CH 78

Aug 23 2023

Mad Dog Out of Its House

On this day, it was just starting to get light, still dim and not fully bright. Brother Le, Brother Chang, and Brother Chang’s mother were in the kitchen making dim sum.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Tap, tap, tap. It was the sound of someone using the palm of their hand to knock, urgent and heavy, causing unease in the hearts of those inside.

“Who could it be so early? It’s barely dawn,” Brother Chang’s mother wondered, looking up at the door after wrapping up a steamed bun, preparing to go out and see.

Brother Chang grabbed his mother’s arm and said, “Wait, mother. It’s too early, and there aren’t many people out on the street yet. We don’t know who it is, so let’s ask first.”

Brother Le also nodded and gestured, “We’ve lived here for so long and never encountered someone knocking on the door this early.”

The three of them looked at each other. They had a sense that something was amiss.

Outside the house, the knocking became more urgent.

Finally, Brother Chang said, “I’ll go and see.”

Brother Le held him back and gestured, “I’ll go with you.”

The two of them walked to the door, and Brother Chang asked from behind the door, “Who is it?”

The knocking stopped, and then an anxious voice came from outside, “Is Boss Yu here? Is Boss Yu available?”

They were looking for Boss Yu?

“Boss Yu is not here. Please come back in a couple of days,” Brother Chang replied.

The two of them found the voice somewhat familiar. Brother Chang pointed at the door crack, indicating they should take a look through it.

Brother Le nodded. The two of them crouched down, one above the other, and peered out through the door crack for a while before straightening up.

Brother Le furrowed his brow and gestured, “Is it Young Master Shi?”

Brother Chang nodded and whispered, “That’s what it looks like. Disheveled hair, seems quite distressed.”

“He’s here, he must be here. Doesn’t he live here? Open the door quickly, let me see him. I need to see him,” Shi Sheng anxiously looked at the street outside the door, appearing very worried. Brother Chang replied, “I’m sorry, but Boss Yu hasn’t been here these days. If you have any business, come back in a few days. Actually, it’s better if you don’t come.”

Saying that, the two of them looked through the crack in the door.

They saw Shi Sheng pause for a moment, bite his lip, glanced backward, and then said, “Where’s that mute guy, Chang Le? Let him come out, I want to see him. I want to see how he’s better than me. What gives him the right to claim Yu Qingze? He doesn’t look as good as me, and he can’t even speak or read…”

Behind the door, the two of them frowned and stood up straight. Brother Le opened the door with a stern face, glaring at this person who coveted his fiancé.

When Shi Sheng saw the door open, he wanted to rush in. As he took a step forward, he said, “Where’s Boss Yu? Are you intentionally keeping him from seeing me? Let me talk to him again. I have some money saved up. I can help him open a bigger store. As long as he marries me, only he can help me. I… Ah…”

Before he could finish speaking, a strong force pushed against his chest, causing him to fall backward onto the ground.

“Chang Le! What are you doing?” Shi Sheng angrily looked at the person who pushed him down and cursed.

Brother Le looked at him with a stern face, while Brother Chang sneered and said, “Young Master Shi, Boss Yu has already told you. He will only marry Brother Le. Have you not looked in the mirror? Your behavior is despicable! You have no decency or shame!”

Shi Sheng gritted his teeth and said, “I had no choice! My family wants to marry me off to a sickly wretch who lacks human dignity. Only Yu Qingze can help me. He has good relations with the Zhao and Cai families. The Zeng family wouldn’t dare to trouble him. I…”

Brother Chang interrupted him, retorting, “Who cares if you had no choice? Can’t you find other unmarried men? Anyway, stop seducing other people’s fiancés!”

At that moment, some noisy voices came from a nearby alley, indicating that a group of people was approaching. Shi Sheng became anxious upon hearing it, disregarding the grievances between him and the two brothers. He squeezed past them and said, “We can discuss this later. Let me in first. We can talk inside…”

Brother Le extended his hand to stop him from entering.

Brother Chang pushed him outward and said, “Boss Yu said our shop doesn’t welcome you. Leave quickly!”

Shi Sheng was on the verge of tears as he pleaded, “Let me in, I beg you! They’re about to find me. I don’t want to marry that sickly wretch. Please help me, just this once. I promise I won’t bother Brother Yu anymore…”

Brother Le had heard a bit about Shi Sheng’s situation from Yu Qingze. Although he felt sorry for him, Shi Sheng had ill intentions and kept pestering his brother Yu. He wouldn’t allow him to enter.

A group of people emerged from not far down the street, searching anxiously while looking around. Because they were blocked by the shelves in front of the neighboring shop, they hadn’t noticed the situation here. However, Brother Le and Brother Chang could see them through the gap.

When Shi Sheng saw the group of people, he no longer cared about explaining to Brother Chang and Brother Le. He immediately tried to run.

Brother Le quickly reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

Shi Sheng turned his head in surprise, “Are you willing to help me?”

Brother Le and Brother Chang exchanged glances.

Then, Brother Chang stepped onto the street and shouted at the group of people, “Hey, are you looking for Shi Sheng, Young Master Shi? He’s right here!”

Shi Sheng: …

The group of people immediately ran over upon hearing that.

