PCJ – Chapter 342 No Big Deal, Just Beating Up the Youngsters

Zhang Jiaohua suddenly came to his senses and realized that the sky had already darkened. He had been practicing boxing non-stop all day.

“Oh no, I’ve been out all day! Mom and Dad must be worried sick. When I get home, I’m probably going to get a beating,” Zhang Jiaohua muttered as he rushed down the mountain.

Leopard, Fat Cat, and Little Chubby Monkey followed closely behind.

“You three are useless! You didn’t even wake me up! Now I’m in trouble. Mom’s definitely going to use a bamboo stick to spank me,” Zhang Jiaohua shifted the blame onto the three animals, who couldn’t speak.

Leopard, who understood Zhang Jiaohua’s words, barked twice in protest. It wasn’t that Leopard hadn’t tried to wake him up; Zhang Jiaohua just didn’t hear it. In frustration, Leopard nearly tumbled off the cliff, unable to climb as skillfully as Fat Cat or Little Chubby Monkey, and had to carefully edge its way down the rock face.

Fat Cat, though understanding, remained calm. It rolled its eyes and let out a soft “meow,” as if expressing its displeasure. Watching Leopard cautiously maneuver along the cliff, Fat Cat trembled slightly, shaking its chubby body.

Little Chubby Monkey, on the other hand, didn’t understand any of the scolding and didn’t care. Every now and then, it pulled snacks out of the small pouch that Liu Qiaoye had sewn for it, eating happily. The little pouch was specially made for storing Little Chubby Monkey’s favorite snacks—mainly peanuts and sunflower seeds. No one else could get their hands on the snacks, except for Zhang Jiaohua, who could occasionally grab some from the pouch. Little Chubby Monkey often shared its snacks with Zhang Jiaohua, so much so that neither Leopard nor Fat Cat dared to mess with it.

Fat Cat’s stomach growled when it heard Little Chubby Monkey eating, despite having eaten earlier. Its strong digestive system made it hungry again, and it slowly approached Little Chubby Monkey, hoping for a bite. But before it could get close, Little Chubby Monkey squeaked in alarm.

“Fat Cat, don’t bully Little Chubby. Otherwise, my mom won’t spare you,” Zhang Jiaohua warned.

Fat Cat looked wronged, having been scolded before even touching Little Chubby Monkey.

Little Chubby Monkey smugly pulled out a piece of candy from its pouch and handed it to Zhang Jiaohua.

“Little Chubby, you even snuck out my candy? Mom has really spoiled you,” Zhang Jiaohua said, accepting the candy and popping it into his mouth.

Just then, Leopard suddenly dashed toward Meizi’ao with urgency.

Zhang Jiaohua knew something must be up—Leopard’s senses were far superior to his own.

Leopard’s barks echoed through the quiet night, and soon, dogs from the distant woods responded with their own barking.

“That’s the mountain patrol dogs!” Zhang Jiaohua immediately recognized the sound. Only when the patrol dogs were out would there be such a large commotion.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly realized what was happening. His parents must have gotten worried since he hadn’t returned home and came looking for him, smartly bringing the patrol dogs along.

Zhang Youping led a group of young men, following the pack of patrol dogs into the mountains. They hadn’t gone far before the dogs started barking wildly.

“Brother Youping, what’s going on with the dogs?” Zhang Qigao asked.

“They’ve probably found Jiaohua,” Zhang Youping said excitedly.

“Then let’s hurry over!” Zhang Qigao urged.

But Zhang Youping waved him off. “Let’s just wait here. Since the dogs have found something, if Jiaohua is nearby, he’ll come to us. It’s harder for us to search for him.”

Hearing that there was news about Zhang Jiaohua, Zhang Youping finally relaxed a bit and wasn’t as anxious as before.

“I told you Jiaohua would be fine,” Zhang Dayun said.

“Dayun, thank you so much this time. I know you’ve got a lot going on at home, but you still came to help,” Zhang Youping said, touched.

“Hey, come on now, what are you saying? Jiaohua’s helped me so much. If I didn’t come to help when you needed it, would I still be considered human? Besides, my dad’s leg is getting better now, and though he can’t do heavy work, we can manage at home. My mom also said her vision seems to be improving—she can see shadows. Maybe she’ll fully regain her sight one day. It’s all thanks to Jiaohua. I’d even risk my life for him,” Zhang Dayun said, pounding his chest.

“Don’t worry, Jiaohua will be fine. There’s no need for anyone to risk their life,” Zhang Youping laughed.

