Daijiayao, Xicheng District.
The line to buy steamed buns stretched out onto the street. Second grandma, a neighbor, came over to help maintain order. Luo Bei was practically flying, his feet barely touching the ground. Luckily, there weren’t many buns, and they only sold them for two hours a day; otherwise, Dai Yao would have been completely overwhelmed.
The people queuing to buy steamed buns were also whispering among themselves. The glamorous middle-aged woman was a regular customer of the steamed bun shop, and she kept shouting in a loud voice: “Oh my, if you ask me, our little boss’ steamed buns are really the best in this area. No, they are the best in the world! Me, sister Lan has eaten so many steamed buns, but she has never eaten such delicious ones.”
Dai Yao was a little embarrassed and said, “Aunt Lan, please don’t joke around. It’s not as delicious as you say.”
Sister Lan stepped forward to pinch Dai Yao’s cheek, but Dai Yao dodged it with a quick step. Sister Lan clicked her tongue twice and said, “This child, still shy. Aunt Lan has many pretty young ladies over there, do you want to go play with them?”
Dai Yao was so frightened that his tongue almost tied itself in knots, and he said, “Aunt Lan…you…don’t joke around.”
Sister Lan laughed heartily and said, “Why do I like you so much, kid? Hahahaha!” Although Sister Lan had a distinctly worldly air about her, she had a very cheerful personality. She was said to be the owner of a KTV bar in the east of the village. Dai Yao initially thought she worked at a hair salon; that KTV bar had many part-time hostesses. While they weren’t necessarily clean, at least they seemed legitimate on the surface.
Just as Sister Lan bought some steamed buns and was about to leave, she heard a sarcastic voice from the side: “Oh? Isn’t this Sister Lan? Here to buy steamed buns? Sister Lan, didn’t you say my steamed buns were delicious a couple of days ago? Why have you changed them today? You really are a promiscuous woman!”
Upon hearing this, Dai Yao’s brows furrowed instantly. He looked up at the newcomer and said, “What do you mean? How dare you speak like that?” In that instant, Dai Yao saw a dozen or so menacing-looking young men walking towards him. The leader, with dyed blond hair, seemed to be a worker at the steamed bun shop in the east village. Dai Yao’s family belonged to the west village; although both villages were under the jurisdiction of Daijiayao, they were from the same clan but different lineages. However, the people from the two villages had always gotten along well. This man looked unfamiliar; was he perhaps a tenant here?
The man arrogantly introduced himself and swaggered up to Dai Yao, saying, “My name is Zhou Wang, from Tangjialing next door. I’ve been selling steamed buns in your Daijiayao for several years. These past few days, I’ve noticed fewer and fewer customers. So, they’ve all come to you? Your steamed buns are praised to be the best in the world, are they made with Tang monk’s flesh[footnote]Raw 唐僧肉(Tángsēng ròu); The term “Tang Monk’s flesh” originates from the classic novel *Journey to the West*, referring to Tang Monk, the ten-time incarnation of Jin Chanzi, whose flesh is said to grant immortality and is coveted by demons and monsters. In modern usage, it signifies: something extremely tempting but difficult to obtain; a rare resource or benefit that is sought after by many and easily seized.[/footnote]?” Anyone with eyes could see that this man was causing trouble because someone had stolen his business.
Seeing that trouble was brewing, Sister Lan immediately stepped forward to stop him, saying, “Hey, young boss, Aunt Lan is used to being scolded, so don’t stand up for me. Have you sold out of steamed buns? If you have, hurry up and close up your shop!”
Dai Yao said, “Aunt Lan, I’m not standing up for you. He’s clearly targeting me. Even if I wanted to close up shop now, they probably wouldn’t let me. Besides, I still have about a hundred steamed buns left to sell. If I close up now, they’ll spoil tomorrow.”
The young man with dyed yellow hair said, “You can run away, but you can’t hide. This isn’t going to end here! Guys, what are you waiting for? Smash it! I’ll pay for it! Let’s see if he still dares to be so arrogant!”
Dai Yao: ……
A fight broke out over a mere disagreement; it was utterly disastrous. Dai Yao frowned as he watched the thugs raise their hands to smash his stall. He wanted to call for help, but it was too late. These items, while not particularly valuable, were still included in the cost price. He had just been recovering the cost, and now these thugs were going to destroy them?
Taking advantage of his short stature, Luo Bei crawled over and whispered to Dai Yao, “What should we do, eldest cousin?”
Dai Yao lowered his voice and said, “What else can we do? Call the police!”
The clanging and banging sounds could already be heard outside; they had started smashing things. Dai Yao was exasperated. Had these people forgotten that they live in a society governed by law? He quietly covered his stomach, not daring to go any closer. Xiao Tangbao was still in his belly; it wouldn’t be good if he got hurt.
Luo Bei called the police, but while the demolition was underway in Daijiayao, there was a disturbance in the shantytown. Some people had dug several large pits in the road and built wooden plank bridges. This road happened to be the route from the police station to Daijiayao; it was manageable for people to walk, but police cars couldn’t get through and had to take a long detour. By the time they arrived, everything would have been smashed.
Dai Yao felt a pang of panic. He wasn’t afraid of the things being smashed; he was afraid these people would come and beat him up. He didn’t mind taking a few beatings himself, but what if Xiao Tangbao got hurt? Dai Yao was frantic. Just as he was about to hide in the backyard, a discreet black sedan pulled up in front of the steamed bun shop. As soon as the car came to a stop, a lithe figure in casual clothes jumped out. Before anyone could even see the person’s face clearly, a flurry of punches and kicks ensued, and the group of thugs who had been causing the disturbance lay sprawled on the ground.
