Chapter 32: Don't Hit My Brother!

As soon as word spread that Village Head Guo was coming to cause trouble for the Scholar, the entire wheat threshing floor stirred into action.

One must understand that currently, almost all the able-bodied men in the village were working at the threshing floor. With livestock doing the heavy lifting, the men at home didn't need to turn the mill; they could handle lighter tasks like winnowing and drying. Meanwhile, the women had gone home to tidy up and prepare the midday meal.

When Yan Xiangheng ran over to spread the news, it wasn't just the village youths who were moved—even the old men with walking sticks set off in a huff.

"What on earth are they doing!"

"That is our Scholar! He is kind-hearted and a good man. Some kid of theirs must have gotten beaten up, but how can they try to extort the Scholar for it? They even claimed Yan the Second ordered the ox to kick them—what nonsense!"

"This is too much bullying!"

A large, boisterous crowd rushed toward the Yan residence.

Children, naturally, flock to wherever the excitement is. Right now, the commotion at the Yan house had far surpassed the threshing floor; one by one, they ran along, shouting and cheering.

"Dad, Second Uncle, run faster! If you're late, there won't be a fight to join!"

"Er'ya, we're coming to save you!"

"Charge! Go fight the bad guys!"

...

Village Head Guo was not yet blinded by rage. Yan the Second wasn't important—what would it matter if they gave him a beating? What mattered was Yan Daya.

As long as they captured Yan Daya, they had captured the Scholar and the entire family.

"Go inside and search! Drag that Yan Daya out!" Village Head Guo shouted loudly.

Yan the Second felt a surge of panic. He grabbed a sickle by the door and held it across his chest.

"I'd like to see anyone try!" His eyes flashed with a fierce light as he glared menacingly at everyone.

"My brother is a Scholar, a man of official merit! He isn't like you mud-legged peasants who have to bow and kowtow the moment you see a magistrate. He is registered at the yamen! Anyone who meets him outside will show him respect and call him 'Master Scholar.' If you dare break into my home today, my family and you will fight to the death!"

How could Yan the Second let these people in? With Daya's temperament, if she were actually captured and taken away, would she even survive?!

Yan Huaiwen thought he had remained sufficiently calm and composed, but at this moment, he could not suppress his fury; his entire body trembled.

"My brother's words are my words! Anyone who dares step forward today makes an enemy of the Yan family! To the death! Blood for blood!"

The men brought by Village Head Guo were intimidated by the two brothers. They were just helping commit a minor wrong—kidnapping a young girl—why were they making it sound so terrifying?

Yan the Second was the one wielding the knife, but they were all unarmed!

Yan Yu had long since pulled her mother and sister Daya into the house to hide. Seeing the situation turn dire, she hurriedly signaled Daya to help her push a cabinet against the door.

As they pushed, she said, "Don't worry, Mom, just sit tight. It's fine, Big Brother went to the threshing floor to call for help."

Sweat beaded on Li Xuemei's forehead. How could she sit still? But in front of Daya, she had to pretend to be calm.

"To dare bully our Yan family at our own doorstep, they first have to ask if the men of this village agree. I'm not worried about anything else; I'm just afraid your father won't know his own strength and might actually hurt someone."

Yan Yu thought to herself: *Mom, you really dare to say that. Dad is nothing but a 'keyboard warrior.' If you don't believe me, peek through the window—he's holding that sickle like he's about to draw blood, but if you look closely, his legs are shaking like crazy.*

"Who dares? Who dares!" Yan the Second brandished the sickle, snarling, "I'll fight you to the death!"

Yan the Second waited, and waited, waiting anxiously!

Why hadn't the reinforcements arrived yet?!

He clearly saw his nephew run out to call for help.

*Waaaah! If I survive this ordeal, I'm definitely going to train that kid's running speed. You're too slow, kid! If you don't come soon, your Second Uncle won't be able to hold out much longer!!!*

Yan Huaiwen was truly moved beyond words by his brother's devotion!

In the critical moment, it really had to be a blood brother!

