Chapter 59

Liu Handong was driving on the road when he saw a blue and green Jetta taxi parked by the side of the road. The hood was open, and smoke was billowing out. A middle-aged driver stood in front of the car, at a loss.

Previously, Liu Handong had gotten into a fight with Ma Wei from Huaijiang Taxi, so he had some prejudice against taxi drivers. Otherwise, given his character, he would have definitely stopped to help. This was a habit he had developed while driving in the Yunnan-Tibet Plateau, where he would always stop to help a broken-down car.

After circling around, the Jetta taxi was still parked in the same spot. The driver was squatting by the side, smoking. Seeing Liu Handong's Fukan, he actually ran over and waved.

Liu Handong stopped the car and rolled down the window. "What's wrong?"

"Can you give me a jump start?" the middle-aged driver said with a smile. He was around fifty, dressed neatly, and looked like a decent person.

Liu Handong parked the Fukan next to the Jetta and opened the hood. The middle-aged driver took a red and black double-strand cable from the trunk, with copper alligator clips on both ends. The two cars' batteries were connected, positive to positive, negative to negative. Then, the two of them started the cars one second apart, and the Jetta finally started.

The middle-aged driver got out of the car and offered Liu Handong a cigarette. It was a box of Da Qianmen, which cost 1.5 yuan per pack. This kind of low-quality cigarette was hard to find, and only the lowest-level workers smoked it.

"Thanks. Come to think of it, we're neighbors. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you for help," the middle-aged driver said with a smile as he lit a cigarette for Liu Handong.

"Neighbors?" Liu Handong was puzzled; he had never seen this person before.

"My name is Zhang Aimin. I'm a taxi driver and live on Tiezha Street. I'm too busy to meet my neighbors. I've never seen you, but I've seen your car. You live in Huojie Family, right?" the middle-aged driver explained.

Liu Handong suddenly understood. Taxi drivers worked day and night, almost 24 hours a day, so it was reasonable that he had never seen Zhang Aimin.

The car wouldn't start because the battery was sulfated. Liu Handong took a quick look and shook his head.

"Mr. Zhang, your car is old. I won't even mention the aged battery. The terminals are oxidized and covered in dust, the connections are loose, and the starter is not working well. The brushes are probably worn out, and the engine sounds off. How many kilometers has it been driven?"

"Three hundred thousand kilometers," Zhang Aimin said proudly, taking out a large jar from the car. It was wrapped in a wool cover, and the glass walls were stained with dark tea residue. Half of it was filled with tea leaves and water. He unscrewed the lid and offered it to Liu Handong. "Want some water?"

"I have my own," Liu Handong said, taking out his cola bottle from the car, filled with purified water from Huoying's house.

The taxi driver and the black car driver drank water, smoked, and chatted about driving. Mr. Zhang shared some tips with Liu Handong, like which places to go at what times, where to find more business, and which areas to avoid.

"Don't go to the train station or the airport. Those places are controlled by others. Also, don't go to nightclubs. The people there are usually drunk and might not pay or even beat you up... I've already lost a few fares," Mr. Zhang said, running a few steps to throw his cigarette butt into a trash can before getting back into his car. "See you, Xiao Liu."

"See you, Mr. Zhang," Liu Handong said, getting into his Fukan. Just as he was about to start the car, Song Shuang's call came in. The young lady didn't mince words and directly asked for his help.

"Why don't you call the police?" Liu Handong asked.

"Calling the police won't help. The police can't punish the bad guys. Hurry up and come," Song Shuang said, with the sound of cats and dogs barking in the background, indicating a chaotic situation.

"Got it," Liu Handong said, hanging up the phone. He thought about how the motorcycle Song Shuang had compensated him was worth much more than the destroyed tricycle. Moreover, Mei Jie and Huanxi were rescued thanks to her help. Now, he owed her a favor.

This family dispute was something he couldn't resolve even if he went. Sun Grandma's ungrateful descendants had clearly planned this, and dealing with such villains wasn't his forte.

He needed to call in some other people.

Liu Handong called Hu Lei and asked if he was free.

"What's up, brother? Just say the word," Hu Lei said straightforwardly. "I have plenty of time. I'm playing pool right now."

"Bring a few brothers and meet me. We have something to handle," Liu Handong said.

"Sure, brother, I'll be right there."

Twenty minutes later, Hu Lei arrived with a dozen motorcycles. Liu Handong led the way, and they arrived at the neighborhood where Sun Grandma lived. The motorcycles roared loudly, and the young men, dressed in leather jackets and motorcycle boots, with dyed yellow hair and nose rings, scared the neighbors back into their houses, where they watched from their windows.

Song Shuang, who usually disliked such hooligans, now felt they were all righteous messengers. She practically bounced over. "Liu Handong, that's the shameless guy who's occupying Sun Grandma's house. Go beat him up!"

Seeing the reinforcements, Sun Xiaoyang quickly called for help.

Liu Handong walked over, first comforting Sun Grandma, then looking at Sun Xiaoyang.

"What are you looking at? Bringing a bunch of punks to scare who?" Sun Xiaoyang said fearlessly.

Liu Handong walked straight up and grabbed Sun Xiaoyang by the collar, easily lifting him off the ground.

"What are you doing! Let go!" Sun Xiaoyang struggled in vain, his feet dangling. He was small and frail, no match for Liu Handong. He was carried to Sun Grandma and thrown to the ground, ordered to "kneel!"

Sun Xiaoyang, not wanting to lose face, half-sat, half-knelt, turning his head away.

Sun Grandma was heartbroken. "Xiao Liu, don't hit him. Xiaoyang must have been deceived by others. He's not that kind of person."

