Chapter 33 The two had just arrived at their doorstep when…

As soon as the two arrived at their doorstep, they saw a car parked in front of the house, and a man got out of the car.

Shen Lang and Jiang Can both know each other.

Secretary He, who had come with Ma Qiaoyun, the nanny from the Shen family, was carrying a black leather bag as he walked towards the two of them.

“Mr. Shen, Ms. Jiang, I’ve been waiting for you two for a long time. We’ve met before. I’m He Caosheng, Director Shen’s secretary. I’m here on behalf of Director Shen to ask you what exactly you want.”

Shen Lang: "Can you represent Shen Boxiong?" and took a step forward.

He Caosheng subconsciously took a step back, and three burly men immediately got out of the car and stood in front of Secretary He.

Shen Lang scoffed, "Does it even represent anything?"

“Mr. Shen, is there anything we can’t discuss properly? You think two thousand isn’t enough? This time, I’ve brought twenty thousand.” Secretary He opened his briefcase, which was filled with paper and pens, making it quite eye-catching at first glance.

Actually, it's just that the 20,000 yuan was broken up into smaller amounts, which makes it look like a lot, like a whole wallet full of money.

Jiang Can's first thought was, could he just steal the money? But it seemed impossible. There were witnesses this time, and the Shen family had definitely learned their lesson; they probably wouldn't have recorded anything.

Since she couldn't rob it, the money was no longer her concern. She said, "The Shen family is really something else. They spent 50,000 yuan to hire thugs, and then offered me 20,000 yuan as a bribe. The Shen family is really rich!"

Secretary He: "Miss Jiang, you must have misunderstood. What ruthless bandit? The Shen family knows nothing about such things, let alone would do something so unscrupulous. You must have misunderstood."

Jiang Can: "Yes, yes, whoever did this despicable thing, their whole family will die, and everyone associated with them will also die."

Secretary He: "Our director knows that Miss Jiang wants to go to university. The director will process Miss Jiang's file so that she can retake the college entrance examination. With Miss Jiang's grades, she will definitely be able to get into a better university. Is it worth it to exchange a year's time for 20,000 yuan?"

Jiang Can chuckled, "How dare you Shen family be so arrogant? It seems you still haven't figured things out? I wonder how many university places you sold for this dirty money. Get out of here with your dirty money."

Are you trying to fob off a beggar with 20,000 yuan?

She and Shen Lang initially did want money; they didn't have the power to bring down the Shen family, so they could only take it slowly. But things are different now; who could have imagined that the Shen family would send over a wanted criminal?

Not only did they get to know Director Liang, but they were also going to be on the evening news. Who would be afraid of the Shen family then?

The Shen family should be feeling anxious right now. They've done so many bad things, and the whole thing of impersonating someone to get into university has become an industry chain. Evidence is so easy to gather. But judging from Secretary He's expression, the Shen family is still quite confident.

I just don't know if they're truly confident or if they'll only shed tears when faced with a real crisis.

Secretary He's face changed. "Miss Jiang, we're all from Liaoxian County, we'll run into each other all the time. Making a scene won't be good for anyone. You and Mr. Shen's families are all here in Liaoxian. If you think this money isn't enough, just name your price!"

Jiang Can was speechless. "Hurry up, go get some money and throw it at them, or just throw it at them directly, whatever you want. Get lost, seeing your stupid and wicked face makes me sick."

She took Shen Lang's arm and prepared to go inside, too lazy to pay attention to this idiot. What kind of brain does he have that he could use her and Shen Lang's family as a threat?

Didn't they even check their family backgrounds?

The two ignored him and went straight back to their yard.

Secretary He's face turned ugly, and he chased after her a few more steps, "Miss Jiang, name your price! Thirty thousand! Forty thousand! Fifty thousand! Fifty thousand at most! You can still take the college entrance examination next year. If you study hard, you might even get into Huada University. You probably can't earn that much money in your entire life."

But when he reached the door, he didn't dare go in.

Ma Qiaoyun had three ribs broken last time! And that was all because of Jiang Can's beating. This Shen Lang can even beat up armed thugs! He dares to complain outside, wishing Shen Lang would beat him up so he could call the police and say that Shen Lang is arbitrarily beating the weak.

But he dared not chase him into the yard, otherwise he would suffer the beating for nothing.

