Chapter 389: Feigning Ignorance

The store clerk glanced at his boss, then at this customer who seemed to be looking for trouble but didn't quite look like it; after looking back and forth a few times, the clerk finally determined that this customer knew his boss.

Since they knew each other, there was nothing for him to do; the boss could handle whatever came up. So the clerk picked up a rag and started wiping the shelves, though he kept his ears open, still very interested in the boss's gossip.

After his earlier surprise, Huang Laoban gave a helpless smile, put down the newspaper, took out two cigarettes, kept one for himself, and tossed the other to Er Mao.

Er Mao took the cigarette but had no intention of smoking; he waved his hand at Huang Laoban's motion to light up, indicating he didn't want to smoke for now.

"After having kids, I don't touch this stuff anymore; you're still an old smoker." Er Mao said, handing the cigarette back to Huang Laoban.

Huang Laoban was somewhat surprised by Er Mao's words; he hadn't expected this troublemaker to have a child so quickly. In his impression, he had always thought Er Mao wouldn't settle down until his thirties, and before that he'd be running around causing trouble.

"There's a chair over there; drag it over and sit, don't be polite." Huang Laoban said, carefully putting back the cigarette Er Mao had returned.

Er Mao wasn't polite either; he dragged over a recliner, propped his legs up, and reached into the fruit plate on the counter to grab a peach to gnaw on.

"It's been years; I really didn't expect you to turn out like this." Huang Laoban said.

"I didn't expect it either—Huang Laoban, who once managed a big company with over a hundred people, would be guarding this little shop. Down on your luck?" Er Mao said, biting the peach with a crack crack, his words not very polite.

"We didn't make it through the financial crisis." Huang Laoban flicked ash from his cigarette, let out a long breath, "We really aren't cut out for that."

From this, Er Mao realized Huang Laoban had opened this shop only in the past year or two. The shop didn't look new; he must have taken over someone else's store and stayed in Chu Hua Shi.

The clerk continued to wipe the counter in the corner, appearing earnest, while keeping his ears open.

"No wonder I didn't see you when I first came; for those two years I kept coming this way but never saw you here. Though after getting married and having a kid in the past year or two, I haven't paid much attention to anything else. If it weren't for seeing that show, I wouldn't have thought you'd come to Chu Hua Shi."

"I didn't expect you to watch that either."

"Of course, I also keep a cat at home." Saying this, Er Mao's gaze swept to the white cat perched on the high shelf, staring this way. "Hey, your cat looks pretty good."

Huang Laoban smiled without speaking. The white cat had been featured on the show being filmed; he didn't need to say more. But he didn't expect that Er Mao, who used to dislike cats, would now keep one, nor that Er Mao would find him through that pet program. It seems the changes over the past two years aren't just his; this young man Er Mao has changed a lot too. Before, this kid always wore weird outfits and dyed his hair, looking like a petty thug or street swindler; now he looks respectable—after all, he's a father.

Er Mao didn't ask too much about Huang Laoban's former company either; despite not having seen each other for years, their chat still felt like that of old friends who meet often.

Er Mao asked how Huang Laoban came to take in Little Flower out of kindness; Huang Laoban then explained, this time not speaking in the formal official way he used with Xiao Guo and the others, but rather sticking closer to the facts.

"I heard that online show has a lot of viewers, and the advertising fees aren't cheap either; my little shop got some exposure, I ran a free ad, and these past few days quite a few people who've seen the show have come by."

"Oh," Er Mao nodded, enlightened, "I was wondering where Little Flower got that spunk—turns out it's Black Coal. Tsk, they didn't even show it in the video."

"Black Coal? That black cat?" Huang Laoban recalled, then smiled: "Back then that cat was riding on the dog's back; without that cat, the big dog wouldn't have come in so obediently."

"Don't underestimate Black Coal; that guy's quite capable." Er Mao said a few words about Zheng Tan.

As their chat approached dinnertime, Er Mao got up and left.

Huang Laoban had originally intended to keep Er Mao for a meal here, but Er Mao declined.

"I still have to prepare cat food when I get back. Tomorrow I'll bring some side dishes over, and we'll have a drink together."

"Sure." Huang Laoban didn't object to Er Mao's plan to buy things; besides, this guy wasn't short on money.

After Er Mao left, the clerk tossed aside the rag and ran to the cash register: "Boss, who was that person?"

"An old friend." Huang Laoban didn't want to say more, but after a pause he added with a smile: "I really didn't expect that casting a net this time would haul in so much."

"No kidding!" the clerk thought.

The next day, as Zheng Tan was strolling back from a bend by the lakeside villa, he didn't expect to run into Er Mao carrying a bag of roast duck and a bag of cooked food midway.

"Black Coal, where are you taking a walk? Why not come with me to the grocery store where you guys hide from the rain for a bit of fun? Besides, let me introduce you to someone; I'll call Professor Jiao later to let him know." Er Mao said.