Song Shuang said, "Even now, you're still defending him. He's trying to kick you out."

Liu Handong said, "You, this is called filial impiety. In ancient times, it was punishable by death. Today, I'll do justice and give you a free lesson."

With that, he slapped Sun Xiaoyang's face, not too hard, mainly to punish and humiliate him.

Hu Lei and the others shouted, stopping the movers Sun Xiaoyang had brought from moving things out. The situation was at a stalemate, and the neighbors watched with interest. Stray cats wandered around, meowing.

A police car arrived, the same officers who had responded earlier, but this time Sun Xiaoyang had called them.

"Hey, you can't hit people," the police officer said.

Liu Handong shrugged. "I didn't hit him. I was just teaching him a lesson. This is a family dispute. This is my godmother, and he's my nephew," he said, pointing to Sun Grandma and then to Sun Xiaoyang.

The police officer understood the situation and didn't want to get involved. After a brief mediation, they left.

Now it was Sun Xiaoyang's turn to be in a bind. Calling the police was useless. However, he had a backup plan. A black Accord drove into the neighborhood and parked near the building. Three men got out, dressed in black, with short hair, gold chains, and crocodile-skin bags. Their sleeves revealed sandalwood prayer beads and shiny watches, clearly indicating they were well-known figures in the underworld.

The three men walked over confidently. The leader, wearing red sneakers, stood out. He looked at the group of bikers and called out, "Hey, kid, come here."

Hu Lei pointed to his nose. "Me?"

"Come, come, little guy," the man with red sneakers waved, as if calling a three-year-old.

Hu Lei obediently went over, recognizing that this was a big shot in the underworld.

The man with red sneakers said, "You hang out with Tan Shuai, right?"

"Yes," Hu Lei said.

The man nodded. "I remember seeing you before, drinking with Old Pi. Alright, this isn't your business. Go home."

Hu Lei said, "I came to help a friend."

"Who?" the man asked, slightly impatient.

"Brother Dong," Hu Lei pointed to Liu Handong, who was still lecturing Sun Xiaoyang.

The man with red sneakers took off his sunglasses and looked at Liu Handong, muttering, "Never seen him before. Where is he from?"

Hu Lei said, "Brother Dong doesn't belong to any gang. He has his own car and works independently."

The man nodded and walked over.

Hu Lei called out, "Brother, what's your name?"

"I'm Qian Zhenhu," the man with red sneakers said.

Hu Lei gasped.

Someone patted Hu Lei on the shoulder. "Little guy, you're in the way."

Hu Lei quickly moved aside, and the two men smiled and walked over.

Qian Zhenhu approached, and Sun Xiaoyang, finding his support, stood up. "Boss Qian, it's him who brought people to cause trouble."

Liu Handong narrowed his eyes, sizing up the newcomer. He was clearly a gangster, around thirty, with a tattoo visible on his arm, a slightly protruding belly, and well-maintained. His bracelet, watch, and bag were all high-end, indicating he was a successful figure who had moved beyond violence.

"Xiao Dong, right? I've never seen you before. Who are you with?" Qian Zhenhu slowly put his sunglasses in his collar, took out a pack of Su cigarettes, and lit one with a shiny Dunhill lighter. He took a puff and slowly exhaled, calm and composed.

Liu Handong ignored him and asked Song Shuang, "Who is this guy?"

Song Shuang shook her head. "I don't know him."

He asked Sun Grandma, who also denied knowing him.

"This isn't your business. We don't know you," Liu Handong said bluntly.

Qian Zhenhu smiled, took the property deed from Sun Xiaoyang, and said, "This is actually my business. Sun Xiaoyang owes me a lot of money. This property has been used to settle his debt. How can I sell it if the house isn't cleared out?"

Everyone looked at each other in shock. They thought Sun Xiaoyang was despicable, but they didn't expect him to go so far as to sell the elderly woman's only home.

"Xiaoyang, how much do you owe him?" Sun Grandma asked, still concerned about her ungrateful grandson.

"Over a million!" Sun Xiaoyang turned his head away.

Qian Zhenhu called the movers. "Keep moving. Don't stop."

Song Shuang, caught off guard by the new development, looked at Liu Handong helplessly.

Liu Handong sneered. "Sun Xiaoyang used fraudulent means to get the property deed, which is illegal. If he can't pay you back, that's his problem. This house has nothing to do with you. You've been in the underworld for years. How can you be so clueless? You can't afford to get involved in this mess. Leave now."

Qian Zhenhu's face turned red with anger. He was a well-known figure in the Jinjiang underworld, and even a big shot like Wang Shifeng would call him "Tiger" respectfully. Today, he was being scolded by an unknown newcomer, and he couldn't swallow this insult.

Before he could react, the two men behind him couldn't hold back and stepped forward to beat up Liu Handong.

Hu Lei, who had been ready, stepped forward and blocked them. "F*ck you, don't touch Brother Dong!"

The two men laughed angrily. "Little guy, are you tired of living?" But they didn't advance further, instead taking out their phones. "Gangzi, bring some people over. We have a situation."

Seeing the situation worsen, Song Shuang took out her phone and called Secretary Shen. Her father was often in meetings and might not have his phone, but Secretary Shen's phone was always on, and he usually carried three phones, so it was unlikely to be unreachable.

Suddenly, the doors of a large red Sequoia SUV parked in the neighborhood opened, and four burly men got out. They were all over 1.9 meters tall, weighing at least 100 kilograms, dressed in tight black suits, with flat-top haircuts, dark sunglasses, and earpieces.

Their appearance stunned everyone. Liu Handong said to Song Shuang, "Impressive, one call and a car full of people."

Song Shuang looked puzzled. "I haven't even gotten through yet."