Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Chapter 60: Chapter 54: I Want to Be a Police Auntie

Zhao Tieying charged Wang the Pockmarked’s table with a cleaver, shouting all the way, stunning every customer in the restaurant.

’Is this the same gentle, amiable Mrs. Zhao they all knew?’

Wang the Pockmarked and his lackeys turned around, their expressions changing instantly.

Zhao Tieying charged with the cleaver held high above her head, her eyes locked on them. The ferocity in her gaze was terrifying.

’She’s really going to bring it down!’

SWOOSH!

The cleaver sliced down past Wang the Pockmarked’s face. The cold glint from the brightly polished blade nearly blinded his damn eyes.

"Holy crap!" Wang the Pockmarked scrambled backward in terror, tripped over a long bench, and fell flat on his back.

THUNK!

The cleaver slammed into the square table, its tip sinking three centimeters deep and leaving a terrifying gash in the wood.

The three men in floral shirts also instinctively recoiled.

"She’s crazy! This woman has lost her mind!"

Wang the Pockmarked was terrified. ’What happened to that simple country woman from a moment ago?’

’Even during the street brawls a couple of years ago, people would at least trade a few curses before throwing punches.’

’All I did was plant a cockroach. Is that any reason to try and chop someone up?’

’These past couple of years, even we gangsters have followed some semblance of reason.’

Thinking this, he actually started to feel aggrieved.

’These local aunties have no code of honor!’

"Woah!"

"Mrs. Zhao is so fierce!"

The customers’ eyes were wide. Mrs. Zhao was unbelievably bold. When hooligans caused trouble, she really went at them with a cleaver!

But damn, it was satisfying!

These hooligans were completely lawless!

"Boss!" his underlings cried, rushing to help him up. They glared at Zhao Tieying. "You dare attack people! Looks like you don’t want this restaurant to stay open anymore!"

"I’ll..." Wang the Pockmarked scrambled to his feet and reached for the long bench.

His other underlings also started grabbing whatever they could use as weapons.

’Humiliated by a country woman... if they didn’t get their dignity back now, how could they ever show their faces on this street again?’

’Besides, she started it. They were in the right!’

Just then, a massive shadow fell over them from behind, blocking out the light.

SMACK!

Two massive hands landed on the necks of Wang the Pockmarked and another man in a floral shirt. The grip suddenly tightened, and they were lifted clean off the ground by their collars.

The two men looked back in terror and saw a man as burly as a brown bear.

Wang the Pockmarked’s waist wasn’t even as thick as the man’s arm.

"You bastards! How dare you cause trouble in our restaurant!"

Zhou Jie and Zhou Yan, who had been watching the situation from the kitchen, rushed out. They each sent one of the remaining floral-shirted men sprawling with a kick.

"Don’t move!" Zhou Jie pinned the two men down and delivered a few sharp slaps to their faces, making them duck their heads in submission.

Zhou Yan first looked to Zhao Tieying, asking with concern, "Mom, are you okay?"

"I’m fine." Zhao Tieying shook her head, looking pained as she stared at the gash in the tabletop. "That son of a bitch dodged too fast, so my poor table took the hit."

Hearing this, Zhou Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

’She’d told him and Zhou Jie not to be reckless and to use reason, yet here she was, charging in with a cleaver.’

Mrs. Zhao’s combat prowess was formidable. In front of her, Wang the Pockmarked and his crew looked like total rookies.

He looked at Zhou Hai, who was holding up Wang the Pockmarked and the other man, and asked with a smile, "Haizi, what are you doing here?"

"I was taking Second Aunt home, and since I had nothing to do this afternoon, I swung by to check on things. The second I walked in, I saw them about to hit Fourth Aunt, so I grabbed them first," Zhou Hai replied with a grin, shaking the two men in his hands. "What should we do with these two?"

Zhou Hai’s physique was incredibly intimidating. Holding Wang the Pockmarked and the other man, he looked like he was holding two little chicks.

