Chapter 127: You’re Not Here to Joke Around, Are You?

Liu Shan walked in through the door and gave the bald man a heavy shove. The twenty or so men behind him immediately rushed forward, ready to strike.

However, the bald man held them back, staring fiercely at Liu Shan. "Listen, brother, we’re only here for the money. We have no intention of hurting anyone."

"The guys in the back have already tacitly agreed to this. You’d best not bring trouble upon yourself. It wouldn’t be worth it if you end up losing your money and getting sent to the hospital."

Liu Shan squinted and looked them up and down, his brow furrowing. "Robbers?"

The bald man replied, "You could interpret it as robbing the rich to help the poor."

"Oh, so you are robbers. You should’ve said so sooner. Be my guest."

He then turned to Su Wenbin, who was standing behind him with a bewildered expression, and walked over to the table. "Brother Jin, did you save any food for us?"

Liu Qingwen burst into laughter. "Of course. Since the descendant of Uncle Liu has returned, how could we let you go hungry? Go grab your plates."

"You got it!" Su Wenbin and Liu Shan headed to the kitchen.

The table returned to a state of calm. They ate quietly, no one speaking. Yet, as a gust of wind blew by, the rustling of the leaves above their heads felt inexplicably chilling.

The bald man sensed there was something eerie about the courtyard. He gestured, "Let’s go. We need to leave this place immediately."

The twenty men nodded, hoisted their burlap sacks, and headed for the exit. But the moment they stepped through the gate, they were stunned by what they saw.

The entrance was packed with people—a solid, impenetrable wall of bodies. There wasn't even a narrow path left. The twenty men clearly felt a sudden urge in their bladders; the sensation of needing to relieve themselves began to take hold.

The bald man braced himself and said, "Uh, excuse us. We’re in a hurry; we’ve got places to be."

Standing in front of them were the men of Boss Long—the local gang leaders. They stood as immovable as stone guardians.

The bald man broke into a cold sweat and tried to squeeze through the side. "Brother, make way. We’re really in a rush."

"Make way your mother’s backside! Do you really think the people in this courtyard are easy to push around?"

One of the gang leaders finally lost his temper. They were all men of the underworld; to have some small-time bottom-feeder try to pull a heist at the Dragon King Temple was enough to make anyone furious.

He grabbed the man by the hair, but since the bald man had none, he grabbed his collar instead and yanked him back. "Get in here, you piece of trash!"

He dragged the bald man back into the courtyard and pulled over a few stools, giving the man a sharp kick. The bald man’s legs felt like jelly, but he had no choice but to comply. Once he looked out at the scene beyond the gate, he began to wet himself in terror.

"What the hell are these people? How can there be so many of them!"

The narrow street was packed with tens of thousands of people who had come to collect their wages. It was a dense, suffocating sea of human heads.

The gang leader kicked him to the ground, veins bulging on his forehead. "You tell me, you son of a bitch, who has more people—you or us?"

"Which rat hole did you crawl out of? You dare come here to rob our wages?"

*Thump!* The twenty men, terrified, dropped to their knees. As for the burlap sacks, they tossed them to the ground, terrified to touch them again.

The bald man began to beg for mercy. "Brother, we didn't know who—"

"Brother your mother! Are you my brother? Did your mother give birth to a bunch of brothers for you out there? Don't go around claiming family!"

"Put the money back exactly how you found it."

"After that, all of you get against the wall and kneel!"

"Yes, yes, absolutely!"

The bald man had no desire to resist; he knew he had played his hand and lost. He kicked and shouted at his companions, "What are you staring at? Is this money something you can touch? I told you not to take it, but you insisted!"

His twenty subordinates cursed under their breath, but none dared to speak a word. They quickly scrambled to set the money back. Once the ten-plus million was neatly arranged, they obediently knelt against the courtyard wall.

By now, Chai Jin and his group had finished their meal. Liu Qingwen, with a toothpick in his mouth, stood up and walked over to the twenty men. He began to slap them, one by one.

"Robbery, *smack!*"

"No discipline, *smack!*"

"Social scum, *smack!*"

"You could have stayed in school but chose to raise pigs instead, ending up as a bottom-feeder, *smack!*"

"What grade did you finish?"

"Third grade, boss."

"Heh! Higher education than me. One slap for every grade, *smack, smack, smack!*"

"What about you? What’s your education?"

"Boss, I finished high school. Do I have to take a lot of slaps? Can we negotiate? It’s not my fault I’m well-educated!"

*Smack, smack, smack...*

Chai Jin and the others didn't interfere with how Liu Qingwen corrected the social ills. Once things were settled, they began distributing the money. The cash was handed to the gang leaders, who then distributed the wages to the workers. It was a massive undertaking that lasted for over two hours.

Meanwhile, Liu Qingwen’s hand had become quite swollen. Liu Shan, who was also a descendant of Uncle Liu, felt a pang of sympathy. He brought over some ice to soothe the swelling, chiding him, "Your body is a gift from your parents. You shouldn't abuse the physical form passed down to you by Uncle Liu like this."

The men kneeling by the wall wept at the sight. They had been lectured by Liu Qingwen for two hours, and their faces were swollen like pig heads.

When the massive distribution was finally over, the gang leaders tied the twenty men up and shoved them into a van to be taken to the police station. Robbing people in the middle of a crowd would ensure they were in for a long stay behind bars.

As the thousands of people outside began to disperse, a woman who was also preparing to leave glanced into the courtyard. When she saw Chai Jin, Liu Shan, and Old Huang, she froze in shock.

She hurried over, her voice trembling. "It really is you, Chai Jin. Am I dreaming?"

This woman had been the group leader back when Chai Jin worked at the Hongchang Electronics Factory—the same woman who had once advised Chai Jin to choose the path of "marrying the young lady and avoiding ten years of hard work."

Chai Jin recognized her and was pleasantly surprised. "Big Sister, what are you doing here?"

"Taking time off to earn some extra cash in the queue. Chai Jin, are you... are you our big boss?"

At this thought, the woman’s breathing quickened. She then noticed Wang Xiaoli standing beside Chai Jin, and her expression grew even more complex. She couldn't help but say, "This young lady is every bit as beautiful as our young mistress. Chai Jin, is this your girlfriend?"

Wang Xiaoli’s reaction was a bit slow; she gazed at Chai Jin with a simple, honest look. She, too, had been waiting for an answer from him.

Chai Jin smiled at Wang Xiaoli and admitted it quite generously. "Yes, she is my girlfriend."

"I... Xiao Jin, I’m going inside to wash the dishes." Wang Xiaoli had been waiting for a long time to hear those words from Chai Jin. Now that he had actually said it, the young girl felt a wave of shyness and quickly scurried into the kitchen.