At the hospital, they registered and got checked. Thankfully, none of these people had serious issues, just some superficial skin injuries.
Cheng Yue’s injuries were the worst. He had two bloody noses, a swollen lump on his forehead, and one of his eyes had taken a punch, turning the surrounding area purple and bruised, a sight of complete disarray.
An Ping and Song Fei’s conditions were lighter, both of them sporting some colorful marks on their faces.
Even though it was a fight, Cheng Yue still showed some mercy. If he had really let loose, An Ping and Song Fei combined would not have been able to match him.
But if he had truly gone all out, he feared An Hao might never pay attention to him again.
Exiting the hospital entrance, An Hao proposed to go for a meal with An Ping and Song Fei, as they also had to discuss business in the afternoon.
Glancing at Cheng Yue’s pitiful state, An Hao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing, "Are you okay?"
"Not okay!" Cheng Yue pouted, his face swollen. "And you have the nerve to laugh. Your two relatives walloped me good; look at my face, all messed up. What if it doesn’t recover? How am I going to find a wife then? Besides, aren’t you going to marry me? If you did, it would all be worth it!"
"You dare insult my sister?" An Ping clenched his fist, ready to hit him again.
"Enough. Both of you, stop talking. Cheng Yue, go back to school by yourself! Today, you’ve both given as good as you got, so consider it even," An Hao said, about to leave with An Ping and Song Fei.
Cheng Yue wasn’t having it, "No way. After beating me up , you can’t just walk away. Aren’t you going to treat me to a meal now that it’s lunchtime?"
"In your dreams!" An Ping spat contemptuously at him, pointing at Cheng Yue’s nose. "You should be thankful you only ran into me. If you had faced my brother-in-law, he would’ve beaten you black and blue, turned you into a crumbling mess!"
"Funny you should say that. I’ve actually been wanting to meet your brother-in-law!" Cheng Yue said, taking out the written challenge from his pocket and pushing it into An Hao’s hands, "For your husband, Qin Jian! I demand a contest to see who is the superior!"
"You don’t even have the right to compare yourself to my brother-in-law!"
Seeing Cheng Yue was adamant about meeting Qin Jian, An Hao thought for a moment and agreed. Not letting him see him was not a solution, as he would keep pestering her.
In the long run, refusing could easily lead to misunderstandings.
Hence, An Hao agreed to his request, "Alright, I accept your challenge on behalf of Qin Jian. Go back for now, and he will tell you himself how he wants to fight you when the time comes."
"Agreed! You have my word!" Cheng Yue, satisfied with the response, limped away.
As he walked, he thought to himself, if only she had agreed so readily earlier, would he have had to suffer this ordeal?
He had been beaten for no reason at all!
Having missed the mealtime, An Hao found a nearby restaurant close to the school and took the two of them out for a meal.
The three of them ordered two dishes and three large bowls of rice and began to eat.
While eating, An Ping asked An Hao, "What’s with that thug? Does he want to fight my brother-in-law? The way he looks at you, it seems like he’s interested!"
"Don’t make wild guesses. These things aren’t your concern! Your brother-in-law and I will handle it. How’s your business been going recently?" An Hao added meat to An Ping’s bowl as she asked.
"The business is doing well. Ever since we started supplying to the military, we’ve barely been able to keep up. We make less in the summer, but in winter our greenhouse vegetables really thrive! The prices are high, and they sell fast." Now their family was making good money, the envy of many villagers who couldn’t even come close.