They were determined to extract more money from Liu Yifeng.
As soon as Liu Xiaofei saw Liu Yifeng drive his van back, they rushed out of the living room and blocked the driver's side door, clearly afraid that Liu Yifeng would try to escape as soon as he got out.
Liu Yifeng wouldn't have returned so brazenly if he were afraid of them.
He opened the driver's door and got out.
"Liu Yifeng, I assume your father has already called you. My son is still in the intensive care unit, unconscious. Are you offering me five thousand yuan like you're giving to a beggar?" Liu Xiaofei questioned, displeased.
"Exactly. My son has already cost us over fifty thousand yuan since he was admitted to the hospital, and there will be significant expenses ahead. We're not asking for too much, just make it up to fifty thousand yuan, and then whatever the remaining costs are will be none of your concern," said Liu Shengyang, Liu Chenguang's father.
Liu Yifeng didn't respond. Instead, he walked to the passenger side and carried Tongtong out of the car. "Tongtong, Daddy has something to deal with. Can you go back inside and play for a bit?" He was worried that the ensuing argument might frighten Tongtong.
However, Tongtong spread his arms and stood in front of Liu Yifeng, saying in a fierce but childish tone, "You bad people, don't bully my Daddy!"
Liu Xiaofei looked down at Tongtong dismissively. "What does a little kid like you know? This has nothing to do with you, scram!"
"I'm not a little kid! If you don't leave, I'll get serious," Tongtong stated with a serious expression, though it lacked any real menace.
Liu Xiaofei and Liu Shengyang exchanged a look, both appearing exasperated.
"Liu Yifeng, are you using your son as a shield? Are you even a man? Don't think we won't do anything just because your son is a child. My son is in the ICU because of you. If you don't make him leave, we won't be polite anymore," Liu Xiaofei threatened.
Liu Yifeng clenched Tongtong's hand, his eyes filled with anger. "I sympathize with what happened to Chenguang and Yadong. However, their current condition has nothing to do with me. The five thousand yuan was purely out of humanitarian concern, a small contribution as we are all from the same village. But you interpret it as my admission of guilt. I can only say you've misunderstood. I will not give you another cent of that fifty thousand yuan. If you continue to cause trouble here, I won't hesitate to call the police. I believe they will be on my side."
"Well said! You're washing your hands of all responsibility. All I know is that if you hadn't gone picking wild mushrooms on the mountain, they wouldn't have gone up there. You bear some responsibility. You will pay, whether you want to or not, or else we'll make sure your lives are miserable!" Liu Xiaofei fully embraced his role as a scoundrel.
Liu Yifeng was too lazy to argue further. These people clearly thought of him as a pushover, someone they could easily manipulate.
He directly pulled out his phone and dialed the emergency number. "Hello, police. Someone is extorting me at my home. They won't leave if I don't pay. Please send officers to handle this."
...
After hanging up, Liu Yifeng looked at the two men. "I've called the police. Let them handle this matter!"
"We're not afraid of the police. It's because of you that Qingyun died, and my and Xiaofei's sons are still in critical condition. You are undeniably involved," Liu Shengyang said, showing no fear upon hearing Liu Yifeng call the police. They were convinced in their hearts that Liu Yifeng was the cause of the incident, and demanding medical fees from him was not extortion.
Soon, the police arrived. After an inquiry, the police delivered their verdict. The incident indeed had nothing to do with Liu Yifeng, as he had not asked them to go. Furthermore, they had gone secretly after being repeatedly advised against it. The fault lay with Liu Qingyun and Liu Yadong. They had persuaded Liu Gang and Liu Chenguang to go with them because they didn't believe there were wild wolves on the mountain. However, Liu Qingyun was already dead, and Liu Yadong was still in intensive care, his survival uncertain. It was not the time to assign blame; in any case, Liu Yifeng was completely uninvolved. The officers educated Liu Xiaofei and Liu Shengyang and then left, stating that any further attempts to coerce Liu Yifeng into paying would be dealt with according to the law.
The two men left dejectedly. Their plan to extort money from Liu Yifeng for their sons' medical fees had fallen through.
"Yifeng, I heard the police were at your place. Did something happen?" Chun Sheng, from the third brother's family, hurried over upon hearing the news. However, there were no police in the yard, and Liu Xiaofei and Liu Shengyang were gone.
Liu Yifeng smiled. "The police have resolved the matter. They won't bother us again."
Hearing this, Liu Chun Sheng felt relieved. "That's good. If you hadn't called the police, I wouldn't have known how to handle it." He hadn't considered calling the police when the two families were causing a scene that morning. After all, they were all from the same village and would see each other regularly; he didn't want to worsen their relationship. But now, he realized one shouldn't be too kind, lest they be taken advantage of. He had kindly tried to give them money, yet instead of being grateful, they had treated it as compensation, and then complained it wasn't enough, leading to a disturbance at his home, which had forced him to hide at the third brother's house. He felt that with his old age, he couldn't handle such matters. Seeing his son capable of handling various unexpected situations filled him with pride. He believed that Yifeng's transformation was all thanks to Tongtong's arrival; the grandson was the family's lucky star.
"Tongtong, you're still young. It's Daddy's job to protect you, not the other way around, understand?" Liu Yifeng thought of Tongtong's earlier actions with a touch of emotion. However, such behavior was indeed dangerous. If they encountered someone truly ruthless who wouldn't hesitate to harm a child, Tongtong could be in danger. Therefore, he needed to teach Tongtong how to protect himself.
To his surprise, Tongtong said dismissively, "Daddy, believe it or not, you can't beat me."
Liu Yifeng was incredulous. "Tongtong, I know you're smart and have a high IQ, but that doesn't mean you're physically strong. Daddy is a six-foot-tall man, and you're a little kid barely four feet tall. How could you possibly beat me?"
Tongtong wiggled his small hands. "Whether you can win, Daddy will know if he tries."
"Alright, then Daddy will spar with Tongtong. To be fair and not have it look like an adult bullying a child, I'll let you have an advantage with one hand and one leg. If you can push me down, you win." Seeing Tongtong acting like a little adult, Liu Yifeng decided to knock him down a peg, lest the boy truly believe he was invincible.
"Then, if I win, Daddy won't cry, will he?" Tongtong asked with a mysterious smile. Liu Yifeng felt as though his son was underestimating him. To assert his fatherly authority and presence, he was determined to show Tongtong his capabilities today. He had a lot of fighting experience from his childhood, and coupled with his height, most people couldn't beat him, let alone Tongtong, who was not yet four years old.