Linxia

Chapter 132, Crushing

On Fang Lin's side, all work was proceeding in an orderly manner: the decoration layout of Xuan Mo Zhai, after adjustment and optimization, gradually took shape. It was simple, yet beautiful and elegant. The shock of cross-era aesthetics made Huang Di, Chai Yiwei and Liu Hongwen marvel; on Feng Qingji's side, the first part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was being printed on a large scale and delivered in batches.

That evening, Fang Lin brought Tian Xuan back.

Under the eaves, Fang's mother, Sister Guihua, Su Xiaoqing, Mrs. Ou, Sha Xiaoyun, Grandma Qiu and others were taking shelter from the cool air and doing some clothes mending work.

It's a rare occasion for them to get together like this today - since the beginning of this spring, Su Xiaoqing seldom came over because her belly had grown bigger and she was taking care of the pregnancy. Two months ago, she gave birth to a baby girl named Geng Xueer. Fang's mother went to see her and gave her gifts. Now that she has finished her confinement, she brought the baby out.

"Xue'er, right? She's chubby and so cute." Fang Lin teased the little girl. The little girl stared at him with a pair of dark, bright eyes and spit out a bubble of milk.

"Linzi, Xiaoxuan, are you back? How's the bookstore?" Fang's mother said, complaining, "You didn't even let us go over to help, saying that there weren't enough people in the store."

"That's enough. No need. I'll tell you if you need anything. The store is going well. We plan to reopen on August 1st." Fang Lin said, looking at Su Xiaoqing: "I'm short of people here, Sister Xiaoqing, let Brother Geng come over to help me!"

Su Xiaoqing bit off the thread of the shoe sole and said, "Okay, I'll tell him when we get back and he'll go there tomorrow. The grain shop is in the off-season and their boss is talking about laying off employees... Speaking of grain shops, they're really idle when they're idle, and really busy when they're busy. When we were scrambling for grain two months ago, he came back exhausted and sweating like a drowned man. I was worried that he couldn't stand it, so I went to your place, Linzi, and it was a great help."

She was a smart woman and didn't even ask about her wages, because she knew Fang Lin would not treat her unfairly.

"That's great, Brother Geng, come here and let's work together." Fang Lin would never talk about wages in front of so many people, but he had already made up his mind. Geng Shi used to get two taels and one qian of silver at the grain shop, and he would come here to get three taels first. His benefits would also be the same as Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, and Liu Hongwen.

He is a fellow townsman and an honest person who knows him well, so he feels at ease using him.

At this time, Sister Guihua suddenly spoke up and reminded him, "I live nearby. I heard that Fu Hong recently joined some gang and became a gangster. He asked for protection money from the shop. It seems that it was from that area. Linzi, you should pay attention to it."

"I remember it." Fang Lin nodded.

That time Fu Hong asked to borrow money, but he refused to lend it and instead exposed the other party's past. This incident might make the other party bear a grudge against him, but he was not afraid of anything as things were no longer the same as before.

……

Coincidentally, it happened the next morning as Sister Osmanthus had reminded her.

Fu Hong came to Xuan Mo Zhai with a group of people wearing black shorts and open-chested clothes. Leading them was a tall and strong man.

"Boss Ren, it's this side. That man, like me, also fled here and doesn't have any background..." he said with an apologetic smile.

When gangs collect protection money, they also treat people differently. They charge more from those without any background. Fu Hong thought he knew Fang Lin well. They were from the same village, so how could they not know each other? Today, he acted as a guide.

——It may be the bad nature of human beings. People like Fu Hong, who are at the bottom of society and have gained a little status, often turn their knives against their former companions, which is similar to the self-destructive nature of "killing the familiar".
"Fang Lin, you humiliated me when I borrowed money from you...Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, you never expected it, did you? Wait a minute, humph!"

Fu Hong led this group of people, arrogantly, and walked over with a sinister look on his face. However, before he got close to Xuan Mo Zhai, he was stopped by the two people sent by Xu Kuolao to keep an eye on them, Lu Songlong and Ding Jizhong.

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Ding, why are you here?" The Boss Ren, as Fu Hong called him, faced the two of them, bowed and nodded, and asked with a smile.

Lu Songlong looked at this person, frowned, and didn't even nod his head: "Ren boy, what are you doing here?"

