Inside the public housing.

Manager Ma sat on a recliner and poured himself a cup of hot tea. The steam rose around him, and he took a small sip; it tasted slightly bitter.

He said to Xu San, who was next to him, "There wasn't enough sugar."

Xu San bowed and scraped, "Sir, I'll change it for you right away."

Humming a little tune.

He swindled a lot of copper coins from the Chen family yesterday and lived a carefree life for quite a while.

Manager Ma asked casually, "Did the Chen family's stall come to the food street today?"

Xu San quickly replied, "I don't know, they probably didn't come, and they probably wouldn't dare to come anyway. What a pity, such a fat sheep."

Manager Ma sneered, "Didn't they not come for a while? People are greedy. They'll come sooner or later, so watch out."

Suddenly, he remembered himself and realized that he should visit Magistrate Lu and other officials soon.

He got up and took out an envelope from the study. It was bulging inside, and Xu San looked on with envy.

I wish I could be as carefree as the person in charge someday.

"Who is in charge of the Cleaning Department? Please come out and answer."

The noise made Manager Ma somewhat displeased.

"Who is it, so rude and shouting like that?"

Shui Sheng quietly slipped away from the middle to the back of the crowd. Everyone stood on tiptoe and peered towards the entrance of the Cleaning Department. He had already quietly slipped away.

Open the door.

Xu San said in a deep voice, "How dare you be so rude! This is the entrance to the Cleaning Department, not a restaurant! Do you know your crime?"

Without saying a word, Duan Erlang stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and said fiercely, "Are you Manager Ma?"

Xu San was bewildered by the commotion of the newcomer. Judging from the other person's attire, he seemed to be a scholar from the county school.

Are all scholars this rude nowadays?

Xu San, though outwardly fierce, was inwardly weak. "Do you think you can just see my master whenever you want? Leave now. I'm giving you a way out because you're scholars, but don't cause any more trouble."

Duan Erlang reached out and pushed the man aside.

"Go to hell."

A slap landed on the man's head.

"Big guy, catch this."

He pushed Xu San away.

Someone immediately grabbed Xu San and pinned him down.

Even though Xu San was usually very strong and arrogant, he didn't dare to touch him when faced with dozens of hot-blooded young men.

These teenagers are at the age where they are brave and aggressive; they can kill you if they want to.

Manager Ma walked over calmly and asked, "What brings you students here?"

Duan Erlang frowned and said, "Are you the Manager Ma who bullied the Chen family?"

Manager Ma scolded, "Young man! You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I don't know where you heard this rumor, but I can tell you clearly now that the Cleaning Department collects sanitation management fees. This has been the case since the founding of the dynasty, and it's not a name I created for myself."

Seeing the young man's calm demeanor and subconsciously softening his attitude, it was clear that he came from a good family.

"Duan Erlang, why waste words with him? Just detain him and we'll go to the county government office to beat the drum and appeal for justice."

His surname was Duan? He had long heard that the magistrate Duan had a son who was tall and impulsive. He had already clashed with many students at the county school.

Master Ma chuckled softly and whispered to Duan Erlang, "Could he be the son of the Duan family's registrar?"

"I was chatting with Clerk Duan at Magistrate Lu's house a while ago."

Duan Erlang frowned.

Steward Ma patiently persuaded him, "Young Master Duan, this matter is far-reaching. You are just an unaccredited scholar and cannot bear the consequences. I suggest you go home immediately and pretend that nothing has happened. Is that alright?"

Duan Erlang's brow twitched, he spun around and then suddenly relaxed, walking up to Xu San.

He said in a deep voice, "You bastard, what's your name?"

Xu San looked uneasy. Judging from the attitude of the person in charge just now, he knew that this kid must come from an extraordinary family. He had to be careful.

"Xu San?"

"Xu San? Yu San! You're the one I've been looking for!"

He slammed a punch into the man's face, causing blood to gush out, using the Monkey Picking Peaches technique.

Xu San was a street thug. No matter how much he tried to be patient, he was still a lowly scoundrel who couldn't be brought to the table. He had poor emotional control, especially since his prize had been stolen from him. He angrily shouted, "Go to hell!"

*Thud*, a punch landed on the other person's head.

But whether it was his imagination or not, before he could even throw a punch, his opponent was already lying on the ground.

The students watching were completely bewildered.

Then someone reacted and shouted angrily, "Kill him! How dare he fight back against Duan Erlang?"

Those men punched and kicked Xu San, leaving him bruised and swollen, with blood flowing all over the ground.

It was noisy and disruptive.

The students helped Duan Erlang leave.

Seeing those people leave, Manager Ma felt a vague unease.

I went back inside and got another envelope.

Xu San groaned, "My lord, help me!"

"waste!"

He cursed once, completely disregarding whether the man lived or died.

A fair-skinned young man, hidden in a corner, sighed, "Looks like Duan Erlang is scared..."

Rainforest Study.

Shuisheng told Uncle Fu what had happened.

Uncle Fu frowned: "It seems that Brother Chen will have to put in more effort to suppress this person. Shuisheng, you should stay at home for the time being and not go anywhere. You can come out when this matter is resolved."

"Um."

...

Chengnan Storytelling Hall – Xuan Nan Book House.

The shopkeeper was worried as he watched the bookstore dwindle in number.

Why aren't there any good storytelling performances?

If things continue like this, the bookstore's business will likely become increasingly difficult.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!