Reborn in 2006, it's incredibly awesome!

Shenzhai Village, Suiping County, Zhumadian City, Henan Province.

Around 5 p.m., the sun had already sunk below the poplar treetops, and the orange-red sunset dyed the earth red.

The village was quiet, with only the occasional bark of a stray dog ​​in the distance.

Two people swayed along the dirt road in the countryside.

The man had a perm with foil, his hair stood stiff and sticking out like a bird's nest, and he was dressed in a gaudy, indescribable style—a typical rural non-mainstream type.

This man looked to be around twenty years old, with a carefree and irresponsible demeanor. He was Ye Baozhu's son and Ye Qing's younger brother—Ye Hongwei.

The girl on his arm was Wang Caixia, his girlfriend of a year.

The girl wore heavy makeup, her face looking like it had been plastered with putty. Her eyeliner was drawn so sharply it almost reached her temples, and her lips were painted bright red. She was dressed in brightly colored, garish clothes, looking like a paper doll.

"My luck is really bad today, I'm so unlucky!" Ye Hongwei cursed, spitting. "I didn't even deduct from your hand, how come you're so unlucky? You lost six hundred in one afternoon."

Wang Caixia playfully punched his chest, saying coquettishly, "You rascal, you blame me for losing money! Didn't your sister just receive 100,000 yuan in betrothal gifts from the Zhou family? You're short of 600 yuan? Let me tell you, 100,000 yuan can't buy a three-bedroom apartment in the county town. The Zhou family is rich, aren't they? Hurry up and get them to send some more money home. I won't marry you if you don't have a three-bedroom apartment."

Ye Hongwei lowered his voice, glanced around, and said mysteriously, "There's something I haven't told you yet, but don't tell anyone. My sister, that slut, went on her honeymoon in South Korea with Zhou Tao, but she ran off with some pretty boy! The Zhou family is now demanding the return of the betrothal gifts. She's embarrassed herself internationally."

Wang Caixia's eyes widened immediately. "Huh? Really? Your sister usually seems so quiet and innocent, but she was just pretending? What about our house? What about the bride price?"

Ye Hongwei smiled smugly: "What's the rush? My sister is our family's cash cow. My parents said that pretty boy is much richer than Zhou Tao! He spent over 300,000 yuan at a shopping mall. My parents went to Beijing a few days ago to ask that pretty boy for money. I couldn't get through on the phone; they're probably busy arguing with him."

"So much money?" Wang Caixia's eyes lit up, and she grabbed his arm and shook it. "How much are you and your aunt planning to ask for? At least three or four hundred thousand!"

Ye Hongwei smiled sinisterly, "Three or four hundred thousand isn't enough. My parents said it has to be at least one million! Even if we try to negotiate, it has to be at least eight hundred thousand. With that money, we can afford not only a three-bedroom apartment in the county town, but also the bride price and a car."

"My goodness, a million!" Wang Caixia exclaimed happily, pinching him hard. "Then you'll have to give me an extra 20,000 in betrothal gifts and buy me a big gold bracelet."

"Don't worry, little darling, you'll get your share." Ye Hongwei reached out and pinched her buttocks, grinning lewdly. "Come on, let's go to my house, let me pamper you properly."

The two of them playfully wrestled into the alley, but as soon as they reached the gate of their own courtyard, they suddenly stopped in their tracks.

A beat-up bread truck without license plates was parked on the side of the dirt road, its paint chipped off in patches.

Four burly men in black T-shirts were squatting against the wall smoking, cigarette butts scattered all over the ground.

They were all broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with expressionless faces and fierce eyes.

Ye Hongwei frowned. He was used to being arrogant in the village and didn't take it too seriously, sauntering over. "Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing squatting at my doorstep?"

The four burly men looked up at the same time and glanced at him from head to toe.

The leader, a burly man with a thick beard, asked in a deep, gruff voice, "You're Ye Hongwei? Your father is Ye Baozhu?"

"Yeah, so what?" Ye Hongwei raised his chin, looking quite arrogant.

The bearded man didn't say anything, threw his cigarette on the ground, stubbed it out with the sole of his shoe, and stood up, walking towards him step by step.

Ye Hongwei then realized something was wrong and instinctively took two steps back, shouting with a fierce but weak voice, "What...what do you want to do? In broad daylight! My family is poor, we have no money!"

The words had barely left his mouth when a muffled "bang" was heard.