Jiang Can slammed the door shut, then immediately threw a basin of water outside. Secretary He roared, "Miss Jiang, don't push your luck! You really think you can get away with this just because you found a powerful backer? Let me tell you, it's pointless! This time, we'll try to talk things out, but next time..."

He was very confident, but then he started sneezing, one sneeze after another.

In November, the nights were already quite cold. He couldn't stand being doused with a bucket of cold water and caught a chill. His constant sneezing turned his earlier threats into a joke.

Jiang Can put the basin down. "Good dog, I'll pour you some water again later." She watched Shen Lang climb over the back wall and said, "Lang, turn on the coal stove and boil some water."

Shen Lang must have gone to deal with Secretary He. He didn't make a move just now because it wasn't the right time for him to.

She turned on the bedroom light, took the test paper, and started working on the questions.

The widow next door peeked in and opened her door a crack, whispering, "You're Secretary He, right? Should we call the police? I can vouch for you; they splashed water on you. Just give me a hundred yuan!"

The neighbors from the next courtyard opened their doors. "Secretary He, I can testify too. Give me a hundred yuan, and I guarantee I'll get them in."

Secretary He's face darkened, and he felt even colder. He continued sneezing, "One hundred yuan??? Are you crazy for money!"

Seeing that he had no intention of calling the police, Widow Qian simply closed the gate and went into the yard. The next moment, another basin of water was splashed out from the neighboring yard, soaking four burly men.

Widow Qian's daughter-in-law: "Mom, why are you splashing foot bath water at the door? Don't splash it on the Shen family's property. This water is good for watering the vegetables."

Widow Qian: "There's something dirty on the roadside, I'll splash some water to wash it off." She then muttered, "Pah, stingy woman, can't even bear to spend a hundred yuan."

Secretary He felt the water splashed on him smelled particularly bad. He got into the car with a dark face. Luckily, he got in early, because several more buckets of water were splashed on the car.

Secretary He truly hated this alley. No wonder Sister Ma said the people in this alley were all money-grubbing shrewish women! He sneezed one after another, feeling his head getting hot.

Tell the driver to drive back quickly.

-

About half an hour later, Shen Lang still hadn't returned. Someone outside called out, "Brother Lang, it's Zhu Zi."

Tiger didn't bark. As long as it wasn't near their door, no matter who shouted, Tiger wouldn't bark. But if it was near the door or bumped into a wall, it would bark like crazy.

Zhu Zi called out again. Jiang Can hesitated for a moment, but decided not to open the door, assuming that he was asleep.

Otherwise, people will know that Shen Lang is not home!

Regardless of what Shen Lang did, he's at home right now, and what's happening outside is none of his business.

"Wait here," Shen Lang replied from the doorway, then went to open it.

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Can put down his exam paper and ran out of the house, asking in a low voice, "How did it go?"

Shen Lang hooked his arm around Jiang Can's waist and raised an eyebrow: "The car overturned into a ditch. I don't know if the sedan can still be driven after being submerged in water."

Jiang Can laughed, tiptoed and kissed him, "How did you do that?"

Shen Lang: "I took a shortcut and put a wooden stake on the road beforehand. The lighting was bad there, and the car only noticed it when it got close. The driver swerved and the car overturned into the ditch."

Jiang Can: "Is he alright?"

She didn't want Shen Lang to actually commit murder and arson.

Shen Lang: "The water wasn't deep, it didn't go over the car roof. They kicked open the car door and climbed out. Those four bodyguards are pretty good; even if the water was deep, they wouldn't have died."

As they spoke, the two had already reached the door. Shen Lang opened the door, and He Fengnian and Zhan Junzhuo were standing outside.

He Fengnian: "Brother Lang, sister-in-law."

Zhan Junzhuo also shouted.

Shen Lang invited the two inside to talk, but before they even entered the courtyard, the outside became noisy again. Cai Pozi's son shouted, "A car has fallen into the river ahead. They're asking for help. They'll give ten yuan to each person."

As soon as he said that, half the people in the alley came out to help.

Jiang Can reached out and pulled Shen Lang over to join the commotion, saying, "Let's go take a look too."

On the riverbank, a car lay overturned. Secretary He and several others stood on the bank, soaking wet like drowned rats. The driver shivered, feeling cold not only physically but also emotionally.

He drove the car into the river, how is he going to explain this? He couldn't afford to pay for it even if he sold himself!

