Chapter 130: This Isn’t Your Place to Show Off

This group of people were clearly not locals. Their thick northern accents were unmistakable, and they all looked disheveled with scruffy beards. There was a rough, unrefined air about them.

Would Cai Weiqiang bother to get up? To put it bluntly, he had never expected this teahouse to turn a profit; it was merely an information exchange center he had constructed. Being interrupted in his conversation, he looked visibly annoyed. He signaled to one of the girls at the front desk.

The girl walked over with a warm smile: "Sirs, please come this way."

"Are you the boss?" the apparent leader of the group stared at her.

The girl beamed: "No, I'm just an employee here. Boss, please, follow me."

The man shouted in a coarse voice: "Go fetch your boss. I have something to ask him." As he spoke, the group headed toward an empty table.

Still composed, the girl hurried to say: "Our boss is busy with something at the moment and likely can't come over. I apologize, sir, but if you have any questions, you can tell me directly..."

"Who do you think you are? Get the boss over here and stop chattering at me!"

"But sir, our boss—"

"Bang! You don't know what's good for you!" One of the men slammed his hand on the table, the sound echoing through the previously bustling teahouse, plunging it into deathly silence. "Don't push your luck. We're in a foul mood today!"

In any other establishment, the waitress would have been terrified, offering apologies and begging for mercy. Oddly, she didn't show a hint of fear; instead, her expression soured instantly. With a touch of exasperation, she said, "Drink or don't, it’s self-service." She turned and walked away.

Seeing this attitude, the group was incensed. One of them grabbed a cup and smashed it on the floor. "What kind of shop is this? Even a waitress thinks she’s above it all! Do you believe I’ll tear your storefront down?"

"Damn! These people again." Nearby, others looked on with resignation, clearly accustomed to such scenes. An old man sitting at a table near the entrance couldn't help but chime in: "Xiao Cai, can't you implement a membership system to limit who gets in? This is so annoying. Every day, there are several waves of these outsiders coming here to make a ruckus."

Cai Weiqiang quickly rose and trotted over: "Elder Jiang, please don't be upset. I'll handle it. Enjoy your tea, and just call me if you need anything."

The old man popped a peanut into his mouth and grumbled: "I thought this place would be quiet, but it turns out to be just as noisy as everywhere else."

Cai Weiqiang kept up a fawning smile. This made Chai Jin take a second look at the old man. In Zhonghai, there were many people Cai Weiqiang would treat with such deference, which was normal. But this was Shenzhen, Cai Weiqiang’s home turf. There were very few people who could make him act so subserviently. The old man’s background must be significant.

In truth, Chai Jin did not know that every person sitting here had a background of similar caliber. This was Cai Weiqiang's domain; he made his living on connections, and his establishment only gathered influential people. These northerners had simply stumbled in by accident.

Seeing Cai Weiqiang bowing and scraping before the old man, the northerners grew even more arrogant as he walked toward them. The leader acted high and mighty: "So you're the boss? Were you deaf just now? Didn't you hear me calling you? What’s with that attitude you’re giving us? Apologize immediately..."

Cai Weiqiang didn't say a word. When he reached them, he grabbed a basin used for disposing of tea water and slammed it onto the man's head with a dull thud. The man's head tilted sideways, and the others at the table jumped up, pointing at him in unison: "What do you think you're doing!"

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Almost simultaneously, dozens of men rushed in from outside and instantly surrounded the seven or eight intruders. The atmosphere turned deathly silent. The previously arrogant men suddenly withered. They stood rooted to the spot, not daring to make a sound.

*Bang!*

Cai Weiqiang slammed the basin onto another man's head. *Bang, bang, bang.* Each one of them received a heavy blow to the head. After finishing, Cai Weiqiang tossed the basin aside, lit a cigarette, and glared at them: "Damn your mother, trying to act tough in my shop? Still shouting? Still have a loud throat?"

The group realized they had run into a ruthless character. One of them gulped: "Brother, we didn't recognize your status, our apologies. We... we actually just wanted to ask for a place name."

"Is it the Xishan Hotel?"

"Yes, yes, big brother, we’re sorry..."

"Then just ask for the address! Why the hell are you shouting in my shop for nothing! The main road outside, go east for eight hundred meters and you'll be there. Get out!"

The group, feeling as though they had narrowly escaped the gates of hell, dared not linger a second longer. They scrambled to their feet and bolted out the door.

Cai Weiqiang then turned to the twenty or so men who had rushed in: "A-Can, you guys head out. Don't disturb the other guests." A burly man nodded, waved his hand, and the crowd quickly dispersed.

The entire incident took less than five or six minutes, and the shop returned to its original state. The old men drinking tea seemed remarkably calm, as if they were accustomed to such occurrences. Those northerners never imagined that by simply finding a shop to rest and ask for directions, they had walked into a den of tigers. Their bravado had been completely shattered by Cai Weiqiang.

Returning to his table, Cai Weiqiang resumed his usual heroic smile: "Apologies. There are always these stray cats and dogs coming here to act tough. It's quite annoying. I'm just puzzled—why are all these outsiders asking for the Xishan Hotel? That's the third or fourth group today."

Chai Jin sipped his tea: "Is someone important arriving?"

"Heaven knows," Cai Weiqiang said, looking frustrated. "Forget it, forget it. Let's drink tea and continue discussing the feasibility of real estate investment."

Chai Jin didn't press further and picked up where they had left off. They had lunch at Cai Weiqiang’s place—a table full of seafood with a few of the old men. As for the identity of the old man Cai Weiqiang had been catering to, Chai Jin eventually gathered that he was a retired official from Guangdong Province who had fought against the Japanese invaders. His rank was high, though the exact level remained undisclosed. Because of Chai Jin's association with Cai, the old men were exceptionally kind to him, asking him all sorts of questions. One even suggested marrying off his granddaughter to Chai Jin, leaving him feeling incredibly awkward at the table.

It was two in the afternoon when he left. As soon as he got into his car, Wang Xiaoli called to say they had arrived safely in Yuanli County. They exchanged words of concern over the phone, sounding more like a couple than ever.