Lu Bu'er felt like he had truly returned to a place that once belonged to him. He could smell the scent of rotting vegetable leaves in the air, fish guts scattered around the drains at the side of the street, and the splatter of minced meat from nearby chopping boards.
The cries of street food vendors, the swearing, and shoving while vying for a stall spot.
This was the real, the breath of life.
"This is the suburbs of the city; people here are down to earth, but they are not the real desperados. The ones who run underground casinos, engage in bare-knuckle boxing, and conduct illegal transactions are the ones playing for keeps," Qiang Wei explained faintly. "They operate without any legal permit, all in private trade. That's why there's no protection whatsoever. If they fall victim to a scam, there's nothing they can do about it."
Lu Bu'er understood now.
This was what had happened to Old Zhang.
