Volume One, Chapter 13: Mastering the Art of Calculated Strategy

Guo Dong reacted swiftly! As soon as he charged forward, he grabbed the man holding the beer bottle. With just a gentle pull and push, the man’s body immediately staggered backward. Losing his footing, he collided with the table! The force was so great that even he didn’t expect it. This wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened—once before when he pushed Li Tianhu. Back then, even though Grandpa was hurt, he hadn’t cared. But at this moment, realization dawned on him! The sudden surge of strength had to be related to the ancestral gourd. However, this was not the time to study the gourd. Seeing several others rushing toward them, Guo Dong grabbed the still stunned Li Tianhu and ran! A brave man doesn’t suffer unnecessary losses; strength doesn’t always win against numbers. Indeed, numbers are the decisive factor! “Get in the car!” Guo Dong acted quickly. Just as someone charged forward, he sent out a flying kick. What a surprise! The man in front was launched out, flying over ten meters. If he hadn’t crashed into a nearby signboard, he would have fallen flat on his face. Li Tianhu, who had just gotten in the car, was dumbfounded. Growing up playing with Guo Dong, he knew exactly how strong Guo Dong was. When did he become this formidable? But now was not the time to dwell on this. Just as the car started with a roar, they sped away in the blink of an eye. “爽!” Li Tianhu grinned excitedly, suppressing the pain from his wound as he watched the group fade into the distance. Guo Dong had no way to handle this guy. Driving seriously, he shouted, “Are you stupid? Why didn’t you call the police when this happened? Why come to me?” “My phone’s not with me. How am I supposed to call the police?” Only then did Guo Dong realize the call he received was not from Li Tianhu but an unfamiliar voice. “You damn well aren’t going to run?” Now was clearly not the time to argue. Seeing Li Tianhu silent, Guo Dong drove straight toward his own home. Going back to Li Tianhu’s house now was just asking for trouble. As dusk fell, the entire village was deserted; everyone was home eating dinner. Who wanders outside at this hour? Yet, just as the car stopped at his doorstep, Guo Dong sensed something was wrong.

At that moment, Heizi suddenly burst out of the yard and lunged at him. Heizi, who should have been at Li Tianhu’s house, appearing here meant something significant. Sure enough, two men came out from the yard: Grandpa Guo An and Li Tianhu's father, Li Huasheng. As soon as they stepped out, Li Huasheng rushed forward. “I knew it, you brat! Staying out this late, not coming home, off drinking with others, right?” Before Li Tianhu could even get out of the car, a large hand grabbed his ear, yanking him forcibly out. Slaps rained down on Li Tianhu’s body. Guo Dong watched, nearly unable to bear it. It hurt! “Uncle, let’s talk this through, no need to hit!” “Huasheng, the kid’s just ignorant. You can’t keep hitting him like this. He’s grown up now—don’t you feel ashamed?” The grandfather and grandson tried to mediate, but neither stepped forward to intervene. “Not hitting him? If I don’t, he’ll think he’s untouchable! He just quit gambling recently, and now he’s obsessed with drinking. You… Are you trying to kill me with worry or what?” The angrier he got, the harder the blows fell. One slap caught Li Tianhu, who had been covering his head, making him cough suddenly—and blood spat from his mouth. This terrified Li Huasheng. He quickly supported Li Tianhu, his face darkened. “What’s going on? How…” Guo Dong was also startled and hurried forward to help Li Tianhu inside. Only then did Li Huasheng notice the wounds on his son’s face. “Did you get into a fight?” Li Tianhu lowered his head, unable to respond. He’d been afraid of Li Huasheng since childhood. Growing up was tough for him; he’d been beaten with sticks since he was little. “Uncle, this really isn’t Tianhu’s fault. When I arrived, there were four or five of them. He barely escaped. You think he’d provoke others alone? He’s not crazy!” Hearing this, Li Tianhu wanted to argue but noticed Guo Dong grabbing his wrist, checking his pulse. Guo Dong had learned traditional Chinese medicine from Grandpa Guo An, which both father and son knew. But nowadays, even a headache or fever would send people to Western doctors—who still trusted traditional medicine? “This kid, I really can’t say anything! He ignores the good and hangs out with riffraff every day. You should learn from Jell-O. That guy made three hundred thousand yuan in a single day just selling peaches!” “Hah, a few peaches… how much could that be?” Li Tianhu thought he misheard, instinctively looking at Guo Dong, who was still examining his pulse with a gloomy expression. Seeing the blood, Guo Dong feared internal injury, but after checking the pulse, found nothing wrong. Perhaps the bleeding was just a minor mouth injury, a ruse to make his old man worry. “Three hundred thousand!” Li Huasheng said irritably. “And that was just today’s earnings. Tomorrow, the peach buyer will come again, and they plan to collect for three days!” Li Tianhu couldn’t stay calm anymore. At that moment, he stopped pretending. He suddenly stood up and fixed his gaze on Guo Dong. “Jell-O, is what my dad said true?” Guo Dong smiled and nodded. “I… you… you’re rich now!” “Rich? I’ve already used it all to pay off debts!” “Debts?” Hearing this, Li Tianhu immediately reacted, “What about the money you owe me? Jell-O, we can’t be like this. What you owe others is money, but what you owe me is just paper? We agreed yesterday—you’d pay me back first. I’m waiting for you to sell the peaches and pay me. If you don’t pay today, I’ll take your stuff!” Slap! A hand landed on Li Tianhu’s head. “You’ve forgotten your pain, haven’t you? What money? Jell-O doesn’t need your few thousand yuan. Alright, don’t go home tonight. Stay here for the night. If you go back like this, your mom will beat you again. By the way, Jell-O, is he alright?” Father and son after all, Li Huasheng was concerned about his son's injury. “Nothing serious. Rest for a night, I’ll apply some bruise medicine, and he’ll be fine.” Hearing this, Li Huasheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright then, if there’s nothing wrong, I’ll head back. Your aunt is waiting for me to have dinner.” With that, he greeted Guo An and rode off on his motorcycle. Inside the house, Li Tianhu grabbed Guo Dong. “Honestly, did you really make three hundred thousand?” Guo Dong laughed, pulling out his phone and shaking it in front of him. “Yeah, you’re really something—silent before, now a thunderous success! Hurry up and pay me back. I’ll waive the interest, but from now on, when selling peaches, I have to handle the transport!” Always calculating! Even when wounded like this, he didn’t forget his business.