Lucky Mutual Aid Society (11)

After being chewed out by the supervisor like a quail at Shanwai Lou, Inuyama Heita was finally released. As soon as he stepped onto the street, his dejected expression turned to calm. Inuyama Heita took out his phone, dialed a number, and put it to his ear.

"Hello? Mr. Qian, it's me, Inuyama Heita. Just like you said, real trouble has come knocking..." Inuyama Heita glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, and walked towards the station while on the phone.

The voice on the other end was a bit noisy. Qian Xiaoyi seemed to be in a crowded place. He wasn't surprised at all after hearing Inuyama Heita's report. Instead, he sighed, "That guy is really impatient... So what kind of 'bad luck' have you encountered this time?"

"Before, two customers ordered a soup at the restaurant," Inuyama Heita said. "Soups in Chinese cuisine are very hot. I was very careful carrying it on the plate. Just as I was about to serve them, they were still chatting. One of them, as if he didn't notice, gestured wildly while getting excited in conversation. Then the pot of soup was knocked over, splashing onto his arm and scalding a large area. But after I brought the ice water and burn cream, they refused to let us handle it. They said they didn't trust our 'black shop' and insisted on waiting for an ambulance."

"Haha, that's normal, normal," Qian Xiaoyi chuckled. "It seems the scalded area wasn't that large. If it had been treated there, nothing would have happened by the time they got to the hospital, right? How could they extort money then~ What happened next?"

Inuyama Heita reported, "Because it wasn't treated promptly, that guy's arm developed severe blisters, which looked very frightening. After being sent to the hospital, he spent a lot of money on treatment. I was severely scolded by the supervisor, who said they would deduct all my attendance bonuses." As he said this, a hint of frustration crept into Inuyama Heita's tone.

"Eh? You even get bonuses for a part-time job? That's great treatment, it makes me want to go work there too~ Oh, right, what about those two people who were scalded? Have they contacted you?" Qian Xiaoyi asked.

"Yes, they've contacted me," Inuyama Heita replied. "They just called through the restaurant's phone, specifically asking to speak with me and demanding compensation for medical expenses. Mr. Li (the supervisor) watched the surveillance footage and told me not to pay them any mind and to let him handle it if anything came up. He said he knows some people and would have them deal with it."

"Ahaha~ Your supervisor really looks out for you, doesn't he? It's a shame you can't actually go to him for this," Qian Xiaoyi said with a laugh. "So, didn't I tell you you'd have bad luck these few days? That guy Matsui seems really anxious, sending people to cause trouble so quickly."

The explanation for this was simple. Qian Xiaoyi had already anticipated that someone would come to extort Inuyama Heita. When Inuyama Heita was desperate for money, he would naturally think of someone: Matsui from the Lucky Mutual Aid Society. Qian Xiaoyi couldn't help but wonder if that guy had read "Water Margin" and learned the strategy of luring people onto Liangshan Mountain.

Inuyama Heita gave a wry smile. "Yeah... If you hadn't warned me, I might have actually been scared by those two and foolishly gone to him for help. So, what should I do now? Should I contact Matsui directly and ask him for help?"

"No rush," Qian Xiaoyi said. "Since it's an act, it should be more convincing~ Those two thugs will probably come to find you in person tomorrow. Wait until they've approached you, then go contact Matsui. That way, your actions will seem more natural."

Suddenly, another man's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hey! Little Brother Qian, still talking about work? Come over for a drink, everyone's waiting for you."

"Coming right up!" Qian Xiaoyi replied, then said to Inuyama Heita, "I have a social engagement here, so I'm hanging up now. Contact me again if anything comes up. Bye-bye~"

"Mr. Qian..."

The call was disconnected. Inuyama Heita was a bit speechless. While he was dealing with the thugs sent by Matsui (presumably) and being thoroughly scolded by the supervisor in public, Qian Xiaoyi was out drinking and having fun at some izakaya. It really didn't make him feel happy.

So, the next day, with his mind prepared, Inuyama Heita was caught by the two thugs as soon as he left the school gates. One of them had an exaggeratedly bandaged arm, and the other had a fierce look on his face. They blocked Inuyama Heita in the middle of the road. Passersby saw them and quickly detoured, not paying any attention to their messy business.

"Hey, kid," the thug with the bandaged arm said menacingly. "You don't think you're getting away with scalding my hand, do you?"

"That pot of soup was really hot. My friend couldn't sleep at night from the pain at home," the other person said. "There might even be serious scars left later. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

Inuyama Heita really wanted to say that the scars were left because you didn't let the restaurant handle it beforehand, causing the wound to worsen! However, he knew they were deliberately looking for trouble, so he pretended to be scared and said, "But... regarding the medical expenses, didn't Shanwai Lou already cover them? The supervisor there said he would be responsible for the compensation. You should go find them."

"What are you talking about, kid! It was clearly your fault, don't act like a victim!" the other person yelled. He noticed someone nearby preparing to film with their phone, so he glared at that person, quickly put his arm around Inuyama Heita's shoulder, and forcibly dragged him into a nearby alley to continue their conversation.

"Hey, kid, you scalded me, so of course I'm looking for you," the scalded thug pulled up a corner of the oily bandage on his arm, revealing the disgusting wound underneath, and said, "See? This is the wound you caused. Don't you feel sorry at all?"

The other person then said sinisterly, "Mr. Inuyama Heita, you wouldn't want your school to know about this, would you? Even if it wasn't intentional, if we make a scene outside your school, you can imagine what will happen, right?"

Inuyama Heita remained silent. He could figure out the consequences of what they were saying with his toes. If the matter escalated, in order to protect the school's reputation, the school would not side with him, a poor student with no background. Even if he was not at fault, the school would not favor him, only blame him for causing trouble.

Even if the school didn't aid the evildoers and instead chose to call the police and then handle it coldly, there was still the problem of rumors spreading. Regardless of the truth, students at the school often leaned towards the more sensational version, such as Inuyama Heita intentionally attacking someone with boiling water. Such rumors were often the beginning of bullying, starting with cold ostracism and later being bullied by other gangs, eventually being seen as a delinquent student by the entire school...

If only Mr. Qian had warned me beforehand... Inuyama Heita thought to himself. Otherwise, I really would have had no choice but to seek help from Matsui.