The next day, Guangtou Qiang drove his Mercedes-Benz S-Class to "Qingqing Barbecue Stall" and handed Zhang Fan a bank card with twenty million yuan and its password. Zhang Fan was surprised by his generosity.
"Guangtou Qiang, have you gotten into trouble recently?" Zhang Fan asked with a furrowed brow.
"Heh heh, Big Brother is Big Brother. I haven't even said anything, and Big Brother already knows," Guangtou Qiang flattered, impressed that Zhang Fan could tell at a glance.
"Tell me, what's going on? Since I said I'd cover for you, I won't go back on my word. But you also need to know that I have principles and a bottom line in everything I do..." Zhang Fan said.
"Don't worry, Big Brother. Although the brothers in the underworld call me ruthless, I also value righteousness and won't cross any lines," Guangtou Qiang assured him repeatedly.
"En, tell me, what exactly is it?" Zhang Fan nodded slightly. Although he had experienced countless battles in the myriad domains of the cosmos and understood the law of the jungle, he also had his own bottom line and principles.
"I don't offend others unless they offend me. If they offend me, I will repay them tenfold!" This was the principle Zhang Fan followed as he roamed the myriad domains of the cosmos.
"It's like this. Not long ago, Li Tianlang of the Blood Wolf Gang found a master of underground boxing from somewhere. He swept through one of my underground boxing rings, and none of the experts I had stationed there could defeat him. He also said that if I didn't sell the venue to him, he would come and sweep through it every few days. If this continues, my venue will have to close down," Guangtou Qiang said with a bitter expression.
"Even your master couldn't defeat him?" Zhang Fan asked. Lin Dahai, as a Houtian martial artist who had cultivated true qi, should have few opponents in Donghai.
"My master once said that he would not get involved in underworld affairs," Guangtou Qiang shook his head. "Besides, it's just an underground boxing ring. It's not a desperate situation, and I wouldn't dare ask master to intervene."
"En," Zhang Fan nodded in understanding. He had interacted with Lin Dahai, who was a pure martial artist and indeed unsuitable for underworld conflicts.
"How about this, next time he brings people to sweep the place, give me a call, and I'll help you resolve it," Zhang Fan readily agreed. Since he had taken on such a subordinate, it brought him many conveniences, and naturally, it also came with responsibilities.
"Hahaha, with Brother Fan making a move, I'll see how arrogant Li Tianlang can be next time," Guangtou Qiang's face lit up with joy upon hearing Zhang Fan's words, and he appeared relieved.
"Go on," Zhang Fan waved his hand. With Guangtou Qiang's burly appearance standing by the barbecue stall, it was indeed a bit of an eyesore and might affect business.
"En," receiving Zhang Fan's instruction, Guangtou Qiang happily got into his black car and drove away.
After chatting with Guangtou Qiang, Zhang Fan returned to the barbecue stall and continued his work. He found that grilling delicious food that people loved and watching them eat with gusto brought him great pleasure.
After yesterday's incident, Zhang Fan had expected it to have some impact on the barbecue stall's business, as many students had witnessed the scene and might have developed some fear towards the stall.
However, by the end of the day, Zhang Fan found that the business was even more booming than before, which somewhat exceeded his expectations.
It turned out that after yesterday's event, "Qingqing Barbecue Stall" had instantly become famous in the university town area. Many students came to try it out of curiosity. Upon arrival, they found the taste surprisingly delicious, which pleasantly surprised them. After all, finding a really good barbecue stall near the school was considered good fortune for them.
...
"Uncle, have you considered getting a new house?" Zhang Fan asked after returning home, thinking about the twenty million yuan Guangtou Qiang had given him that day.
"Xiao Fan, this house is quite comfortable to live in, and we've gotten used to it. We don't have any immediate plans for a new one," Uncle Zhao Yongchang replied, shaking his head as he understood Zhang Fan's intention.
His cousin and aunt, who were present, were also surprised and then shook their heads.
They all knew that Guangtou Qiang had given Zhang Fan twenty million yuan that day, but they were all people of principle and would never accept Zhang Fan directly gifting them a house for no reason.
Seeing their reactions, Zhang Fan understood that gifting a house directly to his aunt's family would likely be unacceptable to them.
"Alright, but I don't have much use for so much money on me. How about I invest one million yuan in the barbecue stall?" Zhang Fan thought for a moment and said. "I saw today that the barbecue stall's business is very good, but the scale is too small. Many students are queuing up. How about I put in a million yuan to expand the stall's storefront and hire a couple more servers?"
"Okay," Zhao Yongchang pondered for a moment. Zhang Fan's idea was indeed feasible, and it was a way they could accept. His aunt also nodded in agreement.
"Haha, that's great. Tomorrow, I'll give you a recipe for barbecue seasoning. With the seasoning I've concocted, the aroma of your barbecue will fill the entire street," Zhang Fan said with a smile. He also decided to go and prepare a recipe soon, as with his current keen sense of smell and taste, the seasoning he concocted would definitely be better than what his uncle was currently using.
"Xiao Fan has a seasoning recipe too?" Zhao Yongchang seemed very surprised. Ordinary seasoning recipes were secret and not shared. How could Zhang Fan have one?
"I obtained it by chance," Zhang Fan said with a chuckle. He couldn't possibly tell them that he would concoct one for them later, as that would sound too unbelievable.
Zhao Qingqing looked at Zhang Fan from the side, feeling that he had become somewhat different since his last trip.
"That's settled then. I'm going back to rest," Zhang Fan said, then rubbed Zhao Qingqing's head. "Get ready properly tomorrow, school starts the day after tomorrow."
"En," Zhao Qingqing nodded heavily.
Zhang Fan returned to his room. After everyone had gone to rest, he locked his door and then climbed out of the window to his recent cultivation spot. He sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.
"Thunderfire Divine Eyes." Through his cultivation over the past few days, Zhang Fan could feel that he was infinitely close to the入门 (entry-level) stage. Perhaps tonight, he would be able to cultivate it to入门.
...
The sky was full of stars, and the crescent moon hung high. The occasional chirping of crickets could be heard, which seemed exceptionally clear in the quiet forest.
Suddenly, the young man who had been meditating with his eyes closed opened them. His eyes, one on the left and one on the right, displayed purple and red respectively. Both eyes emitted an incredibly violent aura, instantly stirring up a strong gust of wind that shook the branches, causing birds and beasts to scatter.
After a while, the purple and red colors in Zhang Fan's eyes receded, and his aura calmed down. The branches around him gradually stabilized.