Chapter 107 Two-in-One
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and Zhang Zan felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
They usually only have minor squabbles, so this escalation shows they've really been provoked. But they didn't intend to kill anyone. Why does Miss Fu's talk sound a bit off? What respectable person would be so skilled in combat, and with a group of brothers?
"This money is for the brothers to treat their injuries. I'm leaving now." In the darkness, a stack of bills was casually thrown on the hotel counter, and the woman strode away.
Zhang Zan didn't stand up until the courtyard gate was slammed shut. He grabbed the money from the table—it was five thousand! In a society where the average monthly salary is only five or six hundred, he threw five thousand yuan around like it was nothing. How dashing!
"Brother Zan, what did that woman say? Huh, where did she get the money?" A man walked in, clutching his stomach. He only dared to move after the woman left. That woman really hit him hard; he was still in pain.
"How many brothers came this time?"
"I'm not taking you, there are 11 of them."
"Then let's give each person two hundred, and let everyone come in to collect their money."
A few minutes later, eleven young men stood there, bewildered, holding two hundred yuan each, staring blankly at Zhang Zan, who was leading the group.
"That woman gave it to me, saying it was for medical expenses. Everyone, eat and drink well. Let's go, I have something to do later."
Everyone: ...
Why did that woman suddenly give him money? She won the fight and still gave him money; did she suddenly have a change of heart?
When Zhang Zan returned with his men, Fu Le had already taken a taxi to the train station.
Three days later, Fu Le returned to Dezhou, and his bones were practically melting from lying down.
Fu Le slept for a full day and night in the hotel before being woken up by customer service. Only then did she realize that she had slept for quite a while and that they thought she had come to the hotel to commit suicide.
After calling his mother to let her know he was safe and would be home the next day, Fu Le went downstairs to find something to eat.
This star-rated hotel has food all day long. When Fu Le went to the restaurant to order dishes, such as dried meat, nothing tasted as good as hot meals.
I had just sat down when I heard a commotion next to me.
"Hey, Zhou Qi, didn't you say your dad's a city official? How come I never see him come to the parent-teacher conferences? Oh, wait, not only does your dad not come, but your mom doesn't come either. You're not from some remote mountain village, are you, just trying to save face by bragging like crazy? Huh?"
“Zhou Ming, you tell me, is Zhou Qi your cousin? Is his father a city official?”
"have no idea."
"Oh dear, Zhou Ming said he didn't know, hahahaha... Zhou Qi, you don't even bother to think before you brag. Zhou Ming is our brother, how dare you brag to us like that? Your lie is so obvious, isn't it embarrassing?"
"Yeah, how dare anyone brag like that? Tsk tsk... It's so embarrassing..."
In the semi-open private room, the short boy stood with his head down, his face flushed, trembling all over. The malice around him felt like sharp swords piercing his heart. Why? Why were they saying these things about him? They were clearly good friends before, so why did Zhou Ming say he didn't know who his father was? Why wouldn't he testify for him? Why?
The boy didn't even notice that his fingernails had dug deep into his flesh and drawn blood.
Fu Le was eating, but his appetite was completely ruined by the annoying noise.
Damn it, bullying is everywhere. They even say that human nature is inherently good, but in her eyes, it's pure evil!
With a loud bang, Fu Le slammed his chopsticks on the plate, silencing the surrounding noise.
"Who is it that is so rude, making such a loud noise while eating?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's some nouveau riche."
"Now anyone can get into this star-rated hotel."
Fu Le: ...
The ill-mannered Fu Le stood up, walked around the openwork gold-trimmed screen, and saw the semi-open private room behind it.
"Oh, so many young masters, huh? What's wrong? This hotel can't let rich people eat here anymore? You bunch of prickly buds who haven't even grown their hair yet, but you're already pretending to be elephants?" Fu Le's southern accent had been so ingrained in his previous life that it was unrecognizable.
A group of junior high school students: ...
Who is this woman?
With her hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in sportswear, Fu Le looked every bit the girl next door, but the intense hostility emanating from her made more than a dozen children around ten years old afraid to utter a single word.
"What? Not saying anything now? Who are you bunch of gluttonous dung-producing machines to judge my character? Are you even adults? Do you have any money? Are you trying to act all high and mighty?!"
Finally, this sentence brought the matter to a close, and one of the boys realized, "Oh, it was you who made the noise just now?" He looked like he had just realized something. The other boys and girls, who had been preemptively attacked by Fu Le, also realized what was going on and started to look disgusted. "You were rude first, and you still have the nerve to criticize others here. Don't think you're right just because you're an adult. We're not afraid!"