I couldn't help but complain to Secretary He, "Why did you have to drive here just to deliver money? You could have just ridden a bicycle. What could have happened if the bicycle had fallen into the ditch?"

Secretary He was also frightened. How could he be so unlucky? He yelled at the driver, "Old Zhang, how do you drive?! How did you manage to drive the car into the ditch?! Can this car still run after getting wet?"

Old Zhang didn't dare to talk back.

Bodyguard: "I think so. You can even wash a bicycle with water!"

Secretary He found ten people to lift the car, paying each of them ten yuan. However, the ten men were unable to lift it. The car was so big and heavy in the water; who could lift it? That's why Granny Cai's son went back to call for help.

A group of people went down to lift the car, even the old lady with the sloping leg went down into the river. Suddenly there were dozens of people, and Secretary He quickly stopped them: "That's enough! That's enough!"

But no one paid any attention. It took more than seventy people to lift the car ashore, and then they went to Secretary He to ask for money.

Ten yuan per person, so for more than seventy people that's seven hundred yuan.

Secretary He's face turned green. "How much strength can a lame old woman like you have!"

The old lady said, "My clothes are all wet. Hurry up and get your money. If I catch a cold, you'll have to pay for my medical expenses."

In the end, Secretary He had no choice but to pay. The bodyguard was quite strong, but he was completely helpless against the awful old lady in Pomegranate Alley.

The water in the car was drained, and the driver went to start the car, but he couldn't get it to start no matter what he tried.

This car, worth over 100,000 yuan, is broken!

Jiang Can and Shen Lang were overjoyed; they had been waiting for this moment. Shen Lang whistled, "He's done so many bad things that even God can't stand it anymore."

Secretary He felt a deep sense of despair, clutching his briefcase and trembling. The car was broken; how was he going to explain this to the bureau chief? He quickly told the driver to find a mechanic to fix the car.

He left one bodyguard to watch the car, while he, carrying his briefcase, left with two other bodyguards. As they walked forward in the cold night, it grew colder and colder, and his snot froze. His handkerchief was covered in snot from blowing his nose, and eventually it became unusable, so he could only keep sniffling.

When has Director Shen's secretary ever been so down on his luck? In the past, wherever he went, he was surrounded by lavish gifts and flattery!

He hated Jiang Can and Shen Lang just as much as the bureau chief did, hating them for ruining his happy life.

After watching the excitement to his heart's content, Jiang Can went home with Shen Lang and the others. Once home, Jiang Can took three bottles of soda, washed some fruit, and brought it into the living room. He then went back to his bedroom to continue doing his homework, humming a song as he did so because he was in such a good mood.

He Fengnian handed a canvas bag to Shen Lang, "This is the money we've made from the sales these past two days. The principal has been settled, and my mother and sister-in-law's wages have also been paid. This is the profit, a total of 70,000 yuan."

Yesterday, he mainly supplied goods to merchants, totaling 30,000 yuan. In addition, his mother and sister-in-law sold 15,000 yuan worth of goods in the past two days. He and Zhan Junzhuo sold nearly 20,000 yuan worth of goods today.

The order forms for the bulk purchase are all in there.

Shen Lang immediately counted out 14,000 yuan and gave it to He Fengnian and Zhan Junzhuo, asking, "Any objections?"

He Fengnian: "Brother Lang, what are you saying? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have a job right now, let alone make a lot of money?"

Zhan Junzhuo: "Brother Lang, don't underestimate me. This is nothing. I'm planning to follow you into big business in the future." He was countless times glad he made that choice back then. He had already earned more than 10,000 yuan in the past few days!

His parents walk with such confidence! They always stand so straight.

Now everyone in the factory is asking how much merchandise Shen Lang has wholesaled, and if they can get some for themselves. Anyone who's sold goods knows it's profitable! But right now, everyone's stock is almost sold out.

Zhan Junzhuo was unwilling to approve the loan to them; who would complain about making more money! He was tight-lipped and knew nothing when asked; he was just a driver.

Others went to Zhu Zi to inquire, but Zhu Zi was a very temperamental person and kept his mouth shut, so they couldn't find out anything.

Zhan Junzhuo and Zhu Zi counted the money. This was their wages for two days, seven thousand yuan for two days. Who would dare to dream of such a thing?

The two couldn't stop smiling. Before, when they hadn't split the profits, all the money belonged to Shen Lang.

Now that the profits have been split, it's all mine, and I can do whatever I want with it.

