Volume One, Chapter 15: Encounter with Brutal Bandits

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He slept in the horse cart until a little after three in the afternoon, by which time the vehicle had presumably arrived at its destination.

He got up and went back inside the state-run supply cooperative.

The moment the attendant saw Chen Yang, she called him over.

A red, twenty-six-inch Forever bicycle stood before him, perfectly suited for a woman to ride.

It was far better than the battered twenty-eight-inch crossbar bicycle at Li Cheng’s home. Huang Zhiyao would surely love it.

One hundred and fifty yuan!

Paying for it and taking possession of the bicycle felt no less ceremonial than picking up a new car in later generations.

Afterward, Chen Yang bought a few odds and ends, and his trip to the county town could be declared a complete success.

Now, if he hurried home, he would arrive at exactly the right time to go straight to the educated-youth settlement and formally ask for Huang Zhiyao’s hand.

Chen Yang was so excited he could hardly contain himself. At last, he could marry the woman he loved openly and honorably, without carrying the burden of guilt.

He secured the bicycle and the other purchases to the horse cart, then drove home, humming a little tune.

For this era, these betrothal gifts were absolutely top-tier.

Huang Zhiyao would have both dignity and substance. Surely no one would ever again bring up the fact that the two of them had gotten into bed together before marriage.

The thought made Chen Yang even happier, and he began humming louder.

The horse cart jolted past Sipingchuan Town. In less than an hour, he would be home.

Thinking of Huang Zhiyao waiting for him at the educated-youth settlement, Chen Yang swung the whip in his hand even more vigorously.

However, he had not gone far when he saw a short, stocky middle-aged man waving at him ahead.

In those days, it was perfectly ordinary for someone to ask for a ride along the road.

Besides, this place was rather remote, so Chen Yang quickly reined in the horse.

“Where are you headed, fellow villager? Climb aboard!”

The middle-aged man glanced at Chen Yang, then jumped into the cart without saying a word.

His reaction irritated Chen Yang.

Damn it, Chen Yang had invited him aboard out of pure kindness, and the man could not even spare him a word of thanks?

As the old saying went in Wangchuankou, “If you have to beg someone to do business, it is no business at all.” Apparently, Chen Yang really had been asking for it.

Had he known the man would behave like this, he would never have opened his mouth. Now it looked as if he had been begging the fellow for a ride.

Chen Yang simply ignored him. After all, he had more important things to do.

He urged the horse to move faster, hoping to reach home as soon as possible, dress himself properly, and go propose marriage.

But the cart had not traveled much farther when Chen Yang felt a hard object press against his lower back.

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“Buddy, what are you doing?”

“Get off!”

The middle-aged man finally spoke. His voice was ice-cold.

Chen Yang’s instincts told him that the object pressed against his waist was probably a pistol.

Damn it!

Had he run into a robber?

If so, the odds were about as low as winning the grand prize in a lottery in a later generation.

His mind began racing, trying to figure out how to deal with the situation.

Everything in the cart was needed for his proposal later.

Even if he had to risk his life, he had to protect it all.

Otherwise, if Huang Zhiyao thought he had been stringing her along and history repeated itself, Chen Yang would have no face left to go on living.

“I said get off!”

The middle-aged man pressed the gun harder against Chen Yang’s waist. His patience appeared to be exhausted.

If Chen Yang refused to obey, the bastard might do something reckless at any moment.

Daring not hesitate any longer, Chen Yang reined in the still-running horse, grabbed the whip, and jumped down.

Then he turned around and looked at the middle-aged man with a smile.

“Buddy, what’s this all about? I kindly gave you a ride, and now you’re repaying my kindness with treachery?”

As he spoke, Chen Yang was secretly alarmed.

He had guessed correctly. The man was indeed holding a Type 54 pistol.

It was obviously the real thing, and there was murderous intent in the middle-aged man’s eyes.

Holy shit!

Could this be the vicious fugitive Liu Guolin had mentioned—the bandit who had come drifting through from elsewhere?

Chen Yang could only marvel at his own rotten luck, while silently cursing Li Chengping and the others.

What the hell had they been doing? How could they fail to find such a conspicuous living man?

“Cut the crap. You want your money or your life?”

The middle-aged man pointed the gun at Chen Yang and asked coldly.

“My money—no, wait, my life. Of course I want my life!”

Chen Yang answered hurriedly.

“Hand over every penny you have. Leave the bicycle. Then get lost with your cart.”

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The middle-aged man spoke again, his tone cold.

“Buddy, you can have the money on me, but I need the bicycle. Today is the day I’m formally asking for my fiancée’s hand. The bicycle is part of her bride price, so you have to leave it with me.”

Chen Yang spoke with utmost seriousness.

He did not care much about the money. Even if he gave the man everything he had, he would still have one hundred and eighty-eight yuan for Huang Zhiyao’s bride price.

But if this bastard stole the bicycle, Chen Yang would arrive at the educated-youth settlement without it. Would that not amount to breaking his word?

Never mind how he would explain himself to Huang Zhiyao—he would not even be able to face himself.

“Do you think you’re in any position to bargain with me? Believe it or not, I’ll blow your head off! I’ve already killed plenty of people. I won’t hesitate to add one more.”

The middle-aged man had not expected this bastard to be the sort who would rather lose his money than his life, so he pressed the gun directly against Chen Yang’s head and threatened him loudly.

In his eyes, a half-grown boy like this could not possibly have much courage.

A little intimidation should be enough to make him submit obediently.

With a bicycle, escaping would be much easier. The vehicle had to be left behind.

“Brother, don’t get so worked up. Be careful that thing doesn’t go off!”

To the middle-aged man’s surprise, Chen Yang showed no panic. Instead, he even began teasing him.

“You son of a—believe me, I’ll…”

“I believe your mother!”

Chen Yang did not give him a chance to finish. At some point, he had already thrown away the whip.

With both hands, he seized the muzzle of the pistol as quickly as he could and wrenched it upward.

Bang!

The gun finally went off. Chen Yang felt the bullet skim past his scalp.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes. The sensation was excruciating.

Every hair on his body stood on end. Anyone who claimed not to be afraid would be lying—but did he have any other choice?

He gripped the muzzle with all his strength and forced it upward. Then pain exploded in his abdomen as the man’s knee slammed into him.

Chen Yang felt as though the blow had torn his intestines apart. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have collapsed like a shrimp.

But he knew that if he went down now, his second chance at life would be over for good.

So he endured the pain and drove his entire body into the middle-aged man.

This was far too dangerous. He had to knock the man down and take the fight to the ground…

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