Chapter 67

"Damn, you really know how to pretend. Our boss has been so distracted by you these past few days, and you actually say you don't know him," one of the thugs shouted.

"Rat, don't talk nonsense. Let Miss Liu Xia rest for a moment. Liu Xia, we brothers are here to have a meal. Open the bar for us, and if you want to show us some respect, join us for a few drinks," the one in front, who had been very arrogant in front of Old Liu, said in a particularly gentle tone when Liu Xia came out, perhaps trying to leave a good impression on her.

"Ha! You bastards, you come to my family's shop every day to cause trouble, ruining our business. You even want me to drink with you, go to hell," Liu Xia, though surrounded by several men, was not at all afraid.

"Don't be ungrateful, b*tch. The boss is giving you an honor, and you still don't come over to sit with us," one of the young men pushed Liu Xia and sneered at the one with a crew cut.

"Miss Liu, whatever you want to eat today, just order it. As long as it's in my shop, I'll give it to you for free. Please, let my daughter go," the boss lady, seeing her daughter being held at the table, was afraid she would be hurt and quickly came out to beg for mercy.

"Mom, why are you so afraid of them? Call the police!" The young girl, though she knew calling the police wouldn't help much, thought it was the only option in this situation.

"Who dares to call the police, I'll chop off their hand!" The one called Rat by Hu Gongzi jumped out. Old Liu quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, knowing that calling the police wouldn't help and that Rat might really chop off his hand. As a chef, losing his hand would be a disaster.

"Forget it, forget it. We won't eat here. Uncle, Aunt, I'll take Liu Xia to the town's bar to play, and I'll send her back to Ali in the evening." He then signaled to a few others, who understood his meaning and carried Liu Xia toward the car.

Liu Xia, a girl, was almost immobile, being held by several men: "Pah, let me go, you stinking thugs!"

Saliva is also a weapon, and at this moment, Liu Xia chose to use it. Two of the thugs were hit by her saliva and were very annoyed, but the boss had given orders that no one could touch the girl until he got what he wanted, or they would have pinned her down and done worse.

"Liu Xia! Hu Gongzi, please, let my daughter go," the boss lady cried, but was helpless, reaching out to pull the one with the crew cut, hoping he would show some mercy.

"Get lost!" The one with the crew cut wasn't as polite to the boss lady as he was to Liu Xia, and with a push, she fell to the ground.

"Stop!" Ding Hao finally couldn't hold back. Ding Hao was a passionate young man, and being part of an organization, the rules of the Yanlong Guardians clearly stated that protecting the country and its people was his duty. Although most of the time he carried out major missions, he couldn't ignore such a small-time thug bullying an innocent person.

"Damn, I haven't settled the score with you for hitting my brother, and you're causing trouble again. What do you want?"

"What do I want? I should be the one asking you."

"Are you looking for death? I'm taking my girlfriend out to play, what's it to you?"

"Anyone can see that Liu Xia isn't your girlfriend. You're not dating, you're bullying and kidnapping. I wouldn't care if you were kidnapping someone else, but Liu Xia is my waitress. If you take her away, who will serve the customers?"

"What did you say? Your waitress? When did this shop become yours?"

"That's not your concern. If you sit down and eat, I'll serve you. If you touch my people, I'll make you all fly out of here!"

"Damn, you're asking for it!" Rat, hearing Ding Hao's words, picked up a beer bottle and threw it at him. He thought with so many brothers and only two people on Ding Hao's side, one of whom was a woman, Ding Hao was asking for death.

The other thugs, except for the two holding Liu Xia, all rushed over. Ding Hao quickly dodged Rat's attack and grabbed the collar of the one with the crew cut: "Let Liu Xia go!"

"Damn! Brothers, attack!" The one with the crew cut, though surprised by Ding Hao's sudden appearance, was confident that with so many brothers, they could subdue him.

The thugs didn't hesitate, grabbing whatever they could find and attacking Ding Hao. Seeing the danger, Ding Hao crouched down, grabbed the waistband of the one with the crew cut, lifted him up, and swung him around, then threw him to the ground.

"You... you..." The one with the crew cut was in a lot of pain, with several cuts on his face and his pants torn, blood streaming down his legs.

The thugs were stunned, having accidentally hit their boss. Ding Hao quickly broke through the circle, grabbed the two holding Liu Xia, and they immediately let her go. Liu Xia, seeing someone come to her rescue, ran away and picked up a stool to charge at the one with the crew cut.