Zhu Zi stuffed the money into his pocket and started complaining about Liang Kaiwen, "How did this guy become like this after getting married?!"

Shen Lang: "So what if I'm married? I listen to my wife. She said that listening to her will make you rich."

Zhu Zi: "Yes, it's not that he became like this after getting married. Liang Kaiwen has always been like this! He just hid it well. Otherwise, why would he say he didn't want the IOU but then hide it away? I burned the IOU as soon as I left the house that day."

Shen Lang, munching on an apple, said, "You burned the IOU, how can I pay you back if I don't see it?"

Zhu Zi chuckled: "Then I'll write a 'received' note when I collect the money. Brother Lang, you have no idea, he's been looking for me everywhere these past few days, wanting to work with me, and even saying he only wants profit sharing, not a salary. Isn't that implying that my mom and sister-in-law are getting paid?"

Back then, Brother Lang was practically giving us free money when he brought us along. But then he thought it was all a scam and leaked the information to his wife, letting her take the lead. Otherwise, how would she have known he was unloading goods at the cotton mill? Now that he's heard it's profitable, he wants to come back and let his wife lead the charge again. How can he be so shameless?

I refuse to believe he really has no way to deal with his wife. He's just putting on an act of helplessness, as if he's completely innocent.

It would be a lie to say I'm not heartbroken. We were such good brothers back then, we'd even borrow each other's new pants and shoes.

Shen Lang: "Auntie can buy the goods wholesale and sell them herself at the market price. Go back and ask your auntie."

Zhu Zi scratched his head: "No need to ask, my mom and sister-in-law get four hundred every day, they're extremely satisfied!"

Shen Lang: "Go back and ask. Liangzi came to my house today too, wanting to work with me and get a share of the profits. I told him that if he wants to work, he should wait at your door tomorrow. He shouldn't think about the profits, just get a salary. Have my aunt take care of him, and don't let him know where the warehouse is."

Pillar: "Okay."

Shen Lang added, "I plan to use this money to buy a house near the enamel factory. I think it's a good house, and it's close to where your sister-in-law bought her house."

The enamelware factory's residential compound wasn't very close to the steel rolling mill.

Zhu Zi: "It's not that close. If you think it's too far, why not buy a house in the steel mill's staff quarters? The steel mill is even bigger! Your sister-in-law can go to Jiang's Restaurant right outside the door."

Shen Lang rolled his eyes at him and continued eating his apple. "I think the enamel factory building has good feng shui."

Zhu Zi: "Then I'll buy one too."

Shen Lang: "If you don't have enough money, I'll add more for you first."

Pillar: "Hey."

Zhan Junzhuo pondered these words for a while, "Then I'll buy one too. I've made quite a bit of money recently, and with my parents adding some more, we can buy one too."

Shen Lang: "Don't tell anyone, otherwise the house price will go up before we even buy it."

Shen Lang finished eating an apple and tossed the core to Hu Zi, telling him to eat it: "Go back and rest quickly, we have to get up early tomorrow to sell goods. After we sell this batch, we'll go to Dinghe to inquire and see if we can get some more goods."

Dinghe is a neighboring city, which also has large cotton mills, almost all of which are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Zhu Zi and Zhan Junzhuo each left with their money, their minds preoccupied with buying a house, wondering who to ask for help inquiring about available properties.

Zhan Junzhu put his arm around Zhu Zi's shoulder and said, "Zhu Zi, you know a lot of people. If you have any listings, just let me know."

Zhu Zi: "Didn't you want to buy a house in Happiness City? You said the houses there are bright and beautiful, and that it would be so comfortable to live in them."

Zhan Junzhuo: "Our brother Lang said that the feng shui of the enamel factory building is good, so I think it must be good!"

Shen Lang is clearly destined for great things!

Later, he was thankful for this decision countless times.

-

Shen Lang went back into the house, took away Jiang Can's test paper, and put the canvas bag in front of her. "Count them?"

The canvas bag was open, and inside were lots of money. The money was all stacked together and tied with rubber bands. There were hundred-yuan bills and one-yuan notes. The bundles of money were so big that they made one's eyes dizzy.

Jiang Can reached out and flipped through the contents. The most numerous items were hundred-yuan bills, eight bundles of which were tied with rubber bands, as well as ten-yuan, five-yuan, and one-yuan bills!

She exclaimed in shock, "That must be worth tens of thousands!"

