My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

Fortunately, Su Ming was skilled in martial arts and reacted extremely quickly. He turned sharply, leaped forward, grabbed the branches of a pomegranate tree beside him, and, using his waist and abdomen to propel himself up the tree like a nimble monkey. The pomegranate tree was as thick as a bowl, with lush branches and leaves, and several green pomegranates were hanging on it. With Su Ming's movement, two of them fell down with a rustling sound. The black dog missed its target, landed, and immediately turned around, placing its front paws on the tree trunk, raising its head to bare its teeth at Su Ming in the tree, letting out a low growl, and trying to leap upwards with its hind legs. With lightning speed, Su Ming kicked the black dog squarely in the head with tremendous force. A loud "howl" rang out as the dog rolled on the ground, got up, and retreated several steps, its ears drooping and its tail tucked between its hind legs. It dared not charge forward again, only staring at Su Ming with its yellow eyes, whimpering incessantly, and continuing to retreat until it reached the base of the brick house, where it curled up into a ball.

Su Ming knew that his kick had scared the dog half to death; it remembered being hit and probably wouldn't charge at him again anytime soon. His heart finally settled, and he let out a long breath, preparing to climb down from the tree. But just then, he heard cries for help mixed with screams of agony beside him.

Su Ming turned his head and his heart clenched. He saw Dr. Hou not far away being bitten on the trouser leg by another large yellow dog. The yellow dog was biting Dr. Hou's trouser leg tightly, shaking its head from side to side, and making low whimpering sounds, like it was tearing at a rag.

Dr. Hou turned pale with fright. He cried for help and swung his fists at the dog's head, but his punches were like striking a wooden fish, having no effect whatsoever. The dog did not loosen its grip at all; instead, it bit harder and pulled back, causing Dr. Hou to stumble and almost fall.

Su Ming knew something was wrong and was about to step forward to help.

Just then, an even more dangerous situation arose. The big black dog, which had been kicked by Su Ming earlier, seemed to realize that Dr. Hou was an easy target. No longer wanting to fight Su Ming, it stood up from the base of the wall, its ears perked up again, and let out a low growl. It assumed a posture ready to attack, preparing to turn its head and bite Dr. Hou.

Oh no! A thought flashed through Su Ming's mind: If Dr. Hou got bitten by the dogs, not only would he blame him, but his godmother Mingjuan would probably blame him too. Who was Dr. Hou? He was Su Ming's benefactor, a key figure who could help him cross social classes. If he got bitten by two vicious dogs here today, all the relationships he had built up would probably be for nothing.

Startled, Su Ming jumped down from the pomegranate tree, kicking up a cloud of dust as he landed. The situation was extremely critical; the vicious black dog was about to pounce on Dr. Hou, less than three meters away. Without thinking, Su Ming lunged forward, attacking the dog from behind. He grabbed the large black dog's hind legs from behind, his fingers gripping tightly like iron pincers. With a roar, his arm muscles bulged, and he violently swung the sixty or seventy-pound black dog up, spinning it several times in the air. The centrifugal force sent the dog flying sideways, emitting terrified howls.

Su Ming, having found the right angle, suddenly released his grip, throwing the black dog away. With a bloodcurdling howl, the large black dog crashed into the trunk of a pomegranate tree not far away like a cannonball, producing a dull thud. It howled again, and blood spurted from its mouth and nose, splashing onto the pomegranate tree bark and trickling down the trunk. The black dog twitched its legs twice, then lay still, its eyes still open, but its pupils were dilated.

Ignoring his own breath, Su Ming turned around and saw the large yellow dog still biting at Dr. Hou's trouser leg, its head shaking violently. Dr. Hou was unsteady on his feet, half-kneeling on the ground, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat. Without a word, Su Ming picked up a fist-sized rock from the ground, rushed over, and smashed it down on the dog's head. The first blow knocked the dog's head to the side, but its mouth remained firmly gripping the trouser leg. The second blow caused blood to seep from the dog's head, and its grip loosened slightly. The third blow, Su Ming used all his strength; the rock struck the dog's head with a dull thud, followed by a series of pitiful howls. Finally, the large yellow dog released its grip, its body slumped to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before it lay still. Blood seeped from its head, slowly staining the gravel on the ground red.

The entire village fell silent in that instant; even the cicadas stopped chirping. A strong stench of blood filled the air. Two dogs lay in pools of blood; the black dog under the pomegranate tree and the yellow dog on the ground were both stiff corpses. Dr. Hou was terrified. He collapsed to the ground, sitting on the gravel, his back against a low wall, panting heavily. His face was as white as a sheet. His fisherman's hat had fallen to the ground sometime earlier and was blown by the wind to the ditch.

Su Ming quickly stepped forward to support him, one hand supporting his back and the other holding his arm. He squatted down and asked with concern, "Brother-in-law, how are you? Did that beast bite you? Let me see."

Dr. Hou took a while to catch his breath. He looked down at his calf, waved his hand frantically, and said in a trembling voice, "Thank goodness, thank goodness, you acted in time. My trouser leg was bitten, but the dog's teeth didn't go through, so I don't think I'm injured. If it had been any later, I probably would have been killed here by those two vicious dogs. How can the dogs in this village be more ferocious than wolves? It's terrifying!"

Su Ming helped him up, brushed the dust off him, bent down to pick up Dr. Hou's fisherman's hat, handed it to him, and asked with concern, "Brother-in-law, what should we do? Should we go back into the village? Are we still going to buy the corn?"

Dr. Hou took the hat, put it on his head, waved his hand, and said in a voice still carrying the lingering fear of surviving a close call, "We're not going in. We should leave this place as soon as possible. We won't buy any corn. We're fine with whatever we eat. Let's not stay in this godforsaken place."

After saying that, he turned to leave, his steps still a little weak, and he walked with a limp.

Just then, a furious shout came from behind, booming like a bell, carrying the ruggedness and savagery unique to mountain people: "Who? Who killed our dog? Stop right there!"

Su Ming turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with a bare chest and a face full of fat walking out of the dilapidated brick house. He was about forty years old, with a roll of fat around his stomach, his skin tanned dark, a yellowed towel draped over his shoulder, and a carrying pole in his hand, the ends of which were worn shiny. He strode towards them, his triangular eyes flashing with a fierce light, and the fat on his face trembling slightly with anger.

This guy seems like he's not easy to talk to. It looks like trouble is brewing.