Chapter 148 - 147: An Explosive Scene
Meanwhile, in Dragon King Pond, Zhao Wendong’s family was also awake.
Although Zhao Wendong had said that food would be provided at the Commune, Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu still prepared breakfast early. They insisted it was more comfortable to eat at home. Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying had also come to help before dawn. By the time the brothers finished their meal, a faint light was breaking outside, and the men who had come to help were beginning to gather.
Zhao Wendong got dressed, slung his Type 56 carbine over his back, and walked out with a few of his brothers. Er Gouzi tagged along behind them. The kid was so insistent on going that Zhao Wendong couldn’t bring himself to disappoint him.
A dozen or so men had already gathered at the courtyard gate, all crossing their arms and stomping their feet against the cold. The ones with guns were from the militia. Some weren’t in the militia company but had come to help because they were on good terms with Zhao Wendong. They were carrying all sorts of implements. Zhao Wendong immediately spotted Zhao Baozhu; the kid was holding a small hatchet.
"Baozhu, what are you doing getting involved? You’re still just a kid!"
"I’m not a kid! My grandma says that at my age, guys in the old days were already married and having kids. Brother San, your business is my business. I have to be here."
Afraid Zhao Wendong would send him away, Zhao Baozhu retorted and quickly hid back in the crowd. Zhao Wendong shook his head helplessly. He pulled Zhao Ergou aside and told him to keep an eye on Baozhu. The boy was Granny Liu’s only male heir; nothing could happen to him.
The sun began to peek over the horizon, and the sky grew brighter. The crowd outside Zhao Wendong’s house had now swelled to over thirty men, all gathered together, making small talk.
"Dongzi, when are we heading out?!"
"Yeah, let’s get this over with! It’s over an hour’s walk to the Wang Family’s Hut!"
Zhao Wendong looked at the crowd before him, silently committing each face to memory. ’These men don’t know I’ve arranged for a ride, or that I’ve arranged for food. They came without hesitation purely to stand up for me. In the future, these are the men I can trust the most.’
"Haha, no rush. I’m taking you all to the Commune first."
"What? Why are we going to the Commune?"
"Aren’t we going to Wang’s Hut to take on Wang Dana?"
Before the words had even faded, a large truck appeared in the distance, its horn blaring as it roared toward them. Niu Yuesheng from the transport team had arrived!
"Hahaha, come on, everyone get in!"
Zhao Wendong lowered the tailgate of the truck bed and waved at the crowd. The men from Dragon King Pond were all dumbfounded. What was going on? Using a huge truck to go to a fight? Wasn’t this a bit over the top?
But after the initial shock, cheers erupted. The group scrambled gleefully into the truck bed, afraid of being left behind if they were too slow. The bed was even lined with straw, though it was unclear if Niu Yuesheng had prepared it in advance.
"Holy shit, Dongzi is the man! We’re even getting a ride to a fight."
"This is my first time riding in one of these. I’ve always been so envious. Now I finally get to ride in a truck."
"Dongzi is so capable."
Once the thirty-plus men had climbed aboard, Zhao Wendong said goodbye to his family and hopped into the cab. The truck made a U-turn and headed for the Commune, leaving Lin Zhiyin and the others to watch from the gate as it sped away in a cloud of dust.
The truck flew through the north wind. Most of the men in the back couldn’t stand the biting wind on their faces, so they squatted down in the truck bed. Still, their eyes were glued to the scenery outside, unblinking. Before they’d had their fill of the ride, Niu Yuesheng was already slowing down. The men in the back stared at the scene outside and froze.
They had arrived at the Commune. Near Old Zhang’s cotton shop, a massive, dark crowd had gathered. Many wore their hats crookedly and jiggled their legs; they were all the various hooligans from the Commune. They slouched and leaned every which way. Gun barrels poked out from behind some of their backs, others had axes tucked into their belts, and some even carried large machetes.
The men from Dragon King Pond thought the fight had been moved to the Commune, and that this crowd was the opposition Wang Dana had called in. The atmosphere in the truck bed instantly grew tense. Many nervously unslung their guns and gripped them tightly.
Zhang Dadan, who was standing in the middle of the roadside crowd, saw the truck arrive and waved his arms excitedly. Full of spirit, he yelled to the men around him.
"Everyone, move aside! Don’t get hit by the truck! Brother Wendong is here!"
The crowd parted, and the large truck slowly came to a stop. Zhao Wendong and his thirty-plus men from Dragon King Pond got out. The crowd immediately swarmed them. Zhang Dadan enthusiastically grabbed Zhao Wendong’s hand, his face glowing with excitement, making it look like some grand, victorious rendezvous of allied forces.
"Brother Wendong, we’ve been waiting for you!"
"Haha, get outta here."
Zhao Wendong laughed and aimed a playful kick at him. He hadn’t expected the guy to gather so many people. Men in the crowd kept greeting Zhao Wendong, and he responded to each with a raised hand and a nod. The men from Dragon King Pond finally breathed a sigh of relief, their faces immediately breaking into excited expressions. ’Holy shit, these guys are all on our side! This is awesome!’
