Chapter 24

“Jianing, come have dinner at our place tonight,” Li Xue clung to Qian Jianing’s arm, swaying gently. “We eat the snacks you bring every day, but apart from that ice cream I treated you to, I haven’t treated you to anything else! My dad said he’s bringing back roast duck from Lao Zhang’s place in the south of town today—it’s supposed to be amazing.”

“Roast duck…” Qian Jianing hesitated slightly, then discussed with Treasure Bowl in her mind, “Let’s get a roasting oven too. That way we can serve roast duck and roast lamb leg. This stuff is hottest in autumn and winter.”

Treasure Bowl loved money-making ideas, and nodded eagerly. “You’re right! I’ll go ask Food Elder for some blueprints. If we build one, let’s build the best oven.”

Seeing Qian Jianing zoning out, Li Xue waved her hand in front of her face. “Jianing, what are you thinking about? Are you coming or not?”

Qian Jianing packed her textbooks into her schoolbag, turned and smiled at Li Xue. “Not tonight. I’ve got something to do.”

“What thing?” Li Xue looked at her, confused. “You already finished your homework during study period. Are you reviewing for an exam?”

A flicker of coldness flashed through Qian Jianing’s eyes. “No, I have martial arts practice tonight.” She turned to look at Li Xue. “After school I won’t walk home with you. Go home early and don’t wander around.”

Li Xue nodded obediently. Seeing the unusual determination in Qian Jianing’s expression, she felt like Jianing was about to do something really important.

In the kitchen of Meiwei Restaurant, Zhao Dazhuang was busy. To make a good impression on Zhang Hu, Zhao Dazhuang had gritted his teeth and closed for the entire day, directing Li Hong and the waiters to clean the restaurant inside and out.

Li Hong was exhausted, leaning against the cashier counter catching her breath. Watching Zhao Dazhuang stuffing beer into the fridge non-stop, she muttered, “We already flushed over a hundred yuan down the drain with Wang Dong last time. Now you’re inviting Zhang Hu—I’m betting even 300 won’t be enough. How much do we even earn a month? You throw that much into one night like this? You must be out of your mind.”

Zhao Dazhuang stuffed the fridge so full it could barely close, then stood up to wipe the sweat off his face. “You don’t understand. Don’t butt in.”

“How do I not understand?” Li Hong’s eyes were red with frustration at spending more in days than they earned in a month. “I get that you’re worried about the Qian family’s restaurant… but this approach is way too extreme. What if something goes wrong?”

“Nothing will go wrong.” Zhao Dazhuang lit a cigarette. “Zhang Hu’s got connections both legally and illegally. Otherwise, someone would’ve already investigated him. Don’t worry.”

“You’re just being irrational,” Li Hong sighed. “So what if you beat Qian Jianing? Even if her family doesn’t run the place anymore, someone else will. There are so many restaurants in Zibo City—are you going to shut them all down?”

Zhao Dazhuang snorted coldly. “I don’t care about others, but anyone trying to open on my street? No way. Enough with the nagging. Once Qian Jianing’s shop closes, we’ll make the money back in a matter of days.”

Li Hong gave him a glance, then helplessly picked up a rag and wiped down the tables again.

Just as they finished tidying up, Li Wujun arrived with Zhang Hu, followed by twenty strapping men. Zhao Dazhuang beamed with delight, rushed to open the door, and warmly welcomed them inside. “Brother Hu, finally! I’ve got food all ready in the kitchen. You want baijiu or beer?”

Zhang Hu, sporting a chunky gold chain, entered and took in the décor with a quick look. Seeing it was acceptably clean, he gave a slight nod. “Not bad. Pretty tidy.”

Li Wujun chimed in eagerly, “Brother Hu, don’t be fooled by my cousin’s rugged looks, he’s actually really organized. Cousin, Cousin’s wife, hurry up now—get Brother Hu some ice-cold beer to quench his thirst.”