Zheng Tan thought it over; it was fine—having Er Mao make the call meant he didn't have to worry about getting scolded, and since Er Mao mentioned the grocery store, Zheng Tan became a bit interested, so he followed along.

In summer daytime, especially around noon, not many people go to the grocery store to shop; usually there are more after sunset.

When Zheng Tan and Er Mao arrived, the sun hadn't set yet; it was still hot. The grocery store had few people; the clerk was sitting nearby playing on his phone, while Huang Laoban remained at the counter blowing a small fan and reading the newspaper.

As soon as the clerk saw Zheng Tan, his eyes lit up, making Zheng Tan's steps involuntarily pause; he didn't know why this person's gaze at him looked like seeing RMB.

Huang Laoban had the clerk bring out a folding table, stir-fried two small dishes, fetched a few bottles of beer, and the three of them plus the cat ate together.

Seeing Zheng Tan eating the same things as them on the side, Huang Laoban wondered, "Is it okay for the cat to eat like this?"

"No problem," Er Mao said, not worried at all. After portioning out Zheng Tan's meal, he added a few chunks of roast duck, some slices of beef, and some side dishes, placing them on the counter; Zheng Tan's dining setup was there.

Zheng Tan didn't mind either; he had eaten a lot at noon, slept through the afternoon without moving much, and wasn't very hungry. He came just to see what kind of expert Huang Laoban was. In Zheng Tan's understanding, those who get along well with Er Mao aren't ordinary folks; thinking back to how Huang Laoban subdued that petty thug on the rainy day made him even more curious.

As he was thinking, he heard a soft sound and lifted his head.

The white cat jumped onto the counter, standing half a meter away from Zheng Tan, with the intention of coming over; it seemed curious about the food in Zheng Tan's bowl.

Zheng Tan nudged the disposable paper bowl that Er Mao had prepared for him back toward his chest, shielding it so the cat couldn't approach; he didn't want other cats' saliva in his bowl, something he still cared about. Zheng Tan's action was seen by others as guarding his food.

The white cat also noticed Zheng Tan's guard. It didn't come closer; instead it stared at Huang Laoban sitting nearby and meowed twice.

Huang Laoban picked up a bit of un sauced duck meat and passed it over, placing it beside the white cat's feet.

The white cat sniffed it, then ate it with a reluctant expression, making the clerk curl his lip in disgust.

"It was more obedient when it first arrived; now it knows how to put on airs. Not cute at all." Huang Laoban said, then placed another piece of meat there and lightly tapped the white cat's head with the opposite end of his chopsticks: "Little ungrateful thing."

"Mine's not like that; my Hei Mi is obedient and doesn't throw tantrums." Er Mao said proudly.

Zheng Tan snorted inwardly, skeptical of Er Mao's claim.

He had originally wanted to hear more gossip to learn what made Huang Laoban exceptional, but Er Mao didn't steer the conversation that way at all, just chatting about everyday trifles; Zheng Tan grew bored and wanted to nap, regretting having come along—listening to boring stuff here was no better than going back to eat something tasty.

After eating and drinking, the sun had already set; a few customers had come to the shop earlier, which the clerk handled without needing Huang Laoban to intervene, so Er Mao and Huang Laoban kept sitting at the folding table drinking and chatting, only now they had moved the folding table further inside the shop so it wouldn't disturb customers.

Zheng Tan was dozing on the counter, so lazy he didn't even bother to move when the clerk was handling money and sorting goods nearby. Suddenly, he twitched his ears and looked toward the outside of the shop.

Outside, a sedan and a minivan approached; the two who first stepped out of the minivan were the ones who had come to the shop on the rainy day to cause trouble.

Seeing several people with the look of "I'm here to wreck the place," the shoppers inside also stopped buying, hurriedly left, though they didn't go far; they lingered nearby, discussing whether to call the police if a fight broke out.

Nearby others also noticed the scene and joined the discussion, but most of them were just rubberneckers; these small merchants and vendors didn't want to provoke those troublemakers.

Er Mao and Huang Laoban also saw those people; neither showed any worry on their faces. Er Mao even took an interested look at the newcomers, then stood up and said, "I'll head out first; you take your time settling this."

As he walked to the counter, Er Mao also greeted Zheng Tan to come out together.

Zheng Tan glanced at Er Mao, jumped down from the counter, and walked out with him; Er Mao still had the mood to walk over to a vendor selling melons from a wooden cart, buy a sweet melon, hug it and gnaw on it, then lean against the cart to watch the situation inside the shop.

Zheng Tan didn't go far; seeing that Er Mao had no intention of truly leaving, he hopped onto the seat of a small tricycle in front of the sedan and watched the shop.

Inside the shop, the clerk felt anxious, seeing the hostile looks and wanting to call the police, but the boss stopped him. Seeing the clerk poised for battle yet not running off, Huang Laoban let him stay nearby for now.

