Chapter 128: Returned

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Returned

"Protection fee?" Mother Su’s voice shot up, showing no fear of the thugs. "Do you know who we are? My third son is Su Jue. You can’t possibly not know him."

Before Mother Su started her business, Su Jue had told her he’d already made the rounds in this area. He assured her that no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble. After all, he wasn’t relying on his own connections, but on his brother-in-law’s status.

Her son-in-law was a battalion commander, after all, and he had comrades in the Capital. How could these thugs be foolish enough to provoke them?

"Su Jue, Su who? We don’t know him. Just pay the protection fee! If you don’t, then don’t blame us for what happens next!"

The thugs were completely unfazed, reaching out to flip their tricycle.

Father Su and Mother Su quickly rushed over to protect the cart and the thermoses.

None of it was cheap; the thought of even one thing getting smashed made their hearts ache.

"You people are truly reckless," Father Su said, growing frantic.

Mother Su, however, was a bit shrewder than Father Su. "Were you put up to this by someone? My son-in-law is a battalion commander in the military."

She stared at the thugs’ faces, realizing that her words hadn’t intimidated them at all.

Her heart sank as a guess instantly formed in her mind. ’Could it be that the boss behind these thugs is so powerful that even a battalion commander’s status isn’t enough to deter them?’

"Battalion Commander? HAHAHA, and we’re army commanders!"

After their bout of laughter, the thugs began to surround the couple.

"Hurry up and pay. If you don’t, we’re going to smash your things right now."

Father Su scrambled to his feet to shield Mother Su. Cautiously, Mother Su asked, "How much is the protection fee?"

"One hundred?"

"What! One hundred!"

Mother Su’s expression changed instantly. Wanwan’s recent hospital stay had already cost three hundred yuan. Thankfully, the treatment was going well. All the money she was earning was for Wanwan and the two children. ’How could she possibly give it to these thugs?’

"Not paying? Get ’em!"

The thugs immediately rushed forward to smash their things.

With no thought for her own safety, Mother Su quickly grabbed and held onto several thermoses.

Father Su also jumped in, struggling with one of them.

Another thug squatted down, pulled out a nail, and aimed to puncture the tricycle’s tire.

"Stop!" Father Su and Mother Su’s eyes widened when they saw him, and they shouted in fury.

CRASH!

The thermos in the hands of the thug wrestling with Father Su fell to the ground with a sharp crack, sending shards flying in all directions.

The loud noise made the other thugs, who were still grappling with Mother Su, freeze in place.

The faces of Mother Su and Father Su were etched with absolute fury.

It was as if someone had pressed pause, but everyone knew this was not going to end peacefully.

In the military vehicle, Lu Zhengchuan was in the back seat, talking with Qi Hao.

Xiao Deng, who was driving, stopped the car. "Battalion Commander Lu, we’re at the mouth of your alley."

"Good." Lu Zhengchuan nodded. Just as he was about to say more, the sounds of a scuffle reached his ears. He frowned, pulled open the car door, and stepped out.

"Causing trouble in broad daylight? You must have a death wish."

Lu Zhengchuan strode over and sent one of the thugs sprawling with a kick.

Qi Hao got out as well but didn’t intervene, confident his friend could handle a few thugs on his own.

"Dad? Mom?"

Lu Zhengchuan had just finished dealing with the thugs when he turned and saw Father Su and Mother Su looking up at him. His pupils contracted, and he hurried forward to help the two of them to their feet.

He noticed their injuries—thankfully just minor scrapes and nothing serious. But the mess on the ground made it clear that they had been bullied.

His expression instantly turned cold.

"Qi Hao, help me tie these guys up and send them to the station!"

Qi Hao, who had been lounging lazily, instantly snapped to attention, his eyes turning sharp.

But he didn’t even need to move. Xiao Deng had already rushed out of the car to tie the men up.

Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Deng’s forehead. Before Qi Hao could even ask, he stammered, "Battalion Commander, I thought I had everything in the area sorted out. I have no idea where these thugs came from. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this immediately."

For this to happen right at Battalion Commander Lu’s doorstep... Xiao Deng felt like all his recent efforts had been for nothing.

"Old Lu, are these your wife’s parents?" Qi Hao asked as he walked over.

Hearing this, Xiao Deng broke into an even colder sweat. ’Oh, no,’ he groaned internally. ’I’m toast.’

"Dad, Mom, this is Qi Hao, a comrade from my unit." Lu Zhengchuan said, suppressing his fury. "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get justice. For thugs to be this bold... they must think law and order in the Capital is a joke!"

Qi Hao also stepped forward. "Uncle, Auntie, please, just call me Qi Hao."

Father Su gripped Lu Zhengchuan’s arm, his face full of relief. "Zheng Chuan, you’re back from your mission?"

"You’re finally back! You don’t know what’s happened with Wanwan—" Oblivious to his own injuries, Father Su slapped his thigh, about to launch into the story about Su Wan.

Mother Su immediately cut him off. "Zheng Chuan, your father and I are fine. We just had a thermos smashed by those thugs. They were demanding a hundred-yuan protection fee. Utterly lawless."

"Let’s go home before we talk about anything else."

Wanwan?

’What happened to Wanwan?’

Lu Zhengchuan studied his in-laws’ expressions, and for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint, his heart sank.

He could see that Mother Su didn’t want to talk about it out in the open, so he nodded, suppressing his urgent feelings. He turned to Qi Hao. "Qi Hao, I have family matters to attend to. You should head back. Sorry to trouble you with these thugs."

"Alright, no problem." Qi Hao was a sharp guy and knew there were private matters to discuss. He took his leave, leaving Xiao Deng to handle the thugs.

Lu Zhengchuan bent down to pick up their scattered belongings, then helped his limping in-laws push the tricycle home.

"Oh my, what on earth happened?" Aunt Zhao called out. She was in the courtyard, feeding her chickens with soybean pulp.

Her expression changed when she saw their disheveled and injured state.

"We’re alright, Aunt Zhao." Mother Su pushed the tricycle into the courtyard and then turned to Lu Zhengchuan, who had followed her in. "Zheng Chuan, come inside with me. We need to talk."

"Mm," Lu Zhengchuan agreed and followed her inside.

Father Su went to wash his face and clean up. He shot a meaningful glance at the worried Aunt Zhao, but didn’t follow the others inside, leaving them some space.

Once inside the house, Mother Su looked at him, pursed her lips, and said, "Zheng Chuan, there’s something I need to tell you."

"Mom, whatever it is, just tell me. Did something happen to Wanwan?" It had taken all of Lu Zhengchuan’s considerable self-control to hold back his questions until now.

Seeing she had been misunderstood, Mother Su raised a hand. "Not exactly. You probably don’t know that Wanwan is carrying twins, do you?"

"Wanwan is having twins?" A delighted smile spread across Lu Zhengchuan’s face, but it quickly faded when he saw Mother Su’s unhappy expression.

"We only found out they were twins at the five-month checkup. The doctor said one of the babies is underdeveloped. If the situation doesn’t improve, that baby won’t survive. And it’s not just that—it could also affect the health of the other baby, and even Wanwan’s health."

"But Wanwan and I decided to try and save the baby. We’ve been undergoing treatment for a month now."