Chapter 323 - 325: Tribute
An Ning came from the backyard, walked past the shelves, and stood in the doorway, flipping on the lightbulb by the entrance.
"One, two, three, four, five, six. Six people. Not very many. Is this everyone you’ve got?"
An Ning stood right in the middle of the doorway. Like a first-grader who had just learned to count, she pointed at each of them in a circle, seeming to think their numbers were a little low. Not quite enough.
Across from her, Du San looked up at An Ning on the steps and sneered.
"This is the person you got to handle things?"
"Mhm, it’s definitely a bit of overkill."
An Ning glanced at the smirking Du San, then at her watch. "Let’s just get to the point. Don’t waste my time."
Du San, who had a whole spiel prepared, was thrown for a loop. ’Don’t you people have any respect for a man’s profession?’
"Hmph—ahem—"
Du San cleared his throat and said with a sideways glare, "You’re planning to do business here, but you don’t know enough to pay respects to the local boss?"
"Five Counties isn’t by the sea. Where’s the pier?"
An Ning’s one sentence made Du San’s sideways glare snap forward.
"Are you for real, or are you just playing dumb?"
"The word ’dumb’ has never applied to us. If you have something to say, say it. Stop dawdling."
Looking at An Ning, who was acting even more arrogant than he was, Du San suddenly wasn’t sure who was supposed to be collecting the protection money.
This wasn’t how the scene was supposed to play out.
"We’re the ones who protect this territory. If you do business here, you have to pay tribute, understand?"
Du San held up three fingers. "This much every month."
"Thirty cents?"
"Bullshit! Three thousand!"
The moment he said "three thousand," even An Guoming, who was standing behind them, grimaced.
’That’s daylight robbery!’
In an era where having ten thousand yuan made you a king, three thousand was an insane amount.
Standing on the steps, An Ning gave Du San a bright smile and nodded. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely have it ready for you tomorrow. Just remember to pick an auspicious time to come get it."
’An auspicious time?’
Du San didn’t grasp the hidden meaning at first. But since she said she’d have it tomorrow, he figured no one would dare lie to him. Even if they said no initially, they’d have to agree in the end.
"Good, you know what’s best for you. We’ll be back tomorrow."
Du San led his gang of followers away with a great show of force.
In the surrounding residences, many people who had been peeking through the cracks in their doors to watch the commotion quietly disappeared.
It seemed Du San was indeed a tyrant in this area.
"Sis—"
"Don’t worry. Three thousand isn’t a lot. In fact, it’s a little too low."
"Maybe I should prepare a little more for them."
An Guoming’s face was a mask of confusion. ’Are we even talking about the same thing?’
Unfortunately, An Ning didn’t offer him any explanation.
Although An Guoming didn’t know what An Ning was planning, he was certain of one thing: she would never actually give them the money.
The brother and sister went back into the shop, closed the door, and called it a night.
Early the next morning, An Ning went out. No one knew where she went, but when she returned, she was carrying a large, bulging cloth bag.
An Ning set the bag aside and first had breakfast with An Guoming.
After breakfast, Liu Yiyi came over, and the busy day began.
Around ten in the morning, the shop’s employees and Liu Yiyi were all busy preparing for the grand opening tomorrow.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Someone was pounding on the closed main door.
An Ning, who had been waiting, pulled the door open with one hand and looked disapprovingly at the goon who had been knocking.
"I’m about to give you the money. Since you’re being paid for your services, shouldn’t you be a little more gentle?"
An Ning walked out, shaking her head, and said to Du San standing below, "Your service awareness is a bit lacking."
"You motherf—"
SLAP!
The slap stunned Du San.
He shook his head where he stood. ’Who? Who hit me?’
One of his underlings pointed toward An Ning.
Du San stared disbelievingly at An Ning, who was still on the steps. He touched a hand to his swelling cheek. The very real sting still made it hard to believe.
"You motherf—"
SLAP!
Another slap, this time on the other cheek. Now both sides were symmetrical.
This time, Du San saw it clearly. It was definitely An Ning.
She was so fast that by the time the pain registered on his face, she was already back on the steps.
"You son of a b—"
SLAP!
Another slap!
Du San was furious and about to curse again when an underling behind him tugged on his sleeve.
"Third Brother, I don’t think you’re supposed to say ’mother.’"
The rage that had just flared up in Du San was extinguished by his underling’s words.
"So someone finally gets it. If you want to talk, let’s talk properly. But don’t go cursing people’s parents. I don’t like to hear it."
An Ning looked innocently at her own palm. "When I hear things I don’t like, my hand just can’t control itself. It always wants to slap something."
An innocent expression, but the eyes of a lunatic.
Her gaze seemed to dare Du San to try it, to say it one more time and see if she was telling the truth.
Seeing her expression, an inexplicable chill ran through Du San’s heart. Combined with her uncanny speed that he couldn’t possibly dodge... ’Have I picked a fight with the wrong person?’
Du San’s mind raced. He cupped his fists at An Ning.
"I didn’t realize you were a trained martial artist. Our boss is a martial artist, too. May I ask which school you hail from?"
"I founded my own school. I’m the master."
An Ning’s answer left Du San speechless again.
His patience wore thin, and he let out a cold laugh.
"I know you’re not happy about this, but if you want to run this shop successfully, you’ll have a hard time unless you can stand guard here every single day."
"But if you pay the money, we’ll take care of all security issues. I guarantee no one will come to bother you."
An Ning, still with that innocent look, gazed at Du San and said, "I know. I’ve already prepared the money."
"Don’t get me wrong. I just really don’t like it when people mention parents."
An Ning picked up the bag she’d brought back this morning with one hand and set it on the ground.
The bulging bag made Du San’s expression turn strange.
Three thousand was a lot, but not enough to fill a whole bag. ’Is it all in pennies and dimes?’
Regardless, Du San gestured for one of his men to go check it and count the money.
An underling stepped forward, opened the bag, and froze.
"What’s wrong?"
"Third Brother... look."
The underling held the bag open, revealing stacks of paper money inside.
Yellowed, crumpled paper money—the cheapest kind you could find at a funeral supply store.
Du San’s eyes turned bloodshot. "Great! You dare to mess with us!"
"How is it? Is it enough? I even prepared a little extra for you."
An Ning crouched down, opened the bag, and held up a stack of the paper money for Du San to see.
"Didn’t you say you’re in charge of this territory? As far as I know, only the Land God has that kind of power. If you won’t accept money from the Heaven and Earth Bank, I can find you some proper offerings instead. You did say you wanted tribute, right?"
"So, what do you think? Should you write me a receipt first, or should I burn it for you before you write me one?"
"On second thought, you should write it first. What if your fate isn’t strong enough and you get burned away with it?"