"Yeah, you have no manners at all. What's wrong with that? You..."
"Who was it that just said..." Fu Le repeated all the boys' sarcastic remarks, then sneered, "Making a racket while eating, who's really lacking manners? What, do you all live by the sea? Why should we tell you what their dads do? Is it such a big deal that their parents are busy with work and can't attend parent-teacher conferences? So you can laugh at them? Or do you think everyone's parents are like yours, with nothing better to do than waste so much time on you bunch of good-for-nothings?!" Fu Le unleashed his humiliating words on this group of young boys, trying to wake them up and teach them not to think they could talk back just because they're young!
Haven't we seen enough instances of harsh words ruining lives? She simply refused to believe that such a bunch of people could possibly achieve good grades!
"You're talking nonsense!!"
"You're the one who's an idiot!!"
"How could you talk like that?! I'm going to tell my mom, waaaaah..."
One stone stirs up a thousand waves. Some shameless people immediately turned red in the eyes and started crying, while the more thick-skinned ones turned red in the face, their necks bulging, panting heavily, their fists clenched, like an enraged lion.
"Can't even stand it? A bunch of useless idiots! Get up and go eat somewhere else with your sister. Honestly, you're being bullied to death and you don't even talk back. You're so chubby." Taking advantage of the chaos, Fu Le picked up the little chick from the crowd and walked away.
The little chick, with its neck tucked in, was unusually well-behaved, letting Fu Le grab its arm and lead it outside.
Fu Le didn't go far. He opened a private room in a small teahouse not far away and ordered some snacks and milk.
"I noticed you haven't touched your food much. It's almost noon, eat something. It's not a holiday, shouldn't you be at school?"
The boy kept his head down and didn't speak. Fu Le thought he wasn't going to talk and was planning to eat something and leave. Although she had lost her appetite, she was still hungry. Besides, she had only pulled him out in a moment of emotional impulse, which didn't mean she liked this kind of timid and weak-willed child. Many weak-willed people are genuinely cowardly and can't be helped.
"There are still five days left in summer vacation," a low male voice said.
Fu Le looked up and met a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes. The little boy was very handsome, with delicate features and a fair complexion. However, he always shrugged his shoulders and looked listless, making him seem easy to bully. Of course, there was also the fact that he was not tall.
Those kids were probably around 1.7 meters tall, while this kid is only a little over 1.5 meters. Among that group of kids, he's like a little chick, incredibly weak, and with that ostrich-like temperament, it's no wonder he gets bullied.
Kids are so clever; they often bully the timid and submissive ones.
Only when the boy mentioned it did Fu Le realize that the reason she was still outside was because summer vacation was not over yet.
Fu Le scoffed, "Are you a coward?" He stuffed a bite of cream cake into his mouth without even looking up.
"I'm not a coward." The child, who was thought to be silent, spoke up again.
Fu Le looked up and saw anger flashing in the boy's stubborn eyes. "Then why didn't you talk back just now?"
“We used to be friends.” The boy’s anger dissipated as he said this, and he lowered his head, looking dejected.
"A friend will only be good to you and will never harm you, whether in actions or words. How old are you?"
"Fifteen years old."
Fu Le: ...
A 15-year-old boy who is only a little over 1.5 meters tall, does he not like to eat?
"Want to grow taller?" Fu Le asked, unusually having a moment of free time.
"I want to, I really want to. I wasn't born short; it's because I was sick when I was little. I had a birth defect and was treated after I was born. I recovered before I was ten, but my height was affected." When talking about his height, the little boy became more talkative, seemingly not feeling that there was anything wrong with him talking about this with a stranger.
Fu Le raised an eyebrow and, without hesitation, pulled out a small glass bottle about the size of a thumb, containing ten milliliters of nutrient solution. "Give me a thousand yuan, and I'll give you this. It'll guarantee you grow to 1.8 meters tall."
"Okay." She thought the boy would call her a liar, so she would take the opportunity to put the money away and leave. Who knew that the little boy was so incredibly naive.
Fu Le: ...
The little boy took out cash from his pocket. "Sister, I only have a thousand here, that's just right. I was going to use it to pay for my meal, but this is perfect for paying for it now."
Fu Le: To give or not to give?
The little boy pushed the money over, then reached for the bottle in Fu Le's hand, but he couldn't lift it; the strange young lady was holding it very tightly.
The boy looked at her strangely, "Sister?"
Fu Le: That's a lie... Ugh, she's not lying!
