Chapter 32: The Thunder of Gongs and Drums

Li Qi let out a sigh.

“I was wondering why crows had been circling me when I left the house today. So it was because you people were coming, huh? What is it? Was I not clear enough the other day?

“My kidney is not for donation!

“You could talk until the flowers bloomed, and there would still be nothing to discuss. I advise you to give up. In the end, all this will amount to nothing but wasted effort. Why bother...?”

Li Qi was truly getting tired. After being reborn, he wanted to make more money, make proper arrangements for his father and elder sister, then go out and see the world—to enjoy the beautiful sights, women, and food he had never experienced in his previous life.

He did not want to waste his time matching wits with Uncle Manjiang’s family of scum.

In his previous life, he had been shackled by morality and dragged along by family ties. In the end, he had donated a kidney. He had truly been out of his mind.

In this life, he had no intention of getting involved in this nonsense.

But how could the world ever bend to his wishes? After hearing his words, the faces of everyone who had come turned ugly. Wang Yue, in particular, changed color dramatically. Staring straight into Li Qi’s eyes, she said each word with deliberate emphasis:

“Boy, I’m willing to raise the price to thirty thousand yuan. And I guarantee that once you go to the mine, you won’t be working underground digging coal. You’ll be sitting in an office.

“Furthermore, I’ll use my connections to get your father a deputy team leader’s position in dispatch. He won’t have to sweep the streets anymore. He can sit in an office too, and his monthly salary can be raised to ninety-six yuan.

“These are things your family could never obtain through your own abilities, not even in an entire lifetime. Yet with a single word from me, I can have them all arranged tomorrow.

“I’ve already done everything humanly possible. I’ve eliminated every worry your family could have.

“Now I’ll ask you one more time. Are you donating this kidney or not?”

Before Li Qi could answer, Li Tianzhen sneered.

“Did you hear her clearly? That’s thirty thousand yuan. Have you even seen thirty thousand yuan in your entire life?

“And there are two office jobs as well. With your level of education—and your father’s—you probably never even dreamed that either of you could sit in an office.

“Our family is showing mercy by offering you such excellent terms.

“My younger brother needs surgery. There are plenty of kidneys available, as common as cabbages at the market. The only reason you have a chance at these things is because you’re related to my family by blood and your kidney is the best match for my brother.

“So this time, don’t be so ungrateful after being shown kindness.

“Li Qi, what are you still thinking about?

“I’ve seen plenty of miserable little punks like you. You’ll spend a few years drifting around society, then end up in prison for theft or fighting. When you get out, you’ll become a stinking beggar and eventually die somewhere without anyone even knowing where.

“Now our family is giving you a chance to defy fate and change your life. You should learn to treasure it—and, more importantly, learn to be grateful.”

Li Tianzhen looked down at Li Qi from her lofty position, her eyes full of contempt.

This family of dogs truly knew how to demand the impossible.

All those nauseating performances were nothing more than an attempt to squeeze out a few extra benefits, were they?

Now, in order to placate them, her family had been forced to make such enormous concessions. But once the operation was over and her younger brother had received Li Qi’s kidney, she would absolutely not let the matter rest.

Every bit of money and every job that did not belong to them would have to be returned.

They had brought it upon themselves.

The old man Wang Yue had brought with her was named Li Miao. He was the third uncle of Li Mantang and Li Manjiang. Li Mantang’s parents had died young, making Li Miao one of the few remaining elders in the village.

Wang Yue had specifically sent someone to bring him from their hometown to act as a mediator.

At that moment, Li Miao wore the particular expression of an old man throwing his weight around. He spoke slowly:

“Mantang, how did you raise your son to become like this?

“We’re relatives. Blood is thicker than water, and relatives helping one another is only natural. How can you still have the nerve to ask for money?

“Of course, Manjiang is generous enough to offer it. That shows how kind and righteous his family is.

“Think about it. The Manjiang family is well-off, and his son is destined for great things. Your son couldn’t even get into a vocational school after graduating middle school. What contribution can he possibly make to the country?

“And besides, no one is asking him to die. It’s only a kidney. It won’t stop him from eating or drinking. How can you possibly refuse?

“Mantang, you mustn’t be so foolish. If this matter isn’t handled properly, then after you die, we won’t agree to let you enter the ancestral graveyard.”

The moment Li Mantang heard this, his eyes reddened.

“Third Uncle, how can you say that? I’m the eldest grandson of the main branch of the Li family. Why wouldn’t I be allowed into the ancestral graveyard?”

“Then hurry up and agree to Manjiang’s request.”

Li Qi could not bear to listen any longer. He grabbed his father and patted his arm, signaling him to stay calm.

