Wait, Boss Zhang? He hadn't introduced himself, yet the other party had accurately stated his name. It seemed they did know him, and his information had already been registered here.
Just thinking about it made Zhang Liunian feel as if a pair of eyes were constantly staring at him from behind. It was no wonder such a shop had only lasted two years; anyone would find it unbearable!
Shaking off the random thoughts, Zhang Liunian returned to the shop with Liu Zi. He immediately gave Liu Zi ten thousand yuan, then informed Old Man Tang before heading to the abandoned chemical plant alone.
Thanks to his timely information, when he arrived at the abandoned chemical plant, Brother Tang and the others had not yet left.
"Beat him hard, beat him hard! This person is Zhang Liunian's lackey, always bothering me. He deserves to die."
Brother Tang was still dwelling on the embarrassment of the day. That's why he had sent people to keep an eye on Zhang Liunian. As soon as anyone from his group was alone, they were to be captured and taken out on.
Unfortunately, this unlucky soul turned out to be Du Ziteng.
"Ganging up on one person, you are despicable and shameless," Du Ziteng cried out as he lay on the ground, clutching his body.
"I am shameless. If you have the guts, hit me! Hit me!" Brother Tang was unconcerned. All he wanted was to vent his bad mood from the day. If he couldn't beat Zhang Liunian, he could at least beat the people under Zhang Liunian, right?
"Brother Liunian will avenge me. You won't get away with this."
Brother Tang didn't want to hear Zhang Liunian's name. He looked at the six thugs, "What are you waiting for? Keep beating him. If he dies, it's on me."
The six thugs immediately started punching and kicking, launching a new round of brutal beatings on Du Ziteng, who was lying on the ground.
"Ah..."
Screams echoed ceaselessly. Zhang Liunian, standing outside the door, had a face ashen, his fists clenched.
After a loud "Bang!", the warehouse door was kicked open.
Brother Tang and the others looked up at the sound and saw Zhang Liunian rush in like a gust of wind. He immediately threw a fierce punch at Brother Tang's face.
Brother Tang hadn't expected Zhang Liunian to arrive so quickly. Without a word, he lunged forward and punched him, leaving him no room to dodge. His teeth flew out, mixed with blood, and he was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground.
"To beat my man, did you ask for my permission?" Zhang Liunian, having sent Brother Tang flying with a punch, stepped forward and charged at him again.
Brother Tang, lying on the ground, looked at him with terror. "No... Ah!"
What followed was a one-sided beating. Seeing this, the six thugs, forgetting about beating Du Ziteng, let out shouts and charged towards Zhang Liunian.
Unfortunately, with just these few men, they weren't even enough for Zhang Liunian to get a mouthful of. In a few moves, he sent them all flying. What followed was a beating so severe their own mothers wouldn't recognize them. In the end, all seven of them were tied up by Zhang Liunian.
"Are you alright?" After tying up the men, Zhang Liunian rushed to Du Ziteng's side and helped him up.
Du Ziteng, with a face covered in bruises and swelling, stood up. "I'm fine. They just beat me up, but I can handle it."
Seeing that he wasn't seriously injured, Zhang Liunian felt a slight sense of relief. He then turned to look at the seven men, including Brother Tang, and instinctively thought of sending them to jail.
But remembering the Tang family's influence in South City, he knew they'd be out in no more than two days. So, how could he ensure Brother Tang and the others wouldn't be released?
After thinking for a long time, Zhang Liunian couldn't come up with a good plan. In the end, he could only leave them in a hidden place, letting them fend for themselves.
"Brother Liunian, if no one looks for them for many days, won't they starve to death?" Du Ziteng wasn't feeling sympathetic towards Brother Tang; he was excited.
"That's their fate. Those who harm others must be prepared to be harmed." Zhang Liunian felt no sympathy for Brother Tang at all. He then strode away.
At the same time, Tang Shikui and Zhang Liuxing were also engaged in a secret conversation.
"It took great effort for me to get you out. You've heard my purpose, so as long as you can help us get Zhang Liunian's preserved vegetable recipe, I will never ask you for anything again."
