Old Wang was a kind man. After Uncle De pulled him out, he said to the young man, "You booked one room before, but now you want two. There's really no way around it. Otherwise, I'll help you find a place in the village down below..."
"Damn, the area downstairs is like a pigsty, how can anyone live there..."
The man frowned slightly, then suddenly noticed Zhuang Rui and his group of five or six coming down from upstairs, with two women following behind. His eyes darted around, and he said, "Hey, with so many of you, you must have a lot of rooms. Let these two women squeeze in, and you'll have one room available."
When Old Wang saw that the man had steered the conversation toward Zhuang Rui and the others, he quickly went back and said, "Young man, they're a couple living together. Can't I help you find a clean place to live?"
"Old Wang, this has nothing to do with you. I'll negotiate with them. If they're willing, it's none of your business..."
Although the young man brought two bodyguards, Old Wang was a native of this place, and he dared not offend him too much, otherwise he would be in deep trouble if he angered the whole village.
But the young man didn't care much about Zhuang Rui and the others. They were all from out of town, so what if he was unreasonable? In Zhejiang, he had never been afraid of anyone.
Zhuang Rui frowned, but before he could speak, Wei Ge rushed over, pointed at the man, and said, "Why should we let you have your way? There's always a first-come, first-served rule, isn't there?"
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile. Wei Ge had indeed grown up in a greenhouse. That person was clearly unreasonable. What was the point of reasoning with them?
Sure enough, the man slapped Yang Wei's fingers away and said, "Everything in this world has a price. Give up a room, and I'll give you ten thousand yuan..."
As he spoke, the young man waved his hand, and a man carrying a bag immediately handed it over. The man took out a wad of cash from the bag and said, "Take the money and go. It's good for you and good for me. Maybe you'll even save money on your attempt to pick up girls this time..."
The young man spoke while laughing loudly, his eyes constantly darting between Qin Xuanbing and Song Xingjun, his face full of smugness.
He never expected to see such hot girls in this remote and impoverished place. He was really itching to get his hands on these two girls, so he wouldn't be lonely tonight.
"Wei-ge, come back, let's go eat. This place is a bit remote, and there are a lot of stray dogs. Be careful not to get bitten..."
Zhuang Rui was well past the age of starting fights at the drop of a hat, but not fighting didn't mean he couldn't swear. Zhuang Rui's words brought the young man's laughter to an abrupt halt, and he coughed repeatedly like a duck whose neck had been squeezed.
"Teacher Ma, are they with you? Could you please make room for them?"
Just as Zhuang Rui and the others were heading towards the restaurant, the middle-aged man in his forties suddenly stood up and blocked Uncle De's way.
"You know me?"
Uncle De frowned; he had absolutely no recollection of this person.
"In the Jiangsu and Zhejiang area, who doesn't know you, Teacher Ma?"
The middle-aged man smiled and complimented Uncle De, then said, "This is Yan Kai, the grandson of Secretary Yan of Zhonghai. He's currently in the business of chicken-blood stone. Teacher Ma, what do you think... would you mind making room for him?"
"Secretary Yan?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle De frowned even more deeply. As a native of Zhonghai, he naturally knew that Yan XX, who had served as the Party Secretary of Zhonghai in the 1970s and 80s, was an old man who had come through the war years. Many of the current leaders of Zhonghai's departments were his protégés and old friends.
But this Secretary Yan has always had a very good reputation as an official, so how come his grandson is so useless?
Uncle De shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know Secretary Yan, and I won't let this room..."
"Old man, are you fucking looking for death? Asking you to give up your room is giving you face. Believe me, I can crush you with just one phone call."
Upon hearing Uncle De's words, Young Master Yan became enraged and walked over to push Uncle De, but was caught off guard by Zhuang Rui, who was standing nearby.
"Kid, let go, or I'll beat you up too..."
