Chapter 172

The bus was halfway, Wu An was half‑asleep, when he heard a phone ringing nonstop; though he was sleepy and didn't want to move his eyelids, he was angry enough to curse.

He opened his eyes to see who kept not answering the phone, and his hand went to his pocket.

It was his phone.

He silently cursed whoever had disturbed his sweet dream, took it out and saw it was a call from Yu Kai Lang.

He answered.

"A An, where are you?"

"On the bus, heading back from the county to the town."

"Oh, that's how it is, I have something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"Well… I need to apologize to you first."

"Um… don't apologize yet, just tell me the matter." Wu An felt a thump in his heart; he really didn't want to hear this, and Yu Kai Lang's hemming and hawing surely meant no good.

On the other end of the phone, Yu Kai Lang gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, saying: "It's like this, I called the Chen family today, and they said they have no money to compensate..."

"Originally I advised you to accept the settlement, and now it's turned out like this; I feel really bad about it."

"I will also try to get them to hurry up and pay the compensation."

"If it really doesn't work, you can sue."

Wu An had a headache; after Yu Kai Lang finished explaining the situation, he kept apologizing—it was clear he felt guilty, but guilt can't fill your stomach.

He thought for a moment and said: "Brother Yu, I understand this matter."

"The Chen family are inhumane; you don't need to apologize."

"I'll think of a way to settle this."

Yu Kai Lang still apologized; Wu An had no choice, they verbally agreed that Yu Kai Lang would treat him to a meal, and Yu Kai Lang readily agreed, after which he stopped apologizing over and over.

A Qing had been listening intently; when Wu An hung up, he laughed and said: "Officer Yu is still quite genuine—he said sorry at least a dozen times."

Compared to Yu Kai Lang, the Chen family are truly inhumane.

Leaving aside his scheming against Chen Long, he merely asked the Chen family to compensate over forty thousand?

It's not much at all!

If you include mental damages, having the Chen family pay a six‑figure sum would make Wu An feel completely justified.

Seeing Wu An silent, A Qing's expression turned fierce and he said: "Brother, why not borrow a few men from Boss Gao and give the Chen family a good beating?"

"Just hint a little, and the Chen family will surely hand over the money obediently."

Wu An's eyes flashed.

He had just learned of the change, his mind felt a bit blank, temporarily unable to think of a good plan, but first he had to rule out A Qing's idea.

A Qing continued: "Brother, that would be so satisfying."

"Just listen to me."

"I'll tell you, Boss Gao's men are all professionals—I've seen them……"

When Wu An heard this, his face turned stern: "Qiang Ge, follow me—there's a red line you must never cross!"

"Do you understand?"

A Qing froze; he knew what red line Wu An meant, and had told him more than once; seeing Wu An's expression, he quickly nodded: "I understand."

"I will definitely not touch it."

Wu An's expression relaxed a bit, and he said: "No need to trouble Qiang Ge; this matter has a very simple, hassle‑free solution."

"I can borrow a knife to kill—have Boss Tan go to the Chen family to demand money."

"They are the true professionals."

"And even if something happens, it's Lao Tan who'll deal with it, so it won't involve us, nor drag our friends into trouble."

"It's just about getting the money; I'll split the proceeds with Lao Tan according to our ratio."

"And this is the lowest‑of‑the‑low option, to be used only as a last resort."

"Not that I'm stingy about money."

"As for Lao Tan, I keep my distance out of respect."

"Let alone having any dealings with him, which could easily cause trouble in the future."

A Qing suddenly understood.

Originally, Brother's silence meant he already had a plan in mind; since there's a lowest option, there must also be middle and upper ones, so he won't spout random bad ideas to cause trouble.

Wu An doesn't actually have any upper or middle plans, but one thing is certain: the compensation money from the Chen family is definitely going to be obtained.

"If they don't pay?"

"Then I'll make you not only lose money but also lose face."

"The more you pay, the worse it gets!"

Wu An was so angry his sleepiness vanished.

He arrived at the market.

Thanks to Gao Qiangqi's connection, there's a parking spot in the market, and the market staff help watch over it; normally no one dares to steal a car.

He greeted the market staff, Wu An had just mounted his bike and was about to leave when his phone rang; he pulled it out and saw it was a call from Qin Zong, who after connecting said he'd happened upon something—someone was scheming against him.

Wu An narrowed his eyes: "Qin Zong, is this for real? Who's scheming against me?"

Qin Zong sold a secret: "This isn't convenient to talk about on the phone; why don't we meet and chat?"

Wu An thought for a moment and asked: "So, are you at the restaurant tonight?"

Qin Zong said: "Yes."

Qin Zong, it's like this: I'm busy with something right now, and coincidentally I'm having a big dinner with my family tonight to celebrate buying a fishing boat, so I've reserved a table; we'll talk later.

Qin Zong laughed and agreed.

A Qing scratched his head, unable to understand Wu An's move; since Qin Zong said it couldn't be explained over the phone, why not just meet in person?

Consumption at Qin Zong's restaurant isn't low; it'll cost quite a bit.

Is it really necessary to go out of our way just for a meal?

He couldn't keep things to himself and blurted out: "Brother, wouldn't it be better to eat and drink at home to celebrate? Why go to Qin Zong's restaurant? I think the food there is just so-so, and the dishes are damn expensive."

Wu An smiled and said: "Qin Zong is keeping something secret; what do you think the reason is?"

"Didn't he say it's inconvenient to talk over the phone?"

"Nonsense, we're not some special personnel; where would any phone-inconvenient secret talk come from?"

"Then he... oh, I get it, he wants a favor, so you said to reserve the table, letting Qin Zong make money, which is essentially giving him a benefit."

"Not necessarily... Qin Zong's vision shouldn't be that small; he might want me to owe him a favor, but I don't want to owe him one."

"But what if the information Qin Zong provides turns out useless?"

"Then at least we'll treat the family to a nice meal."

A Qing's scalp felt a little itchy, as if he were about to grow a brain; after a moment he asked again: "Brother, could it be that you're overthinking?"

"What good is your favor?"

"..."

Wu An didn't really want to bother with him, filled the motorcycle's tank at the gas station, headed straight home, first dropped A Qing off at his house; Li Juan saw A Qing buying big and small packages, laughed and said he was wasting money.

Wu An greeted them, said they would go to the town restaurant for dinner that evening; he didn't let A Qing speak, his invitation only became formal when he extended it; upon learning it was to celebrate buying a fishing boat, Li Juan naturally agreed readily.

This matter indeed calls for a nice meal to celebrate.

Buying a fishing boat here is a big deal, comparable to building a house; Wu An thought they were buying a used fishing boat, so there was no need for a grand affair—just a meal among themselves would suffice.

Back home, he took out the clothes and shoes he had bought; Mei Yueqin said the same thing as Li Juan, the sister-in-law's "mommy vibe" was too strong, making Wu An unable to be happy.

Mei Yueqin didn't know what he was laughing at; seeing several outfits and skirts, she was also happy inside, while saying he was wasting money—there were already too many clothes at home to wear, no need to buy new ones; in fact, she quickly went back inside to change into a set, and frankly, it fit quite well.

Wu An also didn't bother to pick; the clothes he bought were all one-size-fits-all.

Actually, the sister-in-law is somewhat slim, so there wouldn't be the embarrassment of buying clothes that don't fit.

Wu An didn't stay at home; he moved the water pump onto the car, got his gear ready, and immediately set out, picking up A Qing, and the two headed straight for town again.

Leaving other matters aside, at the very least we need to earn enough money for tonight's meal.

If we end up treating guests without them paying, that wouldn't be great at all.