Chapter 1461: Overwhelming Crush

The next day, at the furniture factory.

Old Master Zhang Bao Daquan had arrived early; seeing his beloved apprentice, who had been missing for two days, now strolling over leisurely, he immediately called out to him.

As Wang Yan approached, he said happily, "Wang Yan, that prescription of yours really works, hey."

"Of course it does; do you think I could deceive an elder like you?"

"Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?" Zhang Bao Daquan asked nervously. "How long must he drink it?"

"The dosage I prescribed is for three days; once finished, that's it. However, nutrition must be replenished; fish, meat, and the like cannot be interrupted, for the deficit must be made up. I estimate another half-month of this will suffice; after that, just a little oil and fat will do, no need for such lavish feasts of fish and meat, and the milk supply can still be maintained. Since the medicinal efficacy is sufficient, it should hold out for two or three months without issue.

By then, there will be no need to drink medicine anymore; within these two months, I should be able to get some milk powder. Even if breast milk is insufficient, milk powder can supplement it, plus a little rice water to tide them over; the child will certainly not go hungry."

"Aiya, now I can rest easy." Zhang Bao Daquan let out a long sigh of relief.

His eldest son had borne two daughters, but this child of his second son was a boy; even twenty years into New China, the old folks' conservative mindset had not yet changed. Not to mention now; even decades later, such things would still exist, with poorer places being even more fixated on this.

He said, "Milk powder is hard to come by; whatever the cost, advance it first, and I will pay you back together later."

"Alright, we'll talk about it when the time comes."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, then went off to work.

He was what one might call a conscientious and diligent master carpenter.

Tasks assigned to them all had deadlines; after all, this kind of carpentry work was quantifiable. For identical pieces of furniture made in the past, the time required was always known.

For Wang Yan, this was very lenient.

Although he was likewise a thorn in the side at this furniture factory—young troublemakers and old hooligans who sought trouble with him had all been beaten by him—the reason he could skip work without worry was not because of this, though that was certainly one factor, since even the leaders feared this thorn of theirs.

But the more primary reason was that he worked fast, with nimble hands and feet, and his skill was by no means poor.

The reason his wage grade could not rise was that the current grading system was quite difficult, not that his ability fell short. Having learned carpentry for only two years, there was already talk in this furniture factory of him being a carpentry genius, a bona fide Innate Carpentry Saint Body.

His mentoring master, Zhang Bao Daquan, no longer meddled in his work; indeed, it was more likely that Zhang would need Wang Yan's help. Furthermore, Zhang Bao Daquan held only the position of production team leader, and it was he who assigned Wang Yan's tasks.

As for the notion that the capable should bear more labor, Zhang Bao Daquan had never considered it. Wang Yan was covered in thorns, and he had no desire to cause trouble for his beloved apprentice.

However, Wang Yan's movements today were even faster than usual, prompting Zhang Bao Daquan to click his tongue in wonder: "Why are you working so fast today? Not slacking off anymore?"

"My bicycle was stolen; I'm doing extra work to free up time to go out and look for it," Wang Yan stated plainly.

"You surely went out to play, didn't you? Sigh..." Zhang Bao Daquan shook his head. "Thieves are indeed plentiful nowadays; our neighborhood was hit by burglars a few days ago, and quite a few things were lost. I advise you, don't bother looking; it's like finding a needle in a haystack, utterly impossible to find. Moreover, those thieves are not easy to deal with; they have gangs. What if they slash you with a knife? It's not worth it. Let me exchange some coupons for you, and you can just buy another one."

"I still have to look; maybe I'll find it. Master, please don't worry about it; hurry up and get busy."

"You brat," Zhang Bao Daquan muttered, turning back to continue his work.

Wang Yan worked diligently all day; at noon, he ate cabbage, potatoes, and sweet potatoes in the canteen, and for a moment, he felt as though he had returned to the years of the song-and-dance troupe.

It was roughly the same period; resources were scarce, and even in the guaranteed units of the military, the song-and-dance troupe, which enjoyed relatively better treatment, still ate those foods that were easy to store and high-yield.

When the length and depth of one's life accumulate to the level he has reached, there is this one downside: too many fragments of the past inadvertently leap forth, stirring one's thoughts.

Even though his work progress was far ahead of schedule, Wang Yan still worked until four-thirty, clocking out right on time.

Exchanging greetings with familiar faces, Carpenter Wang, dressed in a blue uniform washed somewhat pale, cap pulled low, wood shavings clinging to his body, hands tucked into his sleeves, strolled leisurely out of the furniture factory.

"Brother Yan!" Li Kui, squatting at the entrance in a Li Yuanchen-style woolen coat, saw Wang Yan emerge and immediately hopped over.

"Didn't I tell you not to come?"

"With something this big, how could I not come?" Li Kui said unhappily. "I can't just stand by and watch you get ganged up on. Brother Yan, they really did come; hundreds of them are all gathered over there."

