Chapter 1462: Watching the Play

Wang Yan did not receive the retaliation he had imagined; perhaps the thieves had not yet reacted.

Spreading news takes time, investigating the truth takes time, and formulating a response also takes time.

Of course, it is also possible they were frightened and simply did not dare to retaliate for the moment, though this possibility is rather small, since 'refusing to accept defeat' and 'refusing to believe in bad luck' are common human traits.

It is like with children: tell them not to do something, and they will do it precisely; only after suffering losses and feeling pain do they learn their lesson, relying solely on others' warnings does not work...

After cooperating with the police officers who came to investigate, things remained calm for a few days until Thursday evening.

Wang Yan bought some cooked food to take home again, including sausages and roasted chicken; he still had to consider the impact and could not cook meat dishes at home every day.

The smell of meat was simply too tempting, disturbing the peace of the nearby neighbors; adults might be fine, but children could not control themselves. If a child said they wanted to eat meat, their parents and elders would find it hard to comfort them and might instead make a few cutting remarks. If the child continued to make a fuss, they would end up being beaten until they cried loudly.

Therefore, to avoid trouble and maintain his own peace of mind, Wang Yan did not cook meat dishes at home every day, choosing instead to buy cooked food to eat.

Pedaling his bicycle with a clatter back to the courtyard, he had barely entered when he saw the iron pipe sticking out of his own glass window emitting smoke. Another bicycle was parked against the wall.

Wang Yan parked his bike, took down the food, opened the door, and entered the house.

"Brother Yan, you're back," Li Kuiyong walked out from inside the room. "I've already steamed the rice."

"Brother Yan."

Another person stood behind Li Kuiyong to greet him; Wang Yan looked over and saw that it was none other than Zhong Yuemin.

"Zhong Yuemin, is it?"

Wang Yan nodded his head toward him as a response. "What brings you here? Is something the matter?"

"Oh my, Brother Yan, these past few days, legends about you have spread throughout the entire city of SiJiu."

"No need for all this 'you' and 'your' talk; what are they saying?" Wang Yan took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and prepared to cook a hot dish.

"They say you went to the meeting alone with a single blade, fighting a crowd of heroes by yourself, using one knife to send several hundred Buddhas fleeing in disarray. Brother Yan, you now have quite a reputation in this city of SiJiu."

"Brother Yan, I already told Yuemin that these bastards are exaggerating wildly," Li Kuiyong said. "But it is a good thing nonetheless; from now on, Brother Yan is a person with a famous name."

"What do I need that kind of reputation for?" Wang Yan shook his head with amusement. "Fighting a crowd of heroes alone? A bunch of petty thieves daring to call themselves heroes? I am not going out to mix in that world; what do I need such a reputation for? Haven't you heard that the gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out? I am a diligent little carpenter; I have no desire to be dragged out and used for target practice."

"Hey, Brother Yan, you are mistaken there. Having a reputation makes things easier; nowadays when you go out, anyone walking the streets who hears your name will likely do you a favor."

There was quite a bit of envy in Zhong Yuemin's words; he wished he could take Wang Yan's place.

"That's right, Brother Yan; Yuemin makes a valid point. Even if you, my lord, do not mix in that world, this reputation is still useful," Li Kuiyong agreed.

Wang Yan had already washed his hands and was chopping vegetables with a kitchen knife: "Dayong, regardless of whether it is useful or not, we must be clear about the objective facts. Let's take a simple example: take that man surnamed Li. Even if he and I were sitting in the same police station, do you think the police officers' attitudes toward the two of us would be the same?"

Li Kuiyong answered without thinking: "That would definitely not be the same, but what does that have to do with a reputation?"

"Both committing murder, yet he would not die while I would; that is the relationship. If someone else commits murder under the banner of a reputation and claims it was ordered by the man surnamed Li, Li will most likely be fine; but if they claim it was ordered by me, I would at minimum be locked up for several years. Tell me, what can be done about that?"

Zhong Yuemin fell silent; although he did not quite reach the level of Li Liang Yuanchao, he was ultimately from that same circle, and he knew that what Wang Yan said was very true.

Li Kuiyong also fell silent; he thought of how those veteran cadres looked down on children of workers and peasants like them, thought of their woolen overcoats, and thought of his own tattered clothes.

At this moment, Wang Yan spoke with a smile: "Dayong, there is no need to be so pessimistic; what I described was an extreme scenario, just to clear your head. In reality, if such a thing truly happened, there would still be room for mitigation. They have parents, and I have parents too; do you think my parents sacrificed themselves in vain?"

But that is straying too far; in the final analysis, we are still people who earn money through honest labor. No matter how great a reputation is, it cannot make me money. That little bastard has a huge reputation, doesn't he? Earning money through murder and robbery, yet he thinks he is quite impressive; he is simply too stupid.

Happiness must be created by oneself; how is it created? Through down-to-earth study and diligent labor, taking one solid step at a time. Do not love ease and hate work, and do not crave quick money...

