Seeing that he couldn't persuade Liu Tiezhu, Second Uncle had no choice but to drop it. The group chatted for a while, and when they realized it was getting late, they each went back to rest.
In the middle of the night, Liu Tiezhu's stomach started acting up. He wrapped himself in his cotton coat and headed to the outhouse behind the house. In the 1980s, rural areas didn't have proper toilets. People built simple huts behind their homes, in remote spots. Once the waste piled up, it was carried to the vegetable garden as fertilizer.
After finishing his business, Liu Tiezhu returned and noticed a large iron hook on the back wall of the yard. The hook had been thrown in from outside, firmly lodged into the earthen wall, with a thick rope tied to the other end. Liu Tiezhu crept closer and listened carefully. He could hear people whispering on the other side of the wall.
"Damn it, we've got thieves." Liu Tiezhu's face turned cold. He quietly picked up a wooden plank studded with nails, placed it under the iron hook, and covered it with dirt. After that, he quickly slipped into Er Gouzi's room.
"Gouzi, get up. We've got burglars." Hearing this, Er Gouzi, who had been half-asleep, jumped straight out of bed. Liu Tiezhu smacked him on the head.
"Can you keep it down? You want them to know you're awake?" Gouzi scratched his head. "I'm just too excited. Where are they?"
"In the backyard. Grab the crossbow. I'm heading to the dog shed first." "I want to see which bastard has the guts for this." With that, Liu Tiezhu walked out.
At the dog shed, he signaled the hunting dogs to stay quiet. The dogs obediently lay down, wagging their tails. After that, Liu Tiezhu picked up the crossbow and moved to the other side of the wall.
Soon, Er Gouzi crept over. "Tiezhu, where are the thieves?" He crouched down, asking excitedly.
Liu Tiezhu pointed to a dark corner about five meters away. "The hook's right there. Those bastards are still outside." "We'll wait here and see how they handle the nails."
Earlier, he had placed seven or eight nail-studded boards under the hook. When they jumped down, they'd step on the nails for sure.
As the two whispered, three men in black clothes outside the wall were getting ready. "Damn it, why did this bastard build the wall so high?" "When I get in, I'm not just taking his meat—I'm taking a huge dump in his cellar to piss him off." The leader, a man in black, grumbled with a cold face.
The man on his left said, "Brother Ma, you think Liu Yangshan is messing with us?" "Thousands of pounds of meat? Did Liu Tiezhu haul all the game from the mountain home?" "Relax, that kid wouldn't dare lie to me." "Thousands might be a stretch, but a few hundred pounds is likely." "Zhang Donghai, you're coming with me. Liu Houxing, keep watch outside."
After giving orders, Brother Ma tugged the rope. Once he was sure the hook was secure in the wall, he slowly climbed up.
"They're coming. Gouzi, get ready." "If they're armed, we don't hold back—take them out with the crossbow." "If they're unarmed, we just beat them up."
Hearing the noise from outside, Liu Tiezhu quickly laid out the plan. Er Gouzi was still nervous. "If they're armed, we really kill them?"
"If they come in with weapons and we don't take them out, we're the ones getting killed." "Gouzi, if you chicken out again, I'll beat you myself, got it?" Liu Tiezhu's face darkened as he warned sternly.
The situation was clear: it was kill or be killed. If Er Gouzi kept hesitating, he'd end up dead.
"Damn it, I'm all in." "Whatever you say, Tiezhu, I'll do it." Er Gouzi gritted his teeth, looking determined.
Soon, Brother Ma reached the top of the wall. He didn't jump down right away but carefully scanned the yard. After making sure everyone inside was asleep, he waved to Zhang Donghai outside.
Seeing Brother Ma's signal, Zhang Donghai grinned. Without a word, he grabbed the rope and climbed up. Once both were on the wall, they hooked it outside and started climbing down.
"Gouzi, quick—there's another guy outside." "Sneak over and grab that idiot."
Liu Tiezhu crouched low and moved toward the two men. Er Gouzi quietly slipped out, opened the yard gate, and circled to the back wall. In a corner, he spotted Liu Houxing squatting on the ground, smoking.
They were about five meters apart. In the dim night, if neither made a sound, it would be hard to spot each other. Gouzi didn't rush. He hid by the wall corner, waiting for Liu Tiezhu's signal from inside.
Inside the yard, Liu Tiezhu was conflicted. He had expected Brother Ma and Zhang Donghai to jump down after climbing the wall. But these two bastards were more afraid of death than he thought. The wall was only about seven feet high, yet they still used the rope to climb down.
That meant if one stepped on a nail, the other would bolt. As Liu Tiezhu hesitated, Brother Ma was already halfway down the rope.
"Wait—Second Uncle's bamboo pole." Liu Tiezhu slapped his thigh, hurried back to the dog shed, grabbed the pole, and charged over. By now, he didn't care if they heard him.
The footsteps startled Brother Ma and Zhang Donghai. But they were seasoned thieves with strong nerves. They froze in place, hoping Liu Tiezhu hadn't noticed them.
That was exactly what Liu Tiezhu wanted. He swung the bamboo pole, striking Zhang Donghai's hand hard. Zhang Donghai screamed in pain.
"Damn it, he's onto us." "Get down. We'll take him together." Brother Ma shouted coldly, letting go of the rope and jumping. Zhang Donghai followed suit almost instantly.
Ahhh... As they landed, they screamed and immediately crouched, lifting their feet. In that split second, their raised feet caught the tripwire. The latch holding the bamboo trap released, and several bamboo poles whipped forward, knocking both men senseless.
Outside the wall, hearing the screams, Liu Houxing bolted. He didn't think about saving Brother Ma and the others—only about saving his own skin. Back then, getting caught as a thief meant a beating at best, or even death if you ran into a ruthless person.
Just as he started running, Er Gouzi lunged at him, fists pounding into Liu Houxing's nose. "Brother, stop! Let's talk this out." Liu Houxing was terrified, waving his hands in surrender.
"Talk my ass." Gouzi was in the zone. He cursed and punched Liu Houxing's nose again.