182: Chapter 183 In return for kindness

The third person looked at him and suddenly made a "tsk" sound.

"Old man, is it really necessary?"

"Doesn't Flower City provide food and land? It's just a little bit of stuff, so what if it fell?"

Old Xu paused and looked up at him.

His gaze wasn't fierce, but that silent demeanor actually made the man feel a bit uncomfortable.

So, he raised his foot and kicked the basket of vegetables beside him again.

"Bang!"

The wooden basket tipped over completely.

With that sound, the anger that had been suppressed on the street instantly flared up.

"Damn you!"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!"

"Try kicking it again!"

"Don't fight, don't fight! Report it to the officials!"

"Report what officials? I want to slap the hell out of him!"

"We're all people of Flower City, calm down! Don't get worked up!"

"Who's one of them? They're clearly here to cause trouble!"

The crowd swarmed in, and the noise exploded into chaos.

Yet, at this very moment, the leader of the three suddenly stepped back, crossed his arms, and put on an innocent face.

"What's going on?"

"Is this how Flower City treats newcomers?"

"Are you looking down on us just because you've been here longer?"

"We just accidentally knocked over a basket of vegetables, is it necessary to surround us like this?"

"You want to hit us? Come on! Go ahead and hit us! We're no match for you anyway!"

These words were disgusting.

Because everyone on the street had seen his previous actions.

But if one were to break down every movement, he could attribute every single one to being "accidental."

Old Xu was so angry his hands shook, and it took him a long time to choke out a sentence.

"You…"

Just then, a cold voice cut through from behind the crowd.

"Move aside."

The crowd subconsciously parted to both sides.

Shang Youjun walked in from behind. His gaze first fell on the mess on the ground, then swept across the faces of the three men.

The street suddenly fell silent for a moment.

When the three men saw him, their expressions remained steady, even carrying a hint of aggrieved annoyance.

"This official, you've come just in time."

"We only asked about the price, and his people surrounded us. Is this how Flower City treats its guests?"

Shang Youjun didn't respond. He simply squatted down, picked up a crushed vegetable leaf, and examined the overturned wooden rack and the footprints on the ground.

When he stood up, his gaze had turned completely cold.

But that coldness didn't show on his face; it only flashed in the depths of his eyes before being suppressed.

"Take them away."

He said it very calmly.

"Whoever is right or wrong, go to the Supervision Department to explain."

The three men clearly didn't expect him to be so decisive. The leader wanted to say something else, but Shang Youjun already looked up at him.

Just one glance.

A chill inexplicably ran down the man's back, and the words on the tip of his tongue got stuck.

Seeing this, the local citizens on the street also reined in their urge to rush forward.

Because they knew that since the Supervision Department had arrived, this matter wouldn't be brushed off carelessly.

Inside the Supervision Department, the case was quickly cleared up.

Not only was it cleared up, but the interrogation made the three men's faces turn paler and paler.

Because too many people on the street had seen it.

Who bumped into whom first, who stepped on it first, who kicked over the basket at the end—the meat seller, the cloth seller, passersby, people collecting number plates—everyone chimed in, and when pieced together, the whole event was nailed down tight.

The leader of the troublemakers initially tried to blame it on an "accident."

But a woman holding a child nearby pointed right at him.

"After you bumped into him the first time, you even glanced over there."

"You saw the vegetables fall, and then you let the second person step on them."

"I was standing close by, I saw it clearly."

Another man selling meat also added in a muffled voice.

"That third kick was quite a full swing."

"If you say it wasn't intentional, do you even believe yourself?"

The hall was silent for two seconds, and then someone couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

The troublemaker's face turned blue.

But it wasn't over yet.

Shang Youjun opened the booklet beside him and tapped it twice with his slender fingers.

"Yesterday, at the West Street cloth shop, two bolts of cloth hanging at the door were slashed."

"The day before yesterday, by the well in South Alley, someone deliberately knocked over a water bucket while waiting in line."

"The day before that, a wooden basin newly distributed in the Tree House District was snatched away and left at the entrance of the alley."

"All three of you were involved in these incidents."

As the last sentence fell, the expressions on the three men's faces finally changed completely.

They had thought that their actions were scattered, minor, and appeared unintentional.

At most, it would just annoy or irritate the people of Flower City.

But they hadn't expected that all these petty matters had been quietly recorded.

The younger one on the side was already sweating on his forehead.

