Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Yi Guanlin shoved aside Tan Wang, who was blocking his way, and walked straight up to Xu Kuo. He extended both hands, warmly grasped Xu Kuo's hands, and said with a beaming smile, "Brother Xu, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for ages!"
Yi Guanlin remembered the thousand dollars Xu Kuo gave him; such a large sum naturally left a deep impression on him.
This sudden turn of events left everyone present completely stunned.
Tan Wang was struck dumb, his eyes wide open as he stared intently at Yi Guanlin. He could hardly believe his eyes and wondered if Yi Guanlin had mistaken him for someone else.
Yi Guanlin turned his head, his face instantly darkening, and he sternly rebuked Tan Wang: "You come here! Who told you to be so rude to Brother Xu? Apologize right now!"
Startled by Yi Guanlin's roar, Tan Wang stammered, "Secretary Yi...you must be mistaken. He...he's just a country bumpkin..."
"Shut up!" Yi Guanlin's eyes widened in anger. "What country bumpkin? Brother Xu is my honored guest! If you dare to spout nonsense again, believe me, I'll take away your stall!"
Tan Wang turned pale with fright and dared not say another word. He could only apologize to Xu Kuo in a low voice: "I...I'm sorry, Brother Xu...I was blind to your greatness. Please forgive my ignorance and don't hold it against me."
Xu Kuo sneered, "Oh dear, weren't you just trying to kick me out? Now you're apologizing to me?"
Hearing this, Tan Wang felt a burning hatred in his heart, but dared not retaliate, feeling extremely frustrated.
Yi Guanlin waved his hand and instructed the subordinates following behind him: "You guys, go and help Brother Xu tidy up his stall."
Several subordinates immediately responded and began to help Xu Kuo tidy up his stall.
Xu Kuo didn't stand on ceremony and directly directed several people to start tidying up the empty stalls next to him.
Seeing the busy figures of the group, Tan Wang could no longer hold back. He rushed forward, grabbed one of the cadres, and roared, "What are you doing? His stall is so big, did he just go to another stall?"
"Insolence!" Yi Guanlin shouted angrily, startling Tan Wang into trembling.
Tan Wang pointed at Xu Kuo, who was directing everyone to organize the stalls, and shouted angrily, "Secretary Yi, look at him! One stall isn't enough, he wants to take several? What kind of logic is that?"
Xu Kuo sneered, glancing sideways at Tan Wang: "Who told you I only have one stall? These five are all mine!"
"What?! Five?!" Tan Wang exclaimed as if he had heard a fairy tale. He pointed at Xu Kuo and burst into laughter, "Hahaha... Xu Kuo, you're really good at bragging! Do you think the stalls in this market are like cabbages in a field, where you can have as many as you want? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? Do you even have that ability? Even I only have one stall, so why do you have five?"
"Exactly! This kid must be crazy!"
"I think he's just here to cause trouble!"
"Secretary Yi, don't be fooled by him!"
The surrounding crowd also began to jeer, accusing Xu Kuo of being greedy and insatiable.
Yi Guanlin's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Shut up, all of you!"
The entire room fell silent instantly.
“Brother Xu does indeed have five stalls. This was specially approved. Does anyone have any objections?” Yi Guanlin looked around, his eyes sharp as knives.
Yi Guanlin's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, leaving everyone stunned.
The bustling market instantly fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. Vendors and customers alike stared in disbelief.
"Five...five stalls?" Someone rubbed their eyes hard, wondering if they were hallucinating.
"Did I hear that right? He's taking up five stalls all by himself?" The person next to him was also stunned. He pinched himself hard, wincing in pain, before he was sure he wasn't dreaming.
You have to understand, these were days of scarcity. Every stall in the market was incredibly valuable, and people would fight tooth and nail to get one. Every stall was precious, and who would have thought that Xu Kuo, this seemingly unremarkable young man, would snag five in one go!
This is simply a fantasy!
Tan Wang was stunned, as if struck by lightning. He stood there blankly, his face turning from red to white, then from white to green, as if a dye shop had been opened.
"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Tan Wang roared inwardly. "What makes this kid so special? What qualifications does he have to own five stalls? Yi Guanlin must have made a mistake, yes, that must be it!"
He looked at Yi Guanlin with unwavering determination, trying to find even the slightest flaw in the other's face, even just a hint of hesitation. However, Yi Guanlin's expression remained steadfast and unshaken.
"Tan Wang, stop pointing fingers at me!" Yi Guanlin glared angrily, pointing at Tan Wang's nose and cursing, "Brother Xu's affairs are none of your business! Who do you think you are? If you dare to say another word, believe me, I'll make sure you lose even your stall!"
Tan Wang was thoroughly berated, but dared not retaliate, forced to swallow his anger. He felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making him feel suffocated and about to explode. He stared intently at Xu Kuo, his eyes filled with venomous resentment, as if he wanted to devour him.
"Xu Kuo, you just wait!" Tan Wang gritted his teeth and swore in his heart, "I'll settle this score with you sooner or later! I'll make you beg for mercy on your knees, or I'm not Tan!"
Meanwhile, with Yi Guanlin's support, Xu Kuo began a major overhaul of his stall.
Over the course of a whole day, Xu Kuo transformed the previously chaotic stalls into an orderly and well-organized space. The five stalls were now connected, creating a spacious, bright, and brand-new environment.
"Erbao, go catch some more fish in the river, we'll sell them tomorrow!" Xu Kuo patted Niu Erbao on the shoulder and gave the order with confidence.
"Alright, Master! Just you wait and see!" Niu Erbao replied excitedly and ran off in a flash. He admired Xu Kuo immensely and firmly believed that following Xu Kuo would definitely make him a fortune.
Watching Niu Erbao's departing figure, Xu Kuo turned to Jiang Xiuya and smiled gently: "Come on, Xiuya, let's go buy a few big basins to hold the fish tomorrow."
Jiang Xiuying nodded obediently and followed closely behind Xu Kuo. Looking at Xu Kuo's back, she felt a surge of sweetness and a sense of security.
Niu Erbao returned home excitedly, grabbed the fishing net, and was about to rush out.
"You brat, where are you going to go gallivanting again?" Zhang Guifang grabbed Niu Erbao and launched into a tirade of abuse.
“I’ll go help Brother Xu Kuo catch fish!” Niu Erbao retorted defiantly, sticking out his neck.
"Catch fish? Catch my ass!" Zhang Guifang stomped her feet angrily. "Are you stupid? That Xu Kuo is obviously a penniless pauper. How could he make money? If you follow him blindly, you'll starve to death sooner or later!"
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