Chapter 39: It is better to be feared by others than to be bullied by them.

After dealing with the three small-time thugs, Xu Feng turned slowly, hoisting the hunting bow—now faintly stained with blood—onto his shoulder. He walked back to Wang Erhu, step by deliberate step. Wang Erhu’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud. This time, he was truly, genuinely terrified.

"Please... don't kill me... don't kill me..." he blubbered, tears and snot streaming down his face. A warm, wet sensation spread uncontrollably in his crotch, and the pungent stench of urine instantly filled the room. Xu Feng frowned in disgust and took a step back. He didn't look at Wang Erhu again, only tossing out a single sentence: "Remember: ten days."

With that, he turned, the longbow on his shoulder, and strode out of the foul-smelling room like a victorious general, leaving the wails and terror behind him without a backward glance. At the threshold, he paused. He didn't turn around, but his voice carried clearly into the room: "I forgot to tell you. This time, I came to talk to you myself. If I have to come back, it won't be me. My wife—she’s much more ruthless than I am when she gets started."

***

When Xu Feng returned to his courtyard, Lin Xue had already cleared away most of the mess. The greasy footprints and bone fragments were gone, replaced by the neat, sweeping patterns left in the dirt. Even the stray dogs seemed to realize there was a new master in charge, keeping their distance from the corner of the village and daring not to approach.

Lin Xue was bent over, trying to prop up the door that had been kicked in. The hinges were warped, however, and despite her best efforts, there was little she could do. Hearing his footsteps, she turned and saw Xu Feng walking in with his longbow. Her gaze fell first on the familiar weapon, then moved to his bruised and swollen face. There was no surprise in her eyes, as if she had expected all along that he would retrieve it. She simply let go of the door and hurried over, pulling a clean handkerchief from her bodice. Standing on tiptoe, she gently wiped the dried blood from the corner of his mouth. The movement seemed to irritate the wound, causing a fresh bead of blood to seep out. Her touch was light and tender, her eyes filled with an unconcealable ache for him.

Xu Feng let her tend to him, his nose filled with the faint, pleasant scent of soap on her skin. The hostility he had gathered at Wang Erhu’s house seemed to be washed away by her gentle actions and the clean aroma. He looked down at her, at her eyes, clear as water, and her long lashes that fluttered like tiny fans.

"Does it hurt?" she wrote, then held her palm out for him to see.

Xu Feng grinned, but the movement tugged at his wound, making him hiss in pain. "It doesn't hurt," he mumbled. "It feels like nothing more than an itch."

Lin Xue rolled her eyes at him—a look that held a mixture of feigned annoyance and the weary resignation of someone who knew better. She took his arm, led him to the stone steps under the eaves, and went back inside. A moment later, she returned with a bowl of warm salt water and a clean cloth. She crouched before him, dipped the cloth in the water, and carefully began to clean the wound on his chin.

As the salt water touched the broken skin, a sharp, stinging pain flared. Xu Feng involuntarily tensed, but he didn't pull away. He watched the woman crouching before him, observing the focus and sincerity on her profile. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, casting dappled shadows over her. In that moment, he suddenly felt that this dilapidated courtyard and this crumbling home were not so unbearable after all.

"We'll have meat for dinner tonight," he said suddenly, looking at her.

Lin Xue looked up, puzzled. Xu Feng pointed toward the west end of the village. "There's still half a pot of stew left at Wang Erhu's place. I told him to bring it over first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Xue's eyes widened. She looked at Xu Feng in disbelief, as if asking: *Will he really bring it?*

Xu Feng smiled. This time, enduring the pain, his smile carried a touch of triumph and mockery. "He will," he said with certainty. "Not only will he bring the meat, but he'll be begging us to accept it."

Lin Xue didn't fully understand, but seeing his air of absolute confidence, her lingering worries vanished. She knew that this man would always find a way to solve any problem. She lowered her head and continued tending to his wounds, though a faint, beautiful curve of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

***

The news that Xu Feng had stormed into Wang Erhu’s house single-handedly, knocked three thugs to the ground with a few blows, and forced Wang Erhu to kneel and beg for mercy spread through Old River Valley Village faster than if it had wings. In less than an hour, the entire village was in an uproar.

If his safe return from the Soviet military headquarters proved he had connections and backing, then his swift, decisive handling of the gang that had plagued the village for years proved his raw strength. A "cripple" with both connections and the ability to fight—the villagers’ perception of Xu Feng’s household shifted completely. The previous suspicion, the *schadenfreude*, and the disdain all vanished, replaced by a more primal emotion: awe.

Especially those who had joined in with Wang Erhu just yesterday to label Xu Feng a traitor; they were now trembling in their boots, terrified that Xu Feng would settle scores with them. Several families even quietly slaughtered their laying hens and boiled pots of chicken soup, sending their wives to deliver them to Xu Feng’s house under the guise of "helping Brother Feng calm his nerves."

Lin Xue looked at the villagers at the gate—those who had avoided her yesterday but were now wearing sycophantic smiles—and the various items in their hands. She felt momentarily at a loss.

Xu Feng, however, refused nothing. He accepted the gifts generously, saying politely, "Auntie, you're too kind, I couldn't possibly..." or "Big brother, you shouldn't have; come over for a drink another day."

His attitude only made the gift-bearers more anxious. They would have preferred for Xu Feng to curse them out rather than endure this "smile hiding a dagger" treatment. After sending off the last group of "well-wishers," Xu Feng held the two squawking chickens and laughed at the bewildered Lin Xue in the courtyard. "See? Some people are volunteering to provide dinner."

Lin Xue looked at him and shook her head. She wrote on her palm: "They are afraid of you."

"Fear is good," Xu Feng said, tying the chickens to a wooden stake and clapping his hands. "In a place like this, being feared is better than being bullied."

He walked over to the broken door, studied it, and then, with a few planks and nails, managed to patch the large hole for the time being. Having finished, he looked at this home that could now at least keep out the wind and rain, and then at the quiet Lin Xue by his side. For the first time, he felt the stirrings of a vague plan for the future.