"Hey, Brother Yan, I have to refute that; I disagree." Li Kuiyong wore an expression that said, 'I knew you were tricking me again.' "You beat those Buddhas and just earned a pile of quick money; you even had me go gather intelligence..."

"You kid really don't know how to play the game."

Wang Yan kicked him irritably. "How can that be the same? They offended us brothers; what those bastards do is wicked enough to make smoke rise from their graves. We two brothers helping them spend some of their money, what problem is there with that?"

"Furthermore, regarding gathering intelligence, none of these people's money can see the light of day; every single one of them deserves to have no descendants. We two brothers helping them spend some of their money, what problem is there with that?"

"What I am telling you is: do not rely on a loud reputation to gather a bunch of alleyway hooligans, go out fighting all day long, and bully honest people all day long; that is too unconscionable."

"Right, what Brother Yan says is correct," Zhong Yuemin said. "Brother Yan, actually we are not that bad; we mostly just stroll the streets and flirt with girls. Fighting is unavoidable, but if you really think about it, we have never done anything that arouses public wrath and resentment."

"Who knows?" Wang Yan glanced at him sideways. "What business do you have?"

"Didn't I hear about this matter and come to pay my respects to you, Brother Yan?" Zhong Yuemin said. "Also, I am here to give you a warning..."

"The man surnamed Li?"

Zhong Yuemin nodded. "Li Liang Yuanchao. Regardless of how you look at it, he is a significant figure with quite a reputation. Last time he took such a huge fall here and lost so much face, he still cannot let it go in his heart. I have tried to persuade him several times, but nothing works; over this matter, he even got angry with me."

"There is nothing good to persuade; if I gave you a severe beating, you wouldn't be able to swallow that anger either; it is all the same."

"This time is different; Li Liang Yuanchao is getting serious."

Zhong Yuemin said, "I am not clear on exactly how he plans to retaliate against you; just be careful, that is all."

"There are only a thousand days for a thief to steal, not a thousand days for guarding against thieves." Li Kuiyong's eyes turned fierce. "Brother Yan, why don't we strike first to gain the advantage?"

"Then we two brothers would truly be dragged out for target practice, keeping company with that little bastard." Wang Yan shook his head with amusement. "Dayong, they may act without reason, but we must act with reason. As long as we have reason on our side, we have grounds to argue; if we lack reason, then we are at their mercy."

"Just take this incident: I stomped on both of Li Liang Yuanchao's hands until the bones cracked; the slightest movement causes heart-piercing pain. Do you think his family members wouldn't know about it?"

"Even if he doesn't return home, so many others were injured. Since Li Liang Yuanchao positions himself as the boss, he will definitely bear the medical expenses. He must be scrambling everywhere to gather money; do you think news of this will spread widely? Could it possibly not reach his family's ears?"

Seeing Wang Yan look at him, Zhong Yuemin nodded. "As far as I know, Li Liang Yuanchao's older brother is aware of it. His older brother is a soldier, right here in Jingcheng..."

"Did you hear that? That is quite a high official rank, isn't it? Why am I still fine right now? Precisely because I have reason on my side. Otherwise, why would we need Li Liang Yuanchao to retaliate? His family could make a single phone call, and by now my confession would already be recorded, waiting for the procedures to sentence me."

Zhong Yuemin said, "Brother Yan, that is impossible; Li Liang Yuanchao would not do such a thing."

"Do not be so naive; do not pin your life and death on such a ridiculous notion. He could claim his family did it and that he could not stop them; when that time comes, what method would you have?"

"Brother Yan, I truly feel you are overthinking it, making things too complicated." Zhong Yuemin still shook his head.

"There is no help for it; if I had that kind of background, I wouldn't think about anything either." Wang Yan did not listen to his explanation and instead asked, "Alright, do you have anything else?"

Zhong Yuemin paused for a moment, then said, "In that case, Brother Yan, I will leave first so as not to delay your meal."

"I have not yet reached the point where I cannot afford to treat someone to a meal. Since you have come to my home and arrived at mealtime, stay and have a drink with us."

Wang Yan busily prepared two dishes, and Zhong Yuemin also saw the various cooked foods as well as the rice made from fine grains.

"Brother Yan, you two eat far too well!" Zhong Yuemin held a chicken leg and ate with great relish.

Before Wang Yan could say anything, Li Kuiyong interjected: "Wait, Zhong Yuemin, are you insulting us? You, a child of cadres, saying we eat too well?"

Zhong Yuemin said, "What use is it to be a child of cadres? My father is undergoing reform, my mother passed away early, and now I receive fifteen yuan a month. I won't starve to death, but I certainly cannot eat well."

"Then why did you even invite us to Lao Mo? That one meal must cost several tens, right?" Li Kui couldn't help but complain.

"No need; we have dining vouchers for Lao Mo. We eat based on the vouchers, so it doesn't cost much. A meal is just over ten yuan, and the portions aren't small either."

