A Big Deal

Near noon, just as Li Ye was in the thick of writing his novel, Old Liu Tou, the school gatekeeper, came to Retake Class One with a black face and told Li Ye that someone was looking for him outside.

Li Ye found it strange.

He had a grudge against Old Liu Tou. Why would the old man come all the way to the classroom to pass along a message for him?

Li Dayong immediately became wary. "Brother, could this old bastard be nursing a grudge and have people lying in ambush outside to teach you a lesson?"

Li Ye snorted. "What nonsense are you thinking? You think this is Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Though if it really were, that'd be just fine."

Li Ye gathered up his novel manuscript and handed it to Wen Leyu.

"Keep this safe for me. Don't let anyone read it!"

"Alright. Don't worry."

Wen Leyu accepted it with a solemn expression, as if she had just taken on some heroic mission.

When Li Dayong saw the stack of letter paper in Li Ye's hands, his heart skipped a beat. His expression darkened as he stared hard at it.

Of course, he would never have imagined that Li Ye was writing a novel. He could only assume Li Ye had been writing letters.

Writing to whom?

Other than that woman who made his teeth itch with hatred, Li Ye had never written letters to anyone else.

Brother, hadn't you sworn up and down a few days ago that you'd cut things off with that scourge? Why were you getting tangled up with her again... What rotten luck for eight lifetimes. A good horse doesn't graze on old grass...

When Wen Leyu saw Li Dayong staring fixedly at the letter paper in her hands, her eyes immediately widened too.

"What are you looking at?"

"..."

Faced with the fierce Little Mute, Li Dayong had no temper at all.

Lately, he had watched Li Ye and Wen Leyu acting all lovey-dovey with his own two eyes.

Even if there was only the slightest possibility that Wen Leyu might get involved with Li Ye, Li Dayong would not argue with her over a few stubborn words.

He had learned Li Ye's foul habit of protecting his own people the hard way.

So Li Dayong turned to Fu Yingjie and unleashed the skill Damage Transfer.

"What are you looking at? I'm talking about you. You're still looking? Nobody gets to look!"

"..."

The bewildered Fu Yingjie opened his mouth, then ultimately accepted this unearned disaster with helpless resignation.

Li Ye got up and headed outside. By now, he had more or less guessed that Hao Jian and the others had returned from the provincial capital, only they had come back a little earlier than expected.

Li Dayong followed Li Ye out as well. He was still uneasy. What if Old Liu Tou was courting death by taking revenge for what had happened that day?

But when he and Li Ye reached the school gate, they saw no hoodlums or thugs. Instead, they saw their fellow disciples Jin Peng, Hao Jian, and Wang Jianqiang.

"Brother Peng, what are you doing here?"

"I came to find you and Li Ye!"

Jin Peng was smoking. He spat on the ground and said, "What's with that old bastard at the gate? I said I wanted to go in and find you two, and damn it, his nose wasn't a nose and his eyes weren't eyes.

He wouldn't let me in. Fine, I didn't go in. I just had him obediently call you out for your grandpa here."

Li Ye and Li Dayong exchanged a glance, then both turned toward the gatehouse.

Old Liu Tou had his back to them and refused to look their way, but the big footprint on the back of his cotton-padded jacket told the brothers everything.

How could the two of them not know Jin Peng's character?

Even the street punks walked around him. If his old mother had not kept such a tight rein on him, he would have long since ruled the county town like a king and landed himself in jail.

Old Liu Tou must have failed to recognize who he was dealing with and gotten hammered by Jin Peng. That was why he had gone to Retake Class One to call Li Ye while holding back his anger.

What did putting on a brave front mean?

This was it.

You could bully schoolchildren until they howled, but when it came to an outside bully, why didn't you bark a few times?

Li Ye did not tell Jin Peng about what had happened that day. If he did, it would probably cause another whole heap of trouble.

The five of them went to the mutton soup shop a few hundred meters away. In the dead of winter, each of them hugged a bowl of mutton soup and slurped away. The warmth was blissful.