The store clerk actually resented Er Mao deeply; just earlier, while eating, he'd been all buddy-buddy with his own boss, but now, at the first sign of trouble, he turned and fled—what a lack of loyalty.

Among the nine who came over, the leader was called Yu Ge; he had a dragon tattooed on his arm, afraid others wouldn't know it was an Azure Dragon, and beside it he also had the characters 'Azure Dragon' tattooed.

That Yu Ge walked over in a tortoise step, bringing his lackeys to Huang Laoban's face, lifted his chin, and said, 'Just him?'

Yes, Yu Ge, that's the guy! the young man whose arm had been twisted by Huang Laoban said, stepping forward.

Huang Laoban wasn't in a hurry either; he took out a pack of cigarettes, tapped the box lightly, a cigarette sprang up, was pinched between two fingers, and spun agilely on his fingers before stopping.

He passed the cigarette to Yu Ge in front of him, Huang Laoban said, "Try it?"

Hey, who needs your crappy……

The lackey beside him hadn't finished speaking when he saw Yu Ge really raise his hand to take the cigarette, then light it with the flame from Huang Laoban's lighter and inhale.

"How is it, not bad?" Huang Laoban also lit one for himself, saying, "I heard a KTV opened on the street; it's pretty good."

"Yeah, the hostesses there are spicy." Yu Ge nodded, agreeing.

The lackey didn't know what Yu Ge really meant, thinking Yu Ge had his own plans, so he didn't speak up lightly; usually when Yu Ge spoke, they weren't allowed to interject.

"This time is just right to go there." Huang Laoban said.

"Indeed." Yu Ge replied while smoking.

The two following behind, who had suffered losses at Huang Laoban's place, were getting anxious; this atmosphere was nothing like what they had imagined when they came! The more they looked, the more it seemed the two were chatting like old friends—didn't Yu Ge say he didn't know this person?

Zheng Tan also felt strange; moreover, since the moment Huang Laoban took out the cigarette earlier, Zheng Tan had had a weird feeling he couldn't put his finger on—just felt odd.

After chatting a bit more there, Huang Laoban said, "Alright, I won't hold you up from going to have fun—go on, no need to see me out."

Yu Ge, cigarette in mouth, turned and walked away.

"Yu Ge?" the lackeys behind couldn't figure out what their boss meant, so they could only follow along and leave.

Seeing this, those who had wanted to watch the excitement also felt disappointed, and the onlookers dispersed. It was a lot of thunder but little rain—nothing worth seeing.

The place where Zheng Tan stood was near that car; the rear window of the sedan remained open after Yu Ge got in, so Zheng Tan could hear the conversation inside clearly.

"Yu Ge, what should we do now?" asked the one sitting in the driver's seat, acting as driver.

"Of course we're going to that KTV on the street—do we even need to ask?!" Yu Ge said in a tone that said, "You guys are really idiots."

Receiving that answer, the man choked up—this didn't match their original plan; hadn't they said they were going to give that shop owner a taste of his own medicine?

Another person sitting in the front passenger seat also said, "Yu Ge, are we really just letting off the little boss of that lousy shop?"

"The little boss of that lousy shop? Who's that?" Yu Ge said.

"That……" the person in the front passenger seat also choked up. What does Yu Ge mean by this? Is he feigning ignorance or forbidding mention?

Since no one understood Yu Ge's meaning, the person in the front passenger seat stayed silent anyway—after all, this time it wasn't him who wanted revenge, so why was he worrying needlessly?

Yu Ge sat in the car, smoking while thinking about what kind of hostess to find for a while at the KTV later.

"Yu Ge, I think we should still give that person a lesson just now," the person sitting beside Yu Ge blurted out. He was close to Yu Ge, so he dared to say many things. The brothers' bastard energy was all released—are you just going to let us pretend to be turtles?!

"Just now?" Yu Ge's thoughts, which had been on the hostess at the KTV, were forcibly pulled back to consider the person beside him's words.

Just now?

What happened just now?

It seems something happened just now.

What exactly was it?

Yu Ge felt a bit of a headache, raised his hand to tap his forehead, waved it off, not wanting to think anymore: "What's all this nonsense for? Hurry up and drive! If we don't go now, all the good hostesses will be snatched up later, and we'll end up with some misshapen melons and cracked dates—you'll be crying!"

The others in the car: "……" Damn, I feel like crying right now.

Watching the sedan and the minivan drive off, Zheng Tan felt puzzled. Is that Yu Ge a lunatic? How could what just happened seem like he completely forgot it? (To be continued…)

PS: Still couldn't finish the second chapter, sending up four thousand words.

If you can't wait for Returning Cat, you can check out QI Cheng's great god's "Industrial Hegemon" and "Material Empire"—this guy is a beast at writing industrial stuff, both works feel pretty good, feel free to read them if interested. Of course, don't throw your monthly votes from subscriptions at him; save them for when Returning Cat explodes.