Zhao Dazhuang ran to the kitchen, retrieved beer from the fridge—starting with the ones he’d put in earliest—set them on the table, and opened all the bottles.

Zhang Hu plopped down on the center chair, grabbed an open bottle, gulped a swig, and waved Zhao Dazhuang over. “One of my bros has a birthday today. Figured we’d throw a little party here. You don’t mind the crowd, do you?”

Zhao Dazhuang bobbed his head and grinned. “Come on, Brother Hu, having you throw a party here means you respect me! Though, next time, give me a heads-up so I can order a cake.”

Zhang Hu laughed heartily, his palm thudding on Zhao Dazhuang’s shoulder like a fan. “You’re quite tactful.”

Zhao Dazhuang chuckled and pulled a few large bills from his pocket, stuffing them into Li Hong’s hand. “Go to the cake shop next door and get a three-tier cake. Tell them to pile on the cream.”

Though reluctant, Li Hong didn’t dare speak up in Zhang Hu’s presence. Clutching the money tightly, she rushed out. Zhao Dazhuang then brought out the prepared dishes from the kitchen, cooking up the rest on high heat and setting them on the table.

Wang Kun, wearing a sun hat, arrived across from Meiwei Restaurant. He took off his aviator sunglasses and peeked inside. Seeing that Zhang Hu had brought over twenty men with him, his face changed instantly. If it were just Zhang Hu, he and his few brothers might be able to handle it, but with that many, they’d be dead meat.

He checked his watch—it was nearly time for school to end. No time to alert anyone. He could only try intercepting Qian Jianing on her way home. They couldn’t rely on brute force alone to win.

As soon as Qian Jianing stepped out of school, she found an excuse to part ways with Li Xue. To avoid taking the same route, she chose a more secluded path for a detour. After several twists and turns, she emerged near East First Street and found herself within sight of Meiwei Restaurant. She paused. “How come they didn’t send anyone to catch me? Are they underestimating me?”

Treasure Bowl rolled his eyes and tapped his wrist with his chubby little hand. “Quit the chatter. We still need to be open by 6:30. You’ve got an hour to fight—make it quick and wipe them all out.”

Qian Jianing chuckled lightly. “An hour? That’s more than enough time to have fun.” She adjusted her schoolbag, planning to loiter around the front of Meiwei Restaurant just to make sure Zhang Hu and his crew didn’t miss their chance.

Inside the glass doors, Li Hong saw Qian Jianing approaching and hesitated, glancing back at Zhang Hu. She knew Zhao Dazhuang’s actions were shady, but they’d already sunk a lot of money into this. If Jianing slipped through their fingers, would they have to treat Zhang Hu’s gang to another feast?

Li Hong bit her lip, then turned and said nervously, “Brother Hu, Qian Jianing is here.”

Zhang Hu casually pointed at five people. “You newbies—go. Time to get some practice in.”

The five men downed their beers in one go, pushed open the glass door, and moved to block Qian Jianing’s path.

“You’re Qian Jianing?” Yi Changsheng blocked her way, eyeing her up and down with beady eyes before bursting into laughter. “Boss Zhao must be insane. Such a skinny little girl—he could’ve beat her himself. No wonder Brother Hu didn’t want to come at first.”

Another guy, Liu Bo, feeling hot and impatient, lit a cigarette. “Let’s handle this quick and get back inside. It’s boiling out here.”

Qian Jianing glanced at them with some disgust. “Just you guys? Isn’t there more inside? Go get them all.”

“Oh, feisty little thing.” Yi Changsheng sneered. “So you know we’re here to rough you up?”

“Of course. We’re here to fight, right?” Qian Jianing adjusted her schoolbag, then turned into a nearby alley. “Come on, there’s a dead-end down here. Houses on both sides have moved their entrances—nobody passes through here.”

