TFS – Chapter 60 Blunt Blow

Chapter 060: Blunt Blow

After discussing some specific details with Teng Yu, Tang Chunming and Li Feng directly took on the role of hands-off managers, leaving Zhang Changming in charge. He was the future manager of Tang Ji, but for now, he needed someone to guide him. Teng Yu had no objections to nurturing this future manager.

As for the profit-sharing of the shop, this had already been agreed upon when Teng Yu first became involved. Furthermore, for this whole lamb restaurant, Shen Fulang and Zhang Xiu had firmly declined to take a share, no matter what. The ice shop had already benefited greatly from Tang Chunming, and this time, they would not accept anything. They didn’t have the audacity to take money earned through hard work.

Tang Chunming and Li Feng didn’t insist. After all, there would be many more opportunities for cooperation in the future as long as they continued living in Pingshan Village. In the end, Teng Yu took a 40% share, while Tang Chunming and Li Feng each took 30%. However, they handed over half of their share to Zhang Changming. Although it was only half, from a long-term perspective, it was just as profitable as the ice shop, and Zhang Changming could learn much more.

Finally, Teng Yu brought up the topic of Minglan Pavilion, the rival of Tingjing Pavilion, as well as Manfu Hall in Ping’an Town and the Meng family behind it. He didn’t say much, but when he mentioned the Meng family, it reminded Tang Chunming of the events that had occurred before. He had completely forgotten about them since there had been no further developments. As such, he wasn’t concerned about any potential danger. It didn’t align with his personality, as he was more suited to enjoyment.

“The Meng family is actually connected to Minglan Residence?” Tang Chunming said in surprise. He remembered the first time he came, watching the scene with Ah Lin by the roadside, trying to decide which store would sell vegetables from his space. He hadn’t expected that not only did they maintain contact with Tingjing Pavilion, but they were also involved with Minglan Residence. Such a fate left him at a loss for words.

Teng Yu wasn’t the type to do a good deed and keep it quiet. He believed in taking credit where it was due. While these incidents and people might have been drawn to them regardless, and Li Feng could have handled it just as well, the fact that Teng Yu took the initiative to step in and mitigate disasters made a difference. Without this, Tang Chunming wouldn’t have trusted him so much or maintained such a close partnership with him.

“Yes, Minglan Pavilion has been trying to investigate our supply chain. Somehow, they traced it to Jinyi in Ping’an Town and discovered that I’m the owner behind Jinyi. From there, they began working through Jinyi’s competitor, Manfu Hall. Since Minglan Pavilion has set their sights on us, we couldn’t just sit back. It’s difficult to deal with Minglan Pavilion directly, but it’s much easier to handle the Meng family in Ping’an Town. Their reach isn’t as extensive, so a few warnings were enough to make them back off. Now, Manfu Hall’s business is declining day by day, and even the manager’s personal affairs are in turmoil.” Teng Yu sighed dramatically, which made Tang Chunming wonder just how chaotic the manager’s private life had become. He couldn’t help but feel a touch of schadenfreude—after all, the man had dared to target him.

“Thank you, Young Master Teng, for stepping in. Are you facing any challenges in dealing with Minglan Pavilion now?” Tang Chunming asked, discerning that the Meng family and Manfu Hall were minor players. The real issue lay with Minglan Residence.

“We have to thank Brother Li Feng for that,” Teng Yu said, smiling as he glanced at Li Feng, who was holding a child. The sight of this rugged, stoic man caring for a child so tenderly felt oddly harmonious. “I believe Brother Li Feng’s background has deterred Minglan Pavilion from extending their reach into Pingshan Village. Thanks to that, Tang Fulang, you’ve remained safe and sound, and we’ve also benefited from Brother Li Feng’s presence—Minglan Pavilion has stopped pressuring us.”

This was the importance of connections. Minglan Pavilion also had ties to influential officials, perhaps even deeper than Tingjing Pavilion’s. This was why Tingjing Pavilion had always been forced to retreat under Minglan Pavilion’s aggressive tactics. Teng Yu reasoned that if he could uncover this information, Minglan Pavilion likely knew even more. Yet now, they were treating Tingjing Pavilion with surprising courtesy. Teng Yu couldn’t help but suspect there was more to this than he realized. Regardless, what mattered was that partnering with Tang Chunming’s family had proven to be a stroke of luck for him.

