I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 24 A False Alarm

Zhang Dezhong had just opened his eyes when all he could see was a blurry, bloody scene, and all he could hear was a cacophony of shouts.

He moved his lips, and a hoarse sound came from his throat.

"Dezhong...Dezhong, you're awake?" Wang Guifen, who was holding Zhang Dezhong in her arms, looked at him as his eyelids twitched slightly and subconsciously patted his face.

The movements were not gentle, carrying the usual rudeness.

Two sharp slaps landed right near the injured temple.

Zhang Dezhong hissed and gasped, a dull ache shooting through his head, instantly clearing his head. The wound on his forehead burned with pain.

The image of that carrying pole hitting him flashed through his mind, and a wave of fear washed over him, making Zhang Dezhong feel cold all over.

What if he really died? Just like that, beaten to death by his own brother with a carrying pole?

The thought sent a chill down his spine, followed by an overwhelming surge of anger and resentment.

With Wang Guifen's help, Zhang Dezhong managed to sit up, his eyes still somewhat glazed over as he stared blankly at the chaotic scene in the courtyard.

Zhang Dequan was being held tightly by several villagers, his body covered in dust and his face covered in blood; on the other side, his son Zhang Jianguo was also being held back by several people, clutching a shovel in his hand, veins bulging on his forehead, looking ready to pounce and fight to the death.

"You...you all..." Zhang Dezhong's voice was dry and trembling.

When Wang Guifen saw that he was awake, she immediately started wailing at the top of her lungs.

"Dezhong! You're finally awake! If anything had happened to you, how would we live?! Third Brother is going to beat you to death! How could he do this to his own brother!"

The crying was like a key, instantly unlocking the door to Zhang Dezhong's emotions.

"Wah—" This man, who was almost fifty years old, actually burst into tears, his tears mixed with blood streaming down his face.

He pointed at Zhang Dequan, his voice hoarse and trembling.

"Third brother! Third brother, you...you really want to kill me? Huh? I'm your own older brother!"

When Zhang Dequan saw that he was awake, the tension in his heart suddenly eased—it was good that the man was not dead.

But hearing his older brother's cries and questions, the anger that had been building up for years suddenly flared up again.

"I'll beat you to death? Zhang Dezhong, have you no conscience?!" Zhang Dequan struggled, the veins on his neck bulging. "Your son colluded with outsiders to bully my Cui Cui, pushing her onto a rock, leaving a trail of blood! And your wife even said Cui Cui fell on her own! Are your whole family human beings?!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Zhang Dezhong, stung by the attack, cried out even louder, "What's the big deal about kids playing around? You're trying to kill me right off the bat! Look at what's happening here! Look at what's going on!"

"That's what you deserve!" Zhang Dequan roared back. "If anything happens to my daughter, I'll slaughter your whole family!"

"Come on! Come and kill me!" Zhang Dezhong lost control of his emotions, sitting on the ground crying and cursing like a child throwing a tantrum.

Watching his father and third uncle hurling insults at each other, and seeing the glaring red blood on his father's head, Zhang Jianguo completely lost his composure.

"You're still cursing my dad even in this state!" He suddenly broke free from the villagers holding him, swung his shovel, and charged forward. "I'll fight you to the death!"

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

Zhang Beichuan rushed into the yard and immediately saw the chaotic scene—his grandfather, Zhang Dequan, was being dragged away, his face covered in blood; Zhang Dezhong was sitting on the ground crying and cursing, while Zhang Jianguo was holding a shovel, ready to pounce on him.

Without hesitation, Zhang Beichuan rushed forward and kicked Zhang Jianguo hard in the side just before the shovel was about to fall.

"Bang!"

Caught off guard, Zhang Jianguo was thrown to the ground, the shovel slipping from his hand and crashing to the ground with a thud. He groaned, clutching his waist and curling up in pain.

The courtyard fell silent instantly as everyone turned to look at the young man who had suddenly appeared—Zhang Beichuan, panting heavily, stood in the center of the courtyard, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd.

When Zhang Dequan saw him, he was stunned at first, and then, like a child who had done something wrong, he didn't dare to look into Lao Yao's eyes and hastily wiped the blood off his face.

