Chapter 49 Northeast Tiger Barbecue Restaurant

Li Hanzhou didn't say anything, but took a bunch of keys from the drawer and pushed them over.

“There’s a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, owned by Uncle Chan, that’s been vacant for a long time. Go and see if it’s suitable. If it is, use it for now, and the rent… we’ll talk about it when you’ve made some money.”

Fang Che was stunned: "Brother Li, this..."

“Didn’t you want your own business?” Li Hanzhou looked at him. “Then start with this shop. But remember, the business is yours. You’re responsible for any profits or losses.”

Fang Che felt a lump in his throat.

Li Hanzhou was giving him a chance, but he didn't want to put any burden on him.

"Thank you, Brother Li." He solemnly accepted the keys. "I will definitely do my best."

Li Hanzhou smiled slightly: "Also, that scar of yours... I'll get it tattooed for you once the business is up and running."

Fang Che's eyes lit up: "Really? What kind of tattoo?"

You'll find out then.

As the two were talking, Ah Gui knocked on the door and came in: "Brother Li, Thirteen Sister sent someone to deliver something."

He was holding a thick envelope in his hand.

Fang Che took it, opened it, and was stunned.

Inside were five stacks of brand-new HK$1,000 notes, and a note:

"Little brother, I heard you're opening a shop, and I support you. This 60,000 is your share next month, given to you in advance as start-up capital. Let me know when you've found a shop, and I'll bring the sisters to support you! —Thirteen"

Sixty thousand yuan.

With the previous check, Fang Che now had 110,000 yuan in start-up capital.

A warm feeling welled up inside him.

He remembered Thirteen Sister's timely help.

"Looks like I don't need to worry about you," Li Hanzhou said.

Fang Che grinned: "With you guys here, I'm sure I can succeed!"

The next day, Fang Che called Cheng Tieniu and Xi Rong, and went to Tsim Sha Tsui with the keys in his pocket.

The shop was located on a street that wasn't particularly bustling, but it had a decent flow of people.

It's a two-story building; the downstairs can be used as a shop, and the upstairs can be used as living quarters or a warehouse.

Fang Che became more and more satisfied: "This is it! Tiezi, what do you think?"

Cheng Tieniu rubbed his hands together: "Great! This place is excellent! We can set up tables outside tonight, and it can seat quite a few people!"

Xi Rong nodded: "Brother Che, is the rent expensive?"

"Brother Li said we don't need to worry about the rent yet, we'll talk about it after we make money," Fang Che said, pushing open the shop door.

Dust rose, the interior was empty, but the layout was square.

The three were discussing how to renovate when a commotion suddenly broke out at the door.

Several thugs, looking like hooligans, blocked the entrance. The leader, a blond-haired guy with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, said, "Hey, what are you doing? This shop belongs to Young Master Jiang. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

Fang Che frowned: "Young Master Jiang? Jiang Tianqi?"

"You knew that and you still dared to come?" the blond-haired man sneered. "Young Master Jiang has taken a liking to this area and will take it over next month. Go back to where you came from!"

Cheng Tieniu was furious and stepped forward: "This is our territory, given to us by Boss Li! Do you dare to stop us?"

"Li Hanzhou?" the blond-haired man sneered. "In Tsim Sha Tsui, Young Master Jiang is the boss! Brothers, kick them out!"

Several thugs surrounded them.

Fang Che shielded Xi Rong, while Cheng Tie Niu grabbed a broom from the corner of the wall.

Just as they were about to take action, a loudspeaker suddenly sounded from the street corner.

The black Mercedes-Benz sedan slowly came to a stop.

The rear window rolled down, revealing Jiang Tianqi's face.

"Wow, it's so lively here?" He pushed open the car door and got out, his white suit standing out in the sunlight.

Huang Mao and the others immediately bowed: "Young Master Jiang!"

Jiang Tianqi ignored them and walked straight up to Fang Che, looking him up and down at the empty bed: "Fang Che, you've taken a liking to this place?"

Fang Che asked coldly, "Young Master Jiang, is there something you need?"

"It's nothing," Jiang Tianqi smiled. "It's just that I feel... this shop isn't good enough for you."

He reached out to pat Fang Che's shoulder, but Fang Che dodged to the side.

Jiang Tianqi wasn't annoyed and withdrew his hand: "How about this, I have a prime shop in Causeway Bay, three floors, just renovated. I'll give it to you for free, how about that?"

Cheng Tieniu and Xi Rong were both stunned.

Free prime shop space in Causeway Bay? That's a golden location.

Fang Che quickly calmed down: "Young Master Jiang is so generous?"

“I’ve always been generous to you,” Jiang Tianqi smiled. “As long as you agree, the shop is yours. I can also invest in the barbecue restaurant and turn it into a chain. Within a year, I’ll let you open ten branches in Hong Kong.”

The temptation is great.

But Fang Che knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"What are the conditions?"

"Conditions?" Jiang Tianqi tilted his head. "There are no conditions, I just want to make friends."

As he spoke, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Fang Che's chin.

The movement was swift, and Fang Che couldn't dodge it.

Jiang Tianqi's fingers were warm, and his pressure was neither too light nor too heavy, yet it carried a strong force.

He slightly lifted Fang Che's face, as if he were examining something.

“This face,” he chuckled softly, “is a waste to leave it exposed to cooking fumes.”

