Chapter 46 One plan fails, another is devised

"Old Zhao! Open the door for me! Old Zhao!"

Butcher Zhang pounded on Old Zhao's wooden door, making a loud banging noise, but after a long while, he heard no response from inside. He couldn't help but glance back at the impatient Zhu Er and Zhang Shi, and said somewhat awkwardly, "This, this... this can't be someone who's not home, can it?!"

Zhang glanced at Zhu Er, who was already frowning, and felt a little uneasy. She then looked at the sun high in the sky and murmured something:

"It's only a little past noon, could they have gone out to set up their stall and haven't come back yet?"

Zhu Er clicked his tongue, crossed his arms somewhat displeased, and glanced sideways at the Zhang couple: "Tsk! Why don't you go and call them back? What are you all standing here for? Do you expect me to go and call them back for you?"

The Zhang couple, startled by the scolding, quickly shook their heads and said with an embarrassed smile that they didn't mean it that way.

"Then why aren't you going yet! Let me tell you, my time is very precious! I'm only keeping you company in this scorching afternoon because of you Zhang family. I wouldn't even bother with anyone else!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Old Zhang! You heard that! Hurry up and go find that little hussy from the Fan family!"

"That little hussy from the Fan family? Oh? Madam Zhang, are you talking about me?"

Fan Xiaoxiao's voice rang out at the alley entrance, startling the three men standing in front of Old Zhao's house. Turning around, they saw it was indeed Fan Xiaoxiao. She stood backlit at the alley entrance, with a crowd of onlookers gathered behind her.

Just moments ago, Zhang was bowing and scraping before Zhu Er. Upon seeing the newcomer, her face instantly turned ugly. She stood with her hands on her hips, a stern expression on her face, and rolled her eyes at Fan Xiaoxiao: "Oh, isn't this Madam Fan? What's up? Did you go scavenging today?"

Fan Xiaoxiao stroked her chin, nodded, and smiled, "If Madam meant that visiting the Ji family was for scavenging, then I did indeed go scavenging today."

When Zhang heard that Fan Xiaoxiao was going to the Ji family today, her face immediately turned somewhat ugly. Everyone in the town knew that the Ji family was a family that even the Huang family would give some face to. If she twisted her words like this, people who didn't know the situation would think that she was still talking badly about the Ji family.

"I didn't say that! Stop spreading rumors and misleading the public!"

Fan Xiaoxiao, feigning humiliation, shrank back and blinked, then spread her hands at Madam Zhang, saying, "Didn't you say that first, Madam Zhang? Are you implying that the Ji family isn't even as good as scavengers?"

"you!"

Speechless, he could only point at Fan Xiaoxiao's nose and grit his teeth. Zhang the butcher couldn't stand it any longer and pulled Zhang Shi aside, coughing, "Ahem! Don't let this girl sway you! Remember what we came here for today!"

Pulled back by her husband, Zhang regained some of her composure. She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and tried to calm the anger that Fan Xiaoxiao had stirred up in her. She put on an extremely fawning face and began to wink at Zhu Er, who was watching the show from the sidelines: "Zhu Erlang, look at them..."

"Hmph! I know, I know!"

Zhu Er picked up the conversation and picked at his ear with one hand, a hint of impatience on his face.

"What's the rush? Do you think the person will run away? Look at you all. Tch."

After saying that, he flicked the earwax off his hands, swaggered up to Fan Xiaoxiao, raised his chin, and sneered at her: "How are you doing today, Miss Fan?"

"Thanks to the mayor, I'm doing alright."

"oh?"

Zhu Er's drawn-out "oh" was unpleasant to anyone who heard it. Fan Xiaoxiao, however, remained expressionless as she looked at Zhu Er, who was at least three times her size, and asked calmly, "What brings you here today?"

After saying this, Fan Xiaoxiao glanced behind Zhu Er and smiled enigmatically: "You've brought those two people who said they'd ruin my business the other day, could it be... they're here to cause trouble?"