Zhong Yuemin took a bite of the stewed cabbage and tofu, gave a thumbs-up straight away, and said, "Brother Yan, your cooking skills are truly excellent; you could work as a head chef in a state-run restaurant. Tsk, you guys really live the good life."

Wang Yan took a sip of wine and said, "Didn't Dayong just lay everything bare earlier? It all came from those thieves. Do you think my brother and I eat meat every day?"

"Let me ask something I probably shouldn't, Brother Yan. I'm really curious: how much money did you guys actually rob... ah, spit, I mean take?"

"Over a thousand, plus various ration coupons."

Wang Yan spoke lightly and casually, but Zhong Yuemin's eyes widened: "That much?"

"Thieves are all rich people. Especially those few bosses; each had over a hundred on them, so rich they were dripping with oil," Li Kui said with a laugh. "Now we're finally living the good life. Didn't you see the bicycle at my doorstep? That was ridden back from them too."

"Truly awesome!" Zhong Yuemin gave a thumbs-up again, then asked, "Brother Yan, what was the situation like back then?"

"Didn't you tell him?" Wang Yan looked at Li Kui.

Li Kui shook his head: "Then let me tell him."

Immediately, Li Kui recounted the entire sequence of causes and consequences, starting from the bicycle being lost at Beihai, all the way up to when the police arrived to conduct their investigation.

Only now did Zhong Yuemin learn the details. Although it wasn't as exaggerated as the rumors suggested, it was still enough to make one's heart pound with fear: "Guns were even used? Brother Yan broke the limbs of those leading old tough guys?"

"Mm." Li Kui nodded.

"And there were no consequences?"

Wang Yan smiled: "It was self-defense. Those people were nothing but scum; what could the police possibly say?"

Zhong Yuemin pressed further: "What about the money? And the bicycles? That's quite a lot."

"This group of people still has some sense. They dare not speak up. If they did, wouldn't it all be considered stolen goods? An amount like that is enough to get one executed by firing squad," Li Kui repeated the words Wang Yan had previously told him.

Wang Yan smiled and nodded slightly, then took another sip of wine. Proper Mao Tai, hey, that's the taste, authentic~

The three chatted intermittently while eating and drinking heartily.

Zhong Yuemin showed absolutely no modesty; perhaps knowing the money hadn't come through proper channels, he ate until grease streamed from the corners of his mouth. Before leaving, he kept insisting that he must treat Wang Yan to a meal at Lao Mo, saying Brother Yan was refined and clearly knew how to enjoy good food...

In the blink of an eye, Sunday arrived, the day for the performance of The Red Detachment of Women.

Wang Yan and Li Kui rode their bicycles to the theater, where they met Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun at the entrance.

"Comrade Xiaobai, long time no see; I've missed you terribly," Wang Yan greeted with a laugh.

Zhou Xiaobai was speechless and choked up: "It's only been a week; what do you mean 'long time'?"

"Haven't you heard 'one day apart feels like three autumns'? We've been apart for twenty-one autumns now. Looking back suddenly, our delightful conversation last time seems like it happened ages ago."

Luo Yun shivered: "Enough, Wang Yan, you're being too cheesy. We've been waiting for you forever; I'm freezing to death. Let's hurry inside."

Wang Yan laughed loudly: "I knew it; Comrade Xiaobai has me in her heart."

Zhou Xiaobai gave Wang Yan an annoyed slap, turned her head, and walked straight into the theater. Wang Yan and the others followed behind, laughing and chatting, as they all entered together.

At this moment, the theater was already crowded with many people. Lifting the curtain to enter, a wave of heat generated by the gathered crowd hit them face-on, and a cacophony of noise rushed into their ears.

They bought four bottles of soda at a small stall near the entrance, then found their seats according to their tickets.

Luo Yun and Zhou Xiaobai sat in the middle, with Li Kui and Wang Yan on either side.

Zhou Xiaobai asked: "Hey, I just realized something. Did I see you and Li Kui riding bicycles here earlier?"

"Yeah."

"You got it back?"

"Mm."

"You managed to get that back?" Zhou Xiaobai sounded surprised.

Wang Yan smiled: "It was quite simple. They even compensated me with an extra one, which Dayong is riding now."

Zhou Xiaobai looked at Wang Yan suspiciously: "Were they really that easy to deal with?"

"Obviously not. It was because I sincerely and enthusiastically engaged in a friendly exchange with them, reformed them, made them realize their mistakes, and caused them to have a sudden awakening. Only then did they return the bicycle and compensate with another one."

Knowing Wang Yan was talking nonsense, Zhou Xiaobai gave him a light slap to express her dissatisfaction, then changed the subject: "Were you injured?"

Wang Yan grabbed her hand and rubbed it: "Am I not alive and kicking?"

Zhou Xiaobai symbolically tried to pull her hand away once, but failing to withdraw it, she simply gave up...

Wang Yan changed the topic: "Have you seen this opera before?"

"I've seen it once. Haven't you?"

"No, tell me about it."

So Zhou Xiaobai began to explain, while Wang Yan seized her other hand as well...

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