The shop was locked.
There was no such regulation nowadays, that one could lock someone’s door for not having a business license.
The legal system was not perfect at this time; everyone was busy developing a market economy and reforming.
Who had the time to manage the newly emerging self-employed individuals?
Therefore, someone was impersonating officials from the Administration for Industry and Commerce to harass him.
“Is it someone from our police station? Do you know those people?” With a plan in mind, Zhang Liunian stepped forward and smashed the lock.
“We don’t know them.” Liu Sanniu had just arrived in the county town and didn’t know many people.
“Never mind, you guys go back first. Zhiteng and I will ask around. You’ll be back to work as usual tomorrow.” Zhang Liunian sent his cousin and Zhang Qian away, then took Du Ziteng to the neighboring restaurant.
Mu Mingliang sat opposite Zhang Liunian after finishing his work and picked up his chopsticks to eat. “I saw it too. They are not from our county town; they are outsiders. Whether they are from the Administration for Industry and Commerce is another question.”
Zhang Liunian picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. “I think so too.”
“They came aggressively and will surely come again. Find your master for this matter; he knows many people and might have a solution.”
“I’ll see later.” He hadn’t visited his master for a few days, so he should go and see him.
Putting down his bowl and chopsticks, Zhang Liunian took Du Ziteng to Zhao Zhijie’s house, only to find Zhao Zhijie being beaten on the ground by someone.
“You have money but don’t help us poor people. Are you saving it to be buried with you?”
“You are of such an old age and don’t know how to help others. Do you understand the spirit of Lei Feng?”
“How can you be a cultured intellectual and not know how to help others?”
“…”
Zhang Liunian did not expect to see such a group of young boys bullying Zhao Zhijie. He snorted, rushed forward, and with a few "bang bang bang" sounds, the six boys who were beating Zhao Zhijie in the yard were all sent flying and landed in disarray.
The elders hiding in the house saw their sons being beaten by Zhang Liunian and rushed out, shouting, “You bastard, who told you to meddle? We’ll beat you to death.”
“Hmph!” Zhang Liunian was so angered by these shameless people that he didn’t want to speak. He turned and executed a spinning kick, sending a strong laborer to join the boys.
What followed was a solo performance by Zhang Liunian. With swift moves, he sent these people, who were unworthy of being parents, flying.
“Uncle Zhao, are you okay? Do you need to go to the clinic?” After sending those people flying, Zhang Liunian turned and helped Zhao Zhijie, asking with concern.
Zhao Zhijie, with a slightly bruised face, smiled and said, “I’m fine, no need to waste money.”
“How will they be dealt with?” Zhang Liunian pointed to the group of people on the ground after hearing him say that.
Zhao Zhijie waved his hand with a smile, “Don’t bother with them.”
He didn’t take these people seriously yet. Saying that, he went inside with Zhang Liunian and closed the door to talk.
“How’s the lobster sauce selling?” Zhao Zhijie asked first, sitting in a chair.
“It’s going well, but the lobster shop in the county town was locked.” Zhang Liunian naturally had his suspicions; the Qian family, the Tang family, and that Li Qi were all possible culprits.
“It was locked? Why?”
Zhao Zhijie naturally knew that Zhang Liunian had opened a lobster shop and had even visited it, but Zhang Liunian wasn’t there.
“They said I didn’t have a business license. I applied for these things two days ago, but it hasn’t been processed yet.”
“That’s not right. There are many people in our county town who don’t know they need to apply for a business license, and they are all operating their businesses normally. Also, even if someone reported it, it would only be a fine, not locking the door.” Zhao Zhijie knew these things well and became even more certain that someone was deliberately causing trouble.
“Mm, that’s why I smashed the lock. Now I’m just waiting for them to show up again.” Zhang Liunian believed they would come again, perhaps in a more intimidating manner.
With his two cousins here, it was indeed possible for them to be frightened.
It seemed he needed to arrange for a capable man. After thinking, Zhang Liunian had an idea. Zhang Liusha had followed him and learned for a few days, but he stopped after getting injured. He could barely be considered capable.
He would send him over tomorrow to take charge, at least to prevent them from being bullied.
“I’ll talk to some friends another day to see who is causing trouble. And you are applying for a business license, right? I’ll have Old Yan inquire about it; he’s about to be promoted to a higher position.”
“Uncle Yan is getting promoted?” Zhang Liunian was quite surprised, as Yan Guiguo had been written off by this time in his previous life.
“Yes, and I will take his place later.”
“Really? Congratulations, Uncle Zhao.”
“This matter hasn’t been officially announced yet, so keep it quiet for now.”
“Okay,” Zhang Liunian nodded, then added, “Uncle Zhao, if you have connections, help me find two apartments. I’ll buy them, and we can live together later.”
After what had just happened, Zhang Liunian was very concerned about Zhao Zhijie.
Zhao Zhijie understood his good intentions. “No need for you to pay. I have money. I’ll inquire about it these two days.”
He wasn’t a masochist; living with someone reliable was something he was happy about.
The two chatted for a while longer. Zhang Liunian went back and informed Jiang Qingqing about letting the villagers farm the land, and said he had asked Uncle Zhao to find housing in the county town, and that their whole family might be moving to the county town more often.
Jiang Qingqing no longer objected, as her wallet was getting fatter, and she didn’t care about the affairs of the fields anymore.
The matter was settled. When Zhao Zhijie found the apartments, Zhang Liunian’s braised meat shop and lobster shop in the southern city also reached their opening day.
Meanwhile, Brother Tang and Qian Fei, with their solemn promises, discovered that Ma Quancai had not obeyed, and Zhang Liunian’s lobster shop had not closed.
This infuriated the two of them greatly. Fortunately, they found Ding Xiaoyue.
However, it wouldn't be so easy for Zhang Liunian’s shop to open.
So, early one morning, when Zhang Liunian arrived at the shop entrance, he found not only that the adjacent shop had a new owner but also that two Jiefang brand trucks were parked at the entrance, completely blocking both the front and back entrances of Zhang Liunian’s shop.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Liunian was so angry he cursed, “Who parked the cars here?”
This was the shop entrance, not a road intersection. Had someone drunk parked their car here, without looking?
After shouting, Zhang Liunian realized something. He examined the two trucks carefully, front and back. They were parked so perfectly, so much so that they completely blocked the entrances and exits of his shop, making it impossible to open.
“Brother Liunian, should we move the trucks away?” Zhang Qian also looked troubled by this situation. How could they open the shop with the cars parked here?
“We can’t move them; they are filled with sand. I don’t know which wicked person drove the cars here.” Du Ziteng climbed onto the truck using his abilities and found a lot of sand inside.
Zhang Liunian’s eyes flickered, and then he said loudly, “It must be a delivery truck for the opening. Ziteng, throw all the sand down first, and then we’ll dismantle the trucks.”
Du Ziteng was stunned and clung to the edge of the truck, “Brother Liunian, are you serious?”
“We shouldn’t refuse what’s delivered to our doorstep. Hurry up, we need to dismantle the trucks into scrap metal and send them to the recycling station before they show up. We’ll definitely get a lot of money.”
Having said that, Zhang Liunian actually found an iron rod from somewhere and prepared to dismantle the trucks.
The two drivers hiding nearby and watching saw this and could no longer conceal themselves.
If Zhang Liunian really dismantled their trucks and turned them into scrap, they would have nowhere to cry.
The price of just one wheel of these trucks could feed their entire families for a year.
“Stop!”