Shen Lang: "You count them."

Jiang Can's mind was entirely focused on the money. She counted it bundle by bundle, each bundle containing fifty bills. There were forty thousand yuan in hundred-yuan bills alone, plus other odds and ends, totaling fifty-six thousand three hundred and twenty-five.

Holding a pile of money, her eyes crinkled into crescents with joy: "This is so profitable! How much stock do you have in your warehouse?"

Shen Lang: "There are still over 100,000 worth of goods left."

Jiang Can: "My God, this money came in so fast! With so much money, should we pay off the loan sharks first?"

Shen Lang: "Buy two more houses, and use the rest to pay off high-interest loans."

I used to be afraid that the enamel factory buildings wouldn't be demolished, and that I'd be stuck with them. But now that I have more money, I'm not afraid anymore. If they really can't be demolished, I'll just rent out the enamel factory buildings.

Jiang Can counted the money for a while, but when it came time to put it away, he found that the small box he had been using could no longer hold so much money.

Jiang Can feigned concern and said, "It's such a dilemma! Where am I supposed to put all this money? This wall is too narrow, and this box is too small."

Shen Lang: "Yeah, this box is really useless. It can't even hide such a small amount of money! We should spend it quickly tomorrow and buy two more houses."

The two exchanged a glance, and Jiang Can couldn't help but laugh first.

The next morning, Shen Lang and Jiang Can were busy with their own things. Shen Lang went to sell goods, while Jiang Can took Fang Yuan to the morning market to buy meat.

Everyone was very enthusiastic when they saw Jiang Can. The beef vendor asked, "Mr. Jiang, is it still 100 jin? Where have you been busy these past few days? Is the shop closed?"

Jiang Can pointed to two large pieces of beef shank and said, "I'll take all of these, as many as you can get. I went to Henan Province a couple of days ago and only got back last night."

The boss put the meat on the scale: "It's 110 jin in total. The meat on these two big pork bones hasn't been removed yet. It's given to Boss Jiang as a bonus."

There must be three to five pounds of meat on the two large pork bones.

Jiang Can: "I love buying beef from your store." He also ordered more than 30 jin of beef tallow to make beef tallow hot pot base.

I said I would send it to Zhou Bing.

Then they bought pork, chicken, and fish. They reserved a pork knuckle and a rooster for offerings the next day, as they had promised the God of Wealth. The God of Wealth had also sent them two houses, so the offerings must be enjoyed by the God of Wealth.

I also bought 30 jin of live shrimp; I'll make a dry pot shrimp dish for lunch.

Finally, there are the seasonings. The demand for these is high. In addition to making the hot pot base, the chili oil also needs to be made again.

The seasoning vendor stared at Jiang Can for a while. Jiang Can said, "Sister Xia, just say what you want to say. The way you're staring at me makes me think I have something on my face."

Xia Chunhua: "Boss Jiang, did you and your husband capture two armed robbers and rescue all the passengers on the bus?"

Jiang Can: "It really happened. I still feel scared when I think about it now. When A Lang went to arrest Liu Baolong, Liu Baolong fired a shot. The bullet went through the roof of the bus. If it had hit someone, they would have died. It was really terrifying."

She gave a brief answer; the restaurant was waiting to cook, so she couldn't linger there. Besides, Xia Chunhua seemed to know quite a bit about it, and she just wanted to ask if it was true!

Now that they know it's true, they immediately told others about it. The truth became even more exaggerated. For example, Shen Lang caught a bullet with one hand, cleaved Liu Baolong in two with a backhand slash, and Zhao Yuling was so frightened by Shen Lang's aura that she immediately knelt down and begged for mercy...

Jiang Can instructed Fang Yuan and Huang Xiaoling to wash vegetables and cut meat. After braising the beef in a pot, she went to the Public Security Bureau and asked Director Chen to help deliver a letter to the principal of Moling No. 1 Middle School.

Today is Monday, and she should be going to Moling No.1 Middle School to take the entrance exam.

However, Jiang Can dared not leave the county town at this moment, nor could she dare to be alone at the other school. She couldn't possibly have Shen Lang accompany her all the time; otherwise, how could she continue her clothing business?

Making tens of thousands of yuan a day, nothing can interfere with this business.

