C4 He Had Bought a House!

Xiao Ming's face stiffened momentarily before he rose to his feet and grasped the girl's hand: "Take it easy, Xiaoxiao. Tell me what's happening, but slowly."

The girl was the neighbor's daughter, Chen Xiaoxiao, and the aunt she mentioned was none other than his own mother, Tang Qing.

But Chen Xiaoxiao was frantic, tugging at Xiao Ming as she bolted outside. "There's no time to explain—just come with me, quickly!"

"Dad, I'm going to check it out." Soong Xixue watched them dash off and, after a brief hesitation, decided to follow. It was, after all, a matter concerning the family of her husband in name.

En route, Xiao Ming learned from Xiaoxiao about the ordeal, and his anger boiled over.

The village thug, Wang Dabiao, had his eyes set on expanding his orchard and had targeted the land near Xiao Ming's home. Today, he had come to coerce them into moving.

"I've been living here for nearly twenty years. Where do you expect me to go now?" Tang Qing's frail voice emerged amidst fits of coughing as Xiao Ming arrived home to find a crowd gathered at the door.

"Come on, Dabiao, this is too much. You're trying to buy their ancestral home for just a few thousand yuan?"

"That's the extent of your courage, preying on a family with no one to defend them?"

"He's lost all sense of morality."

The villagers murmured among themselves, their anger palpable yet unvoiced.

Wang Dabiao, however, was utterly indifferent to their whispers. He loomed over them and declared, "Auntie, I've tried reasoning with you, but you're not listening. Well then, don't blame me for what comes next."

He gestured ominously towards Tang Qing's house and barked an order: "Get to work."

His cronies, armed with tools, advanced on the house.

"This can't be happening, no!"

Tang Qing tried to intervene, but a dismissive gesture from Wang Dabiao sent her reeling, nearly toppling to the ground if not for the timely support from a shadowy figure.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm... cough, cough... I'm alright."

Tears welled up in Tang Qing's eyes as she saw her son, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Mom, take a moment to rest."

As the thugs neared the entrance, Xiao Ming handed his mother to Chen Xiaoxiao and stood resolutely in front of the house, ready to confront them alone.

"Hold it right there, everyone."

"Look who it is, if it isn't Mr. Fancy University," Wang Dabiao sneered mockingly, "What's the matter? Got a taste for the high life and now you think you can stand up to me?"

"You?" Xiao Ming let out a scornful laugh, "And what makes you think you're in my league?"

Wang Dabiao's expression turned stormy, a chilly glint in his eyes as he retorted, "Oh, getting bold, are we? Well, today..."

"Cut the crap," Xiao Ming cut him off sharply, "Beat it, and make sure you don't bother me again. Do that, and I might just spare you this once."

"You're asking for it, you know that?"

Enraged by Xiao Ming's words, Wang Dabiao bellowed, "Take him down!"

The thugs were about to move in when a fierce cry stopped them in their tracks.

"What do you think you're doing? Attacking someone in broad daylight? Have you forgotten about the police?"

Soong Xixue hurried onto the scene, her face creased with concern at the unfolding drama.

In these rural villages, wisdom was scarce, and violence was often the first resort.

"Well, well, if it isn't the stunning Miss Song," Wang Dabiao leered, eyeing Soong Xixue's figure with undisguised lust. "I've heard you're in the flesh trade down in the city. How about spending the night with me? I might just ease up on your family for a bit."

"What are you spouting?"

Soong Xixue was seething, her attempts at retort sounding feeble in her own ears.

Whispers and stares surrounded her, many of them tainted with lechery.

Soong Xixue felt a lump in her throat, the blatant, voiceless shame too much to bear.

"Watch your mouth. She's a respected doctor at the First Hospital in the provincial capital," Xiao Ming spoke up, causing Soong Xixue's heart to stir.

But Wang Dabiao just laughed, "Get lost, you white knight. You actually believe that? Well, if it doesn't bother you, I'll make sure you're wearing a colorful hat by tonight."

"Get lost."

The words came from Xiao Ming, cold and final.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Wang Dabiao's face was a mask of fury as he swung a slap in retaliation.

But his hand was caught mid-strike by Xiao Ming, who held it effortlessly.

Xiao Ming still harbored a trace of the spiritual energy from his rebirth. It was a mere shadow of his former life's power, but more than enough to handle a few mere mortals.

"Thud."

Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Ming delivered a kick to Wang Dabiao's midsection, sending him soaring through the air for a good four or five meters.

"Ow, that hurts, that really hurts..."

It took Wang Dabiao quite some time to clamber back to his feet, only to bellow, "What are you standing around for? Get him! Take him down!"

As the mob of thugs rushed him, Xiao Ming let out a scornful chuckle. With a flurry of punches and kicks, he floored them so swiftly that the onlookers couldn't even follow his moves.

The villagers exchanged bewildered glances as the ruffians lay scattered on the ground. They remembered Xiao Ming as a timid boy, too weak to even wring a chicken's neck, and now he was displaying such formidable strength.

Unconcerned with their shock, Xiao Ming strode over to Wang Dabiao, hoisted him up with one hand, and said, "This is your last chance. Get lost."

Wang Dabiao, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, retorted grimly, "No can do. Take a look at this, will you?"

He produced a crumpled, yellowed sheet of paper from his coat.

"Your family has been renting this land since you moved to the village, and it's never come up before. But the village is in debt to me now, and this land is collateral. It's all there in black and white. Let's talk facts."

The crowd shook their heads in silent disapproval, noting the sudden appeal to reason.

"Xiao Ming, what do we do now?" Tang Qing asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Don't fret, Mom. I've got this," Xiao Ming reassured her, brandishing the document. "According to this, our family has the first right of refusal to buy this land. You have to acknowledge that, even if it's being used to settle a debt."

Wang Dabiao's eyes darted about as he replied, "Sure, but the land is being used to pay off my debt now. Unless you're ready to cover the eighty thousand yuan the village owes me, to the last cent, I couldn't care less about your so-called priority."

Upon hearing the news, the villagers couldn't help but hurl insults, deeming it shameless.

Soong Xixue also furrowed her brow in concern. No matter how you sliced it, a plot of land in the village couldn't possibly fetch eighty thousand yuan. Unlike city prices, which were clearly marked, the cost here was simply whatever the village committee declared.

Given that the land had cleared a debt of eighty thousand yuan, repurchasing it for the same amount seemed fair, and even the police would be powerless to dispute it.

The situation was exceedingly tricky.

Soong Xixue was mulling over stepping forward to shoulder the debt when Xiao Ming preempted her, "Fine, we'll do it your way, but I'll need some time."

"No, I can't..."

Wang Dabiao started to object, but catching sight of his henchman's injuries, he hesitated, then conceded, "Okay, I'll grant you a few days. But you'll need to put down some earnest money, like a down payment on a house in the city."

Caught off guard, Xiao Ming asked with a stern tone, "How much are you asking for?"

"Four..." Wang Dabiao, feeling somewhat sheepish, finally clenched his teeth and said, "At the very least, twenty thousand."

"Fine."

Xiao Ming consented without hesitation, then uttered a statement that incensed everyone present, "Mom, bring out all the remaining money we have at home."