Just when the noise in the distance began to slowly fade and Yan Fei and Xu Xiaoyan thought everything was over, the clang of a bowl hitting the ground reignited the dispute.
This time, Yan Fei was able to see clearly that it was purely accidental.
One of the young men had unintentionally knocked over a bowl. Clearly taken by surprise, the young men looked at each other in shock. However, the woman, still angry from the previous altercation, began arguing again, accusing them of intentionally breaking her stall.
After being scolded by the woman for a few rounds, the young men were humiliated. Naturally, they were unwilling to apologize in front of everyone and admit it was a mistake. As they kept arguing, their tempers flared as well.
All of them being young, their tempers were hot. Initially, they were just causing trouble and flexing their muscles, mostly in a jestful manner. Now that the woman started to cry and cuss, the young men felt wronged. Once their anger rose, they couldn’t contain themselves anymore.
Just when the situation seemed to be escalating from a normal quarrel, a sleepy-eyed man in cotton slippers strolled over from the east side, accompanied by a young girl. Both of them had tousled hair and looked rather sleepy, clearly seeming to have just woken up.
Upon seeing the quarrel, a glance of contempt flashed in their eyes. Yet, as the man raised his head and noticed Yan Fei and Xu Xiaoyan, he quickly approached the young men and said, "What’s all the fuss about? Can’t you have a peaceful breakfast? Finish up and leave. Don’t you see that Boss Yan is still eating there! Stop disturbing others..."
While moving towards them, he enthusiastically waved at Yan Fei, "Boss Yan, you have time to bring your sister-in-law out for breakfast today! I wondered why I woke up so early today. Turns out it’s because you were coming. Such a coincidence, today’s meal should definitely be my treat..."
Yan Fei nearly spat out the rice in his mouth when he heard that.
The newcomer, compared to the other young hooligans, was obviously older, even older than Yan Fei, looking at least twenty-five or twenty-six. Calling Xu Xiaoyan ’sister-in-law’ clearly indicated he was positioning himself as a ’junior’.
Not just Yan Fei, when that man started talking, his voice managed to reach across a breakfast stall, and at least three or four other stalls could hear him. Everyone who knew the situation had strange expressions on their faces, but no one dared to speak out.
Seeing the strange expression on his girlfriend’s face, Yan Fei felt quite helpless. Standing up, he said, "Boss Zhou, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. There is a vacant seat over here, you and your companion should sit."
Boss Zhou was actually Zhou Dalian. Upon seeing Yan Fei’s polite gesture, he immediately grinned and climbed aboard the proverbial bandwagon, "Brother Fei, who dares to claim the title of boss in front of you! That’s like slapping your brother’s face, sit down and don’t be too formal..."
As he spoke, he turned back to the previously threatening looking young men who were now somewhat stunned and yelled, "Finish your food and get lost! You’re disturbing others’ meals, off you go!"
The young men complied, leaving behind the words, ’We are doing this out of respect for Brother Zhou’, before they got up and left.
Having saved face, Zhou Dalian was even more enthusiastic towards Yan Fei. His words were extremely flattering, frequently addressing Yan Fei as "Brother Fei" and Xu Xiaoyan as "sister-in-law". Fortunately, they had almost finished their meal, so after exchanging a few words, they got up and left.
Yan Fei originally wanted to pay, but Zhou Dalian quickly stood up, enthusiastically held him back, and marched him out the door, "Brother Fei, you go ahead with your work. It’s rare that we meet. Let me treat you to breakfast. You can’t even give me this little bit of face!"
What an eventful morning it had been, so much so that the breakfast had turned into a show. Many people who watched the young couple being ushered away were left with a deep impression on how one should carry himself...
What a great display of prowess! Just a rebuke made those young men, who had been bullying the breakfast stall vendor, leave instantly. And the one who was displaying his power just now was now fawning on others like a lapdog, completely losing all his previous dignity!
With so many people watching, Yan Fei did not insist on paying. Anyway, it wasn’t a lot of money, so this breakfast ended up being free.
As he walked the girl down a small street, Zhou Dalian, still extremely eager, asked from behind, "Brother Fei, didn’t you ride your motorcycle here? Let me ride you over..."
Yan Fei couldn’t help but feel helpless. He turned around and smiled, "No need, I have a little wooden boat parked at the pier. We rowed over!"
Even as Yan Fei and the girl reached the small road across the street, they could still hear Zhou Dalian conversing loudly with his girl, "Did you see that? That’s Brother Fei’s style. To make it convenient to come over for a meal, he got himself a boat. Now that’s what I call the grandeur of a big boss..."
As he entered the small path, Yan Fei couldn’t help but feel helpless. He could imagine, with Zhou Dalian’s grand introduction, he didn’t know what his public image would be like afterwards. Probably many people secretly scolded him as nouveau riche!
Usually silent, Xu Xiaoyan couldn’t help but laugh when she saw his expression. When they got far enough from the street, she teased, "Yan Xiaofei, you’re really something now! Isn’t that man the owner of a pool hall? Why is he treating you to breakfast? He’s an adult, yet he has no shame calling you brother!"
Yan Fei complained, "How should I know? Maybe he’s just an enthusiastic person! Otherwise, how could his pool hall business be thriving?"
Little did he know that in the eyes of some, he was a righteous boss who was jealous of evil. But in the eyes of these street hooligans, Boss Yan’s ’fierce’ reputation was enough to scare the bejesus out of a small child. In a way, as Boss Yan’s reputation grew in the small town, even those hooligans dare not be too brash. They were afraid of offending anyone connected to him and ending up helpless.
Zhou Dalian’s pool hall had nothing to do with his cattle farm, but having no business relations did not mean there couldn’t be a personal relationship. Being able to establish a connection with him now might be useful in the future.
On the downside, they were all in the same town after all. Who knows when an unaware subordinate might offend his people? As for the upside, the common wisdom applies: the more friends, the better. Even if they can’t become friends, being familiar with each other won’t hurt!
Having had an interaction over the Zhang Erwa incident earlier, Zhou Dalian was worried about not having a chance to strengthen the relationship. Now, he had unexpectedly bumped into Boss Yan when he had come out for breakfast. For Zhou Dalian, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?