"What are you trying to do?" Lin Chuan had no good feelings towards these people.
"Lin Chuan." Long Wu, holding a number of nutritional products, said, "I've come to apologize for the misunderstanding last time. These are the nutritional products I bought for the elderly!"
"Get lost!" Lin Chuan glared at him, immediately helped his mother into the car, and then drove away.
Watching Lin Chuan leave, a murderous intent immediately appeared in Long Wu's eyes.
"Brother Long, this kid doesn't respect the toast and must take the punishment drink, eh?" A subordinate beside him said through gritted teeth, "It seems we need to find another way to get rid of him."
"Hmm." Long Wu took a sniff and said, "This kid is a character, be careful with him. Stay away from him for now."
"Yes!" The subordinates nodded one after another.
After returning to Changlin Community, back to that home, Zhou Kai and others assisted Lin Chuan in cleaning up. After being busy for a while, Lin Chuan laughed and said, "Zhou Kai, you guys go back first. I'll treat you to drinks tonight, and we'll catch up properly later!"
"Alright." Zhou Kai nodded and said, "Brother Chuan, you still need to be careful with Long Wu and his gang."
"Don't worry." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "I'll take it easy."
After Zhou Kai and the others left, the old lady began to chat with Lin Chuan: "Xiao Chuan, I have to thank Zhou Kai and the others for taking care of me over the years. With just an old lady like myself, they have helped a lot..."
The old lady's words were simply praising the help from neighbors and talking about the great changes in Changlin Community. Lin Chuan listened to them as if they were stories.
"Xiao Chuan!" The old lady suddenly spoke up.
"Mom, what's the matter now?" Lin Chuan asked with a smile, "Should I peel an apple for you?"
"No, you're already twenty-four or twenty-five years old, do you have a partner yet?" the old lady hurriedly asked.
"This..." Lin Chuan was taken aback and said, "There's no rush for that. It's not too late even if I get married at thirty."
"That won't do." The old lady shook her head immediately and said, "Our Lin family tree is meager; you need to settle down soon. I'll talk to Aunt Zhou tomorrow and ask her to introduce someone to you. You need to let me hold a grandchild sooner."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Unable to argue with his mother, Lin Chuan could only grit his teeth and agree.
In the evening, the old lady was in a good mood and stubbornly made a sumptuous dinner for Lin Chuan using her walking stick. That familiar taste made Lin Chuan's memories seem to pause at yesterday.
After a full meal, Lin Chuan put on his coat and stepped out into the autumn season. The cold night breeze blew, bringing a wave of cold air. Lin Chuan walked out, stepping on the fallen leaves. The hardware facilities of Changlin Community were old and shabby, funds were scarce, and people's spirits were scattered, leaving no one to manage the place. Lin Chuan could only grope his way out of the neighborhood in the dark.
Zhou Kai and the others were waiting at the entrance of the community. Lin Chuan, with a cigarette in his mouth, moved with agile steps.
"Uncle, are you still fixing bicycles?"
"Yo, it's you, kid. You're back?" The bicycle repairman squinted his eyes, but then he recognized Lin Chuan and suddenly smiled.
"Have a cigarette." Lin Chuan passed a cigarette over.
"Thanks." The uncle laughed and smiled.
......
The entrance of the community at night was bustling with activity, with open-air barbecues becoming a landscape of the place. During the day, the area was sparsely populated, but as night fell, barbecue stalls immediately took over the large empty space.
A few of them found a lively barbecue stall, ordered some draft beer, skewered kidneys, lamb meat...
"Brother Chuan, what do you plan to do now that you're back?" Zhou Kai did not ask Lin Chuan what he had been doing before.
"I have no particular plans." Lin Chuan shook his head and said, "I plan to find a good job, then get married and lead a peaceful life."
In the course of a lifetime, Lin Chuan had experienced all the peaks. Recalling his past eight years, it was the most proud time of his life as well as the most disheartening. Five years ago, he was in Buckingham Palace receiving a knighthood from the Queen of the United Kingdom, thus becoming the first Chinese person to be knighted by the British Royal Family; three years ago, Queen Margaret of Holland awarded Lin Chuan the title of Maple Knight, making him the first Chinese knight of the Dutch Kingdom, a time of endless glory...
The brilliance of the past had faded, and the honors had sunk into Lake Baikal.
"Brother Chuan is really down-to-earth," Lu Dapao raised his glass and said, "To Brother Chuan, here's to you finding a beautiful wife!"
"Haha..."
A gust of cold wind, Lin Chuan woke up and hurriedly raised his glass, saying, "Come on, cheers!"
"Chuan, Brother Long is no simple matter; you'd better be careful!" Lu Dapao cautioned, "You beat him up like that and even took away his beloved car, he definitely won't let it go..."
"Hmm." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "Meet force with force and adapt to changes."
As he spoke, Lin Chuan downed a glass of beer.
"Zhou Kai, what are you guys up to now?" Lin Chuan asked. This time, Zhou Kai and his friends had done him a huge favor, and Zhou Kai was an old acquaintance and a brother to him. He felt obliged to help him out both publicly and privately.
