In the evening, after Liu Tiezhu had eaten, with nothing else to do, he lingered around the camp. It wasn’t until nightfall that he stealthily slipped out of the camp. After walking a few dozen meters, he stopped.
“Can you two stop following me?” he said.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tielin and his brother emerged from the right side.
“Zhu Ge, can you tell us where you’re going?” Zhang Tielin asked. “That way, we can give Brother Jiang an explanation, right?”
“I’m going to the Apricot Blossom Tavern for a couple of drinks,” Liu Tiezhu replied and walked off.
“Big brother, should we keep following?” Zhang Tieyan asked.
Zhang Tielin waved his hand and said, “No need. Let’s just squat nearby.”
Since Liu Tiezhu didn’t want them to follow, he was clearly going to handle something. If he insisted on tailing him, he’d not only anger Liu Tiezhu but also fail to curry favor with Jiang He. There was no point in doing something so thankless and offensive. On the contrary, if they didn’t follow, Liu Tiezhu would owe them a favor, making future conversations easier.
Several dozen minutes later, Liu Tiezhu arrived at 75 South City Street. It was a two-story standalone courtyard house covering about a thousand square meters, filled with various flowers, plants, and greenery. Besides these plants, the yard also housed several foreign dogs. These dogs were enormous, each weighing over forty jin. Upon seeing the stranger Liu Tiezhu, all the dogs bared their teeth and barked wildly.
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu quickly ducked back into the corner of the opposite wall. As soon as he hid, he heard hurried footsteps. Eight burly men carrying rifles rushed out of the yard. They scanned the area around the dogs and rummaged through the nearby plants. Finding no one, they slapped the dogs a few times and cursed as they went back inside.
A few minutes later, Liu Tiezhu poked his head out from the corner and approached the yard gate again. The dogs barked once more at the sight of him. After provoking their barking, Liu Tiezhu swiftly retreated to the corner. Soon, footsteps echoed from the yard again. The men came out and thoroughly checked the entire yard inside and out. Finding nothing, they stepped outside the yard, surveyed the area for a while, and then went back inside cursing.
Just as they entered the yard, Liu Tiezhu reappeared in front of it. As he expected, the dogs barked again. Soon, curses came from the neighboring standalone house.
“Damn it, can you shut those dogs up?” a voice yelled. “It’s late at night—if you don’t sleep, I still need to!”
Hearing the insults, the men quickly came out and herded the dogs back inside. Those living here were all prominent figures in the town, each with connections to the county bureau’s big shots—people they couldn’t afford to offend. After driving the dogs together, the men checked the yard again. Finding nothing else, they angrily kicked the dogs.
“Damn it, if you bark again, I’ll stew you!” the lead man shouted, kicking several times and cursing at the dogs.
As if understanding his words, the dogs curled up and whimpered. Seeing them obedient, the men turned and went back into the house. The moment they stepped inside, Liu Tiezhu emerged again. To deal with these dogs, creating a disturbance that annoyed the neighbors was undoubtedly the best method. The surrounding residents were all high-ranking officials and nobles, each with a temper. If the dogs barked all night, someone would take a shot at them without him lifting a finger.
Inside the yard, all the dogs stood up. After being beaten, they had learned their lesson this time. They stared intently at Liu Tiezhu, not barking but baring their teeth and growling lowly. Liu Tiezhu wasn’t about to let them off easily. He made a gesture as if to attack them. The dogs barked again at this. Liu Tiezhu grinned and quickly shrank back into the corner.
“Son of a bitch!” a voice cursed. “You won’t let me sleep, huh? Then nobody sleeps!”
As the curse faded, a window on the opposite building swung open. A middle-aged man pulled out a pistol and fired a volley at the dogs.
Bang, bang, bang…
The gunfire echoed through the area, jolting everyone awake. The men who rushed out of the yard froze in shock at the sight of the middle-aged man. They didn’t care about the dogs’ fate and quickly retreated inside. The shooter was Xu Dalin, the brother-in-law of a deputy county bureau chief. Offending someone like him was a death sentence.
“Damn you, Chen Wenhai, come out and talk compensation with me!” Xu Dalin shouted after firing, not ready to let it go. “If you dare hide in there, I’ll come down and find you.”
Hearing this, the tightly shut door of the house soon opened, and a man around thirty emerged. He was Jiang Tianliang’s brother-in-law, Chen Wenhai. Chen Wenhai stood just over 1.65 meters tall, weighed over two hundred jin, and sported a beer belly. After coming out, he quickly smiled apologetically at Xu Dalin. “Brother Dalin, they’re just some damn dogs—no need for you to compensate.”
Xu Dalin fumed, “Chen Wenhai, what do you mean by that?”
“Brother Dalin, I said you don’t need to compensate,” Chen Wenhai repeated, thinking Xu Dalin hadn’t heard him.
Xu Dalin glared and cursed, “Damn it, you still want me to compensate? Your dogs kept me awake, wasted all my bullets, and you want me to pay? I’m talking about you compensating me, you bastard, got it?”
Chen Wenhai’s face stiffened as he silently cursed Xu Dalin’s ancestors. This bastard really knew how to extort. Not only had he killed the expensive dogs, but now he was demanding compensation. However, given Xu Dalin’s status, no matter how pissed he was, he couldn’t act out. After a moment’s thought, Chen Wenhai suppressed his anger and said, “Brother Dalin, what kind of compensation do you want?”
Xu Dalin replied, “We’re neighbors, so I won’t rip you off. Just pay me ten thousand, and we’ll call it even.”
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu almost burst out laughing. Sure enough, the world was a dog-eat-dog place. Whoever had the bigger fist could squeeze the other dry. At Xu Dalin’s words, Chen Wenhai’s face turned black with rage. Xu Dalin was clearly extorting him, and the bastard made it sound so innocent. “Just pay ten thousand,” as if ten thousand wasn’t real money.
Seeing Chen Wenhai silent for so long, Xu Dalin grew furious. “Chen Wenhai, what’s your problem? Is my demand too much? If you think I’m asking too much, I’ll come down and have a proper talk with you.”
Threat, pure threat. Chen Wenhai’s face turned ashen, knowing he’d have to pay that ten thousand today.