"Zhuzi, look! Isn't that Da Tou getting beaten over there?"
"What?" Zhuzi, who was in the middle of playing "Constable Catches the Thief," immediately stopped and followed the direction the captured "thief" was pointing.
In the corner, Da Tou lay on the ground, being helped up by a child about his age, while Da Shan and several older kids stood nearby, laughing arrogantly.
Zhuzi's eyes immediately turned red.
"How dare you bully my brother? You're asking for it." With that, he charged forward, crashing into Da Shan's chest and throwing him down, then rained a flurry of punches on him.
Da Shan's companions froze for a moment, then immediately surged forward to pull Zhuzi away.
Zhuzi was torn off Da Shan, who got up angrily: "How dare you ambush me! Fight me if you dare!"
Seeing his brother being attacked, Qin Yi, who had just been helped up by Wang Gensheng, immediately became anxious: "How dare you bully my brother? You're asking for it!" Without thinking, he charged with his little fists.
Wang Gensheng shouted: "Da Shan, come at me if you dare!" and also rushed forward.
"Zhuzi's being beaten!" Friends playing with Zhuzi saw this and immediately ran in to help.
The scene quickly descended into chaos—a mix of pushing, shoving, and random attacks. Children didn't distinguish friend from foe, striking anyone nearby, using whatever they could as weapons.
"Who is this? Don't pull my clothes, or Ah Niang will scold me!"
"Da Shan, you're hitting the wrong person."
"Who grabbed my hair from behind?"
"It's me, Zhuzi. You hit me."
"Ouch! Who stepped on my foot?"
Everyone was so mixed up they couldn't tell friend from enemy.
"Shuanzi, your brother's being beaten!"
Shuanzi, crouched playing with stones, threw them aside, stood up, and saw Zhuzi and the others being pushed around by Da Shan's group.
Furious, he shouted: "Da Shan, how dare you bully my brothers? You're asking for it!" and charged in. Friends accustomed to playing with Shuanzi immediately followed.
The fight escalated, with more children joining in, making the chaos even worse. Spectators gathered—some cheering, some pleading to stop, others running to find adults.
Zhenniang, weaving at home, heard a child shouting outside: "Auntie! Auntie! Shuanzi and the others are fighting—come quickly!"
Startled, Zhenniang dropped her shuttle and rushed out, forgetting about her beloved loom. On her way, she met Xiuniang and Wannian, who were also coming because of the fight, their faces serious.
By the time Zhenniang arrived, some families near the east of the village had already separated the children.
Shuanzi shielded Zhuzi and Qin Yi, eyes fierce like a wolf, scanning for Da Shan and his followers.
Seeing Zhenniang, Shuanzi relaxed, tears streaming down, and guided Zhuzi and Da Tou toward her: "Ah Niang! Da Shan and his gang bullied my brothers!"
Zhuzi pulled free, hugging Zhenniang's leg: "Ah Niang! Da Shan's group beat up Da Tou! I went to protect him, and they all attacked me! They're all bad kids!"
Zhenniang crouched, held Qin Yi, and gently patted his back: "It's okay, Da Tou. Don't be afraid. Ah Niang is here—no one will hurt you again."
Seeing Zhenniang only hug Da Tou, Zhuzi protested, tugging at her leg. Remembering her previous lesson about favoritism, Zhenniang quickly released Da Tou and wrapped her arms around Shuanzi and Zhuzi too: "Good, both of you did well. Ah Niang is hugging you all."
Da Shan's mother, Qingniang, realizing her son caused the fight, approached to apologize: "Zhenniang, regarding this matter…"
Zhenniang interrupted firmly: "I'm just a woman at home; this matter should wait for our husband to decide." Qingniang nodded and then scolded Da Shan herself, tugging his ear.
Soon, Qin Yong ran over. Seeing all the children unharmed, he slowed down and approached Zhenniang.
Zhuzi spotted Qin Yong first, broke free, and hugged his father's leg: "Dad! I protected my brother first—wasn't I right?"
Qin Yong laughed, ruffled Zhuzi's hair, and said: "Yes, you did well." Then he bent down to pick up Zhuzi. Seeing Zhenniang's red eyes, he nodded, smiling, and picked up Shuanzi with his other hand: "Being an older brother means protecting your younger siblings. Well done—Dad is proud of you."
Hearing this, Zhuzi shouted: "Dad! I protected my brother first! Are you proud of me?"
"I am proud of you too."
End of Chapter