Chapter 125 Using a Villain to Grind Down a Villain

Inside the jar was a braised pork hock weighing over a pound. The trembling, date-red skin contrasted with the snow-white plate, surrounded by vibrant green lettuce, creating a visually stunning effect. When Fang Senyan picked up a piece of the braised pork and put it in his mouth, it melted instantly, yet the slightly charred skin offered a satisfying chewiness, prompting him to devour two or three mouthfuls of rice.

The scallions buried beneath the pork were equally unique, having absorbed all the rich flavor of the hock. Coupled with the fragrance of spices, it perfectly embodied the essence of being "rich without being greasy." The pork hock was incredibly authentic, and Fang Senyan wolfed it down, even soaking his rice in the gravy until the plate was spotless.

After paying the bill, Fang Senyan was about to continue gathering raw materials for his potions when Sanzi came to find him, saying that Uncle Da had asked him to check on the progress of the boat repairs. Fang Senyan knew that this was practically Uncle Da's lifeblood, the goal that sustained him. Besides, he was leaving for Thailand in a few days and probably wouldn't be able to attend to things here, so he also wanted to get the boat settled as soon as possible.

Although cars and boats are often mentioned together as transportation, building a car is actually much more difficult than building a boat. Especially the kind Fang Senyan needed: a 49-meter-long, iron-hulled trawler with a displacement of about 500 tons. The technology involved was laughably simple.

For example, Taizhou City in mainland China alone has over 100 shipbuilding and repair companies, and over 70 supporting enterprises. Consider this: are there even 100 automobile companies in all of China? So even a private port like West Fifth Pier had two or three shipyards that would take on shipbuilding jobs as long as you had enough cash.

Fang Senyan and the others found a shipyard called "Yongtai" that was introduced by Uncle Da. The owner, He Bo, was a kind-faced man who greeted everyone with a nod and a smile, and he immediately hit it off with Uncle Da, who was an old sea dog. The money Fang Senyan provided was more than enough for the owner to make a good profit, so he was doing his best. Furthermore, Uncle Da was constantly watching over the work, ensuring that the materials and quality were top-notch.

After becoming partially disabled, Uncle Da's mental age seemed to have aged by decades. He was constantly plagued by feelings of being "useless" and a "burden." If Fang Senyan hadn't been adept at understanding and comforting him, he might have developed depression long ago.

Therefore, Uncle Da's asking Fang Senyan to come see the boat was like a child who got a perfect score on a test, excitedly wanting to show it off at home. It was driven by a desire to prove that he wasn't a waste and that he could still shine.

Little did they know that as soon as they entered the Yongtai Shipyard, they saw the owner, He Bo, arguing fiercely with his son. Fang Senyan was meeting his son for the first time. Sanzi said his name was Dabing. The guy had a round face, but his hair was dyed red and styled into a rooster comb, making him look incredibly awkward. When he saw Fang Senyan and the others approaching, he thrust his hands out and pushed his father's chest hard. Then he turned his head, raised his chin, and pointed at them dismissively, saying:

"Hey, your boat won't be delivered until next year, what are you doing here? Get lost, get lost!"

These words struck Uncle Da like a bolt from the blue. He immediately walked up, pointed at the almost-completed boat in the dock, and said in a trembling voice filled with grief and indignation:

"This is the boat we ordered, why won't it be delivered until next year?"

Dabing glared and stepped forward, cursing:

"You old geezer! You're already crippled, do you want to break your legs too? This is my family's shipyard, I make the rules!"

His words immediately touched upon the pain in Uncle Da's heart. His face turned ashen, and he clutched his chest, coughing heavily for a while before he felt better. Seeing this, a flicker of anger flashed in Fang Senyan's eyes. He said a few words to Sanzi, who immediately ran out. Thankfully, He Bo, his face pale with anger, rushed forward and slapped Dabing on the head. With a trembling hand and quivering lips, he said:

"Are you trying to make me lose all my face?"

Dabing pushed his father away and shouted:

"I'm telling you, this boat needs to be launched and handed over to me within a week! Otherwise, no one will take care of you in your old age!"

Fang Senyan stepped forward, shielding Uncle Da behind him, and said calmly:

"Fine! If you can't deliver the boat, return the money I prepaid. That's over four million (Taiwan dollars)!"

Hearing this, Dabing seemed to have heard the funniest thing in the world. He swayed as he walked up:

"Return the money?"

He said dismissively:

"Are you trying to play my family? We agreed to build a boat here, and now you dare to go back on your word? Fine! First, compensate me for my mental distress!"

After saying that, Dabing spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm and stomped on it, as if Fang Senyan's fate would be the same if he continued to pester him.

