Street Stories: A True Account of a Group of Blind Men in the Underworld

That sharp shout abruptly shattered the newly ignited hope in the Civil Affairs Department, extinguishing all the warmth that filled the room.

Hearing the sound, everyone looked over and saw that the doorway was blocked by four or five people. The woman in the lead stood with her hands on her hips, her face fierce and her demeanor domineering; she was Hong Fei's mother.

The men following behind her were all burly and strong, clearly there to cause trouble with a ruthless attitude.

Li You's heart, which was already in her throat, suddenly plummeted into an ice cave. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, and she instinctively shrank behind Qiao Yang, her face full of panic and fear.

Hong's mother swaggered in arrogantly, pointed at Qiao Yang and Li You, and began to hurl insults while spitting as she did so:

"You two are utterly useless! Not content with causing trouble in the village, you've come all the way to the county to file a false complaint! What right do you two outsiders have to interfere in my daughter's marriage?"

After finishing her tirade, she turned to look at the head of the civil affairs department, her face instantly plastered with a fawning smile, but her tone carried the shrewishness and unreasonable behavior typical of a rural shrew:

"Sir, please don't listen to their nonsense! These two are just fortune tellers who go around swindling people, trying to cheat my daughter! We're just country folk, no need for the government to bother with our family matters!"

Several men from his clan immediately joined in the commotion, shouting and hurling insults.

"Exactly! A blind man wanting to get married? That's just wishful thinking!"

"Get back to your humble country home and stop embarrassing yourself in front of the county government!"

In an instant, the small office became noisy and bustling. The staff who had initially sympathized with Qiao Yang and Li You gradually changed their expressions, and their eyes showed more hesitation.

Li You was so angry that he trembled all over. He was timid by nature and couldn't utter a single curse after holding it in for a long time. His chest heaved violently and tears welled up in his eyes.

Qiao Yang stepped forward steadily, firmly shielding Li You behind him. His face was as cold as the frost outside, but his voice was not tinged with panic:

"Aunt Hong, you need to speak from your conscience. Li You and Hong Fei are in love and treat each other sincerely. When have they ever lied to anyone? You forced them into a marriage and separated them, clearly violating the marriage law, and yet you still think you're right?"

"Marriage law?" Mother Hong sneered, her face full of disdain and arrogance. "In our village, the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words are law! What law can possibly be greater than the old principles passed down from our ancestors?"

As she spoke, she raised her hand to pull Li You, her eyes filled with a fierce look:

"I'm telling you right now! Give up on that idea! My Feifei is already betrothed to a good family, the betrothal gifts have been collected, and she'll be marrying into the family in a few days! My good girl isn't going to suffer with a blind man like you!"

"You dare!"

Qiao Yang suddenly let out a low shout, his aura surging, and a chilling killing intent swept over everyone:

"Freedom of marriage is a national law, and no one can arbitrarily change it! If you dare to force me into marriage, you are violating the law, and that is intolerable!"

"Illegal?" Hong's mother was stunned for a moment by his shout, then resumed her tantrum, hands on her hips and stomping her feet. "So what if I forced you? I want to see what you two blind men can do to me!"

The head of the Civil Affairs Department's face darkened completely. He slammed his hand on his desk, and his stern shout silenced the entire room.

"Enough! This is a government office building. How dare you cause such a ruckus here!"

This commanding voice was so authoritative that Hong's mother and the others immediately fell silent, their arrogance diminished considerably, but they still turned their heads and grumbled defiantly.

The person in charge stepped forward to Qiao Yang and Li You, his tone extremely solemn:

"We have a clear understanding of your situation, as well as Mr. Li's marriage to Ms. Hong. The government will absolutely not stand idly by and interfere with others' freedom of marriage!"

He turned to look at Hong's mother and her group, his expression growing increasingly serious:

"Did you really ask Miss Hongfei about her own wishes? The new Marriage Law has long been in effect, strictly prohibiting arranged and purchased marriages, and even more so, it cannot arbitrarily discriminate against or deprive someone of their right to marry simply because they have a physical disability!"

Hong's mother's expression suddenly changed, and she immediately adopted a pitiful and aggrieved demeanor:

"Sir, sir, they're both blind and can't do any work. If they get married, who will support whom...?"

"Whether they can live together or not is their business, and it's not up to outsiders to dictate!" the person in charge interrupted coldly. "Within three days, bring Hong Fei to the village so we can question him in person."

If she truly consented to the marriage, the government will not interfere; however, if you have coerced or forced her, this matter will be dealt with seriously according to the law!

Upon hearing this, Hong's mother and the others were speechless, their faces turning pale and then red, and their previous arrogance vanished.

