Chapter 560 — Trouble at the Kang Xiaofeng Household

"Young Master Bing was going at it with three girls till the middle of the night — he still hasn't gotten up," Li Cihua said offhandedly. Zhong Fabai counted as one of their own now, so Li Cihua didn't bother watching his words.

"Heh heh, Young Master Bing is really something! That kind of stamina — we can't even hope to match it!" Zhong Fabai stuck up his thumb and, without batting an eye, slipped in the flattery.

"Naturally. Who do you think Young Master Bing is?" Li Cihua gave a faint smile. "Brother Zhong, is there something you need him for?"

"I wouldn't dream of troubling Young Master Bing with my affairs — having Brother Cihua speak for me is plenty!" Zhong Fabai laid the flattery on thick.

"What's the matter? Let's hear it." Li Cihua, far from letting Zhong Fabai's flattery go to his head, asked straight out.

"Brother Cihua, this time Gu Pengzhan has trampled all over me — you've got to stand up for me!" Zhong Fabai sat down on the sofa across from Li Cihua, his face and voice both fierce. "I'm one of Young Master Bing's men now, and like the saying goes, you don't beat a dog without asking its master first. What he did was way out of line!"

"Oh? What did Gu Pengzhan do?" Li Cihua asked mildly.

"My boy Zhong Yongliang did nothing but court his daughter Gu Mengyao, and Gu Pengzhan had him dragged off and a kidney cut out of him! Isn't that going too far? He's got no respect at all for you or Young Master Bing!" Zhong Fabai spoke with great indignation.

"Wait — what did you say? Cut out a kidney?" Li Cihua was taken aback. If it had been any other matter, pinning it on Gu Pengzhan might have been plausible, but cutting out a kidney was a bit too far-fetched. And the moment Zhong Fabai mentioned a cut-out kidney, Li Cihua thought of someone else entirely. "You're certain it was Gu Pengzhan?"

"Well... there's no proof yet, but it has to be him!" Zhong Fabai wailed. "My boy said the man who cut out his kidney warned him to stay far away from Gu Pengzhan from now on, or he'd take his life! It's got to be Gu Pengzhan, no question!"

"I see..." Li Cihua nodded. "All right, you go on back for now. Once Young Master Bing is up, I'll talk it over with him and see what's to be done."

Li Cihua was a smooth operator; naturally he wouldn't make Zhong Fabai any direct promises, even if the man counted as one of their own.

"Brother Cihua, you can't just wash your hands of this — Gu Pengzhan has gone too far this time!" Seeing that Li Cihua's attitude was neither warm nor cold, and that he had committed to nothing either way, Zhong Fabai grew anxious. If Li Cihua wouldn't take it on, then going head-to-head with Gu Pengzhan himself would surely end badly for him.

"I understand. If Gu Pengzhan really was behind this, Young Master Bing will certainly stand up for you," Li Cihua said mildly — though what he left unsaid was that if Gu Pengzhan had nothing to do with it, then there was nothing to be done. Young Master Bing had been eyeing Gu Pengzhan's family fortune for a long while; even without this business with Zhong Fabai, he meant to move against Gu Pengzhan sooner or later, so there was no harm in doing the man a favor now.

"All right, then I'll go back and wait for good news from you and Young Master Bing!" Zhong Fabai knew that saying more would get him nowhere; everything would have to wait until Young Master Bing woke up.

A great commotion had lately befallen the Kang Xiaofeng household: someone had come calling at the family teahouse.

Kang Xiaofeng had wanted to seek out Wei Zhao, but Wei Zhao had gone to Yanjing and he had no idea whether the man was back yet. Not wanting to intrude, Kang Xiaofeng could only grit his teeth and handle it himself.

Kang's father was an educated man who had always done business honestly, and done quite well at it. So although the Kangs were no great wealthy house, they lived comfortably enough. But that calm had now been shattered.

Ever since a month ago, when another teahouse and leisure club had opened directly across from the Kang family's teahouse, there had not been a moment's peace in the place.

The Kang teahouse had been open for many years and was something of an old name in these parts, so it drew no small crowd; the new teahouse, naturally, had far fewer customers. Its owner, Zhang Baji, thus got a few crooked ideas into his head and hired local thugs to harass the Kang teahouse day in and day out, until the place could scarcely do business at all.

Old name or not, the Kang teahouse could not withstand a pack of red-haired, green-haired, yellow-haired louts hollering back and forth inside every single day. A teahouse is meant to be a refined and quiet place, and most of its patrons were couples and businessmen — with these thugs playing cards and gambling inside, who could stand it?

But here was the rub: for all their jeering, the thugs did nothing else. Even if Kang's father wanted to call the police, there was nothing to report! They were customers, after all, who had come in for tea — they simply made a single pot last the whole day!

As for the card games, the teahouse had always offered free chess and card services; these men merely played a little too fiercely and made a little too much noise! Put plainly, they were paying customers, and how they chose to spend their money was none of your business.

So Kang's father knew perfectly well that he had offended someone, yet could do absolutely nothing about it. Watching the teahouse's takings dwindle day by day, he was at his wit's end — the money these petty thugs spent on tea did not even cover the daily expenses.

He held out for a month, but in the end Kang's father truly could not keep it up any longer and wanted to change the situation — only for the other side to come knocking at his door instead. And Zhang Baji had not come alone: with him was a man of real standing in Songshan City!

Kang's father had also heard of this great man's reputation. Seeing him arrive together with Zhang Bajie, he understood at once what had really been behind the trouble at his teahouse.

"President Kang, you and I are in the same line of work. We've never met, but your name has long preceded you!" The moment Zhang Bajie stepped inside, he greeted Kang's father with great warmth. "Come, let me introduce a friend. This is President Zou of Tiandi Entertainment, and this is his eldest son, Zou Ruoguang, who is the big man on the North District's underworld scene. If you ever run into trouble, President Kang, you can look him up! We're all ironclad connections here!"

As he spoke, Zhang Bajie raised a thumb, which made Kang's father frown in spite of himself. Was this not plainly a threat? Yet faced with men like these, Kang's father was utterly without recourse. He was no child; he knew the rules of society. When the other side held the power, they could bully him outright, and what could he possibly do about it?

"President Zou, President Zhang, might I ask what brings the two of you here? Have you come for tea, or to compare notes on the art of business?" Though Kang's father was furious, he knew these were men he could not afford to offend, so he spoke with neither haughtiness nor servility.

"Damn you to hell, what do you mean 'the two of you'? I'm standing right here, don't you see me? Or are you calling me not a man?" Before Zou Tiandi or Zhang Bajie could say a word, Zou Ruoguang at their side exploded. Slamming his palm on the table, he jabbed a finger at Kang's father and began cursing, the impact sending a whole Jingdezhen porcelain tea set crashing to the floor, where it shattered to bits.