Of course, Jiang Can couldn't say it like that. In the letter, she recounted discovering at Henan University that Shen Jiajia had changed her name and enrolled in her place. She also described the various false accusations she suffered at the county's No. 1 High School, which ultimately led to her being unable to attend school. She then described the encounter with armed bandits. Because her husband was there, everyone on the bus survived. However, if it weren't for A Lang, she and all the passengers would have perished.

Finally, she solemnly expressed her apologies, as she was very afraid of causing trouble for Moling No.1 Middle School.

The campus is full of innocent students, and there should be no unsafe factors there.

Finally, she said that she had a lot of study materials, some of which were exam papers from Liaoxian No.1 Middle School and some were exam papers from schools in the city. Every aspiring senior high school student hopes to have endless practice problems, and she hoped that these could help the graduating students of Moling No.1 Middle School.

The bag was full of exam papers, some of which were her old ones, and some that Shen Lang had found.

The few test papers that Sun Wenfeng brought were tucked inside this pile of test papers! As long as the principal of Moling No.1 Middle School flips through the test papers, he will definitely find them.

A good principal will definitely review the papers, compare the differences, and select suitable test papers for students to answer.

In those days, exam papers from other schools were highly valuable for reference.

At that time, he won't suspect Jiang Can, but will only suspect where these test papers came from and who leaked them!

If there's nothing wrong with the exam paper, then it's just Jiang Can's way of giving Moling No. 1 Middle School a token of his appreciation.

Director Chen invited her into his office and said with a smile, "Where's Shen Lang? Why didn't he come along?"

Jiang Can: "Ah Lang is busy selling goods; he hasn't sold anything for two days."

Director Chen naturally inquired about the notorious bandit. As the director of Liaoxian County Public Security Bureau, he was the first to know about the matter. He was very shocked by Shen Lang's abilities, which made him appreciate his talent.

With skills like Shen Lang's, he should be a policeman or a soldier!

He said, "This must be a second-class merit. He might be able to be specially recruited into the army. That kid is soldier material. Even special forces soldiers are not as good as him."

Jiang Can: "Join the army? That depends on what A Lang thinks." She really hadn't thought about it. If Shen Lang wore a military uniform, well, he would definitely look handsome.

These days, people have a romanticized view of soldiers.

She handed a bag of documents and a letter to Director Chen: "Director Chen, could you please find someone to deliver this letter to the principal of Moling No. 1 Middle School? I dare not leave the county town now, nor do I dare to go to Moling No. 1 Middle School. If two more ruthless bandits or murderers come, I won't be able to stop them, and it will bring endless danger to the students of Moling No. 1 Middle School."

Director Chen knew perfectly well what was going on. He really hadn't expected that Shen Lang and Jiang Can could actually bring down the Shen family, let alone that the Shen family would make huge profits by selling university places.

Those who can get into university are the future pillars of the country. The Shen family directly replaced those hardworking and diligent students with good-for-nothing students, and even suppressed those who got into university.

Jiang Can is just one example; there are many more victims like him.

The Shen family is definitely doomed this time.

He picked up another bag: "What's this?"

Jiang Can: "These are the test papers I've done, the ones I think are of high quality. I've compiled them all to see if the students at Moling No.1 Middle School need them."

Director Chen was overjoyed: "The old principal will be so happy to see these materials that he'll eat two extra bowls of rice. I'll take these over for you. You must be careful and go to the police station if anything happens."

Jiang Can thanked him again, saying, "Thank you." He then asked Director Chen if he knew the information of the passengers who took the bus that day.

Director Chen actually knew that their Public Security Bureau had cooperated with the Provincial Public Security Department to locate the passenger and take a statement. "What do you need this for?"

Jiang Can: "The thugs were after me. If I hadn't gotten in the car, they wouldn't have been frightened. I want to go see them and express my apologies."

After hearing this, Director Chen felt a mix of emotions. Jiang Can was truly meticulous! He left no loopholes! He handed over the other passengers' information to Jiang Can, comforted him, and then Jiang Can smiled and said goodbye to Director Chen. After returning to the hotel, he began preparing lunchboxes. The meat dishes were spicy diced chicken, dry pot shrimp, braised pork with preserved vegetables, and braised pork belly. The vegetable dishes were scallion and egg, Mapo tofu, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and braised eggplant.

Two large pots of rice were also steamed.

We're just waiting for the steel rolling mill to close.

Before the steel mill workers even arrived, a dozen or so troublemakers showed up.

