Volume Four: Awakening of Insects Chapter 136: The New Year Has Come

Xie Dapao arrived and did not greet Mayor Wang first; instead, he approached Le'er first. Mayor Wang could only offer a bitter smile. Xie Dapao was like a brother to Le'er, and with an older brother who was the chief of the public security bureau (and likely to be promoted to the deputy secretary of the county political and legal affairs committee), Xie was someone Mayor Wang could not afford to offend.

"Brother Le'er, who the hell are you getting into a fight with?"

He clapped Le'er on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. However, he did not overstep, immediately turning to greet Mayor Wang while completely ignoring Sha Qiang, who stood nearby.

"Director Xie, you've come at just the right time. Le'er is as stubborn as an ox, and I simply cannot reason with him."

With a wry smile, Mayor Wang handed Xie Dapao a cigarette, which Xie casually accepted and lit up. He exhaled a cloud of smoke before speaking.

"Brother Le'er has always been a good guy. He's not stubborn," he said with a laugh. "Let me figure out what's going on first, hehe... Is the little bastard really losing his mind or just being stubborn? Last time at the Sihai Restaurant, it was three against one and he didn't come out on the losing end. But he won't do anything out of line, right?"

"Indeed," Mayor Wang said, glancing toward Le'er. "The fault wasn't his to begin with, but since he struck someone, I asked him to apologize. He flat out refused, insisting he'd rather go to jail than say sorry. Tell me, isn't that stubborn?"

"Well, that must mean they touched a nerve he won't let anyone cross. Does this have to do with Li Ying?"

"Precisely," Mayor Wang smiled. "Sha Qiang hurled insults at Li Ying, and Le'er wouldn't stand for it. Neither side is willing to back down, and I'm afraid this might escalate into something much worse."

"It's fine!" Xie Dapao glanced at Sha Qiang and flashed a malicious smile. "What the hell does this Sha Qiang think he's doing coming to Le'er's place to cause trouble? Does he think having a few stinking coins makes him somebody?"

"Well... you can't quite put it that way," Mayor Wang said, frowning because he knew Xie Dapao wouldn't let Sha Qiang off easily. "Although Sha Qiang was in the wrong first, Sha Le'er hitting him was also wrong."

Xie Dapao didn't bother arguing further with Mayor Wang; instead, he walked straight up to Sha Qiang.

"Sha Qiang, made some money recently, have you? I hear you flaunting your stinking wealth everywhere you go all day long like a bloody lunatic," Xie Dapao barked, his words instantly turning harsh. "What the hell are you doing running over to Le'er's house to stir up nonsense? How has he wronged you? And on top of that, you dared to curse at Director Li. Do you even know she's our county's poverty-alleviation investor? She traveled all the way from Guangzhou to help our region out of poverty. Are you out of your damn mind to go looking for trouble with her?"

"I—my ass—if she gets angry enough to pull her funding and head back to Guangzhou, don't think that clinging to Mayor Wang's coattails—or even the county magistrate's—will save you. You're still nothing but a dead duck."

Xie Dapao immediately slapped a heavy accusation right onto him.

"Le'er hit me..."

"Hit you? Where did he hit you?" Xie Dapao inspected his swollen cheek. "He didn't knock your teeth out, did he? Even if he did, you'd only have yourself to blame. Hmph, deliberately coming to someone else's house to pick a fight, and you still think you're in the right."

Sha Qiang was left completely dumbfounded.

"Mayor Wang... look at this..."

"Calling Mayor Wang won't help you, and calling upon the heavens won't either," Xie Dapao sneered. "Hehe... I heard you took two wives, hmm, and had children with both... Sounds to me like bigamy, not to mention a blatant violation of the family planning policies. Do you want me to drag you down to the county court right now? You can spend this entire year behind bars, you bastard. Did you really think you were somebody important?"

Hearing Xie Dapao's words, the color drained completely from Sha Qiang's face. Mayor Wang, standing nearby, didn't dare utter a single word. This was no laughing matter; Sha Qiang's bigamy was an undeniable fact, and the evidence regarding his violation of the family planning policies was ironclad. As a town mayor, if he were caught associating too closely with someone like this, he would inevitably be implicated.

