Chapter 110: A Deadly Strike
Uncle Ma laughed in exasperation. "Mr. Gu is that badly hurt, and you still have the nerve to say that!"
"So you were hoping someone would die, is that it?"
Ms. Qian cried out defensively, "That’s not what I meant! I just meant that nothing too serious happened."
Uncle Ma said sternly, "I can’t be bothered to argue with a woman like you. Let me warn you, this is the last time. If it happens again, I don’t care if Mr. Gu agrees or not—your family is on its own!"
Nearby, Aunt Liu snorted. "Exactly! So you don’t drag the rest of us down!"
Shanzimama sneered. "I’ve never seen a child like Bao’er. Then again, with a mother like that, what else can you expect!"
Boss Zhang’s wife, from the Yu Family, couldn’t help but add, "Honestly, no one cares what you do with your own family, but don’t drag all of us down to suffer with you!"
Although Bao’er was only six or seven, he knew everyone was talking about him. Seeing that Uncle Ma had walked away, he wasn’t afraid of these women. He glared, clenched his fists, and yelled, "You stinking hags, say one more word about me and I’ll have my mom beat you to death!"
Aunt Liu shot to her feet. "You little bastard! Believe it or not, I’ll whip you to death!"
Just then, Gu Zhong suddenly rushed over, grabbed Bao’er, and slammed him hard onto the ground. Then, he began stomping on him frantically.
All the while, he was shouting, "I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you little beast, so you can’t hurt anyone else!"
Bao’er rolled on the ground, wailing loudly.
Ms. Qian was stunned for a moment, then scrambled to throw herself over Bao’er, crying, "Hit me! Don’t hit my Bao’er! I didn’t watch him properly! It’s all my fault, all my fault!"
Gu Zhong kicked Ms. Qian viciously. "And you think you’re not to blame?"
"If you hadn’t spoiled our son rotten, none of this would have happened!"
"You useless woman! You can’t even raise a son right! What good are you?!"
The old woman was extremely anxious. Leaning on her cane, she hurried over. "That’s no way to hit a child! You never discipline him, and now you strike so viciously! What if you seriously hurt him? He’s your only son!"
"You’re depending on him to take care of you in your old age!"
Gu Fei watched coldly.
’The wolf’s attack might have been because of Bao’er’s shouting, or it might not have been.’
’But this kid, Bao’er... he really needed a beating.’
’Gu Zhong, however, was a real piece of work. Nothing was ever his fault. He was the father, yet he didn’t seem to grasp that it’s the father’s fault when a child is not taught right from wrong!’
Aunt Liu stood with her hands on her hips, watching. The other women fell silent. They could see that Gu Zhong was being truly vicious with his beating, and to add fuel to the fire now would be unkind.
After a few more kicks, Gu Zhong finally stopped.
The reason he had been so brutal was twofold. First, he couldn’t stand the loss of face as everyone blamed his family. Second, he was genuinely terrified that Uncle Ma would abandon them, leaving them to either be eaten by wolves or beaten to death by refugees.
Ms. Qian lay on the ground, clutching Bao’er and sobbing. To look at them, you’d think they were the most tragic mother and son in the world.
Gu Fei found the noise grating and couldn’t be bothered to watch any longer. She placed her saber on the mule cart and squatted down beside her father. He was lying on the ground and forced a smile for her, his voice low and hoarse. "Dad’s fine. It’s just a scratch."
Tears nearly welled up in Gu Fei’s eyes. His neck was a bloody, mangled mess, yet he insisted it was just a scratch.
She gave a sullen nod. Suddenly, she noticed Uncle Ma had walked off to the side. He was squatting on the ground, examining the two wolves Gu Fei had killed, paying close attention to the one with the smashed head.
Gu Fei’s eyes narrowed, and she quickly walked over.
Seeing her approach, Uncle Ma asked, "Little Fei, that sound from earlier was very loud. What did you use to kill the wolves?"