Four people carrying a stretcher blocked the entrance to the restaurant. On the stretcher lay a frail old woman, who was clutching her chest and groaning. Her face was deathly pale, as if she was about to kick the bucket at any moment.

There were about ten people around, young and old, the youngest being a seven or eight-year-old boy who was standing next to the stretcher, wailing loudly. The others were also wiping away tears with their sleeves raised.

An elderly woman with red and swollen eyes said, "You've really put my mother through a lot! She fell ill from fright after returning from the provincial capital the day before yesterday. She went to the hospital, and the doctor said she might not make it. My dear mother, you've worked so hard your whole life, and I took you to the provincial capital, and you're in this state. How could we run into such a ruthless bandit on a simple bus ride! It turns out that bandit had a grudge against Jiang Can and came to kill him!"

My perfectly healthy mother has been dragged into this mess by Jiang Can. If anything happens to her, how can I live with myself?

Another woman cried out, "Jiang Can, what despicable thing did you do to provoke those two armed thugs? You almost got everyone on the bus into trouble. If you hadn't been on that bus, my mother wouldn't have been so scared. She can't even close her eyes at night, and she dreams of those thugs pointing guns at her."

Jiang Can sneered inwardly. The Shen family's underhanded tactics were truly endless. She wasn't afraid, but they couldn't let it affect her business. The steel mill's closing bell had already rung, and the workers were about to go inside for dinner. How could customers be allowed to eat if this family blocked the door?

Before she could even speak, a curly-haired auntie named Huang Shujun led a dozen or so women rushing up, shoving and pushing the troublemaking family apart, and then carrying the old lady away.

The old lady cried out, "What are you doing? Put me down!"

After her family realized what was happening, they quickly chased after her. Huang Shujun and the others had already put the old lady in the middle of the road and stood aside, saying, "Make a fuss as much as you want, but don't delay Boss Jiang from selling food. The workers' meals are the most important thing!"

The old lady's eldest daughter was furious. She put her hands on her hips and yelled, "Who the hell are you? Are you out of your mind? If you scare my mother, our whole family will end up in your house!"

Huang Shujun, hands on her hips, said, "Do you think I'm easily scared? Look at this old lady, she's in great shape. Look how loud she was shouting just now, I can't even match her lung capacity." She took out a handkerchief, spat on it a few times, and wiped it on the old lady's face.

She moved too quickly; the old lady's daughter and daughter-in-law couldn't stop her. By the time they reacted and tried to stop her, it was too late; the old lady was blocked by the women's group led by Huang Shujun.

These women in their early forties were not to be trifled with; they were all incredibly shrewish, and there were many of them. As soon as the old lady's son, son-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter were about to step forward, the women started shouting that someone was groping her breasts and committing indecent acts.

Huang Shujun clicked her tongue: "How much powder did they put on this dead person's face! They wiped it off layer by layer, and my handkerchief turned white. You old lady, you're acting like a demon."

The old woman, who had been lying down pretending to be dead, was furious and stood up, ready to fight Huang Shujun.

Jiang Can grabbed the old woman's arm: "My husband caught the armed robber and saved a bus full of passengers. I don't expect you to be grateful to him. After all, that robber was after me; he took 50,000 yuan to kill me. But you can't be so heartless as to fake your death to blackmail me, can you? I had my university place stolen by Shen Jiajia, and then I was assassinated, and now you want to blackmail me... Am I destined to be bullied just because I have no power or influence?" She shook the old woman's shoulders. "Who exactly told you to fake your death to blackmail me? Are you all so vicious? Which organization do you work for?"

The old lady was so dizzy from being shaken that her vision blurred.

The seven or eight-year-old boy suddenly rushed over: "Let go of my grandma, or I'll bite you to death!"

Jiang Can let go of the old lady, grabbed the little boy, and slapped him on the bottom several times, the 'slap slap slap' sounding very loud. Then he grabbed the little boy's ear and said, "Which school do you go to? You're so young and you can't even tell right from wrong. I have to talk to your teacher and see who will want to be friends with a wicked person like you in the future."

The little boy's bottom and ears hurt, and he tried to bite Jiang Can for a long time but couldn't get a bite out of him. He was angry and in pain, so he started to cry loudly.

Several people tried to rush over to rescue the little boy, who kept calling out "Jinbao, Jinbao," but unfortunately, they couldn't get there to help.

The people who came to eat pointed and whispered, "So young and already so badly behaved, he'll be a big troublemaker in the future."

