Volume One, Chapter 10: Today, I Shall Rid the People of This Scourge!

Page 1 of 3

A woman announced that she would buy every guava Lin Xiaoxu had.

The declaration left all the passersby and vendors, Lin Xiaoxu included, utterly stunned.

Each guava appeared to weigh at least three pounds. If she bought the entire lot, wouldn’t that cost several thousand dollars?

Who could be so bold?

Everyone turned, their eyes falling upon a woman.

“That’s Song Qingxin, the proprietress of Heartfelt Fruit Shop!”

“Her shop’s sales are astonishing. It ranks among the top five in Golden County!”

“This young man’s guavas have caught Boss Song’s eye. From now on, it’ll be hard for him not to prosper!”

Song Qingxin was just over thirty. Her glossy black hair fell in soft curls over her shoulders, and her delicate features were lightly made up. Her beauty was refined, while her bearing was proud and aloof.

She wore a cream-colored long-sleeved blouse above a silver-black pencil skirt that reached her knees. The skirt accentuated the graceful curve of her waist, while her fair, jade-like feet were tucked into red, slender-heeled pumps with pointed toes.

Amid the crowd, she resembled a snow lotus blooming on a frozen mountain—aloof and untouched by the world.

The men around her stared in a daze. A few even began to drool.

Glug—

Lin Xiaoxu swallowed hard.

Song Qingxin ignored everyone else and walked straight over to him.

She bent down, picked up a guava, and took a bite. Then she chewed slowly and carefully.

In an instant, her face blossomed with a dazzling array of expressions. Her beautiful eyes sparkled like little stars, and even her proud bosom rose and fell continuously.

After swallowing the guava, Song Qingxin smiled with delight, revealing a neat row of small, pearly teeth.

“Excellent! Your guavas are indeed worth twenty dollars a pound.”

She had witnessed the confrontation between the young man and the hooked-nose man from beginning to end.

Having run a fruit shop for years, Song Qingxin possessed an extensive understanding of the qualities of fruits from both near and far.

It was her first time tasting a red-fleshed guava that could be called exceptional in both appearance and flavor.

Song Qingxin had an extraordinarily sharp business instinct.

She was certain that this variety of guava would become the new king of fruits.

And, of course, it would also bring her profits too immense to estimate.

“What are you talking about? There’s an order to everything. Just because you’re the proprietress of a fruit shop, what does that prove? You can’t bully your way into buying every guava this young man has! We ordinary townsfolk got here long before you!”

The middle-aged man who had first asked the price spoke indignantly.

Once Song Qingxin bought all the guavas, anyone who wanted more would have no choice but to purchase them at Heartfelt Fruit Shop.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

And if Song Qingxin bought them for twenty dollars a pound, wouldn’t she sell them in her shop for twice—or even three times—the purchase price?

The man was no fool. He naturally understood that much.

Before long, the surrounding passersby caught on as well. One after another, they voiced their displeasure with Song Qingxin.

“Young man, be careful! Li Daying has brought Sun Zifu here to cause trouble for you!” an elderly vendor warned Lin Xiaoxu kindly.

Lin Xiaoxu had not yet found time to thank the old vendor when a furious roar rang out behind him, loud as a great bell.

“Move aside! All of you, move aside!”

A group of menacing figures came over to Lin Xiaoxu.

Many people recognized the leader immediately. He was Sun Zifu, the administrator of the agricultural market. Behind him was Li Daying, who had fled in disgrace earlier.

Song Qingxin furrowed her delicate brows, her face filled with disgust.

She had long heard of Sun Zifu’s vile reputation.

Bang!

Without a word, Sun Zifu thrust out one foot and crushed one of Lin Xiaoxu’s guavas beneath his shoe.

Dark-red juice splashed outward like waves.

From the spot beneath Sun Zifu’s foot, dark-red lines spread in all directions like a spiderweb. At a glance, they were strangely frightening.

“Who allowed you to set up here and sell guavas?”

Sun Zifu pointed straight at Lin Xiaoxu’s nose and began berating him.

“Every vendor who sets up in the agricultural market must obtain permission from me, the market administrator! You have violated the market’s management regulations. I’m confiscating your guavas according to the law, and I’m fining you five thousand dollars!”

“Heh-heh…”

Seeing Lin Xiaoxu being reprimanded by Sun Zifu, Li Daying felt so pleased that he nearly laughed aloud.

The sight of Sun Zifu’s arrogant, overbearing face made Lin Xiaoxu burn with anger.

“Look carefully! This is the main road opposite the agricultural market. It isn’t even within the market’s jurisdiction!”

Several passersby who could not stand Sun Zifu also spoke up.

The old vendors, however, did not dare make a sound.

A minor official could be more troublesome than a major one. Though Sun Zifu was merely a low-ranking market administrator, he held their livelihoods tightly in his hands.

“What are you making such a racket for?” Sun Zifu roared, glaring furiously. He looked utterly savage.

The few passersby immediately fell silent.

“I say you’ve broken the law, so you’ve broken the law! I’ll fine you as much as I please. Do you understand?”

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

As he spoke, Sun Zifu repeatedly jabbed his finger against Lin Xiaoxu’s forehead.

There was only so much a man could endure.

To a man, having someone poke him in the forehead was no different from suffering a humiliation beneath the belt.

Did Sun Zifu still take Lin Xiaoxu for the foolish weakling he had once been?

Lin Xiaoxu’s expression darkened, and a chilling glint shot from his eyes.

His hand flashed out like the wind, seizing the finger Sun Zifu was using to jab his forehead.

Then he bent it sharply in the opposite direction.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone was crisp and almost pleasant to the ear.

“My finger! It’s broken!”

The pain was so intense that Sun Zifu felt as though his heart and liver were about to explode. He staggered backward several steps, his face deathly pale, tears streaming wildly from his eyes as his body convulsed.

While everyone else was still dazed, Li Daying was the first to recover.

“You country bumpkin! How dare you break Brother Fu’s finger? You must be tired of living!”

Smack!

Lin Xiaoxu took a single step forward and slapped Li Daying across the face.

The blow sent Li Daying spinning several times on the spot before he finally collapsed stiffly to the ground.

“You lot wear the uniforms of agricultural-market administrators, yet behave like a criminal gang. Today, I’ll rid the people of your evil!”

When Sun Zifu saw Lin Xiaoxu brandishing his massive fists, he looked as though he had seen a ghost. He immediately scrambled away on hands and knees and ran.

Li Daying and the other thugs fled after him in panic.

“Excellent! What a righteous act!”

A thunderous wave of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Lin Xiaoxu was in an excellent mood.

“Thank you all for your support! Every one of these guavas weighs more than three pounds. I’ll sell them by the piece—fifty dollars each!”

The passersby eagerly tossed down fifty-dollar bills, then happily picked up their guavas and left.

Lin Xiaoxu counted money until his hands nearly went numb.

“May I ask your name, young man?”

Only then did Lin Xiaoxu realize that Song Qingxin, the proprietress of Heartfelt Fruit Shop, had been standing right in front of him all along.

Page 3 of 3