Lin Xiang deliberately spoke loudly enough for the nearby vendors to hear clearly. She wasn’t exactly lying. Although the costs she described to Mr. Niu were exaggerated, making rice noodles at one cent a bowl while offering a bowl of porridge meant she barely made six cents profit. This didn’t account for the sixty cents she paid the person selling Double Happiness cigarettes or the one-dollar protection fee. If everything was considered, she only made four cents per bowl. Mr. Niu actually believed Lin Xiang’s words. If doing small business was so profitable, everyone might as well abandon their steady jobs and set up stalls instead. "The strainer I use at home is boiled in hot water, it’s very clean, you can use it directly." "Uncle, thank you so much! Without the strainer, I’d have to cook the noodles in a pot, and it’s a huge hassle to fish them out. With this strainer, I can save a lot of trouble." She took a handful of small bills from her pocket without counting them and handed them to Mr. Niu. "You don’t need to give so much. I made the strainer with scrap materials from home, four dimes are enough." "Then I’ll give you five dimes, to round it up." Lin Xiang neatly packed a bunch of dried noodle sticks, twisted a straw into a rope, and tied them up. "Uncle, these sweet potato noodles were handmade by my brother and me, take them home for Auntie." Mr. Niu, knowing Lin Xiang’s character, didn’t refuse. He tied the sweet potato noodles to the handle of his bike and headed to the hardware factory. Just as Mr. Niu left, the couple selling porridge came over aggressively, and the man was about to kick over Lin Xiang’s aluminum porridge tin. "What are you doing!" Lin Yun noticed in time, and the man’s kick missed its mark, causing him to fall to the ground clutching his leg and howling loudly. "Assault, someone’s bullying honest folks! Everyone come see, someone is using their business success to bully us! Can someone stand up for me!" The woman, a fearless sort, hearing his words, kneeled on the ground with a thud, slapping her thigh and wailing, "Oh heavens, we were minding our own business selling porridge, but they not only stole our customers but also bullied us! What kind of world is this?" Lin Yun quietly retracted his foot, frowning at the dramatic couple. He was used to Mrs. Lin’s nonsense, so this level wasn’t threatening to him. He let the couple cry without taking any action. Until the man sneaked a glance at him, Lin Yun coldly spoke, "Cry, make a scene, continue, don’t stop now." "You, you, you..." The man pointed at Lin Yun’s nose and cursed, "You kicked me, don’t you think I’ll report you to the cops and have you arrested!" "Do you know where the police station is?" Lin Yun kindly gave him directions, "Out the main gate, walk a hundred meters east, and through the alley, you’ll find the station. Make sure to tell the officer clearly, that you couldn’t sell your porridge and tried to tip over my porridge bucket, and when that failed, you started making trouble!" "Who’s making trouble!" The man, stubbornly holding his neck like a fierce goose, retorted, "You clearly kicked me to the ground, you’re the one making trouble!" "Is my mind flawed or is yours full of holes?" Lin Yun pointed to the man’s stall, "Our stalls are at least fifty meters apart, are you saying I walked over, dragged you and your wife here, and then kicked you over?" "I don’t care, you kicked me, and that’s a fact. Pay up, or I’ll just sit here and not leave!" Not far away, Lin Xiang held a freshly cooked pancake, crouching on the ground, shamelessly devouring it while watching Lin Yun. She had no intention of helping out. The male lead was quite capable, able to handle such a minor scene. If things got bigger, she could intervene and protect Lin Yun, winning his favor, couldn’t she? Lin Xiang had planned well but someone else moved faster. Liu Pei pushed through the crowds like a mother hen, spreading her wings to shield Lin Yun. "I saw it clearly, you wanted to kick over the porridge bucket, and this gentleman kicked you to protect the porridge." "You’re the one causing trouble!" Lin Xiang couldn’t help but shake her head with a sigh, "Tsk, this combat prowess gave the opponent a chance to retaliate." Sure enough, upon hearing this, the man ignored arguing with Liu Pei and clutched his leg, wailing loudly, "Oh, I was just walking down the road, and suddenly someone inexplicably kicked me in the leg, it must be broken, I can’t even stand!" The woman cooperated by wiping her tears, "Dear, you’ve suffered, it’s just us against the world, we can’t fight against them. Come, I’ll help you up, let’s go to the clinic to dress the wound." "You... you’re just trying to scam us!" Liu Pei hadn’t expected them to change strategies, and the surrounding murmurs weren’t in their favor. She wanted to argue further but Lin Yun gently tugged her collar. "Smartie Liu, I appreciate your help, but I can handle this. Find a place to sit, I’ll make some rice noodles for you after this." "Comrade Lin Yun, I..." Liu Pei tried to say more, but Lin Yun had already moved past her, picking up the pot on the earthen stove. To let the aroma spread, the lid was off, revealing a vivid red broth. With force, he gripped the aluminum pot’s handles and lifted it, heading straight for the man on the ground, ready to pour the scorching broth over him without a word. The man, seeing the steaming broth, couldn’t stay on the ground and scrambled to his feet, not even caring for his supposedly injured leg, and ran a good distance away. Of course, Lin Yun didn’t pour it; this broth was hard-earned by Nuzi early in the morning, and was meant to be sold for profits. Pouring it would be a waste of good stuff! "Wow, weren’t you running pretty fast?" The man was instantly bewildered, "You tricked me?" Get full chapters from 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩 Lin Yun didn’t bother answering him. Just then, the woman, like a little cannonball, charged forward again, knocking the man down and grabbing his collar to beat him. "You only cared about running yourself, didn’t even pull me along? You damn fool, after I stood up for you! See if I don’t beat you to death!" "Ow, take it easy! My leg’s broken!" "Still pretending? As if I’d believe you!" The farce ended absurdly, and Lin Xiang finished off the last bite of her pancake indignantly. She wanted to earn some goodwill from the male lead, but he handled the trouble himself. But come to think of it, the way Lin Yun solved the problem felt oddly familiar?