“You, let go of me! Let go!” Shi Sheng struggled with all his might, but his feeble strength was no match for Brother Le.

So, by the time the group of people arrived, he cursed in despair, “Remember this, I won’t let you off!”

Brother Chang calmly advised, “You’d better stay at home and prepare for your marriage. Don’t come out and cause trouble for others.”

Amidst Shi Sheng’s curses, the group of people took him away.

Once they were gone, Brother Le and Brother Chang locked eyes and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Relieved!

Close the door and latch it!

“Who is it? I heard you shouting,” Brother Chang’s mother was watching the fire and didn’t go out. He only heard a young man’s voice and didn’t think it was dangerous, so he didn’t go out.

“Hmph, a crazy dog ran out of its cage and was caught by his family!” Brother Chang replied.

Brother Le laughed, washed his hands, and continued making dim sum.

Because of the morning incident, the two friends were in a good mood.

The other helpers arrived one by one, and everyone skillfully prepared for the store opening. But when it was time to open, they noticed that Jiabao, who usually arrived early, hadn’t shown up yet.

“Did he oversleep? Boys his age are often sleepy at this time,” Uncle Zhen said.

“It’s possible. My little brother can’t be woken up no matter how much I call him. I wake him up one moment, and the next moment, he’s back asleep,” Brother Qing shook his head and laughed.

Brother Chang said, “Then I’ll start collecting money. Mornings usually have more regular customers.”

With Jiabao absent and Yu Qingze also not present, Brother Chang and Brother Le were better at calculations. Brother Le would make the dim sum, while Brother Chang took the initiative to handle the cash register.

Although the speed was a bit slower, they could still manage.

However, after half an hour passed and Jiabao still hadn’t arrived, they started feeling suspicious.

Brother Le came out to take a look and saw that Jiabao hadn’t arrived. He furrowed his brows and gestured to Brother Chang, “I’ll go check on Jiabao. It would be troublesome if he’s sick and no one knows about it.”

Brother Chang nodded and said, “Let Zhu Zi go with you, just in case something happened to him other than being sick.”

Brother Le nodded.

“Zhu Zi, accompany Brother Le to Jiabao’s house. Tie Sheng will come later to cover for Zhu Zi’s work,” Brother Chang said to Tie Zhu and Tie Sheng. Tie Zhu was tall and strong, perfect for being a guard.

“Okay.” “Got it.”

Brother Le led Tie Zhu through a few alleyways and arrived at the alley where Jiabao’s house was located.

Before they reached Jiabao’s house, from a distance, Brother Le could see people coming in and out of Jiabao’s house, carrying things.

He hurriedly ran over, entered the house, and saw Jiabao standing with his arms spread open in front of the door, loudly saying to someone, “Don’t touch anything inside. These belong to my mother!”

Brother Le took a look and saw that those people were moving things out of Jiabao’s house. The pots, pans, and kitchen utensils had already been moved out, and now two men were preparing to enter the rooms.

He quickly approached and stood in front of Jiabao, gesturing and asking what was going on.

When Tie Zhu saw the situation, he furrowed his brow and hurriedly ran over, asking, “What’s happening?”

Seeing Brother Le and Tie Zhu coming, Jiabao’s eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Brother Chang Le, Brother Tie Zhu, the landlord said he sold this place to someone else. These people are here to clean up the house on behalf of the buyer.”

Upon hearing this, Brother Le’s heart sank, and he gestured, asking, “How long have you paid the rent for? Is it expired?”

Realizing that Jiabao couldn’t understand his gestures very well, Brother Le quickly took Jiabao’s hand and wrote on his palm, “Until the seventh?”

Since Jiabao hadn’t learned the character for “term” yet, Brother Le used the number seven as a substitute.

Jiabao understood and shook his head, saying, “There are still ten days until it expires.”

Upon hearing this, Brother Le became furious. He glared at the person in charge and gestured wildly.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The man in charge looked at Brother Le with a bewildered expression.

Tie Zhu probably knew what Brother Le wanted to say and asked Jiabao, “When did the landlord tell you that the house was sold?”

Jiabao replied, “Last night when I came back.”

Brother Le and Tie Zhu both furrowed their brows. What was wrong with this landlord? They informed someone one day and sold the house the next day, without even giving them time to find another place. Were they incapable of handling things properly?

Tie Zhu asked the man, “Where is the landlord? The lease hasn’t expired yet. How can you just evict the tenant like this? Do you think it’s easy to bully a child like Jiabao?”

The man in charge said, “Brother, we are just following orders. If you have any questions, go talk to the buyer and seller.”

“Where are they?”

The man in charge replied, “They should be at Yu’s Delicious Delights, having breakfast. They left a while ago.”

Jiabao: …

Brother Le: …

Tie Zhu: …

Brother Le pointed at Tie Zhu, then at the house, and then at himself and Jiabao. Finally, he pointed in the direction of the shop.

Tie Zhu understood and nodded, saying, “Alright, Brother Le, I’ll take care of things here. You and Jiabao hurry back to find the landlord and the buyer.”

Brother Le nodded, grabbed Jiabao’s wrist, and rushed back to the shop.