting a trembling Zhao Kangyou.
Zhang Cuimei looked at the two bald, tattooed men with terror in her eyes, but she still forced herself to speak. "Please... our family has no more money. My son is back from the army now, so please... don't come here again."
The two bald men glanced at each other, then sized up Zhao Dong with a wicked grin. "Discharged, are you? Then you must have a nice severance pay. Hand it over quietly, and if you behave, we'll let you off the hook for today."
Zhao Dong smiled coldly. "And what if I don't?"
"Then you can say goodbye to your legs!"
Zhao Dong shook his head, a strange, chilling smile suddenly spreading across his face.
Before either of them could react, Zhao Dong lashed out with a vicious side kick to the waist of the man in front of him.
The man screamed as he flew several meters through the air, landing face-first in the dirt. The impact knocked out his front teeth, and blood smeared his face.
The other man's expression changed instantly. "You dare to make a move?" he snarled.
The words had barely left his mouth before he swung the solid steel pipe viciously at Zhao Dong, who dodged it easily with a slight turn of his body.
Zhao Dong caught the pipe and yanked it hard, pulling the man off-balance and causing him to stumble forward.
Zhao Dong drove his knee into the man's face. The man's nose shattered instantly, and he cried out as stars exploded in his vision.
Before the thug could recover, Zhao Dong grabbed his head with one hand and slammed it violently against the ground.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
After just a few hits, the man's face was a bloody, mangled mess, his features completely unrecognizable.
Zhao Dong smashed his head against the ground a few more times, venting his fury, before finally kicking him aside.
Looking down at the two men screaming and wailing on the ground, Zhao Dong dusted off his hands and asked coldly, "Tell me, who broke my father's leg?"
One of them, terrified by the beating, whimpered through the pain, "It... it wasn't us. Brother Hao did it himself..."
"That bastard!" Zhao Dong's eyes blazed red, his heart filled with towering rage.
"Get lost! I'll spare your miserable lives for now. Go back and tell Wang Hao that Zhao Dong is back! Tell him to break his own legs and come crawling to me to beg for forgiveness!"
The two men trembled in fear, not daring to linger a moment longer. They scrambled to their feet and fled, half-crawling, half-running.
Zhao Dong lit a cigarette and turned to look at his parents, a sense of desolation creeping into his heart. He had thought his parents were living comfortably, but he never imagined they were enduring such hardship. He had come home to reunite with them, to protect them from bullies, but now he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. How could fate be so cruel!
Zhao Dong looked at his aged, pitiful parents, and the thought of their impending, final separation nearly brought tears to his eyes.
Closing his eyes, Zhao Dong took a deep breath before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Dad, Mom, don't worry. Now that I'm back, I won't let anyone bully you ever again."
Zhao Dong made a silent vow. In the few months he had left, he had to make sure everything was arranged for his parents.
Zhang Cuimei watched Zhao Dong, her expression a mixture of pride in her son and deep worry for his safety. Her son had beaten up Wang Hao's men. That meant they had completely burned their bridges with him, with no hope of reconciliation. What were they going to do? Even though her son was a veteran, he was just one man. How could he possibly stand up to Wang Hao and the criminal underbelly of East Sea?
The three of them returned to the house, and a heavy atmosphere settled over them.
Zhao Kangyou silently smoked his water pipe, the wrinkles on his face deeply furrowed.
His mother, Zhang Cuimei, went into the kitchen and began to get busy. She was going to make dumplings for Zhao Dong. Even after so many years away, she still remembered that his favorite was the kind filled with mustard greens.
Feeling stifled, Zhao Dong stepped out into the small courtyard and smoked a cigarette. The courtyard was dilapidated, and the air was thick with the smell of damp and mildew.
Zhao Dong took a deep drag from his cigarette. No, I have to get my parents out of here as soon as possible. Living in a place like this long-term is bad for their health. But almost all the money he'd sent home had been stolen by Wang Hao. He had some severance pay from the army, but he'd loaned most of it to a few comrades whose families were in trouble. Right now, I probably couldn't even scrape together a thousand yuan.
Zhao Dong grew restless at the thought. An idea suddenly popped into his head. For some reason, he thought of Lin Qingyun. I wonder if I could ask her for a loan...
But in the next moment, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. That's ridiculous. Why on earth would she lend me money?
As he was lost in thought, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. Zhao Dong frowned. It's probably not a call from the army. I don't really know anyone else in East Sea. Who could it be? After a moment's hesitation, he answered.
As soon as the call connected, a woman's voice came through. "Where are you right now?"
Zhao Dong froze. That voice is familiar... Isn't that Lin Qingyun? He frowned. "How did you get my number?"
"You don't need to know. I'm asking you, where are you right now?"
Zhao Dong was silent for a moment. "I'm at home."
"Where is your home?"
After a three-second silence, Zhao Dong told her the address.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Don't go anywhere," Lin Qingyun said before hanging up.
Zhao Dong pulled out another cigarette and lit it, his mind swirling with questions. Why is Lin Qingyun looking for me?
About two cigarettes later, he heard the click-clack of high heels approaching from outside.
A figure as beautiful as a goddess appeared in the doorway. Lin Qingyun had arrived.