As soon as the car entered the courtyard, Wang Dazhu and his wife, Wang Daliang and his wife, as well as Mu Xueqing and Shen Wei—all six of them—ran out.
Wang An glanced at Wang Li sitting in the back seat, then grabbed three bundles of "Big Unity" bills and pushed the door open to get out of the car.
Wang An had originally wanted Wang Li to carry the money himself. After all, although it was Wu Dong's word that made Chu Hanshan and the others give the money, Wang Li's contribution was indelible.
Moreover, Wang Li had been beaten so miserably; he deserved some mental consolation!
However, looking at Wang Li's current pathetic state, carrying money was definitely out of the question; it was a miracle he could even get out of the car on his own.
Huang Zhong wanted to help Wang Li out, but Wang Li pushed him away and said indistinctly
"Oh! No need. Your Fifth Brother is just fine. Let me tell you, Xiao Zhong, I was just exhausted from fighting and had no strength left. Otherwise, I could have taken down another three or five of them."
Huang Zhong gave a "hehe" smile and didn't argue with him. Mainly, because Wang Li's cheeks and lips were becoming increasingly bruised and swollen, he couldn't even speak clearly, yet he still didn't forget to brag.
Thus, Huang Zhong really had nothing to say. If Mu Xueli were here, Wang Li would probably be laughed to death.
After Wang Li finished speaking, Huang Zhong nodded and pushed the car door open to get out.
Seeing that Wang An had returned looking exactly as he did when he left, and was carrying three bundles of Big Unity bills, the hearts of Wang Dazhu and his wife, Mu Xueqing, and Shen Wei instantly settled.
Liu Guilan asked with concern
"Did you get the money back? But why is there so much more than expected?"
Wang An said with a smile
"Since we went there anyway, we might as well ask for more. In case my brother-in-law doesn't have enough money, he can't just ask them again later—they wouldn't give it. It's easier to get enough in one go."
With a reach, Wang An handed the money over to Second Mother, Yao Ping, saying cheerfully
"Second Mother, this money was brought back because your youngest son risked his life. Make sure to leave some for your youngest son; don't give it all to your eldest daughter and son-in-law, hehehe..."
Yao Ping was stunned and was about to decline. After all, they had agreed on 8,000 yuan, but Wang An had suddenly brought back 30,000. No one could accept such an excess of money with a clear conscience.
However, what puzzled Yao Ping was the meaning behind Wang An's phrase, "your youngest son risked his life to bring it back."
Just then, Wang Li, whose face was a sight of utter misery, climbed out of the back seat.
The moment Wang Li stepped out, he instantly drew the gaze of everyone present, and Yao Ping's gaze was naturally no exception.
Mainly, Wang Li looked truly wretched. After forty or fifty minutes of jolting in the car, his face had become even larger than before—it was massive.
Because his face had swollen, his head seemed larger too, at least a full size bigger than original.
His once bright and spirited eyes were now reduced to mere slits.
Especially his lips, which were so bruised and swollen they looked like two uncast pig testicles hanging there, providing a vivid and graphic interpretation of what a "pig-egg mouth" looked like.
After Wang Li got out of the car, the entire scene fell silent for five or six seconds. Then, Second Mother Yao Ping abruptly let out a loud "Aow!" of crying. Immediately, Yao Ping ran toward Wang Li, crying and shouting as she ran
"My son! What happened to you? You were fine before you left, how did you end up like this?"
Wang Li grinned with his swollen lips, but this smile looked far worse than crying. With his entire face deformed, any expression, whether it changed or not, looked hideous.
Then, Wang Li said with great pride and arrogance
"These are just superficial injuries, it's nothing. They had it worse than me, hehehehe... I beat those guys so bad they couldn't even get up. I took down ten people in total!"
At this smile, Yao Ping's crying immediately subsided, though she still said with great worry
"What happened? What on earth happened that you took down ten people?"
Hearing this, Wang Li immediately began showing off to his mother. After only a few sentences, Wang An couldn't help but interrupt
"It's freezing cold out here. Why talk outside? Everyone, get inside quickly. We'll talk in the house."
Under Wang An's direction, everyone headed inside. Wang An went back to drive the car into the warm garage before finally entering the house.
When Wang An entered, Wang Li and Huang Zhong were coordinating to tell everyone about Wang Li's achievements. After taking off his cotton coat, Wang An picked up his daughter and son, occasionally chiming in with a few words.
Wang Li appeared quite excited and proud, and Wang Dazhu and Liu Guilan listened with great interest. Only Wang Daliang and his wife had poor expressions; they kept staring at Wang Li's deformed face, occasionally stealing dissatisfied glances at Wang An.
As the saying goes, "Only the parent feels the child's pain," and this was absolutely true.
Because while Wang Dazhu and his wife also felt bad seeing Wang Li, their reactions were not nearly as obvious.
Once everyone had finished talking, Wang An called out to Shen Wei and Huang Li
"Sister Shen Wei, Xiao Li, could you two roll some noodles for us? We haven't eaten yet; we're starving."
Shen Wei and Huang Li agreed and turned toward the back room.
When Wang An noticed once again that the glances from Wang Daliang and his wife contained dissatisfaction, he thought for a moment and spoke directly to them
"Getting this money back was truly not easy. My friend was put in a very difficult position. Furthermore, the favor of 30,000 yuan is now entirely on my shoulders; I'll have to pay them back sooner or later. But regardless, the grudge is settled, and the money is back."
Second Mother Yao Ping looked at Wang Li and forced a smile
"Second Mother knows you did your best. If your friend hadn't put in the effort, we wouldn't have gotten this much back. Xiao An, if you want..."
Before Yao Ping could finish, Wang An interrupted her
"I'm telling you this for no other reason. If we talk about such things, it makes our two families seem distant. I just want to tell you that it's already quite good that Old Fifth came back in one piece without any broken arms or legs, you understand?"
Pausing for a moment, Wang An continued
"As for you two, don't go complaining about this or that. It's useless, and no one wants to hear it. If you ask me, it's best if you don't even have the thought of complaining."
Hearing this, Yao Ping hurriedly defended herself
"Xiao An, what are you saying? Your Second Uncle and I never thought that! You went through so much trouble to get the money back; your Second Uncle and I are incredibly grateful to you. How could we possibly think that way?"