Tang Chunming glanced at Li Feng, realizing he played a significant role in this. Of course, Tang Chunming didn’t see himself as particularly useful, but he wasn’t bothered. Having capable people around meant he could relax. Li Feng gave Tang Chunming a reassuring look before turning to Teng Yu. “We’ll need to rely on you to keep an eye on things around here in the future. News reaches us in Pingshan Village rather slowly.” Li Feng neither confirmed nor denied Teng Yu’s speculation. The truth was, their decision to work with Teng Yu wasn’t solely based on his willingness to collaborate with Tang Fulang. Teng Yu and Tingjing Pavilion had indeed helped them during tough times, and they weren’t the type to dig too deeply into the past.

“No problem at all,” Teng Yu replied, inwardly delighted.

With everything settled, the group prepared to return. They first used the carriage to drop off Li Chengzu and Li Chengzong at their school. Li Chengzong, in particular, was reluctant to part and said his goodbyes with great reluctance. On the way, they passed Tingjing Pavilion, which wasn’t far from Tang Ji. They also caught sight of Minglan Pavilion. Even though it was already past noon, Tingjing Pavilion remained bustling with visitors, noticeably more lively than Minglan Pavilion. It was clear that Tingjing Pavilion’s business was thriving.

“So, this is Tingjing Pavilion! It really does exude elegance and wealth,” Zhang Xiu remarked, peering out of the carriage window. Tingjing Pavilion’s scale and decor were leagues ahead of Tang Ji’s. Unlike Tang Ji, which catered to everyday customers, Tingjing Pavilion targeted the upper-middle class. In the past, Zhang Xiu wouldn’t have even dared to glance inside.

“Tang Ji isn’t bad either,” Shen Fulang said with pride. For a villager from Pingshan, seeing someone from their village establish such a successful business in town was a source of pride. Wang Mo was equally excited, having learned from his husband that Tang Fulang had generously given their family a half-share in the lamb restaurant.

By the time they returned to Pingshan Village, the sun was already setting. The two children were sound asleep, undisturbed by the journey. Shen Fulang and the others got off the carriage at Tang Chunming’s doorstep, declining Li Feng’s offer to take them further. It was just a short walk.

After settling the two children, Tang Chunming noticed Da Mao and Er Mao sneaking in with guilty looks on their faces. They hadn’t even gone home first, and their clothes bore telltale signs of some activity. Tang Chunming raised an eyebrow, and the two immediately put on sycophantic smiles.

“Well, what mischief have you two been up to? Do you need me to cover for you?” Tang Chunming asked, easily reading their guilty expressions.

Li Feng entered after parking the carriage and spotted the two boys. Before he could say anything, Er Mao darted behind Tang Chunming, while Da Mao, trying to appear calm, stood his ground under Li Feng’s scrutinizing gaze.

Tang Chunming chuckled at the sight. Er Mao was such a coward, practically confessing without being asked. Ignoring Er Mao’s pleading look, he went to the kitchen to start the fire and warm the house. The two children and Elder He couldn’t afford to catch a chill. Though the carriage had a brazier, it wasn’t as warm as home.

When he returned, the two boys were standing before Li Feng, heads bowed in a show of remorse. Tang Chunming raised an eyebrow again. “Did you settle the score? Get your revenge?”

“Ah, Ming Amu, how did you know?” Er Mao exclaimed in shock.

Da Mao facepalmed, wishing he could silence his foolish brother. It was obvious that their actions wouldn’t escape Ming Amu’s and Uncle Feng’s notice.

“Tell me, what exactly did you do this time? Did you leave any evidence?” Tang Chunming asked with a grin. Li Feng couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Was this really appropriate? Wouldn’t it corrupt these once-honest boys? He thought of Da Mao’s father, a simple and honest man.

Da Mao, more level-headed and aware of the situation, decided it was best to come clean. If they had made a mistake, Ming Amu might be able to help them fix it.

It turned out that these two boys had been looking for an opportunity to deal with Qin Goudan. Honestly, that kid was just too awful. Recently, Tang Chunming hadn’t let Ah Lin take the Tianyun Horse out, so Qin Goudan couldn’t get near the foal. Instead, he turned his attention to bullying the other children in the village. His antics had truly angered everyone. Now, every household tried to avoid him, as he constantly caused trouble. Whenever complaints reached the Qin family, the boy’s mother would cry and apologize profusely, leaving people unable to vent their frustrations.

