Li's Braised Food in Shaoxian County.
Today, as usual, the Fang family opened their door to do business.
The braised food sold out quickly, and soon only spicy strips were left on the table.
It's not that the spicy strips aren't selling; it's because there's no limit to the quantity, and people buy them every day. However, because there's a lot of stock, they can't be sold out all at once.
Nowadays, braised food and spicy strips are frequently seen in taverns, restaurants, and high-class establishments. These places have many distinguished customers, and some shrewd individuals buy the braised food in queues and then resell it in these places, earning a delivery fee in the process.
After the braised food is sold out, Fang Xiang will move the tables aside and stay in the shop to sell spicy strips, while his parents and sister prepare the goods for the next day in the courtyard.
That afternoon, as he was keeping track of the accounts for the past few days, a loud shouting suddenly came from outside.
Before he could even get up to look, a huge person rushed in from outside.
A young girl, who looked quite young, but about the same age as his sister.
The girl rushed in, glanced around, her destination clear, and ran straight to his side, tugging at his sleeve and hiding behind him.
"Big brother, help!"
"Kid, mind your own business!"
Just as Fang Xiang was about to ask about the girl, several burly men entered from outside. The one in the lead was none other than Niu Aotian, a notorious thug in the neighborhood!
"Brother Niu, what's going on? I'm completely confused."
Fang Xiang grinned.
This Niu Aotian has always been a reckless scoundrel. He's not only big and burly, but his family also has some money. However, he prefers to do crooked things. He either helps casinos collect debts or works as a henchman for brothels. He's very familiar with all sorts of people and is not someone you want to offend.
"Young manager, this girl works at Xiangyuelou. You mustn't get involved with her."
"Help, brother! I'm not from Xiangyuelou! I've been scammed! I don't want to go to Xiangyuelou!"
The girl panicked immediately, gripping the steering wheel even tighter and shrinking her whole body backward.
"Whether it's a lie or not, Xiangyuelou has already paid to buy you, so you have to come with us."
Niu Aotian sneered. He had seen too many families who sold their children. If someone said they had been cheated, he would release them. How could Xiangyuelou do business if that was the case?
He raised his right hand and waved it slightly, and his henchmen immediately stepped forward to pull the woman away.
The girl looked in the direction of the pleading eyes, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Please save me, please."
Her hands gripped tightly, and Fang Xiang's arm was gripped painfully, but the woman's strength was no match for those henchmen, and she was quickly pulled away.
"Wait a moment."
Although the scene was somewhat comical and absurd, and he seemed to be just an insignificant link in the chain, Fang Xiang still spoke up.
"Is the shopkeeper going to interfere in my business, Niu Aotian's affairs?"
Niu Aotian put on an angry look. He was a man of great reputation. This person knew who he was and still dared to stop him. How dare he?
You should know that business people are most afraid of messing with these kinds of people. Their methods are all underhanded. If you fall into their trap, they may not kill you immediately, but they will definitely make you suffer for a long time.
With a big smile, Fang Xiang and his buddy huddled together next to Niu Aotian.
"Brother Niu, I've heard of your reputation for a long time, but I've never had the chance to meet you. Would you do me the honor of sitting down and having a cup of tea?"
Niu Aotian was surprised. This kid didn't want to stop him; he just wanted to get close to him.
He was willing to give them face, for the sake of the braised food.
He's been craving this dish lately, but it's delicious and hard to buy; you can't get it every day.
Fang Xiang noticed a softening in Niu Aotian's expression out of the corner of his eye, and quickly pulled up a chair for Niu Aotian to sit down.
"Brother Niu, sit down, sit down, try our spicy strips, they taste great."
"Are you treating me to a meal?"
Niu Aotian glanced at the spicy strips on the table. These things weren't cheap either, even though he could afford them.
"Of course, being able to befriend Brother Niu, spicy strips are nothing. Brother Niu, please enjoy them. If you like them, I'll pack some for you later."
Niu Aotian listened to Fang Xiang's words and saw that he had no complaints, so he didn't stand on ceremony and took it to eat. The spicy strips were indeed delicious, and in his heart, they were only slightly less popular than braised food.
"Don't worry about this. Xiangyuelou paid for it."
Perhaps because he had eaten Fang Xiang's spicy snacks, Niu Aotian softened his attitude somewhat, since he felt obligated to help someone who had given him food.
"I understand, I understand, but this girl said she was scammed..."
"I've really been scammed. I came here to visit my sister, but her family has moved away. I haven't received any news from them, and I've been cheated! Please help me, brother! Send someone to my house to deliver a message. My family will return the money!"
The girl had initially thought there was little hope, and her gaze was somewhat vacant, but when she suddenly heard the direction being brought up again, she instantly perked up and hurriedly offered an explanation.
"·····"
"How would I know if you're telling the truth or not? Anyway, Xiangyuelou paid the money, so you have to come with us."
Niu Aotian spoke in a gruff voice, demanding payment in exchange for goods. Once the money was paid, the person had to follow them.
"Brother Niu, look at this. I also have a younger sister at home. I really can't stand this kind of thing. Could you please give me some face and be lenient for one day? I'll send someone to deliver a message to this girl's family."
If she really comes to deliver money tomorrow, then let's just leave it at that, so as not to tarnish Brother Niu's reputation for forcing a woman into prostitution. If she doesn't come, then you can decide how to handle this matter.”
"What, are you going to stick your neck out?"
Niu Aotian's tone turned cold. How dare he accuse him of forcing a woman into prostitution?
"No, no, I'll treat you all to drinks, and please grant me one more day..."
"Hehe, my son has always been kind-hearted. Young Master Niu, please give my family some face. If no one comes tomorrow, we will compensate you with another sum of money, how about that?"
Fang Da suddenly came out from inside. In fact, he had been watching inside ever since Niu Aotian brought his men in. In his opinion, Fang Da's act of saving people was beyond reproach.
"This girl sold for twenty taels."
Niu Aotian secretly wanted to befriend the Fang family, and he was willing to do so just for a meal. Therefore, in the end, he only said this one sentence.
"Thank you, Brother Niu. Come on, let me treat the brothers to some drinks."
Knowing that Niu Aotian had agreed, Fang Xiang hurriedly pulled Niu Aotian and his followers, saying that they wanted to go to a nearby tavern for drinks.
"Wait, keep a close eye on this girl tonight. If she disappears tomorrow, I'm going to be furious."
Niu Aotian made it clear from the start that you shouldn't assume he's easy to talk to just because he's given you face, or that he'll take advantage of you.
"Don't worry, I won't run away."
After being released, the girl looked like she had just escaped a disaster.
“My dad will definitely come to pick me up.”
"That's good. If you had run away, his family would have been in big trouble."
Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes darted around, but she remained silent.
Niu Aotian ignored the girl and led his men out.
"There's no need to drink anymore. We can talk about it tomorrow after things are settled."
Niu Aotian actually quite likes kind-hearted people, even though he doesn't have any.
Fang Xiang quickly packed a lot of spicy strips and chased after Niu Aotian outside, saying that he would definitely deliver them if he said he would.
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