Time ticked by, and it was getting closer and closer to the end of the year. It was snowing non-stop, and the whole place was covered in white.
In just a few days, the small courtyard at the head of the town that had been burnt black was completely covered in snow. It was as if Uncle Ba had disappeared for decades, and no one mentioned him again.
The Old Snake Gang acted quickly as well. Three days after the incident, they sent a new manager to take charge of the medicine market.
The new manager did not say anything about what had happened before, as if he did not know anything about it. He just set a lot of new rules. The biggest rules were the toll fee of the medicine market was only ten percent of the vendors' profit, and the penalty for not paying was ten times this amount.
The townspeople of Peace Town were not dissatisfied. Instead, they smiled more and felt like they had a new goal in life.
Because although this rule was still very harsh, it was countless times better than Uncle Ba's way of doing things according to his mood!
Common people were easy to please. As long as they had food and shelter, they would be fine.
Jiang Ming was drinking hot tea while looking at the snow. He muttered to himself, "It's a pity that some old men only want to squeeze them to death."
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Ming, Mr. Dong is looking for you!"
Jiang Ming raised his eyebrows. Mr. Dong was a new official of the Old Snake Gang. He had never met him before. Now, he was looking for him. Could it be that something had happened?
"It shouldn't be that bad. Otherwise, why would someone come to invite him? They would have directly come to his door."
Jiang Ming only thought about it a little, so he got up and followed the person.
The person who came was a young man. He bowed and smiled, "Ming, don't overthink. It is a good thing that Mr. Dong invited you. In the future, we will ask you to take care of us."
Jiang Ming glanced at him. This person was also a familiar face in the town. His name was Wu Yi. He used to be low-key, honest, and inconspicuous, but now he had also latched onto the new official of Peace Town.
However, he did not say much. The new replaced the old in the pugilistic world, and everyone had their own way of living. He did not like to point out other people's ways. At most, he could just find a way to cut them down when he did not like them.
Wu Yi, who did not get a response, was immediately rebuffed. He could only mutter in his heart, "As expected of the great villain of Peace Town."
Soon, the two arrived at Old Jiang's bar.
There were only a few guests in the bar. A burly middle-aged man was sitting quietly at the table.
Seeing Jiang Ming's arrival, the burly man stood up with a smile, "I've long heard of you, but I didn't expect you to be such an elegant young man. Please take a seat."
"Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Dong!" Jiang Ming raised his eyebrows and sat down.
At this moment, he was the great villain of Peace Town, so he naturally had to put on a good attitude. He immediately took a big gulp of wine and said in a carefree manner, "May I know why you invited me to the bar? Do you want to drink with me?"
When Mr. Dong saw Jiang Ming's attitude, a trace of undetectable disdain flashed in his eyes. He slowly sat down, and the smile on his face remained. "Of course, we can drink. However, I'm here today for another important matter. We would like to invite you to join the Old Snake Gang."
Jiang Ming was shocked, but he had expected it.
He had killed all of Uncle Ba's men, and now that Mr. Dong had taken over as a new official, he would be a high-ranking commander. He would definitely have to find some followers in the town, and the great villain of Peace Town was naturally a great choice.
However, Jiang Ming could not agree. He immediately waved his hand and said, "Mr. Dong, you must be joking. I hate forming gangs the most. When there are too many people, I'll have a headache and pick herbs alone to exchange for wine. Once I save enough money, I'll go to Qinghe Tower to see Miss Xue'er. That's the life I like living!"
Mr. Dong still wanted to say something, but Jiang Ming shook his head, "Mr. Dong, please don't say anymore. I really can't do this kind of thing."
"Ah, since you're so determined, then let's just forget about it. We'll just move on from this loss. Then let's drink. I'll buy you a drink." Mr. Dong's face was filled with regret.
"Alright!" Jiang Ming laughed and immediately drank it in big gulps.
After drinking for a while, Mr. Dong found an excuse to leave. Jiang Ming's face was placid, as if he did not know anything. He continued to eat and drink until he fell on the table. Old Jiang quickly asked Ah Fei to carry him home to take a walk.
"Mr. Dong, Jiang Ming was finally drunk and sent home!" In the middle of the night, in a room, Wu Yi, who brought Jiang Ming to the bar, was reporting to Mr. Dong.
Mr. Dong closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, "Don't bother about him anymore."
After Wu Yi left, Mr. Dong took out a book from under the table and opened it. It was filled with names, all of which were the townspeople of Peace Town, many of which had been crossed out.
"Lazy, lacks self-restraint, and drinks too much. It can't be him," Mr. Dong muttered to himself and finally crossed over Jiang Ming's name.
* * *
Late at night, Jiang Ming was lying on the bed. His eyes were extremely clear, and he did not look drunk at all.
"My acting should be alright. This matter should be temporarily put to an end," Jiang Ming muttered to himself.
In fact, he knew that his acting skills were not very good, but no one would believe that a teenager from a village would be a martial artist. Mr. Dong was probably just testing him out and did not really pay attention to him.
"However, Mr. Dong doesn't seem like an ordinary person." Jiang Ming's heart moved slightly. The other party's every move was undisguised, and his aura was extraordinary. He was definitely a person who had practiced martial arts.
"It seems that Peace Town has some tricks up its sleeves. However, I'm about to leave soon, so everything has nothing to do with me."
New Year's Eve was ushered in.
Every household became lively. Smoke rose from the kitchen chimneys, and the smell of food was everywhere. Even the most hard-working men returned to the town on this day to reunite with their families.
Jiang Ming was planning to spend the new year alone, but Master Zhou sent his granddaughter to call him over, so he brought wine and meat to Master Zhou's house.
"Hey, they're all here!"
Jiang Ming raised his eyebrows and saw Old Jiang, Ah Fei, and his wife. Ah Fei was busy cleaning the yard, and his wife was in charge of cooking.
As for Old Jiang, he was sitting in front of Master Zhou's bed. No one knew what the two old men were talking about, but from time to time, they would let out a laugh.
"Mr. Jiang, if you let my grandfather drink again, I'll go and smash your bar!" Zhou Wenxiu had just returned when She saw Old Jiang take out a bottle of wine. She immediately shouted with her hands on her waist.
"I won't let him drink, don't worry!" Old Jiang looked like a child who had done something wrong and quickly hid the bottle.
It was New Year's Eve, and it was snowing heavily outside.
A group of people squeezed into a small house and gathered together to have a New Year's Eve dinner.
"I hope everyone can live happily next year, " Old Jiang raised his wine glass and said seriously.