"Lin's ancestor, if you spare me, I'll do anything." Wang Quezi, holding onto his last hope, begged while kowtowing.
Lin Fan chuckled playfully, "Anything?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Quezi nodded like a pecking chick.
"Come here tomorrow, and I'll arrange a bucket just for you," Lin Fan said with a wicked grin.
Just then, he perked up his ears, hearing faint footsteps nearby.
"No more wasting time," Lin Fan moved like lightning, grabbing Wang Quezi and Chang Mao one in each hand.
"No!"
"Spare us!"
"Little Fan, what are you doing?" Aunt Li shone her flashlight over, and upon seeing Lin Fan, she asked with confusion.
"Oh my god!" When the flashlight beam shone down, she instantly turned pale with shock, stumbled, and almost fell to the ground.
The scene was enough to haunt her for a lifetime.
Wang Quezi and Chang Mao were covered in filth, as if they had just crawled out of a cesspit, and were now retching uncontrollably on the ground.
Chang Mao, in particular, had a head of messy long hair, now damp and matted, looking utterly pathetic.
"Little Fan, what happened?"
"Taught two petty thieves a lesson."
Lin Fan smiled lightly, "Auntie, is your pigsty free yet?"
"We slaughtered the big pig last year, and there's only a small pig in the sty now. What do you need it for?" Aunt Li asked instinctively.
"Tie them up and lock them in. We'll send them to the village committee when it's morning, and let Secretary Tian decide whether to handle it publicly or privately," Lin Fan replied.
"In the pigsty..." Aunt Li looked at their state and thought, "Even my pigs would find them repulsive!"
"Why not let them go? Did anything go missing from your house, Little Fan?"
"Nothing was stolen, but if we let them go this easily, they wouldn't have learned their lesson and would surely become worse."
"Lin's ancestor, I swear I won't dare again. If I ever step foot in Luofeng Village again, you can break my legs." Wang Quezi, enduring the strong urge to vomit, looked up and promised.
Chang Mao had even vomited bile, struggling to speak clearly, only waving his hands and mumbling, "Won't dare."
"Little Fan, they're from a nearby village, aren't they?" In the dark and with Wang Quezi's face so filthy, Aunt Li hadn't recognized him.
"Yes, they are from nearby, that's why I want to teach them a lesson."
Lin Fan slammed his carrying pole onto the ground.
"You two, watch this."
He kicked the middle of the pole with all his might.
*Crack!*
A crisp sound.
The sturdy pole, made of locust wood, snapped into two pieces.
Wang Quezi and Chang Mao broke out in a cold sweat.
If he could break a pole with one kick, imagine what it would do to a person!
"I'll go get some rope. You two stay put."
Lin Fan snorted, "Believe me, before you can escape Luofeng Village, I'll catch up. And then... there's still a lot of this bucket of manure left."
Wang Quezi and Chang Mao shivered and nodded vigorously, daring not to disobey.
"Auntie, please keep an eye on them. Just call out if anything happens." Lin Fan handed the broken pole to Aunt Li.
"Little Fan, how can I do this? Why don't I go back and get your uncle?"
"No need, I'll be back soon."
"Alright then." Aunt Li gripped the pole tightly, staring fixedly at Wang Quezi and Chang Mao.
Lin Fan turned and disappeared into the darkness.
The night was exceptionally quiet.
Chang Mao, leaning to the side, signaled frantically to Wang Quezi from an angle Aunt Li couldn't see.
What a joke, just an old woman trying to watch two grown men.
This was a heaven-sent opportunity, if not now, then when!
However, Wang Quezi acted as if he were blind, dejected, ignoring Chang Mao's coughs and signals.
"Cough, cough, *urp*~" Chang Mao intended to feign vomiting to get Wang Quezi's attention, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the stench overwhelmed him, and his stomach churned violently.
Even as he vomited his guts out, Wang Quezi kept his head bowed, not looking at him.
Chang Mao picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it at him in a very concealed manner.
The pebble hit Wang Quezi's chest. He slowly raised his head, his eyes devoid of any light.
Chang Mao squinted and whispered, barely audible, "We split up and run. You go one way, I go the other. He can only chase one of us. Whoever he catches, it's their bad luck."
Wang Quezi remained unmoved, offering no response.
Yes, split up and run. Lin Fan could only chase one.
But one had nimble legs, the other was lame. Whom would he chase?
Wang Quezi was disheartened. Rather than let Chang Mao escape and bear the consequences alone, he decided to give up struggling.
"What are you two doing? Let me tell you, I was the captain of the militia when I was young. I know how to shoot, I'm not to be trifled with!" Aunt Li, sensing something was amiss, sternly reprimanded them.
"Alas!" Chang Mao saw that Wang Quezi had no intention of escaping and sighed, ceasing his desperate struggle.
Soon, Lin Fan returned with a bundle of hemp rope.
"Hey, you've been quite obedient."
He had expected Wang Quezi and Chang Mao to make a run for it, giving him a chance to catch them and finish dealing with the excrement.
To his surprise, they had stayed put, which was somewhat unexpected.
"I'm watching them, they can't escape."
Aunt Li breathed a sigh of relief, "Little Fan, do you need my help?"
"No, don't get your hands dirty."
Lin Fan made Chang Mao and Wang Quezi stand up, and despite their pitiful cries, he tied them up securely, just like pigs.
"Auntie, you lead the way."
Without much effort, he lifted them up, one in each arm.
"Oh, alright." Aunt Li was quite surprised. These were two grown men, and Lin Fan had stretched out his arms, holding them farther away from himself, which required more strength.
After all this was dealt with, the sky was already turning a pale white.
Wang Quezi and Chang Mao rolled around in the pigsty like worms, trying to find a clean spot.
The little pig, however, kept its distance from them, retreating to a corner.
"Little Fan, what if something happens to them?" Aunt Li worried, as she would be held accountable if something went wrong.
"Don't worry, Auntie. It's not cold, no one will die," Lin Fan reassured her.
"My old man and I can take turns watching them," Aunt Li suggested.
"Okay, I'll go back and wash up first. I can't stand the smell on me."
Lin Fan realized at this moment that he too had gotten some filth on himself.
"Secretary Tian should be awake by six-thirty. Go and call her then," Aunt Li reminded him.
"Will do." Lin Fan nodded and hurried towards the clinic.
He was so disgusted and uncomfortable that he took off his shirt and threw it away not long after leaving.
"What a waste of a shirt!"