Ding Jizhong was a ruthless man who didn't talk much. He slapped him directly, making the boss see stars: "You can't offend the people in here, get out!"

"Hey! Hey!" Boss Ren was beaten so hard that he turned around in a circle. He still put on a smile and nodded and bowed twice before he dared to turn around and leave.

Fang Lin saw the commotion outside and went over to ask, "Brother Lu, Brother Ding, what was that just now?"

"A bunch of rotten fish and shrimp, just send them away." Lu Songlong and Ding Jizhong told what happened just now. "Sorry to bother you two brothers, take this money to have tea." Fang Lin handed over some silver.

"Brother Fang, I appreciate your kindness, but I can't accept the money."

"Let Master Xu know that the hand that receives the money will not be able to be protected."

The two declined and returned to the nearby teahouse to stare at it diligently.

"Brother Xu is really good at managing his subordinates!" Fang Lin secretly sighed.

Here.

"Fuck you!" Boss Ren and his men didn't walk far before he couldn't help but kick Fu Hong to the ground, venting the anger he had just received from Lu Songlong and Ding Jizhong: "Is this what you call having no background? You want me to mess with a shop that Brother Lu and Brother Ding are guarding. Do you want to kill me so you can take over? Huh?"

"No, no, we were really from the same village before, and we both fled here. It's just that now, I don't know why..." Fu Hong got up and said aggrievedly, turning his head to see over there, the two evil spirits who had just beaten up Boss Ren were actually opposing Fang Lin and nodding and bowing, extremely respectful.

In contrast, the huge gap between them made him feel desperate.

At this moment, Fu Hong just wanted to laugh. He was so proud of his identity as a gangster, but before he could even get close to Fang Lin, he was defeated like a dog.

It can be said that after this experience, I have lost all my spirit.

Fang Lin glanced at Fu Hong, ignored him, and didn't take it to heart. With his current connections, he just wanted to do things in a dignified and upright way. Small shrimps like Fu Hong who had just been trampled upon were not worth even a second glance.

……

However, Fu Hong’s matter was not over yet, as it caused another disturbance.

Prefect Pu has been keeping an eye on Fang Lin recently, and was furious when he learned about this. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was related to his name being recorded in history, and any influence or obstruction would be tantamount to a grudge, which was simply irreconcilable.

Think about what he has done for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"? He wrote the preface himself, took Fang Lin to attend the Qixi banquet that he didn't want to go to, and promoted it in front of the dignitaries in the city. It can be said that he has done everything he can to pave the way for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" without violating the bottom line of being a human being... But now, a gangster wants to ruin his good deeds. What is he trying to do? Is he trying to take advantage of him by saying nice things? Or is he taking advantage of his weak sword?

Soon, Prefect Pu personally ordered a crackdown on gangsters in the city. The force was so great that it could be described as a sweep of the house. As the instigator, Fu Hong did not escape and sang a song of tears behind bars in the prison cell...

This action has greatly improved the business environment in the city, and merchants and people all applauded it.

But only people who have reached a certain level know that the source of this turmoil is just because of Fang Lin. They can't help but pay more attention to Fang Lin. In addition to being wary of him, they also remind their children at home not to provoke him. If there is nothing to do, don't go to Xuan Mo Zhai. If you really want to go to Xuan Mo Zhai, you must keep your tail between your legs and behave yourself.

——It’s not that they can’t touch Xuan Mo Zhai, but in the eyes of these dignitaries, a bookstore has such a small profit, but its background is so strong, it is like a bone without meat. If you bite it, not only will you not get any profit, but you will also break a mouthful of teeth. Who the hell would do such a losing business?
……

Hong Yingheng of Shuxiang Pavilion learned about this through his connections and was shocked. He was secretly glad that he did not take action, otherwise he would have been taken away by the group this time.

There isn't much of a background behind Shuxiang Pavilion. He's just a clerk in Qian Wenyan's government office. If something really happens, there's really no way to protect him.

As a result, the Hong brothers put aside their little thoughts and waited for a fair fight on the first day of August.

It is conceivable that in the near future, after "Water Margin", the second and third popular romance novels recognized in history books will be released on the same day. What a huge collision it will be like a comet hitting the earth.

……

(End of this chapter)