The Second Brother was truly risking it all!

A surge of heroic spirit rose within him. Standing side-by-side with his brother, he shouted

"Father and son go to battle, brothers fight side-by-side! Tianyou, your elder brother is with you!"

Yan the Second glanced at his brother, nearly moved to tears.

*Brother! Can we please use some actual weapons when we fight? You came empty-handed; you're making things very difficult for your younger brother! When the beating starts, believe me, they'll definitely hit you first...*

Just as Yan the Second's heart was undergoing a complex emotional upheaval, his long-awaited fellow villagers finally arrived!

"Scholar! What's happening?"

"What's wrong with the Village Head? He can't bully the Scholar!"

"If there's a fight, come at us!"

Yan the Second's spirit relaxed so much that he actually tripped and fell on the spot.

Old Yan: "..."

Village Head Guo's group: "..."

Yan the Second was also stunned. Talk about a total fail—he had been so heroic a moment ago, and now he looked like a clown.

Embarrassment made his face burn. In a desperate attempt to save face, he raised his voice and yelled, "Don't touch my brother! Come at me instead! I'm not afraid of ten of you attacking one! I'll kill you all!"

This shout backfired.

The village men thought the group had actually laid hands on the Scholar, and that was unacceptable.

The honest, hardworking men, who had recently received favors from the Scholar, saw red. They rushed forward like madmen, grabbing people and punching them.

"I told you not to hit our Scholar! I told you not to hit our Scholar!"

Those running up from behind couldn't make out what was happening; they just saw the people in front engaged in a brawl with outsiders.

Since their own villagers were numerous and clearly had the upper hand, some were hesitant to join in.

At that moment, they heard Yan the Second howl, "Don't hit my brother... Brother, run!"

This sent their rage over the limit!

They charged forward with roars, surrounding the outsiders and raining down punches and kicks.

In a real brawl, someone like Village Head Guo, who usually committed misdeeds but didn't dare provoke anyone, was bound to be the target of a "black market" beating.

He couldn't even tell who was hitting him. After taking countless blows and being knocked down by a flying kick, he managed to scramble onto a bullock cart. Not caring about anyone else, he fled as fast as he could.

The men he brought had surrendered long ago, calling the villagers "Grandpa" and themselves "Grandchildren," begging for mercy.

"Drive them out of the village! If they dare come back, break their legs!" The panting Village Chief Luo finally arrived, ending the one-sided brawl.

The second son of the Luo family specifically led a group to watch the outsiders leave the village. They stayed at the village entrance for a while before returning.

Looking at the courtyard filled with villagers who had come to help, Yan Huaiwen felt a warmth in his heart.

"For today's matter, I thank all my fellow villagers for your help! Huaiwen thanks you all," he said sincerely, bowing deeply.

"Scholar, we couldn't possibly accept such thanks. It was only right."

"They thought our village was easy to bully, daring to bring people to snatch someone. We should have beaten that girl to death."

"How could we watch people bully our Scholar? That's like shitting on the heads of all the men in this village..."

The crowd chattered incessantly, all sharing one sentiment: helping the Scholar fight was an absolute duty.

Yan the Second asked, "Since we fought Village Head Guo today, I'm afraid he'll come seeking revenge. How is everyone's wheat milling coming along?"

*Well, I was just doing a little instigation, I didn't realize our villagers would be this hardcore. Those kids were beaten until they were pissing themselves. Heh, serves them right!*

Village Chief Luo was also feeling a bit uneasy. Village Head Guo was not someone to be trifled with; he had only lost today because he brought too few men. "It's almost done. Only a few families haven't finished; it'll be done by afternoon."

"Brother, then should we..." Yan the Second looked at his brother expectantly.

"We depart at the Hour of the Rooster (around 6 PM) today."

Li Xuemei: *I'm worried your father will get beaten up.*

Yan Yu: *My dad is a keyboard warrior!*

Yan the Second: *The fall wasn't intentional; I just had to draw some aggro to cover my shame~*

Old Yan: *So that's the kind of brother you are!!!*