Mayor Wang averted his gaze.

"Forget it. Stop dragging Mayor Wang's good name through the mud," Xie Dapao said, glancing at Mayor Wang with a sense of lingering satisfaction. "You bloody idiot, still lingering here instead of clearing out!"

Sha Qiang no longer dared to say another word; he tucked his tail between his legs and scurried away. Mayor Wang forced a smile at Xie Dapao. On the surface, it looked like Xie Dapao was doing him a favor, but in reality, he had swallowed a bitter pill with nowhere to vent his frustration.

"Mayor Wang, don't you worry. I'll handle Le'er; he won't go looking for trouble with that upstart anymore."

"Ah... I really have to thank you for coming. That Sha Qiang is truly a piece of work."

"Not at all. If Mayor Wang truly wanted to put them in their place, would you even need me to step in? Who would dare show such disrespect as to ignore you? That fellow Le'er can be a bit stubborn, but he won't do anything reckless. I know that much."

"Good... Then I'll leave the handling of this to you. I have a mountain of matters to attend to, so I'll be off."

Watching Mayor Wang's dejected figure depart, Xie Dapao nearly burst into loud laughter at his retreating back. With Sha Qiang gone, his father, old man Shengyuan, also took his leave, and Sha Mengzi had already slipped away earlier. Many villagers still lacked their Spring Festival couplets, and with a smile, Li Ying announced that she would write them the next day. Hearing this, the crowd muttered curses at Sha Qiang and gradually dispersed.

Only Uncle Shengtian remained, sitting leisurely as he puffed away on his long-stemmed pipe with a gentle smile.

"Le'er, how did you manage to turn into such a stubborn ox?" Xie Dapao walked over with a grin. "You bloody fool, you actually wanted to take down that Sha Qiang brat and beat him up? When couldn't you have dealt with him?"

"Hehe... He can insult me all he wants, but who gave him the right to insult my sister?" Le'er smiled back at Xie Dapao, though the mention of Sha Qiang reignited the fury in his eyes. "That son of a bitch was raised on filth; he's never eaten human food in his life."

Xie Dapao let out a hearty laugh.

"True enough, wild lad Le'er, you've certainly earned enough face today. Hehe, after this, that Sha Qiang brat won't even be able to hold his head up in the village anymore. Let it go now." Old man Shengyuan chuckled as he slowly made his way home. "When the New Year arrives, I'll send Jinhe and Dagen over to help you set off firecrackers. You won't be able to handle setting them all off by yourself."

Le'er acknowledged him with a nod and invited Xie Dapao and the other two officers inside for tea. He tried to persuade them to stay for a meal, but with the New Year imminent, Xie Dapao had far too much on his plate and declined to stay.

The moment Xie Dapao left, Yu Menglan eagerly rushed over to claim the seat next to Le'er.

"Le'er, you looked so imposing today."

As Yu Menglan sat close to him, Le'er shifted away nervously, prompting giggles of amusement from both Yu Menglan and Li Ying. Luo Yinxiang walked in at that moment, joining in on the laughter.

"What on earth are you all laughing at?"

"We're happy, so we're laughing," Li Ying said with a bright smile. "Did that slap of yours knock any of his teeth out?"

Which young woman wouldn't be pleased to have a young man willing to throw punches on her behalf? It was human nature—an instinct carried down since prehistoric times. No woman failed to yearn for a strong man capable of protecting her by her side, and even an educated, modern woman like Li Ying was no exception. As for Luo Yinxiang, the sentiment ran even deeper. Having previously been married to a husband who lacked any backbone—let alone fighting for her, he wouldn't even stand in front of her to shield her from the wind and rain—she felt an immense sense of pride. Even though Le'er refused to acknowledge their relationship or truly claim her, the pride remained unshaken.

"Li Ying, isn't your cousin the deputy director of the Panyu Public Security Bureau?"

Yu Menglan asked abruptly. Li Ying nodded. She had a close cousin more than a decade older than her—her maternal uncle's son—who served as the deputy director of the Panyu Public Security Bureau and cared for her deeply. However, she rarely visited him and seldom even called.

