I slowly put the other half of the Heavenly Mother-Child Cookie into my mouth and smiled slyly.
I knew this had to be resolved today. This bearded guy was clearly a martial arts fanatic; if I didn't get rid of him, he'd be a problem sooner or later. And the only way I could take him down was through underhanded means. I even considered tricking him into going to Yucai High School, but that wasn't a final solution. Even if someone else beat him up, it wouldn't matter; he's after me—what's that saying again? "The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind." A more elegant way to put it is, "People fear becoming famous, just as pigs fear becoming fat."
Also, I didn't use Xiang Yu's biscuit because I thought it wasn't worth it, and I didn't use Er Sha's because I felt it wasn't a safe bet. So, the only one left was Zhao Bailian's biscuit...
Since I need a cookie anyway, I'll choose to fight fire with fire—once he eats my cookie, he won't be a match for me for 10 minutes.
As soon as I finished the biscuit, I felt a series of cracking sounds from all my joints, similar to the feeling I had when I copied Fang Zhenjiang. It seems this bearded man's skills are not bad either!
Seeing something unusual about me, the bearded man got into a fighting stance, his eyes gleaming, and said, "Hey, you've got some skills. Bring it on."
I leaned against the car, the afternoon sun casting a long shadow on me. Amidst this magnificent scenery, I gave a cold, mocking laugh: "I'll ask one last question."
"explain!"
"...Can't we just not fight?"
The bearded man charged forward...
I didn't want to fight him because I was afraid of pain. Even if my fist landed on his face, a soft face belonged to someone else, but a hard fist belonged to me. The idea of smashing an eight-immortal table with a single punch and then continuing straight to injure the enemy is in movies; those tables are made of plywood, easily broken by a fart. And those wine bottles and jars in movies are just rock candy. But later I realized that if I could keep punching someone's face, it wouldn't be so bad. The bearded man was no match for me. We used the same martial arts style and had similar physical abilities, so we should have been evenly matched. But my punches were just a tiny bit faster and a tiny bit stronger. So the only thing the bearded man did was punch my fists hard with his own face, leaving himself battered and bruised.
Finally, the bearded man had to switch from offense to defense, which left me rather helpless. I didn't want to do anything to him, and I was also feeling a bit out of sorts playing away from home. The bearded man had no choice but to attack again. He dodged to the left, but I didn't move; I saw it was a feint. He charged to the right, and I punched him back. The moment he moved, I kicked him in the knee. He moved again, but I ignored him, because that was another feint. I checked my watch; almost 10 minutes had passed…
After a few more attempts, the bearded man finally slumped to the ground in despair: "I give up. There's nothing more to say this time. I've finally put my mind at ease."
Ten minutes later, I felt a wave of soreness again, but it was much better than last time. These days, I've been doing some chest-expanding and leg-kicking exercises, and compared to my old Xiali physique, I'm now about the size of a Fukang.
I pulled the bearded man up and said sincerely, "Brother, impressive skills!" Although I wasn't an expert, I'd spent a lot of time with bandits, so I had a decent eye for talent. The bearded man's skills would be more than enough in modern times; he was far superior to a tiger.
When the bearded man realized I wasn't being sarcastic, he stood up with my help and said with a hint of shame, "Brother Xiao, I can tell you weren't using your full strength."
I said, feeling ashamed and guilty, "I didn't really put in much effort myself..."
The bearded man, of course, couldn't tell the difference. He grabbed my hand and said, "Brother Xiao, I'll have to ask you for advice often from now on."
I waved my hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, I really don't have many cookies left."
The bearded man handed me a business card and said, "My phone number is on it. My shop opens on October 8th. You absolutely have to come, Brother Xiao!"
When I looked at the business card, the title section read: President of Kuaihuolin Hotel. Then I saw the name: Jiang Menshen—
I murmured, "Jiang Menshen... Jiang Menshen?"
Jiang Menshen laughed sheepishly: "That's what my friends call me. It got so popular that we just opened a Happy Forest restaurant."
I looked down at the business card again and asked, "How big is your store?"
"Three-story building."
"...Holding five or six hundred people shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Jiang Menshen scoffed, "Five or six hundred is nothing. We have two halls on one floor, and each hall can accommodate 300 people. Do the math yourself."
I put my arm around his shoulder and said with a burning gaze, "Let's skip October 8th. Do me a favor, Brother Qiang, and open for business on October 2nd!"
When Jiang Menshen heard that I needed the money for my wedding, he readily agreed, "No problem, you can bring your own fruit, cigarettes and alcohol, but the food is on me!"
"That won't do! Just pay the price you owe me. I'll be very grateful if you're willing to help me."
Jiang Menshen waved his hand and said, "It's pointless to talk about it anymore."
I knew he didn't care about a few pennies, so I didn't argue further. Since ancient times, scholars have been poor while martial arts have been rich; someone with the leisure to hone their skills to this level must come from a wealthy family. Judging from his appearance, he's probably a combination of Jin Shaoyan and a tiger: a spoiled brat who loves martial arts.
I was overjoyed that a fight had actually solved a major problem. Suddenly, I broke out in a cold sweat, and then I felt quite relieved for Jiang Menshen: thank goodness Fang Zhenjiang hadn't awakened, or I would have beaten him to death just for that name!
Chapter Thirty-One MMS
I returned to the pawnshop, and Baozi was already back, but Xiang Yu and the others were nowhere to be seen. I casually asked them, and Baozi said, "They were gone when I came back."
I picked up a glass of water and said while taking a sip, "We've decided to meet at the Happy Forest Restaurant. You can let your family know."
Baozi: "Where is it?"
I showed her Jiang Menshen's business card, and Baozi laughed, "You have a CEO among your friends? He must own a small restaurant, right? Can it seat 10 tables?"
I waved my hand and said, "You'll see when you get there."
“Yeah, your dad just called to ask about this, and he said…” Baozi sat on the stool picking vegetables, a little embarrassed, “and he also said he gave me a big red envelope.”
I drank some water and said, "Take it if it's offered to you. The old man has plenty of money."
Baozi glanced at me and said, "Your dad was a factory worker his whole life, just like mine. Where would he get any money?"
I chuckled mischievously a few times: "Men always have their own little stash of money."
Baozi looked at me with a half-smile and said, "And what about you?"
I suddenly darted in front of Baozi, grinning lewdly: "No matter how much semen I have, isn't it all prepared for you?"
Baozi, understanding the implied meaning, cursed, "How could I have married such a scoundrel like you?"
I also pulled up a small stool and snuggled up to Baozi affectionately: "It's rare to have just the two of us left, isn't it?"
Baozi stood up and said, "You pick the green beans, I'll go cook."
Baozi stood in the kitchen, poked his head out, and said, "Qiangzi..."
"ah?"