Before the two thugs next to him could react, Gu Zhixing had already sidestepped and bumped into one of them, knocking him into the water. The other thug had just raised his stick when Gu Zhixing lashed his wrist with a carrying pole, and the stick clattered to the ground.

It all happened so fast that everyone on the dock was stunned.

Panting, Gu Zhixing stood in front of the goods, pointing his carrying pole at the remaining thugs: "How many of you are there? We have dozens of brothers here!" He turned to the workers and shouted, "Think about it, everyone, if the goods are lost and we don't get our wages, what will our wives and children eat?"

The workers looked at each other, some gripping the levers in their hands tightly.

"What are you afraid of? Let's go together!" Gu Zhixing shouted and charged forward first.

This shout seemed to ignite the fighting spirit in everyone.

The workers roared, grabbed whatever tools were at hand, and swarmed forward.

Those thugs had never seen anything like this before. They were so frightened that they turned and ran away. Even the one who had fallen into the water scrambled away to escape.

Cheers erupted on the dock.

Foreman Zhao walked over, wiping his sweat, and looked Gu Zhixing up and down: "Good lad, I didn't know you had this much skill?"

Panting, Gu Zhixing wiped the sweat from his face and made up an excuse, saying, "I used to do farm work in the countryside, so I have some strength."

Old Zhao patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Alright, starting today, you don't have to carry bags anymore. You'll be a little foreman, in charge of coordinating the workers. As for your wages... I'll give you a 30% raise!"

Gu Zhixing's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"I keep my word!" Old Zhao laughed heartily. "But you'd better keep a close eye on them. If any more thugs cause trouble, you'll have to lead the charge and deal with them!"

Gu Zhixing nodded emphatically: "Don't worry!"

He felt a surge of excitement—a 30% increase in wages would make things much easier for Shen Jintang's medicine expenses, and he might even be able to buy her some nourishing foods...

After finishing work, Gu Zhixing immediately went to the pharmacy to get some good medicine and bought a chicken, intending to make chicken soup to nourish Shen Jintang's body.

He walked briskly home, thinking to himself that he would definitely tell Shen Jintang the good news when she woke up.

But as soon as he turned into the alley, he saw a crowd gathered in front of his rented room.

Gu Zhixing's heart sank, and he rushed over.

"Gu boy!" the landlady shouted in a shrill voice, "Your sister is awake, and she's smashing things like a madwoman!"

Gu Zhixing squeezed into the crowd, and a crisp "clatter" came from inside the house.

He rushed in and saw Shen Jintang curled up in the corner of the bed, with broken porcelain shards and an overturned stool scattered on the floor.

Her long hair was disheveled, her hands were waving wildly in the air, and her eyes were wide open but unfocused.