Zhu Er rubbed his chin, about to speak, but unexpectedly, after Fan Xiaoxiao finished saying whether they were here to cause trouble, she immediately changed the subject: "Oh dear, I don't think so. After all, I remember that Master Hou said a couple of days ago that the town mayor doesn't have the final say here, and the Zhang family can't make decisions for the town mayor, right? No way, no way, does Master Zhu Er mean you're going to do something for the Zhang family today?"

This was quite a heavy burden. Zhu Er felt the veins on his forehead throb. He gritted his teeth and glared at the short, thin girl in front of him, his words practically squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Ha, Miss Fan, you've got quite the sharp tongue. Why don't you just say that I'm here on the town mayor's orders?"

"Oh? So, Mr. Zhu, you mean you represent the town mayor? You can do the town mayor's work? In that case, rounding up, you're practically the town mayor too!"

The veins on Zhu Er's forehead bulged even more violently, and he suddenly took a step forward and shouted.

"Enough! Stop talking nonsense! I didn't say that! Let me tell you, Fan Erya, someone has accused you of adding addictive drugs to your braised dishes! You either come with me to the mayor's house right now, or you bring the broth ingredients here immediately! We'll test it to see if it's true!"

Hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao sneered. See? The rat's tail is showing! Did they really think she, Fan Xiaoxiao, would hand over the secret formula for nothing? Dream on! Thinking this, Fan Xiaoxiao pretended to be clueless, spreading her hands and asking Zhu Er with some confusion:

"A secret recipe? What secret recipe?"

"What other secret recipe could it be! It's naturally the one you cooked!"

Zhang shouted loudly at Fan Xiaoxiao, her face filled with impatient eagerness. Fan Xiaoxiao shifted her gaze to Zhang's face, gave a long "oh," and repeated Zhang's words, "The secret recipe for braised pork?"

"Yes! It's the secret recipe for braised pork offal!"

At this point, Fan Xiaoxiao took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her bosom, waved it, and then pointed it at Zhang Shi.

"So this is what you want. But what do you need that secret formula for?"

When Zhang saw that there really was a secret recipe, her eyes lit up. She shoved aside Zhang the butcher who was blocking her way, took a step forward to stand next to Zhu Er, put her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows, and scolded Fan Xiaoxiao:

"Are you fucking deaf?! We've made ourselves perfectly clear! We suspect your braised pork offal contains something addictive! You either do as we say, or... hmph!"

The threat in Zhang's words was quite obvious. Zhu Er glanced at her, frowned, and remained silent. Seeing his wife step forward, Butcher Zhang no longer hesitated. He took two steps forward, pointed at Fan Xiaoxiao, and scolded, "I can't believe you're so young! You're doing this kind of thing! Hand over the secret recipe right now!"

The three men in front of her all had fierce and menacing expressions, and they were secretly sneering at Fan Xiaoxiao. But she didn't show it on her face. With a flick of her wrist, she put the paper back in her arms, then hugged herself and trembled. She then began to act in a high-pitched voice: "Oh dear, I'm so scared!"

"Now that you know fear..."

"So, where are all the people you're talking about who's addicted?"

Just moments before, Zhang Shi thought Fan Xiaoxiao was about to give in, but Fan Xiaoxiao abruptly cut her off. Hearing that the girl was even asking where the person who was addicted was, Zhang Shi felt like her heart was about to explode. She jumped up and was about to step forward, but Zhang the butcher quickly grabbed her, preventing her from doing anything in public.

Even so, Zhang's mouth didn't stop: "Damn it! We said there are people, so there are people! Why are you asking so many questions! Do you even have the right to ask why! Just a mere outsider!"

Fan Xiaoxiao was taken aback by her appearance and took two steps back imperceptibly. Then, she asked with a drawn-out laugh, "Oh? So, you guys are the ones who call the shots in Guqu Town?"

"This is our town! Of course we're in charge! Who do you think you are!"

Zhu Er didn't have time to stop Zhang Shi's words. After hearing the foolish woman's reply, he cursed inwardly. Sure enough, he saw the crowd behind Fan Xiaoxiao stir. Fan Xiaoxiao, however, smiled mysteriously and raised an eyebrow at them: "Oh? You're the ones in charge? Third Master Hou, have you understood this time?"

(End of this chapter)