Chapter 107: Bees, Flax, Swallows, and Sparrows

Even though he had already encountered all sorts of criminals, Mo Fei still felt that those things were far removed from his own life.

When Long Er suggested he show him around, Mo Fei didn’t think there could be much to see in such a bustling place.

But since the man had brought it up, Mo Fei decided to play along.

Shops lined both sides of the marketplace street, and small vendors had set up stalls, selling all sorts of local specialties—silver jewelry, tea, flower cakes, shawls, and the like.

Mo Fei wandered casually, while Long Er followed at a measured distance behind.

Since he’d finally made it out here, Mo Fei thought he might as well bring back some souvenirs for Granny Zhang and Lü Chunqiu.

He stepped into a silver shop that seemed fairly busy. The glass counters were filled with a dazzling array of silver bangles and necklaces—even silver thermos cups, all carved with dragons and phoenixes, giving them a particularly imposing look.

Seeing a customer enter, the shop assistant greeted him warmly, “Please, take your time looking—anything you like, feel free to try it on.”

Noticing Mo Fei’s interest in a silver thermos, the assistant quickly took it from the case and began her pitch: “Sir, you have a good eye. This is our best-selling item—a pure silver thermos.”

Mo Fei raised his eyebrows high. “A pure silver thermos?”

“Yes, indeed. Since ancient times, silverware has been held in high esteem. People used silver teapots and cups because silver softens the water and improves its taste.” She unscrewed the thermos to show Mo Fei the gleaming inner lining. “You see? Silver is naturally clean and tasteless, so whether you use it for tea or water, it never picks up any odors.”

“The Compendium of Materia Medica even records that silver filings can calm the mind, strengthen bones and eyesight, and prolong life if taken regularly—harmless and beneficial.”

“Our thermos uses a 999 pure silver lining, antibacterial and purifying, both healthy and luxurious.”

“Take a look.” She handed the thermos to Mo Fei.

He had to admit, it was attractive and felt heavy in his hand. Listening to the assistant, Mo Fei almost found himself tempted.

Since it was so good, why not buy two for Granny Zhang and Lü Chunqiu to use?

“How much is this?” he asked.

The assistant’s smile grew even brighter. “Easy! The original price is 1,888 yuan, but we’re running a promotion now—just 888. If you buy a pair, it’s only 788 each—so only 1,576 for two. And we offer gift packaging, making it the perfect present for family, friends, elders, or even your boss—a truly impressive choice!”

Mo Fei took a deep breath when he heard the price. “Hiss—”

“Do you think it’s expensive?” The assistant, still smiling, prepared to continue her pitch. “Ours are—”

Mo Fei raised a hand to interrupt her. “That’s enough. Sixty-nine each—give me two.”

The assistant’s smile stiffened. “Are you joking?”

An old lady trying on bangles nearby turned to look Mo Fei up and down. “Young man, is that any way to bargain?”

“You jack up the price, so I bargain it down—it’s only fair.” Mo Fei placed the thermos on the counter and displayed a search result on his phone.

On the screen was a thermos identical to the one before him, listed for sixty-six yuan.

“Those are just silver-plated. Mine is different—mine’s genuine, theirs are knockoffs,” the assistant explained, her expression growing strained.

Mo Fei gave her a polite smile. “Keep making things up.”

The assistant managed a smile as well. “So you’re here to cause trouble.”

At her words, everyone in the shop—men fiddling with their phones, the old lady at the counter—turned their attention to Mo Fei. The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

Mo Fei glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, his expression unchanged. “I’m just doing what anyone in this day and age would do—no need to go this far.”

The assistant’s smile remained pleasant. “But other people don’t bring their search results right up to our faces.”

These days, the rule was to see through a scam but not expose it—if you did, you had to be ready for the consequences.

“So, there’s nothing to discuss?” Mo Fei slipped his hands into his pockets, fingers closing around a mini spray bottle.

“Pay up and misfortune will be averted.” The assistant pointed to the thermos. “Once you buy it, nothing else will happen.”

Mo Fei’s lips curled slightly. “Is that so—”

He certainly wouldn’t waste money on this scam!

A fight, then. Did this shady shop dare call the police?

Mo Fei was just about to pull out his spray and go down fighting when Long Er strolled in from outside.

“That’s enough,” Long Er said, his gaze sweeping the room. “One customer and this is how you treat them? Killing the goose for a single egg.”

The assistant snapped impatiently, “And who are you supposed to be?”

Long Er didn’t answer, simply revealing the inside of his jacket.

There, in plain outline, was a small handgun and a gleaming dagger.

The assistant’s expression changed, suddenly wary and appraising. “So you’re one of us. You want to meddle in this?”

“I just wanted him to see things for himself. No offense meant.” Long Er let his jacket fall and nodded to Mo Fei.

Mo Fei understood and moved to stand beside him.

“You think you can come and go as you please?” the assistant said, unwilling to let it go as she stepped out from behind the counter.

Long Er met her gaze, his eyes darkening. “What are you planning to do?”

Mo Fei was growing annoyed himself—he’d love nothing more than to sew these swindlers’ mouths shut.

The assistant hesitated mid-step.

One of them was armed; the other looked more like a lunatic than a regular person.

Suddenly, she felt a chill of foreboding, as if pushing this further would only lead to trouble.

Long Er, seeing her silence, turned and left with Mo Fei.

The assistant merely watched them go, giving no signal.

Only when Long Er and Mo Fei had vanished from sight did the other fake customers turn to the assistant in unison.

“Should we report this to the boss?”

“Looks like some serious competition just showed up.”

“Report it? How? Do we say two outsiders bullied us on our own turf?” the assistant snapped, waving them off in irritation. “Everyone shut up and pretend nothing happened.”

A middle-aged woman dressed like a tourist asked, “But what if they head over to Old Que’s turf? Won’t they blame us for not warning them?”

“Let them blame us, then. If he can handle it, fine. If not, does he really expect us to bail him out?”

With a disgruntled sigh, the assistant returned to the counter to tidy up.

Business was hard enough already, and now she’d run into two misfortunes.

She hoped the rest of the street would have just as bad luck—only then would she feel any sense of justice.

“That was the ‘Bee’ from the Four Swindlers—Bee, Hemp, Swallow, and Sparrow,” Long Er explained to Mo Fei as they walked down the street.

“The Bee gang relies on numbers to scam people, moving quickly so victims can’t react.”

“I know the rest,” Mo Fei said, counting on his fingers. “Hemp works alone with sleight of hand; Swallow uses sex appeal—a honey trap, in plain language; Sparrow, in the old days, killed for seals and posed as officials, but now it refers to collusion between officials and businessmen.”

Long Er looked at him in surprise and nodded in approval. “Exactly.”