He and Zhou Jie had been butchering cattle for years and carried an intimidating aura that these street punks couldn’t even begin to compare with.

"Just hold them for now." Zhou Yan turned to Zhou Momo, who was standing to the side with a feather duster in hand, eager to join the fray. "Momo, go to the security office next door and get someone. Tell them there are hooligans causing trouble and attacking people in our restaurant."

"Okay!" Zhou Momo replied. She put down the feather duster and trotted out the door, her little ponytail bouncing cheerfully.

"Help!"

"We’re just customers! You attacked us with a knife, and now you’re beating us! This is a crooked establishment!"

"Is there no law?! Everyone, please speak up for us!"

Unable to break free, Wang the Pockmarked started playing the victim, trying to rally some support.

"Speak up for you? I ought to feed you a bullet!"

Mrs. Zhao slapped him across the face and sneered, "You scumbag. I’ve had my eye on you ever since you walked in. You sure knew how to enjoy the delicious food, even mixing the sauce with your rice to finish every last drop. Only then did you ’happen’ to pull that cockroach out of your pocket."

"Putting a cockroach on a clean plate? What, are you saving it for a midnight snack?"

"You lot are used to picking on the weak, but today you messed with the wrong person."

"You dare to mess with my restaurant, you’ll get arrested today! And executed tomorrow!"

The customers roared with laughter. Mrs. Zhao’s tirade was truly a work of art.

"That’s right! They should be arrested!"

"These shameless hooligans! They were clearly here to cause trouble!"

The customers all knew what was going on. If there had really been a cockroach in the food, would they have waited until the very end to find it?

Zhou Yan couldn’t help but smile. ’Mrs. Zhao was born in the wrong era,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, she could have been a rap star.’

Wang the Pockmarked, flushed red with humiliation from the verbal lashing, mumbled, "Is there no law anymore? I just came here for a nice meal and got beaten up..."

"Officer, it’s them!" Zhou Momo returned with Director Luo Weidong from the security department and six fully-equipped security officers. She stood at the door, pointing at Wang the Pockmarked and his men.

The little girl had been skipping on her way out, but now she returned with red-rimmed eyes and a pouting lip, looking incredibly wronged.

Zhao Tieying quickly pulled the cleaver from the table and hid it behind her back.

"So, it’s you, Wang the Pockmarked! How dare you cause trouble at the textile factory!"

Luo Weidong stormed in with his men, but he stopped short at the scene before him: Wang the Pockmarked and another man being dangled in the air by Zhou Hai, and two other hooligans pinned to the floor by Zhou Jie.

A moment ago, Zhou Momo had run to the security office, crying that four bad men were causing trouble at their restaurant and were about to hit her mother.

The little girl had looked panicked, her eyes red as she spoke, which had tugged at his heartstrings.

He also had a little daughter, just two years older than Zhou Momo.

Zhou Yan had sent Kneeling Beef to the security office before, and he always offered Luo a cigarette when they met. The young man was hardworking, down-to-earth, and knew how to handle people.

Luo Weidong had immediately brought his men over, assuming Zhou Yan and his mother were being bullied. He hadn’t expected to find the four troublemakers completely subdued—two dangling like chicks, and two curled up on the floor.

"Help! This crooked restaurant is beating people! They even attacked us with a knife!" Wang the Pockmarked yelled when he saw Luo Weidong.

"Shut up!" Luo Weidong shot him a glare and turned to Zhou Yan.

"Director Luo, you’re finally here." Zhou Yan said with a pained expression, "This Wang the Pockmarked came to my restaurant with three hooligans to cause trouble. They ordered a table full of food and ate every last bite. Then, not wanting to pay, they pulled a cockroach out and put it on a plate to frame us for having an unclean kitchen."

"Take a look. This plate is cleaner than his face. How could a cockroach just magically appear on it?"