Zhang Beichuan walked quickly to his grandfather's side, carefully examined the injuries on his face, and then glanced at Zhang Dezhong sitting on the ground—the wound on his forehead was still bleeding.

But since the person can cry and curse, it means they are conscious and not in immediate danger.

He calmed himself down a bit and turned to look at Doctor Liu, who had just entered the courtyard.

"Dr. Liu, could you please treat my eldest brother and third brother's wounds first?"

Doctor Liu glanced at Zhang Dequan, then at Zhang Dezhong, picked up his medicine box, and strode towards Zhang Dezhong. He opened the box and began cleaning the wound.

In just a few minutes, Dr. Liu had cleaned Zhang Dezhong's wound. The wound wasn't big, and he had fainted, probably because he had been knocked unconscious by the carrying pole.

Next, he cleaned Zhang Dequan's wound, which was in a similar condition to Zhang Dezhong's, except that his wound was deeper.

"The wounds aren't too big, but it's best to get them stitched up at the county hospital."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lan Xiuying, who was on her way to find a car, ran into Captain Shi Qiang, who was slowly coming to help. The two of them came over together.

"Wait...didn't they say you were beaten to death?"

Hearing his sister-in-law Lan Xiuying's words, Zhang Dezhong was speechless. Was he really so deserving of death?

Looking at Zhang Dezhong, who was perfectly fine but was now crying and making a fuss, and considering what Doctor Liu had just said, Shi Qiang felt a little disappointed.

"Dequan..." Lan Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief, walked to her husband's side, and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you alright?"

Zhang Dequan shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine. Where's Cuicui?"

"Cui Cui's bandaged up, she's in the back. They said she needs to go to the county hospital for stitches." Lan Xiuying wiped away her tears, gestured towards the outside, then looked at Zhang Dezhong, "Where's Zhang Jianjun? Tell him to get out here! We need to have a serious talk with him in front of so many people today!"

"Fine, go ahead and say it! Who's afraid of who!" Wang Guifen pointed at Zhang Dezhong's head. "Everyone, look, look..."

Seeing that Wang Guifen was still as stubborn as a mule even at this point, Lan Xiuying tried to change the subject and slapped her across the face.

With a "smack," Wang Guifen was stunned and it took her a long time to come to her senses before she covered her face and burst into tears.

"Is there no justice left in the world...?"

"Alright! Stop howling!" Still oblivious, Shi Qiang spoke up at the opportune moment, walking through the middle of the courtyard with his hands behind his back. His gaze swept over Zhang Dezhong and Zhang Dequan, finally landing on Zhang Beichuan. "Zhang Beichuan, right?"

Zhang Beichuan, who was pondering how to handle the current situation, looked up at him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Shi Qiang, the captain of the second team in Shihe Village. What do you suggest we do about this situation?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Beichuan's gaze immediately changed.

The whole thing started when Shi Lei and Zhang Jianjun pushed Cuicui down. Zhang Dequan was furious and went to his older brother's house, which led to an argument between the two brothers and the current situation.

That brat Shi Lei dared to instigate his follower Zhang Jianjun to bully Cuicui, just because his dad is the team leader.

That brat, either he's a born bad seed, or his parents didn't raise him well and he's been spoiled rotten ever since!

As the saying goes, if a child is not taught, it is the father's fault.

This score needs to be settled in front of everyone, but not now.

"Captain Shi!" Zhang Beichuan suppressed his anger. "The most important thing is to get Cuicui, my third brother, and Zhang Dezhong to the hospital to treat their wounds. We can talk about the rest after the hospital is done."

Hearing the anger in his words, Shi Qiang, who was confident of victory, couldn't understand why this kid still dared to be so arrogant.

"Okay, let's take him to the hospital first!"

Upon hearing that they were all going to be sent to the hospital, Lan Xiuying quickly pulled Zhang Beichuan aside.

"Xiao Chuan, this...this needs to be taken to the hospital..."

Seeing the awkward look on his grandmother's face, Zhang Beichuan roughly guessed what had happened.

If they were to be taken to the hospital, the medical expenses for both of them would be a considerable sum.

However, to avoid his aunt repeating the same mistake and to ensure that his grandfather Zhang Dequan's head was not damaged, he said calmly.

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about money, I have money."

"Can......"

"Sister-in-law, no 'buts'! Saving lives is the priority!"