76: Chapter 76 Street Vendors Blocking the Way

After Zhao Jian arrived at the Vegetable Market, he saw The Skinny, Dark Man and Huang Yuemin.

They hadn't entered the market; instead, they were outside.

They were on a patch of reserved land separated from the road.

They had set up a long stretch of stalls.

Quite a few people were browsing and picking out items.

Was this an attempt to intercept the customers?

The Vegetable Market charges management fees, so the costs for the vendors inside are higher than those of roadside stalls.

As long as these two lowered their prices slightly, the competitiveness of the vendors inside the Vegetable Market would drop.

In the long run, the vendors might all choose to move outside.

When that time came, the outside of the Vegetable Market would be bustling while the inside remained desolate.

They certainly had it all figured out.

At the same time, these two weren't occupying the Vegetable Market's land, nor were they obstructing traffic.

Therefore, even Urban Management and the Police Officer could do nothing about them.

When Shrimp Skin and Huang Yuemin saw Zhao Jian approaching, both of them showed the satisfaction of having their revenge.

Zhao Jian had gotten them thrown into the detention center, costing them a lot of money and giving them criminal records.

Today, they had finally received guidance from a master and found a brilliant plan for revenge!

Zhao Jian paid no attention to their expressions.

He was recalling business war tactics he had learned online.

Like pouring boiling water on their money trees, or dumping trash nearby after they closed their stalls?

None of them seemed quite right.

Dumping trash, in particular, was like killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of one's own.

It wasn't worth it.

Zhao Jian took a walk around the Vegetable Market; the foot traffic had indeed dropped significantly.

He had watched Shrimp Skin's stall for a moment earlier.

The prices were lower, and because they were lower, things sold fast.

Their vegetables were also fresher.

This indicated that the other party had a convenient wholesale channel.

Speaking of convenience...

Zhao Jian glanced in the direction of his own wholesale market.

Was there any place more convenient than his?

Probably not.

Having learned that he had arrived,

Aunt Liu quickly came over.

As soon as they met, she said, "Little Zhao, you have no idea. Those two are absolutely shameless. I told them to leave, but they just won't listen."

"They're getting their stock from our wholesale market. I said I wouldn't sell to them, and guess what? They reported us to the Industry and Commerce Bureau, saying we're violating the Consumer Rights Protection Law."

"And that bureau even spoke up for them!"

Zhao Jian thought to himself: These two really have gained some skill after coming back from their 'Longchang Enlightenment' in detention.

Two local thugs had actually learned how to use the law as a weapon!

He comforted Aunt Liu, saying, "Don't worry, Auntie. Just sell to them normally."

"Additionally, starting from today, the wholesale market management fee will be halved, on the condition that the price of vegetables supplied to the Vegetable Market is discounted. The Vegetable Market management fees will be completely waived for three months."

"I'll call the Operations Agency and tell them about this decision."

This method was still like killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of one's own.

But Zhao Jian could afford the loss.

He didn't believe Shrimp Skin and the other guy could afford to play this game.

After the announcement that the Vegetable Market would waive management fees for three months, the vendors immediately launched a price war.

Lower procurement prices meant their costs were lower than those of Shrimp Skin's duo.

This resulted in the vegetable prices inside the Vegetable Market being even lower than their roadside stalls outside.

The customer flow quickly reversed; all the older women who had been buying outside returned to the market to do their shopping.

A fierce light gleamed in Shrimp Skin's eyes.

He felt both angry and happy.

Angry because Zhao Jian had easily defused this crisis.

Happy because he had already heard the news about the vegetable price drops inside the market.

He knew Zhao Jian was sacrificing his own interests to subsidize the vendors.

Shrimp Skin firmly believed that Zhao Jian had bought the Vegetable Market with loans.

And he hadn't received much compensation from the demolition of the wholesale market.

So, as long as Zhao Jian couldn't make money, he would soon be dragged down by debt.

