Chapter 192: Three Monsters
In the winters of the Northeast, people's cotton trousers are made of cotton and are very thick, making them very warm.
However, this creates a serious problem: the waistbands are very loose!
Often, if a person is too gossipy and always speaks ill of others behind their backs, they will be scolded: "Look at that broken mouth of his, it's just like a cotton trouser waistband!"
Needless to say, most people who use this insult are from the Northeast or other cold regions, because although the words are harsh, they prove a truth: cotton trouser waistbands really are incredibly loose!
Those who have never worn them would never know that the waist of these cotton trousers is like a barrel-shaped quilt; the hip bones simply cannot hold them in place.
This leads to the necessity of sewing belt loops onto the cotton trousers and then threading a rope or a cloth belt through them to secure the trousers to the waist.
The colloquial term "kù mǐ zi" is formally known as "kù pàn"—the small strips of cloth on trousers used for belts.
Therefore, in the Northeast during this era, many people would wear two belts in winter: one for the cotton trousers and one for the outer trousers. This was completely normal, as many people did it.
Of course, many people preferred convenience and only wore one belt. But since the waistband of the cotton trousers wraps around the waist like a quilt, no matter how tight you tie the belt, it can at most ensure the cotton trousers don't slide down; the level of looseness is easy to imagine.
Comrade Wang An had only tied a single cloth belt.
Thus, once Fang Xiu'e grabbed the slipknot, a gentle tug was all it took for the knot to open.
Underwear in this era was essentially just trousers made of cloth—a single, thin layer of fabric.
And so, Wang An's "little brother" was arrested once again!
In truth, it all happened very quickly. Before Wang An could even react, his little brother had been apprehended!
Then, the strong, tall, and imposing Wang An was firmly restrained because his brother had become a hostage, leaving him unable to move.
"Fang Xiu'e, have you gone mad? Huh? Do you know that I don't lack women?" the restrained Wang An shouted in a low voice.
"I never said you lacked women. Behave yourself and don't force me. I've heard people say that you men actually like this kind of thing," Fang Xiu'e said teasingly.
Wang An felt a flicker of doubt in his heart. Who the hell did this woman hear that from? But then again, what she said was clearly not wrong at all!
A moment later!
Although Wang An's brother had become a hostage, he remained unyielding to the death, still keeping his back straight, stubbornly attempting to march into the dark thicket!
At this critical juncture, a violent knocking sounded from the courtyard, accompanied by several voices shouting: "Open up! Open up!" "Open the door, open it quickly!"
Wang An and Fang Xiu'e both froze. Fang Xiu'e began to quickly tidy her clothes, while Wang An pulled up his cotton trousers and outer pants and tied his cloth belt.
It must be said that the feeling of being forcibly interrupted midway was incredibly frustrating and exceptionally irritating!
Many things in life are like this, as if an invisible giant hand is manipulating everything, deliberately playing pranks on people, always preventing them from properly finishing a task.
In short, the final critical step was ultimately not taken!
Consequently, Wang An's face was now gloomy and he was fuming. The knocking outside remained violent, but perhaps because of Wang An's presence, Fang Xiu'e let out a light chuckle upon seeing his wide-eyed, glaring face.
After tidying her clothes, Wang An reached out and grabbed the fire poker from the stove pit; judging by the sound of the knocking, he felt the visitors were not coming with good intentions!
As he walked toward the door of the outer room, he said to Fang Xiu'e behind him, "Stay inside and don't come out. I'll go see what's going on."
After speaking, Wang An turned and walked toward the main gate. Fang Xiu'e did not obey; instead, she turned and grabbed the kitchen knife from the cutting board, standing at the room's doorway and looking toward the main gate.
Wang An reached the gate and shouted, "Stop the fucking knocking! Do you want to die?"
After shouting, Wang An opened the gate and looked at the three people before him with a face as cold as still water.
Wang An didn't know what these three were up to, but he was certain they weren't anything good. Since Wang An had once been the same kind of person as them, an insider knows an insider—there was no mistake about it!
The three of them were momentarily stunned upon seeing Wang An, but they didn't seem to recognize him. The man in the middle spoke: "Is this house yours? And were you the one who asked if we wanted to die?"
Wang An glanced at the man and said impatiently, "Yeah, so what?"
This man had a surprisingly good temper; he didn't get angry even after being scolded, acting like a smiling tiger. He said with a smile, "Our Big Brother has taken a liking to this house. Hurry up and vacate it, and rent it to us for a few days. We'll give you ten cents a day. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Wang An almost laughed in anger. Ten cents a day was indeed not a small amount, but did Wang An lack money?
However, one does not slap a smiling face, so Wang An suppressed his rage and said, "I don't rent this place out. Go check other houses." As he spoke, Wang An attempted to close the door.
But the man on the left spoke up. With his head tilted at a 45-degree angle to the ground, he looked at Wang An through two large nostrils and said, "Don't be ungrateful. Accept the favor while we're giving you face. Besides, ten cents is plenty. You'd better clear out quickly."
At this point, Wang An was speechless. What the fuck was wrong with society?
It was just a small county town, yet all sorts of bastards were popping up. To be this arrogant just to rent a house—this was practically a direct robbery!
In his previous life, he didn't feel there were this many trashy people! Was it because he had been one of them in his previous life?
Looking at the two large nostrils, Wang An said in a flat tone, "Did your mother ever tell you that your nostril-holes are bigger than someone's asshole?"
Wang An's tone was smooth and his emotions were flat, making it sound as if he were merely stating a fact, without a hint of provocation.
But anyone who wasn't an idiot could tell this was an insult!
Of course, Wang An truly had no other intention; he was just insulting them, albeit in a relatively subtle way.
Because when Wang An saw those two nostrils, and the few black hairs protruding from them, he felt a very strong urge to demonstrate a peerless divine skill: the Two-Finger Zen!
However, he suddenly felt that sticking his fingers into someone else's nostrils would be a bit disgusting, so he suppressed the urge and spoke those words instead.
"Kid, since you're being so disrespectful, aren't you worried that something might happen to your home?" the man on the right said, narrowing his eyes.
The man on the right had very long hair, with bangs covering one eye. It was unclear if the covered eye was blind or something else. This man had been standing straight and expressionless until now, but his sudden speech gave Wang An instant goosebumps all over his body.
Because this man was a fucking sissy! He looked quite ugly, yet his voice was full of feminine affectation!
Wang An couldn't help but widen his eyes, looking at this sissy in astonishment, then scanning the three people before him.
Which mountain had exploded to blast out these three monsters?
Wang An suppressed the urge to strike, because if he couldn't either kill them all or send them all to prison, the Fang Xiu'e sisters would still have to live and reside here after he went home.
But with a bunch of monsters like this around, he certainly couldn't feel at ease.
Thus, Wang An thought for a moment and said, "My name is Wang An, nickname 'The Big Madman.' I'm somewhat of a figure in this county. Why don't you go ask around first before deciding whether you want to provoke me?"