"We..." Zhou Kai smiled awkwardly and said, "We've been messing around since graduating from secondary technical school, not achieving much of anything."
"Exactly, we got a job moving stuff in a supermarket last time, and Kai discovered some unspoken rules there, so he went to argue with the manager about it." Lu Dapao cursed from the side: "Then the manager fired us, and we didn't even get paid for that month's work. Isn't that unjust?"
"Damn it, they're selling bread that was made a month ago with today's date on it, wouldn't that piss you off?" Zhou Kai, having drunk a bit, said with an irritated tone: "They wash moldy, suppurating pork with water and then continue to display it on the counter labeled as premium pork..."
Listening to their complaints, Lin Chuan actually found Zhou Kai somewhat endearing all of a sudden.
"That's reality," Lin Chuan said seriously, looking at Zhou Kai. "If you want to survive in today's society, you must conform to this reality, understand?"
"I understand now," said Zhou Kai, looking miserable. "My parents are getting older, and who knows how much longer they can work. I should be the one supporting them, otherwise what's the use of having a son like me?"
"Me too..." Lu Dapao sighed deeply.
These young lads had already tasted the bitterness of society, and Lin Chuan pondered in his heart how he could help them out.
After the late-night snack gathering dispersed, Zhou Kai and his friends were all drunkenly tipsy. Lin Chuan drove them home in his Cayenne and then returned to his own place alone.
When he arrived home, the lights were still on. Lin Chuan walked into the house curiously.
"Xiao Chuan, you're back?" His mother sat on the bed edge, excitedly saying, "Come in, this is Aunt Zhou from the Changlin Community committee."
"Hello, Aunt Zhou," Lin Chuan said with a smile and a greeting.
Aunt Zhou looked at Lin Chuan and, as the most discerning old lady in the community committee, who regularly arranged matches, she habitually scrutinized Lin Chuan's attire. His camo outfit completely disappointed her. After all, what expectations could one have for a family like the Lins? Aunt Zhou smiled and said, "You're a fine young man. I'll find you a pretty girl to meet."
"Sister Zhou, I'll have to trouble you with my son's affairs," said Lin's mother as she slipped her a red envelope containing five hundred yuan.
"Sure, sure," Aunt Zhou said with a beaming smile as she took the red envelope and left.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Lin Chuan asked in confusion.
"It's about arranging your marriage," Lin's mother said, glancing at him. "Son, you're not getting any younger. It's time to settle down and start a family. I don't want to leave this world not having held a grandchild in my arms, do you understand? Sigh, your father passed away early…"
"Mom, I know," Lin Chuan said, not wanting to hurt his mother's feelings, so he reluctantly agreed.
......
It seemed like the issue with Long Wu had passed, but in fact, it was only just beginning. Long Wu, being the boss of the Huai Mountain South Road area, naturally wouldn't let Lin Chuan off the hook. Not only had Lin Chuan given him a beating, but he'd also taken his car. This grudge was something he couldn't swallow.
Recently, Long Wu had been contemplating how to deal with Lin Chuan.
"Big brother, I know a great martial arts instructor," one of Long Wu's underlings enthusiastically recommended. "He is said to be the nineteenth generation successor of the Southern Fist. His boxing skills are formidable, and he has won international awards. Why not hire him to deal with that kid?"
The nineteenth-generation successor of Southern Fist?" Long Wu was taken aback, saying, "That formidable? Isn't it overkill to use him against Lin Chuan?"
At heart, he was a bit reluctant to spend the money.
"How could it be?" the underling hurriedly said, "That kid Lin Chuan is very tough. Probably only he can take on Lin Chuan."
"How much for an appearance?" Long Wu, pinching the cigarette butt and squinting his eyes, pondered inwardly.
"Around two hundred thousand!" the underling replied.
"Damn, two hundred thousand!" Long Wu couldn't help but be astounded.
"Big brother, if we don't sort that kid out, you won't get your car back," the underling hurriedly said. "Your car is worth over a million. Spending two hundred thousand to settle the score and get your car back makes sense!"
"Alright," Long Wu nodded and said, "You make some sense. Bring that nineteenth-generation successor of Southern Fist, damn it, this time we must take care of that bastard Lin Chuan."
Long Wu's face was fierce, and his eyes brimmed with murderous intent. His hatred for Lin Chuan had reached the bones, and he wished to slaughter Lin Chuan immediately, but he lacked the ability to do so. Helpless, he had to resort to hiring someone else.
......
Long Wu was not the only one keeping tabs on Lin Chuan; Song Xiaojia was as well.
Lately, Zhang Wenhui had left Jiangbei City, reportedly attending a conference at the provincial capital, and Song Xiaojia was on duty alone these days. Therefore, she had spent nearly every day following Lin Chuan in her car. But, after several days of surveillance, she found that Lin Chuan seemed to be a typical homebody. Apart from going out to have a late-night snack with Zhou Kai and the others the night before, he hardly engaged in any activities. This left Song Xiaojia somewhat perplexed.