"Let's go!" Zhou Zhijun came out of the doctor's room, a faint smile on his face, his voice gentle.
He pulled the handcart in front, with Chuntao following behind.
Walking along, Zhou Zhijun looked around and spotted a small restaurant at the corner ahead. He turned his head and said to Chuntao, "It's getting dark. It'll be midnight by the time we get home. Let's grab a bite before heading back."
Seeing the sky grow darker by the minute, Chuntao wished she could cover the distance home in a single stride. She quickly said, "Let's skip it, alright? It's so late, it'll only delay us!"
"It's pitch black out anyway, and we definitely won't make it home in time for dinner. Let's just eat here. Otherwise, will you even have the energy to walk such a long way?"
Zhou Zhijun parked the handcart at the entrance of the restaurant, took Chuntao's small hand, and led her inside.
Business was booming in the restaurant, and it was quite crowded inside.
In the corner by the wall sat a young couple, their heads close together as they whispered to each other.
There was also a group of over a dozen burly men gathered around two pushed-together tables. They were drinking and playing finger-guessing games, their boisterous shouts hurting the eardrums.
"Two brothers!"
"Five winners!"
"Sixes are lucky!"
The shouting grew louder and louder. Seeing Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao walk in, the men's shifty eyes all swept over them in unison.
Chuntao felt entirely uncomfortable under their malicious stares, frowning as she shrank behind Zhou Zhijun.
Zhou Zhijun swept a cold, sharp gaze over them, only to realize it was Baldy and his gang. Besides the few from noon, there were several unfamiliar faces.
When Baldy saw it was Zhou Zhijun, his hand holding the shot glass suddenly paused, and fury instantly ignited in his eyes.
Zhou Zhijun didn't take him seriously at all. Let alone one Baldy, even if there were ten, he wouldn't be afraid.
However, afraid of frightening Chuntao and not wanting to delay their journey, he immediately turned around, pulling Chuntao to leave.
"Yo, aren't you a tough guy? Don't leave!"
Just as they stepped over the threshold, Baldy's rough, raspy voice rang out from behind.
Zhou Zhijun couldn't be bothered to respond. He grabbed the handcart and was about to detour around them, but unexpectedly, the gang swarmed out and blocked their path.
A tall man looked Zhou Zhijun up and down with a sidelong glance, his tone provocative. "I hear you're pretty good in a fight?"
"Aren't you a badass? Stop acting like a coward!" Baldy jeered, spit flying from his mouth.
"I was just about to go settle the score with you, and here you are, delivering yourself right to my door!"
At noon, Chuntao had worried that Baldy and his gang would cause more trouble. She hadn't expected to run into them again so soon. It really was a narrow path for enemies!
These unfamiliar faces looked much more ferocious than the ones from earlier today. Two of them even had snake tattoos on their arms, looking quite intimidating.
Zhou Zhijun was all alone, while the other side had over a dozen men. No matter how good of a fighter he was, he was outnumbered.
Behind Zhou Zhijun, Chuntao tugged at the hem of his shirt, her voice trembling. "Brother Zhijun, ignore them. Let's go!"
Zhou Zhijun knew clearly in his heart that the more he backed down, the more these guys would push their luck.
He looked back at Chuntao, his voice steady. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The men instantly surrounded Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao in the middle, each rubbing their fists and wiping their palms in anticipation.
Seeing the situation outside the door, the young couple inside the restaurant were so frightened that they quickly paid their bill and ran off without a trace.
The restaurant owners, a middle-aged couple, also panicked when they saw the setup.
If something terrible happened at their restaurant, their business would be ruined.
The boss hurriedly ran out to mediate. "We're all from the same area, it's fate that brought us together. Let's not ruin the peace!"
"Get lost! You don't have a say in this!" Baldy glared fiercely at the boss, spraying spit all over the man's face.
"Brothers, get them!" At Baldy's command, several men howled as they charged toward the two.
Zhou Zhijun frowned, shielding Chuntao securely behind him.
With just a few muffled thuds, in the blink of an eye, several burly men were kicked to the ground by him, wailing in pain.
Baldy's crotch was still throbbing with dull pain, so he didn't dare step forward. He just shouted at the top of his lungs at the people on the ground.
"Hurry up and get up! Grab him! I don't believe that over a dozen of us can't handle just one guy!"
The men who had been knocked to the ground climbed up, grimacing in pain and cursing foully.
The dozen or so men formed a circle, inching closer and closer toward Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao.
