Feng Jun left Elder Deng on door duty while he hurried to the night market.
However, by the time he arrived, the commotion had already ceased, and two people were lying on the ground, wailing in pain.
Upon inquiring, he learned that someone had taken issue with Feifeiâs stall, aiming to push her out.
Feifeiâs stall only had a few boxes of rolled cigarettes which looked quite pitiable, and she was selling them at a high price, two silver yuan per pack, two hundred copper coins per pound, which was exorbitantly expensive compared to the loose tobacco leaves going for sixty to seventy copper coins per pound.
As such, she didnât sell much in a night; on a good day, she might manage to sell two or three, and on a bad day, sheâd end up without making any sales at all.
There were occasions when she sold entire packs; that was when Brother Bao bought two packs for the guards, and beyond that, there were no further sales.
Her business wasnât going well, yet paradoxically, she had claimed the best spot, right underneath the brilliant glow of the xenon street lamp.
There were over a dozen other tobacco sellers at the night market, not just Feifei.
Strictly speaking, this night market couldnât be considered bustling, for it was located in such a remote place, with limited pedestrian traffic and purchasing power. Despite having nearly two thousand people, there were three to five hundred merchants.
Often, tobacco leaf vendors didnât manage to sell their leaves, so they would simply trade some with the neighboring tea stall for a bowl of tea⦠Regardless, that meant they were open for business, right?
The storytellers, on the other hand, were in an even sorrier state; after speaking for an entire evening, they often only received a couple of slices of watermelon, a handful of melon seeds, or someone would gift them a single straw sandal⦠If youâre giving a gift, why not give a pair, right?
No, the givers reasoned that they had given one sandal today and would return tomorrow to give another.
Of course, you mustnât tell stories where the protagonist suffers; otherwise, donât expect the second sandal.
The storyteller conceded that perhaps tomorrow he would recount âYang JianâA Life of Endless Regrets amid Boundless Watersââ¦
Of course, there were also pure consumers, such as the construction workers from the Tian Family, and, say, Brother Bao and his entourage.
But as an umbrella seller, you canât block their path and sell them an umbrella every day, can you?
Therefore, at this night market, there were more vendors than customers, and apart from a few exceptions, profitability was out of the question.
It was mainly just that, late at night, with nothing else to do, people came for some diversion; if they made some money, good for them, and if not, the diversion itself wasnât a loss, right?
Yet, some actually hoped to make money, such as certain food vendors, or those⦠selling tobacco leaves.
Feifei was young but had a sound approach; she positioned the cigarettes she sold as luxury itemsâalthough she didnât know this term, that was indeed what she did.
In such a backwater, the sales of luxury goods certainly couldnât compete with daily necessities, and her rolled cigarettes couldnât outsell tobacco leaves.
The tobacco leaf stalls were focused on volume. Even in a sluggish market, those selling tobacco leaves would occasionally receive visitors, followed by some bargaining, creating an atmosphere of lively business.
Feifei, accustomed to poverty, viewed this with envy. Fortunately, she had no habit of bullying others and knew the Divine Doctor disliked trouble. Should she displease the Divine Doctor, her good days would be at an end.
So, she could only watch others make money, and due to her young age, her gaze inevitably betrayed her resentment.
Unhappy? Those selling tobacco leaves were even more discontent, for the brightest spot was occupied by Feifeiâthe golden location, no less.
Most of the vendors were locals, aware of the little girlâs relationship with the landowner. Initially, no one dared to snatch her stall.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
But as she seldom opened her stall, some began to feel that she was wasting a fine spotâthat if they were to sell tobacco leaves there, they could surely sell more.
Moreover, the frustration in her eyes hadnât gone unnoticed, leading some to speculate: It seems the landownerâs relationship with this girl isnât all that significant?
Regardless, driven by profit, there would always be someone willing to challenge the rules.
A pair of uncle and nephew from a neighboring village, also from the same village as Feifei and also selling tobacco leaves, decided after two days of observation to place their leaves right in front of Feifeiâs stall.
Upon seeing this, Feifei instantly became displeased. âUncle Wangcai, what are you trying to do?â she asked.
Wangcai, aware that it was inappropriate to provoke her, but habituated to scolding Feifei, responded with a frown, âWhat? My stallâs location isnât good, so Iâm setting up here for a bit, since youâre not even open⦠What, canât I do that?â
Quite the irritating thing to say, right? But he had indeed become accustomed to speaking like that, not just because she was an orphan, but also because he held a higher generational standing in the village, as they always spoke with a sense of superiorityârespecting the elderly was a virtue emphasized in this realm.
But upon hearing this, Feifei immediately exploded. Before she met Feng Jun, she had suffered similar mistreatment far too often in the village, and a flood of new grievances and old resentment surged to mind.
