Chapter 57: Chapter 27: Slaughter to the Last (2)
As for the Wild Wolf Gang?
That was even less of a problem.
The Wild Wolf Gang was just a gang. They operated for profit, not as a mother figure for their members, cleaning up every mess they made. Troubles stirred up outside were to be handled by the individuals themselves.
Would they really dispatch powerful Martial Artists to get revenge for Zhou Changlin and Gao Tong?
Utterly ridiculous.
Never mind the fact that Fang Rui hadn’t offended the Wild Wolf Gang and had no conflict of interest with them. Even if he had, when faced with an expert like him, they would weigh the pros and cons carefully. They would see if he could be recruited, or perhaps find some other solution where both sides could take a step back...
For those with something to lose, violence was always the last resort.
’After this, no one should dare to covet my Skin Care Cream business again.’
It wasn’t that there were no stronger powers out there. Rather, given the current profits of the Skin Care Cream business, the strength Fang Rui had displayed was enough to keep things in check.
It was a matter of being properly matched—his strength now befitted his station.
’This is no place to linger. Now that things are settled, I should leave as quickly as possible!’
Fang Rui’s eyes glinted as he hurried to search the bodies.
He rummaged through the belongings of Zhou Chu, Zhou Changlin, and Gao Tong, but only found some large coins and broken silver, adding up to about one tael of silver in total.
’Broke bastards!’
Fang Rui couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
But he understood. These men had come to ambush and kill him; why would they be carrying so much money?
Truthfully, the most valuable loot from this fight—aside from intimidating the people at the Black Market and protecting his Skin Care Cream business—wasn’t that one tael of silver...
It was a machete and a dagger. The former belonged to Zhou Changlin, and the latter was taken from Zhou Chu’s body.
The machete was of similar quality to the standard-issue weapons of the County Soldiers and could probably be sold for about ten taels of silver on the Black Market. The dagger was also worth two or three taels of silver.
’Good stuff! From now on, I won’t have to fight bare-handed anymore.’
’I can carry the dagger on me... As for the machete, to be safe, I’d better find a place to bury it and dig it up when I need it!’
Fang Rui sorted through his gains, confirmed he hadn’t left any clues or forgotten anything at the scene, and then quickly departed.
He didn’t bother to retrieve the small sack of rocks.
That small sack really was just filled with rocks. He had carried it around simply as a decoy, and conveniently, as a weapon.
The real place he hid things on his person...
Fang Rui felt the satchel on his back.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had specially sewn it for him a few days ago. Inside, besides the money for his business, were the three catties of soybeans and one catty of cured meat he had bought today.
As for coarse grains?
The Fang Family already had plenty of that stuff stored away. Fang Rui had decided long ago not to stockpile any more.
...
Fang Rui found a place to bury the machete and hurried home, his mind filled with how happy Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling would be when they saw the cured meat and soybeans he was bringing back.
He opened the door.
Only to see the main room’s door wide open. A glance inside revealed overturned tables and chairs.
’Not good!’
Fang Rui’s heart leaped. Ignoring the messy room, he rushed straight for the cellar.
When he reached the cellar,
he saw that the huge rock blocking the entrance was unmoved and finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Mother? Ling’Er?"
Fang Rui called out as he strained to move the massive rock aside.
"Is that you, Brother Rui? We’re here!"
CLICK. The bolt on the inside was drawn back, and Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family emerged, pulling Fang Ling with her.
"Brother!"
Fang Ling threw herself into Fang Rui’s arms. Before he could even ask, she blurted out, "A while ago, a burglar broke into our house... He even found the cellar, but he couldn’t move the big rock, so he left..."
"Mother told me not to make a sound, and I was very good!" she said, tilting her little face up with an expression that begged for praise.
"It’s a good thing we listened to you, Brother Rui..."
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family’s face was filled with lingering fear, clearly still shaken.
Fang Rui’s eyes flickered as he pieced together what had happened: a thief had climbed the wall, pried open the door to steal things from the house, then found the cellar, and only left after failing to move the giant rock.
’Thank goodness I had Mother and Ling’Er hide in the cellar... If they had been in the house... I can’t even imagine what might have happened!’ He was overcome with relief.
He went inside and lit the oil lamp.
The room was a complete mess. In the kitchen, the small earthenware pot of Sorghum Flour was gone, along with some wild vegetables and other small miscellaneous items.
"So many things are gone!"
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family sighed repeatedly, her heart aching from the loss.
"As long as you’re both okay, that’s all that matters."
Fang Rui shook his head. "Besides, our most valuable things aren’t out here!"
