Ger, So Proud

Chapter 42

Wu Cui watched as the crowd dispersed, feeling even more anxious. His gaze shifted to the black bear in the corner, then suddenly pointed at Lin Yu and Dad Zhang, “Zhang Su, you’re being evasive! Don’t believe him, everyone! My parents clearly saw everything. Just because you said so, everything is forgotten? If it weren’t for you and that Xu guy having no issues, would he have come to help Yu-ge for free in the rain overnight? And then kept sending medicine every few days?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Wu Cui seemed to remember something, a smile appearing on his face again, “You and that Xu Qingsheng have never severed ties, right? I heard that he has been coming here frequently for so many years, Zhang Su! Are you treating Er Lang right by doing this?”

Feeling the trembling body in his arms, Lin Yu lightly patted his back a few times before stepping back, flames flickering in his eyes.

“Zhang Su, am I hitting the mark?” Meanwhile, Wu Cui continued, his voice smug, “Forget it, forget it. I believe you’re not that kind of person, but… just thinking that you’re unwilling to save Third Lang, I… sigh, I can’t believe you anymore! When I go back and ask my parents, if this old matter is brought up again…”

“Shut up!”

Lin Yu suddenly raised his head to look at Wu Cui, the sound of knuckles cracking in the air.

The latter was stunned, but he swallowed his saliva and forced himself to say, “What? Yu-ge, I’m your third uncle, your elder. It’s fine if you’re not respectful, but talking to me like this! Has Zhang Su never taught you filial piety?”

Lin Yu remained silent, only pinching his palm to draw blood.

Seeing him like this, Wu Cui breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on Lin Yu’s clenched fist, provocatively saying, “Yu-ge, Third uncle knows you’re formidable! You can even beat the blind bear and come back, but now… Are you planning to fight me? Let me tell you, if you hit me today, you’ll have to bear the consequences, and your father won’t be able to hold his head up, no, he won’t even be able to rest in peace!”

“You…”

“Yu-ge! Let’s ignore him, ignore him!”

Seeing Lin Yu raise his hand slightly, Zhang Su quickly grabbed his arm. No matter how much trouble Wu Cui caused, Lin Yu absolutely couldn’t use violence! After all, Lin Yu’s surname was Lin, and if he laid hands on someone, it would be unfilial! It could be a crime that could lead to death!

“Oh, did I hit the mark? You really want to hit me? Come on! Hit me here!” Wu Cui approached Lin Yu, pointing to his own face as he spoke, “Come on! Hit me here! Let off some steam!”

Hit! Go ahead and hit! At this moment, Wu Cui had also figured it out. If Lin Yu were to hit him in front of everyone today, in the future… these two would be completely under his control!

Not to mention the blind bear on the ground.

So Wu Cui didn’t stop talking for a moment, “Yu-ge, you know about your dad’s relationship with Xu Qingsheng, right? They say it’s just for a check-up, but it’s been so many years? Tsk, I heard about your recent dealings with that wealthy kid from the He family. Are you trying to learn from dad? How come, because no one wants to marry you, you’re throwing a tantrum like this?”

“Wu Cui, watch your mouth! You can say that about me, but Yu-ge…”

“What’s wrong with Yu-ge? Can’t I say anything about Yu-ge? Let me tell you, Zhang Su, today I not only have to say it, but I also have to discipline him well for Second Lang, for his grandfather and grandmother!” Seeing Lin Yu not move, Wu Cui suddenly raised his palm, “Yu-ge, you’re always hanging out with men las a ger, you’re disgracing our Lin family!”

With that, he swung his palm towards Lin Yu’s face.

“You—”

Dad Zhang pushed Lin Yu aside and stood in front of him, but the slap didn’t come down.

“What do you want to do?”

A deep voice sounded, and Lin Yu looked up to see He Ze’s figure. Even he himself hadn’t realized that, in that moment, he had gradually relaxed the hand he had been holding.

“Hiss— Let go! Let go! Who are you!”

With a piercing pain in his wrist, Wu Cui’s face had already twisted into a ball, his voice trembling.

He opened his eyes, stunned for a moment, then said incredulously, “You… you, you’re He family’s kid? He Ze, right? He Ze, what do you mean by this? I was just disciplining my nephew, why don’t you let go! If you don’t let go…”

“What will you do?” He Ze’s smile was ambiguous, but his eyes were as cold as ice, “Lin Yu dare not hit you, but you just implicated me. I have nothing to do with you. Even if I hit you, I’ll be in the right.”

“You!”

“You… let go of me! I didn’t implicate you, I saw it that day… you… both of you! Hiss— it hurts, it hurts, let go!” Wu Cui hadn’t finished his sentence when tears of pain streamed down his face.

“…So it’s you.”

He had been thinking about how to find the originator of the rumors, but unexpectedly, someone confessed without being pressed.

He Ze’s eyes narrowed, and he applied more force to his hand.

Wu Cui felt like his wrist was about to be twisted off. Just as he was about to scream, he heard a loud bang, then felt a kick from He Ze, sending him flying backward. He ended up sitting on the ground, his palms scraped and bleeding from the gravel.

