Li Wangfu’s brows furrowed as soon as he heard her. After taking a few strong sips from the teapot, he slowly said, "An Hao, although this incident happened in the brigade, it’s your dad’s fault. The ox was plowing the field just fine, but he, for no reason, kept complaining it was too slow and whipped it hard! As a result, he spooked the ox! Who do you think is to blame for this?"
An Hao realized from the tone of his speech that he didn’t want to pay?
She had come over today without expecting Li Wangfu to pay up the entire sum, considering that the brigade didn’t have much money either.
But if her family weren’t in such hardship, she wouldn’t have blocked his door to ask for the money.
"Uncle Li, why does what you just said sound so offensive to the ears? Are you suggesting that my dad deserved it?" An Ping couldn’t hold back anymore and glared at Li Wangfu, ready to argue.
"I never said your dad deserved it! You’re the one putting words in my mouth," Li Wangfu glanced at An Ping, this little brat was trying to act tough in front of him.
He was in control of the money, and if he was displeased, he wouldn’t give a damn about you.
An Ping, full of youthful vigor and in the midst of an age where a single disagreement could lead to a fistfight, looked at Li Wangfu’s sharp-faced, monkey-cheeked appearance and felt like giving him a good thrashing.
He clenched his fist so tightly it cracked, and through gritted teeth, he cursed, "Everyone in the village says the leader of the first production brigade is no good, and I see they’re absolutely right! Tell Li Wangfu, if he doesn’t pay up, I swear I’ll knock his teeth out today!"
"An Ping!" An Hao grabbed him, furrowing her brows as she chastised, "What kind of language is that? No matter what, Uncle Li is still an elder! You’re being far too rude!"
Seeing An Hao’s restraint intensified An Ping’s anger: "Sis, why are you putting up with him!" An Ping fumed, smoke seemingly coming out of his orifices, "I liked you better before! I liked your fiery temper from the past that would explode at the slightest spark!"
That temperament was truly satisfying!
"Quiet down a bit, will you!" An Hao slapped An Ping twice to quell his anger.
Seeing An Ping quieting down, Li Wangfu snorted disdainfully and said, "Yelling, huh? Why aren’t you yelling now? Weren’t you so loud just a moment ago?"
"Uncle Li, An Ping is young and doesn’t know any better. Let’s not stoop to his level. Since we’re on this topic, you know what we want. So, what about this..."
An Hao hadn’t finished speaking when Li Wangfu bluntly interrupted her, "The brigade has no money! Go back! I still have things to take care of here, no time to dawdle with you kids!"
"Sis, you see? You told me to bear with him, how can I?" An Ping’s suppressed fury flared up again, and he pointed at Li Wangfu’s nose and shouted, "In a word, are you going to pay or not?"
Li Wangfu’s face darkened, and he glared at An Ping with his beady, triangular eyes, squeezing out between clenched teeth, "Not giving! Get that notion out of your head! You motherless brats, come back when you’ve learned to speak properly!"
"Today I won’t leave without giving you a good beating!" An Ping charged at Li Wangfu like a ferocious Zhang Fei, and it took all of An Hao’s strength to hold him back.
Seeing An Ping so angry that his eyes reddened, An Hao’s heart felt like it was being sliced by a knife. She spun around, her eyes angrily fixed on Li Wangfu, and said word by word, "Captain Li, did you eat shit without brushing your teeth today? You’re spewing nothing but crap! We’ll let it go for today, but if I ever hear you curse my mom again, it’s not over between us!"
After speaking, she grabbed An Ping and started heading back home, "Let’s go home!"
"Hey! You two brats, who are you cursing? I’m telling you, with that attitude, you can forget about getting a single penny from me!" Li Wangfu bellowed at the top of his lungs.