Chapter 136: The Cow Shed Welcomes You

On the other side, Wen Mubai had no idea how much had transpired at home since he left. At this moment, he was in a face-to-face standoff with Hou Xingyun.

"No way!" Wen Mubai clutched the keys to his chest, refusing to yield.

Hou Xingyun gritted his teeth in frustration, "You little wolf cub, don't push your luck!"

It hadn't been long since he gave the keys to the cub, and already the storage room was missing a wristwatch, a radio, and various supplies. If this continued, he would be unable to cover for the losses.

"Just one more time, just once, and I'll return the keys to you," Wen Mubai promised.

But when Hou Xingyun looked at the three stacked baskets behind him, he didn't budge an inch. "Give me the keys." He stood ready, looking as if he would snatch them by force if the cub didn't comply.

Wen Mubai, however, remained completely unfazed. He wouldn't have come to see "Doggy" if he weren't entirely confident.

Moonlight filtered through the window as he gave a sly, mischievous grin. "Doggy, I'm going to Beijing."

That one sentence stopped Hou Xingyun, who was ready to strike, in his tracks. His eyes widened. "Are you tired of living?"

Wen Mubai smiled leisurely. "Not at all. I'm going back with my wife to meet her parents."

Seeing the boy's boastful expression, Hou Xingyun felt annoyed. "You're a man living off a woman; aren't you afraid her father will look down on you?"

Wen Mubai couldn't care less. He strolled over to the kang and sat down. "As long as my wife likes me, that's all that matters."

Hou Xingyun winced. "Sour! So sour!"

Wen Mubai glanced at him. "That's just jealousy."

However, out of consideration for the care the man had shown him in the past, Wen Mubai stated his true purpose for coming. "Is there anything you want me to bring word of?"

Hou Xingyun fell silent for a long moment before shaking his head. "No."

"Coward," Wen Mubai murmured, then stood up and walked away.

"Thanks, wolf cub," Hou Xingyun called out with a bitter smile behind him.

Wen Mubai waved his hand and climbed over the wall to leave.

He navigated familiar paths to Daxi Village, picked and chose items until he had filled three baskets, and then, with one in each hand and one on his back, he moved with surprising agility, even if his posture was less than graceful. If anyone had seen him, they would have surely mistaken him for a monster.

He took a shortcut home and climbed over the wall again. The moment his feet touched the ground, he sensed something was wrong. His sharp gaze scanned the area, spotting a ladder tucked away and messy footprints in the courtyard.

Someone had been here? A lot of people?

His expression tightened, and he strode into the house. Only when he saw Tang Banxia lying soundly on the kang did his heart rate return to normal. Whatever had happened, as long as his wife was safe, nothing else mattered.

Having confirmed Tang Banxia's safety, he returned outside, stowed the three baskets in the cellar, and finally lay down to sleep.

The next morning, he was greeted with news that made his face darken.

As Tang Banxia ate her breakfast, she recounted the events of the previous night and then said, "Come with me to the brigade office in a little while."

Wen Mubai suppressed his emotions, forcing a single word through his gritted teeth: "Okay." He then lowered his head to eat in silence. He was afraid that if he looked up, the look in his eyes would betray him. Heaven knew how much he wanted to rush out and kill those two people when he heard what they had done.

But he couldn't. His wife loved him for his docile and harmless demeanor; he could not destroy that image in her mind. He chewed slowly, suppressing the violence rising within him.

Seeing him so quiet, Tang Banxia gave him a strange look. Was this his only reaction after hearing everything? So calm? She felt a bit uncomfortable and didn't speak further.

They finished their meal in silence, washed the bowls, and walked side-by-side to the brigade office. On the way, Tang Banxia briefed him on the excuse she had used, and Wen Mubai nodded. "Alright, I understand."

When they arrived at the brigade office, the village cadres and elders were already waiting. Hearing the door open, they turned their burning gazes toward them.

Tang Banxia showed no fear. She smiled generously and greeted them one by one. "Captain, I'm here. Go ahead."

Song Weimin cleared his throat and stood up. "Hu Baozhu and Chen Damao have both confessed. They indeed harbored malicious intent and wanted to steal from educated youth Tang's home."

"Educated youth Tang, we will not shield them. These two are yours to deal with."