This kid actually believed that?
"Do you really think my water can help you grow taller?" Fu Le couldn't hold back any longer. Was there something wrong with this kid's brain?
"No, my sister spoke up for me and even brought me here to eat. She must be a good person. If she needs money, she can take it. It's only a thousand yuan," the boy explained, shaking his head.
Fu Le practically had his speechless expression on his face. Kid, your words are so honest and hurtful!
It's only a thousand yuan! If you run into someone who hates the rich, they'll probably slap you!
Fu Le took the money, stuffed it into his coat pocket, then uncorked the glass bottle and handed it over, saying, "Drink it now before I change my mind."
The little boy was taken aback, looking at the small glass bottle on his fair fingertips, then took it and drank it in one gulp.
"It tastes like strawberries." After saying that, the boy smacked his lips and gave his evaluation.
Fu Le was speechless. This idiot. "Eat." She didn't want to talk to this idiot.
"What's your sister's name?"
"No name."
Zhou Qi: ...
"Sister, my name is Zhou Qi, I'm fifteen years old, and I study at the Foreign Language Experimental Middle School. Would you mind leaving your contact information?"
Fu Le: Why are you suddenly talking so much nonsense?
"I'm full, let's go, kid. I've already paid the bill. Eat slowly." Fu Le was full after a couple of bites of cake; he got tired of desserts very quickly.
Fu Le left in a hurry, leaving Zhou Qi staring blankly at the empty doorway, somewhat lost in thought.
Zhangjiayaozi Village, Yunnan Province.
In an old house steeped in the vicissitudes of time, Zhang Zan knelt on the bluestone floor in the middle of the hall. His bare back was covered in blood and gore, clearly marked by whip marks. An old man, about sixty years old, sat in a grand chair in the central hall, holding a pipe. On the stools on both sides of the central hall sat seven or eight middle-aged men, none of whom looked well.
"But do you know you're wrong?" The old man exhaled a smoke ring, his cloudy eyes filled with a menacing aura.
Zhang Zan lowered his head and said, "I know I was wrong."
"Where did we go wrong?"
"The mistake was in leaking information." Zhang Zan only found out after he returned that his conversation with Miss Fu had been overheard. Even though he was secretly angry, he didn't dare to say a word against it, since it was a fact that he had accepted money.
“Master Zhang, that woman only asked about our background and how many of us there were. She didn’t ask anything else. That’s all I told her. Does that count as leaking secrets?” He was resentful.
How could anyone understand his fear at that time if they hadn't experienced the woman's methods?
Besides, they're not going to fight a war, they're just seizing medicinal herbs, why should they risk their lives?
"Master Zhang, my brother is at fault. Please punish him, but please don't take it out on our family. We're all here to work for you for the rest of our lives," a young man shouted from the courtyard, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at Zhang Zan.
Zhang Zan cast a cold, sharp glance at him.
Master Zhang's gaze swept around the surroundings, then he looked at Zhang Zan. "Zhang Zan, I'm giving you one last chance. Does that woman really want to cooperate with us? Or is she coming to our door?"
"Yes, she said her company wants to buy medicinal herbs long-term, and if our quality is fine, she's willing to cooperate with us long-term at market price. From what I heard her say, she's very dissatisfied with Country R and also resentful of our trade of medicinal herbs with Country R, so I'm convinced she's not inherently a bad person." How bad can a patriotic person be?
Although they cooperate with Country R, it doesn't mean they like Country R. Normal trade and all transactions are for survival.
“Uncle Zhang, I think the company Ajarn mentioned shouldn’t have any major problems. They offer good prices to the other villagers, and they are very polite in their words and actions. The villagers like them very much. We had already considered not cooperating with them before, so why not take this opportunity to retreat to the domestic market? Maybe we won’t earn much, but we’ll have peace of mind when we do.” The man sitting at the head of the table to Uncle Zhang’s left said in a deep voice.
“Uncle Zhang, what Sixth Uncle said makes sense. In recent transactions, they have been delaying payment for a long time. They don’t even abide by the contract’s agreement of cash on delivery. They’re also finding fault and nitpicking. They never pay the full amount and then accuse us of shortchanging them. Their credibility is seriously questionable. Lately, I’ve been feeling uneasy. What if they have ill intentions and are looking for the right opportunity to buy up the goods at rock-bottom prices and run away without paying a cent? If that happens, we might not even have a place to seek justice. These are domestic companies, at least they are all Chinese. The companies are there, and we can get a result from the authorities. There won’t be that kind of all-risk problem.”
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