After all, if Sheng Xu still suspected him, he didn't know what excuse he could use to cover it up.
Xu Kuo had traveled the road to Hongqi Town several times.
This time, he paid special attention to the vegetable stalls at the entrance of town. He astutely noticed that the prices of the vegetables here were generally much cheaper than what he had bought at the market before!
“Interesting…” Xu Kuo stroked his chin, a glint of shrewdness flashing across his face.
It seems the supply and demand relationship here is different from theirs. Perhaps... this is a new business opportunity?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he put it aside for the time being; he needed to find Zhang Zhihe first.
Following the address Zhang Zhihe had given him, Xu Kuo easily found the large compound next to the town government.
Sure enough, there was a large, conspicuous locust tree at the entrance.
Xu Kuo had just arrived at the door and hadn't even had a chance to knock when Zhang Zhihe, as if he knew in advance that Xu Kuo was coming, suddenly rushed out of the courtyard, his face full of surprise and excitement.
"Oh! Comrade Xu Kuo! You've finally arrived! Come in, come in!" Zhang Zhihe pulled Xu Kuo inside without saying a word, his enthusiasm almost overwhelming Xu Kuo.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Zhihe waved his hand and said, "Come on, come on! Comrade Xu Kuo, it's rare for you to come all this way, I must treat you well! I know a restaurant in town that serves pretty good food, let's go there for a meal today!"
Xu Kuo initially wanted to decline, but seeing Zhang Zhihe's enthusiastic expression, he didn't insist any further.
The two arrived at a restaurant in town that looked quite clean and tidy.
Zhang Zhihe, familiar with the place, ordered several hearty dishes and a bottle of wine.
Before all the dishes were served, Zhang Zhihe eagerly approached Xu Kuo, his eyes full of curiosity: "Comrade Xu Kuo, how exactly did you perform that magic trick of turning a person into a living being? And that empty box retrieving item was amazing! Could you... reveal a little bit of the secret?"
Xu Kuo picked up his teacup and took a sip, but in his mind he was calculating how to subtly steer the conversation toward Sheng Xu and sound out Zhang Zhihe's opinion. Although this guy seemed carefree, he worked in the town government and should be much more well-informed than he was.
Just as Xu Kuo was pondering, several malicious laughs suddenly came from the restaurant entrance.
The next moment, three carefree young men strolled over and stood directly behind Zhang Zhihe.
One of them, with a buzz cut, glanced sideways at the dishes on the table and spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"Hey, isn't this our Zhang, our clerk? What's up? What kind of windfall have you struck it rich with lately? You dare to come to 'Red Star Building' to show off?"
Xu Kuo frowned slightly as he looked at the group of young people who clearly had ill intentions.
Zhang Zhihe's face froze instantly, his smile also solidified, revealing a hint of undisguised embarrassment and awkwardness.
He quickly stood up, his face ingratiating, and while secretly taking money out of his pocket, he explained to the young men, "Brothers, today... I have a friend here today, so please give me some face and take this money to have some tea. Another day... another day I'll treat you."
He tried to slip a few bills to the leader, a man with a buzz cut.
Unexpectedly, the man with the buzz cut didn't even look at the money in Zhang Zhihe's hand. Instead, he spat and pushed Zhang Zhihe's hand away with a disdainful look, scattering the money all over the ground.
"Zhang Zhihe, what the hell do you mean?!" The buzz-cut man's voice suddenly rose, filled with anger. "Are you trying to fob me off with this little bit of money? Who do you think you are?!"
The other two young men joined in the jeering, staring at Zhang Zhihe with hostile eyes.
Zhang Zhihe's face instantly turned bright red, his outstretched hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or not.
The other diners in the restaurant also turned their attention to this scene, with a hint of watching the spectacle.
Zhang Zhihe's old face turned a deep purplish-red, and he stood there helplessly, the banknotes on the ground appearing particularly glaring.
Just then, Xu Kuo, who had been silent all along, slowly put down his teacup. The bottom of the cup touched the table, making a soft but clear "tap" sound.
He raised his eyelids and glanced at the group with displeasure.
"What are you doing?" Xu Kuo's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable coldness.
The man with the buzz cut clearly didn't take Xu Kuo seriously. He looked Xu Kuo up and down, and when he saw Xu Kuo's old clothes that were faded and patched, he grinned slightly. He had never seen such a country bumpkin before.
"Oh ho? Where did this country bumpkin come from, daring to meddle in other people's business?" The crew-cut man sneered, deliberately raising his voice to shout at those around him.
"Come and see, everyone! I was wondering why Zhang Zhihe was becoming more and more useless. Turns out he's been hanging out with these bumpkins! Birds of a feather flock together! A good-for-nothing and a country bumpkin, a perfect match!"
His two henchmen also burst into laughter, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Xu Kuo and Zhang Zhihe.
Zhang Zhihe's body trembled slightly, filled with shame and indignation, yet he dared not speak out.
He instinctively tried to pull Xu Kuo back, signaling him not to act impulsively.
However, his hand had not yet touched the hem of Xu Kuo's clothes.
"Smack!"
A crisp, loud slap suddenly rang out, so fast that no one could even see the action clearly!
The man with the buzz cut, who had just been laughing arrogantly, suddenly staggered backward and fell to the ground, knocking over a chair with a loud crash.
He covered his swollen left cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief.
A trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The entire restaurant fell silent instantly!
Everyone was stunned! No one expected that this seemingly ordinary, poorly dressed young man would dare to fight so violently without a word!
Zhang Zhihe was also stunned, frozen in place, his mouth slightly open, unable to close it for a long time.
Xu Kuo slowly withdrew his hand, his face expressionless, as if he had simply dusted himself off.
He looked down at the man with the buzz cut lying on the ground, his eyes cold.
"Those who use foul mouths deserve to be slapped," Xu Kuo said calmly. "You were the ones who started this trouble, weren't you?"
The two henchmen with the buzz cut reacted, both shocked and furious.
"Damn it! You dare hit Brother Xiang!"
"Kill him!"
The two men roared and brandished their fists, charging at Xu Kuo from the left and right. The surrounding diners were so frightened that they quickly retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Zhang Zhihe turned pale and exclaimed, "Comrade Xu Kuo, be careful!"
Xu Kuo didn't even lift his eyelids.
With a slight movement, he dodged the man's fist on the left like a ghost, and with his right hand, he grabbed the man's wrist, twisted and pulled it gently. The man immediately screamed and fell forward, losing his balance.
At the same time, Xu Kuo kicked out with lightning speed with his left foot, hitting the man rushing from the right in the abdomen.
"Bang!"
The man flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his body arched, crashing into the wall and sliding to the ground. He clutched his stomach and groaned in pain, unable to get up for a long time.
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