Chapter 19: Pressure

When he heard Jiang Cheng's words, the man froze for a moment, then nodded his head like a chick pecking at grain.

He straightened up, his legs still in the kneeling posture, and his hands kept rummaging through every pocket on his body.

After a short while, he pulled out a handful of coins.

"Sir,"

He lifted his head, looking at Jiang Cheng with a fearful face, "I only have this little money on me. I robbed you earlier—could I owe you for now and pay you back when I have enough?"

He said that with his mouth, but in his heart he had already made a decision.

From now on, wherever Jiang Cheng appears, he will keep far away.

Jiang Cheng stared at him quietly.

Until the man could no longer bear the pressure and lowered his head.

He finally spoke, "No need. Don't think I don't know where this money came from. If I let you repay, you would only rob more people."

"Well,"

The man sneered twice, "Sir, it's not that we don't want to work for money; it's just that there really aren't any jobs around here. The city might be better, but people like us can't get in at all."

"Is that so?"

Jiang Cheng let out a cold laugh, "Then you go rob others?"

The man was speechless.

"In the past you robbed my money, I could let it slide, but if I meet you again and you keep robbing others, that will be your downfall."

Jiang Cheng pointed his Short Staff at the man on the ground.

"Got it, got it."

The man quickly nodded, breathing a sigh of relief inside.

It's fine as long as they don't demand compensation.

Otherwise, they would definitely have to leave this block.

But even so, their future days will likely be hard; if they are discovered by the person before them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Put the money on the ground, then go and search the money on his body as well."

"Yes, yes."

The man, feeling a bit sorry, placed the money in his hand onto the ground.

Then, slowly standing up, he walked step by step toward his severely wounded companion.

For a moment, he felt an urge to make a run for it, but ultimately he lacked the courage.

He crouched in front of his companion, who looked at him with a pitiful expression.

"Sorry, you heard it too."

The man said that, and his hands began searching the other's body; after a minute or two, he also found a handful of coins.

"Put it on the ground, and then you can take him away."

Jiang Cheng's voice came from behind.

"Yes, Sir."

The man, as if pardoned, put down the money and directly hoisted his companion, who was screaming like a pig, and left.

In truth, he knew clearly that after returning, his companion's fate was grim.

A hundred days to heal broken muscles and bones, let alone such severe injuries; even if they had money, they would be reluctant to fund treatment.

After the two left, Jiang Cheng walked over and picked up the two piles of coins on the ground.

He didn't count carefully; together they were probably less than a hundred.

"No wonder they were waiting for me here, with no money on them."

Jiang Cheng let out a cold snort, and picked up the two daggers that had fallen on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, he already had four daggers...

"Having too many knives isn't a good thing."

Jiang Cheng muttered.

Keeping them at home also carries the risk of being discovered.

He'll see if there's a chance later to sell some. This Spring Knife isn't cheap; one can fetch dozens to hundreds of dollars.

He glanced around; it seemed empty, but actually, from the houses on both sides, many eyes watched through the cracks.

Jiang Cheng used dirt to wipe the blood off his Short Staff, sniffed it, and after confirming there was no odor, he put it back behind him and pushed his tricycle home.

He repelled two waves of people in a row, and this time it was daytime with many witnesses; from now on, no one should dare block his robbery in broad daylight.

After a while, people gradually began to walk out of the houses.

"That kid was amazing, alone he drove away three people."

"Yeah, but his strike was brutal; one of them fell to the ground, couldn't move, and bled a lot."

"Injured that badly, I think even if we carried him back, there's no hope of saving him."

"Better dead, those beasts have hands and feet, yet they don't earn money and just rob ours."

"Exactly, exactly!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation and felt no sympathy for that man's fate.

"Speaking of which, that kid pushing the tricycle looks familiar; I think I've seen him somewhere," someone said, recalling something.

"Now that you mention it, I have a vague memory too, I saw him somewhere but can't recall where right now."

"Hey, never mind, that kid looks like a ruthless person; we'd better stay away from him."

……

When he returned home and saw Jiang Cheng pull two large pieces of pork from an oil drum, the Old Man's eyes widened in astonishment.

These two jin of meat costs sixty to buy.

Although she knows that Jiang Cheng, just recovered from a serious illness, needs nutritious food.

But pork, at this moment, truly exceeds the family's ability to afford.

"Grandma, Chen Sao borrowed three hundred yuan from us and treated me to a meal; I want to buy some meat and eggs to thank her, which is only proper."

Jiang Cheng took out the two jin of meat, placed it on the table, then took out two bags of eggs, and said.

Old Man nodded; she agreed with Jiang Cheng's approach.

But this way, the money from a few days of selling Roasted Sweet Potato is now almost gone.

"Grandma, don't worry."

Jiang Cheng laughed: "The Roasted Sweet Potato business has been good these days; after buying so much, I still have over a hundred on me. After selling these sweet potatoes this afternoon, I'll make quite a bit more."

Speaking so, he placed the money he had just searched from those two thugs onto the table.

And he actually still had over five hundred on him.

It came from the previous days' sweet potato sales and the loot from the thugs; after buying charcoal and spending over a hundred, subtracting the three hundred owed to Chen Sao, there remains a little over two hundred.

It looks like a fair amount, but with only ten days until the end of the month, the Stall Fee and management fee together require three thousand yuan.

If the previous eight hundred‑plus savings were still there, they could be enough by month‑end, but now, unless Jiang Cheng can sell over two hundred sweet potatoes a day, reaching the goal is very hard.

The good news is his Proficient level in roasting sweet potatoes has reached Great Completion; the roasted sweet potatoes now taste far better than before, perhaps allowing him to sell more.

But if, in the end, it's still insufficient…

Jiang Cheng sighed inwardly.

Actually, he can accept the Stall Fee.

But the management fee, he truly does not want to pay.

Robberies can happen in broad daylight, let alone at night; the Wild Wolf Gang's management is a lonely affair.

But not paying means opposing the Wild Wolf Gang; those who once tried to resist now have graves overgrown with three‑foot‑high grass.

"Grandma, understood; you take these and deliver them to Chen Sao and the others," Old Man said, looking at the pork on the other side, "This piece of meat, Grandma will cook for you tonight; if you're in a hurry, Grandma will do it right now."

"No hurry, Grandma, let's eat tonight; I'll deliver the items and come back to clean the sweet potatoes."

Jiang Cheng, smiling, lifted the freshly bought eggs and pork and walked out of the house.

Old Man watched Jiang Cheng's departing back, a look of tenderness in his eyes, then let out a heavy sigh.

She doesn't blame Jiang Cheng for spending money on meat; after all, who doesn't like meat? She only blames herself for lacking ability, unable to earn money—let alone meat, even eggs must be saved on.

(End of chapter)