C5 Showing off

Yang Chenxuan looked at the crowd. Now was the time to keep these unruly folks in check; a fight was out of the question. Without hesitation, he shouted, "If you break the law, you go to jail. If they really get locked up, I'll take care of my sister, and when my parents are out, I'll look after them. But don't think any of you will get away with it. Once I finish college, I'm going into politics, and I'll make sure each one of you pays."

In the village, Yang Chenxuan was the brightest student, attending the county's top high school and ranking in the top five of his grade. If anyone from the village was going to make something of themselves and become a big shot, it was most likely him. His words left everyone stunned.

One of the Yang family's supporters shouted with a fierce determination, "Chenxuan, if our family ever needs anything, you better have our back. If they dare to make a move, I'll take them down."

Yang Chenxuan glanced at the man, who worked as a laborer with his father. His name was Zhou Jun, and Chenxuan was supposed to call him uncle, but he showed no courtesy. "Uncle, I don't care who it is today; if anyone starts a fight, I won't show any leniency in the future! If you act recklessly and end up in jail or worse, leaving your family behind, could you be any more selfish?"

Zhou Jun was taken aback, looking a bit embarrassed.

Yang Chenxuan addressed the crowd, "Drop your weapons, all of you!"

No one moved.

Yang Chenxuan picked up a rock and smashed it against a car with force.

"Bang..."

"Are you giving up? If not, keep hitting them! It's a good day for a funeral in a few days. Make sure they end up in a coffin! Leave a dozen of them crippled, so they'll be bedridden and fed by others!" Yang Chenxuan glared at the people below and shouted to his father, "Dad, drop the hoe!"

Yang Xiuyuan felt a mix of emotions as his son yelled at him. He was supposed to be the head of the family, but his son showed him no respect, making him feel embarrassed. Yet, his son's demeanor today was impressive. Even compared to the local officials, he held his ground and showed real leadership potential.

Standing next to Yang Xiuyuan, Zhang Yuehua quickly interjected, "Let it go! Do you really want to beat people to death?"

"But..." Yang Xiuyuan hesitated. These people had come to support him, and now he was supposed to back down?

Zhang Yuehua, losing patience, snatched the hoe from Yang Xiuyuan's hand and threw it to the ground.

Yang Chenxuan turned to Wu Daxiang, who stood there stunned, "Put down the shovel!"

Wu Daxiang felt uneasy, being overpowered by a teenager like this.

Yang Chenxuan immediately shouted to his sister, who was walking away, "Chenxi, hurry up and tell them Wu Daxiang killed five or six people!"

Yang Chenxi's voice came back, slightly panicked, "Okay..."

"Chenxuan, I'm going to get you!" Daxiang's face twisted with rage.

Chenxuan jumped out of the car, gripping a rock, and walked straight up to Daxiang, glaring at him. "You wanna fight? Go ahead! As long as I'm here, don't think you can bully anyone."

Daxiang's expression shifted repeatedly. If Chenxuan hadn't intervened, he might have continued the fight. But with Chenxi already calling the police, he knew that if he kept going, he'd likely end up in jail.

Chenxuan waited three seconds before swinging the rock at Daxiang's head.

"Ah..."

Daxiang cried out in pain, stumbling back and collapsing onto a pile of sand, blood streaming from his head. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

Chenxuan moved closer, locking eyes with Daxiang. "Fight me!"

Chenxuan's goal was to subdue Daxiang, the leader, which would make dealing with the other villagers much easier.

"You dare hit him? I'll take you down first!" Zhou Jun shouted from the side, as Xiuyuan and Yuehua rushed over.

Daxiang was both furious and frustrated, but now he was thinking clearly, aware of the consequences of any further violence.

Chenxuan snatched the shovel from Daxiang's hand and shouted to the villagers, "Put down your tools! I know you're all elders, do I need to ask each of you personally?"

"Clang..."

Someone dropped their hoe!

As someone took the lead, the others gradually put down their tools. Yang Chenxuan quietly breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhou Jun, "Uncle, could you do me a favor and take Mr. Daxiang to the clinic to get his wounds bandaged? We'll cover the cost!"

"Sure!" Zhou Jun replied without hesitation, looking at Wu Daxiang with a hint of displeasure. "You're not dead yet, are you? Want me to carry you?"

"I'm not going! If I bleed out, let that little punk Yang Chenxuan pay for it!" Wu Daxiang retorted, trying to save face.

"Uncle, do you have a cigarette?" Yang Chenxuan turned to Zhou Jun.

Zhou Jun pulled out a pack of "Pall Mall" and handed it to Yang Chenxuan.

Yang Chenxuan took out two cigarettes and offered them to Wu Daxiang with both hands, his previous anger replaced by a smile. "Mr. Daxiang, it was my fault for hitting you. I acted too impulsively. Please go get your wound treated; we'll cover the cost. While you're recovering, you obviously can't work, so we'll compensate you three dollars a day for lost wages. For every day you can't work, we'll pay you."

"When you're all patched up, I'll bring a gift and personally come to apologize. If you're still upset, let my sister continue with the police report. Whatever the police decide, I'll accept it."

Yang Chenxuan backed down so quickly? No one expected that.

Wu Daxiang looked at Yang Chenxuan for a long moment. In truth, Yang Chenxuan's apology had already given him enough respect. Accepting it now wouldn't be a loss of face.

Moreover, Wu Daxiang actually felt a bit intimidated by Yang Chenxuan! Someone who could be tough when needed and immediately back down when necessary was truly formidable.

Wu Daxiang was silent for a moment and then said, "Set up a table!"

"No problem, once you're healed, I'll set up a big one!" Yang Chenxuan immediately agreed.

"Tonight!" Wu Daxiang insisted. "There must be chicken, duck, fish, and meat—sixteen dishes in total!"

"Alright, I'll personally toast to you three times to apologize!"

Wu Daxiang was quite satisfied with Yang Chenxuan's apology and got up himself. "Bring Xi back!"

Zhou Jun accompanied Wu Daxiang to get his wounds bandaged.

Wu Daxiang's group also dispersed. With their leader gone, there was no point in causing more trouble, but everyone had a new impression of Yang Chenxuan.

"Chenxuan is going to be a force to reckon with!"

"This guy, he's either going to make it big or end up behind bars for life—he's too intense!"

"Even if he ends up behind bars, he's still more promising than the younger ones in our family!"

"I agree. If my three kids had half his talent, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

Yang Chenxuan told the others to go back to their work, and soon only his parents remained.

Yang Chenxuan called his sister back; he couldn't really let her call the police.

Yang Xiuyuan felt he should say something, "Xuan, you shouldn't have hit Wu Daxiang, and now you're promising him three bucks a day. What if he decides not to work for a whole year?"

Yang Chenxuan had his own plan and said to his father, "Dad, if we don't deal with Wu Daxiang, there will be more trouble. Giving him three dollars is just to smooth things over and apologize. It doesn't hurt us, and Wu Daxiang has good connections in the community. If we want to expand our sand business, we'll need him!"

Yang Xiuyuan was taken aback, and after a moment, he asked, "Expand the sand business? How do you plan to do that with so many people already digging?"

"By buying equipment!" Yang Chenxuan replied confidently. "I've mentioned it before, but you just didn't believe me."