Chapter 94 - 94 94 Too Bad

Words : 1946 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

94: Chapter 94 Too Bad 94: Chapter 94 Too Bad “Alright!” A group of drummers and gong players immediately responded in unison. “Clang, clang, clang, clang...” The rousing sound of a full ensemble of drummers swelled, and Liu Hun, with a sweep of his hands and a kick of his legs, both punched and kicked, making the five muscular hooligans in front of him seem as if made of paper. Within three minutes, all five were beaten down to the ground. “Great!” came a shout from the audience, followed by a round of applause and cheers. The sound of clapping filled the air, proving even more satisfying than watching the staged fights on the theater stage, as real punches landed with solid thumps on flesh. The audience below the stage was thoroughly enjoying the show, truly feeling that the fight was gratifying, and their anticipation for the cloth shoes increased a notch. “I’m warning you! If you try to smash up this place and cause trouble again, watch your lives! Get lost!” After saying this to Li Si’er and Cui Hua, Liu Hun kicked one of the hooligans lying on the ground, and the group immediately scampered off in a sorry state, helping each other and following Li Si’er. “Fellow villagers! I believe you can see for yourselves! How are my cloth shoes? They’re good for walking through muddy roads and up the hillsides in peace, and for fighting hooligans and kicking scoundrels in war!” Having dealt with Li Si’er and his group, Liu Hun immediately seized the moment to start promoting his cloth shoes. “Great!” people in the crowd replied loudly in unison. Liu Hun bowed with his hands folded to the crowd and said, “Twenty yuan a pair! Cloth shoes that can fight and jump! When we’ve sold out, we’ll watch another battle of cutting down a villain at the camp gates—what do you say, good or not?” “Great!” came the unanimous reply again, and the crowd surged toward the stall. This time, Xiao Fang had brought a larger inventory, and with the performance against the hooligans heating things up, it took only about twenty minutes to sell out. Li Si’er, who had come to cause trouble, not only failed to disrupt the market but also inadvertently provided Liu Hun with a vivid promotional advertisement. Liu Hun had been worried that he couldn’t sell off so many pairs of shoes, but with Li Si’er’s unintentional help, all the stock was sold out. Following the end of the sales in East Town, Xiao Fang was grinning ear to ear, shaking Liu Hun’s hand non-stop, as if wanting to worship Liu Hun like the God of Wealth, thanking him profusely. After Liu Hun received his share of the money, as was his custom, he gave several hundred to each of the women, then split some with the Lin Family troupe, and kept a portion for himself. Altogether, this round combined with what he had previously made totaled seventy thousand yuan. The three towns surrounding Wanbao Village—Taiping, East Town, and Xiping Town—were left with only Xiping Town still to visit. Though the sales had been good in both Taiping and East Town, especially in East Town, selling the rest of the shoes wouldn’t be a problem. This time Xiao Fang not only sold the shoes and made money, but he also gained a person—Liu Hun! He really thought Liu Hun was an extraordinary talent and felt that Liu Hun shouldn’t just waste away in the village but should go out into the wider world to develop his potential. “What? Exposed? Useless! Absolutely useless!” Bai Hongcai banged the table furiously. Li Si’er’s face showed a hint of awkwardness as he explained, “Director Bai, you know we’ve been working our hardest for you, but... nobody expected Liu Hun to... to simply expose us.” “Working your hardest? You dare say you worked your hardest when you couldn’t even do the job? You were working your hardest for someone else, weren’t you?!” Bai Hongcai angrily accused Li Si’er, then, with a cold snort, he thought, “Liu Hun is digging his own grave! That Xiao can leave, but where can Liu Hun go? The Cooperative has him by the throat, I’d like to see how much longer he can jump around!” Cui Hua, the woman beside Li Si’er, chimed in, “Director Bai, we’ve tried every possible means, both gentle and forceful. Many of our men were beaten up. Considering we might not have made merits but definitely endured hardships, could you perhaps...” “Indeed!” Bai Hongcai said with a mocking smile, “I had forgotten you guys had tried every means for me! Helping others sell a big bunch! Even more than in Taiping Town!” “Director Bai... Would you be willing to give us one more chance to redeem ourselves? They’ll definitely go to Xiping Town next, and I know a guy there who’s really influential in Xiping Town. This time we’ll definitely come up with a good plan to sort this out for you!” Li Si’er pleaded with Bai Hongcai, not wanting to lose this wealthy backer. “Are you talking about Tang Dejun?” Bai Hongcai asked Li Si’er. “Ah! It seems Director Bai has also heard of his fame! Yes, Tang Dejun! I’ve partnered with him in business before, so we have some dealings. What do you think?” Li Si’er tentatively asked Bai Hongcai. Bai Hongcai pondered. If they also made a killing in Xiping Town, wouldn’t that be a slap in the face to the Cooperative? And if this Xiao, who once groveled before him, sold out in Xiping Town, he might just take off, making it harder to get back at him. After much thought, Bai Hongcai