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Back then, no one stood up for her, but this time she was not afraid. She shouted loudly, âMove aside, this is my place!â
âWho decided this was your place?â Uncle Wangcai glared and shouted back, âCall for it, see if it responds?â
Uncle Wangcaiâs nephew even stepped forward and pushed Feifei, âDamn it, how can you speak to an elder like that? You ill-mannered brat, think I wonât hit you?â
Under normal circumstances, they wouldnât dare lay a hand on Feifeiâat least not here. But Feifei was impolite and offended an elder, which was considered a violation of social norms. So he dared to push the young girl as a light punishment, while also issuing a warning.
However, whatâs truly regrettable is that he overlooked one aspect: to uphold social order, you need corresponding strength.
Moreover, cherishing the young is also one of the basic moral principles of society.
When Feifei was pushed, she was immediately stunned. In Feng Junâs small group, she was not only the lowest ranking member, but also an outsider. For a moment, she didnât know who to turn to for help.
In desperation, she could only cry out at the top of her lungs.
If this had happened in the village, crying her heart out would have been useless, so she really didnât cry. But now, she felt there might be a chance it would help.
And help it did? The moment she raised her voice, a Martial Artist rushed over from close by, knocking down Uncle Wangcai with his nephew, âTo think such grown men would bully a little girl, how shameless!â
Feifei glanced at him and realized he wasnât one of the Tian Family members, so she kept cryingâShe was waiting for the Tian Family members who maintained order to come.
The Tian Family members arrived quickly, and to their surprise, they found that the person who intervened was a relative from another branch of their family: the Yu Family, which operated the CheMa Trading Company.
The Yu Family was an ancient clan that had once fallen into decline. However, with the emergence of the Three Heroes of the Yu Family, each making their own mark, one branch established the Yu Familyâs CheMa Trading Company by taking the path of the martial world.
This time, it was the Yu Familyâs Second Young Master who had come and had his guards rescue Feifei upon seeing her being bullied.
By the time Feng Jun arrived, the matter was already settled. Although Uncle Wangcai and his nephew were detestable, they hadnât committed any major evil. They were beaten up as punishment, and that was that.
Right then, Tian Yang Ni also showed up. He looked at the Yu Familyâs Second Young Master with a strange expression, âWhy did you come here without saying a word to the Tian Family? It made it seem as if we had no idea you were here.â
The Second Young Master, somewhat frail and as beautiful as a woman, replied with neither humility nor arrogance, âOur ancestors said, âDescendants of the Yu Family need not only immerse themselves in books but also experience the wider world. Since weâve met by chance on this path, to see or not to see makes no difference⦠I didnât even know my uncle was here.â
What he meant was, he goes wherever he pleases. He who operates a trading company has countless acquaintances.
Of course, if he had known that Tian Familyâs top High-Rank Martial Master Tian Yang Ni was present, he should have come to greet him no matter what.
But Tian Yang Ni didnât think so. Who was he kidding? What kind of world is this where coincidences happen all the time without reason?
Still, he couldnât say that outright, so he could only smile, âThen when dawn comes, will the Second Young Master continue on his journey?â
As expected, the Second Young Master answered clearly, âThe host here is quite interesting, and the items are novel. I intend to stay a few more days, you donât have to mind me, uncle, just go about your business.â
If someone says as much, what could Tian Yang Ni do but warn him, âBrother Bao from the North Garden Mansion is also here, and he doesnât dare to neglect the host. If you decide to stay, make sure you treat the host with respect.â
The Second Young Master smiles at the mention, teeth shining and lips red, âIsnât this land already purchased by you, my uncle? Where is there another host?â
Well, you can tell from his response that he came prepared. Otherwise, why bother to learn about a land deed?
Upon hearing this, Tian Yang Ni straightened his face and spoke seriously, âSecond Young Master, Iâve already gifted the land deed to the Divine Doctor. Did you not know that he once killed Luo Wendao on the spot? Itâs fine for relatives to joke among themselves, but if you offend the Divine Doctor, I can only apologizeâ¦â
âSo thereâs someone my uncle is afraid of as well,â the Second Young Master chuckled, his eyes filled with a peculiar look, âBut this land is barren and not worth much, which doesnât seem like something my uncle would do.â
âHow I conduct myself is not for you, a junior, to comment on,â Tian Yang Ni said with a darkened face.
After all, he was a High-Rank Martial Master with his own dignity. As for the courtesies owed to certain juniors, he kept them to a minimum, âIf you continue to speak disrespectfully, I might just take you to your father.â
The Tian Family was actually not afraid of the Yu Family. However, since the Yu Family was involved in the complex world of trade, and within the Three Heroes of the Yu Family there was still a thriving branch, with a current Governor who seemed likely to climb even higher, Tian Yang Ni was somewhat wary.
The Second Young Master also knew that his own family did not fear the Tian Family, but that didnât mean he could provoke the Tian Familyâs top High-Rank Martial Master. So, with a twinkle in his eye, he replied with a smile, âI was just joking with my uncle. Why take it so serious with me?â
âHmph,â Tian Yang Ni grunted displeasedly, unable to take the matter too seriously. He asked again, âWhat brings you here?â
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