Shang Youjun didn't look at them again; he just closed the booklet and looked outside.

"Invite the City Lord."

The room went quiet instantly.

Even those who were just being stubborn were stunned.

Because they didn't expect that such a matter would alarm Zhou Yun?

Is it necessary?

Is it worth it?

Making such a big deal out of nothing?

Is this Supervision Department head sick?

When Zhou Yun arrived, the hall was not in chaos.

It was just very quiet.

Old Xu stood to one side, the basket of vegetables he had picked up again placed by his feet. His back was still slightly hunched, but his expression was clearly somewhat uneasy.

He had already heard that this matter wasn't big, and bringing it to the Supervision Department was enough. Now that they had actually invited the City Lord, his first reaction wasn't grievance, but panic and guilt.

Truly guilty.

In his entire life, he never thought that a basket of his vegetables could alarm the City Lord.

The City Lord is busy with ten thousand things every day; how many matters does he have to handle?

It was just a small matter for him, and yet...

After Zhou Yun entered, he first looked at the basket on the ground, then at Old Xu's hands, which were still stained with mud.

Then, he looked at Shang Youjun.

Shang Youjun explained the case concisely, without a single extra word.

After he finished, Zhou Yun nodded and looked at the three troublemakers.

The three felt guilty under his gaze, but they stubbornly refused to bow their heads.

The leader gritted his teeth and mustered the courage to speak.

"City Lord, we… we admit to this."

"But it was just knocking over a basket of vegetables. If Flower City is going to make such a big deal out of such a small thing, isn't it a bit excessive?"

As soon as he said this, Old Xu became even more panicked and opened his mouth to speak.

"City Lord, forget it, forget it…"

"It's just a few vegetables, I can pick them up and sell them again…"

"There's really no need to, because of my small matter…"

By the end, his voice trailed off, as if the more he spoke, the more he felt he shouldn't be standing there.

Zhou Yun raised his hand, stopping him.

"Uncle Xu."

This was not loud, very soft.

But Old Xu stopped talking immediately.

Because Zhou Yun called him so naturally. So naturally, it was like calling one of his own elders.

"Since you reported it to the officials, this is not making a big deal out of nothing."

"If Flower City's rules can't even handle this little grievance, then what's the point of establishing them?"

No one in the hall spoke.

Zhou Yun turned his head to look at the three, his tone still calm.

"Flower City accepts people because it wants to give them a way to live."

"But if someone treats this way of living as a place to test our bottom line, then someone must tell them where Flower City's bottom line is."

After finishing, he first imposed the punishment on the three according to the law.

Compensation, work ban, public apology—one by one, none were severe, but none were missed.

The three had been holding on, but hearing this, they actually felt half relieved.

But the next moment, Zhou Yun's gaze fell back on Old Xu.

"As for Uncle Xu here."

"Those who suffer losses because Flower City accepts newcomers should not have to swallow this grievance alone."

"Flower City will compensate for this loss."

"Compensate ten times over."

The hall was silent for a moment.

Old Xu was completely stunned.

The three troublemakers were also stunned together.

Not to mention them, even the few citizens who came to testify were stunned for a moment.

"Ten… ten times?"

Old Xu stammered, his tongue even tied in knots.

"City Lord, this… this is too much…"

Zhou Yun smiled.

"You suffered a loss; Flower City cannot just return you to the original state."

"If even those who are willing to take a step back have to suffer on their own, then who will be willing to trust this city in the future?"

He paused, his voice still gentle.

"For those who repay grievances with virtue, Flower City will repay them with benefits."

As this sentence fell, the room went completely quiet.

Old Xu stood there, his lips moving several times, but in the end, he couldn't say a word. He just lowered his head with red-rimmed eyes, not even knowing where to put his hands.

And the three troublemakers' faces were even uglier than before.

They had originally come to cause trouble for Flower City.

As a result, after all the trouble, not only was the old man not humiliated, but he was instead held up high by Flower City.

The leader's mouth twitched, his chest felt extremely tight, yet he couldn't say a word.

Because Zhou Yun, from beginning to end, didn't favor anyone, nor did he deliberately put on a show for others to see.

He simply calculated this account bigger and further than they did.

When Zhou Yun left the Supervision Department, the sky had already darkened.

The wind outside the courtyard was not strong; the leaves swayed gently, making a rustling sound.

He walked to the door, and his steps suddenly paused.