Li Ye asked Hao Jian, "Why did you come back at noon today? That fast?"

Hao Jian glanced at Li Dayong but said nothing.

Li Ye said, "He's one of us. His mouth is tight. Go ahead and tell us."

Only then did Hao Jian say, "We didn't expect it to be so early either. We had only visited two places when we sold all the malt candy. With no stock left, we figured we should hurry back and boil more sugar. The other families we made appointments with are still waiting!"

Li Ye was somewhat surprised. "It went that smoothly? Did they think our candy was good quality, or was our price low?"

Whenever something unexpected happened, one had to analyze the reasons. It was a habit Li Ye had formed in his previous life.

Hao Jian shook his head. "Neither. Some of their relatives and friends joined in too. Each person wanted ten or eight jin, hoping to test the waters as well."

Li Ye understood.

People these days were timid. Whenever they wanted to do something, they liked to band together, using the thought that the law could not punish everyone to bolster their courage.

That was good news for Li Ye. Every extra person meant another retail outlet and another potential prospect. There would always be a few who blazed a trail, gradually forming an end market.

But Hao Jian went on, "Still... it wasn't completely smooth. When we traded with the second family, they tried to use their numbers to force down the price and buy on credit. But these two brothers settled them."

Li Ye was startled. This was no small matter. A powerful dragon could not crush a local snake. If the other side harbored bad intentions, they had to cut off all ties early. Otherwise, they would fail at everything and ruin whatever they touched.

"Tell me. What trouble did you stir up?"

"No trouble at all."

Seeing Li Ye's serious expression, Jin Peng hurriedly said, "They had only just shown a hint of it before I even had time to speak. Qiangzi smacked two bricks against his own forehead—bang, bang—and scared them stupid on the spot."

"..."

Li Ye was dumbfounded too. He had thought bringing Wang Jianqiang along was just giving him a free meal, but who would have thought this simpleton had such a use?

Seeing Li Ye somewhat stunned, Jin Peng raised a hand and took off Wang Jianqiang's cotton cap, revealing a patch of bruising on his forehead.

Wang Jianqiang, who had been slurping mutton soup, looked up at Li Ye and gave him a foolish, simple smile.

But Li Ye's sharp eyes clearly caught the flicker of panic in his gaze.

The kid... was afraid Li Ye would scold him and stop letting him come along.

Li Ye pressed his lips together and quietly instructed him, "Qiangzi, if something like this happens again, watch Jin Peng's cues. Even if you have to smash yourself, once is about enough. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Brother. Hehehehe, it didn't hurt. Hehehehe."

Wang Jianqiang truly felt that it did not hurt. When his old mother, older brother, and younger brother despised him for wasting grain at mealtimes, that was when it really hurt.

"How could that not hurt? But Brother Qiangzi's two brick-smashes were worth it. Jin Peng and I took a close look—none of those people were tough nuts. They won't be able to stir up any waves."

Hao Jian was a shrewd one. Seeing that Li Ye cared about Wang Jianqiang, he immediately began praising him without making it obvious.

Of course, what had happened today also made him realize that he truly could not make his way through the provincial capital alone. Having these two to back him up counted as having someone to watch his back.

With someone like Hao Jian livening up the mood, the table soon grew animated. The group ate and drank, and the atmosphere was boisterous.

But gradually, Li Ye noticed that something was off with Li Dayong's mood.

The look in his childhood friend's eyes seemed full of resentment.

Li Ye asked, "Dayong, what kind of look is that?"

Li Dayong lowered his head. "Brother, you all went to the provincial capital together. Why didn't you bring me along? Do you think I'm useless or something?"

Only then did Li Dayong understand, after hearing Jin Peng and Hao Jian speak with such excitement.

At first, he had only thought Jin Peng and the others had gone to the provincial capital, made some money, and come to treat him and Li Ye to a good meal.

But now that he looked at it, these people had actually gone into business together. And it was a "big deal" worth several yuan at a time, yet they alone had left him out.

He thought to himself that, no matter what, his relationship with Li Ye should not have led to him being left out, should it?