Era: Rise from the Wilderness

This small warehouse was something Li Yunjing had specifically suggested his father to set up. At the time, Li Hongfeng thought it was a bit unnecessary, but now it seems that his son's foresight has indeed come in very handy, solving a major problem in goods storage.

After all the goods were sorted out and neatly arranged on the shelves and in the warehouse, the family was initially relaxed and happy.

However, as time passed, that joy was gradually replaced by anxiety and doubt.

The secondhand freezer that was supposed to be delivered this afternoon has yet to arrive.

We waited from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and from 4 p.m. until the sun set, and then until dusk fell. The campus became completely quiet, with only the cicadas still chirping tirelessly.

The freezer that was so anticipated, the one that would bring hope for a cool business, along with the secondhand goods store owner named Ma Youcai, seemed to have vanished into thin air.

By 7 p.m., it was completely dark.

The three members of the Li family returned home exhausted and filled with disappointment, their faces grim.

The family lost interest in preparing the lavish dinner they had planned to celebrate the arrival of the goods. He Ling simply heated up the leftovers from breakfast, and the family quietly ate a few bites before hastily ending the bland dinner.

While clearing the dishes, my long-suppressed anger finally erupted.

"damn it!"

Li Hongfeng slammed his hand on the table, making a loud "bang," which shook the bowls and chopsticks so much they bounced up.

"That skinny guy surnamed Ma from the Jiangwa secondhand market!"

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face turned ashen. "How dare they try to cheat me! They took a two-hundred-yuan deposit and dare not ship the goods? They're asking for trouble!"

Two hundred yuan was no small sum in those days; it was equivalent to more than a month's salary for him.

More importantly, this feeling of being deceived and fooled was a great humiliation for Li Hongfeng, who always valued his reputation and credibility.

The freezer was crucial to the convenience store's success in selling cold drinks, and the other party's breach of contract directly disrupted his plans and delayed things.

The combination of old and new grudges fueled his rage.

If it weren't for the late hour and the distance, he would have loved to rush to the Jiangwa secondhand market immediately, drag Ma Youcai out, and teach him a lesson.

"Dad, we absolutely cannot suffer this loss!"

Li Yunjing was also enraged by the other party's shameless behavior. He calmly analyzed, "Two hundred yuan is a small matter, but I can't tolerate this!"

"And without freezers, we earn a lot less money in the summer."

"I have to go see him tomorrow and find out what's going on!"

"Was something urgent delayed you, or are you just trying to rip us off for those two hundred yuan!"

Li Hongfeng was furious and said through gritted teeth, "Hmm! You don't need to worry about it!"

"Tomorrow I'll call two guys from the security department at work, and we'll go together!"

"Damn it, if they don't give me back my money and the freezer, I'll wreck their place!"

When He Ling heard that her husband was going to bring security personnel, her heart skipped a beat, and her face was filled with worry.

The security department now is not the same as the security guards of the future. They are all veterans, and they are very powerful because they have state-owned enterprises as their backers.

They have weapons, they outnumber them, and if someone gets into a fight, they can handle it internally; the police rarely get involved.

Because their company's CEO is high-ranking enough to have direct access to the heavens, this place is like a small internal kingdom.

It's difficult for outsiders to get involved.

These are all lawless people; as long as they don't kill anyone, nothing will happen.

He Ling was naturally afraid that her husband would cause trouble.

"Old Li! Calm down!"

She was an honest person who hated trouble, so she quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Please don't be impulsive! Is it worth it to cause trouble over two hundred yuan?"

"Our family's situation has just started to improve, and we've even opened a small shop, but we can't afford to lose anything like this!"

"At worst... at worst, we'll just forget about the two hundred yuan and consider it a lesson learned..."

……

"Mom! This isn't just about two hundred yuan!"

Li Yunjing interrupted his mother, his tone firm, "This is a matter of integrity! If he dares to cheat us out of two hundred today, he'll dare to cheat someone else out of four hundred tomorrow! This kind of person deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"Besides, we're in the right, so what are we afraid of?"

He turned to his father and said, "Dad, I'll go with you tomorrow! I promise I'll be there to watch and advise you, and I'll make sure you don't do anything too outrageous!"

"Our main purpose is to resolve the issue, to get the freezer or the deposit back, not to start a fight."

"You little brat! What are you doing, causing trouble?"

Already in a fit of anger, Li Hongfeng became even more irritated when his son tried to get involved. He glared at him and snapped, "Who are you to meddle in adults' affairs? Stay home and do some chores with your mother! You have no right to speak in this!"

His father's roar was like a bucket of cold water, temporarily suppressing Li Yunjing's urge to argue.

He knew that his father was angry at the moment and wouldn't listen to anything he said.

But he had already made up his mind that he would go with them no matter what tomorrow.

He had a vague feeling that this matter might not be so simple.

He understood his father's temper all too well.

This freezer is the "lifeline" of our family's plans to open a small shop.

"It's obvious that Ma Youcai did this on purpose. He saw that we were from the town and thought we would be easy to manipulate."

"But there's no use in rushing things. We'll go to Jiangwa tomorrow and have a face-to-face discussion with him."

"I should still offer my father some advice," Li Yunjing said calmly.

"Arguing?"

"I think he deserves a beating!"

Li Hongfeng glared, his voice still booming: "He dares to swindle my money! He's lucky he hasn't wrecked his shop!"

Li Yunjing shook his head helplessly.

My father is good in every way, except for his explosive temper.

As far back as he can remember, his father had never suffered a loss.

I had some martial arts training in the army when I was young, and after being demobilized, I became a driver in a transport team. I was willing to stand up to anyone who tried to rob me.

Even after he took on the job of purchasing, his temper remained unchanged!

But precisely because of this, my father always liked to "fight head-on," and sometimes he would insist on making things tense when they could be resolved through reasoning.

Of course, Li Yunjing also understood that this era was a time of upheaval and unruliness.

Being aggressive and combative is quite common in the North.

Who hasn't been in a war?

When reasoning fails, it's only natural to resort to physical combat skills.

"Dad, please listen to me."

Li Yunjing pulled up a chair and sat opposite his father, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible.

"If Ma Youcai dares to do this, he must be no pushover. He probably knows someone in Jiangwa. If a fight breaks out, we two outsiders won't stand a chance."

Li Yunjing said, "Besides, we're here to get the freezer, not to fight. If we really hurt someone, we'll have to pay for their medical expenses. It's not worth it."