Chapter 48 Let's Get Harder
What happened next was exactly what Fan Xiaoxiao had predicted.
Having lost Zhu Er's trust, the Zhang couple slunk away from Old Zhao's house, enduring the scornful looks of the crowd. At this moment, the Ji family steward stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Hou San, and said, "Third Master, you truly are Third Master, wise and mighty! It's all thanks to your protection that we small merchants are not bullied!"
Many people in the crowd echoed the words of the Ji family steward, and Hou San was clearly very pleased with this approach.
He curled the corners of his mouth, waved his hand with his back to the crowd, chuckled, and couldn't hide his smugness.
"These are minor matters. Since the town mayor entrusted this area to my management, I will naturally take good care of it!"
"Excellent! As expected of Third Master Hou! He truly puts my mind at ease!"
Amidst the murmurs of people praising Hou San, Fan Xiaoxiao glanced discreetly at the face she seemed to have seen at the Ji family's residence, smiled, and decided to step forward and add fuel to the fire.
"Thanks to Third Master Hou for stopping us today! Otherwise, someone would have tricked Second Master Zhu!"
"Yes, yes! That Zhang family has really gone too far!"
Hou San glanced at Zhu Er, who was standing silently to the side with a horribly sour face, and for some reason, he felt a surge of pleasure. Hearing Fan Xiaoxiao and the others praise him so highly, he almost burst with joy. However, he tried his best to hide his emotions and waved his hand at the crowd, saying, "Alright, let's disperse! Don't all gather here! A merchant ship will be docking in a couple of days! I hope everyone's business prospers!"
It was a rare sight to hear Hou San speak auspicious words, and the onlookers found it somewhat unbelievable, but they dared not linger any longer. After all, Hou San was notoriously unpredictable.
The crowd dispersed immediately, and the area in front of Old Zhao's house returned to quiet. Hou San glanced at Zhu Er, who remained silent with a livid face, and snorted coldly.
"Hmph, you idiot!"
This word, "idiot," made Zhu Er's face even uglier. But Hou San seemed completely oblivious to the change in Zhu Er's expression; he put his hands behind his back and headed straight for the door.
Just then, the steward of the Ji family followed, giving Zhu Er a serious look. Zhu Er didn't understand the meaning of his look and was about to ask him what he was looking at when he saw the steward tug at Hou San and then whisper something to him. Then, Zhu Er saw Hou San narrow his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.
Seeing that they were all still standing there in a daze, Fan Xiaoxiao stopped her hand, which was about to push open Old Zhao's door, and asked Hou San and the others, "What's wrong, Third Master?"
Hou San was brought back to his senses by Fan Xiaoxiao's call. After saying "Oh," he waved his hand at Fan Xiaoxiao and said, "This is none of your business! Get lost!"
After speaking, he turned to look at Steward Ji in front of him, then, as if remembering something, glanced at Zhu Er behind him. Steward Ji had obviously noticed Hou San's gaze as well. He took a step to the side, blocking Zhu Er's probing look, and then smiled at Hou San, saying, "This doesn't seem to be a suitable place to discuss business. I wonder if Third Master would do me the honor of inviting you for a meal and drinks?"
"Alright, let's go then."
After they finished speaking, they didn't linger and left the alley one after the other. Zhu Er narrowed his small eyes; the anger from the slap he had suffered earlier was still overwhelming. Seeing that Hou San was already far away, he glanced back at Old Zhao's tightly closed door, his expression immediately turning cold and terrifying. He gritted his teeth and cursed viciously:
"You, Hou San, you're really something! Damn it! I'll see how long you can keep up your swagger!"
After saying that, Zhu Er snorted and left in the opposite direction.
What neither of them knew was that right after they left, the Zhang couple emerged from a corner at the alley entrance.
Watching Hou San's retreating figure, Zhang the butcher turned to ask Zhang Shi, who was already furious, a question that had been escalating for some time.
"Wife, what do we do now?"
Zhang dusted herself off, looked at Hou San and Steward Ji's retreating figures, and sneered, "Since they're going to be so disrespectful to us, then don't blame us for taking a hard line!"
(End of this chapter)
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