"Mm, then your coming here is still somewhat useful; you can collect my remains."

"Don't say such unlucky things; at the very least, I can hold off ten or more of them. Look, I even brought two large sabers."

As he spoke, Li Kui lifted open his woolen coat, revealing two long knives tucked inside.

"It's no use," Wang Yan said, shaking his head. "I don't need you to fight; if you truly care about loyalty, you won't get involved. If you really go, I'll just have to protect you. With so many people, how can I look after you? If you don't go, even if I can't beat them, I can still run; are you as fast as me? Don't pull that face like you're facing death; I'm not a fool, I'm not actually rushing off to die.

Just think about it; how comfortable is my life right now? I've even newly met Zhou Xiaobai; how good is that? Why would I go looking for death? Alright, alright, hurry back; I'm going to meet them."

"Brother Yan, I'll wait for you here!"

"Fine. But don't take it upon yourself to go over and join the fun; that would truly be the death of me."

Wang Yan waved his hand, then tucked his hands back into his sleeves and headed toward the open ground over there.

In fact, at the entrance of the furniture factory, there were already shiftless-looking individuals watching. Wang Yan took a quick glance; they were all the petty thieves who had mixed into the crowd yesterday. Since these people had seen him, they had come to block his path.

It must be said that the loyalty and face that these little hooligans chanted about all day long were still quite useful at this time.

Otherwise, this bunch of thieves wouldn't have come.

Wang Yan's behavior was tantamount to a provocation against all thieves, a challenge issued to them; if they didn't teach Wang Yan a lesson and make him pay a price, how could they mix in society in the future?

A famous veteran thief has face; if he goes out to chat with other old hands and mentions that someone made bold remarks over by Beihai yet is still alive and well, how much face would that lose?

So, seeing over a hundred people gathered there, Wang Yan was not surprised; these people were bound to come, even if the police were present.

This group giggled and chatted together, smoking and joking, jumping around to generate heat, appearing very relaxed and at ease.

Seeing Wang Yan approaching from a distance with hands in sleeves, along with the lookouts who had been tailing him earlier now forming an encirclement behind him, they all sprang into action, drawing their knives.

"Damn, so arrogant, coming alone?"

"Hey, don't say it, he actually has some guts."

In this scene, if Wang Yan had dragged a knife along the ground, he would have somewhat resembled the down-and-out look of Feng Feng Kuzi.

Unhurried, he walked leisurely, as if strolling through a garden, until he stood before the crowd.

"Good lad, you're quite a character," a man in his thirties stepped out, expressing approval of Wang Yan's act of facing the gathering alone.

"Did you steal my bike?"

The man said, "Does it matter?"

"It matters very much," Wang Yan nodded.

"It was your Grandpa who stole it; what are you so arrogant about?" It was the few lookouts behind Wang Yan who spoke up.

Wang Yan glanced back, smiled slightly, then suddenly darted forward, kicking that young fellow flying, and followed up by stomping to break the boy's leg.

"Damn! He actually dared to fight back? Stab him!"

"Get him!"

……

There was no need for the others to intervene; Wang Yan had only restrained himself earlier for fear the petty thief might escape, but now that his legs were broken and flight was impossible, there were no further concerns. He charged straight into the dense crowd.

These people wore ferocious expressions, brandishing their knives as if they intended to tear Wang Yan limb from limb, acting as though they had already succeeded.

Yet just as close combat was about to begin, Wang Yan launched himself into the air, leaping clear over their heads to land amidst the crowded masses behind them.

He did not stop even within the throng, punching and kicking, delivering a thorough beating to the petty thieves surrounding him. Those knocked down were then trampled back and forth by their own accomplices, suffering miserably.

Naturally, they could not halt Wang Yan's advance; he forcibly carved a path through the crowd, heading directly toward the dozen or so men watching the spectacle from the rear.

Clearly, these were the so-called bosses, each commanding underlings to do their bidding.

As the saying goes, to shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to catch bandits, first catch their king. Wang Yan certainly lacked the patience to display such exaggerated force by knocking down all one hundred-plus men; he only needed to subdue the leaders.

Even the martial prowess he currently displayed was already quite monstrous, yet it remained barely within the realm of human acceptance, not reaching the point of being explosively incredible...

In fact, as Wang Yan showcased his skills amidst the crowd, sending punches and kicks flying so that one petty thief fell after another, those whose blood had boiled with vows to hack Wang Yan to death began to cool down, showing signs of hesitation, and this entire process took merely a few dozen seconds.

Wang Yan kicked aside the person blocking his path and directly attacked the bosses at the rear, cleanly snapping their arms and legs.

The sound of crack-crack echoed across the open ground, serving as an even sharper wake-up call...

A boss is a boss; their actions are decisive. Seeing Wang Yan swiftly break the limbs of their peers, two of them pulled out guns.