As the crowd gradually quieted down, Zhao Wendong found a snowbank to stand on. There were simply too many people, and he couldn’t see those in the back. He did a rough headcount; there were nearly a hundred men present.
"I won’t say much. The fact that you all came shows me, Zhao Wendong, a great deal of respect. First, we eat. Once we’re full, we go take on Wang Dana."
"Eat!"
"Take on Wang Dana!"
The crowd cheered in unison. Zhao Wendong led the group toward Liangzi’s place. The massive, dark procession marching down the street looked like a scene from a Hong Kong gangster movie. Even the stray dogs on the street would have been scared enough to tuck their tails and take a detour.
Liangzi had been waiting at his door for a while. Seeing Zhao Wendong arrive with the huge crowd, he hurried out to greet them.
"Hahaha, Dongzi, you’re the man! This scene is so damn spectacular!"
"Hehe, it’s just a small gathering. Is everything ready?"
"Everything’s ready. Just like you said: four cornbread buns for everyone, and all the congee they can eat. The congee is packed thick with sorghum; every mouthful is guaranteed to be full of grains."
Zhao Wendong nodded and waved to the crowd behind him.
"Alright, brothers! Form a line and get your food one by one!"
People in those days were used to marching in formation for work, so they had a strong sense of lining up. The nearly one hundred men quickly formed a long queue.
"Four cornbread buns per person, and all the congee you can eat! When you’re done, bring the bowls back right away! Pass the message down the line!"
As soon as Zhao Wendong finished speaking, a commotion and cheers swept through the crowd. They had assumed that when he said he’d provide a meal, it would just be a single cornbread bun. They never expected it to be so lavish, and all-you-can-eat at that. Damn, this was just too impressive, too badass!
As Zhao Wendong’s instructions were passed down the line, excited cheers erupted even at the very end of the queue.
Liangzi stood guard at his door while Zhao Wendong had Er Gouzi and Zhao Wenjun help him distribute the cornbread and congee. Soon, the area in and around Liangzi’s courtyard was filled with men squatting down, slurping their congee and wolfing down their cornbread. For the hooligans, the generous amount of food was a surprise. But for the men who came to help from Dragon King Pond, it was an absolute delight.
Every one of them had come to help Zhao Wendong voluntarily, and they were even prepared to fight on an empty stomach. Since Zhao Wendong hadn’t mentioned food, they assumed none would be provided. This was understandable; grain was incredibly precious these days. But now, not only did they get a ride instead of having to walk, but Zhao Wendong had also arranged for food and drink—four cornbread buns and all the congee they could drink. All the men from Dragon King Pond were ecstatic.
Zhang Dadan was at the front of the line and was the first to get his food. He sidled up to Zhao Wendong at the courtyard gate, eating and talking at the same time.
"Dongzi, a spectacle like this is unprecedented! Guys from all over the area have shown up. I heard Police Li has been sleeping with one eye open these past two days, hahaha! He’s probably afraid we’re going to tear down the whole Commune."
"It’s not just the guys we know. Look, a lot of unfamiliar faces showed up too. See those few over there? They obviously just came to freeload. Should we kick them out?"
Zhao Wendong shook his head. "All who come are our guests. We won’t be so picky today. Later, get a proper headcount of how many people there are in total. I’ll give you the money as we agreed, one yuan per person. But Dadan, I, Zhao Wendong, consider you a brother. Don’t ruin my reputation. I don’t care what you promised anyone else, but you make sure they get what they’re owed, you hear?"
Zhang Dadan looked at Zhao Wendong’s narrowed eyes, shrank his neck a little, and chuckled.
"Got it, Brother Wendong. Don’t you worry, I’ll handle it perfectly for you."
Zhao Wendong was just taking the opportunity to give Zhang Dadan a little reminder. ’I already figured there’d be some skimming involved. Even Xiaojin needs to be fed meat strips before he’ll work, and the dogs have to eat their fill before they set out. If you haggle over every little detail and don’t leave people some incentive, you’ll never get anything done.’
"Brother Wendong, look. That character showed up too. He’s like a toad on your foot—doesn’t bite, but he’s just plain disgusting."
Zhao Wendong followed the direction Zhang Dadan’s chopsticks were pointing and saw a man at the very end of the line. The man was bare-headed, without a hat, and he kept cupping his hands over his ears every few moments. While everyone else was clustered together in line, he stood a meter apart from the person in front of him, looking completely out of place.
"Second Brother."
"What’s up, Third?"
Zhao Wenwu was in the middle of bragging to someone, grinning from ear to ear. Having so many people show up to help his family fight brought him immense prestige. Hearing Zhao Wendong call him, he quickly walked over.
"I remember you brought that old hat of yours to give to Uncle Zhang, right?"
"Yup!"
"Give it to me for a second."
"Oh!"
Without another word, Zhao Wenwu pulled a worn-out old hat from inside his coat. It was the one he used to wear, and it carried the accumulated smell of his scalp from over the years.
Zhao Wendong took the hat and walked over to the man at the end of the line.
"Ai Zhongguo, you came too!"