Zhang Qigao chimed in with a grin, “Brother Dayun, once your mom and dad are better, it’ll be time for you to get married. Don’t worry about not having anything. Once your tea plantation starts producing, you’ll have your pick of girls from miles around. A man in his forties is in his prime!”

“That’s right! People have already come to me with marriage proposals for you, but I turned them down because the girl was too ugly. I told her, ‘Looking like that, you dare to go after Brother Dayun? You should look in a mirror!’” Zhang Jingbing laughed.

“Dayun’s a decent guy, don’t mess with him. But honestly, in a few years, he’ll definitely find a good wife. These days, there are so many ways to make money. As long as you’re not lazy and are in good health, you can earn a living anywhere. Dayun could make it even without the tea plantation—he’s strong and hardworking. Who else could tackle a mountain like he did?” Zhang Youping said.

“Youping, you’re exaggerating. I only have physical strength, not much brains. I can earn some hard money, but that’s about it,” Zhang Dayun said, a little embarrassed.

“But you’re earning solid money now. Dayun, you’re actually the smartest one in the village. You saw Jiaohua’s nursery making a profit and immediately followed suit with your tea plantation. You’re the leader of the village in this. You even got the first batch of free tea saplings from the county! Who else could’ve managed that?” Zhang Qigao said.

“That’s true,” Zhang Jingbing nodded in agreement. “It was Dayun who first thought of planting tea on the barren hills.”

Zhang Jiaohua ran down the mountain and quickly reached the area where Zhang Youping and the others were waiting.

“Dad, why are so many of you here?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in surprise when he saw the crowd from the village.

“You brat! Why didn’t you come home earlier? Do you know how dangerous the mountains are at night? The whole village is awake because of you. Just wait until we get home—I’ll deal with you then,” Zhang Youping said, pretending to be angry and ready to hit Zhang Jiaohua, though he knew he could never catch him.

As expected, Zhang Dayun quickly stepped in, hugging Zhang Youping’s waist. “Youping, calm down. Don’t hit Jiaohua!”

Dayun’s grip was so strong that Zhang Youping felt like he was being crushed by two steel bars, struggling to breathe.

“Dayun, let go! You’re squeezing the life out of me!” Zhang Youping gasped, finally breaking free from Dayun’s grip.

“I’ll let you go, but don’t hit Jiaohua!” Zhang Dayun stood in front of Zhang Youping.

“Dayun, do you really think Youping would hit Jiaohua? Can’t you tell he’s just putting on a show? Youping, here, take this stick and go hit Jiaohua. I promise I won’t stop you,” Zhang Qigao teased, handing a metal rod to Zhang Youping.

“Get out of here! Stop stirring things up,” Zhang Youping laughed, refusing the rod. He wouldn’t hit his son—not even with a bamboo stick. It was all for show, and everyone knew it, except Dayun, who took it seriously.

“Youping, you really shouldn’t hit Jiaohua,” Dayun insisted.

“Relax, Dayun. If anyone’s going to hit Jiaohua, it’d be Qiaoye. You’ve never seen Youping lay a hand on him,” Zhang Qigao added.

“Uncle Qigao, why are you always hoping my dad will hit me? I even helped you build a bridge at your place. Isn’t Aunt Chun’e pregnant now? I’ll go and tell her that you’re plotting against me,” Zhang Jiaohua complained.

“No, no, don’t tell Chun’e!” Zhang Qigao begged.

“Uncle Qigao, you’re the most afraid of your wife. Last time I visited, I saw you kneeling on a washboard, sweet-talking Aunt Chun’e,” Zhang Jiaohua said, and everyone burst into laughter.

“That’s nonsense! My knees were just itchy, and I was scratching them on the washboard,” Zhang Qigao awkwardly defended himself.

Zhang Jingbing laughed uncontrollably. “Qigao, stop lying! Everyone in the village knows you’re afraid of your wife. There was even that time you got so scared, you crawled under the bed! I heard Aunt Chun’e shouting, ‘Qigao, are you coming out or not? You call yourself a man? Hiding under the bed—aren’t you ashamed?’ You can fool the kids, but not us. We’ve all seen it!”

“I wasn’t hiding! I was cleaning under the bed,” Zhang Qigao blurted, trying to save face.

“Enough of your excuses, Qigao. Jiaohua, tell us, why did you stay out so late?” Zhang Youping interrupted.

“I was practicing boxing on the mountain, Dad. I lost track of time,” Zhang Jiaohua said, lowering his head.

“Practicing boxing? That’s fine, but you need to come home before dark next time. Otherwise, you’ll worry your mom and me. Do you know how many people came out looking for you?” Zhang Youping said sternly.

“I know, Dad. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time,” Zhang Jiaohua promised.