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

Upon hearing the words "call the police," the burly man who had previously tried to extort money showed no sign of panic. Instead, a smug look flashed across his face, his mouth practically bulging to his ears. He slammed his carrying pole on the ground, crossed his arms, and, puffing out his fat belly, patted his chest and replied, "Alright, call the police! Let me tell you, my uncle is the head of the town's police station. You killed my dog, and today you'll have to pay at least ten thousand yuan in compensation. Even if the police come, they won't side with you. Just you wait and see."

Upon hearing this, everyone present burst into laughter. Some of the villagers who were watching leaned on their hoes, while others smoked cigarettes, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

The long-haired lad whose arm Su Ming had just twisted rubbed his wrist and shouted at Dr. Hou in a sarcastic tone, "Did you hear that? Stone's uncle is Director Gu, and you still dare to call the police? Aren't you just walking into the line of fire?"

A woman holding a child chimed in, spitting at Su Ming with a grin: "Two outsiders, so arrogant, beating someone's dog to death and still acting so cocky. When Chief Gu comes, let's see if you're still so cocky."

Just as everyone was feeling smug, Dr. Hou remained unfazed, not even raising an eyebrow. He took out his phone from his pocket, stood up, walked to the side, turned around, dialed a number, and with his back to everyone, lowered his voice, saying only a few words before hanging up—the whole process took less than thirty seconds.

After finishing the call, he walked back, sat down on a bluestone slab beside him, crossed his legs, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took a puff, and the smoke slowly rose in the sunlight.

He calmly instructed Su Ming, "Let's wait here. Someone should be here to handle this in about half an hour. We need to get justice today. We can't let this dog bite go unpunished. It's not about paying compensation anymore. Someone has to go in today."

Upon hearing this, the burly man grinned smugly, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth. He hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulder, looked down at Dr. Hou with his nostrils, cleared his throat, and said, "Who are you trying to scare? Anyone going in? I bet you didn't even call the police. It's only a ten-minute drive from here to the town police station, and you're telling me it'll take more than half an hour? What the hell is this if not bluffing?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, the sound echoing under the old locust tree at the village entrance, startling the sparrows in the tree into a flurry of flight. A chorus of mocking remarks followed.

"Stone, I think these two guys are trying to boost your uncle's sales figures. Making him work overtime on the weekend, you have to treat him to dinner!"

"Haha, these two fools are courting death. They killed someone's dog and still dare to act arrogantly. When Chief Gu arrives, we'll take them straight to the police station and detain them for a few days. They'll behave themselves then. That chicken thief last time, he was locked up for two days and didn't dare utter a sound when he came out."

"That's right, those two clueless bastards killed someone's dog and still dare to talk back. Wait until Chief Gu arrives, then let's see if they're still so stubborn. Stone, don't worry, your uncle will stand up for you when he gets here."

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Su Ming felt a little uneasy. He curiously observed Dr. Hou sitting calmly on a rock, smoking, his posture as relaxed as if he were enjoying the cool of his own backyard. Wisps of smoke rose from his fingers, and his face showed no sign of tension. Su Ming leaned closer, lowered his voice, and tentatively asked, "Brother-in-law, it seems this guy really has connections. His uncle really is the director. Are we making a big fuss about this?"

Dr. Hou flicked his cigarette ash, snorted coldly, and a disdainful smile curled at the corner of his mouth. His voice was not loud, but his tone was extremely heavy: "A bunch of rabble. Today is a good opportunity to rid the people of this scourge. I want to see just how powerful their connections really are."

The two men weren't speaking loudly, but the burly man standing not far away still heard them. He had sharp ears, and upon hearing the words "a mob," he couldn't help but laugh smugly again, his shoulders shaking with laughter. He switched the carrying pole to his other hand, pulled a worn-out cell phone from his pocket, waved it in front of Dr. Hou, and said in a tone full of threat and arrogance, "Listen up, if you won't call the police, I will. I'll call my uncle right now and have him come and seek justice for me. I want to see if you still dare to say the words 'a mob' when my uncle arrives."

As he spoke, he dialed his uncle's number in front of everyone, making sure to put it on speakerphone so that everyone around could hear. The phone was answered after two rings, and a gruff middle-aged man's voice came from the other end. The burly man immediately adopted a crying tone, his voice filled with exaggerated grievance, shouting into the phone, "Uncle, come quick! Two outsiders came to our village and beat my dogs, Xiao Hei and Da Huang, to death! Both dogs are dead! I argued with them, but they not only refused to pay compensation, they also assaulted me. They even twisted Chang Mao's hand! You have to bring people to arrest them, or they'll escape!"

After a few words were spoken on the other end of the phone, the burly man nodded repeatedly, saying "okay, okay" a few times, and then hung up.

He shoved his phone into his pocket, pointed arrogantly at Dr. Hou and Su Ming, and shouted, spitting as he spoke, "You two are dead meat. My uncle said he'll be here soon, you just wait."

Dr. Hou and Su Ming remained calm. Dr. Hou stubbed out his cigarette on a stone at his feet, then took another from his pack and handed it to Su Ming. Su Ming took the cigarette, and the two sat on the stone, each smoking slowly, as if the surrounding noise and threats had nothing to do with them. The villagers watching had varying expressions. Some were gloating, arms crossed, waiting to see a good show; some were enjoying the spectacle, craning their necks to look towards the village entrance; and a few elderly people looked on with pity, whispering to Dr. Hou, "Young man, you'd better pay up and settle this quickly. Uncle Stone really is the director; once he comes, things will get complicated. It's just ten thousand yuan; paying to avoid trouble is better than being arrested."

Dr. Hou simply smiled, nodded to the elderly men, said "Thank you for the reminder," and continued smoking as if nothing had happened. He even turned to Su Ming and started chatting about fishing, asking how strong the mandarin fish he had caught was, and saying he would take him to another reservoir next time, where the crucian carp were fatter. Su Ming agreed verbally, but inwardly he was very uneasy, wondering what Dr. Hou was really up to.