The next morning, the sky was blue and the clouds were white.
The people of the city began a new day with hope. Along the streets, vendors called out their wares, while others cheerfully greeted their friends. Life was rich with color.
The marketplace was where the common folk made their living. Some sold flatbreads, pears, vegetables, and all sorts of other things.
It was always crowded.
But wherever there was a crowd, oppression and unspoken rules were sure to follow.
Jin Biao was the living embodiment of both. As usual, he swaggered into the marketplace with two underlings, tossing his head and swinging his arms.
When the surrounding vendors saw him, they lowered their heads and dared not meet his eyes. Some even forced themselves to wear ingratiating smiles.
"Brother Biao, what are we eating today?" asked an underling with a plaster stuck to his head. He sounded deferential, but there was always something sleazy about him.
Jin Biao grinned and casually snatched a pear from a nearby stall, taking a huge bite. The vendor wouldn't dare ask him to pay. He hurriedly picked up two more pears and handed them to Jin Biao's underlings.
Jin Biao said nothing, but nodded in satisfaction.
Good.
At least you've got some sense.
Any vendor here who dared slight him would have his stall overturned at best, or get beaten so badly he couldn't get out of bed at worst.
Another underling said, "Come on, our Brother Biao only eats the best. Remember that woman who paid us protection money yesterday? She said she wanted to set up a stall in the marketplace. I bet Brother Biao's going to pay her a visit and get her under his thumb. Give her a good going-over."
The plaster-headed underling suddenly understood. He thought of that woman. She had a certain something about her. Married women seemed to acquire a special scent, and that big backside of hers, and... Ah, just thinking about it made his mouth go dry.
"Let's go take a look." Jin Biao couldn't wait and quickened his pace.
As a local thug, he spent every day throwing his weight around in the marketplace and collecting protection money. Life couldn't have been sweeter.
They hadn't even seen the woman yet when they heard her calling out.
"Flatbreads for sale! Two coins each!"
The moment he heard that lovely voice, Jin Biao shivered from head to toe. He felt wonderfully at ease, and even his long-tested manhood seemed to stir.
Madam Li called out her wares with all her might. Her husband was ill, and with the pillar of the household fallen, she had to return to her old trade and sell flatbreads to support her family and pay for his treatment.
"Miss, how much are these?"
"Two coins each, or three for five."
Hearing that someone wanted to buy flatbreads, Madam Li hurriedly looked up to serve him. But when she saw who it was, fear appeared in her eyes. How could she not know who these men were?
They were notorious local thugs, and rotten to the core.
"Master Biao, let me give you a few." Madam Li quickly packed up some flatbreads and offered them to him.
Jin Biao grinned and reached out to take them. But instead of the flatbreads, he grabbed Madam Li's hand. Startled, she stumbled back and pulled away, both embarrassed and angry. "Master Biao, please show some respect."
Jin Biao laughed and sniffed his hand lewdly, looking utterly satisfied. "So fragrant. Your hand smells so good. What a lovely scent."
Madam Li was utterly despairing after being treated so brazenly.
The surrounding vendors were just as furious. Some clenched their fists, but none dared fight back. They were ordinary people struggling to make a living. What chance did they have against these thugs?
Were they supposed to give up their homes?
Stop living?
Besides, there was nothing these thugs wouldn't do.
Setting fire to homes in the dead of night was commonplace. Countless people had been burned alive, and even the authorities' investigations always concluded that the fires had been accidental.
Who would believe that?
These thugs all had connections to the Security Bureau.
An elderly man at the stall beside Madam Li's tried to appease Jin Biao. "Master Biao, she's just set up her stall and doesn't know how things work. Please be the bigger man and don't hold it against her."
Jin Biao frowned. Before he could say a word, the plaster-headed underling stepped in and slapped the old man to the ground. He cursed, "You old fool, what's it got to do with you? Get lost, or I'll beat you to death, you filthy old beast!"
The old man lay on the ground, groaning.
Madam Li hurried over to check on him and ask if he was all right. Then she glared at the men. "How can you hit someone?"
"Ooh, you look so pretty when you're angry, miss. It makes my heart go soft. Come on, come feel Brother Biao's heart and see how fast it's beating."
Jin Biao's brazen behavior made the people around him grind their teeth in anger.
But they could do nothing. They were powerless.
"What are you doing, Jin Biao?" Just then, two constables came strolling over, one holding soy milk and the other a flatbread. They looked as if they were patrolling, but they had really just come to sort out breakfast.
They came here to eat and drink for free.
Madam Li felt as if hope had finally arrived.
But the people knew better by now. The constables were no use.
Jin Biao saw them and immediately beamed. "Brother Huang, Brother Zhang, what brings you here?"
"We're just checking things out. No trouble, right?" Officer Huang asked.
"No, none at all. I, Jin Biao, am a law-abiding citizen. How could I do such a thing?" Jin Biao was a master at lying through his teeth.
"Good. That's what we like to hear." Officer Huang exchanged a knowing look with his colleague. They nodded in unspoken agreement, offered a few words of warning, and prepared to leave the marketplace.
But just as they were about to go, Madam Li cried out in distress, "Sirs, he molested me and hit someone!"
The two constables stopped.
"Is that so?"
They turned to Jin Biao. "Did you do those things?"
Jin Biao quickly waved his hands. "No, absolutely not. Ask anyone around here. If anybody testifies, I, Jin Biao, will have a little talk with them."
He put heavy emphasis on the words "a little talk."
The two constables looked at the vendors, waiting to see if anyone would step forward and testify.
Madam Li hoped someone would speak up.
But reality was cruel. The vendors all lowered their heads. Nobody dared to stick their neck out. They knew that even if they testified, it would be useless. The whole lot of them were in cahoots.
Jin Biao was close with the constables and often gave them gifts.
There was no way those constables would stand up for ordinary people like them.
The two constables turned to Madam Li. "There's no proof. You can't make a false accusation. But you're a woman, so we'll let it go this time."
They turned and left.
Madam Li slumped helplessly to the ground, her face filled with despair. There was no justice. There really was no justice. Everyone knew Jin Biao was a thug, yet no one would do a thing about it.
Seeing the two constables leave, Jin Biao smiled and shot a warning look at the surrounding vendors. Then he turned to Madam Li.
"Ooh, miss, why are you sitting on the ground? It's cold down there. Come on, let Brother Biao have a good look at you."
As he spoke, he reached out to touch her, wanting to pull her into his arms.
Smack!
Just then, he felt a hand settle on his shoulder, and heard a voice by his ear.
"You want to have a good look at me?"
Jin Biao frowned, rather displeased. Who was so audacious as to speak to him, Jin Biao, like that? He turned around. He didn't recognize the man, but he recognized the clothes he was wearing.
"Brother, who are you?"
"I'm on familiar terms with Brother Huang and Brother Zhang. They just left."
Before Lin Fan could speak, Wu Yong flew into a rage and swung his hand, slapping Jin Biao hard across the face.
"Have you gone blind, you dog? You don't even recognize Master Lin? Where'd a nobody like you come from, daring to bully the people here? Do you think Master Lin isn't worth a damn?"
Before you continue