Yan Kai was the only son in his family and was usually doted on by his grandmother and parents. In addition, everyone who visited his home in Zhonghai treated him like a treasure, which fostered his arrogant and domineering personality.
However, these days, everything is about money. Yan Kai had been working for more than 10 years and was getting bored, so he joined his uncle's jewelry company. He didn't have much to do, so the company basically kept him as an idle person.
When Yan Kai heard that a batch of chicken-blood stone was going to be imported from Changhua, he insisted on coming to have some fun. Chicken-blood stone business only accounts for a small part of his uncle's company. Since there was an experienced craftsman with him, his uncle agreed to let him come and see for himself.
Back in Zhonghai, everyone spoke of his grandfather with utmost respect. Yan Kai had grown accustomed to the aura his grandfather brought him, so when he saw Uncle De casually say he didn't know Secretary Yan, he was instantly enraged and raised his fist to hit Uncle De.
When Zhuang Rui saw Yan Kai acting arrogantly, he couldn't help but laugh. He gestured angrily at the middle-aged man and said, "You hit me? Hey, I'm asking you, who is Secretary Yan?"
"You don't even recognize Secretary Yan? He used to be the Party Secretary of Zhonghai. I'm telling you guys, it's just about offering a room, why make such a fuss?"
The middle-aged man showed a hint of disdain on his face. Judging from the appearance of these people, they were probably from out of town. They didn't even know this much, yet they dared to come to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to do business.
"Give me a room? Sure, this must be Young Master Yan, right? See that over there? It's spacious inside, you can sleep there tonight..."
Zhuang Rui's words made Qin Xuanbing and Song Xingjun burst out laughing.
Because the place Zhuang Rui was pointing to was more than 20 meters away from here, which was Old Wang's pigsty, and at that moment a pig was sticking its nose out and making "grunt grunt" sounds.
Zhuang Rui's words were really sharp. Wei Ge was already laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach, and even Uncle De had a smile on his face. Going to sleep with the old sow, I don't know what Zhuang Rui thought of.
"Damn it, kid, you're asking for it..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Yan Kai looked at the old sow that was making noises at him, and his fair face turned blood red with anger. This kid was used to being arrogant, and he didn't care whether he could beat Zhuang Rui or not. He swung his left fist and punched Zhuang Rui in the face.
"Fuck your mother..."
Zhuang Rui had been in many fights since he was a child, so he released his grip on Yan Kai's right hand, deflected Yan Kai's left fist, and suddenly raised his right foot, kicking Yan Kai hard in the abdomen.
This kick was very solid. Although Yan Kai looked tall and strong, he was just a show-off. He was kicked squarely by Zhuang Rui, let out a scream, stumbled back several steps, and fell backward to the ground clutching his stomach.
Zhuang Rui had cursed and even fought, but thinking that resorting to violence was never a good thing, he kicked out, then turned around and smiled at Qin Xuanbing, "Wife, I'm a civilized person. You saw it yourself, I was just defending myself. This kid attacked first..."
From hurling insults to actually fighting, it all happened in the blink of an eye, in just a few seconds. The arrogant young master Yan was now lying on the ground.
For a moment, everyone was stunned. Even Qin Xuanbing hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to be so efficient in a fight.
"Can't you men solve problems without fighting? Zhuang Rui, watch out, those two..."
Qin Xuanbing was just about to say something to Zhuang Rui, feeling both amused and exasperated, when she suddenly saw the two people who were originally standing behind Young Master Yan rushing towards Zhuang Rui. She quickly shouted to warn Zhuang Rui to be careful.
Although the patriarch of the Yan family has retired, the younger generation has expanded their business and is doing quite well. Because Yan Kai has been spoiled since childhood and is somewhat unreliable, his uncle hired two bodyguards for him, the only son of the Yan family. When they saw their employer being beaten, the two men immediately rushed towards Zhuang Rui after realizing what was happening.
