"How did it burn down to this?" the blue-clad youth Jiang Quan exclaimed, gazing at the shop that was nothing but ashes.
Hearing this, Li Shu turned and replied, "Someone deliberately set it on fire yesterday. We were lucky to escape. We don't know who was so ruthless." He then looked towards Du Ziteng and the others selling goods not far away.
"It was those people from the Hong Gang. They've also come to Jiangcheng, but I've already sent them to the clink."
Zhang Liunian stared at the shop, now unrecognizable, and knew it couldn't be used anymore. He needed to find a new one. He wondered when the landlord would show up.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the landlord of the shop appeared. He grabbed Li Shu by the collar and said fiercely, "You burned my shop down like this, you'll pay me compensation immediately!"
"Let's talk properly," Zhang Liunian said, seeing the landlord grab Li Shu in front of him. He stepped forward and separated them.
The landlord was a middle-aged bald man. He owned several properties, and this was just one of them.
"Who are you? Get out of the way, you're meddling!" the bald man pushed Zhang Liunian aside and went back to demand compensation from Li Shu.
Li Shu, however, looked at him and said faintly, "He's my boss. I'm just an employee helping him sell goods."
With that, he ignored the bald man's shock and turned to Zhang Liunian. "Boss Zhang, this is the landlord. A week ago, we rented this place for two thousand four hundred yuan a year and paid three months' rent in advance."
"He's the boss?" The bald man turned, his gaze disbelieving as he looked at Zhang Liunian. He scrutinized him from head to toe, still somewhat astonished that such a young man could be the true owner of this pickle shop.
Li Shu nodded in affirmation, "That's right, he's the boss."
"Since you're the boss, you pay. Without ten thousand or eight thousand, I won't let you off," the bald man said. Although he didn't believe Zhang Liunian was old enough to own such a large pickle shop, he knew his purpose here was to get compensation.
He had spent eight hundred yuan to build this house back then, and now that it was burned beyond recognition, he naturally intended to fleece him.
"You're talking nonsense! Ten thousand or eight thousand? That price is enough to buy your broken shop! Even if you're going to make an outrageous demand, it shouldn't be this shameless.
For a run-down shop like yours, not on the main street, apart from its size, what makes it worth ten or eight thousand? Don't you dare tarnish the reputation of us Jiangcheng people!" Jiang Quan, hearing the price quoted by the bald man, immediately stepped forward to confront him.
This hot-blooded spirit of standing up for what's right struck Zhang Liunian favorably.
"Who are you? Why are you butting in? Instead of wasting time here, why don't you go home and suck your mother's milk? Who do you think you are, acting like a big shot here? Get lost!" the bald man saw another young man meddling and began to curse.
Jiang Quan's face turned red, and his fists clenched. Just as he was about to throw a punch, Zhang Liunian stopped him. "Don't be impulsive."
Seeing that Zhang Liunian, whom he wished to apprentice under, had come to pacify him, Jiang Quan's fiery temper was instantly soothed. He retracted his fist and said, "He was asking for the moon just now. His broken shop is only worth seven or eight thousand at most, but he's demanding ten or eight thousand in compensation. He's deliberately trying to extort money. Don't fall for it."
Zhang Liunian nodded, indicating he understood.
The bald man was incensed. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "What do you know, you brat? It cost me tens of thousands to build this shop! What do you mean seven or eight thousand? You're talking utter crap!"
As he spoke, his eyes kept sweeping towards the large truck that was still unloading goods. He knew how good the business of this pickle shop was. It could definitely earn ten thousand yuan a day, which was why he had made such an exorbitant demand.
Zhang Liunian noticed his gaze and understood why he had quoted such a high price. He saw that his business was good and decided to treat him like a fat pig!
"Comrade, what is the actual value of your shop, and how much did it cost to build? If you ask the neighbors, we'll all know. You don't need to make up prices.
Regarding yesterday's fire, I am truly sorry, but that's no excuse for you to extort money.
If you continue to demand this price, we will have to invite professionals to mediate.
At that time, not only will I not rent your shop, but I will also demand a full refund of the rent you just collected."
Zhang Liunian disliked landlords like this and was even more convinced of his idea to find a different shop.
The bald man saw that Zhang Liunian's words were measured and hit the nail on the head. He felt a slight shift in his demeanor but wouldn't back down an inch when his interests were involved.
"You burned down my house like this and then want to cancel the lease and walk away? Go ahead if you have the guts! Believe it or not, I'll call my brothers and have you sent to the clink, the kind you can't get out of?" The bald man was a local with many connections, and he naturally had people in places like the Jiangcheng police station.
Sending a newcomer like Zhang Liunian away would be an easy task.
But the bald man rejoiced too soon. Showing off his connections in front of Jiang Quan was like showing off in front of Guan Yu.
"Oh, you actually have such great abilities? Go ahead and call them now if you can!" Before Zhang Liunian could speak, Jiang Quan stepped forward again to shield him.
"You kid really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Just you wait!" The bald man, seeing Jiang Quan provoke him repeatedly, turned to call for backup.
Seeing him leave, Li Shu leaned closer to Zhang Liunian and asked in a low voice, "Boss Zhang, who is this kid?"
He had wanted to ask earlier, but the landlord had arrived too quickly, leaving no time.
Zhang Liunian turned to look at the arrogant Jiang Quan and couldn't help but smile. "I'm not sure of the specifics, but he likely has some status."
Hearing this, Li Shu felt reassured and turned back to busy himself with unloading the goods.
Five minutes later, the bald man returned with a precinct policeman who walked with a waddle.
The onlookers saw this and began to discuss.
"The outsider is going to be unlucky. He'll definitely be locked up for ten days or half a month."
"More than that, the last person who offended Guangzi was locked up for two months."
"What a shame. If this outsider gets locked up, won't we be unable to eat such delicious pickles?"
"..."
Zhang Liunian's expression remained calm as he heard these words. The bald man, however, stepped forward smugly. "If you agree to compensate ten thousand yuan now, I'll let him go. How about that?"
"Dream on," Zhang Liunian said with a slight twitch of his lips, unwilling to waste more words on him.
"Good kid, you're the kind who won't turn back until you hit a wall. I respect your courage. I hope you can still be so arrogant later," the bald man said, pointing a finger at Zhang Liunian, his face full of indignation. He then moved to the side of the young policeman and whispered a few words in his ear.
The young policeman listened, glanced at Zhang Liunian and the crowded truck in the distance, then strode directly towards Zhang Liunian and shouted, "Are you the punk who set fire to the house and refused to pay? You're quite arrogant, aren't you? An outsider like you doesn't respect us Jiangcheng people, publicly bullying us. You want to go in and experience life, right!"