Chapter 55: All Talk and No Action Is Useless!
“Big Niu, take a few people and bring these two traffickers to the police...”
Before the village chief could finish, a villager nearby muttered, “Chief, we can’t just let these traffickers off so easily. We have to beat them up, starve them for a few days, then hand them over to the police!”
“The police will definitely execute them once they’re handed over. What’s the point of beating them now?” the village chief replied.
“No matter what, they must be beaten!”
“That’s right. These traffickers deserve death!”
“Chief, if you’re afraid of taking responsibility, just go back first. We’ll call you once we’re done!”
The villagers hated the traffickers with a passion; there was no way they would let them off lightly.
The village chief glared and said, “What nonsense are you talking? I’m not afraid of responsibility. I’m worried you don’t know your limits and might kill them, causing unnecessary trouble.”
“Good riddance if they die! Traffickers like these deserve to be wiped out!”
“Exactly. People without any morality like that belong in hell!”
“Talking is useless without action!”
One villager, the most furious, stomped over and began punching and kicking the male trafficker. Losing his temper, he snatched a hoe from another villager and smashed the trafficker’s hands and feet until the bones were shattered into pieces!
Another villager pulled out a sharp knife stuck in the man’s face, slashing seven or eight times across his face, then tore open his clothes to carve seven or eight more cuts on his chest and abdomen.
Meanwhile, the female trafficker was also beaten until her limbs were broken. Her clothes were stripped off, and dozens of cuts were carved into her body and face.
The two no longer resembled humans; even if they survived, they would be crippled for life.
Only then did the villagers begin to calm down, and the village chief hurriedly sent someone to report to the police.
“Brother, thank you! If it weren’t for you, our village would’ve lost another child!”
“Yeah, why don’t these traffickers just die out? We’ve lost several children in our village over the years!”
“Why doesn’t the government put more effort into eradicating these scum?”
“Brother, no matter what, you have to come eat at my house today. The whole village wants to thank you!”
Only then did the villagers notice Tang Jiancheng standing nearby and began expressing their gratitude to him.
---
“Brother, you look unfamiliar. Where are you from?” someone asked cautiously, eyeing Tang Jiancheng up and down.
Tang Jiancheng knew they had just gone through the ordeal with the traffickers and naturally felt wary of strangers, so he smiled without offense. “My name is Tang Jiancheng. I’m from Daping Village, Sanchong Township. I came to your village to ask if anyone has extra fishing nets to sell?”
“Why don’t you buy fishing nets from the supply and marketing cooperative? Why come to our village?” The man remained suspicious.
Tang Jiancheng smiled, “I checked there, but their nets aren’t sturdy enough. So I thought I’d come to a riverside village to have a look.”
“There are several riverside villages. Why come to ours specifically...”
“Qiangzi, what are you doing? He kindly helped us catch the traffickers, and you’re interrogating him like a criminal? Are you serious?” The village chief walked over and scolded the villager sharply. Then he smiled at Tang Jiancheng. “Young man, don’t mind him. He’s a little on edge because of what just happened. A few years ago, one of his children was kidnapped by traffickers.”
“I don’t mind. It’s good to be cautious these days.”
Tang Jiancheng was a bit uncomfortable, but since the village chief apologized, he let it go.
Besides, he was in a hurry.
The bus back to Sanchong Township would leave promptly at 2 PM, and it was almost 1 o’clock.
Without a watch, he could only estimate the time, so he had to speed up; otherwise, he’d miss the bus, which would be a real problem.
“Uncle, does your village have fishing nets for sale?” Tang Jiancheng quickly asked.
“Brother, you don’t need to buy. I have some at home. I’ll get them for you now.”
The villager who had doubted Tang Jiancheng earlier suddenly became enthusiastic, probably feeling he had been too harsh and wanting to make amends.
“Qiangzi’s fishing nets are indeed the best woven in our village. You should go with him.”
The village chief said.
“Abba! Abba!”
A mute young man suddenly approached Tang Jiancheng, giving him a thumbs-up and then hung all the sparrows and doves he had caught on Tang Jiancheng’s body.
Tang Jiancheng tried to refuse, but the village chief said, “Take it. That boy is his cousin, and this is his way of thanking you.”
Tang Jiancheng had no choice but to accept and followed Qiangzi back into the village.
A Shui and the short, stocky man from earlier also followed along.
---
“Tang Jiancheng, you said your name is Tang Jiancheng, right? You said you’re from Daping Village. Do you know someone named Tang Jianbo?” the stocky man suddenly asked.
“Of course, he’s my third older brother,” Tang Jiancheng replied.
“Really? He was my classmate, my high school classmate, though I only attended one semester and then left. My name’s Jiang Chengfa. You can ask around when you go back,” the stocky man Jiang Chengfa smiled.
“Well, that’s quite a coincidence!” Tang Jiancheng laughed too.
Upon learning Tang Jiancheng was the younger brother of Jiang Chengfa’s old classmate, the villager named Qiangzi became even more enthusiastic. “Ah, I’m really sorry about earlier. The traffickers scared me. Please don’t take it personally!”
“No worries, I understand.”
“Jiancheng, you said you want fishing nets. What kind do you need? Traps for cages, nets for scooping fish, fishing nets, or nets for fish farming?” Qiangzi asked.
“I don’t really know,” Tang Jiancheng smiled. “I just saw a reservoir near us with plenty of fish, so I wanted to buy some nets to catch some for food.”
“Fishing in a reservoir? Okay, I know what nets to give you.”
Back in the village, Qiangzi pulled out several baskets full of fishing nets. “Here we have hand nets, cage traps, and fishing nets. You’ll need all of these. The reservoir has a lot of rocks, so be careful when putting down the nets. Don’t lower them too deep, and never drag the nets or they’ll get caught on the rocks.”
“Brother Qiangzi, this is way too much.”
Tang Jiancheng had only planned to buy one or two nets, but Qiangzi handed him several baskets.
“No problem. It’s better to have extra just in case,” Qiangzi said.
“All right, how much is it all together?” Tang Jiancheng asked.
“Are you insulting me? I already told you, no charge! You saved our village’s children. Even if they aren’t my own, I’m grateful. This little fishing gear is nothing—just take it!” Qiangzi said.
Jiang Chengfa added, “Jiancheng, just take it. Compared to what you did saving the kids, this is really nothing!”
“All right then, I’ll take it. Once I catch some fish, I’ll bring you some,” Tang Jiancheng said without fuss, mostly because he was pressed for time. “I have to go now—I need to catch the bus at the station.”