Fang Senyan said calmly:

"Are you being unreasonable? We came here to build a boat out of respect for Uncle Da. You have quite the appetite, wanting to swallow millions of Taiwan dollars? Aren't you afraid of bursting your stomach?"

Dabing's expression became slightly unnatural after hearing Uncle Da's name, but he immediately said fiercely:

"Don't try to pressure me with that old bastard, Uncle Da! When I, Dabing, get angry, I don't care about anyone. You say my family took your money, where's the proof?"

In a place like West Fifth Pier, there are too many undocumented transactions. How could there be receipts or invoices? Uncle Da's face fell. Seeing that someone was trying to deny the debt, he almost started beating his chest and stamping his feet. Fang Senyan continued to calmly argue with Dabing. Twenty minutes later, the sound of an old, sputtering motorcycle suddenly rang out outside, followed by three or four people walking over.

Leading the way was the fat Matong Ge (Toilet Bro), still as carefree as ever, raising his head and slicking back his greasy hair. He pointed at Dabing and started cursing:

"Y-y-you, y-y-you, y-y-you, you dare to b-b-bully Yan Ge!"

The threatening words sounded particularly comical due to Matong Ge's stutter. Dabing's expression immediately became flustered:

"Matong, I'm telling you, this isn't something you can get involved in."

Matong Ge directly slapped Dabing across the face, causing his nose to bleed and sending him staggering in a daze. Matong was a guy who was good at using slaps and fists to deal with people, fundamentally different from small-time thugs like Dabing who mostly relied on talking.

Seeing their boss make a move, the three thugs behind him, holding baseball bats and iron chains—Si'er, Da Liu, and Dantata—swarmed forward, raining down punches and kicks along with a barrage of vulgarities. The sound of flesh hitting flesh was loud and clear, delighting Sanzi, who cheered loudly.

At this time, Matong Ge slowly took out a cell phone, brought up the notepad, and began reading aloud to Dabing, who was being beaten:

"I, I, I, I f-f-f**k your m-m-mother/f-f-f**k your grandmother/d-d-d**n you, y-y-y-your w-w-wife/p-p-p-play with your m-m-mother, m-m-mother..."

The stuttering fat man continued to rant for seven or eight minutes before finally stopping, seemingly satisfied. He flicked his greasy hair and muttered to himself:

"The feeling of n-n-no one d-d-daring to a-a-answer back is r-r-really g-g-good."

Fang Senyan then said to the stunned Uncle Da:

"When did we agree to have the boat delivered?"

Uncle Da thought for a moment and quickly said:

"The fifth day of next month, the day Sanzi celebrates his birthday!"

Fang Senyan took out a thousand dollars and tossed it to Matong:

"Did you hear that?"

Matong nodded and bowed, beaming as he took the money:

"This is r-r-really... how could I l-l-let Yan Ge s-s-spend money?"

As he spoke, he had already stuffed the money into his pocket. He strode forward, stepped on Dabing's bloodied and battered face, kicked him a few times, then grabbed his hair and brought their faces close, saying:

"By the f-f-first day of next month, Yan Ge w-w-wants to see this p-p-perfect b-b-boat in front of him. If the boat isn't there or if it has a-a-any p-p-problems, then you can get your f-f-father to buy you an u-u-urn."

Fang Senyan lowered his eyes and walked back with Uncle Da, laughing:

"I think this boat is being built well. I wonder how big the cold storage should be?"

As soon as boats were mentioned, Uncle Da forgot about what happened earlier and eagerly said:

"I heard someone mention one before, but it didn't look too good..."

"Oh, then Uncle Da, you'll have to put in a lot of effort. We used to often encounter typhoons on the way back, and it was a shame to have to throw away the spoiled fish."

"Yes, yes! That's right!"

"..."

That night, Fang Senyan was busy preparing the materials needed for the potions when he suddenly heard the locked basement door being knocked on continuously, then quickly changing to urgent pounding!

Fang Senyan frowned, quickly packed up his things, and then went to open the door. He saw Sanzi supporting Dantata, one of Matong's underlings, as he staggered in. Dantata's face was deathly pale, without a trace of color. Sanzi, on the other hand, seemed calm. As soon as Dantata saw Fang Senyan, he began to pant heavily, clutching his chest as if he wanted to speak but couldn't catch his breath.

Fang Senyan said with a stern face:

"What's the rush? The sky isn't falling, Sanzi, help him sit down and pour him a glass of hot water!"

Dantata took a sip of water, but his hand was trembling so violently that he spilled the remaining hot water on his pants without noticing:

"Yan Ge, things are bad, Matong Ge is in the hospital now! That bastard Dabing is backed by the Daquanzi from Vietnam!"

Fang Senyan asked in surprise:

"He's a local Taiwanese thug who's never even had the chance to go to Vietnam, how did he get involved with these people?"