Huang Xiaolong was puzzled, thinking: who did I piss off? Why are they treating me so rudely? Aren't town folks supposed to be civilized?
The landlady, fearing that Huang Xiaolong would be bullied, quickly interjected, "Brother Earthworm, you see... my brother promised to give up gambling, but he sneaked off to gamble again and borrowed from Brother Hu at an exorbitant interest rate. I really knew nothing about this... "
Gambling? Debts?
Huang Xiaolong finally understood. Turns out, the lovely landlady's brother was a compulsive gambler, probably always losing money. That's why she had a Buddha statue to ensure her brother wouldn't lose money.
However, it seemed like the Buddha statue didn't work. Her brother not only lost but also owed a substantial debt. And now, the debt collectors were literally at their doorstep.
"Hehe~~" Brother Earthworm sneered, scanning the landlady's well-proportioned body as if he were a starving wolf. He seemed eager to strip her and dominate her.
"Xiaoman, you're wrong," Brother Earthworm swallowed saliva and stared at the landlady. "Paying debts is a natural obligation. There's a saying: debts of the father are to be borne by the son. Xiao Qiang is an orphan, so who's left to repay his debts if not his sister? Xiaoman, please don't say I didn't care for you. Now you have two choices: first, pay back the money your brother owes to Brother Hu with interest; second, if you don't want to repay, hand over your brother. Brother Hu will deal with him personally, and you better prepare for his funeral."
The landlady shivered. She quickly shook her head and said, "Brother Earthworm, I don't know where my brother is... He's been missing for days... Please, I beg you, don't harm him...". Her eyes revealed an undeniable worry for her brother. She then gritted her teeth and asked, "Brother Earthworm, how much has Xiao Qiang borrowed this time?"
"Hehehe~~~ Not much, not much, just 580,000 yuan with interest. But if you don't pay now, it'll be 600,000 yuan tomorrow... Xiaoman, just pay the money. It'll all be fine once you pay. That's better for both of us."
"580,000 yuan..." The landlady's face turned pale. She shook so much that she almost fell, holding unto the bar for support.
'Town folks sure know how to make money... Today 580,000 yuan, tomorrow 600,000 yuan... Man, they earn far more than me...' Huang Xiaolong muttered to himself.
"Brother Earthworm... I... I really can't afford that much money... Last time, to pay off Xiao Qiang's debts, I sold the house that our parents left for us..." The tears streamed down the landlady's face.
"Ah~~~" Brother Earthworm sighed, a cunning smirk crossed his face. He continued, "Xiaoman, you have indeed had a hard time. Your parents passed away early, and you raised Xiao Qiang all by yourself. Instead of doing something productive, he chose to be a gangster and got involved in gambling... Xiaoman, you're stunning, but no man dares to pursue you. Understandably, who'd want to get involved in this mess, right?"
He took a pause and continued, "Xiaoman, let me offer you a solution. Forget about the money, come with us. Serve Brother Hu, serve me, serve our brothers, and very soon Xiao Qiang's gambling debts will be off your shoulders…"
Aha, so that's his real intention!
"So this is how city folks rope you into paying off debts with your own body? Their tactics are way too crafty..." muttered Huang Xiaolong.
"No! No!" The landlady's face turned ashen. She looked repulsively at Brother Earthworm and his gang, "Brother Earthworm, please... spare me... Please... give me some time. I'll sell this shop and work to pay back the debts... I might have to work myself to death, but I'll pay back..."
"Xiaoman, don't push your luck!" Brother Earthworm's face stiffened. His eyes turned cold, "Women like you are destined for prostitution. Stop pretending to be virtuous. Listen, if you can't pay then come with me immediately! You're still a virgin, right? We can make some money off that ass..."
His words hit her like a punch. The landlady was trembling, biting her lips until they bled. A wave of despair crept over her...'Is my life fated to be this miserable? Am I destined to sleep with these disgusting men?'
