Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 87 - 28: Can’t Leave Even if There’s No Trouble_1

Chapter 87: Chapter 28: Can’t Leave Even if There’s No Trouble_1

The crowd eerily quieted down for a long while before Lin Baoguo hurriedly waved at two police officers, "Let’s go, hurry, we need to check if the people are still there!"

Everybody haphazardly rushed towards the bridge, the Si Family’s ruffians and policemen running together, you couldn’t even make out who was who.

Upon reaching the bridge, some people had already entered the bridge hole, shouting upwards, "They’re right here, one tunnel per person, wait for me to see if anything’s wrong!"

After a moment, desperate sobs echoed from the two tunnels. The women on the bridge clung to the railing and wept uncontrollably. Soon someone poked their head out, "Does anyone have a knife? Pass the knife here, I can’t untie the ropes!"

Two young hooligans following the Si Brothers promptly pulled out a dagger from their waist and handed it over without any regard for the police standing nearby. The two men under the bridge hole took the knife and disappeared again.

After some more time, amidst waves of loud sobs, with everyone helping together with all their might, they managed to pull two people out.

It was truly tragic!

They had been tied up for half the night and a whole day, their blood circulation so restricted that they were barely able to walk. They were trembling all over and crying their hearts out, their trousers stained with faeces and urine. How pitiful they looked!

Could it not be pitiful?

For an entire day, they could hear the footsteps and chatter of people passing on the bridge above, but no one knew their agonizing plight. With every sound that came, despite knowing it would be in vain, the two people couldn’t help but hope – would someone look down into the tunnel?

The sound of bicycles, rumbling wooden carts, tractors, people talking - each of these noises was agonizingly unbearable for them.

They could see the distant river from both sides of the bridge hole, the blue sky overhead, and the warm sunshine at the bridge hole entrance, but they were unable to move, frozen in fear, even worse than being in prison.

In the bitter cold and hunger, they couldn’t help but burst into tears at the thought of their bodies frozen to death, wasting away from hunger, and only being discovered after a few days.

But they couldn’t even cry out. The sobbing sound from their throats dissipated before it could echo outside the bridge hole.

Even the loud noise in the afternoon reverberated in the bridge hole, but all they could do was wait, just wait.

Until the moment they saw people, they couldn’t help but burst into inconsolable crying as soon as the rags were pulled from their mouths. The swagger they once had walking on the street was nowhere to be found before such calamity. They had forgotten all about dignity and status, crying non-stop, just like helpless children.

The Si brothers watched their families wailing and shouting anxiously, and couldn’t help but look back towards the town.

There was only a crowd of onlookers far away, the two jolly men who were even riding their bicycles sloppily, could no longer be seen.

Thinking about the nonchalance of those men, the brothers suddenly felt that the wind on the bridge that day was excruciatingly strong.

They weren’t the only ones to look back, many people instinctively followed their gaze, yet they could see nothing as well. Yet somehow, everyone started to get a chill, feeling cold to the bone, as cold sweat broke out.

"Our dog..." Second Man of Si Family’s wife mumbled, not knowing what to think about, but she suddenly noticed that her husband’s face was looking terribly pale, and his body was trembling, so she stopped speaking.

Now you guys don’t even have a dog to lose!

For some reason, the Second Man of Si Family remembered these words and turned his head towards his elder brother, who was also looking at him.

The two of them were silent before the Elder Man of Si Family broke the silence, "Let’s go home."

The Second Man of Si Family wanted to take a step but suddenly stopped, "We can’t leave, we need to sort things out before we leave."

The wife of the Si Family wasn’t pleased, "The people have been rescued, and he said it’s fine, what else is there to talk about? Let’s hurry back!"

The Second Man of Si Family suddenly exploded, yelling at his wife, "What if he changes his mind and says it’s not okay? Our family doesn’t have a dog to lose, remember that!"

The crying noises of the people being helped onto the tractor, mixed with the sound of the tractor, meant not many people heard his words. But his wife did, and she was instantly at a loss, too scared to speak.

Those who did hear were left mulling his words: Yeah, everything seems fine now, but what if...

The street thugs might seem intimidating when starting a fight or brandishing a dagger, but anyone with a brain knows not to aim for vital parts during a real fight; it’s just for show, to scare people.

Usually, they just use various underhanded tactics to bully people—like dumping manure at your door one day, or throwing a snake into your yard the next — it’s all just to menace and disgust people. Most people have families to take care of, so who would openly challenge them? Mostly, they just accept their bad luck and move on.

The fact that they dared to target Yan Fei was simply because they believed Yan Fei, who’d already built a water tower and raised so many cows, would have concerns now that he had assets despite the rural rumors about his capabilities.

