The family sat down, and the young proprietor quickly brought six bowls of steaming pork wontons.
Fu Xin Ci scooped one with a wooden spoon, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to her mouth.
Hmm, the taste was ordinary, but it was fresh in ingredients and generous in portion. Fu Xin Ci said nothing, slowly finishing the bowl of wontons.
Whether in the apocalypse or ancient times, one must not waste food.
Fu Yu and Madam Fang exchanged glances; all was understood without words.
Qi He also finished his bowl of wontons, but he offered a pertinent opinion, "These wontons aren't as good as Auntie's."
Madam Fang: As expected of the son-in-law they favored, he had discerning taste.
Fu Yu also nodded with a smile, agreeing with his statement.
After the family had finished eating, Madam Fang suggested they head back.
"Yes, it's about time. Let's walk back slowly, it'll aid digestion," Fu Yu said, then led the way.
However, they had only taken a few steps when they heard a commotion of running footsteps and a woman's hoarse cry, "You damned beast, let go of my son!"
"Mmmph."
The family turned back to see a young man, his features unclear, running towards them with a three or four-year-old boy in his arms.
A short distance behind him, a young woman in ragged clothes was chasing, her body not well, panting after a few steps, yet she didn't give up the pursuit.
As the woman chased, she continued to curse vehemently.
"You beast, may you die a terrible death, quickly let go of my son."
"Mmm, mmm, Mama." The little boy in the man's arms struggled fiercely and, seizing an opportunity when the man was off guard, bit down hard on his hand.
"Ah!" The man cried out in pain and loosened his grip. The boy he was holding took the chance to break free from his grasp and stumbled back towards his mother.
"Mama, Mama."
The man reacted, then grabbed the boy's shoulder again, shouting angrily, "You little brat, you dare bite me? See if I don't beat you to death."
"Let me go, you are a bad person, I want my mother." The boy struggled desperately, like a little leopard not wanting to be caught by the man.
But he was only a three or four-year-old child, his strength was ultimately weak, and he was soon firmly grasped again by the man.
The onlookers shook their heads, "This Liu Er is becoming more and more outrageous. He must have lost at gambling again and wants to use his child to pay off his debts."
"Indeed. That Zhang and her son are truly unlucky to have ended up with such a scoundrel."
Because of the struggle between father and son, the young woman quickly caught up. Seeing the man about to hit her son again, she didn't care. In her desperation, she grabbed a jar of preserved bean paste from a nearby stall and smashed it at the man.
The jar of preserved bean paste had some weight. It staggered the man, and with a 'crack,' the jar shattered. The yellow bean paste flowed down the back of the man's neck.
"You, you prodigal woman, daring to attempt matricide?"
Though the woman was afraid, she did not hesitate to snatch the boy from the man's grasp.
"Mama." The boy, back in his mother's arms, clung to her neck and sobbed.
"What a sin." An old, blind woman, leaning on a staff, followed, staggering.
Though her eyes could not see, the old woman's hearing was excellent. She raised her staff and accurately struck the man who was kneeling on the ground, wailing.
"You beast, why don't you die? This old woman will beat you to death today, or I will be unworthy of my ancestors in death."
The old woman struck with all her might, causing the man to writhe on the ground in pain.
None of the onlookers raised a hand to intervene. Instead, they shouted loudly, "Hit him harder! If you beat him to death, you three will have less trouble."
The man was so angry he wished he could die on the spot.
Yet, no one pitied him. Everyone looked at him with contempt and disgust.
Fu Yu and his family stopped walking, wanting to see what was happening.
Seeing that the blind old woman had control of the situation and was beating the man, who was "yelping" in pain, the family's previously worried hearts immediately felt relieved.
Just as everyone thought the matter was settled, a slurred curse came from not far away.
"I, I say, Liu Er, you worthless scoundrel, you said you'd go home to get the silver, where did you get the silver from, from your mother?"
Liu Er, who was groaning on the ground, heard the stuttering man's voice and immediately perked up as if injected with chicken blood. He pushed away the blind old woman and scrambled towards the sound.
However, after running a couple of steps, he seemed to remember something. He turned back, snatched the boy from the young woman's arms, and ran off with him.
Everyone was stunned by this turn of events. Seeing the man run off with the boy, they forgot to stop him.
The man thought he had succeeded and was secretly pleased. Unexpectedly, two small figures darted out from the side. One kicked him, and the other reached out to grab the child.
Fu Xin Ci had not expected her two younger brothers to be so fierce, their actions even faster than hers.
When Ning Er snatched the boy from the man's arms, he dragged him and ran back towards his sister.
As the little one ran, he comforted the boy, "Don't be afraid, I'll take you to my sister and brother-in-law. They are very capable; they even drove away the Japanese pirates."
"Mhm."
The boy trusted the little brother who had rescued him and followed him without reservation.
When they ran back to their sister and brother-in-law, they looked back.
Yu'er was also furious. Without hesitation, he straddled the man's lower back and swung his small fists like drumsticks, each punch landing squarely on the man.
Sister had taught him where to punch to make it hurt more.
"Ah, ahh."
As the man's screams intensified, the onlookers' contempt grew.
"Look, what sin has this blind old woman committed, raising such a thing."
"Yes, how much strength can a young boy have? He's crying as if his father just died."
"Don't praise him. He didn't cry when his father died; he was sitting at the gambling table playing dice."
Fu Yu had initially disapproved of his son resorting to force, but as he listened, it became more and more unbearable, to the point where he wished he could go up and beat the scoundrel himself to vent his anger.
Qi He had also been watching closely, afraid that Yu'er would be at a disadvantage.
But how could Yu'er be at a disadvantage? He had been taught by both his sister and Qi Ge. His little fists were painful when they hit.
Especially in his fury, he pounded the man until he was begging for mercy.
"Sixth Brother Cui, help! If you don't come to save your brother, your brother will be beaten to death!"
The blind old woman: "If he's beaten to death, it'll be less trouble."
The young woman: Serves him right if he's beaten to death.