"Ahem~~~" Right then, Huang Xiaolong cleared his throat and offered the landlady a pack of tissues on the bar counter.
The landlady took the tissues with a trembling hand, her eyes showing gratitude.
"Er, can I say something?" Huang Xiaolong said hurriedly. "According to the fortunes of the landlady, she indeed has a life full of hardships. However, she is destined to have a benefactor. Once she meets this person, she will be looked upon kindly by fate and succeed in reversing her destiny..."
"Er~~ today, the landlady will meet her destined benefactor, who will bring her lifelong prosperity," Huang Xiaolong said, offering an enigmatic smile.
Wiping her tears, the landlady gazed at Huang Xiaolong, her eyes full of contemplation. "Young man, do I... do I really have a destined benefactor? Will I meet him today?"
"He's already here," Huang Xiaolong replied with a smile.
"Damn it!" Brother Earthworm cursed angrily. "You country bumpkin, who the hell asked for your opinion? Shut the hell up!"
As soon as the words were spoken, several punks behind Brother Earthworm angrily stalked towards Huang Xiaolong, their faces plastered with mockingly sinister grins.
"Young man, you'd better run!" cried the female boss.
But Huang Xiaolong didn't budge, his face as carefree as ever. He chuckled and mumbled, "I'm usually a pretty patient guy. If someone insults me, I wouldn't normally get mad. But if they keep insulting me, well, that's another story…"
Seemingly in slow motion, but in the blink of an eye, Huang Xiaolong's right hand lightly hit the bar counter.
All the chopsticks in a container on the bar counter suddenly soared into the air like magic!
Then, Huang Xiaolong casually waved his hand!
Swish~ Swish~ Swish~ Swish~~~~~
A handful of chopsticks flew out like swords falling from the sky – the force overwhelmingly powerful!
Each chopstick struck precisely on the knees of Brother Earthworm and his underlings.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Brother Earthworm and his gang were instantly brought to their knees!
At this moment, their knees were aching severely, causing their lower bodies to go numb and lose all sensation!
The female boss gaped in surprise, even forgetting to cry. Her mouth hung open wide enough to fit a cucumber, as she stared dumbstruck at Huang Xiaolong.
Brother Earthworm and his gang knelt on the ground as if seeing a ghost!
Could this possibly be a scene from a TV drama?
With a flick of his hand, a bunch of chopsticks became hidden weapons and hit the knees of everyone, followed by numbness and stiffness in their lower bodies that left them only able to kneel. They knelt so properly, they almost seemed filial, and very composed.
What sorcery was this?
"You… you… you…" Brother Earthworm's arrogance was replaced with fear, as cold sweat poured down his face.
"Don't worry, I simply tapped your 'crane-top acupoints' on your knees, it won't leave you crippled…" Huang Xiaolong chuckled. "Now, you boys better crawl out, go home, soak your feet in hot water, have someone massage the 'bubbling spring acupoints' on your soles, and you'll be fine in half an hour."
"Fine... I didn't know you were such a master… I admit defeat!" Brother Earthworm's eyes showed a deep resentment, but he was the first to crawl towards the restaurant exit.
A group of henchmen immediately followed, squirming like maggots and crawling out of the restaurant with terror-struck faces.
"Young man, remember the rotation of karma, even if you're strong, you're still on your own…" Brother Earthworm turned back to glare at Huang Xiaolong.
"Yeah yeah, I get it, you'll want revenge, right?" Huang Xiaolong said impatiently, waving his hand. "I've just arrived from the countryside and still haven't found a job so I'm rather idle these days. So yes…I'd love for you guys to seek revenge on me, it keeps me entertained—I'm least scared of people who want to get back at me."
"And also, tell your Brother Tiger or Dog or whoever, all the gambling debts of the lady boss's younger brother…put them on my tab...I've had my say, you can continue crawling out now."
......…