Fang Che stiffened and tried to break free, but Jiang Tianqi had already wrapped his other arm around his waist.

"Let go of Che!" Cheng Tieniu tried to rush forward, but was held down by two bodyguards.

Xi Rong screamed.

Fang Che raised his uninjured right hand to push, but couldn't budge it.

"Jiang Tianqi!" he gritted his teeth, "Let go!"

"So what if I don't let go?" Jiang Tianqi smiled maliciously, his fingers stroking Fang Che's chin. "Fang Che, do you know what you look like when you're angry?"

He leaned closer, his breath almost hitting Fang Che's face: "Like a kitten without claws, yet daring to bare its teeth at a tiger."

Fang Che's face turned red.

He struggled desperately, but he was not strong enough.

"Brother Li will be here soon!" he warned. "When he arrives, we'll see how you handle this!"

"Li Hanzhou?" Jiang Tianqi laughed loudly, "So what if he comes? This is Jiang family territory, he dares to..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cold voice came from the doorway:

What could I possibly do?

Everyone turned their heads.

Li Hanzhou stood at the door, wearing a black trench coat, his face cold and stern.

Ah Gui and several brothers followed behind, their hands on their waists.

Fang Che's eyes lit up: "Brother Li!"

The dependence and joy in his eyes were crystal clear.

Seeing this, Jiang Tianqi tightened his grip, almost pulling Fang Che into his arms.

"Boss Li," he smiled, but his smile was cold, "what a coincidence?"

Li Hanzhou ignored him, his gaze falling on Fang Che's chin, which had been pinched red, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.

"Let him go."

"What if I don't let go?" Jiang Tianqi challenged.

Li Hanzhou didn't speak, but slowly raised his hand.

He was holding a gun.

The gun was pointed at Jiang Tianqi.

The air froze.

Jiang Tianqi's bodyguards immediately drew their guns, and A Gui and the others also raised their weapons.

The two sides are locked in a standoff, on the verge of exploding.

Fang Che was caught in the middle and could feel the tension in Jiang Tianqi's body and the almost solid killing intent in Li Hanzhou's eyes.

"Brother Li!" he cried out hurriedly, "I'm fine! Don't..."

"Shut up." Li Hanzhou interrupted him, his eyes still fixed on Jiang Tianqi. "Jiang Tianqi, I'll count to three. One."

Jiang Tianqi's expression changed.

He didn't expect Li Hanzhou to actually dare to use a gun in Tsim Sha Tsui.

"two."

The muzzle of the gun was as steady as a rock.

Jiang Tianqi gritted his teeth and finally let go.

Fang Che immediately broke free and ran towards Li Hanzhou.

But after running only two steps, he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder wound and staggered.

Li Hanzhou stepped forward and caught him with one hand, while the gun in his other hand was still pointed at Jiang Tianqi.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking down.

"It's nothing." Fang Che shook his head, straightened up, and glared at Jiang Tianqi. "Jiang Tianqi, this shop was given to me by Brother Li, so I only recognize it here! You can keep that prime shop in Causeway Bay and use it to open your own funeral home!"

These words were harsh, and Jiang Tianqi's face turned pale.

But he quickly smiled, a cold smile: "Fine, Fang Che, you've got guts. We'll see what happens in the future."

He turned and got into the car, and the black Mercedes sped away.

Those thugs also slunk away.

The shop quieted down.

Li Hanzhou put away his gun and looked at Fang Che: "Are you injured?"

"No." Fang Che shook his head, but felt a lingering fear in his heart. If Brother Li had arrived a moment later...

"Take more people with you when you go out in the future," Li Hanzhou said. "Jiang Tianqi won't let this go."

"I know." Fang Che took a deep breath and looked at the empty bed. "Brother Li, can I really use this bed?"

"Didn't I give you the keys?" Li Hanzhou turned around. "We need money for the renovations. Talk to Uncle Chen. Also..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'll do the tattoo when your shop opens."

Fang Che's eyes lit up: "It's a deal!"

Li Hanzhou left, leaving A Gui and his men to help with the cleanup.

Cheng Tieniu leaned closer and whispered, "Che, Boss Li is really good to you. I was really afraid he would shoot just now."

Xi Rong nodded, "Brother Che, Jiang Tianqi is so bad, we have to be careful in the future."

Fang Che looked in the direction Li Hanzhou had left through the doorway, a warm feeling welling up inside him, mixed with some indescribable emotions.

Brother Li drew his gun for him.

He dared not think too deeply about what this meant.

But he knew that from now on, he would have to work even harder.

Work hard to earn money, work hard to become stronger, and work hard to become someone who can stand by Li Hanzhou's side, instead of always being protected behind him.

“Tiezi, Xirong,” he turned around and looked at the empty shop, “our barbecue restaurant will be called ‘Northeast Tiger’.”

"A Siberian tiger?" Cheng Tieniu scratched his head. "Why?"

“Because,” Fang Che clenched his fist, “from today onwards, I’m going to let all of Hong Kong know that there’s a Siberian tiger on Portland Street. It doesn’t cause trouble, but it’s not afraid of trouble either. Whoever dares to touch my people, I’ll bite them.”

Xi Rong's eyes lit up: "Great! Northeast Tiger BBQ! Awesome!"

Cheng Tieniu grinned and said, "Great! We're the Siberian tigers, roar!"

The three of them burst into laughter.