Chapter 154: In for a Penny, in for a Pound (Part 1)

"Brother Hua?"

A familiar voice came from outside the car. Kang Ning, who had just started the vehicle, gently stepped on the brake and cast a vigilant look at the young man and woman on a motorcycle by the window. His expression shifted from cautious to pleasant surprise. "Luo Ming? What are you doing here?"

Seeing the concerned smile of Kang Ning, who was dressed in an Armed Police uniform, Luo Ming confirmed that he hadn't mistaken his man. He immediately jumped off the back of the Daihatsu motorcycle in excitement, hurried over to Kang Ning in two steps, and exclaimed loudly, "It really is Brother Hua! I thought it looked like you and couldn't help calling out. I never expected to see Brother Hua again in this lifetime. This makes me so happy! Brother Hua, wait a second..."

Luo Ming turned around and gave a few instructions to the pretty girl riding the motorcycle. The girl obediently rode off first. Luo Ming then hurried to the other side of the off-road vehicle, pulled open the door without waiting for Kang Ning's permission, hopped inside, pulled the door shut, and said cheerfully to Kang Ning, "Brother Hua, let's go to my shop for a drink. I am definitely not letting you leave tonight!"

Kang Ning laughed heartily. "You opened a shop? Not bad! I was just worrying about where to find a place for dinner. You can lead the way."

"Turn left. As soon as we're out of Leiguan, we're there."

Driving the car, Kang Ning chatted warmly with Luo Ming. A few minutes later, the two arrived at Luo Ming's Sichuan restaurant.

Kang Ning parked the car under an old scholar tree beside the restaurant. Walking shoulder to shoulder with Luo Ming into the establishment, he saw that the fifty-odd-square-meter dining area was clean and tidy, with tables and chairs neatly arranged. He nodded and smiled at Luo Ming beside him, "Not bad at all! You're all settled down with your own business now."

"Far from it. Haha! Brother Hua, sit down and let's talk."

The two sat down at a table by the window. The girl who had been riding the motorcycle earlier came over with a smile to pour tea for them. Luo Ming pointed at her and introduced her to Kang Ning, "This is my girlfriend, Xiaofeng. We came here together from Hanzhong to take over this shop. Her parents, my father, and my uncle have been old friends for many years. This shop was originally run by a Hanzhong fellow townsman who has now taken his business to Xi'an. He transferred this restaurant to us at a bottom-floor price. The two head chefs in the kitchen were also invited by us from our hometown in Sichuan. Business has been getting better day by day since we opened two months ago, and I believe I'll be able to gain a firm footing here before long."

Hearing this, Kang Ning was happy for Luo Ming. He politely declined the menu handed to him by Xiaofeng, turned to Luo Ming with a smile, and said, "Since you're treating, I won't stand on ceremony. How about a plate of boiled fish and a dish of boiled peanuts?"

An enthusiastic Luo Ming was unwilling to let Kang Ning order only these two dishes. "Just now, Xiaofeng already had the chefs make a few signature dishes of the shop, so you mustn't decline. Today we are drinking premium Xifeng liquor. Haha... Brother Hua, I never imagined you would look like an Armed Police officer!"

"What? Doesn't it look like it?"

"No, no! If you don't look like one, who does? You look so imposing in this uniform!" Luo Ming asked with a smile, "How did you end up in Zhouzhi?"

Gulping down half a cup of tea out of thirst, Kang Ning put down the cup and replied in a low voice, "I came over from Chengdu yesterday and am heading to Zhengzhou. I originally planned to rest in Xi'an tonight, but I unexpectedly ran into you at the gas station... By the way, you heard about the destruction of the Leijiang gang, didn't you?"

"I did. Even the *Huashang Daily* in Xi'an had continuous coverage. It's truly gratifying! My mother even cried tears of joy after watching the television news and wanted to move back to Leijiang. But my father and uncle said that since we're already settled, we shouldn't toss things about anymore, so my mother stopped talking about moving back. But they often mention you!"

Luo Ming put down his teacup and asked, "Every time my father mentions you, he praises your medical skills to the high heavens. Our whole family thought you were an orthopedic doctor. Brother Hua, with medical skills as good as yours, how did you end up becoming a soldier?"

"Being a soldier is great! Haven't you heard that the military camp is a great melting pot of revolution? It tempers a person. Haha..."

Kang Ning gave a vague explanation. The attentive Xiaofeng had already begun serving the food and wine continuously. Luo Ming excitedly unscrewed the cap of the Xifeng liquor and filled Kang Ning's cup.

Afterward, the two chatted while sipping their drinks, as congenial as old friends reunited after a long separation.

Having left Sichuan behind and relaxed his body and mind, Kang Ning uncharacteristically let down his guard. While enjoying the delicious authentic Sichuan cuisine, he did not forget to toast with Luo Ming cup after cup.

An hour or so passed, and flush-faced Luo Ming's tongue began to trip over itself. Had his girlfriend Xiaofeng not frequently stepped in to drink a few cups on his behalf, Luo Ming might have already crawled under the table.

Seeing that Luo Ming had reached his limit, Kang Ning skillfully declined Luo Ming's proposal to open another bottle, asked for the location of the restroom, and left by himself.

A few minutes later, as soon as Kang Ning returned to his seat, he heard two rough men shouting loudly at Xiaofeng inside the cashier's counter: "What's the matter with you dawdling, woman? The boss signing accounts here is doing you a favor, don't you dare fail to appreciate what's good for you! If your relative hadn't come over to my place sniveling and whining to scam me last time, I wouldn't even have let this dump of yours open its doors!"

