Chapter 830: Bandit Family

Several days later

Cao Cao Weiguo had already taken the train back to Jingcheng. Zhang Yue, clean and fair-skinned, walked out of his home with the funeral procession, wiping away tears as he watched his uncle being buried in the earth.

After he returned home from the funeral, his playmates Zhao Zhao Hongbing, Fei Si, Li Si, and others immediately came looking for him.

"Zhang Yue, have you found the person who killed your fourth uncle?"

"Who did it?"

"I heard your fourth uncle was shot to death? Is that true?"

Zhao Zhao Hongbing and the others chattered on, asking non-stop. Zhang Yue sat on the curb with vacant eyes: "The murderer hasn't been found. The police said those two were from out of town and didn't leave any evidence, but I will definitely find them. I want to avenge my uncle with my own hands."

Zhang Yue came from a family of bandits. Because of his poor family background, he faced a lot of discrimination. His living conditions were poor, but he studied extremely hard. Yet, wild liquid always flowed through his veins; he wasn't old, but his eyes were very fierce.

Zhao Zhao Hongbing, who hadn't even finished elementary school, acted like a little adult, patting Zhang Yue on the shoulder with the air of a big brother: "Zhang Yue, don't be sad. We're brothers, and we'll help you when the time comes."

Li Si said timidly: "I heard those two had weapons in their hands; they were really fierce."

The news about Zhang Yue's family had already spread. Neighbors had all heard bits and pieces, but they described Cao Cao Weiguo and his companion, who had taken out Zhang Zhang Zhenbei, as terrifying demons, as if they were man-eating monsters with three heads and six arms. Some even said the two were remnants of the bandits who hadn't been wiped out, or enemies of the Zhang family who had come specifically to take revenge on Zhang Zhang Zhenbei.

Over the past few days, Li Si had been influenced by what he heard and couldn't help but feel fear toward the people who had killed Zhang Zhang Zhenbei. Hearing that Zhang Yue and Zhao Zhao Hongbing wanted to take revenge, he was truly scared. If it meant going to his death with them, he didn't want to be a brother anymore.

Zhao Zhao Hongbing slapped Li Si on the back of the head: "Coward, look at how small your guts are. What are you afraid of? So what if they have weapons? When the time comes, we'll find a pile of weapons too and fight them with real knives and guns."

Li Si said submissively: "I'm not afraid."

Zhao Zhao Hongbing pulled Zhang Yue up: "Zhang Yue, stop looking so miserable. Let's go catch fish in the river."

Meanwhile, at Zhang Yue's home, several men reeking of banditry were gathered in the room, sitting on the kang, cursing and shouting about turning the Northeast upside down to drag out the murderer.

Although the essence of the Zhang family was gone and the family had fallen on hard times, there were still living members. A "bandit family" wasn't just a name for nothing.

Even if some of them were now farming, tightening bolts, slaughtering pigs, or cleaning out latrines... the blood of bandits still flowed in their veins. It had always been them bullying others; they couldn't be bullied themselves.

Zhang Zhang Zhenbei had finally made a name for himself outside and was about to bring them along to eat, drink, and revive the glory of the bandit family, stepping on the heads of the poor to live the high life. Who would have thought that this hope would be snuffed out so suddenly?

Some greenhorns had popped out of nowhere and started a life-and-death struggle without a word.

Damn it!

Who is the descendant of bandits here!

Is there no sense of rules anymore!

Can't you keep your temper in check!

Thinking of the food and drink that was about to be theirs, these descendants of bandits were scratching their heads and itching with hatred. Cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents—how could they let it go?

Zhang Yue's father, his face full of flesh, said with a gloomy face: "I've already entrusted some local friends to look, but it was pitch black at the time, and the Pigeon Market is full of all sorts of people. Those two were wrapped up tight; we only know they had a Jingcheng accent, weren't very old, and had money—they bought a few antiques from Qiao San. Aside from that, there's almost no information. Finding them is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Zhang Yue's second uncle gritted his teeth: "A Jingcheng accent? Then find everyone who came to Suifenhe from Jingcheng. Check them one by one; we'll find them eventually. I don't believe they can fly to the sky. They killed someone from my Zhang family, so they won't have a moment's peace. If I don't kill them, I won't stop."

A bearded man waved his hand: "Oh, give it a rest! What are you bragging about! Do you think it's still before liberation? Now our family has no money and no people. How are you going to check? If we don't work for a day, we don't eat for a day. If you do that, I don't know if you'll find them, but I know our whole family will starve to death."

"Bang!"

The second uncle slapped the kang: "So we're just going to let it go? Just let the murderer roam free? So the fourth brother died for nothing? Who will fear the Zhang family in the future!"

The bearded man smiled bitterly: "Second brother, are you still dreaming? What era is this? This is New China! Do you still think it's the old days? The Zhang family? Now our family is just a stinking cesspit! Dad and Grandpa lived the high life and enjoyed themselves for a lifetime. They had their fill of blessings, but by our generation, we're just paying off debts. Because they enjoyed themselves, I'm stuck cleaning latrines and eating chaff. This time, fourth brother getting killed outside—I'm not surprised at all. If you drift in the underworld, you're bound to get cut. When he was out there mixing with those crowds, I knew this day would come."

The second uncle glared angrily at the bearded man: "Big brother, oh big brother, Dad was right—you're a coward. You deserve to clean latrines for the rest of your life. Having a big brother like you is a disgrace to us brothers. You're just going to live your whole life cowering like this."

The bearded man sighed: "I've accepted my fate. Second brother, I'll give you a piece of advice: you have to accept your fate too. Things are different now. There's no Emperor, no landlords, no capitalists. Now the people are the masters. You still want to be a big landlord and collect rent, drinking the blood of the tenants? It's impossible. Now, if you don't work, you don't eat. If you commit a crime or break the law, you'll be punished."

The second uncle angrily overturned the table on the kang, his eyes red as he shouted: "I don't accept my fate! I don't! The Dao of Heaven revolves; I don't believe this world will stay the same forever. No matter what the era, there are poor people and rich people. Some eat meat, and some go hungry. Equality? Democracy? Bullshit! It's only been a few years, and you've already accepted your fate? Coward! Just wait. As long as this world values money, there will be landlords, there will be capitalists, and there will be bandits. I don't want to be hungry and poor like you. I want to be a person above others. I want to restore the glory of the Zhang family!"

"Stubborn! Stubborn! Second brother! If you remain so obsessed, you won't have a good end!"

The bearded man was full of grief and indignation, pointing at the second brother with heartbreak.

How he wished he could eat meat and drink, how he wished he could live a life of debauchery.

But the times have changed!

It's different now; labor is the most glorious thing!