"Did you find those two pretty boys?"
"No, boss. They're not here."
"Not here either."
"Nothing on the east side of the ward, either..."
As his underlings reported back one by one, the burly leader's face grew ever more livid. In the end, all he could do was pound the earthen wall, venting his pent-up fury. He spat a thick glob of yellowish phlegm at the base of the wall and snarled, "Fall back. We'll catch them next time!"
One of his underlings chimed in with a flattering grin. "Exactly! Xiaocheng is our turf. There's no way they'll get away!"
The leader's expression softened a little. "You've all worked hard coming out here. Drinks are on me tonight."
The other thugs brightened at the good news.
Business was bad for the merchants, and things weren't much better for thugs like them, who made a living squeezing shopkeepers. They could barely collect any "stall taxes." In the past, they could at least scrounge up some snacks to go with their wine, but now their mouths were so parched they could sprout birds. How could they not be happy when someone offered to treat them?
Speaking of wine, one quick-witted thug brought over two familiar round-bellied wine jars. They were the very ones that had been on Shen Tang's stall before it was overturned.
The leader asked, "You didn't smash them all?"
The underling replied smartly, "Nope. I grabbed two in the confusion."
Even the cheap rice wine sold on the street wasn't something they could drink whenever they wanted, so smashing it all would've been a waste. Hoping to get something for himself, he'd secretly snatched two jars before overturning the stall. Now he was bringing them out to curry favor with the boss and make sure he stood out.
Maybe