Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

Fan Debiao hung up the phone, his face darkening.

"Gangzi! Drive! To the city hospital!"

The two men rushed out the door, running two red lights in their van. Once inside, Fan Debiao explained what had happened, and Gangzi slammed his hand on the steering wheel: "Hasn't this bastard had enough of being beaten? Didn't you beat him to a pulp in Victoria last time?"

"This time we need to teach him a lesson," Fan Debiao said through gritted teeth. "When we get to the hospital, I'll go up first. You go park the car and wait for Wu Zi and the others to arrive. Wait for my call before you go up."

"Do we need so many people to deal with Niu Er? I can beat him to a pulp by myself!" Gangzi muttered.

When they arrived at the third-floor ward of the hospital, a crowd had already gathered at the door. Ma Dashuai was squatting in the corner, holding his head, his clothes torn, and there were scratches on his face. Xiao Cui was crying beside him, her eyes swollen like walnuts.

Fan Debiao pushed through the crowd and went inside. Yu Fen was lying on the hospital bed, her head wrapped in gauze, half of her face swollen shut, and she couldn't open her eyes. A nurse was giving her an IV drip.

"What's going on?" Fan Debiao asked, his voice barely concealing his anger.

Ma Dashuai raised his head, his face streaked with tears and snot: "Debiao... that bastard Niu Er... he came to Yufen asking for money... Yufen wouldn't give it to him... so he attacked her..."

"What are you doing?" Fan Debiao glared at him. "You're just going to watch? You're a grown man, why don't you fight them!"

"I...I stopped him..." Commander Ma stammered, "He brought three men...I couldn't beat them..."

Just then, a cursing voice came from the other end of the corridor: "Ma Dashuai! You fucking come out here! You think you're right to not pay back your debts?"

Niu Er swaggered over, leading two thugs. Niu Er was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a shaved head, a scar on his neck, and a face full of menacing features. When he saw Fan Debiao, he paused, his eyes darting away, but he quickly straightened his neck and said, "Fan Debiao? Let me tell you, this is none of your business. This is my family matter, don't interfere."

Fan Debiao stepped forward: "Your family matter? Now that Yufen and Ma Dashuai are family, this is my family matter."

"What kind of family business is this?" Niu Er glanced at Fan Debiao, who was all alone, and his courage grew again. He grinned, "Yu Fen, you're something else. You've taken care of your brother-in-law and brother-in-law's whole family, haven't you? Well, don't leave me out too, let's all live together, shall we?"

Some of the onlookers couldn't help but laugh.

Yu Fen weakly cursed from her hospital bed, "Niu Er...you bastard..."

Niu Er glared at him: "Me, a bastard? You fucking ran off with all the money from selling corn when you divorced me, leaving me not a single penny! Half of that money belonged to me! I'm here today to collect my debt!"

Yu Fen said weakly from her hospital bed, "Niu Er... don't talk nonsense... I divorced you a long time ago..."

"So what if we get divorced?" Niu Er pointed at her. "Even if we divorce, you're still just leftovers for me! Commander Ma, you're just picking up my scraps, isn't that delicious?"

General Ma was trembling with anger, but he didn't dare to step forward.

Fan Debiao sneered, "Cornmeal money? Niu Er, have you no shame? How many beatings did Yu Fen endure during those years with you? Is that corn money enough for her medical expenses?"

"Stop spouting nonsense!" Niu Er pointed at Fan Debiao. "Fan Debiao, I advise you to mind your own business. If you try to stop me today, I'll take care of you too!"

Fan Debiao took out his phone and dialed a number: "Gangzi, bring the brothers up here."

Niu Er's expression changed: "Who are you trying to scare?"

"Just kidding." Fan Debiao hung up the phone. "Niu Er, I'm giving you one last chance. Get out of here now and promise not to bother me again. That'll be the end of it. If you pull back from the brink, I guarantee you'll come back to the right path; if you remain obstinate, I'll make you suffer endlessly."

"Stop bragging, what if I don't?"

"Then I'll show you what happens to a show-off today."

The two men faced off, and the people in the corridor stared at each other, not daring to utter a sound. Niu Er's two thugs were starting to back down, whispering, "Second Brother, maybe..."

"Shut up!" Niu Er roared, but his voice was clearly weak.

Less than three minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs. Gangzi led seven or eight young men up, each one looking menacing and menacing.

Niu Er's face turned pale instantly.

Fan Debiao waved his hand: "Please invite Brother Niu Er outside for a chat."

Wu Zi and his men stepped forward, grabbed Niu Er, and dragged him outside. Niu Er's two thugs tried to stop them, but were glared at by the two men and shrank back.

"Fan Debiao! You dare touch me! I'll kill you!" Niu Er cursed.

Fan Debiao ignored him and said to Ma Dashuai, "You stay here and watch over Yufen. Xiao Cui, take good care of your aunt."

After saying that, he left the hospital.

There's a small alley behind the hospital that's usually deserted. Now that it's completely dark, it's the perfect place to settle things. Gangzi brought the person there and pinned him against the wall.

Fan Debiao walked over and stood in front of Niu Er: "Niu Er, I'm asking you one last time. Are you still looking for Yu Fen?"

"Go to hell!" Niu Er spat. "Fan Debiao, what are you so proud of? You just have a little money, right? Let me tell you, I, Niu Er, have nothing to lose! If you dare touch me today, I'll burn your shop down tomorrow!"

Fan Debiao nodded and said to Gangzi, "Gag him."

Gangzi pulled out a rag and stuffed it into Niu Er's mouth. Fan Debiao took the pickaxe handle from his brother next to him and weighed it in his hand.