Ding Hao, afraid Liu Xia would be hurt, grabbed the two and threw them next to the one with the crew cut, shouting, "Let me handle it!"

Liu Xia, stunned, stepped aside, and Old Liu and the boss lady quickly pulled her back.

Ding Hao didn't stop, using both hands and feet, and soon the thugs were all lying on the ground with the one with the crew cut.

"Boss, which gang are you from? Can you give us your name?" The one with the crew cut, struggling to breathe, still tried to build a relationship.

"Take your people and get out! This shop is mine now. If I see any of you again, I'll raid your Evil Moon Gang headquarters!" Ding Hao, though he didn't know how big the Evil Moon Gang was or where their headquarters was, didn't hesitate to threaten the thugs.

Joking, he had heard Liu Yiding say that they were in charge of such things. Any thugs, gangs, or mafia, they could be wiped out with a finger snap...

The thugs on the ground struggled to get up and helped the one with the crew cut. They wanted to attack again, but Ding Hao's glare made the one with the crew cut say, "Let's go."

He wasn't unwilling to take revenge, but Ding Hao's presence was too strong. Before he could see how Ding Hao fought, his men were all on the ground. Hu Gongzi wasn't a fool; if the fight continued, they would all end up flying out as Ding Hao said.

Moreover, Ding Hao threatened to raid their headquarters. The one with the crew cut, a minor figure in the Evil Moon Gang, only had some local influence. Today, encountering someone like Ding Hao, he was more than happy to retreat.

What if this shop really belonged to Ding Hao? What if he got angry and made him pay for the damage he had caused before?

Could this person be a helper Liu Xia had hired? No wonder she was so confident. Either this person was the real boss or a helper Liu Xia had hired recently.

Thinking of this, the one with the crew cut didn't hesitate and quickly led his men into the car and left.

"Thank you, really thank you. If it weren't for you, my daughter might have been bullied by them," Old Liu, seeing Hu Gongzi leave, quickly came over to shake Ding Hao's hand in gratitude.

"Liu Xia, are these two helpers you hired?" The boss lady, holding her daughter's hand, asked softly.

Liu Xia shook her head in confusion.

"Sir, today's meal is on me. Thank you for saving my daughter and this shop," the couple were both very grateful.

"You're welcome. I just did what was right. I believe these thugs won't dare to cause trouble here again."

"Sir, what's your surname? Oh, right, if you have friends interested in taking over this shop, please recommend them. The price can be negotiated."

"Really negotiable?"

"Yes." Liu Jiang, seeing Ding Hao's smile, thought this young man had extraordinary skills and might be genuinely interested in buying the shop.

"Boss, what's your lowest price? I'm very interested."

"1.3 million, cash, no lower."

"Boss, you were afraid of Hu Gongzi before, but now that they're gone, why are you in a hurry to sell?"

"The security here is too poor. Even if Hu Gongzi doesn't come, another Li Gongzi or Zhang Gongzi might. Besides, my daughter is growing up, and I plan to find her a husband back home."

"Dad! I don't want to go back home!" Liu Xia, hearing her father's plan, was very upset.

"Your daughter doesn't seem to agree with your plan. Do you really want to leave this mountain village?"

"It's a lie to say I don't want to, but what can I do? Even if we don't go back home, we need to leave this place and buy a house in Qianjiang or another small town."

"Let me suggest something. What do you think?"

"Go ahead, go ahead."

"Let's find an intermediary to appraise this restaurant. I'll buy 51% of the shares, and we'll run the shop together. You handle the procurement and kitchen, and I'll handle the operations and security. You know, the signature dishes of this mountain village can't do without you. If you leave, the business might suffer. I'll handle the marketing and dealing with the thugs."

"Is that okay?" Old Liu looked at his wife and then at his daughter, a bit hesitant.

"Dad, isn't this a good idea? This man is buying more than half of the shares, which is more than 1.3 million. Do you really want to go back home?" Liu Xia, thinking quickly, really didn't want to go back home. Although this was also the countryside, it was only a dozen kilometers from Qianjiang City, the capital of Zhejiang Province.

"Sir, why don't you buy the whole mountain village? Why do you want to keep me here?"

"To be honest, I did consider buying it outright. But I'm not sure I can keep the customers, as I can't cook as well as you. Besides, not just your daughter, but you would also be reluctant to leave this place. I don't want to take advantage of your situation. But to be honest, I don't have that much money. Let me think of a way."

"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you!"

"But I have a condition. Can you agree to it?"

"Go ahead, go ahead."