In his mind, a familiar System notification sound rang out quietly.

[Ding! You successfully bestowed Small Green Vegetables × 20 jin, triggering a 10,000x critical hit reward, obtaining the qualitative change reward: Small Green Vegetables × 200,000 jin!]

Zhou Yun was stunned for a moment.

He stood in place, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

Compensation… also counts as bestowing?

He originally just felt that since Flower City had let the local citizens suffer a loss in the name of accepting newcomers, this account shouldn't just be settled on the troublemakers.

But he didn't expect that the System would also recognize this.

Thinking of this, he lowered his head and smiled.

It was an unexpected joy.

Not far outside the door, Shang Youjun was standing under the corridor waiting for him.

Night had just fallen, and the lamps hanging from the eaves cast light and shadow on the young man's profile.

He stood very straight, still holding the case file in his arms. Seeing Zhou Yun come out, he quietly walked up to him.

"City Lord."

"Hmm."

Zhou Yun glanced at him and softened his voice.

"You've worked hard today."

Shang Youjun pursed his lips.

"It's my duty."

After he finished, he paused for a moment before adding in a low voice.

"It's just… these people probably won't be the only batch."

Zhou Yun nodded.

"I know."

Shang Youjun's fingertips lightly rubbed the edge of the case file, his eyes somewhat heavy.

"They didn't get any advantage today, so they will likely change their methods later."

"And…"

He paused, his voice lower.

"Among the few people I saw, there is still one who hasn't moved at all until now."

Zhou Yun's gaze paused slightly upon hearing this.

"More patient than these ones today?"

"Yes."

Shang Youjun nodded.

"And more like someone who would really deal a heavy blow."

The night wind blew through the corridor, gently lifting a strand of hair at his temple.

Zhou Yun was silent for a moment before raising his hand to pat his shoulder.

"I understand."

"Then keep watching."

"Since Flower City has opened its doors, they must see the rules behind the doors one by one."

Shang Youjun looked up at him, and the stuffiness in his chest that had been weighing him down suddenly eased a little.

"Yes."

Zhou Yun smiled again.

"Go back and rest."

"Tomorrow, I'm afraid it will be even busier."

Shang Youjun acknowledged, but didn't leave immediately.

He stood in place, watching Zhou Yun's back as he walked forward, and suddenly remembered the sentence in the hall during the day.

"For those who repay grievances with virtue, Flower City will repay them with benefits."

His eyelashes lowered gently, and his fingertips tightened unconsciously.

If the city he stayed in when he was young had such rules…

Then would his father not have had to pierce his eyes out with his own hands?

This thought only popped up for a moment before he suppressed it himself.

Let the past be the past.

What is important is the present, and the future.

He stood for a while before hugging the case file tightly and turning into the night.

At the same time, on the other side of Flower City, in a newly assigned Tree House, the three people who had caused trouble during the day were crowded together, their faces looking worse than the other.

"Damn it…"

"How are we supposed to make trouble now?"

"After we made trouble, they compensated ten times over, and that victimized old man almost knelt down to the City Lord on the spot."

"If I had known this, I should have let someone beat me up hard! Maybe I could have gotten ten times the compensation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the person beside him glared at him fiercely.

"Shut up!"

The room went quiet for a moment.

The third person took a long time before cursing in a hushed voice.

"Don't be impatient."

"If today's method didn't work, there are others."

"We are just testing the waters."

"Later on, there will always be someone who can muddy the waters."

As he spoke, he looked out the window.

The night was deep, but the streets of Flower City were not dark. The lamps hanging between the Tree Houses were lit one by one, the warm yellow light connecting into a line, illuminating the road clearly.

The man stared at it for a few seconds, then suddenly withdrew his gaze with some irritability.

Because the brighter this place was, the more uncomfortable he felt.

People like them standing here are not here to blow out the lights.

It's more like they are being illuminated by the lights with nowhere to hide.

Over the next two days, Flower City was actually quieter than before.

At least on the surface, that was the case.

The case of the vegetable stall on East Street spread quickly, so quickly that even the new batch of people understood it clearly.

When some people walked towards the Tree House District carrying spirit rice, they would subconsciously look back at the direction of the Supervision Department.

Some people lowered their voices when talking on the street, not daring to look around or speak filthily like they did the day they first entered the city.

But what really caused this quietness to settle in wasn't just that case.

More importantly, it was the reaction of the people of Flower City.