Xu Xinghe thanked the old man, turned around and quickly left the scrap metal recycling station, following the signs to Qianjin Road.
Not far away, you can see an inconspicuous narrow gate.
There wasn't even a decent sign above the door; the words "Bathhouse" were just crookedly written on it, making it look particularly shabby.
She took a deep breath and reached out to lift the heavy cotton curtain.
The sound that had been blocked out suddenly entered my ears.
What kind of bathhouse is that inside?
It was clearly a large, partitioned room, filled with smoke and the air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and cheap liquor, making people wince.
Inside the room were several wooden tables, around which a dozen or so people were playing cards and drinking, making a racket that sounded like it was going to lift the roof off.
As soon as Xu Xinghe entered the room, all the sounds almost instantly stopped.
A dozen pairs of eyes turned to look at them simultaneously.
Several sleazy-looking men even unconsciously started whistling.
"Oh? Where did this little beauty come from?"
"She looks even better than the pictures in the city cinemas!"
This was the first time Xu Xinghe had ever seen such a scene. She frowned slightly but said nothing and remained standing at the door without moving.
This way, if there is any danger, you can turn around and run.
"I'm looking for Brother Lao Hei, where is he?" Her voice was clear and bright, without the slightest hint of fear.
The group exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
A man with a buzz cut and a scar on his face swaggered to his feet, looking her up and down. "Looking for our boss? What, you think you're so pretty you want to offer yourself up?"
"Haha, our big brother won't fall for your act!" The people around him chimed in.
"I'm here to discuss cooperation," Xu Xinghe said calmly. "If your elder brother is here, please let him know. If not, I'll come another day."
"Cooperation? What kind of cooperation can a little brat like you talk to our big brother about?"
A man in the corner, smoking a cigarette, suddenly narrowed his eyes, stared at Xu Xinghe for a long time, and then slapped his thigh. "I recognize you! You're Jiang Linchuan's fiancée! I saw you when you came to town to buy things together last time. There's no mistake, you're the only girl in the whole city who's this good-looking!"
As soon as he said that, the laughter in the room stopped instantly.
The group of people who had been laughing and joking just moments before suddenly turned serious, their mocking expressions turning into blatant malice.
"Oh, you're a military family member? What are you doing here?"
"Dressed up like a proper gentleman, do they think they're superior just because they're military dependents?"
"Isn't Jiang Linchuan supposed to be quite capable? Why would he let his woman show her face in a place like this?"
Foul language drifted over with the smoke, and Xu Xinghe's face turned cold, but she remained standing at the door without moving.
She knew that the more she backed down now, the more these people would take advantage of her.
"Now that you know who I am, I won't hide it anymore. I am indeed Jiang Linchuan's fiancée. I need to see your elder brother now. Go in and inform him. If this delays things, I don't think you can bear the consequences!"
Now that our identities have been revealed, we might as well make use of them.
Upon hearing this, everyone erupted in uproar.
Although they were wary of her status as a military family member and dared not actually hit her, that did not mean they could not make things difficult for her!
"Oh, so you're putting on airs now?"
"I know your man is Jiang Linchuan, but this is our territory, and it's not your place to act wildly!"
A skinny, monkey-like thug chuckled and egged them on, "If you want us to report, fine, but first take off your coats and let us see if military dependents are more precious than other people!"
Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "Not only do you have to take off your clothes, you also have to drink! Let's get you all drunk first, and maybe they'll help you spread the word!"
Amid the commotion, the scarred man walked over carrying an unopened bottle of liquor and held it up to Xu Xinghe.
He squinted, his face full of provocation. "Want to see our boss? Fine, but not everyone has the right. You drink this bottle of wine, and I'll go in and call someone. If you don't, go back where you came from!"
He snorted coldly, "Don't try to scare me with the excuse of causing trouble. I'll take responsibility! Anyway, Jiang Linchuan is our mortal enemy. We'd be happy to make things difficult for him. It's only right that we don't see you!"
The thugs around immediately burst into laughter, their eyes practically overflowing with malice, all waiting to see if Xu Xinghe would either leave in a sorry state or obediently give in and drink!
Whichever one it is, they both won!
Xu Xinghe looked at the scarred man and said, "It seems you have a grudge against Jiang Linchuan."
"I have no grudge against him, I just don't like him!" The scarred man lost his patience, his voice suddenly rising. "We're just trying a different way to make a living, what right does he have to interfere? Who does he think he is! Now that he's eating the government's food, he thinks he can trample on us? Even when the emperor was in power, he wasn't this domineering. Are you going to drink or not?"
Xu Xinghe looked directly at him, her tone calm, "I can drink it, but I need to know for sure. If I drink it, will you really report it?"
"Of course!" the scarred man scoffed, not believing for a second that she could drink it.
This is a high-proof liquor with an alcohol content of over 50 degrees. It's so spicy it burns your heart. Most women can't even stand the smell, let alone drink the whole bottle.
"You have to swear an oath," Xu Xinghe retorted, "otherwise, how can I believe you?"
In Northeast China, oaths can still hold people back to some extent.
"Fine, I swear!" The scarred man didn't hesitate at all. "As long as you drink this bottle, I'll go in and report it immediately. If I don't keep my word, may I be hit by a car and die as soon as I step out the door. Are you satisfied now?"
Xu Xinghe said no more, took the wine bottle from his hand, turned his back to everyone, opened the bottle, and brought it to his lips.
The scarred man crossed his arms and sneered. "Such a big bottle of wine, you think you can just dump it on the ground or on yourself and get away with it?"
With so many eyes watching from inside, there's no way we can get away with it!
The moment Xu Xinghe turned around, she quietly opened the space and poured a continuous stream of baijiu into the open space.
When there was only one sip left in the bottle, she touched her lips to the empty bottle, turned it around, and shook it at everyone, saying, "It's finished."
The scarred man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. That's it?
Her face was rosy and her breathing was steady. She showed no signs of drunkenness, not even the slightest cough!
Wasn't Jiang Linchuan's wife supposed to be from the South? How come she can drink so much?
Undeterred, he circled Xu Xinghe twice, then brought his nose close to sniff her.
There was no smell of alcohol on him, his clothes were spotless, and there wasn't even a drop of alcohol on the floor.
"Why haven't you reported it yet? Trying to renege?" Xu Xinghe took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and even took off her scarf and handed it over. "If you don't believe me, check it and see if I'm playing any tricks."
She definitely didn't drink it; the wine all went into her spatial dimension, but no one could find out.
The scarred man licked his back teeth, feeling incredibly aggrieved. He had intended to make things difficult for this little brat, but she had outsmarted him and even made him save face in front of everyone.
The other thugs exchanged bewildered glances, their stares towards Xu Xinghe now carrying a different meaning.
That was a whole bottle of strong liquor; even a group of grown men would get dizzy after drinking it all in one go, but this woman acted as if nothing had happened.
"I don't believe it!" A short, fat thug suddenly stood up, pointed at the bottle, and shouted, "How could a woman drink so much? This liquor is over fifty proof, she must have cheated!"
"Believe it or not, I've already drunk the wine." Xu Xinghe's gaze returned to the scarred man, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Go in and report. Don't let a woman like me look down on you, a grown man."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
