"Do the clothes from yesterday not fit your fancy? Have you prepared new styles for us brothers today?" The leader of the men was not attractive, his skin a reddish-purple, like a rotten sweet potato, making one feel somewhat uneasy.
There happened to be two customers in the shop. Seeing this, they put down the clothes they were holding and quietly turned to leave.
Witnessing this, the rotten sweet potato-faced man became even more pleased with himself. He shook his leg and said, "If my brothers aren't satisfied, then don't bother opening this shop anymore."
Wang Dazhu took a step forward, planting himself to block their path into the store.
Tall and sturdy, he stood in front of them, causing the rotten sweet potato-faced man and his companions to freeze for a moment.
"Oh, you've found help? We just want to buy clothes. What, do you want to fight?" The rotten sweet potato-faced man reacted. Not only was he unafraid, but he swaggered a step closer to Wang Dazhu.
He was already looking for an opportunity to escalate the situation. If they dared to make a move today, he guaranteed they would regret it.
Wang Dazhu clenched his fists and turned to look at Gu Xingdong and Chen Lishu.
Gu Xingdong narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Throw them all out. If they dare to step foot in this shop again, their legs will be broken."
Upon hearing Gu Xingdong's words, the rotten sweet potato-faced man and his cohorts instinctively flinched.
For some reason, the tall man standing by the counter, though expressionless and with no discernible mood, exuded a presence that made them feel he was more formidable than the burly man in front of them. They also had no doubt that his words would be followed through.
For a moment, their expressions became hesitant.
Seeing their demeanor soften considerably, Chen Lishu stepped forward and said, "We do business with harmony to foster wealth. I have no grievances with any of you, nor do I wish to escalate things. If you truly wish to buy clothes, you can pick any garment in this shop, and I will pay for it."
Chen Lishu paused, allowing them time to react, then slowly continued, "Of course, though Shu Se Clothing Store doesn't seek trouble, we are not afraid of it. If I weren't capable, my business wouldn't have reached this point."
The rotten sweet potato-faced man stiffened. "Who are you trying to scare?"
Chen Lishu's expression was calm as she said coldly, "I've been running this shop for quite some time. You can ask around. Not to mention breaking legs, even if someone were crippled, I could still handle the situation. You can try it if you don't believe me."
The rotten sweet potato-faced man stood rooted to the spot, his gaze shifting from Chen Lishu's face to Wang Dazhu, then to the man behind her, lingering for a moment before returning to Chen Lishu.
After much deliberation, he ultimately lacked the courage to test her. Turning back to his companions, he said, "Let's go."
Only after watching them leave did Wang Dazhu's tense posture relax. He looked at Chen Lishu with a complex expression.
Chen Lishu withdrew her gaze from the doorway and, seeing his hesitant look, asked curiously, "Dazhu, what's wrong?"
"Sister-in-law, you're becoming more and more like our battalion commander."
The oppressive aura Chen Lishu had exuded moments ago reminded him of Gu Xingdong during training; he hadn't dared to breathe heavily. It was only at this moment that he seemed to understand something. No wonder his sister-in-law not only wasn't afraid of the battalion commander, but the battalion commander himself seemed a little afraid of her. As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain unless one is male and the other female. Sister-in-law was definitely the tigress. He hadn't seen how she'd sent those ruffians away with just a few words. Sister-in-law was no ordinary person.
Gu Xingdong raised his eyelids and said with a half-smile, "Isn't it good that my wife is like me?"
Wang Dazhu instinctively shrunk his neck and chuckled, "Good, very good, exceptionally good."
Meanwhile, the few hooligans at the branch store did not receive the same good treatment as those at the main store. After only a few words upon entering, they were beaten and thrown out by Li Hongyu.
Watching them lying on the ground in a heap, Li Hongyu flicked at his clothes, removing nonexistent dust. "From now on, open your eyes when you go out. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you."
...
"Those scumbags! Before, they were fawning over Brother Kun, calling him this and that. Now, we just want to take on small jobs, and they won't even give us this small favor." Zhao Liang adjusted his padded jacket, his face filled with indignation.
"Forget it. We didn't have that deep of a friendship anyway. Besides, with our current situation, no men and no money, it's normal for them not to help us."
Jin Kun brought the cigarette he was holding to his mouth, took a deep drag, and soon the smoke dispersed. His eyes instinctively narrowed.
Zhao Liang spat. "It's all that bastard Mei Qiu's fault. I'm telling you, if he hadn't gone in, I would have chopped that SOB up and fed him to the dogs."
"Forget it, it's all in the past." Jin Kun took a final, forceful drag of his cigarette. Seeing that he was about to burn his fingers, he flicked his wrist, tossing the cigarette butt into a snowdrift nearby.
Zhao Liang watched the flying cigarette butt, feeling disheartened. "The cigarettes you used to smoke all had filters."
Jin Kun lowered his eyelids and said indifferently, "This cigarette has enough kick."
Zhao Liang opened his mouth, then changed the subject. "Mei Qiu, that bastard, took all the territory we had. After he went in, everyone was quiet for a while. Recently, I heard there's someone called Er Biao who was released not long before us. He's gaining momentum and is quite ruthless. It might not be easy for us to fight him for territory."
"Didn't we build it up bit by bit before?" Jin Kun took out his cigarette pack, tapped a cigarette into his palm, and put it in his mouth. As he was about to strike a match, a group of people suddenly appeared in front of them.
There were about a dozen of them, all holding clubs as thick as an arm. Judging by their appearance, they meant trouble.
Zhao Liang saw that the man leading them had an unpleasant expression. "Sun Liu'er, what are you doing?"
"Brother Liang, your brother is also acting under duress. You came out of prison and should have stayed low-key. You insisted on being foolish and competing with us for business. You're old, so your ambition shouldn't be too great. It's time to make way for us juniors."
The man called Sun Liu'er was about twenty years old. His squinting eyes made him seem to be smiling, but in reality, he was the most insidious and ruthless.
"I've always remembered Brother Kun's teachings. Everyone earns a living by their own abilities. I just don't know if your old bones can still move."
The squinting man gestured, and the dozen or so men behind him, brandishing their clubs, surged towards Jin Kun and Zhao Liang...
"I've already called Li Hongyu. The matter is basically resolved. We'll head back to the factory shortly, and you can return to your company."
Gu Xingdong nodded. "I'll have Lao Si inquire about it and pass on a message."
Having worked on projects for a long time, he knew quite a few people. These hooligans were not something Gu Xingdong concerned himself with.
As they were walking down the road, they suddenly heard the sounds of a fight coming from a nearby alley.