Le'er had never inquired about her family background, so naturally, he knew nothing of her connections. Yet he showed no surprise, nor was he phased by the revelation that Li Ying had a cousin high up in the police force; he simply listened in silence.

"Since that Sha Qiang works as a minor contractor in Panyu, hehe, why don't you make a call and have your cousin 'take good care' of him?"

Yu Menglan let out a dainty laugh, her words carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"I've already said, if he didn't apologize to me today, I'd make sure he loses his contracting work."

"He dared to provoke both you and Le'er, so he only has his own bad luck to blame."

Hearing their conversation, Le'er furrowed his brow. Noticing his expression, Li Ying instantly guessed what he was thinking.

"Le'er, do you think I'm being too harsh?"

Le'er nodded.

"Sister, I've already beaten him up. Let's not ruin his livelihood."

"Nonsense, you have to be ruthless with scum like that," Yu Menglan frowned. "Le'er, that's the one thing I don't like about you—you lack a real backbone. A man needs to be ruthless and unyielding, or he'll never succeed in this world."

"Le'er, Menglan is right. I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time," Li Ying said softly. "This world is a dog-eat-dog place; it's not nearly as wonderful as we like to imagine. Take today, for instance—if your backing hadn't been stronger than Sha Qiang's, you would have been the one suffering. He certainly wouldn't have shown you any mercy. Once he knocked you down, he would have stepped on you to ensure you could never get back up. You're a businessman now. In the business world, you must learn to be ruthless. Without a bit of ruthlessness, you can't take a single step forward, and you can never afford to be an indiscriminate do-gooder."

Le'er looked at the two women lecturing him, at a loss for words. Still, he understood the logic behind their words; it was simply that, born with a kind disposition and knowing that Sha Qiang was ultimately a fellow villager, he found it difficult to muster the heart for truly vicious retaliation.

Abandoning the argument, he gave a silent nod.

That very afternoon, Li Ying, Yu Menglan, and Le'er drove to Shaoning City. After making a round of the markets, they purchased over a thousand yuan worth of fireworks and festive supplies for the New Year.

The following day, Li Ying spent her time writing numerous pairs of Spring Festival couplets for the villagers.

The New Year had arrived. On New Year's Eve, snowflakes drifted down from the sky, heightening the festive atmosphere. Throughout the afternoon, Le'er busied himself assisting Luo Yinxiang with food preparation. Li Ying and Yu Menglan also joined the kitchen brigade, though the two of them only managed to create more chaos the busier they got. Yu Menglan's culinary skills were slightly superior to Li Ying's, and she even taught Luo Yinxiang how to properly prepare dried seafood.

Chickens, ducks, and fish were absolute necessities. The fish included a mandarin fish and a carp—the mandarin fish to be steamed, and the carp braised in brown sauce. There was also a whole hen stewed with red dates and cuttlefish, braised sea cucumber, duck with chopped chili peppers, a mutton and winter bamboo shoot hotpot, and stewed pig trotters—making a total of ten dishes, symbolizing perfection and completeness.

"Goodness, with so many dishes, how could we ever finish them?"

"It's better if we can't finish them," Luo Yinxiang smiled. "Having leftovers in the New Year means prosperity and abundance for the coming year."

"So that's what it means."

The liquor was warmed—both aged rice wine and traditional grain wine served in separate pots. The four of them raised their cups together, clinking them in an excited toast.

"Happy New Year!"

The four of them enjoyed their meal amidst warmth, noise, and jubilation.

Shortly after dinner, several visitors arrived. Uncle Shenggui and his wife came with their youngest son, and Le'er quickly handed out a red envelope, followed by another from Li Ying. Soon after, Jinhe and Dagen arrived as well, ready to set off the firecrackers.

Luo Yinxiang brought out roasted melon seeds and peanuts. Instead of heading upstairs, everyone gathered downstairs to watch television and tune into the Spring Festival Gala. That night, the sky bloomed with brilliant fireworks while the deafening cracks of firecrackers echoed through the air.

The New Year had arrived.