“You, He Ze, how dare you hit someone! You little brat! You…” Wu Cui’s voice stopped abruptly, then he suddenly shouted, “Everyone, come and see! Someone is hitting someone here! Someone is being attacked, quick…”

“Continue, take a look behind you?”

He Ze squatted in front of Wu Cui, restraining the urge to break his neck. Wu Cui had been shouting loudly, but when he said that, Wu Cui’s eyes looked back suspiciously, then he stopped abruptly.

There was no one standing at the gate of the courtyard, only two people leaning against the wall, talking and laughing while pointing at him.

That was… mockery.

Earlier, when He Ze heard Wu Cui getting more and more outrageous, he had ordered Liu San and He Dalang to drag away the remaining villagers who were still standing at the gate of the courtyard.

Now, only the two of them were left standing there.

Lin Yu and Dad Zhang also looked over following He Ze’s voice. Dad Zhang tightened his grip on Lin Yu’s hand, tears dripping onto the back of his hand, scalding hot.

“It’s okay, Dad.”

Lin Yu glanced at He Ze and lowered his head to comfort Dad Zhang.

“You… He Ze, what are you trying to do, you little brat? Let me tell you, even if everyone has left, if something happens to me here, it will either be your doing or Lin Yu’s. Let me tell you, I won’t spare you both when the time comes!”

He Ze didn’t answer, but suddenly took two steps closer. Wu Cui propped himself up with one hand on the ground, dragging his legs backward.

“…Don’t worry, why would I dare to do anything to you?”

He Ze suddenly laughed and stood up, waving to Liu San, who quickly ran over with He Dalang. “What’s up?”

“Help me out, throw him out, as far as possible. I’ll treat you to a meal at the restaurant in town later. Order whatever you like.” He Ze patted Liu San on the shoulder.

“Really?”

“Really, and… ” He Ze suddenly lowered his voice and whispered a few words to Liu San, then continued, “Be careful, don’t get caught.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered!”

Liu San patted his chest and exchanged a glance with He Dalang. Both of them had a smile on their faces as they approached Wu Cui. “Uncle, let’s go, the two of us will escort you back!”

“What are you doing? I, I’m not going…”

Seeing the smiles on the two men’s faces, Wu Cui panicked, thinking back to what He Ze had said to them earlier, feeling like a mouse seeing a cat.

Liu San and He Dalang had been hanging out together since they were young, so if anyone was to blame for the trouble they caused, they were at least half responsible.

Without any hesitation this time, the two of them each lifted one of Wu Cui’s arms and dragged him towards the courtyard gate. Despite Wu Cui’s heart-wrenching screams, they remained calm, as if they hadn’t heard anything.

Watching the three figures gradually disappear at the far end of the gate, He Ze had just turned around when he saw Dad Zhang bend down to him, “He Ze, thank you today. If it weren’t for you, who knows how long Wu Cui would have caused trouble here…”

“It’s okay, Uncle Zhang,” He Ze quickly helped him up, “I’m also responsible for this matter, I…”

“I’ll help Dad in to rest first.”

Before He Ze could finish his sentence, Lin Yu suddenly interrupted him.

“Alright.”

He Ze hesitated for a moment, then nodded. After the two entered the room, the courtyard was left with only him.

Looking up at the sun in the sky, He Ze didn’t leave. Instead, he suddenly walked around the courtyard, finally stopping in one place and staying there for a long time.

It was where Lin Yu had just stood.

He stood there for more than an hour. When Lin Yu came out, he only saw his silhouette under the sunlight, straight and solid, giving people an inexplicable sense of security.

Just like he had stood in front of him and his Dad just now.

“…Why haven’t you left yet?” Lin Yu walked up to He Ze.

The latter didn’t answer, but instead asked him, “Where’s Uncle?”

“He’s asleep.”

“That’s good. About today’s matter…”

“It’s none of your business. This day was bound to come sooner or later, even if I didn’t bring back that bear. As long as Dad and I are a bit better, just a little bit better, they will show up. That bear… is just a spark,” Lin Yu’s face lifted a smile, “Besides, this bear belongs to me too. What’s wrong with bringing it back to my house? Are you trying to monopolize it?”

“…”

He Ze didn’t speak, just silently watched him. After a long while, he said, “Stop smiling, it looks ugly.”

“Huh?”

“It’s rare to see you looking so ugly. Your smile is even uglier than when you had a dirty face yesterday.”

He Ze looked at Lin Yu, as if peering into the deepest depths of his eyes, then sighed, “Go ahead and cry. Uncle is already asleep, and I can pretend I didn’t see anything. It’s just you alone, have a good cry, hmm?”

He Ze’s voice was very gentle, a side of him Lin Yu had never seen before. In those eyes, there was only him. Each word in his voice struck the heart, and in an instant, that barrier shattered.

When Lin Yu looked up again, tears were streaming down his face.

“He Ze…”

He called out this name hoarsely, then threw himself into the arms of its owner.

There was a moment of stiffness in He Ze’s body, until he felt the wetness on his shoulder and the suppressed sobbing in his embrace. Then… he raised his hand and embraced his shoulder.

Author’s note: He Ze: Damn it, finally got a chance to hug my wife! Wasn’t this day hard to come by?

Fearless author: Just another day haha~