Chapter 128: Fang Xiue and Her Sister

A man with money is a hero; a man without it is a nobody.

Holding the 1,000 yuan, Mu Xueli was grinning from ear to ear.

He seemed to be imagining just how happy and wonderful his life would be from now on.

A few days ago, while chatting with his sister and brother-in-law, Mu Xueli learned that they were planning to build a large tiled-roof house next year.

At the time, Mu Xueli had been very envious, because his own family's house was very uncomfortable to live in, especially when it rained hard; the whole family would worry about the roof leaking, and he never wanted to feel that kind of anxiety again.

With the 500 yuan he had previously received, Mu Xueli had originally planned to just add tiles to his roof next spring.

But now, with this 1,000 yuan, plus the share he would get from selling the bear gall and the tiger cub pelts, he had made up his mind: next spring, he was going to renovate his entire courtyard extensively.

Whether it was the living quarters, the storage shed, or the livestock pens, he would build them all up just like the wealthy families in the village.

Meanwhile, Wang An was lost in thought. In fact, whether on the road back or while calculating the split with his brother-in-law, he had been feeling like he'd forgotten something.

It was important, but he just couldn't recall it.

Wang An began to mentally review everything that had happened over the past few days.

After mulling it over for a long time, he recalled the image of those milky-white breasts, fluttering and swaying in every direction.

A "boom" went off in Wang An's head, and he finally remembered what he had forgotten.

It was about Lu Yuelue!

No, it was about Lu Yuelue's return to the city!

Damn it, this was ridiculous! He'd been so focused on the money that he'd completely neglected someone's life-changing matter.

Thinking of this, Wang An immediately got off the kang, put on his shoes, his cotton hat, and his mittens, told his family he was heading out, and left.

Once outside, he saddled his horse, mounted it, and rode off toward the county town like a puff of smoke.

To be honest, riding a horse in winter, aside from the speed, was not comfortable in the slightest.

With the temperature at minus thirty degrees, it was freezing, and even with the face-guard on his hat, the cold wind still whipped against his face like a knife, stinging painfully.

When he arrived at the county government compound, the old gatekeeper walked out.

With a smile, he asked, "Young man, here to see Wu Dong?"

Wang An went through his usual routine, smiling as he offered a cigarette first, then said, "Yeah, Grandpa, I've got some business with him."

The old man smiled and said, "He's gone. Said he went to Bingcheng. Are you here to pick up a document from him?"

Wang An felt a bit anxious at the first half of the sentence, but hearing the second half, his eyes lit up. It sounded like the old man knew about the matter.

Wang An quickly said, "Yeah, Grandpa. I forgot to get it from him this morning, so I had to make a second trip all the way out here."

The old man chuckled, turned, and went into his room. He soon returned, holding a brown paper envelope.

As he handed the envelope to Wang An, the old man said, "He said before he left that you'd be coming by tomorrow at the latest. You got here pretty fast."

Wang An took the envelope, feeling very happy; at least this freezing trip hadn't been in vain.

He quickly said, "Thanks, Grandpa. If it weren't for you, I would've made this long trip for nothing."

The old man smiled and replied, "Don't mention it, just a small favor."

Wang An bid the old man farewell, mounted his horse, and left.

In the county town at this time, aside from government leaders or unit heads occasionally traveling by car, you wouldn't see any other automobiles on the road.

Therefore, the main transport tools on the streets were ox-drawn sleds or horse-drawn sleds.

Of course, four-wheeled tractors were starting to become popular, but there weren't many yet; they were mostly owned by unit logistics departments or large villages. Private ownership didn't exist yet.

There were many people walking or riding bicycles on the streets.

There were also quite a few people riding horses, but like Wang An, they didn't dare gallop; they all rode slowly.

Wang An was riding leisurely, looking around aimlessly, when he suddenly saw two women running toward him from a village on the outskirts of the county town.

At first, Wang An didn't pay much attention. They were just two women; even if they were female bandits, he had the confidence to defeat them.

But seven or eight seconds later, seven or eight hooligans came running out from behind them, shouting and cursing as they chased the two women.

As they got closer, Wang An actually heard one of the women calling his name and shouting for help.

They were wearing cotton hats and headscarves as face-guards. Although the scarves had come loose, their faces were still well-covered. They weren't people Wang An knew, so he didn't recognize them.

When they reached him, Wang An looked down at them, frowned, and asked suspiciously, "Do you know me? Who are you?"

Hearing Wang An's question, one of the women looked back at the group chasing them and said anxiously, "I'm Fang Xiue! You've seen me before. My sister and I ran into some hooligans, please save us!" As she spoke, she quickly untied her face-guard.

After untying the guard, she revealed a fair and pretty face. She was truly beautiful—though not as perfect as Mu Xueqing, she was on the same level as Shen Wei and Lu Yuelue.

When Wang An saw that face, he was stunned.

Because the owner of this face was supposed to have already run away and left DJ County! How had she appeared here again?

But since he knew her, Wang An couldn't just sit by and watch them be in danger. Besides, he'd heard from Shen Wei that they had a pretty good relationship.

So, Wang An dismounted, holding his horsewhip as he stood there.

In fact, the few people running over were what Wang An called "hooligans-in-training," because they were all just half-grown kids of fifteen or sixteen.

Moreover, Wang An recognized two of them; they were all small-time punks in the county town.

The main reason was that they usually acted all tough and arrogant, but in reality, they were nothing—aside from posturing, they couldn't do a thing.

When they had the upper hand, they were fierce and ruthless.

But the moment they encountered someone truly tough, their true colors would show, and they'd be the first to run. That's why Wang An called them "hooligans-in-training."

Because Wang An hadn't been galloping, he hadn't tied his face-guard back on, so his entire face was exposed.

These seven or eight hooligans soon ran over, panting. Although Wang An didn't know their names, they knew who Wang An was.

Seeing Wang An standing there holding his horse and whip, the seven or eight punks all froze. A person's name is like a tree's shadow—especially in the world of hooligans.

Even though they felt they were pretty tough themselves, when they ran into someone with a reputation for being ruthless, anyone would feel a sense of dread.

"Wa—Wang Ge..." one of the hooligans stammered, not even finishing his sentence.

Wang An simply barked, "Get lost!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of authority. He really couldn't be bothered to deal with them.

But no matter the era, there was never a shortage of idiots.

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(End of chapter)