RYEY -Chapter 505 How Dare They Rob

“Xiaoniu, how much meat are you selling today?”

“Eight hundred jin. I have six hundred and sixty-six numbers. The last sixty-six can buy offal and bones.”

Chen Xiaoniu briskly opened the shop door and picked up the loudspeaker to call out. The two shop assistants, who had been exposed yesterday for secretly keeping ten jin of white flour for themselves, didn’t dare try anything today.

“I’m number one—I can buy the best slab of pork belly!”

“I’m number twenty—I can still choose a good piece of meat.”

“Amitabha, I’m number five hundred. I finally made it.”

Although only six hundred and sixty-six numbers were issued, those without numbers still waited in place. In case there were leftovers, they might get lucky.

The line looked daunting, but once sales started, things moved very quickly. Li Huan had hired two experienced pig butchers. With one cut, they produced exactly one jin of meat—precise to the dot.

Shouhou stood to the side collecting money. For the six hundred jin of pork, Brother Huan set a moderate price—five mao more than the wet market, but no meat coupons required.

It was still five mao cheaper than the black market, which attracted people who had no meat coupons and weren’t short of money. After all, saving five mao per jin was still a bargain.

In less than two hours, all six hundred jin of pork were sold out. The offal and bones were gone as well. Looking at the spotlessly empty stall, those at the back could only keep asking whether there would be more tomorrow.

Of course there wouldn’t be—otherwise how would they keep doing business before the New Year? Still, even though pork was gone, white rice and white flour were plentiful. When people learned that rice and flour were still on sale, another long line quickly formed.

Chen Xiaoniu resigned herself to handing out number tags again. The two shop assistants also hurried to prepare. The entire day felt like fighting a battle—tense and exhausting—but their hearts were full of joy. The more they sold, the higher their bonuses.

“Sister Xiaoniu, when is Boss Li coming over?”

“Which Boss Li are you talking about?”

“Sister Lele.”

“Then call her Sister Lele from now on. If you don’t make it clear, I’ll think you’re looking for Brother Huan.”

“I’d like to look for him too, but I’m not as pretty as Second Sister-in-law, and I don’t have her abilities either. I definitely wouldn’t dare go near him.”

“Haha, even if you wanted to, Boss Li would have to fancy you first.”

“You’re so cheeky. But Boss Li really is good-looking—and the boss’s wife is even prettier. They’re truly a match made in heaven.”

Chen Xiaoniu nodded. Looking at the completely empty counter, she wanted to go restock from the warehouse, but she didn’t even have the strength to stand up.

“How about we go home a bit earlier today and come early tomorrow to restock?”

“Sure, but let’s settle the accounts first. I need to go to Lele’s place to tell her.”

The three of them closed the shop and began reconciling the accounts. By the time everything was settled, it was already dark. Chen Xiaoniu looked worriedly at the pitch-black surroundings—wouldn’t it be dangerous to go out carrying so much money?

“Sister Xiaoniu, how about we go with you to Sister Lele’s place?”

“No need. If something happens, that’d be two more lives lost—what a waste.”

“This…”

“Xiaoniu, over here.”

A familiar voice came over, and Chen Xiaoniu’s tense heart immediately relaxed. It was Xiao Dan. This guy really knew how to be considerate.

“Why are you here?”

“With the shop doing such booming business today, you were bound to be reconciling accounts. It’s not safe for a young woman to go out carrying this much money.”

“You really thought this through. Today’s turnover broke records—I’m taking it to Lele.”

“Alright. Get on—I’ll take you.”

Xiao Dan patted his bicycle. His dad had just bought it for him, saying that from now on, whenever he had time, he should pick Xiaoniu up from work. Otherwise, if anything happened, regret would come too late.

When the two shop assistants saw Xiao Dan arrive, they exchanged smiles and packed up to head home. Because their workload had been especially heavy today, the boss had given each of them an extra two jin of meat.

The shop wasn’t far from the military family compound—about half an hour by bicycle. The two chatted and laughed as they headed that way.

Suddenly, Xiao Dan stopped short. Sitting behind him, Chen Xiaoniu’s head slammed into his back, sending a sharp pain through her—but her heart immediately tensed. She knew her man well; something must have happened.

“Wife, in a moment, you ride the bike toward the military compound. I’ll hold them off.”

“They… who are they…?”

Chen Xiaoniu’s voice trembled. In her heart, she already knew who they were—she just hadn’t expected them to be so bold as to rob the shop’s takings.

“Brother, I’m not greedy. Just have your wife leave the backpack. We love money, not killing.”

“Mm. Only if you can kill me.”

Xiao Dan wasn’t carrying a gun—when they weren’t on duty, they weren’t allowed to carry firearms—but he did have knives on him, more than one.

“There are only two of you, and one’s a woman. We’ve got six people. Even if we can’t kill you, taking a backpack won’t be a problem.”

“Take the knife. Get on the bike and go.”

Xiao Dan suddenly stuffed a dagger into Chen Xiaoniu’s hand and charged at the man who had spoken. Since that man dared to rob them, he was clearly no amateur. In an instant, the two were locked in combat.

Of the remaining five men, two rushed in to help, while the other three ran toward Chen Xiaoniu. They had been watching all day—wasn’t it hard enough to wait until now?

“Don’t come any closer, or I won’t be polite!”

Chen Xiaoniu didn’t have time to ride away, and besides, she didn’t want to leave. If they died, they’d die together; if they lived, they’d live together.

“Not polite? Let’s see how you’re not polite.”

One sharp-faced, monkey-like man looked at her with both greed and lust. The woman was fairly attractive—if they sold her off to some remote mountain village, they could make a tidy sum.

Anyway, what they were doing today was already a head-lopping offense. If they got this woman, they could flee far away.

Chen Xiaoniu gripped the dagger tightly in one hand and guarded the backpack with the other. Inside it wasn’t just money—it was Li Le’s trust in her. She had to protect it.

But facing three strong men, no matter how capable she was, she was still caught. Two men seized her arms, one on each side. The sharp-faced man narrowed his eyes and reached out his filthy hand.

“Ah—who hit me!”

“Ah—my hand!”

“Come out, you bastard—how dare you sneak-attack me—”

Before the words could finish, the three men were frozen by a bone-chilling cold that left them unable to speak.

“It was your grandpa here who hit you. Robbing, huh? Why aren’t you robbing anymore?”

“Li… Boss Li…”

Because Li Huan had been featured in the newspaper twice, he was already a well-known figure in Liangzhou. Everyone recognized his face. Moreover, today he had sold six hundred jin of pork, which made his fame even greater.

Many local young women and housewives, even if they couldn’t buy any meat, were reluctant to leave. Just taking another look was worth it. Only when all the meat was sold and Li Huan left did the crowd slowly disperse.

“Second brother, you’re here.”

Xiao Dan ran over. He had single-handedly defeated three men, taking some time. Seeing three men attacking his wife made him anxious, wanting to end the fight quickly.