Chapter 47: Returning to the Mountain

“This… this is cutting the ground from under our feet!”

Even good-tempered Ye Dongping couldn’t help but curse under his breath. He knew with every ounce of his being that the beating of Old Wang’s whole family was definitely connected to those bastards surrounding Dai Xiaohua.

“Uncle Ye, let’s fight them. They aren’t giving us any way out.”

If Ye Dongping could think of it, Feng Kuang naturally could as well. The anger he had forcefully suppressed earlier now erupted completely.

“Feng Zi, what happened to your head? Calm down first. Here, come, sit down…”

Hearing Feng Kuang’s words, Ye Dongping looked at him and jumped in fright. The bandage wrapped around Feng Kuang’s head was completely soaked red with blood.

There were many capillaries in the head. Feng Kuang’s agitation just now directly caused the blood vessels at the wound site to rupture. Blood flowed down the bandage onto his face, making for a frightening sight.

“Xiao Tian, quick, go fetch a basin of water for your Brother Fengzi…”

After helping Feng Kuang sit down, Ye Dongping continued, “Feng Zi, don’t panic. I’ll go find the comrades at the United Front Work Department tomorrow and report the matter again. I refuse to believe this isn’t still the Communist Party’s world.”

The Recycling Station was contracted under Feng Kuang’s name, but the funds all came from Liao Haode. Matters concerning overseas Chinese returnees fell under the jurisdiction of the United Front Work Department. Ye Dongping believed they wouldn’t ignore this.

“Uncle Ye, if you ask me, we should just fight them. This… this is pushing us too far.”

Watching a basin of clear water turn bloody, Feng Kuang felt old grudges and new hatred welling up in his heart. He had originally thought of taking a step back and just enduring the beating, but who knew the other side would press forward relentlessly, leaving them no way out.

People from the countryside didn’t do things so ruthlessly. Dai Xiaohua’s actions stirred a wild fury in Feng Kuang’s heart. He was now thinking of going back to the countryside to gather people, then returning to the County Town for revenge.

“Feng Zi, none of that nonsense. Fight what fight?”

Ye Dongping scolded Feng Kuang irritably. Seeing Feng Kuang still looked resentful, his tone softened. “Feng Zi, you’re still young. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison? I think that Miss Wang is a good one. Do you think she’d like a man who ends up in jail?”

“Uncle Ye, then… then what should we do?”

Ye Dongping’s words hit Feng Kuang’s weak spot. He really did like Wang Ying. The thought of Wang Ying looking at him with scorn if he were thrown in jail instantly wiped away all his courage to fight.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. Perhaps the comrades at the United Front Department will take it seriously.”

Ye Dongping’s words lacked much confidence. He felt very unfamiliar with city life now. He didn’t know if it was because he had lived in the countryside too long, but his old ways of handling things seemed completely useless now.

At noon, Ye Dongping ate a quick bite and went to the county’s United Front Work Department. However, the result still left him somewhat disappointed. Although the people there were polite and took careful notes, they didn’t give him a definite answer. Based on Ye Dongping’s judgement, this matter would most likely end up fizzling out.

“Uncle Ye, how did it go?”

As soon as he returned to the Recycling Station, Ye Dongping saw Feng Kuang waiting there. He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly. “Feng Zi, don’t worry. Mr. Liao still has several tens of thousands of yuan with me. If it really comes to it, we can transfer the Recycling Station, move to another city, and continue this business…”

On the way back, Ye Dongping had been thinking about this. If they were truly at a dead end, this was what he planned to do. After all, no matter which city they were in now, there weren’t many people willing to be Self-Employed Businesspersons. They could still get their first pot of gold.

Moreover, Ye Dongping had already thought of where he wanted to go. The first choice was Shanghai. There, they could get Yu Haoran’s help, and at the very least, solve the problem of Ye Tian’s schooling.

“Ugh, it’s all my fault. Why did I provoke those people?”

Hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Feng Kuang crouched down, holding his head. This Recycling Station was something he had single-handedly built up. He had deep feelings for it and couldn’t quite bear this blow.

“Feng Zi, don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. Those people saw the profits from contracting the Recycling Station. Even without this incident, they would have found a way to cause trouble.”

Ye Dongping patted Feng Kuang’s shoulder and continued, “Heaven sees what people do, Feng Zi. Those people are taking things by force and not following the right path. Sooner or later, something will happen to them. Alright, I just bought some groceries. Let’s have a drink tonight, just the two of us…”

“Alright, Uncle Ye, I’ll listen to you.”

Feng Kuang stood up and secretly wiped away a tear. He was only in his early twenties, still just a big kid. This Recycling Station ordeal had really hit him hard.

“Feng Zi, where’s Ye Tian? Did he run out to play again?”

After looking around inside the house and not seeing his son, Ye Dongping felt annoyed. After such a big thing happened at the Recycling Station, this kid still had the heart to go out and mess around? He would definitely teach him a lesson when he got back.

“I didn’t notice, Uncle Ye. He might have gone out to play.”

Feng Zi shook his head. He had been distracted all day and hadn’t noticed at all when Ye Tian went out.

“That rotten kid. School’s about to start, and he still won’t settle down…”

Ever since coming to the Recycling Station, Ye Tian was constantly running out. Hearing Feng Kuang’s words, Ye Dongping didn’t think much of it and went to cook the fish he had just bought.

However, when the meal was ready and dusk was approaching, Ye Tian still hadn’t returned. This made Ye Dongping start to worry. Usually, Ye Tian should have been home by this time.

He had no good way to deal with this forgetful son of his. He smiled bitterly and said, “Feng Zi, let’s not wait for him. Clean the table. Let’s eat first. We’ll let him go hungry tonight…”

“Uncle Ye, let’s wait a little longer. Hey, what’s this?”

While cleaning the table, Feng Kuang suddenly found a piece of paper with writing on it. He picked it up. “Dad, Brother Fengzi, I went back to the mountain to find Master. I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t worry…”

“What? Went back to the mountain?”

Ye Dongping snatched the homework paper from Feng Kuang’s hand and read it carefully. Right… it was indeed his son’s handwriting.

“Uncle Ye, maybe… maybe the Old Immortal has a way.”

Seeing Ye Tian’s note, Feng Kuang’s eyes lit up a little. That was an Old Immortal who had lived over a hundred years. Maybe he could think of some good solution.

“Ugh, that rotten kid just knows how to cause trouble. What can his Master possibly do?”

Ye Dongping shook his head dismissively. Although Ye Tian and his Master could tell people’s fortunes and practice Geomancy, both the old man and the boy weren’t much connected to worldly affairs. Faced with something like this, they were probably helpless.

“Forget it, never mind him. Let’s eat…”

Knowing Ye Tian’s whereabouts, Ye Dongping felt somewhat relieved. He understood his son. Although young, Ye Tian had more sense than many adults. Going back to the village alone shouldn’t cause him any harm.

Moreover, having his son tell the Old Taoist about this situation also eased a weight off Ye Dongping’s mind. Having lost so many precious Calligraphy and Painting pieces under his care, he also felt somewhat ashamed to face the Old Taoist.