Chapter 236 - 151: We Brothers Know a Thing or Two About Fighting, Too
"If you think you can beat us, we’ve got two brothers in the army and another one practicing martial arts on Mount Emei. We can call them all back to have a ’practice session’ with you if you want."
The three Li brothers immediately fell silent, ducking their heads.
"I’m sorry, I was being reckless just now." Li Hua backed down in a second, apologizing sincerely to Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. ’For this kind of thing, you really need someone like Jie to handle it.’
He, in the end, just lacked that kind of rough edge.
"Wrong. You and your wife should be apologizing to Lai Fu," Zhou Yan said, reaching out to pull Lai Fu in front of him and placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
Li Hua hesitated for a moment but still pulled Wu Jiali over to bow their heads and apologize to Lai Fu.
Lai Fu was a little flustered, but with Zhou Yan standing behind him and a warm, strong hand on his shoulder, he managed to stand up straight.
"This little brother of mine is an honest kid, just trying to sell some tofu here. I hope all you uncles and brothers won’t give him a hard time." Zhou Jie raised his voice, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of customers and other stall owners. "We don’t have much at home, but we’ve got a lot of brothers, and we never back down."
Everywhere his gaze landed, people nodded.
They weren’t scared; instead, they were a little envious of this kind of brotherly bond.
Everyone already pitied the little mute boy and loathed the three Li brothers. Now, seeing them get their comeuppance, they found it immensely satisfying.
DRING!
As they spoke, another series of bells rang out.
Seven or eight bicycles arrived at once, carrying a dozen or so sturdy men.
"Jie? Who’re we fightin’?" one of them asked as soon as he jumped off his bike.
The others also parked their bikes, swarming around them.
The three Li brothers huddled together, trembling.
’We’re just three tofu makers. Was it really necessary to bring so many people?’
"It’s nothing, it’s all settled. Go on back. I’ll buy you all a drink in a couple of days." Zhou Jie waved his hand. "Don’t block the road."
"Got it." The men greeted Zhou Yan and the others, shot another look at the three Li brothers, then got on their bikes and left.
They were all young men from Zhou Village. One call and they came immediately.
Watching this scene, Zhou Yan felt a bit dazed. It was the first time he had felt the unity of the Zhou Village people so tangibly.
The three Li brothers breathed a sigh of relief. Not daring to linger, they packed up their tofu and small table and scurried away with their tails between their legs.
The crowd dispersed along with them.
Zhou Miao and Zhang the Third walked toward the meat stall.
Zhang the Third said with a touch of emotion, "Back when I was young, Zhou Village was just as united. That’s why no one outside dared to mess with you. Not like those good-for-nothings from my village who only know how to fight amongst themselves. The second they leave the village, they’re all cowards hiding in their shells."
"Thanks, Zhang the Third." Zhou Miao glanced at the pig-butchering knife in his hand.
"Oh, whoops. I left in such a hurry I forgot to put my knife down," Zhang the Third chuckled and scratched his head.
Zhou Hai and the others pushed their bicycles to the side.
Zhou Yan helped Lai Fu set his tofu stall back up in yesterday’s spot, then stood the new sign up next to it.
A smile returned to Lai Fu’s face. He bowed to Zhou Yan, Zhou Jie, and the others.
"This kid is so well-behaved and sensible. He’s the same age as Huihui. The last time I saw him, he was only eight. In the blink of an eye, he’s gotten so big," Zhou Fei said, his eyes filled with a mix of pity and compassion.
"I made you a new sign. Take it home on your back when you leave. Tomorrow, tie it to your basket with a rope and carry it back," Zhou Yan wrote on a piece of paper for Lai Fu to read.
Lai Fu finished reading, nodded, then took the pen and paper and wrote two words before looking up at him with a smile.
Thank you.
Zhou Yan reached out and ruffled his hair, smiling. "You’re welcome."
"West Bank Tofu? Isn’t that from the family of that Tofu Beauty from before?"
"I haven’t seen that lady out selling tofu for a couple of years now, have I? Her family’s tofu is delicious."
As soon as the sign was up, customers immediately came over to buy tofu, many of them other vendors and farmers from nearby stalls.
West Bank Tofu had a great reputation. Mrs. Sun had sold tofu for decades and built up a good name, so the sign attracted a lot of customers.
Lai Fu immediately got busy cutting tofu, weighing it, and handling the money and change.
Zhou Yan bought all four of the squashed cabbages from the neighboring vendor, plus the two remaining ones, and tossed them into the basket on the back of Zhou Jie’s bike. "Take these back for Grandma to feed the pigs."
"Let’s go, we don’t want to get in the way of his business," Zhou Yan said with a smile. Zhou Jie and the others pushed their bikes and followed him.
"If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back to the docks to haul sacks. The foreman will chew me out if I’m late," Zhou Hongwei called out, then hopped on his bike and took off.
Zhou Jie said to Zhou Hai, "Zhou Hai, you should head back too and watch the fire. I’m afraid your sister-in-law can’t manage it on her own."
"Got it. Zhou Yan, I’m heading out," Zhou Hai nodded, getting on his bike and leaving as well.
"Jie, how did you guys get here so fast?" Zhou Yan finally had a chance to ask.
"Fourth Uncle had someone let us know. Zhou Hai and I jumped on our bikes and came right away. We passed the docks and called for Hongwei, too. For the other guys, we just shouted once and they all told each other, so they were a few minutes behind," Zhou Jie said with a laugh. "When a brother’s in trouble, you have to be fast, or what’s the point?"
"My old man?" Zhou Yan had just spotted Comrade Zhou in the crowd, with Zhang the Third and his pig-butchering knife right beside him.
"The older generation usually doesn’t step in for the younger generation’s problems," Zhou Jie explained. "Besides, I was planning to come find you today anyway."
"What for? How’s the Kneeling Beef business been lately?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at him.
"It’s selling great. We’re doing over eighty bowls a day now. Once the weather gets colder, I bet we could easily sell over a hundred," Zhou Jie said with a wide grin. "Zhou Hai and I are making more than before, and it’s not even as tiring."