The stolen items were, in fact, only a minor loss.
The Fang Family’s real valuables—their money and grain—were all hidden in the cellar. Even the jar of pork lard had been carried in by Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family when she took refuge there.
"Mother, Ling’Er, you’ve had a scare. It’s getting late. Go wash up and get some sleep!"
Just as Fang Rui was speaking,
"Brother Fang! Brother Fang!"
a familiar voice suddenly called out from outside.
"Mother, Ling’Er, you two go wash up. I’ll go see who it is."
Fang Rui went outside.
Outside the door, Jiang Ping’an was holding an earthenware pot filled with something. More importantly, the pot looked familiar. Wasn’t it theirs?
"Brother Jiang, what’s this?" Fang Rui asked, though he already had a guess.
"We caught a thief in the next alley over. It got ugly—a whole family of five, including the elderly, women, and children, they all..."
Jiang Ping’an shook his head and sighed. "During the interrogation, we learned the thief also hit Willow Alley. I know you live here, Brother Fang, so I was worried... and came to check on you..."
"Here, the stolen goods are in here. See if you recognize them, Brother Fang. Think of it as a bit of goodwill..."
If an ordinary family had been robbed, they wouldn’t have dreamed of getting their things back, even if the thief was caught. It was only because of the friendship between Fang Rui and Jiang Ping’an that the latter would personally deliver the items.
As for how the burglar was caught?
Jiang Ping’an was already in charge of patrolling this area, so it was both unexpected and yet made perfect sense.
"Lives were lost?!"
Fang Rui’s pupils contracted. He took a deep breath before saying, "I won’t hide it from you, Brother Jiang. That thief... he robbed my house."
"Then... your mother and sister?"
Jiang Ping’an stopped mid-sentence, then slapped his forehead as he remembered. "I forgot, Brother Fang is an Entry Grade Martial Artist... Still, with you here to protect the house, how could a thief manage to steal anything?"
"There’s something you don’t know, Brother Jiang..."
Fang Rui gave a wry smile. "After hearing your news yesterday, I wanted to buy some more supplies, so I went to the Black Market... My mother and sister hid in the cellar. It was blocked by a huge rock from the outside and bolted from the inside, so they were fine!"
The Black Market wasn’t exactly legal. Going there was walking a fine line in a gray area, especially when talking about it in front of a governmental officer.
But given their friendship, such a trivial matter was nothing at all.
"So that’s what happened. Thank goodness you were cautious, Brother Fang, and your mother and sister are safe. Otherwise, my conscience wouldn’t be able to rest!"
Jiang Ping’an clapped Fang Rui on the shoulder. "Brother Fang, if you go to the Black Market in the future, just give me a heads-up. My patrol area is right here, so I can keep an eye on Willow Alley... I have to be on patrol anyway, what’s the difference if I patrol here?"
He said that, but the essence of his offer was to sacrifice security resources in other areas to concentrate them on Willow Alley.
A clear abuse of public office for private gain!
But...
Fang Rui was no saint. He wasn’t going to be pretentious and refuse such a self-serving offer.
"That would be great!" This was a favor Fang Rui had to remember.
’Since I already owe him a favor, what’s one more?’
His eyes flashed as he asked, "Brother Jiang, that thief... is it possible..."
As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
He wanted to cut the grass and pull up the roots!
This person had nearly threatened the lives of Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling. How could Fang Rui let him live?
"A small matter!"
Jiang Ping’an agreed without hesitation. "The county jail is already overflowing. Besides, lives were already lost... Arranging something won’t be difficult..."
Fang Rui nodded. He didn’t voice his gratitude. At their level of friendship, it was unnecessary to say such things aloud; he just had to remember it.
"Oh, right, that thing you gave your sister-in-law yesterday... yes, the Skin Care Cream, can you get any more of it?"
Jiang Ping’an looked a bit embarrassed as he spoke. "My wife, well, she went to show it off to her old friends. They lavished her with praise, and she got so carried away she lost her head and promised a bunch of it to them..."
"Haha, don’t worry, Brother Jiang. No matter how difficult it is, I’ll get some for my sister-in-law."
Fang Rui promised, "I’ll come find you for a drink tomorrow at noon and bring the stuff with me."
"Good man, you’re a true friend! Brother Fang, you have no idea how much my wife has been pestering me..."
Jiang Ping’an rubbed his forehead, his expression a mixture of emotions.
The two men shared a few more laughs before Jiang Ping’an, who still had patrol duty, bid a hasty farewell and left.
...