Precisely as they made their move, Wang Yan had already rushed over, disabling them with three punches and two kicks. The pistols dropped naturally to the ground, and he kicked them aside.

Wang Yan proceeded to disable the remaining bosses, midway turning back to cripple two petty thieves who thought themselves clever for trying to retrieve the guns, and thus the scene stabilized.

Apart from the retreating figures scrambling away in panic, petty thieves lay scattered across the ground; everyone capable of standing had fled.

"A motley crew."

Wang Yan spat a mouthful of saliva, pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips. He walked over, grabbed the initial petty thief, and said, "Come on, point out who among those present are your accomplices."

The petty thief naturally dared not disobey; he had seen the miserable state of those bosses clearly and feared suffering the same fate.

Consequently, everyone he pointed at had their legs broken by Wang Yan...

Just then, Li Kuiyong ran over, so shocked he was rendered speechless.

Wang Yan slapped him on the back: "What are you standing there gawking for? Go, collect some money from them. It's all dirty money; we brothers will help them spend it."

"You got it." Li Kuiyong grinned foolishly and went around demanding money from each one.

Naturally, no one dared hide anything; each person wished they could strip naked to prove that what they handed over was every last coin they possessed.

Wang Yan stood there looking at the dozen or so people sprawled on the ground: "Everything has a price. None of your hands are clean; you've likely got blood on them, perhaps even lives taken. Don't blame me; I already held back. If there weren't so many onlookers and the trouble wasn't so great, your endings would have been far worse.

Today I took your money, and in a moment I'll ride away on two bicycles, and I'll consider this matter settled. If you're unconvinced and your thieving hearts remain undeterred, don't come after my brother; come after me. I welcome it. You all know where I live and where I work, so finding me won't be difficult; I'm ready anytime. But if you touch my brother, your homes won't be hard to find either. Let's just spare each other...

Keep your mouths shut tight. Don't get any bright ideas about issuing threats. I certainly won't take your lives, but I will make every single one of you damn eunuchs. I hear eunuchs all believe in Buddhism, which suits you 'Buddha Masters' perfectly."

Wang Yan's voice was loud; after he finished speaking, the cries of "Ouch, it hurts!" diminished, and no one dared utter even a peep.

The bosses were even worse; each looked up at the sky, suppressing hisses of pain, eyes bloodshot, many crying from the agony, not even daring to look at Wang Yan.

A short while later, Li Kuiyong had scraped together over a thousand yuan and various tickets from these people.

Finding two relatively new bicycles, Wang Yan and Li Kuiyong mounted them and happily rode away.

Once outside, they made another call to report the crime to the police; surely some could still be caught, but as stated before, catching them would be of little use. If the thieves denied everything, the police could do nothing. Even with the Great Memory Restoration technique available these days, one must ask: what kind of place is this? Relatively speaking, methods here must be more moderate.

Were it not for this, Wang Yan would have called the police earlier, and everyone who came here, without exception, would have been unable to escape.

Having acquired a large sum of money and tickets, a celebratory meal was inevitable; on the return journey, they purchased some cooked food, along with meat, vegetables, and wine, and even delivered two roast ducks to Li Kuiyong's home...

After a flurry of activity, the two finally sat down to a hot meal.

Wang Yan held the money and tickets, separated a stack, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Li Kuiyong: "This is for you."

"Brother Yan, I can't take it! What are you doing? What kind of person would I be?"

"Anyone who sees gets a share; besides, this money came for free, so just take it and spend it."

"You already bought two roast ducks for my family, and I even got to ride a bicycle; if I take money from you too, I'd be less than human. No, no!" Li Kuiyong waved his hands repeatedly, his face turning red.

Wang Yan shook his head and continued drinking and eating on his own: "You're overthinking it. Didn't I ask you to investigate those speculators? The situation then won't be much different from today; what we're doing is essentially robbing for cash.

You saw today that they have guns and are truly willing to use them; do you think this is a game? You're taking a risk too. Just take it; how much is this anyway? Just over a hundred yuan; I didn't even give you half.

This is our partnership model: you gather intelligence, I do the fighting, and later we split the proceeds ninety-ten. Isn't gathering intelligence effort too? Just take it steadily."

Li Kuiyong thought for a moment, then gulped down a large mouthful of wine, picked up the money from the table, and stuffed it into his pocket: "Alright, Brother Yan, since you put it that way, if I don't take this money, I'm being ungrateful. But Brother Yan, I won't spend this money; you spend too freely, so consider me saving it for you. Just know it's there whenever you need it."

"It's all up to you, just keep it. Come, come, let's drink, let's drink. I wanted a drink yesterday when we had hotpot mutton, and today's wine makes up for it. Comforting..."

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, recommend tickets, and silently read the book for their tremendous support!

? (End of Chapter)