Xiaofeng pleaded in a low voice, "Section Chief Chu, you still haven't settled your tab of over four thousand yuan from last month. Our small business isn't easy to run. If delaying this month's two thousand yuan bill is okay, could you at least settle last month's arrears?"

Seeing this, Luo Ming's alcohol-induced haze cleared by more than half. He muttered an apology to Kang Ning, hurried over to the cashier's counter, greeted the two men surnamed Chu with a friendly expression, pulled out two packs of high-grade Golden Line Monkey cigarettes and shoved them into their hands, apologizing all the while as he handed over the pen and led the man surnamed Chu to sign the bill. Afterward, he respectfully escorted the two men outside the front door to a Santana, then sighed, shook his head, and walked back to sit opposite Kang Ning.

Sitting by the window, Kang Ning had seen and heard everything clearly. He smiled slightly at Luo Ming, whose poise and social skills had matured considerably. "It seems that while your business is quite good, it's not very easy to run either!"

"Ain't that the truth? Every night these dozen tables of mine are almost full. With the lunch session included, the daily turnover is no less than three thousand yuan. After deducting rent, utilities, taxes, and wages, there's still a profit of three to four hundred yuan a day. Sigh, originally I wanted to struggle through a few more months and then take over the small shop next door to do something bigger, but there are always people you can't afford to offend who only sign tabs without paying. All the hard-earned money we make turns into mere numbers on paper. We used to count on them keeping their word and settling accounts monthly as agreed upon, but looking at it now, it's hard!"

After finishing, Luo Ming saw Xiaofeng walking over with an indignant expression and sitting down beside him, taking her hand to comfort her in a low voice.

Xiaofeng complained angrily, "Brother Ming, we can't always let them run up tabs like this. If this goes on, I'm afraid we'll have to pack up and leave by next month. From the opening until now, we've poured more than forty thousand yuan into this. If we can't keep going, how can we face our families? When will we ever be able to pay back the money borrowed from relatives and friends?"

Luo Ming gave Xiaofeng an awkward smile. "It's fine. Tomorrow I'll take two packs of cigarettes and go reason with them. Maybe in a couple of days we can get back last month's arrears. Didn't our families instruct us before we left? When doing business away from home, we have to keep our composure."

"You're the one keeping your composure. On this street, apart from Auntie Si's restaurant across the way, which restaurant hasn't had to feed them for free? I heard Auntie Si say that although everyone's tabs are settled monthly, only this fellow surnamed Chu is so tyrannical. Relying on the little bit of power in his hands, he's always looking for trouble, demanding kickbacks, eating free meals, and threatening to shut people's shops down at the drop of a hat. No restaurant in the county town dares to offend him. It's so hard. I'd like to see how you manage to get back those six or seven thousand yuan in arrears tomorrow."

Only after finishing her sentence did Xiaofeng realize that Kang Ning was watching, and she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.

Kang Ning put down his wine glass and asked amicably, "Xiaofeng, I just heard you say that Auntie Si's restaurant hasn't had people eating for free. Why isn't Auntie Si afraid of this fellow surnamed Chu?"

Xiaofeng blushed and explained in a low voice, "Brother Hua, you don't understand. Auntie Si across the street is only twenty-eight years old this year. She's fair-skinned, pretty, and smart. A year ago, she divorced and came here from Hanzhong to open a restaurant, and gradually her business got better and better. Auntie Si said her sworn older brother is the instructor at the Dongguan Police Station. Three months ago, because of Auntie Si's restaurant, her sworn brother had a massive fallout with the fellow surnamed Chu. If the surnamed Chu's younger brother didn't have money, connections, and wasn't also a local bully, Auntie Si's sworn brother would have dealt with the surnamed Chu long ago. Those two men just now are the Chu brothers. Everyone on this street knows those two brothers lack any morals; they collude internally and externally, bully the market, and have pockets full of money. Almost every night they book a private room at the Yixiang Teahouse in Xiguan to play mahjong and gamble. I heard they drop ten or eighteen thousand without even blinking an eye. They just bully ordinary folks like us who have no backing. When they eat here, they always order the most expensive dishes and don't pay. I'm afraid our small business won't be able to keep going."

Hearing Xiaofeng's words, Luo Ming also sighed repeatedly, poured himself another cup, and drank in sullen silence.

Kang Ning didn't feel well either. He knew it hadn't been easy for this young couple to borrow forty thousand yuan and leave home to start a business. Seeing Luo Ming, who had lost his entire right palm, struggling so hard to get by now, Kang Ning felt he had to help him out. Financial help was not a problem for Kang Ning, but helping them like that could solve a temporary crisis, not a lifetime of trouble. The key was how to create a relatively favorable business environment for the young couple. Given their character and the culinary skills of the restaurant, as long as they could operate normally, achieving a moderately prosperous life would be an absolute certainty.

Seeing Kang Ning lost in thought, Luo Ming forced a smiling face and urged Kang Ning to drink. After clinking glasses, the two bottles of Xifeng liquor were bottomed out, and Luo Ming opened another bottle and poured it into Kang Ning's cup.

Seeing this, Kang Ning didn't stop him. Instead, he asked Luo Ming to fill the cup of Xiaofeng, who also had a high capacity for liquor. After drinking two cups, he indirectly probed Xiaofeng for information, skillfully inquiring about the name of Auntie Si's sworn brother and the grievances between them.

People in northern county towns had no habit of nightlife. By ten o'clock at night, there were hardly any people on the streets, and very few cars driving by.

There were no other guests in the restaurant besides Kang Ning. The head chef and several local waiters had already left. A drunken and bleary-eyed Luo Ming wanted to drink another bottle, but was politely declined by Kang Ning: "Stop drinking. I have a suggestion, though I don't know if it will be of any use to you."