As the village captain, Song Weimin shouldn't have favored an outsider, but compared to Hu Baozhu and his cohort, he preferred having Tang Banxia on the village's side. Furthermore, Tang Banxia was not the type to be pushed around; she had capability and connections, and she wasn't someone they could easily manipulate. Last night, they had held an emergency meeting and unanimously agreed to abandon the two men.

Tang Banxia scanned the room. Seeing that no one had any objections, the small grievance she felt dissipated. She spoke slowly:

"I know the village just received an 'Advanced Unit' award, and it wouldn't be appropriate for a scandal to break out now." Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, she continued, "But these two have committed a crime, and they must be taught a lesson. How about this: let them live in the cowshed until next spring?"

Demanding money from them was unrealistic, as they didn't work and only relied on thievery. Even their own families had declared they were done with them. They were like dead pigs unafraid of scalding water. Making them do labor was pointless since there was no work in the village right now, so the cowshed was the only option.

She had seen the cowshed; it was drafty on all sides, with only a brick foundation and a thatched roof supported by pillars. Living there until spring would be a grueling ordeal. Besides, she thought with a subtle curl of her lips, the cowshed was far from the village—it would be convenient for other things, wouldn't it?

The people present were moved by her "generosity." Song Weimin hammered it down: "Done. We shall proceed as educated youth Tang suggested." And so, the miserable future of the two men was sealed.

With the matter resolved, Tang Banxia didn't linger and went to the infirmary next door. Liu Hongfen was diligently memorizing an acupuncture chart. Seeing Tang Banxia, she jumped up. "Banxia, are you alright?"

Tang Banxia shook her head and proceeded to test her, and the results were satisfying. Liu Hongfen was clever and willing to work hard; even though she started late, she was now quite proficient. Though she couldn't diagnose independently, she could explore prescribing medication under Tang Banxia's guidance. In the countryside, there were rarely any complex illnesses—just minor ailments like colds, fevers, and coughs.

On the other side, Wen Mubai headed straight for the cowshed.

It was called a cowshed, but the Guyue Village had no cows, only a donkey—the village's treasure, which they certainly wouldn't let stay in such a place. Thus, the cowshed was currently occupied by four people sent down for reform: two elderly men, an old woman, and a young child. One of the men was Old Man Su, who had sought out Wen Mubai. The other elderly couple and the child were their family.

Because of the cold, the four huddled together for warmth, covered by a thin, lumpy cotton quilt and two layers of straw mats. Even so, they were shivering, especially the child, whose lips were pale blue even as he tried to comfort his grandparents.

When Wen Mubai arrived, this was what he saw. However, his heart remained unmoved. He only said, "Two people will be coming to stay with you later. They are not good people." He paused, then added, "Feel free to torment them as much as you like."

Old Man Su looked at Wen Mubai in surprise, his mouth opening. "Mubai?"

Wen Mubai's face went cold instantly. "Don't say you know me."

Old Man Su's expression dimmed. "I understand."

A short while later, Song Weimin and Hu Xiayu arrived, escorting Hu Baozhu and Chen Damao. They were momentarily surprised to see Wen Mubai there, but they didn't think much of it.

The two men were sensible; they shoved Hu Baozhu and Chen Damao forward. "You are to stay here until next spring. If I find out you've sneaked home to sleep, I'll break your legs and keep you bedridden until spring!"

Hu Baozhu and Chen Damao remained silent.

Wen Mubai spoke up, "No need for that much trouble. I can just make them bedridden right now."

As he spoke, he weighed the iron rod in his hand. Under Hu Baozhu's terrified gaze, he walked toward him and struck with a sharp *crack*. Hu Baozhu let out a wail, collapsing to the ground and clutching his leg in agony. Seeing this, Chen Damao tried to run, but Wen Mubai caught him in a single bound and laid him out next to his "good brother."

Song Weimin and Hu Xiayu were stunned.

Wen Mubai, however, had no intention of letting them off. He tossed the iron rod aside and began a brutal pummeling... until both men were barely breathing, at which point he walked away with calm indifference.

Song Weimin: "..."
Hu Xiayu: "..."

The two men looked at the two bodies on the ground, then at each other. They sighed. Fine, they would have to handle the rest. Each dragged a "dead dog" into the shed, muttering only, "Don't let them die," before leaving.

When they learned that Tang Banxia had agreed to the terms, the villagers collectively sighed in relief. The thief incident had passed, but to everyone's surprise, by dusk, comrades from the town's Revolutionary Committee arrived to take away Sheng Qianqian, Xu Guiming, and Hu Caoya.