Chapter 125: Cannot Win

The next day.

A batch of construction materials was transported from the commercial market to Jingxing Fang.

Unlike in the past, this time He Da led the men to escort several carts of building materials back.

They had not gone far from the market when a group of people rushed out from the side.

The newcomers were not friendly.

The few men in the lead, who looked like domestic servants, were clearly strong laborers raised by a wealthy family—capable of doing chores at home and beating people up outside.

He Da gestured for his own caravan to stop first.

The other side rushed over too quickly, and since they needed to escort the building materials, their speed could not be increased; the road ahead was soon blocked, and they were forced to stop.

The commotion here had already attracted the attention of some passersby.

He Da swept a glance around, stepped forward, and with a quite polite expression, bowed decorously and asked aloud: "I wonder what you brothers intend to do? Who is your master?"

The leader of the other side had an arrogant posture: "You are not worthy of knowing!"

He pulled out a Money Voucher and warned: "Ask less about the business of noble people! That's enough, we won't haggle with you this time; you can go, but leave the goods on the carts!"

As more and more people gathered to watch, this stretch of road became temporarily congested.

Passersby standing on the periphery could not see the situation inside clearly, but they suddenly heard someone inside shout in an angry voice: "You are bullying us too much!"

As the words fell, the conflict erupted.

The passing pedestrians included both city residents and merchant caravans that had arrived recently; they quickly avoided the chaotic battle zone, but did not leave immediately, instead asking others: "What happened over there?"

The onlookers who saw the process shared enthusiastically:

"They say someone is robbing goods in the street!"

"I recognize those few people transporting the goods; they are all from Jingxing Fang."

Others were surprised: "There are people who dare to rob goods from Jingxing Fang?"

"Aren't they robbing them right now!"

Within the battle circle, He Da raised his arms and shouted, and several more Idlers emerged from the crowd of onlookers.

Judging solely by numbers, the transport side already had an overwhelming advantage. Moreover, there were Idlers constantly rushing over from elsewhere who seemed to want to join in as well.

The leading servant saw that the situation was not good and was about to loudly declare his family name to show intimidation.

He Da, who had been staring at him, seized the opportunity to rush over and throw a punch.

They were all old hands at street fighting; one punch could make the opponent unable to make a sound and temporarily lose the ability to act, but it would not cause too serious an injury, and they would be fine after a little rest.

It could achieve the goal without truly hurting anyone and causing trouble.

The street brawl ended quickly; after finishing the fight, they threw the opponents to the side of the road, and He Da recalled his men to continue escorting the goods back to the ward.

The Ward Chief had said that this matter must be resolved quickly.

The originally congested road section quickly returned to normal.

Before leaving, He Da bowed to the surroundings very solemnly: "Thank you all for your righteous help!"

This was also to let the passersby know that the other side had robbed the goods in the street, and his side had been forced to fight back.

They won!

After the goods were all transported back to Jingxing Fang, He Da walked to a hidden spot where Idlers were already waiting.

He Da gave them Grain Tickets as a reward, the amount being what was agreed upon.

If there were no benefits, this group of people could not have been called to take action when the conflict broke out on the road earlier.

After handling these matters, He Da went to see Wen Gu and recounted everything that happened on the road today from beginning to end, looking indignant:

"It's a good thing you, Ward Chief, were prepared, otherwise the goods would have been intercepted by them!"

Losing goods is a small matter, but losing face in the street is a big one.

Thinking back on it, He Da felt that his own actions were still too light; he should have let the passing pedestrians know that the goods of their Jingxing Fang cannot be easily touched!

Wen Gu praised: "Well performed! When is the next batch of goods?"

He Da said: "I specifically asked today; the next batch of goods won't arrive for at least two days. Ward Chief, should I take men over again then?"

Wen Gu thought for a moment: "The other side has tried a crude tactic once; they may not use it a second time. Go call Tao San."

Tao San had broader news channels locally, and locals were more deeply rooted in Xinzhou City, so he could fully utilize the home-field advantage!

……

Two days later.

Building materials market.

A person looking like a Steward, with attendants, went to find the shopkeepers of the brick, tile, and mortar markets.

Zhao Laoda had established the market rules, and fighting was not allowed in the market areas, so the previous interception of goods only happened on the road outside the ward market.

But this time, this He Daye steward, carrying the master's orders, relied on his status to pressure several building material shopkeepers to intercept the goods at the source.

Before coming, they had already inquired that the next batch of goods would arrive today!

As for the Deeds previously set for these goods?

There were loopholes in the Deeds!

However, when they found the shopkeepers, these shopkeepers told them that the previous afternoon, the person in charge of Jingxing Fang had come to sign a supplementary Deed, and it really could not be breached!

Moreover, this batch of goods would not go through the market but would be transported directly from the workshop to the destination.

Zhao Laoda had just standardized the market system, and no one dared to take strong action when they could not find a loophole.

The He Daye steward immediately understood that when they sent people to the building materials market to inquire earlier, the other side had already sensed the movement and made preparations in advance.

Jingxing Fang.

News from the building materials market side soon arrived.

Little Secretary Cheng Zhi was a bit happy: "It seems the other side's goal was indeed that batch of building materials! Actually, if their attitude were a little better, it's not like we couldn't have let them have a batch of goods."

"No, the other party is coming specifically for me," Wen Gu stated with certainty.

"Huh?" Cheng Zhi was confused.

"They just want to use the matter of the building materials to step on me and make a name for themselves. The previous two times were just probes; I fear they will get serious next time," Wen Gu said.

Cheng Zhi felt panicked; when the powerful and noble truly exert their influence, it is not something an ordinary person can withstand!

However...

Cheng Zhi looked at Wen Gu, and seeing that he remained calm, he also steadied his own mood and asked with a smile, "I believe that you, Ward Chief, will definitely be able to block them!"

"I cannot block them, and I cannot beat them," Wen Gu said.

"Huh?"

"As a son from a humble family, how can I fight head-on against their aristocratic and noble clans?"

Cheng Zhi's attention inexplicably drifted slightly: A... humble family?

Regaining his composure, Cheng Zhi asked worriedly, "Then, Ward Chief, do you want to go find Lady Shen? Or Zhao Shaozhu?"

"Cousin and Aunt? It is not worth seeking them out for such a trivial matter," Wen Gu said.

These are chaotic times, and the most important thing is to demonstrate one's own value; if one seeks help for such a minor issue, it is very likely one will be looked down upon.

"Cousin is busy with official business, and it is not easy for Aunt to worry," Wen Gu said.

Cheng Zhi racked his brain for a solution.

Since Wen Gu does not wish for those above to step in and help, then how should we solve this ourselves?

We certainly cannot go and offer an apology?

Although Cheng Zhi does not understand many things, having been by Wen Gu's side for such a long time, he still has some understanding.

The more it is this kind of situation, the more one cannot let people think they are a soft persimmon; otherwise, in the future, anyone could pinch or step on you.

Wen Gu pondered, "Regardless, this matter still needs to be resolved as soon as possible."

Cheng Zhi could not think of anything: "Then how should we resolve it?"

"It is not 'we'. We cannot resolve this ourselves for the time being," Wen Gu said.

To settle this kind of trouble in a short period of time, Wen Gu felt that he should go find a professional critic with status.

Aristocratic clans should be dealt with by aristocratic clans!

(End of chapter)