Before they could reach Zhuang Rui, a small, thin figure that they hadn't noticed before suddenly blocked their path. Neither of the bodyguards stopped, and they tried to shove the person in their way aside.
The person blocking the two people's way was naturally Peng Fei. However, in everyone's eyes, Peng Fei, who was only about 1.7 meters tall, looked like a mantis trying to stop a car.
Chapter 575 Street Vendors
Apart from Zhuang Rui, the people present, including Qin Xuanbing, were not very familiar with Peng Fei. Hearing that they addressed each other as brothers, they all assumed that he and Zhuang Rui were good friends. Zhuang Rui had never explained his relationship with Peng Fei because he didn't like the word "bodyguard."
Seeing two burly men, both over 1.8 meters tall, ramming into the slightly thin Peng Fei, Qin Xuanbing and Song Xingjun covered their mouths. In their minds, Peng Fei was bound to be knocked away. After all, they were one of their own, and the two couldn't bear to watch any longer.
"Bang... bang bang..."
Just as the two women closed their eyes, they heard several dull sounds like drumsticks hitting leather, followed by screams. However, what puzzled Qin Xuanbing and Song Xingjun was that the screams did not seem to come from Peng Fei.
When he opened his eyes, Peng Fei was still standing there unharmed, while the two bodyguards who had rushed at him were squatting on the ground, one on each side, clutching their ribs with their hands, their faces pale and full of pain, with beads of sweat sliding down their faces.
"What...what's going on?"
Qin Xuanbing and Song Xingjun were both stunned. When they looked at Xiang Yangwei again, the guy's mouth was agape, his face showing shock and confusion.
Perhaps among these people, only Zhuang Rui saw things most clearly.
Just as the two bodyguards were about to bump into Peng Fei with their shoulders, Peng Fei suddenly took a small step back, leaving them with no point of contact when they exerted force. It was like punching cotton, feeling empty and very uncomfortable.
Just as the two men were about to regain their footing, Peng Fei suddenly lowered his body and, taking advantage of the moment when they stopped exerting force, struck them both under the armpits with lightning speed with his left and right fists. In an instant, he threw five or six punches at each of them. Before the two men could even react, the sharp pain from their ribs had already reached their brain nerve center.
As the saying goes, "strike where it hurts," which refers to the area under the armpit and ribs. If someone takes a solid punch there, they will generally lose their fighting ability. If the force is greater, it is quite normal to damage the spleen.
Peng Fei used very precise force, neither breaking their ribs nor preventing them from standing up for a short period of time.
"Peng Fei, are you alright?"
Zhuang Rui stepped forward and whispered a question in Peng Fei's ear. He wasn't concerned about Peng Fei's safety; with Peng Fei's skills, if he were to fall into the hands of these two, he would have truly wasted his life.
Zhuang Rui was asking about the two people squatting on the ground. After all, they didn't have any deep-seated hatred for each other. If they really fought and one of them had a ruptured spleen, things would get out of hand. It wasn't that Zhuang Rui was afraid of trouble, but he was afraid of getting into trouble.
"It's alright, Brother Zhuang, they'll be fine after a few minutes..."
Peng Fei smiled. These two bodyguards must also be from the military, but judging from their skills, they didn't seem to have any training. At most, they just knew some military boxing and made a living by being strong after retiring from the army.
"That's good. Let's go eat. Uncle Wang, Uncle De praised your family's farm-style dishes..."
Zhuang Rui clapped his hands and led Qin Xuanbing past Yan Kai and his group as if no one else was there. Although they were all about the same age, in Zhuang Rui's eyes, this young master Yan was just a spoiled child.
Just as Peng Fei said, after squatting on the ground for two or three minutes, the two slowly stood up. Not only them, but Yan Kai, who had been kicked by Zhuang Rui, was also fine now. However, the arrogant look on his face had turned into astonishment, confusion and resentment.
Yan Kai never expected that his two bodyguards, who he used to boast about being invincible, were no match for anyone else. His family background was also completely disregarded. Now he had no one to rely on.