"All the customers in the shop saw it. When his frame-up failed, he picked up a stool to smash the place. Luckily, my two cousins happened to be here and managed to subdue them."

Zhou Yan quickly explained the situation, conveniently downplaying Mrs. Zhao’s role in the conflict.

"That’s right, they were deliberately causing trouble!"

"They were so aggressive, they grabbed stools to hit people!"

The other customers chimed in, backing up Zhou Yan’s story.

"I’ve been framed! Director Luo! He’s lying! The cockroach came from the food! And they were the ones who attacked us with a knife first!" Wang the Pockmarked kicked his legs in desperation.

Luo Weidong glanced at the cockroach on the clean plate and understood everything. He said coldly, "If this cockroach really came from the food, how is it not covered in a single drop of oil or sauce? Do you take us for idiots?!"

Wang the Pockmarked froze. He had used the sauce to flavor his rice, leaving not a single drop behind. It was a fatal miscalculation.

"Wang the Pockmarked, I was just at a meeting at the county public security bureau yesterday. They mentioned your gang is suspected of using cockroaches to extort restaurant owners all over Jiazhou and asked our security department to assist the Suji Police Station with the investigation. And today, you pull the same trick at Zhou Yan Restaurant!" Luo Weidong waved his hand. "Take them away for a thorough interrogation!"

Several officers stepped forward and slapped handcuffs on Wang the Pockmarked and his men.

"I’ve been framed... framed..." Wang the Pockmarked’s limbs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Confess and you’ll be treated with leniency; resist and you’ll be met with severity. If someone put you up to this, you’d better come clean. You might get a reduced sentence," Zhou Yan said, looking at Wang the Pockmarked. "Otherwise, for a group crime like this where you were caught red-handed, you’ll probably rot in jail."

"Take them away!" Luo Weidong ordered with a wave, and the officers dragged the men out.

"You acted bravely for a just cause. Well done." Luo Weidong shook hands with Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie, then turned to Zhou Yan. "Tally up the damages to your restaurant. After the lunch rush, bring the list to the security office. I’ll do my best to get you compensation."

"Okay, thank you, Director Luo," Zhou Yan said gratefully. He added, "By the way, I think there’s something strange about Wang the Pockmarked causing trouble here. I wonder if someone put him up to it."

"We will investigate what you’ve mentioned. If someone really is behind this, we’ll be sure to bring them to justice," Luo Weidong said. He turned to leave, but as he passed Zhou Momo, he stopped, gave her a salute, and said with a smile, "Don’t be afraid. The officers from the security department will protect you."

"The security officers are amazing! They took all the bad guys away!" Zhou Momo said in her squeaky, childish voice, mimicking a salute with a look of pure adoration on her face.

As Luo Weidong walked out, he had a brilliant smile on his face. Even the security officers standing at the door puffed out their chests, their lips twitching into wide grins.

’That’s right. They were there to protect the little flowers of the nation!’

Their gazes then shifted to Wang the Pockmarked and his group, instantly turning sharp. Luo Weidong barked in a cold voice, "Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly!"

Back in the restaurant, Zhou Yan and the others had already put the benches back in place.

Mrs. Zhao put on a smile, looking a little embarrassed. "So sorry about that, everyone. I hope we didn’t scare you. Please, take your time and eat. They won’t dare to cause trouble here again."

Seeing the friendly smile on her face, the customers couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Mrs. Zhao was truly a woman who followed her heart.

"Brother, the police officers were so cool! I want to be a police officer when I grow up!" Zhou Momo ran up to Zhou Yan and looked up at him, her big eyes sparkling with light.

"I’m afraid you can’t be a policeman," Zhou Yan chuckled. "You can only be a policewoman."

"Okay, I’ll be a policewoman then!" Zhou Momo raised her little fist, her eyes filled with determination. "And I’ll catch all the big bad guys!"

"Alright, policewoman."

Zhou Yan and the customers all laughed.

The atmosphere in the restaurant once again became light and cheerful.