Three days later...
Jiangcheng, Tianjia Urban Village.
The village, originally mostly inhabited by people surnamed Tian, was now crowded with outsiders. Those who opposed the war and the Xiao family, after suffering persecution and extortion, had no choice but to seek refuge here.
Brother Shan's group didn't seem very bright, but they weren't evil and they kept their word. They pledged allegiance to Ye Zixiao, and not a single one planned to betray him.
"Brother Xiao, dinner's here."
In the crowded factory compound, as a shout echoed, Brother Shan and Xiao Bi entered a separate room, specially prepared for Ye Zixiao, carrying food and drinks.
A roasted chicken.
A plate of eggs.
And a plate of peanuts.
A bottle of unlabeled spirit.
This was dinner!
After Brother Shan and Xiao Bi set out the wine and dishes, Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke sat down. Looking at the three dishes and one bottle of wine, Ye Zixiao was a bit confused. Yesterday there were four dishes?!
"Brother Xiao, Miss Tang."
Brother Shan scratched his head and said sheepishly, "There are too many refugees, and our village has been eaten dry. Please make do for now. When things calm down in a couple of days, I'll go out and buy you better food."
"This is great."
"Yes, there's wine and meat."
Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke said with smiles.
For Ye Zixiao, who had lived on the mountain for eight years, he had experienced hardship, so he was not picky about food and drink; he ate whatever was available.
As for Tang Keke, she was the richest woman in Beihai City and had tasted all sorts of delicacies. In this environment, having a roasted chicken to eat was already satisfying for her.
"Wonderful!"
"Hehehe, I'll pour the wine."
Brother Shan and Xiao Bi instantly felt relieved.
They were both from poor backgrounds and became petty thugs for survival. However, in their hearts, Ye Zixiao's head was worth ten million yuan, which indicated that he must be a tycoon.
Tycoons weren't picky eaters.
This made Brother Shan and Xiao Bi feel gratified.
"Want to have some?"
Ye Zixiao said to Tang Keke.
"Okay, a small drink."
Tang Keke gladly agreed.
As they were enjoying their private meal and drinks, the compound suddenly became noisy. The arguments were intense, and by the sound of it, some people had already started fighting.
"Damn it, it's starting again."
"Brother Xiao, you guys eat first."
Brother Shan and Xiao Bi, who were sitting with them, immediately got up and rushed out. It seemed they knew what was happening outside. As the hosts here, they had to resolve it.
"What's going on?"
"Should we go take a look?"
Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke exchanged glances.
They got up at the same time and followed.
Having stayed in a special room for three days, Ye Zixiao didn't know what the situation was in the factory area. When he followed Brother Shan to the compound, he looked up and saw a dense crowd of people.
When they arrived, there were many people here too, but it wasn't crowded. The atmosphere was good, with laughter and conversation.
But now it was different.
The compound was now jam-packed. Three groups of people were fighting, and although they weren't using weapons, they were fighting fiercely. Several people were already bleeding from their heads.
"Stop!"
"Damn it, what are you doing?"
"Pull them apart."
Brother Shan and Xiao Bi shouted as they rushed forward.
Big Xiong and Er Zhuang also arrived, along with some of Brother Shan's subordinates. They charged into the crowd and shoved people, separating the three fighting groups and temporarily calming the situation.
"What are you fighting about? Are you bored?"
Brother Shan reprimanded loudly, clearly displeased.
"Brother Shan, let me explain."
A young man with a bleeding head shouted complainingly, "That piece of meat was in my bowl, and these two bastards insisted on snatching it. Isn't this bullying people because you have more numbers?"
"Nonsense!"
"Who snatched yours?"
Two burly men pushed their way closer.
"We were all scooping the soup together, and that piece of meat was in my ladle first. You snatched it first."
"Bullshit, I scooped it up first."
"Get outta here!"
"You two are in cahoots."
"Damn it, I don't even know him."
"Where's the meat?"
"I ate it, got a problem with that?"
"Your mother..."
