"We don't care where Tang Guo is. As long as you give us the remaining payment now, we'll let this go. If you refuse, we won't be polite," Old Man Zhu said mockingly to Zhang Liunian, as if he had him cornered.
"How can I take responsibility for something I didn't do? You're destined to leave empty-handed today," Zhang Liunian spread his hands in a roguish manner.
Seeing his attitude, Old Man Zhu sneered, "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
With that, he turned to the factory owners beside him, "You've all seen it. Zhang Liunian, the new boss of the department store, refuses to acknowledge the debt and doesn't intend to pay the outstanding balance. So, we don't need to be polite with him either."
"Let's not be polite!" The factory owners naturally had no objection and voiced their agreement.
"Brothers, go get 'em! Smash this old department store!" Old Man Zhu finished speaking, suddenly stood up, waved his hand, and directed his men to attack the department store.
Zhang Liunian narrowed his eyes, realizing their plan. He gave a signal to Section Chief Gu, who immediately left to call for reinforcements.
Zhang Liunian, however, stood alone at the main entrance of the department store, a formidable barrier that none could pass.
A melee was about to erupt. Onlookers quickly retreated from the scene, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire. Some even ran to notify the police station.
Zhang Liunian paid no attention to these matters. He only knew that Old Man Zhu's men were already upon him. Drawing an iron bar, he swept it horizontally, knocking down a group of them.
"Ah!"
Seeing Zhang Liunian's ferocity, those behind him hesitated, but then they regrouped and continued their assault. However, under Zhang Liunian's skillful defense, they were unable to breach the main entrance of the department store, falling one after another.
Old Man Zhu showed no surprise at this. Instead, he looked up towards a nearby spot where the other half of his men were stationed. They were not attacking Zhang Liunian but were heading towards the glass windows of the department store's first floor.
He had anticipated that the main entrance would be impossible to breach as long as Zhang Liunian was there. Since the main entrance was blocked, they would enter through the windows. If they smashed the glass of the first-floor storefronts, they could get inside.
Old Man Zhu's strategy was clever. The sound of breaking glass soon echoed throughout the area, punctuated by screams and the sounds of smashing.
"Do you hear that? Do you see that? All those being beaten and frightened are your employees. If you, the new boss Zhang Liunian, kneel down and admit your mistake, and agree to settle all the outstanding payments, I'll immediately order them to stop. What do you say?" Old Man Zhu, seeing the chaos within the department store, was as exhilarated as if he had drunk nectar. He provocatively challenged Zhang Liunian, who was still fending off attackers.
Zhang Liunian swung his bar forcefully, sending the last group of attackers flying. He then wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the smug Old Man Zhu. "Your outstanding payments were a collusion with Tang Guo. The purchase price became the selling price. Is anyone with a sound mind doing that? You really think we're suckers? I won't pay. Let's see what you can do."
Old Man Zhu's smile remained undiminished. He was not angered by Zhang Liunian's knowledge of his alliance with Tang Guo. After all, as soon as he learned that Zhang Liunian would be the new boss of the department store, he had resolved not to let Zhang Liunian succeed, nor would he supply him with goods. Tang Guo had approached him for cooperation, and he naturally wouldn't refuse.
"If you don't want to pay, then don't stay in business. This department store is perfect for us to smash today," Old Man Zhu declared, uncaring whether Zhang Liunian paid or not. He was determined to teach him a lesson and smash the department store today.
"Things don't always go your way. You smash my department store, and I beat your people. That's only reasonable," Zhang Liunian said with a cold smile, his peripheral vision catching sight of Section Chief Gu arriving with over a hundred men.
Old Man Zhu quickly noticed the approaching group and his expression changed. He had brought sixty men today, half to deal with Zhang Liunian and the other half to smash the windows. Now, Zhang Liunian had summoned over a hundred people, and his men were about to be overwhelmed.
Indeed, shortly after Section Chief Gu led his men inside, the interior of the department store became a living hell for the intruders.
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Liunian looked up at the grim-faced Old Man Zhu. "Old Man Zhu, you don't look too good!"
Old Man Zhu cast a sideways glance at Zhang Liunian and said, "I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be able to find these people to help you so soon after arriving in the provincial capital. It seems you're not just a simple individual operator."
"You're talking about yourself, aren't you? Everyone knows about Old Man Zhu's drug empire."
"Arrogant! Nonsense! You will pay for your insolent words."
Few people knew about Old Man Zhu's involvement with drugs, and even those who did dared not speak of it. Since Zhang Liunian had exposed him in front of so many people, he would surely get his revenge. If the department store was still standing, he would turn it into a warehouse for drugs.
"Stop!"
As the two were exchanging barbs, a squad of police officers arrived at the entrance of the department store. Seeing the police, Section Chief Gu ordered his men to halt.
"Hello, officer," Zhang Liunian stepped forward promptly to greet them.
The police captain nodded slightly and asked what was happening. Zhang Liunian recounted the entire incident honestly and straightforwardly, emphasizing that Old Man Zhu had led a group to cause trouble and smash the department store.
"Gathering a crowd to cause trouble and vandalize private property, with serious circumstances, warrants three months in jail and compensation. Old Man Zhu, you have broken the law." The captain clearly knew Old Man Zhu, his tone familiar but his attitude cold.
"We were merely here to collect the remaining payment. This is a private dispute and does not constitute a crime," Old Man Zhu argued, then waved his hand and led his group away from the police in a grand procession.
"He..." A young police officer stepped forward to stop them, but the captain held him back.
Zhang Liunian noticed their actions. He carefully observed the police captain's expression and saw that he looked displeased. Zhang Liunian began to understand. It seemed Old Man Zhu was accustomed to his arrogance in the provincial capital and didn't even respect the police, which was clearly not appreciated by the officers.
Seeing Old Man Zhu leave, Zhang Liunian instructed Section Chief Gu to hire people to replace the broken glass and to give each salesperson ten yuan as compensation for their mental distress. These expenses would not exceed two thousand yuan, which Zhang Liunian did not consider significant.
However, after this incident, it was unlikely he would be able to obtain goods from Old Man Zhu and his associates. Coincidentally, he had no intention of continuing to cooperate with Old Man Zhu and could find new suppliers.
"Section Chief Gu, please tally up how many people can provide sourcing channels," Zhang Liunian had given everyone an opportunity yesterday, but the extent of their success was unknown.
Section Chief Gu nodded and went from house to house to inquire. In the end, he only obtained twenty sourcing channel forms. Zhang Liunian returned to his office with the forms and reviewed them carefully. Half of them were from new factories with excellent ex-factory prices. He could visit them later according to their addresses. If possible, he would prioritize these ten businesses. The other half were from merchants he was currently working with, but their sourcing prices were vastly different from what Tang Guo had left behind.