Chapter 185: 185 Zhao Dong of Yulou Ancient Town_1
Chapter 185: Zhao Dong of Yulou Ancient Town_1
In Xin Le Apparel, the huge commotion attracted the attention of the entire street.
Chen Lele, upon seeing the clothes racks in the store being knocked around and smashed, a stubborn look emerged on her innocent face.
“I’m going to call the police, you guys are bullying too much! The law will punish you,” Chen Lele said firmly, taking out her cellphone and standing up to Stone Bro.
“Call the police, I’ll call your mother next door, I’m from the Hu Family, even the law can’t touch me!” Stone Bro saw Chen Lele trying to make a call and flung his hand at the cellphone in her hand.
With a “smack,” Chen Lele’s cellphone was sent flying by Stone Bro’s slap.
At that moment, two young men also quickly ran into Xin Le Apparel.
One was Zhao Dong and the other was Li Ancheng; both were local thugs from Yulou Ancient Town. They too had tattoos, but compared to those brought by Stone Bro, their tattoos were much cruder.
Although Yulou Ancient Town was under the Hu Family’s turf, due to frequent visits from tourists, a local small gang formed, tasked with maintaining the order in the grey areas of Yulou Ancient Town. Zhao Dong was the leader of this gang.
He would collect “management fees” or protection money from the shops every six months, but he was also responsible for the safety of these shops. If anyone caused trouble, used counterfeit money, committed theft, or tried to swindle others, he would be the first to seize these people and give them a lesson.
Sometimes these troublemakers weren’t afraid of the authorities but very much dreaded the local gang, as they didn’t require procedures or evidence. As long as someone threatened the normal business order of the Ancient Town, they would be dealt with ruthlessly.
Zhao Dong happened to be eating on the street today and, hearing the noise, led his men over.
Seeing a few burly men on the verge of smashing Xin Le Apparel to pieces, Zhao Dong rushed in fast and yelled, “Everyone stop!”
Stone Bro, hearing Zhao Dong’s voice, looked back in confusion.
“Who the hell are you popping up from nowhere? Hu Family people are handling business here, mind your own business,” Stone Bro said contemptuously to Zhao Dong, disdainfully.
“Hu Family?” Zhao Dong frowned deeply. Their gang only had five or six members, and only by virtue of being locals could they hold their ground in Yulou Ancient Town. What was the Hu Family? They were a juggernaut controlling the entire south of the city, with over a hundred underlings. For them, snuffing out Zhao Dong would be as easy as squishing an ant.
“Big brother, although you are from the Hu Family, we can still talk this out. If there’s an issue with this store, just come to me, Zhao Dong, and I will definitely provide a satisfactory resolution for you all,” Zhao Dong said, stepping forward unafraid, addressing Stone Bro.
Zhao Dong might have been a thug too, but he wasn’t the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. On the contrary, he was a man of principle.
Having collected the management fees from the merchants on this street, he felt it was his duty to handle any trouble for them. This principle had always been Zhao Dong’s way of making a name for himself in Yulou Ancient Town.
Even the largest antique shop in Yulou Ancient Town was willing to cooperate with him.
Because Zhao Dong was a man who didn’t covet or rob, he only claimed what was rightfully his, and when real trouble arose, he would definitely stand up and resolve it.
Despite the Hu Family’s great influence, Zhao Dong knew if he didn’t handle this incident properly, then the entire Yulou Ancient Town would likely lose faith in his abilities.
At that time, his few subordinates would probably be left out in the cold.
“Dammit, didn’t I tell you? When the Hu Family handles matters, all irrelevant people should piss off. Do you want to leave on your own, or do you want my men to help you out?” Stone Brother said impatiently to Zhao Dong, his narrow triangular eyes filled with a ruthless expression.
“Since the Yulou Management Company has taken management fees from the merchants, we are responsible for them. If there are any problems, we can certainly find a solution, there’s no need to smash up the place,” Zhao Dong slowly said.
He knew the Hu Family’s ferocity, so he tried to communicate with the few men in front of him as much as possible, to avoid further escalation of the situation. If it had been an ordinary person, Zhao Dong would have already started fighting, instead of wasting his breath talking.
“Yulou Management Company? I think it’s just the gang that collects protection money. Dammit, you even dare to collect protection fees on the Hu Family’s turf. You’ve got quite the nerve,” Stone Brother said with a sneer, tightly clenching his fists.
“The management fees are voluntarily paid by the merchants, we have never forced anyone, so it can’t be called a protection fee. Moreover, even the Hu Family can’t act lawlessly. Several of the top bosses in Yulou Ancient Town have good relations with the Hu Family. If you make too much trouble in Yulou Ancient Town, it might reduce the merchants’ good feelings towards the Hu Family,” Zhao Dong, no dummy himself, intended to negotiate with Stone Brother and his men, even though he was outmatched.
“Dammit, you little bastard, you’ve only been in the game for a few years, and now you dare to lecture me,” Stone Brother’s mouth curled in disdain, not caring about what Zhao Dong had just said, and threw a kick towards Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong didn’t retaliate; he took a kick in the small of his back from Stone Brother and stumbled three steps backward.
“Brother!” Li Ancheng rushed over from behind Zhao Dong, steadying him.
“Ah Cheng, it’s fine. Since we’ve taken the merchants’ money, we must protect their interests,” Zhao Dong said firmly to Li Ancheng.
“Alright! We’ll protect them together!” Li Ancheng stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhao Dong.
“Hahaha, gutsy, you guys are really gutsy,” Stone Brother clapped his hands lightly, his interest piqued as he watched Zhao Dong.
“Hahaha, brothers, these two little jerks think they’re what? Envoys of justice, or avatars of heroes?” Stone Brother said mockingly to Zhao Dong and his companion.
“We’re not envoys of justice, but we also can’t just stand by and watch you run amok in Yulou Ancient Town,” Zhao Dong replied defiantly.
“Fine! Since you can’t stand by and watch, then I will beat you until you dare not watch. Brothers, get them!” With a large wave of Stone Brother’s hand, his five imposing subordinates immediately pounced on Zhao Dong and his companion like hungry wolves.
Watching Zhao Dong and his companion being instantly knocked to the ground by hooligans, Chen Lele and Chen Lixin’s faint glimmer of hope in their eyes vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“Haha, pretty girls, Stone Brother is telling you today, you did the right thing by following me obediently. No one can save you!” Stone Brother proclaimed triumphantly, his belly protruding proudly.