Zhou Zhijun's face turned dark and cold, his clenched fists making cracking sounds.
The long-haired thug at the very front swung his fist and lunged forward. Zhou Zhijun sharply dodged to the side while raising his leg to viciously kick the back of the man's knee.
The long-haired man let out a miserable shriek as he pitched forward, about to fall flat on his face.
However, Zhou Zhijun grabbed the back of his collar, lifted him up, and threw him away with a flick of his wrist.
With a heavy thud, the long-haired man collapsed on the ground like a pile of mud, unable to get back up.
Seeing that things were going south, two men nearby flanked him from the left and right.
With quick reflexes, Zhou Zhijun hooked his left toe around the ankle of the man on the left and smashed his right fist into the man's nose.
The man let out a muffled groan as a nosebleed instantly gushed out. His body swayed before he fell stiffly to the ground.
The man on the right had just raised a wooden stick when Zhou Zhijun stepped right in front of him, grabbed the stick, yanked it back, and drove his knee hard into the man's crotch.
The wooden stick fell to the ground with a clatter. The man curled up like a shrimp, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
The others were shocked by Zhou Zhijun's ruthlessness. They shrank their necks and took a few steps back.
Zhou Zhijun's icy gaze swept over the crowd. He rolled his wrists, his knuckles cracking. "Who else wants to give it a try?"
The men looked at each other, their faces full of fear, and no one dared to step forward again.
Baldy hid behind the crowd and shouted with a trembling voice, "Everyone attack together!"
But the group of men seemed rooted to the ground, none of them daring to move closer.
Baldy stomped his feet in anxiety and cursed, "A bunch of useless trash!"
"Boss, a gentleman's revenge is a dish best served cold. We don't need to force it right now!" a man leaned into Baldy's ear and whispered a word of advice.
At noon, Baldy had already experienced Zhou Zhijun's prowess. He was just talking big and hadn't actually planned to seek revenge.
He never expected it to be such a coincidence to bump into him at the restaurant.
Relying on their numbers, he had wanted to avenge what happened at noon, but he hadn't expected that a dozen men still wouldn't be a match for Zhou Zhijun. He instantly lost his nerve.
He could only shout at the crowd, "Let's go! We'll teach him a proper lesson another day!"
Baldy and his gang walked away cursing. Chuntao's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and her legs gave way, almost making her collapse onto the ground.
With quick reflexes, Zhou Zhijun caught her by the waist.
"It's alright now. They're just a bunch of good-for-nothings. I bet they won't dare come back."
Chuntao's small frame was still trembling slightly. After all, this was their turf, and she couldn't feel at ease. "Brother Zhijun, let's leave right away!"
The restaurant owners also let out a long sigh of relief and quickly invited Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao inside to eat.
Zhou Zhijun supported Chuntao as they entered the building and ordered two large bowls of donkey meat braised noodles.
"This gang runs rampant on the streets, and no one dares to provoke them. Tonight, you really put them in their place!" The boss looked at Zhou Zhijun, his eyes filled with admiration.
The boss's wife, however, frowned and warned them, "I'm afraid they won't let this go easily. Where are you two from? It's already dark, so you must be careful on your way back!"
"It is nothing!" Zhou Zhijun said aloud, but inwardly he was feeling apprehensive. It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark!
He considered simply finding a motel for the night and heading back tomorrow, but he worried that since he and Chuntao did not have a marriage certificate, the staff would not let them stay.
"Brother, sister, is there a motel nearby?"
"There is, just a little ways ahead. If you want to stay, I can take you two over in a bit!" the proprietress said, pointing out the door.
"We just came down to sell piglets and didn't plan on staying at a motel. Can we get a room without a marriage certificate?"
The couple had been running this restaurant for years and had seen all sorts of people. As soon as Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao walked through the door, they could tell the two were not actually husband and wife.
The proprietress lowered her voice and said, "Oh, you only need a marriage certificate to stay at a hotel in the city. It is not that strict in a remote little place like ours. Lots of couples have already had kids and still haven't gotten their certificates. Don't worry, I'll take you two there!"
Zhou Zhijun turned to look at Chuntao, his tone gentle. "Tao, let's stay the night and go back tomorrow."
Chuntao was afraid he might lose control on the road, and her mind was already in an absolute mess. Now, hearing that they were going to stay at a motel, her heart fluttered even more wildly.
Her grip on her chopsticks tightened, and even her breathing grew rapid!
