Chapter 3 Messing Him Is Our Job

• On the outskirts of Lofbury, there were vast expanses of traditional courtyard houses.
• Along a certain path that cut through the quadrangle courtyard area, Zachary was rummaging through a trash bin. His face lit up with joy when he found a piece of stale, smelly cookie.
• The cookie was infested with maggots wriggling about, accompanied by flies and mosquitoes buzzing in disarray.
• As he opened his mouth to eat, a hand reached out and swatted the cookie away. Three cocky youngsters had surrounded him.
• One of the young men, his long hair cascading down, held up a chicken drumstick, grinning as he asked, “Old Mr. Judd, what's so great about cookies? Fancy some chicken drumstick?”
• “Kneel and bow if you want a chicken drumstick!”
• “Bowing doesn't count. How about calling us 'sir' a few times? If we are pleased, we might just give you a chicken drumstick to eat!”
• The other two young lads were his followers, always stirring up laughter with their playful antics.
• “Chicken drumstick?” Zachary's somewhat bewildered gaze brightened for a moment, and he chuckled. “Joshua absolutely adores chicken drumsticks...”
• Joshua?
• Joshua Judd?
• The expressions of the three young individuals subtly shifted when they heard that.
• Thwack!
• One of the lackeys nonchalantly slapped Zachary across the face, cursing, “You old fool, you can't remember anything important, but you always remember Joshua! Is he your son, or your father?”
• “Dare to mention that name again, and you're dead!” Another lackey knocked him to the ground with a swift kick, then proceeded to kick him twice more while he was down.
• With fear written all over his face, Zachary raised his hands in defense. “Don't hit me! Don't hit me...”
• “Stop hitting him! Mr. Xavier has made it clear that we can't beat him to death!”
• The long haired guy, Samuel, crouched next to Zachary, and said with a smile, “Old Mr. Judd, don't be scared. They're just ignorant, they shouldn't have hit you. How about I treat you to a chicken drumstick as their apology, sounds good?”
• “All right, sure...” Zachary reached out for the chicken drumstick, exclaiming, “I want the chicken drumstick! I want the chicken drumstick...”
• “Then get on your knees, bow your head, and call me 'sir'!”
• Samuel stood up, once again raising the chicken drumstick high.
• Bang! Bang! Bang!
• Zachary rolled over and dropped to his knees, pleading fervently as he bowed his head, “Sir! Sir! Sir, I want to eat chicken drumsticks! Please give me chicken drumsticks...”
• As pedestrians passed by on the street, they couldn't help but let out a soft sigh upon witnessing the scene.
• “What a disaster! Old Mr. Judd has lost his mind, and they're still treating him so terribly!”
• “When his son was still alive, he was no stranger to good deeds, having funded the construction of several schools for children of migrant workers...”
• “No good deed goes unpunished...”
• Everyone was pointing and whispering, engaging in hushed conversation.
• No one dared to step forward and intervene.
• “Samuel, this old guy's been shouting 'sir' so loudly. Does he even have a shred of sanity left? After pressuring him for seven years, the only thing he remembers is Joshua... That man.”
• “It doesn't seem like he's playing dumb to me. Samuel, maybe we should let it go. He has donated money to our community in the past to repair the sewage system!”
• The two lackeys were starting to get a bit bored.
• “We're hired to do a job! Whether he's truly mad or just pretending, I don't care. Mr. Xavier hired us to mess with him every three days and that's what we'll do!” Samuel sneered, spread his legs apart, and continued, “Old Mr. Judd, you want a drumstick, don't you? Crawl through my legs and let's see. If you do it well, I'll give you a drumstick to eat!”
• His lackeys moved behind him, lining up in a straight row with their legs apart. They also chimed in, “Behave! Hurry up and crawl through! There's a chicken drumstick waiting for you once you're done!”
• “Once you're done, there'll be chicken drumsticks to eat!”
• Overjoyed, Zachary moved quickly, using both his hands and feet to crawl toward Samuel.
• “Stop!” A sudden outcry of anger echoed through.
• Thump, thump, thump...
