On this day, the big water buffalo was being especially obedient. Zhang Jiaohua conveniently stopped upon seeing an area with abundant fresh and tender gra.s.s and said, "Graze quickly."
The Big water buffalo bent its head and began grazing with big mouthfuls. Zhang Jiaohua pulled on the big water buffalo"s rope and it honestly began following Zhang Jiaohua. This was something very different from the past. In the past, if the big water buffalo had wanted to eat several bites, then it would have stayed there with violent stubbornness, no matter what, just in order to eat some more bites. If the master were to not pay attention at this time, then it would have been able to steal several bites of the field crops by the roadside. With one move of the tongue, it could eat a big bundle of beans, or even rice. However, today these series of events didn"t happen.
Zhang Jiaohua felt that today the water buffalo was a bit strange. Sometimes, it would intentionally relax the buffalo"s rope as an experiment. It turned out that the big water buffalo didn"t steal food like a hungry ghost as per usual.
Zhang Youlian seeing Zhang Jiaohua leading the buffalo along the footpath between the fields, hurriedly walked up and before he had even reached near, he had already started scolding in a loud voice.
"You this child, what is the matter? Will you not be satisfied until our rice grains are eaten? If our soybean or our rice grains are eaten, just see how I tidy you up!" Zhang Youlian didn"t have any good disposition towards this nephew of his, Zhang Jiaohua. There was absolutely not even the least bit of familial affection.
"Your rice grains haven’t been eaten." Zhang Jiaohua also wasn"t easy to bully. He directly confronted Zhang Youlian.
"Impudent, who am I to you? Who taught you to take that tone with your Uncle? I am your Uncle, you dare use that kind of tone to talk to me. After I beat you up, I"ll make your parents pour water to wash my hands." Zhang Youlian came walking quickly. He was rubbing his fists, and wiping his palms, apparently ready to teach Zhang Jiaohua a lesson. Certainly, he mainly wanted to scare. However, if that big water buffalo really ate his rice grains, then he would really hit.
Zhang Jiaohua wasn"t in the wrong, naturally he wouldn"t be willing to eat a deficit in a battle of words, "I haven"t done anything wrong. You still want to hit me, you must have gone crazy (mad) again."
Zhang Jiaohua"s words made Zhang Youlian stamp his feet in anger, "You just wait and see, today I will discipline you in place of your parents."
Zhang Youlian walked very fast while stamping his two feet continuously on the ground. The soles. .h.i.tting the ground making "pa pa" noises. However, as soon as he reached near the footpath where Zhang Jiaohua was letting his buffalo graze, it suddenly felt as if somebody had pushed him down all of a sudden from the tall ridge. This happened all of a sudden while Zhang Youlian"s mind was entirely focused on teaching Zhang Jiaohua a lesson. His body was in a free-fall, as he pressed down directly onto rice grains with his large stature. A human silhouette formed on the lush paddy field.
That field belonged to the fatty Zhang Jiujin"s family. Zhang Jiujin"s mother Li Yuju just happened to be cutting hog gra.s.s on the side of the field, when she saw Zhang Youlian falling down and directly flattening rice grains she screamed immediately.
"Youlian, you are so old already, are you unable to walk steadil. You ruined so many rice grains of ours by falling on them, was it intentional? Such a large area, it has caused a drop in my field"s yield, how would we account for this?" Zhang Jiujin"s obesity had been inherited from her mother Li Yuju. Her body was huge, and her voice deep.
"I didn"t do it on purpose." Zhang Youlian was originally angry, naturally he wouldn"t answer in a good tone to Li Yuju"s words.
"You ah, you killed a lot of my rice grains, and yet you still argue. Jiaohua was going along the footpath of your fields, you were yelling and shouting. Now you have destroyed my crops, you are still acting self-righteous. You are bullying me just because I am a woman who can"t deal with you, is it? Then I will look for someone who can come deal with you!" Li Yuju didn"t come to strike in anger.
Only then did Zhang Youlian recall that Li Yuju was not an ordinary woman. Annoying her would not end up in just some small trouble. Li Yuju"s husband Zhang Qianlong had a tall and powerful stature, in Meizi"ao there were very few who were capable of lasting a few moves against Zhang Qianlong.
Zhang Youlian began walking away from the field, he was already wet from head to top, and seeing Li Yuju talk like that, he was already very much incensed, "You go call your man. Go call your man, and your lover also together, see if I am afraid or not."
These impertinent remarks of Zhang Youlian, were really like stabbing the hornet"s nest. In the beginning, Li Yuju could atmost be considered shrewish, but now she immediately transformed into a mad devil. One must know that women in rural areas are very particular about reputation and integrity. Nowadays, women are very fierce, ready to stuff a bottle of pesticide at the slightest accidental mention.
"Zhang Youlian, you speak clearly, whom did I steal?[1] If you today don"t speak clearly, I won"t let you off!" Li Yuju rushed up using both of her hands to grab Zhang Youlian"s collars.
"Bang!"
Zhang Youlian raised his right hand, and heavily struck at Li Yuju with a slap.
"Zhang Youlian, you dare to hit me, I won"t let you off today!" Li Yuju loosened one hand, and desperately scratched at Zhang Youlian"s face two three times, leaving behind several lines of blood on Zhang Youlian"s face.
Zhang Youlian continued to wrestle with Li Yuju, the entanglement between the two finally led to them falling from the field ridge, down into the field.
The noise was so loud, that all of a sudden the entire Meizi"ao became aware of it. The people of both families quickly came running.
The efforts made for breaking up this fight were also interesting, as the people from Li Yuju"s family"s side, on one side pulled, on the other side said, "Aiya, all are fellow villagers, but you are still hitting, ah. Aren"t you capable of talking it out nicely?" Although it seemed reasonable, but while he pulling the two apart, he was able to stop Zhang Youlian"s hands, just in time for Li Yuju to thrash out fiercely onto Zhang Youlian"s body several times. Only when Li Yuju had thrashed out enough, the people from Li Yuju"s family pulled Li Yuju away.
"Are you still unable to calm down, ah?" This was to let Li Yuju know to more or less stop her hands at once. Obviously when breaking up a fight, conveniently giving Zhang Youlian a few, also suffered a few. Zhang Youlian had intended to let out a bellow of rage, but it ended with the people heedlessly hitting his stomach, causing Zhang Youlian to suffer unending pain from his belly.
Zhang Youlian was taking a beating from just the brothers and sisters and there were not lot of other people. Moreover quite a bit distance away, when Zhang Jiaohua"s father rushing to come, Zhang Qianlong"s people immediately began messing around with Zhang Youping.
"Youping, have a nice talk with your Elder brother. He acted first, and still released stink. Without any basis he said that my wife stole a man. You tell me if this matter were to go according to my temperament, I would have torn his mouth to shreds. Both of us have played together from childhood to now. Looking after your face, I didn"t act against your elder brother, however he must give me a proper explanation." Actually, Zhang Qianlong had an urgent need to get his new house constructed. If at this time he were to have a falling out with Zhang Youping and his brother, then that would be just burning off two helpers.
As it was, the village"s youngsters had gone to Guangdong to find work. In the village, some works also had more or less started to give somewhat of a wage. However, Zhang Youping was quite honest and sincere, and wouldn"t take any wage for doing work for people in the village. Certainly this was also because that during construction of Zhang Youping"s new house, the helpers invited from the village, were also not given wages. Zhang Youping naturally felt embarra.s.sed asking for wages during the time of construction of other people"s houses.
Footnotes
^ [TLNote: Having a lover = Stealing a man]