As she confidently led the way, Yi Changsheng and Liu Bo exchanged puzzled glances, unsure whether they should follow.

Qian Jianing looked back at them impatiently. “You coming to fight or not? If not, go call someone who will. Why’s it so hard to throw a punch?”

Liu Bo, the hothead, lost it. “You little runt, you’re asking for it.”

The back of the alley opened up into a spacious clearing, where an old house had been demolished but not rebuilt. It was about the size of a basketball court.

Qian Jianing pulled out a newspaper from her bag, spread it in the corner, and gently placed her things down. Liu Bo, seeing how calm and unafraid she was, got furious. He raised a foot to kick her.

She sidestepped with a pivot, grabbed his ankle, twisted sharply, and threw a hard kick. Liu Bo was lifted clean off his feet, slammed into the wall, and slid down it.

Yi Changsheng stood nearby, watching. A gust of wind blew dust into his eyes. As he rubbed his eyes, he heard a loud crash and turned to see Liu Bo inexplicably lying on the ground.

He looked from Qian Jianing—three meters away—to Liu Bo, confused. “How did you fall?”

Liu Bo, stunned, just stared blankly.

“Brother Yi, that girl kicked Brother Liu,” said someone named Zhu Haiyang, stepping forward with a grim expression. “No wonder she seems so cocky—she can really fight. Let me handle her.”

Zhu Haiyang rushed forward. Before reaching her, he punched with a gust of wind. Qian Jianing blocked, and their arms collided. Zhu Haiyang felt like he hit a steel plate—his arm went numb from the pain. He looked down at her thin arm, barely half the size of his, but immovable. She didn’t give him time to think. Her other hand balled into a fist and slammed into his stomach.

Yi Changsheng watched as Zhu Haiyang was launched three meters, crashing next to Liu Bo—their landing positions eerily identical.

Zhu Haiyang, lying on the ground, felt searing pain through his whole body. He tried to prop himself up, but agony shot through his right arm—it was swollen and twisted.

Staring at Qian Jianing, who hadn’t moved from beside her backpack, he was horrified. How could such a normal-looking girl do this? Did she grow up on power pills?

At last, Liu Bo snapped out of his daze. He crawled over to Zhu Haiyang.

“I can’t move,” Zhu Haiyang groaned tearfully. Liu Bo pulled him up shakily.

Yi Changsheng stepped forward and stopped Chen Oupeng from charging. “Liu Bo—come here. This time, all four of us go together.”

Though Liu Bo’s insides were in knots, he was burning with humiliation. He forcefully stepped into position, red-eyed.

The four of them surrounded Qian Jianing, then charged at once. A flash of excitement lit her eyes. “Finally, some fun.” With a soft step, she slipped past them.

Yi Changsheng saw his chance and attacked faster, “You’re asking for it!”

But as they swarmed in, Qian Jianing saw a gap, grabbed Yi Changsheng’s arm, kicked Liu Bo and Chen Oupeng away, then elbowed Yi back. Before he could regain his footing, her long leg swept out and sent him flying.

Zhu Qiankun, across from her, had just assumed his stance when he saw his teammates taken down instantly. He backed up instinctively, fists raised high in defense.

Qian Jianing stepped forward. Zhu Qiankun retreated. She lost interest in hitting him. She grabbed her downed opponents one by one and tossed them into a corner. Then she pointed at Zhu Qiankun. “Go tell Zhang Hu to send more people. I haven’t even used my full set yet and you’re all down already. Weaklings.”

Zhu Qiankun nearly collapsed. “Those were just basic moves?”

She flicked a pebble at his forehead. “Hurry. I’ve got to open for business soon.”

Terrified, Zhu Qiankun ran back and slammed the glass door open. “Brother Hu!”

Zhang Hu jumped in surprise, annoyed. But one look at Zhu Qiankun’s face and he burst out laughing. “What happened? That girl slap your forehead with lipstick?”