"This family is so unreasonable. We saved them, and they even blamed us. I don't know what kind of organization they work for. Luckily, they're not from our factory."

"I think that woman looks like a teacher from the Experimental Primary School."

"Are the teachers at Experimental Primary School so unable to distinguish right from wrong? That won't do! Aren't they corrupting the future of our nation?"

"That man looks like he works at the meat processing plant. How can a meat processing plant have workers like that? Their ideological education is inadequate."

The old lady's family's identities have been almost completely exposed, and everyone in the family is starting to panic, especially the elementary school teacher. Her job is temporary, and if someone reports her, will she be able to get a permanent position? What if she gets fired again?

What if that person promises benefits but then reneges on them?

She felt uneasy, her legs were so weak she almost couldn't stand up, and the others felt the same way. Why did things turn out this way?

Shouldn't people be wondering why Jiang Can provoked the ruthless bandits to kill her? Just a few vague remarks, steer the conversation towards her romantic relationship, and Jiang Can's reputation will be completely ruined.

And what about that 50,000 yuan?

But now no one suspects Jiang Can at all; instead, they've stripped his entire family naked.

Just then, some people came knocking and making noise. The man leading them asked Shen Lang which household Jiang Can owned. Guided by the crowd, they arrived in front of Jiang Can.

The man's eyes reddened as soon as he saw Jiang Can. "Miss Jiang, thank you for saving the lives of my family of three."

The woman also cried, "Miss Jiang, we will never forget your great kindness in this lifetime." She reached out and pressed the child's head, "Liangliang, kowtow to your benefactor sister."

The five- or six-year-old child immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Jiang Can with a loud thud.

Jiang Can quickly helped the child up and brushed the dust off his pants. "It's not even New Year's yet, why are you kowtowing? I've prepared a red envelope for you."

She pulled out three red envelopes from her crossbody bag and gave them to the children. "These are red envelopes I made yesterday. I gave one to each of them. I was thinking of giving them to the passengers on the bus to calm their nerves. If they hadn't been implicated because of me, they wouldn't have had to worry like this."

Neither the man nor the woman wanted the red envelope. "How can we be implicated because of you? It was clearly you and Mr. Shen who saved everyone!"

As if she had found a good ally, the old lady spoke first: "You don't know yet, do you? Those two ruthless bandits came to kill Jiang Can. If Jiang Can hadn't gotten on the bus, they wouldn't have attracted the bandits! We could have returned to Liao County smoothly."

The man said sternly, "You can't just say things like that."

The old lady's eldest daughter shouted, "It's all the truth! You can ask her if you don't believe me!"

Jiang Can sincerely apologized: "I'm sorry, someone did indeed spend 50,000 yuan to hire thugs to kill me. You have all been implicated because of me. This red envelope is my apology money to calm your nerves."

The man's expression grew even more serious: "How could you possibly apologize for this! You're a victim too! Even if we're blaming someone, we should blame the thugs and the villains who hired them! If I can't even distinguish right from wrong, I might as well quit my job and go back to farming. Besides, it was Mr. Shen who subdued the thugs and truly saved everyone. Later, when you went to the thugs' hideout to try and catch the other villains, I didn't stay in the car to help. I've been regretting it so much since I got home that I can't sleep at night. We can't accept this red envelope! Miss Jiang, this is our thank-you gift; please accept it."

The woman presented a silk banner, which read, "To Shen Lang and Jiang Can, husband and wife: A man of chivalrous spirit! Respectfully, Li Huan and Yan Lijing."

She said, "Everyone has their own judgment, even Liangliang understands that you are our saviors."

Liangliang: "Sister, you and brother are heroes, great heroes. When Liangliang grows up, he will also be a great hero!"

Li Huan's family brought over the things they were carrying. Li Huan's mother said, "After hearing that, I was so scared that I couldn't sleep all night. Those were the Eight Tigers of the Northern Province, who committed all kinds of evil deeds, including murder, robbery, and murder. They even managed to wander here. Fortunately, you subdued them, otherwise, we don't know which family would have been silenced. We are grateful to you and Shen Lang."

The others also expressed their gratitude.

Jiang Can was touched. "Thank you for not blaming me."

The onlookers were deeply moved. Huang Shujun led the applause, and soon more people joined in. The enthusiastic applause surged like a tidal wave and continued for a long time.