The little girl was awakened by the tantalizing aroma, and as she opened her eyes, she saw a chicken leg. Immediately she tugged at the old man and exclaimed, “Grandpa, look, I dreamt of chicken legs yesterday, and now there’s chicken legs in the morning.”
The old man was also startled awake, and upon approaching, he saw the two thousand dollars inside, along with a note. The note read, “This is for the accommodation fee, sorry for the trouble.”
The old man looked at it, feeling a mix of emotions, and could only sigh, “Kids these days are becoming quite polite, Kyla, it wasn’t a dream you had, the big brother from yesterday bought it for you, quick, thank the brother.”
The little girl, named Kyla, finally understood and promptly thanked the brother at the door, her voice crisp and adorable.
As her voice rang out, Fatty Wong, who had been lying outside the door, slowly woke up. Startled upon seeing Opal, he screamed, “Ah… you… ghost…”
He panicked and tried to run, but Opal grabbed him, reassuring, “I’m not a ghost, it’s me. Yesterday’s ghost was someone pretending to be one, the villagers told me you got scared and fainted.”
Yesterday, she had been knocked out by that ghost, who was not very forceful, so she woke up early. After Opal calmed him down, Fatty Wong realized someone had dressed up as a ghost to scare him, and he angrily swore, “Whoever did this, scaring me, if I find out, they’re in big trouble.”
Opal looked at him speechlessly before gesturing towards Fatty Wong’s lower half. Fatty Wong then realized his pants were wet, which left him feeling awkward. He had been scared, but being scared enough to wet himself was truly embarrassing.
Feeling judged by Opal, Fatty Wong quickly explained, “Someone must have splashed water on me, you know, those kids are mischievous, they must have done it.”
Opal seemed unconvinced by his explanation. “Who would splash water so early in the morning?”
Desperately, Fatty Wong insisted, “It must be water, and even if it’s urine, I’m sure I’m not the only one. The three guys from yesterday were here too, I saw their tires were punctured, they must have been scared too. It’s a natural reaction. It’s not just me, those three poor guys were probably the same, scared out of their wits.”
Fatty Wong turned red as he fervently explained, but Opal’s gaze became even more peculiar. She thought about revealing that the ghost was those same three who got caught but decided against it since Fatty Wong was still her cash cow. Seeing Fatty Wong getting flustered, she nodded and said, “Yes, it must have been whoever splashed water. Anyway, with that kind of state, you can’t go out to meet people. Find a way to change your pants.”
Fatty Wong quickly agreed, almost on the verge of tears. He was relieved Opal believed his explanation. He really needed a dry pair of pants; how could he face anyone in his current state? He looked around and saw a house with its door open, so he had Opal help him inside.
Upon entering, he loudly demanded, “Hey, old man, give me a pair of pants, I’ll give you five hundred bucks, hurry up.”
He used an imperious tone, thinking of himself as a wealthy and superior person who had just made a fortune. He assumed the locals in this remote town had never seen anyone like him before, so it was normal to be authoritative towards them.
He then raised the offer to six hundred bucks when the old man hesitated. Who in the rural area wouldn’t fetch him a pair of pants at the mention of such a sum? Was he not a godlike figure to them? But to his surprise, the old man coldly glanced at him and said, “I don’t have it, now leave.”
“What? Are you joking with me? You don’t even have a pair of pants. Old man, have some respect,” Fatty Wong mocked, rolling up his sleeves. He wasn’t accustomed to arguing like this but couldn’t afford to lose face in front of Opal.
“Threatening me? Heh,” the old man sneered and shouted outside, “Quick, someone come, there’s an outsider causing trouble, trying to kill someone, quick!”
Fatty Wong grew nervous. “Old man, a thousand… a thousand bucks for a pair of pants, just stop shouting.”
But the old man continued yelling for help. Fatty Wong felt even more anxious as he retreated, “I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want it.” He then prepared to run with Opal, but to his surprise, they were surrounded by a crowd outside.
“Sir, it’s this group causing trouble?” A young, burly man asked.
The old man nodded, and Fatty Wong quickly declared, “We were wrong, we won’t buy it. We’re leaving now…” but before he could escape, the crowd stopped him.
“Bullying and thinking of running? It’s too late. Brothers, deal with him,” someone shouted, and the mob punched and kicked Fatty Wong.
Fatty Wong was unskilled in fighting, with his body mostly composed of fat, while the fishermen were physically strong from their daily work. With over a hundred of them attacking, Fatty Wong stood no chance, being on the receiving end of the beating.
“Ah… stop… it hurts… mercy… don’t…” Fatty Wong wailed on the ground.
This small fishing village may have been tiny, but there was a silver lining to its size – its residents were united. In times of trouble, they all came together, as evident from the beating Fatty Wong was currently enduring.
Watching him, the old man sighed, “The difference between people is so vast, isn’t it?”
The contrast between two people was like night and day. If Fatty Wong had shown a little more humility and respect, the old man might have just given him the pants without any fuss. The old man couldn’t understand why people treated each other so differently.
At that moment, Fatty Wong was on the verge of tears, almost broken by the beating.