The bearded man stepped forward and delivered a straight punch, which landed squarely on Ye Hongwei's eye socket.

Ye Hongwei let out a "whoosh," his head buzzed, stars flashed before his eyes, and he staggered, almost falling to the ground.

Wang Caixia, standing nearby, screamed in terror, her voice shrill: "Oh my god! Murder! Help!"

"Snapped!"

The bearded man slapped her across the face with a sharp, resounding thud.

The slap landed squarely on Wang Caixia's face, leaving five finger marks instantly.

Wang Caixia's head was turned to the side after being hit, and blood appeared in her mouth. Then she was kicked in the abdomen, which made her fall to the ground and curl up into a ball.

"Ah..." Wang Caixia screamed, clutching her stomach, her whole body convulsing in pain, unable to make a sound.

The four burly men ignored her and rushed towards Ye Hongwei.

Fists and shoe toes rained down on him, and Ye Hongwei crouched on the ground, clutching his head, barely able to beg for mercy.

"Stop fighting... brothers... stop fighting... why... what did I do to offend you...?"

The group remained silent, just silently engaged in combat.

Every punch and kick landed solidly, and the kicking continued for a good six or seven minutes, until Ye Hongwei was groaning and almost silent. Only then did the bearded man wave his hand, and everyone stopped kicking.

Ye Hongwei was curled up on the muddy ground, his face covered with shoe prints, his nose and mouth were full of blood, his eye sockets were swollen and bruised and he could barely open them, and every bone in his body ached and he was twitching.

The bearded man squatted down, grabbed his hair, and forcibly lifted his face.

His tone was flat, yet carried a chilling ruthlessness: "I'll tell you why. Because your parents went to Beijing and offended someone they shouldn't have. They're in a Beijing detention center now, and won't be out for eight days. When they get out, call your dad and tell them to get back to the village. If they ever dare to set foot in Beijing again, next time it won't just be a beating; they'll break all four of your limbs, understand?"

Ye Hongwei was in so much pain that tears and snot streamed down his face. He nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling with sobs, "I understand... I understand... I'll definitely tell them... I'll never go again..."

The bearded man stared into his eyes for two seconds, then suddenly revealed a cruel smile. "You look pretty defiant, don't you? What, you don't believe we'd dare cripple you?"

"I believe you! I really believe you!" Ye Hongwei cried, hiccuping and trembling all over. "Big brother, I was wrong. It's all my parents' fault, it has nothing to do with me... Please forgive me..."

The bearded man shook his head, his voice as cold as ice: "No. Talk is cheap; I need to teach you a lesson."

He reached behind him, and a burly man next to him immediately pulled a small iron hammer, about the size of a palm, from his waist and handed it to him. The hammer was small, but heavy and gleaming coldly.

Ye Hongwei's pupils constricted sharply; he was terrified, his soul nearly leaving his body. He struggled desperately, twisting and turning, "No! No! I really know I was wrong... Please..."

"Hold him down," the bearded man ordered coldly.

The other three burly men immediately stepped forward, two holding down his arms and one his legs, pinning Ye Hongwei firmly to the ground.

He had already been beaten and was completely exhausted. He struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free at all. His eyes were filled with fear and despair, and he kept muttering words of begging for mercy, his voice cracking.

The bearded man squatted down, pressed down on his left hand, and pried out his little finger. "Don't move. I'll just smash one of your fingers to teach you a lesson. If you move, I'll smash your whole hand."

Upon hearing this, Ye Hongwei dared not move. He closed his eyes tightly, his teeth clenched so hard they clattered, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

"clang……"

A dull thud was followed by Ye Hongwei's heart-wrenching scream: "Ah...! My finger! Ah...it hurts so much..."

His little finger was smashed to pieces, the bone flattened, lying limply to one side, blood seeping into the soil through the gaps between his fingers, turning a dark reddish-black color.

The bearded man stood up, kicked him, and dusted off his hands. "Remember this: call your dad in eight days. Tell them to stay put in the village. If they dare to go to Beijing to cause trouble again, I'll take your hands next time."

After saying that, the four men turned around and got into the rickety bread cart. The door slammed shut, the engine roared, kicked up a cloud of dust, and sped out of the alley, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The alleyway fell silent again, save for Ye Hongwei's screams and Wang Caixia's suppressed sobs.

As the last rays of the setting sun faded, the sky gradually darkened, and a cool breeze carried a faint smell of blood.