Chapter 166 The Vendor

Although Zhao Decai didn't know what Jiang Mi meant, he trusted her actions and let her do as she pleased.

"Okay, I'll have a few more people secretly protect you tonight, and I'll make sure you're safe."

With the help of Huo Ran's men brought by Jiang Mi, plus Jiang Mi's own abilities, she wasn't worried at all. Those bandits were no match for her.

In the evening, after Jiang Mi finished her dinner, she put on an extra layer of clothing and then leisurely went out for a stroll. Not far behind her were the people Zhao Decai had arranged, but Huo Ran's men were nowhere to be seen. Jiang Mi knew they must be nearby; after all, they were a group of experts, so it was normal for them to appear and disappear unpredictably.

It's deep winter now, and apart from a few vendors struggling to make a living, there aren't many people on the streets in the evening. Moreover, the area is sparsely populated to begin with, so Jiang Mi, a young woman walking alone, still stands out quite a bit.

"Young lady, haven't you had dinner yet? Would you like a bowl of hot noodles?" A street vendor called out to Jiang Mi. The vendor was stamping his feet in the cold wind. If it weren't for survival, who would suffer like this?

“No…” Jiang Mi wanted to refuse, but then she saw several men sneaking over. She guessed that they were bandits who had come down from the mountain to buy supplies, so she agreed to the stall owner’s request, “Then I’ll have a bowl.”

In the dead of winter, it's a way of helping someone out.

The stall owner happily started cooking the noodles for Jiang Mi. Just then, the men walked over, sat down at the table next to them, slammed their hands on the table, and shouted, "Boss, give me four bowls of noodles!"

The stall owner was very happy, as business had been good tonight. He happily replied, "Alright, sir, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

At this moment, the bandits also noticed Jiang Mi sitting to the side, but because the light was too dim at night, they could not see her face clearly. They only saw that she was a bit bloated and was wearing thick clothes, so they did not pay much attention to her.

Although Jiang Mi has lost a lot of weight, she is still slightly overweight than normal, falling into the category of slightly chubby. However, she is now considered normal, but she wears thicker clothes at night because she is afraid of the cold, which makes her appear bulky.

"Sigh, the end of the year is almost here. How long are we going to hide here like this? The boss doesn't say anything and just spends all his time entangled with that woman. How are we brothers supposed to survive?"

Another person said, "Yes, although we still have some money, it's not enough to keep going out without bringing in any. Every night we have to sneak out like thieves to buy things to feed and entertain them. Besides, the conditions on this mountain are too harsh. The stone caves are so cold they're dripping wet. This can't go on forever. We have to find a way to leave, or at least find a new place to stay. We can't keep going like this."

"But our territory has been occupied. We have to drive them out before we can go back. Before, the boss was so confident that he would take back the territory. Now he's just indulging in pleasure every day and doesn't have any other thoughts."

At this point, the stall owner served the noodles to Jiang Mi first: "Please have some, young lady. The soup is still hot; it'll warm you up."

Their gazes briefly fell on Jiang Mi again, but they didn't pay her any special attention.

"If you ask me, why don't we just start a rebellion and support the second-in-command to take over? I think the second-in-command has been wanting to do it for a long time, but he's been keeping it to himself. Now is the perfect time. In our line of work, it's all about whoever has the ambition. If that Zhang guy doesn't want to do it anymore, then he should give up his position. It's better than him just occupying the position without doing anything!"

“You’re right, but that requires the second-in-command to have guts. Let’s not talk about this anymore, let’s eat. After we eat, we still need to buy things to take back. This is the only time we can come out and have a special meal. Up on the mountain, we have no say in anything.”

Then the stall owner served them noodles. The two of them each had two bowls of noodles, which they quickly finished eating and threw a few coins on the table.

"We've written to the boss, we're leaving now."

Seeing them leave, Jiang Mi put down her money and prepared to quietly follow them. Just then, the stall owner came over and called to her, "Miss, this bowl of noodles doesn't cost that much. You gave me too much, and I don't have change. Besides, you still have half a bowl of noodles left. It's such a waste."

Just as Jiang Mi was about to tell him to be quiet, the two men's attention was drawn to her. However, what attracted them was not Jiang Mi, but a silver ingot that Jiang Mi had placed on the table. In a place like this, to be able to casually take out so much money showed that this person was truly wealthy. Even they, as bandits, would not dare to be so extravagant.

The stall owner, unaware of what was happening, shoved the money into Jiang Mi's hand, saying, "I wouldn't dare take so much money. This is all the money you have, young lady. You'd better keep it safe and don't let a thief steal it."

Jiang Mi sighed. She originally wanted to help the stall owner, but the other party was too honest and exposed her directly. But it was fine, anyway, she would find an opportunity to talk to these two people.

"It's alright, you can keep it. It's so cold, and you're still out earning money. Your family must be really short of money. I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

Jiang Mi turned to leave, but the two bandits suddenly blocked her way: "Hey, this young lady is actually quite pretty."

"Yeah, he just casually pulled out so much money, he must have a lot more on him. How about we two brothers search him?"

As they spoke, the two burst into a lewd laugh.

Jiang Mi was secretly angry, but on the surface she pretended to be scared: "What? I don't have any money. Who are you? Get out of the way!"

Seeing Jiang Mi like this, the two became even more excited and laughed even more wildly.

"Don't be afraid, young lady. We are not bad people. We will treat you well. Come with us now."

Jiang Mi knew they wanted to take her up the mountain, or rather, search her to see if she had any more money before doing something wicked.

"No, help!"

Jiang Mi deliberately cried for help, but the surrounding people were all ordinary folks who dared not approach her. The stall owner, who had been there earlier, mustered his courage and stepped forward to persuade her: "You two brave men, please spare this young lady. After all, she is a girl, and a good man doesn't fight with a woman."

One of them shoved the stall owner hard: "Get out of the way! What business is it of yours? Mind your own business! We'll take you with us!"

The stall owner looked at Jiang Mi with helplessness and guilt. He was thin and small and no match for the two bandits. Jiang Mi didn't blame him. It was already very kind of him to take the initiative to help.