After finishing his punch, the man stretched his joints and cracked them. He turned around and said, “It’s been a long time since I stretched my joints. It’s a pity they’re all a bit too soft.”
Dai Yao stared in disbelief. He looked down and pulled Luo Bei up, one hand instinctively clutching his stomach, the other pointing outside, and said, “What…what just happened?”
Luo Bei rubbed his eyes and said, “How…how can he be faster than me?”
Just then, police sirens sounded in the distance; the police had finally arrived. A group of people arrived at the same time. This group were the real owners of the Dongcun steamed bun shop, while the young waiter was just an assistant. He had volunteered to stand up for his cousin, which resulted in this whole mess.
The police took everyone to the police station, took their statements, fined those who should be fined, and detained those who should be detained. Although Bai Chuan stopped the thugs from causing trouble, he had also participated in the brawl, so he was also brought in.
Guo Yao was impressed. His boss had probably been out of action for a while; look how he had given that group of thugs, big and small, a good beating. Not only were they bruised and battered, but two of them had broken bones. One had been kicked in the shin, resulting in a comminuted fracture.
Even the police were impressed. What kind of kicking power was that? One kick could cause a comminuted fracture!
Guo Yao was making a phone call outside the police station. He never imagined he’d be rescuing his own boss from the station. Soon, the police chief personally escorted Bai Chuan out. The chief said apologetically, “I’m truly sorry for causing you such trouble, Mr. Bai. I will definitely punish those thugs severely. However, neither side is in the right; one is causing trouble, and the other is operating without a license.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Chuan asked, “Operating without a license? What… will that have any consequences?”
The bureau chief said, “Such things are quite common in Daijiayao. If the people don’t complain, the officials won’t investigate. But today things have escalated to this point, so we can’t let it go unpunished. We will order him to rectify the situation as soon as possible and temporarily close the steamed bun shop.”
Temporarily shut down? Bai Chuan frowned. As far as he knew, this steamed bun shop was Xiao Daiyao’s only source of income. If he shut it down…
Bai Chuan thought for a moment and said to the director, “Director, I’ll have my brother apply for a new business license as soon as possible. Could we not shut it down yet? Oh, I know someone who can help him get it done quickly and efficiently. Within three days, they will definitely be certified and on duty. You see…
The bureau chief smiled and waved his hand, saying, “This kind of issue doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction; it’s handled by the department responsible for industrial and commercial administration. We’ll put this matter on hold for now. Mr. Bai, please get your…brother to get the business license processed as soon as possible!”
Bai Chuan nodded and said, “Okay, thank you for the reminder, Director.”
As soon as Guo Yao saw his boss come out, he immediately went up to him and said, “If you hadn’t come out, I would have called the Old Master.”
Bai Chuan slapped him on the back of the head and said, “Why are you calling him?”
Guo Yao muttered, “You may have had your fun rescuing the damsel in distress, but if it delays important business and the Old Master asks about it, I’ll be the one who suffers.”
Bai Chuan, too lazy to argue with him, said, “Where is he?”
Guo Yao asked, “Who?”
Bai Chuan said, “What do you think?”
Guo Yao suddenly realized and said, “You mean Dai Yao? He hasn’t come out yet. He’s a party involved and also the victim, so he’ll probably have to wait a while.”
Bai Chuan nodded and said, “Oh, then let’s wait at the entrance of the steamed bun shop!”
Guo Yao: “??? No, boss, it’s almost nine o’clock, we should go to work!”
Bai Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I have something to discuss with Dai Yao.” It was about the business license.
Guo Yao: …No, you’re going to confess so soon?
At this moment, Dai Yao walked out of the police station with Luo Bei. Dai Yao wasn’t injured, but he looked unwell, probably because he had just been frightened. He was carrying a plastic bag, which likely contained a few steamed buns. As soon as he saw Bai Chuan, he immediately ran over, held the bag in front of him, and said, “Sir, thank you so much! I brought you some steamed buns especially, please try them, my family’s steamed buns are very delicious!”
Bai Chuan frowned, took the steamed bun, and said, “Dai Yao?”
Dai Yao said, “It’s me, I am Dai Yao! Sir, you have helped me a lot today. If it weren’t for you, we might have suffered great losses.”
Bai Chuan looked back at Guo Yao, his face full of confusion. Guo Yao was equally puzzled. Had they gone in the wrong direction again? That… was unlikely, wasn’t it? Had they gotten two wrong Dai Yaos in a row?
Dai Yao, still full of gratitude, said, “Would you two like to come to my house for a while? I… I’m a decent cook, I can cook a couple of dishes for you gentlemen to try?”
Bai Chuan was utterly exasperated. He was certain that Dai Yao’s eyes were the same ones from that night, and he clearly saw his own face. But why was it that when they were face to face, he seemed not to recognize him at all?
Bai Chuan didn’t speak, but Guo Yao stepped forward and asked, “Xiao Dai! Do you know our boss?”
With a look of confusion in his eyes, Dai Yao asked, “Should I…know him?”
Bai Chuan: ……
Guo Yao: ……
Dai Yao, a master of face blindness, didn’t recognize the man he had once spent a night with. In his eyes, people fell into three categories: good-looking, not good-looking, and extremely handsome. If they only met once, he couldn’t remember the other person’s face eighty percent of the time, basically recognizing them only by their clothes.
I can imagine Bai Chuan’s face right now lol
