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

Su Ming straightened his chest, shielding Dr. Hou behind him, and stared directly at the burly man, his tone calm yet firm: "I'm the one who killed this dog."

The middle-aged man approached, first glancing at the two dead dogs on the ground, then at Su Ming. His face instantly darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. He gritted his teeth, his voice squeezed out from between them: "You little bastard, you came into the village to steal things and even killed our dogs. I think you've got a death wish. If you don't give me an explanation for what happened today, I don't think either of you will leave here."

Having just experienced a terrifying ordeal, Su Ming was already seething with anger. Those two vicious dogs had nearly killed him and Dr. Hou, and before he could even settle accounts, the dog owner was already trying to shift the blame. Hearing the burly man's words, he sneered, met his gaze, and gritted his teeth, saying, "You bastard, you don't leash your dogs! They almost bit us. If I hadn't intervened, someone might be dead by now. Not only do you not apologize, but you're also making baseless accusations, falsely accusing us of stealing. Fine, I'm not going to let this go."

Upon hearing this, the burly man's neck veins throbbed, and he sneered, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. He slammed the carrying pole on the ground with a dull thud: "Fine, I'll see how much guts you have. You're the first person to dare to be so arrogant after killing my dog."

As he spoke, he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing over the mountain village and startling a few sparrows in the old locust tree: "Folks, come out quickly! Someone's causing trouble here! Two bastards killed my little black dog and big yellow dog, and they're trying to run away! Someone come quick! If you don't come soon, the murderers will get away!"

Seeing that things were escalating, Dr. Hou's expression changed. He stepped forward and quickly gestured for the burly man to stop, his tone softening as if to appease him: "Brother, stop yelling. Just tell me how much these two dogs cost, I'll pay you. Let's not make a scene, let's settle this privately."

Upon hearing this, the burly man smirked smugly, picked his nose, wiped it on the carrying pole, and then waved five short, thick fingers in front of Dr. Hou, declaring confidently, "Five thousand yuan, not a penny less."

Without a second thought, Dr. Hou nodded and said, "Okay, I'll pay you five thousand yuan." As he spoke, he reached into a black fanny pack hanging at his waist, unzipped it, and pulled out a stack of crisp, new hundred-yuan bills. The bright red bills were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight, and he handed them to the other party.

The burly man's eyes gleamed, almost popping out of their sockets, as he greedily stared at the wad of banknotes and reached out to take them. Su Ming quickly made a blocking gesture, placing his arm between Dr. Hou and the burly man, and advised Dr. Hou, "Brother-in-law, you can't give him this money. That dog almost bit you just now; they're the ones at fault. I've already been lenient by not demanding compensation from him. Why are you giving him money? If we give him this money, even if we're in the right, we'll be in the wrong."

Dr. Hou waved his hand, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty, and gently pushed Su Ming's arm away: "Forget it, let's make a mountain out of a molehill. It's not worth arguing with a stranger over something so trivial. Our time is more valuable than five thousand yuan. You give him the money, we'll leave, and that'll be the end of it. I don't like too much trouble."

As he spoke, he shoved the five thousand yuan into the burly man's hand. Su Ming wanted to persuade him again, but Dr. Hou glanced at him, his eyes carrying a hint of disapproval, so Su Ming had no choice but to swallow back the words he was about to say. The burly man snatched the money away, his movements as rough as if he were grabbing a piece of fat meat. He counted it, licking his thumb on his tongue as he flipped the bill over, a greedy smile flashing across his lips. Then he stuffed the money into his pocket, shook his head at Dr. Hou, his fleshy face twitching, his tone laced with a roguish smugness: "This is just for the black dog. There's still the yellow dog's money to pay! You killed two of my dogs; it adds up to ten thousand yuan."

Upon hearing this, Dr. Hou immediately lost his temper. His face darkened, and his refined demeanor vanished. He said coldly, "Go ahead and rob them. These two dogs aren't even worth ten thousand yuan! A mongrel dog is worth at most two or three hundred yuan on the market. I already gave you five thousand yuan, which is ten times the price. Don't push your luck."

The burly man grinned smugly, picking his nose as he squinted at Dr. Hou, a sly glint in his eyes. He chuckled slowly, "Why wouldn't it be worth it? Listen carefully, these two dogs have been with me for five or six years. I have no parents, no siblings, I rely entirely on these two dogs for companionship; they're like family. You killed my family, do you think ten thousand yuan is too much? It's not even enough for emotional distress, and I haven't even considered funeral expenses!"

Su Ming gritted his teeth in anger, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and rushed forward to grab the burly man's arm. The burly man was prepared; he jumped back a step and shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice shrill and piercing: "He's hitting people! He's hitting people! Villagers, come quick! Outsiders killed my dog ​​and are now hitting people! Help!"

By this time, a crowd had already gathered at the village entrance, young and old, men and women, all having come from their homes after hearing the commotion. Some had already grabbed tools—hoes, shovels, carrying poles—while two young men carried wooden sticks, their eyes fixed on Su Ming and Dr. Hou with hostility. Whispers rippled through the crowd, while others pointed at the dog's blood on the ground, discussing it amongst themselves. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, like a taut string.

Dr. Hou quickly pulled Su Ming aside, drew him behind him, and stepped forward. He bowed to the villagers and raised his voice, saying, "Everyone, calm down and let me explain. This dog bit someone first, so we hit it. It was self-defense, not intentional harm..."

Before he could finish speaking, a young man with long hair, about twenty years old, walked out from the crowd. His hair was dyed a straw-yellow color, and he was wearing ripped jeans. He had a cigarette in his mouth, glanced at Dr. Hou sideways, and without saying a word, he pushed Dr. Hou in the chest with considerable force. Dr. Hou staggered back two steps and almost fell.

The long-haired boy shouted angrily, "Screw you! You dare to bark after killing a dog? I'll show you the power of a fist!"

As he spoke, he swung his fist and aimed it at Dr. Hou's face.

Seeing this, Su Ming immediately stepped forward, blocking Dr. Hou's path. His right hand shot out like lightning, accurately grabbing the long-haired boy's wrist. With a twist and a press, he executed a standard grappling move, twisting the boy's arm behind his back and pressing his knee against his lower back, forcing him to bend over and become unable to move.

The long-haired boy screamed in pain, his face turning a deep liver color, while he continued to curse.

Upon seeing this, the villagers waved their fists or raised their weapons, roaring at Su Ming in a cacophony of voices.

"Release them now! Or I'll kill you!"

"Outsiders are bullying our village! This is outrageous!"

"Grab your weapons, don't let them get away!"

Dr. Hou quickly shouted to the crowd, pressing his hands down in the air to signal them to calm down: "Everyone, stop! This isn't good for anyone if it continues like this. If you keep causing trouble, I'm going to call the police! I'll say it again, the dog bit us first, that's why we fought back. Don't escalate this!"