• Amid the hurried footsteps, a graceful figure forced her way through the gawking crowd, powerfully pushing past Samuel.
• She was a beautiful young woman in her early twenties, with a radiant complexion and long hair that cascaded over her shoulders.
• She was dressed in a light-colored suit, paired with a form-fitting skirt, exuding elegance with an undertone of boldness.
• “What's wrong with you guys? Go home and do something useful instead of wasting your time. Picking on Old Mr. Judd doesn't prove anything!” She bent down to help Zachary up, expressing her concern. “Old Mr. Judd, why aren't you resting at home? Why did you venture out again?”
• “I'm hungry...” With a pitiful look in his eyes, Zachary pleaded to her, “Quinley, I want to eat a chicken drumstick...”
• “Here I was, wondering who it was. It turns out it's Ms. Quinley from the Calloway family!” Instead of getting angry, Samuel teasingly retorted, “What, isn't it enough for you and your brother to be taking care of Zachary? Are you treating him like some revered ancestor now?”
• “None of your business!” Quinley shot him a fierce glare, warning sternly, “Dare to bully Old Mr. Judd again, and I'll have my brother beat you to a pulp!”
• “I'm so scared! Ms. Quinley, before your brother gets the chance to beat us up, why don't you do it? Could you give us a beating instead?”
• “Ms. Quinley, ever since you pushed me earlier, my heart hasn't stopped racing! Don't believe me? Feel for yourself...”
• The lackeys exchanged glances and gestures, intending to take hold of Quinley's hand.
• “You... You all have no shame!” Quinley's face flushed red as she pulled Zachary back a step. Gritting her teeth, she warned, “In broad daylight, you all better not mess around!”
• “Mess around?” Samuel laughed, remarking, “You know, I almost forgot until you brought it up. Mr. Xavier has been eyeing the big renovation contract from Woodhaven Group for a while. Yet, your little Calloway family dares to compete. Isn't that just reckless?”
• “Reckless? It's more like they have nerves of steel! Samuel, do you think if we manage to bring Ms. Quinley back to the house, Mr. Xavier will reward us handsomely?”
• “By the way, let's have our turn at enjoying ourselves with her!”
• The suggestions from the two lackeys made Samuel's eyes sparkle with anticipation. The three of them shared a wicked grin, rubbing their hands together in eagerness as they closed in on Quinley.
• “You won't dare!” Quinley was struck with terror, retreating hastily with Zachary.
• She wanted to turn and run, but she and Zachary were already backed into a corner.
• There was no escape!
• “Move aside! All of you, move aside!” Inwardly, Quinley was distressed. She flailed her arms wildly, crying out for help, “Someone come quickly! There's a ruffian here—”
• “Shout! Shout as loud as you can!” Samuel sneered, “I'd like to see who dares to meddle in my business!”
• In reality, there were quite a few people gathered around watching.
• However, those three young men were causing trouble everywhere, so who would dare to step forward?
• Just as the three were about to apprehend Quinley, Zachary suddenly rushed forward. With a loud yell, he shoved Samuel, sending him sprawling backward.
• “Don't you dare bully the girl!” Zachary shielded Quinley behind him, swinging his fists and bellowing, “Anyone who dares to bully her will have to face me!”
• “Holy cr*p! Zachary, you're seriously asking for trouble!” Samuel fell on his tailbone, the pain contorting his face. He yelled out in fury, “Hit them! Beat them till they can't stand!”
• The two lackeys rushed forward, assaulting Zachary with punches and kicks.
• By the roadside, a Volkswagen car drove past.
• Seated in the car was none other than Joshua!
• Clayton informed him that Zachary was residing in a nearby courtyard house.
• “Zachary...” Amidst the crowd of onlookers, the mention of that name instantly pricked Joshua's nerves.
• “Stop the car!” Before the car even came to a halt, Joshua had already pushed the door open and stepped out.
• The moment his feet touched the ground, he spotted an elderly man who had been knocked over by three young men.
• In the midst of the physical altercation, the elderly man was curled up, unable to put up any resistance.
• The old man was Zachary!