The brothers were banking on the fact that Yan Fei, having a small business, wouldn’t push things to a devastating end. Actually, most of their victims acted this way, opting to pay them off to avoid trouble.

They didn’t expect Yan Fei to immediately toss them into a bridge culvert, nearly killing them and wiping out eight of their dogs—two big, six small. They had people sleeping at home, now missing two large hounds, and an entire litter of puppies.

Now, the situation was reversed. Yan Fei didn’t fear the brothers messing with his cows; he was directly threatening their families instead. He was even more ruthless and reckless than they were. What could they do if he refused to back down?

Even backing off wasn’t easy. In the past, a simple apology and compensation would suffice. Even though this meant losing a bit of face, these gangland experiences were useless against a man whose next move was unpredictable. One minute he’s demanding money or property, the next, he’s saying it was all a joke. Who’d believe that?

Who could guarantee that he wouldn’t suddenly recall this matter while falling asleep or tripping on a rock, and then visit your home in the middle of the night to stab you, or crack you in the back of the head with a stick while you were walking on the streets? Who would want that?

Considering the situation those two were in — trapped in the culvert, without food or water and exposed to the cold — one couldn’t even say for sure if they’d see the sun the next day.

It’s supposed to be the season of "spring cold", but it’s still chilly outside!

Yan Fei and Xu Xiaoyan, unaware of what others might be thinking, were discussing where to buy meat. Xu Xiaoyan suggested buying from Old Ding since they were nearby, but not wanting her parents to see her, she suggested buying from a store at the west end instead.

Yan Fei was hesitant, as he’d grown up enjoying meat from Old Ding’s. Buying elsewhere would feel disloyal. And what if they sold rotten pork?

But since Xu Xiaoyan was against going, they ended up buying from a store at the far west end of the street. The town only had a few places that sold braised meat. Old Ding’s was located in the middle of the street, there was one at the east end, and the west end was a tad better as the passenger bus stopped there year-round, attracting a few more shops.

There weren’t too many businesses in operation at this time. Indeed, it was a golden era for entrepreneurs—if you had a sound mind and were willing to do business, you were bound to strike it rich. Furthermore, a lot of businesses in this small town were one of a kind.

For instance, Ma Family’s liquor, Zhao’s scales, and a jewelry store that exclusively dealt with gold and silver—they all held a monopoly in their respective fields.

So, after buying buns, the only option for purchasing liquor was going to Ma Family’s place. The bicycle they were riding belonged to Ma Chao, and when they arrived, Aunt Ma insisted on not taking any money. Yan Fei, however, left some cash behind as he quickly made his leave.

The two of them deliberately avoided the road before their home, laughing and joking around the long way, as if they’d done something naughty and were exceedingly pleased with themselves.

The bike had been somewhat wobbly when they set off, but it was much better on the return trip. As they chatted and joked, nearing the cattle farm, they started to wonder: "Why haven’t those people left yet?"

On the small path off the main road, the bicycle began to wobble again, prompting Yan Fei to jump off. His sudden dismount nearly caused Xu Xiaoyan to fall. He hurried to help steady the bike, dropping the buns on the ground in the process, earning him a reproach: "Why didn’t you say something before you got off? I wasn’t ready!"

Upon finishing her sentence, she didn’t even wait for Yan Fei. She pedaled the rest of the way to the gate.

Once off the bike, she eyed up the Si Family’s brothers, who were still lingering near the gate with a few others. "What are you planning to do? Don’t think about bullying our Yan Fei. We’ve already said that it’s fine, what more do you want?"

The Elder Man of Si Family quickly put on a placating smile: "No, no, we were just waiting to ask Yan Fei. Those two conditions he mentioned earlier, could he maybe lighten them?"

Xu Xiaoyan was puzzled: "But we said it was all a joke, what’s on your mind?"

The Elder Man of Si Family looked as if he was about to cry. It was a joke to him? What if he decided the next second he wasn’t joking anymore? Their home really didn’t have any more dogs to lose!

Yan Fei walked over, carrying the shopping, and started shooing them away: "Just leave, we said it’s fine! What do you want? We’re about to have dinner!"

Without further regard to them, he carried his purchases and went inside, calling Lin Baoguo and the others.

Despite his unwelcoming attitude, the brothers were still smiling: "Alright then, you go have your dinner! We’ll come over early tomorrow, don’t mind us."

With that, they shooed their wives and underlings away, leaving behind sounds of rumbling stomachs.

Of course, these guys hadn’t had lunch. Who could resist the aroma of the buns?