Chapter 269: You're Savvy Enough

The southern part of the city.

Compared to the West District where Jiang Cheng lives, and the North District he visited before, this place is more prosperous.

Both sides of the street are lined with many shops selling everything from clothing and cakes to daily necessities.

However, once night falls, pedestrian traffic drops sharply; aside from some restaurants and snack stalls that remain open, most other shops close their doors.

Jiang Cheng walked down the street with his hands in his pockets, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

If he wanted to learn about the mission, he certainly needed to ask someone.

That Enforcement Squad Deputy Captain is someone ordinary people can hardly approach, so there's no way to get information from him.

Therefore, he could only gather information from other personnel at the Law Enforcement Bureau in the southern part of the city.

Ordinary people couldn't just go to the Enforcement Bureau to inquire, so Jiang Cheng planned to wander around, looking for a few uniformed individuals to ask.

Not long after walking, he spotted two Enforcement Squad members inside a noodle shop.

Upon entering, he saw that in front of them lay a large bowl of beef; they were eating with relish, completely unaware that Jiang Cheng had come in.

The middle-aged man running the shop also didn't notice, staring blankly at that big bowl of beef, feeling the pain.

"Boss, give me a large bowl of beef noodles."

Jiang Cheng found a seat and sat down, saying,

"Sure thing."

The man replied and hurried off to prepare it.

The two Enforcement Squad members nearby then glanced at Jiang Cheng askance, then lowered their heads and continued to eat heartily.

Soon, the large bowl of beef was emptied.

"Hey, the beef's gone—bring another bowl."

One of them shouted at the middle-aged man.

"Right away, right away."

The man hurriedly replied.

Although he felt the pain in his heart, he dared not show it on his face.

Because if he upset those two outsiders, whether his shop could stay open would be questionable.

Soon, he carried over a large bowl of beef, nodding and bowing as he set it down.

As he passed Jiang Cheng's side, he didn't forget to smile and say, "Sir, your noodles will be ready shortly."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

Just then, the one facing the door among the two Enforcement Squad members cursed: "Damn it, that guy surnamed Song is pushing people too far! You can't take this, you can't take that—did we struggle to join the Enforcement Squad just to do good deeds?"

"Enough."

His companion glanced at Jiang Cheng and said, "Let's talk about these things later."

Upon hearing that, the other immediately stopped speaking.

"The beef noodles are here!"

The middle-aged man placed a large bowl of steaming beef noodles in front of Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng glanced at it and had to admit the beef portion was decent—over ten chunks, unlike some places that only have a few slices.

Thus, the shop fell into an eerie calm.

After an unknown amount of time, the two men beside him let out satisfied belches.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief.

They had finally finished eating.

However, the next sentence from one of them instantly turned his face grim.

"Your beef is pretty good, huh? Got more? Pack me a few jin."

"I want a few jin too."

The other one said.

"Both officers,"

the middle-aged man forced a smile that looked worse than crying.

"It's a small business; I really can't afford this. How about this: from now on, when you come to eat, I'll make sure there's enough beef and enough noodles."

That single bowl of beef had taken up half a day's profit for him.

Two bowls, and he'd barely make any money all day.

What's more outrageous, they also wanted to take several jin back with them…

If this happened a few times a month, he'd go bankrupt. "What do you mean?"

The two men's faces instantly darkened.

"We're eating at your place as a favor to you—don't act like you're doing us a favor."

"Cut the nonsense; each of us will take three jin of beef to go—no less than that."

"Officer..."

the man's face showed a pleading expression.

"Two jin—could each of us take two jin? I'm also running a small business; my whole family depends on me."

"Four jin."

Who would have thought, the man's plea not only failed to elicit sympathy, but made things even harsher.

"If you say another word, it'll be five jin; dare to speak up again, and we'll keep adding more."

"You can refuse, but whether your shop can stay open peacefully from now on is uncertain." said the other with a fake smile.

They have plenty of ways to ruin a noodle shop.

Okay, three catties per person, I'll give!

The middle-aged man said, his eyes turning red.

Wrong, it's four catties, four catties per person.

Hearing this, the man first froze, then obediently nodded.

He regretted it deeply.

Had I known it would be like this, I shouldn't have said those two extra sentences.

The day's profit is gone again.

Jiang Cheng silently ate his noodles on the side, seemingly unaware of what was happening around him.

The two Enforcement Squad members also swept their gazes over Jiang Cheng, feeling no guilt in their eyes, even a hint of contempt.

In their eyes, Jiang Cheng eating noodles here was no different from the middle-aged man inside.

If they wanted to bully him, it would be as easy as pinching a soft persimmon.

Soon after, the middle-aged man walked over carrying two heavy bags.

Each bag contained a large chunk of beef.

"Two Commanders, your beef has been cut, each piece four catties, not less, possibly more." the man said with a flattering smile.

"You're sensible."

One of them nodded in satisfaction, patted the man's shoulder, and swaggered out of the shop.

Watching them leave, the man wiped his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

He didn't know how long such days would continue.

"Boss, how much?"

Just then, a voice sounded in his ear.

"Sir, the large portion is twenty-eight yuan."

"Here."

Jiang Cheng took out a hundred-yuan bill and handed it over.

The other party instinctively raised both hands, looked toward the door, checked to confirm it was real, then hurriedly smiled and said: "Okay, sir, I'll give you seventy-two in change; please wait a moment, I'll get your change right away."

"No need, just keep the rest as a tip."

Jiang Cheng said that and strode out.

Those two people, someone among them mentioned the name Song.

Combining what he said, that should be the target of this mission.

If we catch up, we can definitely get some valuable information from those two.

As for the tip given to the man, looking at his state, he's truly pitiful; for him now, not even a hundred, let alone ten thousand, would catch his eye— a small tip would just be a tiny help to him.

"Hey, sir!"

The middle-aged man was about to say something when he realized that figure had already disappeared.

He hurriedly ran outside; night had fallen, and there were a few silhouettes, but he couldn't tell if they were them, and he didn't dare stray far from the shop entrance.

After a while, he looked at the hundred-yuan bill in his hand, and his eyes reddened again.

(End of chapter)