Zhēngyuè Chūqí

Chapter 149 Inquiring About Someone

After a phone call with Mr. Gu, Wen Jiu alone gnawed on oily skewers and downed half a case of beer, exhaling a plume of white mist into the winter night.

Her thoughts had also cleared considerably.

“The all-knowing Mr. Gu…” Wen Jiu narrowed her eyes, watching the cars come and go by the roadside.

City Z had changed a lot in recent years; she often felt disoriented, forgetting where she was.

Everyone called her the Wen family’s martial arts prodigy and military genius, but…

“Hic.” Wen Jiu burped again and turned to the small stall, saying, “Boss, another plate of garlic oysters!”

“Coming right up.” The stall owners were a couple, looking no longer young.

The boss, a bald man with tattoos on his arms, stood by the stove grilling skewers, a sweat-soaked towel draped around his neck, his movements practiced.

The boss’s wife had a loud voice and a pleasant demeanor. With a smile, she gave Wen Jiu an extra portion of grilled bread slices: “Eat some carbs, drinking and eating skewers isn’t good for your stomach.”

“Thanks,” Wen Jiu said with a smile.

The warm grilled bread was milky and delicious.

Just then, customers at two tables started arguing. The boss’s wife hurried to intervene but was pushed aside, hitting her leg.

Both tables were fueled by alcohol, with the intent of smashing a bottle over each other’s heads and not backing down.

The boss’s wife didn’t want them to cause trouble; it would scare away customers, and broken tables and chairs meant money lost.

Trying to placate them with kind words had no effect.

At this moment, the bald boss arrived. He took off his shirt, revealing his large tattooed arms and torso, and grabbing a meat cleaver, he walked over. Without a word, he slammed the knife onto the table.

His icy gaze swept across the tables, and instantly, the customers at both tables quieted down. They promptly paid and left.

One table even packed up two portions of lamb kidneys and a plate of chives before departing.

After these two tables left, the boss put his shirt back on and returned to the stove to continue grilling.

The boss’s wife smiled apologetically at the remaining guests, gifting each table an extra plate of peanuts and a bottle of beer.

“Hic.” Wen Jiu propped her chin with one hand, having watched the commotion. A subtle smile played on her lips.

“There’s a vacant table, would you like to eat at a table?” the boss’s wife asked, holding the plate of peanuts she was bringing to Wen Jiu.

“No need, I like eating by the roadside, I’m used to it.” Wen Jiu waved her hand. “You go ahead and get busy, don’t worry about me.”

Hearing Wen Jiu’s words, the boss’s wife didn’t say anything further and went to attend to other customers. Before returning to her husband, she chided him, “How many times have I told you? Don’t keep taking your shirt off, what if you catch a cold?”

“It’s nothing, just some hooligans who got a bit boisterous after drinking. I just gave them a scare,” the boss said, placing freshly grilled skewers onto the grill. “You go serve the dishes, I’ll have a smoke and rest for a bit.”

“Alright, go ahead.” The boss’s wife nodded, then held up a finger. “Only one cigarette.”

“Got it.” The boss then took out a cigarette in front of his wife, put it in his mouth, and walked over to Wen Jiu, squatting down. “Grandpa Jiu, it’s been a while since you’ve been back.”

“Mm, have the past few years been smooth sailing?” Wen Jiu tilted her head, looking at the bald boss. “Your business seems to be doing quite well.”

“Getting by,” the boss chuckled, looking at Wen Jiu. “I never had a chance to thank you. You got disciplined for standing up for me back then.”

“It’s nothing.” Wen Jiu glanced back at the boss’s wife. “When did you find yourself a wife?”

“After I retired, I didn’t know what to do. I ran into some troublemakers while eating barbecue. After I chased those scoundrels away, I picked up my wife. The barbecue stall was also my father-in-law’s. Now that the old couple has retired, they’ve handed it over to us,” the boss said, scratching his bald head. “I heard that idiot is still recuperating in the hospital?”

“He’s trying to scam us. If he dares to act up again, next time I’ll make sure he stays in bed for life. Let him enjoy lying down,” Wen Jiu said with a scornful smile. “By the way, I need to ask about someone, have you heard of Yu Yueqiang?”

“That young President Yu from Wanqing Entertainment? I’ve heard of him, not a good person,” the boss said, taking a drag of his cigarette and narrowing his eyes. “Some customers mentioned him before. The young lady was bullied and cried miserably.”

“Alright, if you hear any more whispers, remember to contact me.” Wen Jiu took a piece of paper with her phone number on it from her pocket. “I’m using this number now.”

“Did he offend Grandpa Jiu?” the boss asked, taking the slip of paper from Wen Jiu, his eyes filled with coldness. “Do you need me to take care of him?”

“Tsk, where did you pick up these bad habits, kid?” Wen Jiu asked, annoyed.

“Learned from Grandpa Jiu,” the boss chuckled, giving a thumbs-up. “When Grandpa Jiu acts, it’s either death or serious injury!”

“Shut up,” Wen Jiu refused to take the blame. “What about these tattoos? When did you get them? The team didn’t allow such things before.”

“There are a lot of troublemakers at the barbecue stall. My muscular physique coupled with these tattoos saves a lot of trouble,” the boss said immediately, flexing his muscles.

“Tch.” Wen Jiu let out a scoff, stood up, and said, “How much do I owe you, let me pay the bill.”

“No need. If those brothers find out I took money from Grandpa Jiu, they’ll smash my stall and I’ll have nowhere to cry,” the boss said quickly.

“Stop talking nonsense.” Wen Jiu fumbled in her pocket for a card. “The PIN is 123321. The extra is a wedding gift. That’s it.”

After saying that, Wen Jiu didn’t give the boss a chance to speak and walked directly to a private car that had just stopped by the roadside.

Opening the passenger door, Wen Jiu got in directly. “Sister, you’re picking me up?”

“You stink.” Wen Ning frowned, driving and saying irritably, “I told you to protect Qing Tian, and this is how you protect her?”

“Does she need me to protect her?” Wen Jiu leaned back in her seat and scoffed. “If we both went all out… I guess we’d be evenly matched?”

“You’re talking nonsense after drinking.” Wen Ning rolled down her window, trying to dissipate the smell of alcohol in the car.

“Still don’t believe me…” she muttered, Wen Jiu shifted into a more comfortable position and asked, “Sister, has the Yu family been a bit restless these past two years?”

“The Yu family? Why are you suddenly asking about the Yu family?” Wen Ning asked.

“It’s just that Yu Yueqiang got crippled, I’m just asking casually,” Wen Jiu said casually.

“The Yu family has never been honest. It’s strange, it was rumored that the Yu family’s capital chain was broken, but for some reason, it seemed fine later,” Wen Ning said. “That whole fake and real daughter farce was also a mess.”

“Oh?” Wen Jiu propped her head with one hand. Her eyes, previously hazy with drunkenness, instantly became brighter and clearer.