Chapter Thirty-Two: A Visit to Stir Up Trouble

The moment he heard these words, Shen Guodong didn’t hesitate—he strode directly toward Old Wang’s house. He was determined to get even.

Behind him, Liu Jianguo, Liu Chuanzhi, Zhang Ailian, and the others who truly cared for Shen Guodong tried earnestly to dissuade him, urging him not to act rashly. The Wang family had ties to the underworld; they were not to be trifled with.

“If you go confront them, you might not even make it out unharmed,” they warned. “At that point, what good would it do? Do you really expect them to reason with you?”

“Guodong, let it go! Their family wields too much power. None of us want to pursue this, and you don’t need to either. So what if we suffer a little? Their bullying has gone unchecked for so long that no one in the village dares provoke them.”

“That’s right. So what if Mom was beaten? We’ll just be more careful around them in the future. It’s not the end of the world. Her injuries aren’t too serious—she’ll recover with a bit of rest.”

“Oh, why won’t you listen to reason?” they all spoke at once, their voices tangled with worry.

Zhang Mulan and her lot, who harbored grudges against Shen Guodong, were positively gloating. Their faces wore broad, triumphant grins, needing no further explanation; the satisfaction of others’ misfortune was clear in their expressions.

“He’s really courting death, isn’t he? There’s no shortage of fools in this world.”

“Does he really think he’s invincible? That everyone has to yield to him? What a joke!”

“Is this kid marching off to die?”

“Old Wang’s nephew is a trusted lieutenant of Baldy! And all his sons work under Baldy too.”

“That’s right. Let’s go see how this guy gets beaten to a pulp.”

“It’s hilarious—he truly doesn’t know his own limits.”

A chorus of laughter followed Shen Guodong as he walked, with Chen Gantian laughing the loudest, his glee almost dizzying. He could already envision the miserable end that awaited Shen Guodong.

Yet, hands shoved into his pockets, Shen Guodong strolled toward the Wang house as if nothing had happened—swaggering, calm, unaffected.

It was a brick house, indicating that Old Wang’s family was doing well for these parts. The place was bustling with guests; bikes and motorcycles crowded the yard, hinting at the lively gathering inside. The courtyard gate was tightly shut.

Just as the crowd wondered what Shen Guodong would do, his action left everyone stunned. He raised his foot and, with a savage kick, blasted the wooden gate off its hinges.

Since they’d broken his mother-in-law’s leg, Shen Guodong saw no reason to show any courtesy.

The thunderous crash alarmed everyone inside. Those eating at the tables turned as one to see what had happened.

Inside, three or four tables were packed, most seats filled by young men—clearly the Wang family’s sons had brought a whole crew home for dinner. The sight unnerved the Liu family’s relatives, who shrank back, desperate not to be implicated.

But Chen Gantian only grinned wider, his expression needing no explanation; it was clear he had been waiting for this. Anyone else, faced with such a scene, would have been scared witless, but Shen Guodong only beamed back, radiant and unafraid.

“Kid, what do you think you’re doing? Tired of living?”

“Here to stir up trouble? You alone?”

“Looking for death, are you? Who do you think you are?”

“Seems life has grown stale for you.”

A group of youths surged forward, surrounding Shen Guodong.

“Guodong!” Liu Yueru called out in panic, trying to rush to him, but her brother held her back. It wasn’t that Liu Jianguo was heartless, but with thirty or forty men inside, what could one woman possibly do? Even if all of them went up together, it would be pointless. Ordinary villagers couldn’t possibly stand up to these people.

Just then, Shen Guodong turned to smile at his wife, his grin bright as ever. “Don’t worry, darling. I’m fine.”

In truth, seeing the way these men were dressed only reassured him.

They all sported buzz cuts or shaved heads—clearly Baldy’s men. That made things simple enough. Surely Baldy would give him this much respect?

“Still boasting at a time like this? You really are something,” Chen Gantian sneered, looking at Shen Guodong with utter contempt. This fool was courting death—there was no shortage of idiots in the world. Even with disaster looming, he was still putting on airs. Chen could barely wait for Shen Guodong to be beaten to the ground.

The gangsters burst out laughing at Shen Guodong’s words.

“Nothing to worry about? Kid, you’re overestimating yourself!”

“Looking for death, are you? Who do you think you are? You really think you’re somebody? You’re a joke!”

“Ha! Looking for a beating… That gate is imported, you know! Pay Old Wang a thousand bucks for it and we’ll call it even. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences!”

Nonsense, of course. The gate was nothing but a bamboo door, the kind found all over the countryside. Imported, indeed.

But that was their prerogative—when you had power, you could say whatever you liked and no one would dare contradict you. When you were strong enough, you were the truth.

“Compensation? For a broken old gate you want that much? Then shouldn’t you pay ten thousand for breaking my mother-in-law’s leg? Only then would it be settled.” Shen Guodong smiled serenely.

From the crowd, a man in his fifties stepped forward—a typical farmer, but emboldened by his sons’ criminal connections. His gaze was fierce.

“So you’re the Liu family’s son-in-law. I know you—Shen Guodong, the gambling addict, always borrowing money everywhere. Ha! So you’ve come to make trouble!”

“My son broke your mother-in-law’s leg—what can you do about it? Not only will I refuse to compensate you, but if you don’t pay for my gate, I’ll break your leg too. If you’re so filial, you can stay in bed with your mother-in-law from now on!”

He sneered, arrogance at its peak.

With these words, Shen Guodong understood exactly what kind of people he was dealing with.