"Also, why should we believe whatever that old hag says? She doesn’t look like she’s got money—she’s definitely just a decoy."
Yang Yufen, overhearing the conversation inside, suddenly remembered something. She pulled out the large gold bracelet from her wrist.
"I’ve got a gold bracelet here. Do you know how much gold is worth these days? It’s way better than grabbing a few chickens, and it’s easier to carry without drawing attention."
She shouted, waving the bracelet wrapped in red thread, its golden sheen hidden from view.
"We can’t just wait around. The people inside could act at any moment—they’re not planning to run."
Old Zhou gritted his teeth.
"The chickens don’t matter. The chicken farm doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is getting those people out. I’ll go help Yufen distract them."
Aunt Wang spoke up, swiftly turning toward the dormitory. Nothing was more persuasive than cold, hard cash.
She yanked open a drawer, revealing a reserve fund of ten thousand yuan—money meant for fertilizer, chicks, and feed.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the entire drawer and ran toward the chicken farm.
"Money! See this? Let the people go, and it’s all yours!"
Aunt Wang’s voice rang out from the other side of the chicken farm. To convince them, she pulled out a stack of bills.
"Here’s a thousand. I’m throwing it to you!"
With a forceful toss—though her trembling hands made her miss the mark—the bills scattered across the ground in front of the door, fluttering like leaves in the wind.
"That’s real money!"
The sight of cash strewn everywhere made it impossible to ignore.
"Let them go, and I’ll give you the rest!"
Aunt Wang continued shouting, taking two shaky steps forward.
From the other side, Yang Yufen saw everything. The chicken farm had open doors on both ends for ventilation, separated only by waist-high fences.
Meanwhile, Old Zhou had already devised a plan. They might be old and physically worn, but the instincts of battle never left them.
Gunpowder couldn’t handle water, but for the sake of cleanliness and convenience, they had installed multiple water pipes connected to pumps, making it easy to wash away chicken droppings.
Everyone took turns working at the farm, so they knew the layout like the back of their hands.
"Throw all the money in here!"
A greedy voice demanded from inside.
"You—you let him down first. He can’t hold on much longer. I’ll throw half now, and once he’s free, I’ll give you the rest!"
Aunt Wang took a step back as someone emerged.
"You damn old hag, still making demands?"
"Just untie the ropes! Otherwise, I’ll scatter all this money, and you’ll waste time picking it up!"
With that, she hurled another stack of bills at them. The money hit the man, exploding into a shower of notes.
Stunned, he instinctively grabbed at the falling cash—so much of it—and dropped to his knees, stuffing his pockets.
The leader, realizing something was wrong, barely had time to react before water blasted through the gaps in the bricks from a high-pressure hose.
Gunshots and chaos erupted. Aunt Wang flung the entire drawer’s contents onto the ground, then swung the solid wooden drawer like a club, smashing it down on the head of the man scrambling for money.
Amid the gunfire, most ducked for cover—except for a few who sought hiding spots. Old Zhou fired his homemade gun at them, while Yang Yufen pulled another from her waistband.
Seeing their people charge in, Yang Yufen quickly holstered her weapon and grabbed a hoe, rushing in to help.
Strike the hands of those who resisted, the legs of those who ran. A feint at the neck, then a brutal swing to the back—no chance for retaliation.
Outside, the person manning the hose aimed straight for the eyes.
Chicken cages toppled, white-feathered birds shrieking as feathers filled the air.
"Hurry! Old Yang’s in bad shape!"
Once the attackers were subdued, someone immediately rushed to free Uncle Yang.
None of them were doctors, but years of experience taught them enough to assess injuries.
"Get him to the hospital! There’s still one tricycle—we can’t wait!"
Yang Yufen wiped the sweat-soaked hair from her face and sprinted to bring the vehicle around.
"I’ve got him!"
The strongest among them lifted Old Yang into the tricycle, and Yang Yufen sped off without a second thought, heading straight for the military hospital.
Aunt Wang and the others tied up the intruders while the rest gathered the scattered money and cleaned up the mess.
Little Zhang, who had raced to get help, barely caught a glimpse of Yang Yufen as she blew past him.
"Something big happened—that was one of our orchard’s elders!"
The men with Little Zhang grew even more serious at his words.
"Can we go any faster?"
Little Zhang wanted to, but the vehicle was already at its limit. Any sharper turn, and they’d be sent flying.
Old Yang was wheeled into surgery, with Zhou Ang following. His lower back had been injured, then further damaged as he was dragged and bound. Barely clinging to life, his breaths were shallow.
Yang Yufen paced outside the operating room, her anxiety unbearable.
"Those bastards… Old Yang has to pull through."
She watched as bag after bag of blood was carried in, her heart in her throat. This wasn’t like Xianjun’s case—Xianjun was young and strong. Old Yang, at his age and with his history of injuries, wasn’t as resilient.
The hospital, recognizing Old Yang as a retired military hero, spared no effort in saving him.
Yang Yufen’s clothes went from soaked to dry without her noticing, her focus entirely on whether Old Yang would survive. With no family left, Old Zhou and the others arrived in a rush.
"The doctors are still working."
Everyone held their breath, hearts clenched in suspense.
Someone draped a coat over Yang Yufen’s shoulders.
"Yufen, if Old Yang makes it through this—no matter what happens—we’ll keep him at the orchard for the rest of his days. Little Zhang’s a good kid. We’ll pay him extra to help care for him. What do you think?"
"Of course. What about the others? I’ve been so focused on Old Yang…"
She couldn’t bear the guilt—these people had gotten hurt working for her.
"The doctors checked everyone. Old Yang was at the farm’s entrance when it started, and he sounded the alarm. He got the worst of it."
When Zhou Ang finally emerged, the group swarmed him.
"The surgery’s done, but he needs observation. If he makes it through the critical period, he’ll be stable. But… given his age and the severity of his spinal injury, he’ll be bedridden for life."
"Just let him live."
The words burst from everyone at once.
Alive—alive to see justice served. Those criminals couldn’t be let off lightly.
What had once been dismissed as a minor disturbance now reached the highest levels of the military and government.