Qiao Yang felt a surge of excitement, and his tense mind relaxed slightly. He knew that in this round, they had finally gained the upper hand in terms of law and reason.

Li You was so excited that he trembled all over, and choked up as he repeatedly expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you, boss... Thank you, boss..."

The person in charge instructed staff to persuade the unreasonable Hong family members to leave the office, and also instructed Qiao Yang:

"Go back and wait for further instructions. We will arrange the mediation as soon as possible."

Stepping out of the Civil Affairs Department, the cold winter wind howled, but Li You felt warm all over, as if a ray of light had shone into the dark world.

Once outside the county town, Qiao Yang and Li You walked ahead, while Hong's mother and her gang followed closely behind, clearly not intending to let the matter rest.

Li You's heart tightened, and he lowered his voice, speaking hurriedly:

"Senior brother, they've been following us... what if they attack us halfway through?"

Qiao Yang slowed his pace, his voice calm yet full of confidence:

"What are you afraid of? Have you forgotten my little skill? We'll wait for them to come looking for trouble before they do.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Yang stopped, turned around to face the group of people who had caught up with him, and shouted loudly:

"Aunt Hong, let me make this clear. In terms of seniority, Hong Fei is my junior sister, and Li You and I are not outsiders. If you dare to make things difficult for them or bully them again, don't blame me, Qiao Yang, for showing no mercy."

A dark-skinned, burly man immediately burst into laughter, his face full of disdain:

"You're the only blind man? You expect me to show mercy? You're just bragging!"

Qiao Yang's expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "Aside from Aunt Hong, how many of you came in total?"

A young man scoffed and replied, "Four? What? You want to take us on one-on-one?"

Qiao Yang raised his arm and lightly swung it, accurately locking onto the four people's location. His voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth:

"No need for one-on-one fights, all four of you, come at me together. Today I'll show you whether blind people are really easy to bully!"

The four were stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then flew into a rage and charged forward with a roar!

In the twelfth lunar month, the cold wind howled along the dirt roads of the plains, and dust suddenly billowed up!

The first man to charge forward threw a powerful punch aimed straight at Qiao Yang's face. Qiao Yang heard the direction of the punch, shifted his body to the side, and easily dodged the heavy blow. At the same time, his right hand gripped the opponent's wrist like an iron clamp, twisting and pulling it in one smooth motion!

"what!"

The man screamed in pain, lost his balance, and was slammed to the ground by Qiao Yang with a clean over-the-shoulder throw, sending dust flying everywhere.

The remaining three men, their eyes blazing with fury, surrounded Qiao Yang from three sides, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks to cut off all his escape routes.

Qiao Yang remained calm and composed, his footsteps steady on the dirt road, his ears precisely capturing every sound of the wind and his footsteps.

The man on the left raised his leg and swept it horizontally. Qiao Yang bent his knees and squatted down to avoid the attack. At the same time, he slammed his elbow into the man's abdomen. The man instantly bent over like a shrimp and knelt down with a cry of pain.

Two men on the right threw punches at the same time. Qiao Yang suddenly moved forward, getting close to their sides. While dodging the punches, he threw both punches at the same time, accurately hitting the two men in the chest.

The two men were struck as if by a heavy hammer, staggering back several steps before falling to the ground with a thud, unable to get up for a long time.

In the blink of an eye, all four burly men were knocked to the ground by Qiao Yang's bare hands, looking disheveled and completely devoid of any arrogance.

Amidst howling winds, Qiao Yang stood with his hands behind his back, his blind eyes radiating an imposing aura that silenced the men on the ground, preventing them from making the slightest move.

Immediately afterwards, Qiao Yang stepped forward slowly, reached out and helped the four people up one by one, his tone firm and resolute:

"Let's call this day. From now on, do not act recklessly again. Act in accordance with the law and respect Hong Fei's own wishes."

If anyone dares to interfere or bully us again, my fists, Qiao Yang's fists, won't show any mercy or consideration for our hometown!

The four men, still shaken, stared at the seemingly ordinary blind man before them, their hearts filled with fear. They hurriedly nodded and bowed.

"Yes, yes, yes...we understand...we would never dare to do it again..."

Hong's mother, who was standing to the side, was already so frightened that her face turned ashen and her whole body trembled. She was no longer the shrew she once was. She hurriedly called to the four men and fled in a panic, not daring to look back.

Li You stood motionless, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "Big brother...we...we really have hope..."

Qiao Yang nodded slightly, but his face showed no sign of relaxation.

"The matter is not completely over yet. Go home quickly and tell your uncle and aunt what happened today. Even though Hong Fei has been persuaded, what if something goes wrong in our own family?"

"Okay! Okay! Senior brother, just wait for my good news!" Li You nodded emphatically and immediately started walking quickly towards his village.