Now they understood the kind of situation Tang Chunming had faced in the past. Did Tang Chunming really bully that Sun Ge’er? Before anything could even happen, Sun Ge’er would start crying. Who was bullying whom, exactly?

Hearing from Da Mao about some of Qin Goudan’s misdeeds, both Tang Chunming and Li Feng frowned. One day, Qin Goudan would pull out the vegetables from someone’s field; the next day, he’d pluck the feathers from someone’s hens, causing them to stop laying eggs. On yet another day, he’d throw something into the pig feed, making the pigs squeal all day. The Qin family had truly brought a scourge into Pingshan Village.

Now, few children in the village were willing to play with Goudan. Er Mao had been keeping an eye on him for several afternoons when there were no classes. This time, he caught Goudan alone and, with Da Mao, ambushed him. Goudan had no idea who attacked him and ended up getting a good beating.

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Da Mao said, “Goudan definitely doesn’t know it was me and Er Mao, and we didn’t tell anyone else. Also, this time we didn’t hit his face.” Er Mao, still a bit excited, felt like he had finally accomplished something big. If he weren’t afraid of being punished by his parents, he probably would have already bragged about it.

Tang Chunming and Li Feng exchanged glances. These mischievous kids—had they gone too far and injured someone? “Are you sure you didn’t hurt him so badly that he couldn’t get up?” Tang Chunming asked.

Er Mao was silent, and Da Mao looked dumbfounded. “Uh… I don’t know…” They’d been too focused on getting revenge and hadn’t paid attention to how badly they’d hurt him before running off.

Tang Chunming inwardly sighed. Looks like someone will have to clean up after them again. Li Feng sternly scolded the boys: “Do you really think no one can figure out it was you? If someone investigates, they’ll trace it back to you. And if you hurt him badly enough to require medical treatment, do you think Pingshan Village will remain peaceful? If people find out it was you, how will they view you in the future? You’re still so young, but if you’re seen as ruthless, people will avoid you even more than they avoid Qin Goudan.”

The boys, frightened by the scolding, no longer looked smug and were on the verge of tears. After all, they were still kids and didn’t want to be feared by everyone. They knew how annoying Goudan’s behavior had been, but they didn’t want to end up like him. Tang Chunming and Li Feng played good cop, bad cop. Tang Chunming said, “Go reflect on your actions. People who learn martial arts must understand self-control. Your Uncle Feng and I will keep an eye on the situation in the village. In the meantime, stay at home and don’t go anywhere.”

“Yes, Ming Amu,” the boys mumbled, walking out dejectedly. Once they were gone, Tang Chunming looked at Li Feng with concern. He wasn’t worried about Er Mao—after all, he was just a five-year-old with limited strength. But Da Mao was different; Li Feng knew best how strong the boy really was.

Li Feng took Tang Chunming’s hand and reassured him, “Don’t worry. Neither of the boys is as ruthless as that Qin kid. They wouldn’t go too far. If we’re talking about martial arts aptitude, though, Qin Goudan’s aggressiveness might actually be more suitable.”

Hearing this, Tang Chunming felt a bit more at ease. Still, that kid wasn’t just aggressive; he was spoiled and lacked any sense of right and wrong. Tang Chunming wouldn’t dare bring him into their home. Speaking of martial arts, Tang Chunming said to Li Feng, “Didn’t we say I’d start training with you? We still haven’t started. And what about Ah Lin? Can he learn martial arts in the future?” After all, relying on others for protection wasn’t as good as being able to protect oneself.

“That depends on whether Ah Lin is interested,” Li Feng replied. “But for teaching, Elder He would be better suited. My methods come from the battlefield—they’re too harsh and not suitable for someone like Ah Lin.” He added that even with Da Mao and Er Mao, he had only taught them some basic moves and not his core techniques.

“That’s fine,” Tang Chunming nodded. “But what about me?”

Li Feng didn’t quite understand why Tang Chunming was so insistent, but he didn’t mind. “I’ll teach you a breathing and meditation technique. It seems to work better when practiced in that space of yours.”

“Great! I’ll practice diligently.” Tang Chunming nodded eagerly. Learning martial arts—could he develop internal energy like Li Feng? Just thinking about it excited him. With his space as the ultimate cheat code, he was sure he could achieve his dream, wasn’t he?