Ye Xiaoxian was about to continue arguing with Young Master Zhang when Scholar Wong, standing behind her, spoke up. “Under the heavens and also in broad daylight you actually dare to bully a woman so openly and unscrupulously, yet you call yourself a man? If your father is really in charge of the government he should know the responsibilities of governmental officials who should serve the common people instead of letting their sons bully others willingly.”
“What the hell are you?” asked Young Master Zhang.
He also thought Scholar Wong looked rather familiar.
Scholar Wong did not leave and, as he was worried about Ye Xiaoxian and others, he also followed them into the restaurant.
While looking carefully at Scholar Wong, Young Master Zhang suddenly recalled. He slapped his thigh and said, “Aren’t you, aren’t you that…that scholar? Right, you two are actually together, you’ve teamed up with that slut to mock me.”
Young Master Zhang became more furious after recognizing Scholar Wong. It turned out that he not only had thrown his money away but got fooled and mocked by them as well. “You two shitheads must have hooked up with each other. Don’t think you can fool me. Humph, after I take care of this damn woman I’ll tell tales about you all over town. This woman cook hooked up with a scholar!”
Ye Xiaoxian felt a rush of numbness in her scalp. What rotten luck was this, to have actually provoked Young Master Zhang, this nasty and ugly clinging vine!
Young Master Zhang turned to Ye Xiaoxian again. “Slut, there are still two choices for you, firstly, returning my money and secondly, going to the lodge with me.”
“I choose neither of them. Please get out now!” said Ye Xiaoxian coldly.
“Well then, don’t blame me for being hardcore!” Young Master Zhang commanded Fatty and Skinny and said, “Tie this woman up!”
Li Hongmei and Xiao Baozhu saw this and tried to come and protect Ye Xiaoxian but got blocked by Young Master Zhang’s gang and two of them were holding off Little Five and Little Six. Xian was already extremely scared and stood there motionless in fear. Finally Scholar Wong stepped in, trying to stop Fatty and Skinny.
“Damn scholar, get lost!” said Fatty.
Scholar Wong said coldly, “Dream on!”
Skinny then said, “Then I’ll kick your ass too!”
Despite looking slow-witted, Skinny and Fatty were capable hands in a fight. He rushed to Scholar Wong and began laying into him hard. Scholar Wong was good at reading but a feeble fighter, so he took several punches to the face in no time.
Xiao Baozhu was not happy to see this and her anger had suddenly been inflamed. She was raised in a village and village girls were full of strength. Seeing Scholar Wong being punched like this, Xiao Baozhu picked up a stool and smashed it into the man who was standing in her way. The man was caught off guard and knocked out by Xiao Baozhu with one blow, then she rushed to Fatty and Skinny to hit them.
Little Five and Little Six, not to be outdone, also joined in. The fight had already broken out and if they did not join in the restaurant would not open up and they would get no payment. It was so hard to find jobs these days and it was rare to find such a good employer, so they might as well put up a brave fight for their employer.
Young Master Zhang was stunned. He had not expected the situation to turn out like this. Those people in the restaurant actually did not buy his threat but dared to go against him.
He was enraged and shouted, “Punch them, beat them to death and I’ll accept the consequences!”
Scholar Wong could not even open his eyes while he was being hit. Through his blurred vision he saw a petite figure standing in front him carrying a stool. It took him quite a while to figure out that it was Xiao Baozhu.
However, the first thought came to his mind was: I’m doomed. Ye Xiaoxian must look down on me because I’m a fully-grown adult but actually need a little girl to protect me from a fight.
He tried to think straight and then said to Young Master Zhang, “Ask them to stop right now. Do you know Lord Wong, the country gentleman in the west district? He is my pa!”
Young Master Zhang paused. This scholar actually had a pa who was a country gentleman? And Lord Wong in particular?
Qinghe was only a small town and though there was a government office, the head of it did not have much power, and in most cases the local country gentlemen had the final say. The country gentlemen did not really bother themselves with the affairs of the town but once they decided to join a discussion the head of the government office had to listen to them.
Young Master Zhang’s pa was only a constable but Scholar Wong’s pa was a country gentleman.
He shouted in a hurry, “Stop, stop it, stop hitting them already!”
The restaurant was already a mess with three broken tables, five broken stools and Xiao Baozhu’s bleeding nose from being punched. Little Five and Little Six had also been hit several times with poles and broken glass was scattered all over the floor.
Everyone was gasping and stood facing each other in a stalemate.
Young Master Zhang asked Scholar Wong, “Is your pa really Lord Wong?”
“I’m Wong Yanbo and you’re free to inquire about it to see if I’m telling the truth or not. Moreover, you hit me today and I will not let that go!”
Scholar Wong then untied a jade pendant from himself and said to Little Five, “Little brother, please go to Lord Wong’s house in the west district and ask my pa to bring some more hands with him.”
Young Master Zhang collapsed to the floor.
An hour later Lord Wong arrived together with Young Master Zhang’s pa and also the head of the government office. As soon as they had discovered what happened, Constable Zhang gave his son several slaps to the face and asked others to hit him hard with a big rod. He scolded his son while hitting him. “You damn black sheep. You’ve made me lose all face!”
Constable Zhang had not only taught his son a lesson but compensated Scholar Wong with his medical fee and kept apologizing to Lord Wong without a pause, promising that he would discipline his son well from now on.
Scholar Wong also asked Young Master Zhang to compensate the damage he had caused to Ye Xiaoxian’s restaurant, which came to five taels of silver in total, as well as to tidy up the restaurant and never bother Ye Xiaoxian again.
Young Master Zhang was taken back by his pa and Scholar Wong likewise by Lord Wong.
Ye Xiaoxian and others went to the back yard to treat their wounds.
Ye Xiaoxian did not in fact get hurt because Xiao Baozhu had stepped in front of her to fight them. Ye Xiaoxian was not sure if Xiao Baozhu did this for her or for Scholar Wong but anyhow she looked rather nasty with her hair hanging down in a mess and sporting a bloody nose.
When Ye Xiaoxian dressed her face wounds Xiao Baozhu then felt pain and soreness all over her body. “Sister-in-law, it hurts so much. Do it gently.”
“Who asked you to join the fight.” Ye Xiaoxian smiled.
“At that time I saw they hurt Mr. Wong so I did not think much but rushed to him because I was afraid…afraid that they’d hurt you next,” said Xiao Baozhu.
“I didn’t know you were such a fighter.”
“Sister-in-law, you have no idea. I used to fight a lot when I was little, mainly fighting over birds eggs with others.”
“I didn’t know that. I thought you were shy.”
Xiao Baozhu then added. “Sister-in-law, I didn’t expect that Mr. Wong’s pa would turn out to be a country gentleman. He’s so impressive. Even the head of the government office listened to him and kept apologizing to him just now.”
“Mr. Wong and Qianqian are cousins so he must come from a fairly well-off family at least,” said Ye Xiaoxian.
Xiao Baozhu, however, felt a bit frustrated. “Then their family must be upper-class, so they wouldn’t even consider an ordinary girl as their daughter-in-law, would they?”