Zhu Qiankun clutched the door handles with both hands, barely holding himself up. “Brother Hu, she’s too strong… we lost.”

“You lost?” Zhang Hu frowned. “Useless. Can’t even handle one girl. Zhang Sanzi, take a few guys and go check it out.”

Zhang Sanzi stood, casually picked five men beside him, pulled Zhu Qiankun up. “Loser. Show us the way.”

Zhang Hu chewed on peanuts, shaking his head. “So much for Yi Changsheng’s skills. He can’t even handle this.”

Li Wujun poured a beer. “They just need more experience. Once Third Brother goes, that little girl’s finished.”

Five minutes later, Zhu Qiankun stumbled back, even more horrified.

“Brother Hu… Zhang San… they lost too…”

Zhang Hu froze. Zhang Sanzi had been with him for years, always brutal.

Zhu Qiankun stammered, almost crying. “He tried to touch her face—she broke both his arms.”

Zhang Hu’s face darkened, placed his cup down and stood up. “Second, where’s our iron rods?”

Second Li gave the signal, and the rods were quickly brought from the jeep.

Zhang Hu picked one up, his face icy. “Brothers, don’t go easy. Smash her.”

Zhao Dazhuang hurried up. “Brother Hu—can I come too? I want to crush each of her fingers one by one.”

“You’re ruthless,” Zhang Hu looked at him, then waved. “Fine. You’ll get your chance.”

A dozen people strode out of the restaurant in a grand procession and headed into a nearby alley. Wang Dong arrived a step too late with his group, only to watch helplessly as the figures vanished into the alleyway.

“Brother Wang, what should we do?” Zhang Cheng was trembling slightly. “There’re over twenty of them. Are we still going to save the boss?”

Wang Dong wiped his face in despair. “There’s no way we can beat them. Do you think maybe if we talk nicely, we could get the boss out of this?”

“We’ve got to try, no matter what,” Wang Kun sighed. “That Zhang Hu is greedy. Maybe we can act as a go-between, have the boss give him some money to settle things. We can’t just stand by and do nothing, can we?”

Wang Dong smacked his lips in frustration. “It’s all my gluttony’s fault. I, Wang Dong, have stayed away from Zhang Hu all these years, yet I went and made an exception for a little girl.”

Wang Kun sighed again. “But we really love the dishes boss makes. Let’s go. We can try—worst case, we just get beaten up too.”

***

Deep in the alley, Zhang Hu looked down at the little girl who barely reached his chest. She looked about seventeen or eighteen, her fair skin smooth and her lovely face still full of innocence. Even when faced with so many people, she showed no fear—instead, she gave Zhang Hu a smile, revealing two sweet dimples on her cheeks.

His gaze shifted from her face to the ten or so people who had come in before. They were lined up along the wall—some with broken arms, others with broken legs, some unconscious, and others clutching their chests groaning in pain.

Zhang Hu sneered, “Kiddo, you didn’t hold back at all, did you?”

Qian Jianing looked somewhat apologetic. “Sorry, it was my first fight, didn’t quite control my strength. But I didn’t expect your guys to be such weaklings—they can’t even take a hit.”

Zhang Hu’s face darkened at that. He gripped the iron rod in his hand tightly and stared coldly at Qian Jianing. “Little girl, you really don’t know what’s good for you.”

“Brother Hu, let’s talk this out.” A burst of noisy footsteps came from the end of the alley. Zhang Hu glanced at Qian Jianing and turned around. Wang Dong and his group squeezed through the crowd. Seeing Zhang Hu and his goons holding iron rods, Wang Dong’s legs trembled in fear.

“Brother Hu, let’s talk, don’t be rash.” He pulled out a cigarette with shaking hands and offered it to Zhang Hu. “To tell you the truth, I know this little girl. She’s the owner of that restaurant at the other end of the street, the one run by Qian Xiaomi. Zhao Dazhuang couldn’t stand her stealing his business, so he came up with this plan. Brother Hu, please, give me some face—maybe let her pay a little money and we’ll call it even?”