The three hot-headed young men first babbled incoherently and then started fighting again, each calling out their own gang members and engaging in a wild brawl.
"Pull them apart, quickly!"
"Damn it, are you guys done yet?"
Brother Shan and Xiao Bi were annoyed and had to lead their men to break up the fight again. However, the three fighting groups were enragingly red-eyed. Some who were beaten actually drew knives.
Bang!!!
Brother Shan suddenly fired his gun.
The bullet whizzed into the sky.
"Son of a bitch!"
The fight was paused by the gunshot. Brother Shan, holding his pistol, shouted at the three leaders, "What time is it, and you're still fighting amongst yourselves? Anyone who makes another move will get the hell out of here."
No one dared to retort.
The three groups were separated again.
At the back of the crowd, Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke exchanged stunned glances. Due to the overwhelming noise and chaos, they only knew that a fight was breaking out but not why.
"Let's go take a look!"
Ye Zixiao pushed through the crowd.
Tang Keke followed dazedly.
Soon, they reached the center of the crowd and saw Brother Shan holding a ladle, roaring at a large pot. He looked extremely agitated, with spittle flying.
"Listen up, all of you!"
Brother Shan shouted, holding the ladle, "Our village has been eaten dry, we don't even have enough cabbage, and the outside is blockaded. You can't buy meat even with money, don't you understand?"
No one spoke.
Brother Shan continued to roar, "This is my last warning: calm down! If you want to fight, go join the army, become rebels, help Commander Xiao fight his own people, damn it!"
The entire scene fell silent!
Ten seconds later, the three instigators of the fight, their faces covered in blood, stepped forward. They stopped arguing and, in unison, began to pacify Brother Shan's emotions.
"Brother Shan, please calm down."
"We won't be rebels."
"We don't fight our own people."
The three small leaders stated in low voices.
Ye Zixiao, not far away, still hadn't fully understood. He walked to Brother Shan's side, snatched the ladle from his hand, and reached into the steaming pot.
The first ladle was soup.
The second ladle was a few pieces of cabbage leaves.
The third ladle was still soup!
"You guys are eating this?"
Ye Zixiao seemed to understand a little.
"Brother Xiao, it's okay, you can go back!"
Brother Shan felt a bit ashamed.
"Why exactly were you fighting?"
Ye Zixiao's expression turned serious.
"Damn it, it was a trivial matter!"
Seeing Ye Zixiao questioning him, Brother Shan had to explain, "These three kids were scooping soup together, and I don't know who scooped out a piece of fatty meat. They couldn't figure out whose it was, and they started fighting."
"A piece of fatty meat?!"
Ye Zixiao found it hard to believe.
"Brother Xiao, you don't understand the situation. The Xiao family army, in order to fight the war, sent troops to burn, kill, and loot in the city. Jiangcheng is now in chaos. Forget about eating meat, it's good enough to have a bowl of hot soup!"
"Is it that serious?!"
Ye Zixiao was almost incredulous.
"Brother Xiao, you're from out of town and don't understand the Xiao family. The Xiao family army consists mostly of military ruffians. They completely disregard the lives of ordinary people. They are not humans; they are demons!"
Brother Shan explained with a mournful face.
"This is unbelievable!"
Ye Zixiao looked at Tang Keke.
"I didn't expect this either!"
Tang Keke said with a wry smile, "It was fine three days ago. The war hasn't even officially started, and Jiangcheng is already filled with refugees. The Xiao family deserves to die for harming the country and the people!"
Bang!
Suddenly.
Gunshots rang out from the east end of the village!
"Quick, quick, go see!"
Brother Shan shouted and sprinted away.
"Grab your guns!"
"Make way, everyone, make way."
"I'm going too."
Xiao Bi, Big Xiong, and Er Zhuang immediately led their men to follow. Gunshots outside the village were a bad sign. It could be the Xiao family's ruffians, or some dark organization.
"Let's go take a look too!"
"Okay!"
Ye Zixiao and Tang Keke also followed.