He was no match for Zhuang Rui in a one-on-one fight, and his men were taken down in an instant. Even if Yan Kai was an idiot, he knew that now was not the time for revenge. If he continued to cause trouble, he would only suffer more losses.
"Let's go, we're not staying here anymore..."
Yan Kai stared venomously at Zhuang Rui and the others' retreating figures, spitting out a sentence through gritted teeth. He then got into the car with the consultant and two bodyguards and drove down the mountain, abandoning the room they had originally booked.
"You two, didn't you always say you were really good at fighting?"
After the car reached the bottom of the mountain, Yan Kai's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. He had never suffered such a loss in his entire life. You know, from childhood to adulthood, no one had ever laid a finger on him.
Being kicked by Zhuang Rui in front of so many people, Young Master Yan felt his fragile heart had been ravaged, and he was so frustrated that he felt like he was about to explode.
"Young Master Yan, that guy is definitely a trained fighter. Even the instructor probably couldn't beat him, let alone the two of us. He might even be a bodyguard from Zhongnanhai..."
Since they were outmatched, the two bodyguards had nothing to say but to exaggerate Peng Fei's abilities. If Peng Fei knew that he, a man forcibly discharged from the army, had been given the title of a bodyguard for Zhongnanhai, how would he feel?
"Zhongnanhai bodyguards? Zhongnanhai my ass! Why don't you just say that guy is the President of the People's Republic of China?"
Upon hearing the bodyguard's words, Yan Kai completely lost his temper. His long-suppressed anger erupted, and he reached out and slapped the two useless bodyguards across the head, cursing as he did so.
"Young Master Yan, I think you and the others should go back first. I can handle the matter of the bloodstone by myself..."
The expert on bloodstone interrupted Yan Kai's actions. This time, he had offended Uncle De from Zhonghai, but with the Yan family as his backing, he wasn't afraid of anything.
"By the way, Lao Cao, I haven't asked you yet. Is that old man surnamed Ma from Zhonghai? What's their background?"
After hearing Lao Cao's words, Yan Kai, who was furious, came to his senses. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Just because he couldn't deal with Zhuang Rui and the others in this remote and impoverished place doesn't mean he can't deal with them in the future.
"That old man is from Zhonghai, and he's an expert in miscellaneous appraisals and ancient porcelain restoration. He's very well-known in the industry and is considered a prominent figure in Zhonghai's collecting circles..."
For Lao Cao, Uncle De's status in the art collecting circle was something he absolutely had to look up to, and his words were quite fair.
"What kind of people are they? They're just a bunch of poor bastards. Alright, Lao Cao, go find a clean place to stay. Tomorrow I want to see how they trade bloodstone."
Yan Kai had no intention of leaving Yuyan Mountain. "I can't beat you guys today, but I'll bury you in money tomorrow."
Yan Kai has never lacked money since he was a child. No matter what kind of sports car came out, he could get his hands on it as long as he wanted it. Now all he can think about is how to use money to make Zhuang Rui and the others unable to buy anything tomorrow.
Old Cao saw through Yan Kai's intentions and couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly. This rascal had some kind of mental block about him, insisting on attending this bloodstone trade fair. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to complete his mission this time. He'd have to find a chance to call his boss and explain the situation. ...
"Peng Fei, you're amazing! You actually took down those two big oafs all by yourself. Did you train before?"
Leaving aside Yan Kai and his group leaving in a huff, Zhuang Rui and the others were already sitting in the restaurant of the farmhouse, preparing to have dinner. After the delay, it was almost 7 p.m.
Yang Wei was curiously pinching Peng Fei's arm, wanting to see how this unassuming Peng Fei possessed such explosive power.
"The food's here, Wei Ge. Just eat. Peng Fei's family used to sell martial arts skills in the old Tianqiao area of Beijing. Someone like you could take on ten of Peng Fei's alone..."