Then he turned toward Li Miao and said contemptuously:

“A toad with a feather stuck up its ass, pretending to be a songbird. What the hell are you putting on a show for?

“You’re a tadpole with a frog stamped on your head, yet you insist on pretending to be your mother.

“Blood is thicker than water, is that it? Then cut out your own kidney and give it to them. Or sacrifice one of your grandchildren. Would that work?

“Open your big mouth any wider and we’ll be able to see your hemorrhoids. You’ve got nothing but bullshit to spout.

“So what if I couldn’t get into a technical secondary school? Does that make me inferior?

“And I can’t contribute to the country? Take a look at this.”

Li Qi unfolded the certificate in his hand recognizing him as a Good Citizen for Righteous Conduct. He placed it neatly beside the portrait of his deceased mother. Then he reached into his clothes, took out a Third-Class Heroic Model Medal, opened its case, and set it down beside the certificate.

Turning around, he looked at Li Miao.

“You old bastard, open your dog eyes and look carefully. This is a Third-Class Heroic Model Medal issued by the Ministry of Public Security. I am a hero officially recognized by the police.

“If you dare stop my father from entering the ancestral graveyard, I’ll wear this medal back to our hometown and ask the village head and the county magistrate exactly who gave you the nerve.

“That would be open contempt for a national heroic model. What’s the reason for such wicked behavior? I’ll have the government investigate your political backgrounds thoroughly!”

Li Qi’s words rang out with force, and Li Miao’s calves began to tremble with fear.

After all, he was an old man who had lived through those turbulent years. He would never dare take responsibility for such accusations.

It was only because this was the modern era. Had it happened a dozen years earlier, a single sentence from Li Qi while wearing that medal would have been enough to send him to a public denunciation.

He would have been made to wear a tall paper hat, a metal placard weighing dozens of pounds hung around his neck, and forced to shout slogans condemning himself.

Any time his voice grew even slightly too soft, someone would naturally beat and kick him.

Those had been years no one dared remember.

“B-b-but no, no, no. Young Li, you mustn’t say things recklessly. I’m not a spy or a traitor. I’m a good citizen!

“I never said Mantang couldn’t enter the ancestral graveyard!

“When I return, I’ll tell the entire village that Mantang can not only enter the ancestral graveyard, but the ancestral shrine as well.

“With such an accomplished son, Mantang naturally deserves a prominent place in the center of the ancestral hall!”

Li Miao was completely defeated. He even shot Li Manjiang and Wang Yue a resentful glance.

What kind of mess had they dragged him into?

He was merely an ordinary farmer. The two of them, relying on their official positions, had given him plenty of rice, flour, cooking oil, cigarettes, and liquor, coaxing him into coming here to frighten Li Mantang with the ancestral graveyard.

But before they came, they had told him that there was no one capable in Li Mantang’s family, only a son who worked at a school. They had said they could crush them with one hand.

So what was going on now?

Even if he had ten times the courage, he would never dare challenge someone holding a Public Security medal.

Wang Yue and Li Manjiang were also somewhat bewildered.

The situation had developed in a way that left them utterly confused. Before deciding to use Li Qi’s kidney, they had investigated him. He was supposedly nothing more than an ordinary young man.

He had done poorly in school, loved to play truant, and after leaving middle school had become just like all the other young delinquents in town—stealing coal, stealing scrap iron, playing billiards, and hanging around amusement arcades.

Where had he gotten a Third-Class Heroic Model Medal?

Li Manjiang had already begun to consider backing down. His wife, Wang Yue, however, turned around and fixed Li Qi with a hard stare.

“Li Qi, since you were able to obtain a Third-Class Heroic Model Medal, your sense of duty should be higher than that of an ordinary person.

“Using one kidney to save your own cousin’s life—that is what a hero is supposed to do.

“Besides, the Public Security Bureau can give you a medal, but can it give you a job?

“I can add one more condition. Once you arrive at the mine, I guarantee that I’ll use every resource at my disposal to secure deputy-section-level status and benefits for you as quickly as possible.

“You should understand that with your educational background, this would be the pinnacle of your entire life.

“Now, as long as you agree to donate your kidney to my son, I can arrange everything for you!”

Wang Yue was somewhat anxious inside.

The doctors had repeatedly told her that Li Qi’s kidney was the best possible match for her son in the entire world. The genetic compatibility was high, the risk of rejection was lower, and the chances of a successful operation were greater.

She could not possibly give up.

That was her son—the child she had carried for ten months and raised through endless hardship.

Even if she had to kill Li Qi, she would make sure he donated his kidney to her son.

That was why she was prepared to offer terms Li Qi could never refuse.

Just then, the roar of cars suddenly came from outside the house, accompanied by the deafening sound of gongs and drums.