still couldn’t swallow the humiliation. He finally said to Li Si’er, “This is your last chance. If it works out, five thousand is yours! If it doesn’t... don’t let me see you around here ever again!” “Alright, alright, alright, Director Bai, rest assured, this time I’ll definitely take care of it for you. Just wait and see!” After saying this, Li Si’er left Bai Hongcai’s office, taking Cui Hua with him. No sooner had the two left, then Ren Youtian rushed hurriedly into Bai Hongcai’s office, nearly bumping into Bai Hongcai in a full embrace. “What’s the rush? Someone die at home that you’re running to a funeral?” Bai Hongcai couldn’t help but curse, then slowly took a seat on the sofa and asked, “What’s the matter, spill it!” Ren Youtian took a breath and said, “Director Bai, there’s big trouble!” Upon hearing this, Bai Hongcai immediately tensed and asked, “What big trouble? Speak clearly.” “Just now, someone from Dahongfa Shoe Industry called; they’ve heard about what’s been going on here. They said if the shoes from our Cooperative can’t sell, they’re going to pull out from our Cooperative,” Ren Youtian told Bai Hongcai in a frantic tone. “Damn it! When it rains, it pours! Monkey see, monkey do! That damn Xiao Fang is trying to cut off our lifeline! I knew it! I knew it! Dahongfa Shoe Industry must also want to play the same tricks as Xiao Fang!” Bai Hongcai said uneasily to Ren Youtian. Ren Youtian asked Bai Hongcai, “So... Do you have any solutions, Director Bai?” “Li Si’er has already given me his word. He’s definitely going to mess up Xiao Fang’s business for me.” After saying this, Bai Hongcai still felt somewhat uneasy, then opened his drawer, took out five hundred yuan, and said to Ren Youtian, “Go give this five hundred yuan to Li Si’er, tell him it’s an extra from me! You must make it crystal clear to him! He has to mess up Xiao Fang’s business for me! Otherwise, I’ll skin him alive!” “Yes, yes, yes!” Ren Youtian immediately took the five hundred yuan and left Bai Hongcai’s office, running after Li Si’er. Meanwhile, at this time in Xiping Town, Liu Hun and Xiao Fang’s cloth shoes were selling like hotcakes. “Brother! This is our last stop. After Xiping Town, we’ll be parting ways,” Xiao Fang said, filled with emotion. He couldn’t help but ask, “You’re really not considering coming with me to try your luck outside? I feel like you’re not a common man. Why stay stuck in this place?” Liu Hun laughed heartily, his smile resembling the tough crops nurtured by the land, full of resilience and vitality. He said to Xiao Fang, “Brother, thanks for your kind offer. I won’t leave here until I’ve made something of Wanbao Village, at least not for now.” Xiao Fang, looking at Liu Hun, could feel the determination and perseverance. He could clearly sense this man was as extraordinary as the land itself, destined to unleash inconceivable power in the future – and he wanted to be a witness or even a participant, not just a bystander. So Xiao Fang said to Liu Hun, “Brother Guan, consider it a favor I owe you! Once these shoes are sold, I’ll sort things out in the county town, but I’ve got to come back! And I won’t come back empty-handed!” “Great! Then, Brother, I’ll be waiting for you!” Liu Hun said cheerfully to Xiao Fang. As the two were chatting backstage, the stage up front had already burst into noisy drumbeats and opera singing. All the bits and transitions were the same ones used before, familiar to the performers. It was only that the Lin Family troupe took this opportunity to practice other operas, changing things up from the previous times. Unexpectedly, many folks from Taiping Town and East Town had come over, either to buy cloth shoes or enjoy the opera, or simply to partake in the excitement and snag a bargain. Liu Hun was always worried, fearing that the same group of people who didn’t succeed last time in East Town might cause trouble again. However, everything was calm and secure up until he announced the price of twenty yuan per pair, and the crowd watching the commotion below started getting ready to snatch up the purchase. It looked like he had worried for nothing... Liu Hun gradually began to ease his worries, but just then, Xiao Fang suddenly rushed to his side, holding a pair of cloth shoes and said, “Brother Guan, take a look at this, what’s this?” Liu Hun took it over and saw the thin soles of the cloth shoes Xiao Fang showed him, the poor workmanship, with several threads sticking out – clearly not the merchandise they were selling before. “What’s this all about?” he asked Xiao Fang, surprised. Before Xiao Fang could reply, Qin Yue, carrying a basket full of cloth shoes, ran over and said to Liu Hun, “Hunzi, someone’s mixing into the crowd and selling their own cloth shoes!” She also took out a pair of poorly-made cloth shoes and handed them to Liu Hun. Liu Hun looked – they were identical to the pair Xiao Fang passed him. “Hmph! Playing tricks on me! You two, alert everyone! Stop selling immediately, gather backstage! Quickly!” Liu Hun said to Xiao Fang and Qin Yue. The two immediately left backstage and separately notified the shoe sellers to stop sales; the women and the merchandise from the stalls were all brought back, and Liu Hun, standing on the stage, could clearly see that many people in the crowd were still selling cloth shoes – one of them was exactly Li Si’er.

Chapter 94 - 94 94 Too Bad

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