Lin Xiaohui, relying on her connections with her sister and brother-in-law, had always been a bit bold, but this time was different. She had never seen Chen Lishu look so intimidating. The moment Chen Lishu grabbed her hair and stared at her, her icy gaze felt like it could freeze her.
“Sister Aixiang, go close the door. We don’t want customers coming in and seeing this.”
“Okay.” Wang Aixiang responded and walked towards the door.
“You, what are you going to do?” Hearing that the door was to be closed, Lin Xiaohui’s face turned green with fright. She scrambled to her feet and dashed towards the door.
“With a gallbladder smaller than a sparrow, you still want to stir up trouble?”
Watching Lin Xiaohui flee as if something terrifying were chasing her, not even daring to look back, Wang Aixiang let out a scoff and stopped.
…
Zhao Hong waited for several days, but Lu Chengming never came to find her. She was getting restless, and what’s more, Chen Lishu’s shop wasn’t doing worse; in fact, it had more customers than before.
In contrast, her own shop, which had been doing just okay, now saw most people glance in, inquire about prices, and then leave.
After enduring it for another two days, Zhao Hong closed her shop early one day and went to Lu Chengming’s factory.
When she heard that Lu Chengming had already been taken away by the police and was in the detention center, Zhao Hong’s mind went blank for a moment.
After she came to her senses, and considering the situation over the past few days, she guessed that it must have been that wretched Chen Lishu who reported him.
Thinking that Lu Chengming would be in the detention center for half a month, and that he was locked up for standing up for her, Zhao Hong felt both guilty and heartbroken.
“Comrade, I’m willing to pay the fine. Any amount will do. Can you release him first?” At the police station, Zhao Hong pleaded with a police officer for a long time, but they wouldn’t budge.
“What kind of place is this? Hurry up and leave, don’t obstruct official business, or we’ll arrest you too!” Yang Shuang, annoyed by her persistence, said coldly and impolitely.
Zhao Hong had no choice but to leave.
“Sister-in-law, you were looking for me?” Zhao Liang had been busy with Jin Kun’s demolition team lately. He heard from his subordinates that Zhao Hong was looking for him and, assuming it was important, he made time to check.
“Logically, talking to your brother would be the same, but I figured he’s busy lately, so I wanted to talk to you. Otherwise, I’m going to explode with frustration.”
Zhao Hong’s eyes began to redden as she spoke. Then, she recounted the story of Chen Lishu and her shop, mixing truth with fiction.
“Doing business properly, but insisting on playing dirty… It was one thing to ostracize me before, but at least it wasn’t so blatant. My shop could still maintain its business. But look, you’ve been here for a while now, and my shop is so deserted. Not many customers come in half the day.”
In the past, Zhao Hong had never considered using Jin Kun’s influence. She even scoffed at their protection racket, thinking it was no different from asking for money.
But there were actually some benefits. At least no one dared to cause trouble at her shop, and even Jin Kun’s subordinates treated her politely.
This time, Lu Chengming was in detention entirely because of her. That wretched Chen Lishu caused it, and she had to teach her a lesson!
Not wanting to ask Jin Kun directly, Zhao Hong thought of Zhao Liang. She couldn’t mention Lu Chengming at all, so she would pretend it was a business matter.
“How could such a thing happen?”
After hearing Zhao Hong’s words, a hint of ferocity flashed in Zhao Liang’s eyes. He comforted her, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. How can you be bullied on our own turf? To dare to provoke you, I think she’s simply tired of living, like a birthday star hanging himself. I’ll go take a look right now. From now on, on this street, as long as you’re here, their shop won’t have a moment’s peace.”
Zhao Hong’s eyes lit up at Zhao Liang’s words, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl upwards. “Liangzi, sister-in-law thanks you in advance.”
“Sister-in-law, what are you saying? Just wait for my good news.” Zhao Liang turned and left.
Since the tug-of-war event, the shop’s business had been quite good recently. When there were many customers, Wang Aixiang couldn’t handle it alone, and Chen Lishu would help out when she had time.
One day, just as they had served two customers and were about to restock the empty shelves, a man suddenly entered. He was about 1.7 meters tall and of medium build.
Before they could even greet him, the man, with an unfriendly expression, asked, “Which one of you is Chen Lishu?”
Wang Aixiang’s expression changed slightly when she saw Zhao Liang. She turned and whispered to Chen Lishu, “This man is Zhao Liang. He came to our shop to collect protection fees before.”
Since the wave of educated youths returning to the city began in recent years, and with enterprises unable to accommodate surplus labor, a large number of idle idlers appeared in the city.
The increase in individual businesses also fueled the arrogance of these idlers. Whenever they were short of money, they would come to extort something, causing great suffering to merchants.
Unlike Wang Erpiao, who specifically looked for trouble, Zhao Liang and his group had a decent reputation. Once protection fees were paid, no one else dared to cause trouble, and the monthly protection fee was fixed. It wasn’t a large amount, only ten yuan per merchant per month.
After Wang Aixiang informed Chen Lishu about this, to avoid trouble and for peace of mind, their shop paid the fee like everyone else each month.
Zhao Liang’s sudden appearance today puzzled both of them, as they had only paid at the beginning of the month, and it was now mid-month.
Chen Lishu stepped forward and said, “I am. May I ask what you need?”
“It’s easier to talk once I’ve found the right person.” Zhao Liang nodded his chin in her direction. “You should close this shop and get off this street. I’ll give you three days to pack up and move.”
This was the first time Chen Lishu had encountered such an arrogant person. She couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Why?”
“No reason. Just give you three days. I’ll come back with people then. If you haven’t moved, we’ll help you move. Understand?”
“All the procedures for our shop are legal and compliant. I haven’t received any notification from the relevant authorities telling me to close my shop. I don’t think you have the right to arbitrarily decide which shops should close and which shouldn’t.”
Most of the shop owners on this street, whether male or female, were usually too scared to utter a word when they knew his identity. Zhao Liang hadn’t expected that she, a young girl, would have the audacity to question his words.
“This street is under my jurisdiction, so I have the final say. If you’re sensible, hurry up and find a place to move. I’ll come back in three days to check. If you haven’t moved, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Zhao Liang didn’t say anything more, turned, and left the shop.
“It’s over, it’s over! Lishu, what are we going to do? How did we provoke such a jinx?” Only after seeing the man leave did Wang Aixiang dare to speak.
“You don’t know how desperate these guys are when they fight. Early this year, not long after we opened, someone wanted to claim territory and started collecting protection fees on this street. Zhao Liang and his group came with butcher knives. If the police hadn’t arrived in time, several people would have been killed.”
Thinking of the terrifying nature of that group, Wang Aixiang still felt lingering fear.