"Hey, you bastard, don't you know this area is under Fourth Master's protection? Where did you come from? Anyway, if you set up a stall here, you have to pay Fourth Master your share," the man said again.
Lin Fengshou was not afraid at all: "You are extorting money from the people without their consent, which is robbery. I will not give it to you!"
The surrounding vendors all felt sorry for the new young man. He was another stubborn fool who might offend Master Si and end up losing his money, having his goods smashed, and getting injured himself.
A nearby vendor kindly advised, "Young man, you should just give them the money quickly; you can't fight city hall."
The man chuckled and said, "Now you know, kid. You'd better hand over the money quickly, or when Fourth Master comes, there will be bloodshed."
Lin Fengshou looked at them resolutely and said, "I don't know any Fourth Master, and I've never heard of any protection fee. I know that only the government can collect money. What you're doing is illegal! I will not give you the money I've worked so hard to earn."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rough male voice rang out: "Let me see which blind fool doesn't know the name of Fourth Master!"
A fierce-looking man emerged from behind the group of men. A scar running from his eye to his chin on his right cheek made his face look even more ferocious. This man was none other than the Fourth Master that the other man had mentioned.
When the surrounding vendors saw him arrive, they immediately quieted down like quails. The vendors who were close to Lin Fengshou even moved further away, afraid that they would also suffer the consequences.
He walked up to Lin Fengshou, toying with a small dagger in his hand. The group of men all respectfully addressed him as "Fourth Master," and the lackey who had spoken earlier quickly stepped forward, his face full of obsequiousness:
"Fourth Master, you've arrived. There's a newcomer here who doesn't know any better. Don't worry, I'll show him right away that our Fourth Master is the one who has the final say in this area."
The Fourth Master gave a heavy "hmm," and then the henchman shouted, "Brothers, smash it!"
They all rushed forward, and immediately the sound of shattering earthenware jars filled the air, bowls and plates were smashed to pieces. Lin Fengshou quickly rushed forward to stop them:
"Do you have no regard for the law? Stop right there..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Fengshou was kicked to the ground. The Fourth Master stepped on his chest, a dagger pressed against his face, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"Young man, now you know how powerful Fourth Master is, right? Be smart and hand over all your money. Remember to pay up next time!"
Lin Fengshou could feel the icy coldness of the dagger against his face. His eyes were fixed on the Fourth Master as he spoke:
"No! Go ahead and kill me if you dare. As long as I live, I'll crawl to the authorities and sue you. I refuse to believe there's no law in this world..."
"Hey, you've got some backbone. Looks like you won't know fear until I make you bleed. You think you can be the law? Let me tell you, this is the law here!"
As the Fourth Master spoke, he was about to stab Lin Fengshou with the dagger, but Lin Fengshou closed his eyes tightly.
"stop!"
A voice rang out, but the expected pain did not come. Lin Fengshou's heart instantly settled down. It seemed that someone had called for him to stop.
Stopped from doing his thing, Fourth Master turned around angrily, "Where did all these blind fools come from today! Are you tired of living..."
The fourth master turned around and immediately swallowed his words. He quickly pulled his foot back from Lin Fengshou, moved closer to the man, and, completely different from his previous fierce demeanor, his face was full of flattery as he said:
"Oh, it's Young Master Zhang! What brings you to my humble abode, Young Master Zhang? I was just giving someone a lecture."
Seeing the man walk away, Lin Fengshou struggled frantically, shouting, "Let me go! Let me go! What you're doing is illegal..."
The fourth master glanced at it and said, "Tell him to shut up, he's too noisy."
The henchman immediately understood and gave the order: "Brothers, beat him until he can't even scream!"
Just as the group was about to make a move, Zhang Jing, the young master Zhang mentioned by the man, spoke up: "I already told you to stop, Fourth Master. I respectfully address you as Fourth Master. You don't really think you're the master in my eyes, do you?"
The fourth master's eyes flashed, and he immediately smiled obsequiously, "Young Master Zhang, what are you saying? How dare I call myself 'Master' in your presence? This person... do you know him? If I had known he was one of your men, I wouldn't have dared to touch him even if you gave me a hundred lives."
Zhang Jing smiled and said, "I didn't know him before, but I do now."
Upon hearing that this young master Zhang was deliberately picking a fight with him, Fourth Master clenched his fist but then relaxed it.
"This person must have had some incredible luck to catch your eye, Young Master Zhang. How could I possibly refuse to give face to someone you're protecting?"
He said to the group of thugs, "Let him go, let's go!"
"Young Master Zhang, we've released the person, and I'll take my leave now."
Zhang Jing didn't even glance at him, just grunted in response. The Fourth Master was very dissatisfied and left with his group of people, his face as black as hell. If it weren't for his father's connections with the county magistrate, he wouldn't have been so humiliated by this greenhorn.
Lin Fengshou immediately felt a sense of relief. He had been surrounded and pinned to the ground by these people, which had obstructed his view. Only now did he look up and see clearly the person who had just saved him. It was a young man dressed in silk and satin. Lin Fengshou was puzzled, as he seemed not to recognize this person, but he was still very grateful to him for saving him.
He got up, dusted himself off, and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for saving me, Young Master Zhang. I don't have anything to thank you for, but here's a vase that's still intact. If you don't mind, Young Master Zhang, you can take it."
He then carefully wiped the only unbroken vase and handed it over.
Zhang Jing laughed and said, "Young man, you don't need to be so polite. I just couldn't stand those people bullying others like that. Young man, if you want to set up a stall again in the future, you can go to the vicinity of the elegant teahouse. No one there will make things difficult for you."
Lin Feng was delighted to hear this. The elegant teahouse had a large flow of people, and it would be difficult to set up a stall there without the permission of the business people there.
However, as his mother had said, there's no such thing as a free lunch, so he still had his guard up: "Young Master Zhang, you saved me, so why are you helping me like this?"
Zhang Jing said, "The merchants over there always sell the same things. It would be good to add some different items. Since I was fortunate enough to save you, I can help you again. If you don't want to go, that's fine. But if you want to stay here, those people might come back looking for you in a while."
Lin Fengshou was relieved upon hearing this: "Then thank you very much, Young Master Zhang. If you need any help in the future, please feel free to let me know. Although I am not as noble as you, I will do my best to help you in any way I can."
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