Zhang Xiaolong was taken aback for a moment, then said: "I am their cousin, why do you want to involve them? Be careful, we will report you to the authorities."
The person in black said, "Report to the authorities? Fine, let's go together. In Lu Town, I am the authority. Your little cousin stepped on my shoe just now, and I want her to compensate me. Let's see if the authorities will side with you or me."
At this time, Zhang Cai and the others hurried over. Zhang Cai quickly bowed to the two men, laughing and saying, "Gentlemen, please calm down. My nieces don't know any better. Since they stepped on your shoes, we will compensate you. Today is a good day for the market. Please show mercy, and there will be good fortune this year."
The person in orange smirked and said, "Fine. Seeing that you're an old man who knows his place, I'll let it go. Just compensate me for my shoes."
Zhang Cai hesitated, then cautiously asked, "How much should we compensate you with, sir?"
The man in orange held out a hand. Zhang Cai breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, five coins, let me give you that right away."
Zhang Cai took out five copper coins from his pocket and handed them over. The man in orange didn't even look at the five copper coins, and slapped them to the ground, snarling, "You country bumpkin, you think your straw shoes are worth five copper coins? Listen up, I want Five Taels of Silver!"
Zhang Cai thought this was ridiculous and quickly tried to appease him, "Master, you must be joking. Our family's food for a whole year is only worth three taels of silver. Are your shoes really worth that much?"
The man in black said, "You old man, are you doubting our honesty?"
At this moment, the village girls behind Zhang Xiaolong had recovered. One of them peeked behind Zhang Xiaolong and said, "Uncle, they're framing us. We didn't step on their shoes at all. We just came to watch the play, and before we even get close, they surrounded us."
Zhang Xiaolong angrily said, "Dad, they're obviously trying to extort us. We should take this girl to the government and report them right away."
The man in black laughed loudly and shouted, "You mud-legged peasants, you ignorant fools, don't even recognize Uncle Zhao, and you talk about reporting us? You lot, come and tell them what an official is."
Master Zhao waved his hand, and the servants who had been watching the excitement immediately gathered around with fists ready. Zhang Cai saw the situation was bad and told Zhang Xiaohua, "You and the two girls find a chance to run away, the rest of us will cover you." After finishing, he took Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu to fight against the encircling servants, while Zhang Xiaohua pulled the two village girls and ran into the crowd of spectators.
Zhang Cai, Zhang Xiaolong, and Zhang Xiaohu, although strong and sturdy laborers in the countryside, barely managed to overpower the servants in one-on-one combat. However, they were soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents. After a few rounds, they were knocked to the ground and battered by the servants' fists and feet, leaving the three of them injured on their faces and bodies. Zhang Xiaohua and the two village girls initially managed to dodge a few servants and were about to enter the crowd, but were blocked by a bodyguard in fine clothes. No matter how many twists and turns they tried, they couldn't escape the bodyguard, who didn't attack them but simply blocked their way, waiting for other servants to catch up before stepping aside and watching Zhang Xiaohua and the two village girls being forced back to the side of Zhang Cai and the others. Seeing her father and brothers being beaten on the ground, Zhang Xiaohua anxiously rushed up to save them but was kicked in the chest and fell to the ground, covered in mud. Just as she was about to struggle and sit up, two more servants came over and pressed her against the wall while slapping her several times, causing blood to flow from the corner of her mouth. The two servants seeing that Zhang Xiaohua was still young, stopped hitting her, just held her body down, not letting her move.
No matter how Zhang Xiaohua struggled, she couldn't break free from the two strong men's grip. Seeing her father and brothers curled up and being beaten under the wicked servants' fists and feet, she felt heartbroken, and tears streamed down her face in an instant.