Zhang Hu snorted. “Who the hell are you to call me brother? Let me tell you, even your boss has to behave himself in front of me. I’m telling you now—no one can stop this. If I don’t beat this girl to a pulp today, I’ll be letting my boys down.”

Wang Dong followed Zhang Hu’s pointing finger and saw a pile of battered men slumped by the wall. Before Wang Dong could fully comprehend the scene, Qian Jianing walked over and pulled them aside. “When the fight starts, you guys stay over there and watch my backpack. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Wang Dong thought it was a good idea, but looking at Qian Jianing’s delicate frame, he couldn’t help feeling anxious. “But…”

“No buts.” Qian Jianing glanced at him. “Watch over my backpack. Next time you come to my restaurant, I’ll give you an order of sliced beef jerky on the house.”

Wang Dong nodded immediately. “I promise, I’ll guard the boss’s backpack with my life.”

Qian Jianing turned to Zhang Hu. “Alright, let’s go.”

Zhang Hu waved his hand, and over a dozen men armed with iron rods surrounded Qian Jianing. They all raised their weapons at once. Wang Dong, crouching beside the backpack, turned deathly pale at the sight. He didn’t know whether to cover his eyes or run out screaming for help. Just as he was frozen in panic, Qian Jianing leapt into the air—higher than any of them could have imagined.

No one expected her to jump so high. As the iron rods came crashing down, Qian Jianing landed right in the center of their crossing arcs. Zhang Hu felt the iron rod in his hands suddenly become heavy. He tried to pull it back, but it didn’t budge. He tried to push it down, but something blocked it completely—he was trapped.

Qian Jianing gave him a smile, then bent down and lightly yanked the rod out of his hands. Zhang Hu could only stare in disbelief as she effortlessly snatched it away.

With a flip, Qian Jianing jumped down from the over-a-meter-high tangle of iron rods, and with one swing, smacked Zhang Hu so hard he saw stars, sending him flying and crashing down beside Zhang Sanzi. Seeing his big brother knocked out cold with a huge bump on his forehead, Zhang Sanzi quickly scooted further away, shut his eyes tightly, and pretended to faint, not daring to let Zhang Hu know he’d seen him in such a pitiful state.

Wang Dong and the others watched in stunned silence as Qian Jianing wielded the iron rod with overwhelming force. One by one, those burly thugs fell under her assault like lambs to the slaughter. Within minutes, they were all down, clutching arms and legs, howling in pain.

“They’re really that weak?” said Qian Jianing, disappointed. “I thought it’d last at least an hour, but it only took twenty minutes.”

Wang Dong swallowed hard, saying nothing—he honestly didn’t know what to say.

Zhao Dazhuang lay hidden among the bodies, desperately trying to bury his face, terrified that Qian Jianing would single him out. No wonder Wang Dong refused the job last time even at the expense of his reputation—it turns out this girl is a real demon.

Qian Jianing gave the pile of bodies a glance, then looked down and bent the solid iron rod into a ring. She casually tossed it around Zhang Hu’s neck. “Go buy some books about Shaolin boxing or Wudang swordsmanship and train hard. Once you’re ready, come find me for a rematch.”

She picked up her backpack, satisfied to see not a speck of dust on it, and slung it over her shoulder. Wang Dong and the others saw she was leaving and didn’t dare linger—they quickly followed behind her and ran off.

Zhang Hu watched her retreating figure disappear into the alley, then furiously tore the iron ring from his neck and flung it to the ground. “Where’s Zhao Dazhuang? Drag him over here!”

Hearing that familiar line, Zhao Dazhuang couldn’t help but burst into tears. Why is it always me getting beaten up afterward?

Author’s Note:

I can’t help but feel like my Jianing has overflowing boyfriend energy… what do I do?