A middle-aged man of medium height, with a kind face, wearing a dog-skin hat and a worn-out military overcoat, walked over to them with a smile.
If it weren't for the eight or nine burly men with gloomy faces and fierce eyes following behind him, Ning Yuan would have thought that they were her elder uncles coming to see her.
Chen Chen's aura instantly turned icy. He took a step back without making a sound and placed the bottle beside him.
Chen Chen cautiously whispered, "Be careful, they might have something on them, maybe even—something hard. If they do, run the moment I make a move."
"Hard thing" is slang—it refers to a gun.
Moreover, he couldn't tell whether there were other Uncle Liu's men lying in ambush outside, besides the ten people in front of him.
These people were all wearing loose-fitting coats, and they might be hiding daggers or even guns in their pockets or arms.
Chen Chen regretted not calling the police. It wouldn't be difficult for him to escape unscathed on his own, but he wasn't confident he could do it with Ning Yuan.
The captain said that he didn't consider things comprehensively enough, and that his battle plans were prone to errors. He was unconvinced at the time, but now it seems that the captain was right.
Ning Yuan paused for a moment after hearing Chen Chen's words, then nodded gently: "Mm."
It was 1979, just after the opening up of China. The crackdown had not yet begun, let alone the subsequent nationwide campaign to confiscate and clear out firearms and weapons.
In addition to various hunting rifles, civilians also possess various standard firearms that have somehow appeared out of nowhere.
Controlled knives are everywhere, and nobody knows what these people have on them.
Her palms were slightly sweaty; how could she not be afraid?
But if you want to venture out into the world, you have to overcome these obstacles; she has to give it a try!
Ning Yuan suddenly straightened her chest, raised her head, and smiled sweetly as she reached out to them: "Uncle Liu, long time no see! Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity and good fortune! Here's your lucky red envelope!"
Uncle Liu: "..."
Uncle Liu's men: "..."
Uh, weren't they here to fight? They've got them cornered.
Uncle Liu chuckled after a while, his voice full of meaning: "Haha, little girl, you're really something, always surprising people. I really like the blessing 'Congratulations on getting rich'."
She actually asked him for New Year's money? She's got some nerve.
Ning Yuan smiled and said, "Because I also run a small business. We're all trying to make money—harmony brings wealth, right?"
"Harmony?" Uncle Liu's gaze swept over his three subordinates lying on the ground.
He took out a cigarette and lit it: "Little girl, do you think this scene looks amicable?"
Ning Yuan nodded and said earnestly, "I'm here to give money to Uncle Liu. Don't you think this is a very amicable thing, Uncle Liu? You don't need to worry about anything else."
Uncle Liu smiled with his hands behind his back, looking at Ning Yuan: "But Uncle heard from Fatty and Old Gan that you two kids are very fierce."
Fatty is the short, stout middle-aged man, while Old Pole is the skinny, stick-like middle-aged man.
Fatty was panting heavily, and with a grim expression, he said that they had run into a tough opponent today and kicked a hornet's nest, and then told me everything that had happened.
"Looks like those idiots kicked a hornet's nest and you're the ones who messed up. They really were unlucky; not only did they get ripped off for fifty bucks and lose a man, but look... even the good stuff I've been wanting for so long ended up in your hands?"
Uncle Liu smiled with a troubled expression as he bit down on his cigarette, but a fierce and violent glint flashed in his narrow eyes as he swept over the Yuan Dynasty celadon-glazed plum vase.
He was curious about Ning Yuan, but he had no intention of harming her until he had thoroughly investigated her background.
But that doesn't mean they can tolerate a girl daring to act arrogantly towards them.
As Uncle Liu spoke, the people behind him put their hands into their clothes and pockets, revealing their murderous intent.
Chen Chen tensed all his muscles, ready to strike, instinctively straightening his back and gripping the dagger in his hand: "What do you want!"
Uncle Liu looked at Chen Chen and sneered, "Kid, you were a soldier, weren't you? Back when I was fighting with swords and spears, you were still breastfeeding. Did you really think you could hold off ten thousand men?"
Ning Yuan held Chen Chen's arm down, preventing him from moving.
She still smiled broadly at Uncle Liu and said, "Oh, Uncle Liu, I've already said that harmony brings wealth. How can we talk business if you're like this?"
Uncle Liu exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes filled with a ferocious murderous intent: "Business? Business is something I can only do if I want to. Now I don't want to do business with you anymore, little girl. You should think about how to persuade Uncle not to sell you and your goods or kill you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ning Yuan suddenly stretched out her foot and stepped on the mouth of the Yuan Dynasty celadon-glazed plum vase.
The plum vase shook slightly.
Uncle Liu and the people behind him tensed up instantly, and he forgot all about threatening words: "What do you want to do!"
When it was their turn to ask that question, there was an awkward moment, and Uncle Liu couldn't help but glare at Ning Yuan with a sinister look.
Ning Yuan clenched her fists, which were covered in cold sweat, but shook her head: "Uncle Liu, don't be mean to me. If I get scared, I might accidentally kick over this priceless bottle!"
She looked at Uncle Liu and said, "I'm so scared. The bottle is so fragile. What if a piece of glaze falls off or it even breaks? You'll lose the good stuff you've wanted for so long. I'm easily frightened."
When Chen Chen heard the words "priceless", he was stunned for a moment. Wasn't this thing worth 180 yuan? 180 yuan was expensive, but it wasn't priceless, was it?
Uncle Liu watched as she so rudely stepped on the plum vase with one foot, causing the vase to sway from side to side, just like his heart was swaying.
Anyone could see that if there was any commotion, the bottle at Ning Yuan's feet would have shattered.
No one dared to move.
Uncle Liu's face turned pale, and his expression changed unpredictably.
He suddenly laughed, spitting out his cigarette butt, a helpless look on his honest face: "You little rascal, I just can't do anything with you. Tell me, what do you want?"
It's like a kind and gentle elder facing an unreasonable junior.
But Ning Yuan saw the ferocious glint in his eyes.
Chen Chen stood in front of Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan suppressed her fear and, mimicking Uncle Liu, said with a helpless expression, "Uncle, I told you we're all here to make money. Instead of yelling at me, why don't you see what good things I brought you?"
It's not that I'm not afraid, but...
In a close encounter, the brave prevail. She absolutely cannot back down here, or she will either die or be seriously injured!
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