17: Chapter 17 The Unshakeable Door

"Damn it!"

Fatty Wang shook his numb hand.

A few seconds later, he suddenly turned his head, his gaze finally locking onto the house diagonally opposite, Old Madam Lin's home.

Old Madam Lin's son was not at home, so there surely wasn't any decent protection.

"Damn it! Since I can't chew on this tough bone, I'll pick the soft persimmon instead!"

Fatty Wang, suppressed by a fit of evil rage, swung the fire axe. This time he didn't use his full strength, but when the axe struck the ordinary security door, the effect was completely different!

"Clang!"

A harsh sound of metal twisting rang out, and the door panel dented significantly.

"It's working!"

Fatty Wang was invigorated and roared again: "Smash it!"

He swung the axe again, and together with Lao San, he hacked fiercely at the area around the door lock!

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

After a few axe swings, the door panel around the lock was severely deformed. With a powerful kick from Fatty Wang, there was a loud "clatter," the door frame loosened, and the door was kicked open!

"Get in! Find food!"

Seeing the door opened, Old Madam Lin, who had been gloating just moments ago and wanting to watch a good show from Song Yang, panicked.

She was wrapped in an old cotton-padded jacket and rushed out holding a rolling pin.

"Fatty Wang?! What are you doing?! Breaking and entering! Get out, all of you!"

Fatty Wang completely ignored her, his gaze quickly sweeping across the living room, directly locking onto the direction of the kitchen.

He now had nothing but food on his mind.

"Where's the food?!"

He pushed Old Madam Lin, who was blocking his way, aside.

Old Madam Lin staggered and nearly fell, but she guarded the kitchen door desperately: "No! There's nothing! Get out!"

"Get lost, damn you!"

Fatty Wang completely lost his patience. The frustration he had suffered at Song Yang's place erupted at this moment. He raised his hand and slapped Old Madam Lin hard across the face!

"Slap!"

Old Madam Lin screamed, covering her face as she fell to the ground, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of her mouth.

"Search!"

Fatty Wang couldn't be bothered to look at her again and roared at the others.

"My rice! My flour! Don't touch my things!"

Old Madam Lin struggled to get up to stop them, but Fatty Wang kicked her in the shoulder, and she fell back down.

"Stay put, you old hag!" Fatty Wang cursed viciously.

Soon, Lao San and the others walked out of the kitchen carrying a few bulging plastic bags, containing some rice, a few packs of instant noodles, and some shriveled potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Although it wasn't much, for them now, it was life-saving food.

"Fatty, that's all there is," said Lao San.

"Let's go!"

Fatty Wang took a look at the items in the bags, nodded with satisfaction, called out, and led his people away.

Watching her only remaining food being snatched away, Old Madam Lin sat slumped on the floor, feeling both angry and afraid.

She watched the backs of Fatty Wang and his group as they swaggered away and shouted at the top of her lungs:

"You are robbing! This is against the law! When my son comes back, he won't spare you!"

She tried to use her son's past status to intimidate these lawless Neighbors; this was the only weapon she could think of now.

Fatty Wang, who had walked to the stairwell, paused upon hearing this, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Your son?"

"You old hag, are you awake yet? What kind of world is this now?"

"Still complaining to your son? Still 'won't spare us'?"

"Your precious son, it's questionable whether he's dead or alive right now! He might have already been eaten by monsters."

"Still want to throw your weight around? Old thing, now whoever has the hardest fist and has food, whoever the hell makes the rules!"

The others chuckled along, looking at Old Madam Lin as if looking at an idiot.

After they left, Old Madam Lin dared to move again.

Her face burned, she tasted the metallic tang of blood at the corner of her mouth, and her shoulder ached deep into her bones.

She struggled, trying to crawl up using her hands and feet, and only after a few attempts did she manage to stand up by leaning against the wall.

Her hair was disheveled, her old cotton-padded jacket was covered in dust, and she looked miserable.

Old Madam Lin first looked at her own kicked-open door, then turned to the intact silver-gray door diagonally opposite.

Song Yang!

It was all because of him!

If it weren't for that damn hard door of his, why would Fatty Wang have come to smash her door?!

Old Madam Lin staggered to Song Yang's door, ignoring the pain in her body, and stretched out her withered hands, pounding hard on that cold metal door with "bang, bang, bang" sounds.

"Song Yang! You bastard! I know you're in there!"

"Open the door for me! Open the door!"

"You've killed me! You won't die well!!"

Inside the house, Song Yang was watching a movie and ignored the old woman.

"You think you'll be fine if you hide inside?! I'm telling you! When my son comes back! My son won't spare you!"

"You kicked my dog to death! Now you've caused me to be robbed! You just wait! You just wait for me!"

"My son is an official! When he comes back, he will definitely arrest you! Execute you! Execute you a hundred times!!"

Old Madam Lin screamed until she was hoarse. When she was tired of pounding, she kicked with her feet and rammed with her body.

"Open the door! You coward! If you have the guts, come out!"

"You won't die well! Your whole family won't die well!!"

By the end, Old Madam Lin had exhausted all her strength and slid down the door to sit on the ground.

She had to find a way to take revenge, at least not let Song Yang have it easy.

Just then, footsteps came from the stairwell.

Two figures slowly walked up, it was Wang Mang, the son Old Madam Lin was thinking about, and his wife was following beside him.

Wang Mang looked a bit exhausted, his hair was messy, there was dust on his coat, and his face showed some haggardness.

He was carrying two plastic bags in his hand, which vaguely contained a few bags of bread, and it seemed it hadn't been easy to get.

"Mom?"

As soon as Wang Mang reached the stairwell, he saw his mother sitting slumped in front of the door diagonally opposite, and he was stunned.

The woman was also taken aback and quickly took a few steps to catch up with her husband.

"Mom! Why are you sitting here?!"

Wang Mang rushed over in a few steps. Seeing the swelling on his mother's face, the blood at the corner of her mouth, her disheveled hair, and her dust-covered body, his face turned livid instantly.

"Who did this?!"

As soon as Old Madam Lin saw her son, it was like finding her pillar of support. The accumulated grievances and anger erupted instantly, and tears and snot flowed together.

She stretched out her trembling hand, pointing at the tightly closed silver-gray door next to them, and then at her own kicked-in door frame.

"Son! You're finally back! Mom almost didn't get to see you again!"

Old Madam Lin wailed, "It's Fatty Wang! They snatched all the food! And hit me!"

She cried and complained while bringing her face close to let her son see the clear slap mark.

Wang Mang looked at his open door, and the bag of bread in his hand was squeezed until it crinkled.

"Fatty Wang?!"

Wang Mang gritted his teeth, "Damn it, he's got some nerve!"

"It's all him! It's all because of that bastard surnamed Song!"

Old Madam Lin wailed, pointing the finger at Song Yang again, "If it weren't for his broken door that couldn't be smashed open, why would Fatty Wang and the others have come to rob our house?! Son! You must stand up for me!"

Wang Mang took a deep breath, suppressed the rage in his heart, and helped up the still weeping Old Madam Lin:

"Mom, you go inside first."

Then, he turned around abruptly, walked a few steps to Song Yang's door, raised his hand, and slammed it hard against that silver-gray metal door!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Song Yang! Get the hell out here!"

Wang Mang roared: "I know you're in there! What kind of man are you, hiding and cowering?! Open the door for me!"