Thinking of the scene where his enemy would be so poor as to beg for food in the future, the frustration in Shrimp Skin's heart dissipated.

After Zhao Jian finished arranging these trivial matters, he originally wanted to go home and sleep.

But it was already time for Zhang Tao to get off work.

Since he was already out anyway, he might as well go to Good Older Sister's house for a meal.

It seemed as if they were on the same wavelength.

While he was still considering what kind of excuse to use to go to Zhang Tao's house,

Good Older Sister's call came through.

"I've learned a new dish. Do you want to come over and try it tonight?"

"Since you're so sincerely begging me to go, I'll reluctantly give it a taste then."

Zhao Jian gave a playful reply.

Then he set off for Zhang Tao's home.

He really did want to taste what the new dish Good Older Sister had learned was like. He had no other intentions.

Really.

When he entered the door, Zhang Tao was already busy in the kitchen.

As her leg injury gradually improved, she no longer needed to struggle with a crutch for every step.

She walked much faster now.

"You go ahead and eat first. I have two more dishes that will be ready soon."

Zhang Tao wore an apron, exuding the charm of a virtuous wife and mother.

"I'll help!"

He walked into the kitchen and gently wrapped his arms around her waist.

He was being more of a hindrance than a help.

But Zhang Tao couldn't bring herself to kick him out.

She just said while stir-frying, "Honestly, be careful not to get burned."

Soon, all the dishes were served.

Zhao Jian wasn't actually hungry.

He had eaten a lot of beef hotpot; he wouldn't have much of an appetite at least until he went to bed at midnight.

But he couldn't refuse Good Older Sister's kindness.

He picked out a few bites of the dishes he liked.

The taste was amazing!

Even though they were just home-cooked dishes, the texture and flavor were not at all inferior to a chef from a five-star hotel.

Though he had never actually been to a five-star hotel.

"Come on, open wide, ah~" Zhang Tao picked up a slice of lotus root to feed him.

Zhao Jian gently bit it and then ate it.

He didn't like eating lotus root.

But this slice was delicious.

The two of them spent nearly two hours on the meal.

Zhao Jian wasn't hungry and didn't want to leave, so he lingered and stalled.

Zhang Tao had the same idea.

She found it hard to say bluntly that she wanted Zhao Jian to stay.

Otherwise, this bratty younger brother would likely tease her!

They split the work of clearing the table and washing the dishes, and it was all done quickly.

By then, it was only eight o'clock.

Zhao Jian thought to himself, why is this damn clock moving so slowly?

He said hesitantly:

"Sister Tao, should I head back now?"

If he went back, then he'd have come for nothing!

"It's very late, and the road back isn't safe right now. Why don't you go back tomorrow?"

Zhang Tao's face was flushed red as she spoke.

Eight o'clock in the evening was just the beginning of nightlife.

There were plenty of cars and people on the road; how could it be unsafe!

But Zhao Jian believed her.

He nodded and said, "Yeah, I did hear news recently about boys being harassed while walking at night. It's too terrifying."

After saying that, he couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

Zhang Tao laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

...

The next morning, when Zhao Jian, who had slept in, woke up,

The space beside his pillow was already empty.

On the dining table were a few fried dough sticks and a bowl of spicy soup.

Not bad, they were all things he liked to eat.

After washing up and preparing to eat, he saw a note on the table.

The content was: Bad guy, remember to eat breakfast, love you.

Besides the words, there was a drawing of a pig's head on the note, with its ear being pinched by a slender hand.

This woman, she's quite bold!

How dare she imply his hands aren't thick and strong enough!

Zhao Jian tucked the note into his pocket.

Then he briefly tidied the dining table and went out.

Just as he walked out of the residential area, he saw the light screen unfold before him.

【Today's Intelligence (Red): The World Cup starts this afternoon; Paraguay will defeat Argentina 2-1 in a major upset.】

He didn't watch football.

This information seemed somewhat useless?