"Niu Er, do you know why I didn't slap you in the face?" Fan Debiao said. "Slapping you in the face would be too obvious and leave evidence. If I hit you on the body, you wouldn't even be able to get a minor injury diagnosis."

Niu Er's eyes widened, and he struggled while making whimpering noises.

Fan Debiao raised his staff and slammed it down on Niu Er's outer thigh. The flesh there was thick, so it wouldn't break the bone, but it really hurt.

Niu Er let out a "woof" and curled his body into a shrimp-like shape.

"This will teach you a lesson: Yu Fen is not someone you can touch."

Another pickaxe handle struck the other leg.

"This blow will remind you that no matter how cowardly Ma Dashuai is, he's still my brother-in-law."

The third blow landed on his back.

"This blow will teach you a lesson: I, Fan Debiao, keep my word."

After three blows, Niu Er collapsed to the ground, groaning.

Fan Debiao squatted down and pulled out the cloth: "Do you submit?"

"I...I give up..."

"Write a guarantee and put your fingerprint on it."

Wu Zi took out paper and pen, and Niu Er wrote a guarantee with trembling hands.

Fan Debiao took it, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket: "Niu Er, I'll spare your life today. But let me tell you this—from now on, if you dare to show your face in front of Yu Fen again, or dare to cause trouble for the Ma family, I'll make sure you can't stay in Kaiyuan anymore. You can try me if you don't believe me."

Niu Er nodded repeatedly: "I wouldn't dare... I really wouldn't dare..."

"roll."

Niu Er stumbled and crawled away, limping.

Fan Debiao threw the pickaxe handle on the ground, lit a cigarette, and his hand was still trembling slightly.

Gangzi walked over: "Brother Biao, things should be quiet for a while now."

"Hard to say," Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke. "These kinds of people are hard to swallow, they never learn from their mistakes. But at least they can stay safe until the New Year."

Back at the hospital, Yu Fen was already asleep. Ma Dashuai was still squatting in the corner, with Xiao Cui keeping watch beside him.

Fan Debiao walked over, took out a wad of cash from his pocket, counted out two thousand, and stuffed it into Ma Dashuai's hand: "Take this first, use it to pay Yufen's medical bills and buy some nutritional supplements."

General Ma didn't answer: "De Biao... I..."

"Take it!" Fan Debiao forced it on him. "Don't worry about saving face now."

As Ma Dashuai took the money, tears welled up in his eyes again: "Debiao... I'm so sorry... and I'm so sorry to Yufen... I'm such a coward..."

"If you know you're a coward, then change," Fan Debiao said. "Yufen is with you, so you have to protect her. If you can't protect her, then don't hold her back."

Commander Ma fell silent, holding his head and sighing deeply.

Fan Debiao checked the time; it was past eight o'clock in the evening. He said to Xiao Cui, "You stay here and keep watch over her tonight. I'll find someone to replace you tomorrow."

Xiao Cui nodded: "Uncle, thank you..."

"No need to thank me." Fan Debiao patted her on the shoulder. "Call me if you need anything."

After leaving the hospital, Fan Debiao told Gangzi and Wuzi to go back first, while he stood at the door smoking. He smoked three cigarettes in a row.

Awei's car arrived. She had come as soon as she received the call in the afternoon and had been waiting outside.

"Brother Biao, get in the car." Awei rolled down the car window.

Fan Debiao got into the car, slumped in the passenger seat, and closed his eyes.

Awei didn't start driving immediately, but asked softly, "Is it resolved?"

"Um."

"How is Sister Yufen?"

"He had eight stitches in his head and suffered a mild concussion. He'll need to stay in the hospital for a few days."

Awei sighed, started the car, and headed straight for Fan Debiao's rented apartment.

She went inside and turned on the light. Fan Debiao collapsed onto the sofa. Awei went to the kitchen, boiled some water, made a cup of honey water, and brought it over.

"Brother Biao, have some honey water. It'll help you sober up and relieve fatigue."

Fan Debiao took it and took a sip. It was warm and sweet.

Avi sat quietly in a chair beside her, keeping her company.

After a while, Fan Debiao said, "Awei, thank you for today."

"Why are you saying this?" Awei said softly, "Brother Biao, you're too tired. One thing after another, there's never a moment's rest."

Fan Debiao smiled wryly: "Yes, it's like an old woman training for a long-distance race—one problem after another."

Awei was amused, but her smile quickly faded: "Brother Biao, will Sister Yufen's matter... happen again in the future...?"

"It's hard to say," Fan Debiao sighed. "People like Niu Er are like leeches. But at least this time he's scared, and he'll stay quiet for a while."

"Avi," he suddenly said, "come here."

Awei walked over: "What's wrong, Brother Biao?"

Fan Debiao took her hand and held it in his. Awei's hand was small, soft, and a little cool.

"Awei," Fan Debiao looked at her, "it's so good to have you."

Awei blushed and tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't.

"Brother Biao..."

"I know what you're thinking," Fan Debiao said, "but right now... I really can't make you any promises. My career is just starting out, I have a ton of things to do, and things at home are such a mess. I'm afraid of holding you back."

Avi lowered her head: "I didn't ask for any promises."

"So what do you want?"

"I don't want anything." Avi raised her head, her eyes sparkling. "I just want to be by your side, help you, and fight alongside you. That's enough."

Fan Debiao gripped her hand tightly and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he said, "Awei, wait for me a while. Once I've sorted everything out, we can get to know each other properly."

Avi smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons, and pulled her hand back: "You wish."