"We live in a society governed by law, where evidence is paramount. It's not about what's obvious or hidden, right everyone?"
The young girl skillfully engaged the onlookers. Although everyone present knew what was happening, they naturally sided with the underdog and began to agree.
The captain of the urban management officers felt uneasy. He pulled his subordinates aside to inquire, only to learn that because the older woman was uncooperative, they hadn't managed to take any photos.
Upon hearing this, he immediately ordered them to release her and then left with the utility vehicle.
The older woman walked up to the young girl. "Little girl, you're a good person! Thank you."
The young girl held up her phone, filming the older woman. "It's no problem. This is what I should do. And you, don't always beg them. When we need to be firm, we must be firm."
This scene was witnessed by Xiao Xun, who had just finished his meal and was preparing to return to his stall.
Afterward, the urban management officers didn't expect the video to be uploaded online, but it didn't create much of a stir.
After all, everyone was used to it, and the urban management officers had also issued a statement immediately.
Xiao Xun's goods sold exceptionally well. Seeing that other stalls had hardly any customers, he also felt something was amiss.
On one occasion, after packing up his stall, he browsed the stalls of others. He discovered that the quality and style of their goods were vastly inferior to his, yet they were priced even higher.
He inquired with several stall owners who sold the same category of goods. Their wholesale suppliers were all at the small commodity wholesale market, but their procurement prices were higher than Xiao Xun's, naturally leading to higher selling prices.
One day, he went to the small commodity wholesale market and entered his usual shop.
The boss greeted him enthusiastically, "Sold out again?"
Xiao Xun looked at the boss. "Your shop seems to have very few people coming to stock up."
"Perhaps it's not the peak time yet. Several batches left just before you arrived."
"Is that so?"
The boss smiled. "Indeed."
Xiao Xun then asked, "Boss, where do you source these goods from? I've never seen them in other shops."
"Ah! Everyone has their own sourcing channels. If it were all the same, how could business be done!"
Xiao Xun nodded and said nothing more.
As Xiao Xun walked away, the boss touched his chin. "Did this kid figure something out?"
After finishing his work in the evening, Xiao Xun had just exited the pedestrian street.
"It's him?"
Seven or eight burly men stood at the intersection, bare-chested, displaying various tattoos. One of them took out his phone, looked at Xiao Xun, and confirmed, "Yes, it's him!"
"Hey, kid."
Xiao Xun turned around. "Calling me?"
The group reeked of alcohol, holding wine bottles.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
As soon as Xiao Xun responded, the seven or eight burly men smashed their wine bottles violently at him. "Beat him! Beat him to death!"
"What the hell!"
Their arms were thicker than Xiao Xun's thighs, and there were seven or eight of them. Xiao Xun quickly made his escape, fleeing at full speed.
"Damn it. This kid runs so fast, chase him!"
A chaotic chase ensued. Xiao Xun ran faster and faster, while the seven or eight men were panting heavily, clearly out of breath.
They approached a minivan. The rear door opened, and a bald man with a cast on his arm looked at the burly men.
The leader of the burly men said, "Brother Jun, apologies, we were careless and he got away..."
"A bunch of useless weaklings, what can I expect from you!"
Xiao Xun ran for a while and, seeing no one behind him, stopped.
He finally managed to hide in another street before driving back.
Because his goods sold so well, he returned early.
Upon entering, he found Mu Jiahe also present, looking travel-worn, as if he had just arrived.
"You're back quite early tonight. Have you eaten?"
Hearing Xiao Xun's voice, Mu Jiahe turned to look.
Seeing his unhappy expression, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just a bit tired from setting up the stall these past few days."
Mu Jiahe comforted him, "If you don't want to do it, then don't. You can do something else."
"No, if I can't even manage a stall, then I'm not suited for business at all."
Mu Jiahe asked expressionlessly, "It seems you quite like setting up stalls. What are your plans next? Continue with stalls?"
"I plan to open a physical store, located right here on the pedestrian street. Life as a street vendor ultimately leads to a modest living, but life loses its flavor. There's no free time each day, and people become like machines. Over time, the mind will break. No amount of money will be worth it."
Mu Jiahe smiled. "As long as you've made up your mind, I support you."
On the pedestrian street, there was a shop for transfer. Xiao Xun directly took it, acquiring it with the goods and rent for around two hundred thousand. The rent was paid annually, with a two-month deposit. The previous shop sold clothes, and Xiao Xun cleared the stock with a sale, selling out within days.
In the preceding days, Xiao Xun was busy attending to old customers, familiarizing them with the new store, and assessing the work capabilities of potential employees. After selecting a store manager, he gradually delegated responsibilities.
Due to the excellent quality of the goods and the patronage of old customers, the store was bustling with customers from the moment it opened. The reputation for quality and affordability spread.
Looking at the exceptionally popular store, Xiao Xun thought, "What will I do if that wholesaler runs out of stock?"
Are these excellent goods only available from their shop?
As the saying goes, "A person without foresight will face troubles close at hand."
Xiao Xun was now considering finding multiple sources of supply and opening branch stores. Otherwise, with a city as large as G City, sticking to just one pedestrian street would not suffice.
However, before he could resolve the issue of his supply chain, those ruffians found him. After all, where there are people, there is a martial world.
"Boss, a hoodlum came yesterday asking you to contact him. He said there are some matters to discuss with you."
The store clerk looked frightened. She was just an ordinary person and naturally feared unreasonable and overbearing hoodlums.
"This is the phone number they left."
Xiao Xun took the slip of paper and said to the clerks, "Don't be scared. Whatever happens, I'm here."
As Xiao Xun dialed the number, a cacophony of noises came from the other end.
"This is Xiao Xun. I heard you were looking for me. What can I do for you?"
"Oh, it's Boss Xiao. We're looking for you for a small matter to resolve. There won't be any trouble, you don't need to be afraid. Come to the nearby 'Black Eight' billiard hall now. You should know where it is."
When Xiao Xun arrived at the billiard hall, only one table was occupied with people playing billiards, and seven or eight others were watching. They were all covered in tattoos, either dragons or tigers; none of them looked like good people.
A man with yellow hair saw Xiao Xun and a wide smile spread across his face. "You must be Boss Xiao. Truly young and promising, setting up a stall for only a few days and already opening a shop so quickly."
Saying this, he hugged Xiao Xun like an old friend he hadn't seen in years and patted his back.
"May I ask your name, sir? What is it you wanted to see me about?"
Xiao Xun didn't want to waste time; he just wanted to make money diligently.
"My friends give me face, they all call me Brother Huang Mao. As for calling you here, it's not a big deal. I heard you crippled one of my little brothers, that Liu Jun. Truly useless, he's still lying in the hospital. As for the medical expenses..." He then revealed a sinister grin.
"Since we're discussing this matter today, let's settle it properly. Since he's part of the underworld, shouldn't he abide by its rules?"
Huang Mao narrowed his eyes and stared directly at Xiao Xun, saying calmly, "Since we operate in the underworld, we naturally must abide by its rules." His previous warmth had completely vanished.
Huang Mao had indeed investigated and knew about Liu Jun's behavior. "It's true that my younger brother was in the wrong first, but if someone in the underworld is beaten like that by your brothers, how will they continue to operate? Don't you think you should show some consideration?"
"Then, according to your logic, how should I show consideration?"