Tang Shikui had gotten Zhang Liuxing out with just a few words, without spending a single cent. He said all this only to make Zhang Liuxing help him more effectively.
But even if he hadn't emphasized his kindness, Zhang Liuxing would have agreed. As soon as he learned that his third brother had replaced him as the pride of the village, he couldn't stand to see his own third brother do well.
Now, the Tang family was merely providing him with a more legitimate reason to betray his brother.
"I know," Zhang Liuxing said with an unpleasant expression, not objecting to the command.
Just now, Tang Shikui had made things very clear: they wanted Zhang Liunian's preserved vegetable recipe, and they wanted him to get it.
Zhang Liuxing wouldn't object to this at all. Not to mention that he already disliked his third brother, this incident itself was proof that his third brother had wronged him first.
He had saved his third brother's life, yet his third brother had repaid kindness with enmity, causing him to nearly be imprisoned for life. If the Tang family hadn't intervened this time, he wouldn't have gotten out.
And his life would have been ruined. His third brother had treated him so ruthlessly that he no longer considered him a brother.
"Then it's settled. I hope you can get the recipe soon." Tang Shikui was relieved when he saw the other party's positive reception.
"I will." Even without the Tang family's motives, Zhang Liuxing himself didn't want to see Zhang Liunian do well.
After leaving Tang Shikui's office, Zhang Liuxing returned to his new house. He lay down to rest for a while. As night began to fall, he suddenly pulled out a box from under the bed. Upon opening it, he saw a full hundred thousand yuan neatly arranged inside.
"Ungrateful wretch, I saved your life, and you caused me to lose my job and nearly go to prison for life. You've caused me so much suffering, so it's no excuse for me to take your recipe. You can only blame..."
Zhang Liuxing murmured as he touched the hundred thousand yuan inside. Before he could finish speaking, a sack fell from above, completely covering him.
"Ah, who, who is it?" Zhang Liuxing screamed as he was covered by the sack.
Zhang Liunian, who had put on the sack, had no intention of wasting words with him. He kicked out and delivered a series of heavy blows, followed by increasingly high-pitched screams of pain.
After the beating, Zhang Liunian picked up the box of cash from the ground and left.
When Zhang Liuxing got out of the sack, he immediately discovered his money was gone. He rushed out, trying to find the thief. Unfortunately, Zhang Liunian had already vanished without a trace, enraging him to the point of wanting to vomit blood.
That money was what he had obtained from Zhang Liunian, and it was the foundation for him to marry a wife and have a good life in the future. Now that the money was gone, what was he to do?
Zhang Liunian wouldn't concern himself with what he was going to do. After getting the money, he returned home feeling refreshed.
"Liunian, why are you back so late? Did something happen?" At half-past nine in the evening, Zhang Liunian returned to his room after a shower, drawing Jiang Qingqing's curiosity.
Zhang Liunian took off his clothes and replied with a smile, "Just some minor matters. You don't need to worry."
Jiang Qingqing didn't suspect anything. She nodded and then looked at the little one sleeping in her arms, a maternal glow naturally appearing on her face.
"Are you tired?" Zhang Liunian lay down beside his wife, embracing her from behind.
Jiang Qingqing's small face instantly turned red, her eyes darting around. "With my aunt here, I'm not tired."
"Not tired? Then can we engage in some more strenuous activities?" Zhang Liunian looked at his wife's profile, his words slick.
Jiang Qingqing heard this, patted her lower abdomen where his restless hand was, "The child is still here. Behave yourself."
Even though she said this, the fair skin of her earlobes began to turn red.
Zhang Liunian found it amusing. He raised his head and leaned close to her earlobe, whispering seductively, "In a few days, you'll know what being indecent truly means."
Jiang Qingqing shrunk her neck, her small face turning completely red. "Don't... don't mess around."
"I won't, I won't." Zhang Liunian was indeed tired today. He had saved Du Ziteng, beaten Zhang Liuxing, and retrieved the hundred thousand yuan. He was truly exhausted.