Chapter 141: Collecting the Harvest

"Spare me the nonsense. I'm here as a private citizen today. If I were still wearing that uniform, you wouldn't be talking to me so brazenly!"

Fu Chun glared at Ma San, who stood before him with a smug, smirking face. He truly wanted to reach out and slap the young man, hard enough to knock his teeth out.

"Haha, Brother Chun, you're absolutely right. I'll wait until you're wearing that suit again, and I’ll be sure to behave myself then."

Ma San didn't take Fu Chun seriously at all, a confidence born from the fact that he had powerful backing. To him, Fu Chun was merely a police station chief, someone who could hardly stir up any real trouble.

"Xu Fei, you brought Brother Chun here—what is this? Are you hoping he can mediate this matter for you?" Ma San curled his lip in disdain. "Listen closely: even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, I, Ma San, wouldn't give him any face. Today, I only care about the money!"

This statement made it clear he wasn't going to show respect to anyone present. Since Zhang Mingyang and the others were all residents of Donghai City and involved in the local scene, Ma San’s declaration effectively burned bridges with everyone there.

"Enough talk, Ma San. I'm here to pay back the debt," Xu Fei said, uninterested in further bickering.

"Oh, really? That’s great. Fifty thousand—if you’re even a cent short, Third Brother here won't be satisfied." Ma San gestured to his henchmen standing behind Xu Fei, and the thugs immediately slammed the room's door shut.

"Fine. I never intended to haggle with you." Xu Fei tossed a bag at Ma San’s feet. "Count it yourself."

Ma San frowned, eyeing the leather bag at his feet. "Open it."

One of his lackeys stepped forward and unzipped the bag. The man froze; it was his first time seeing so much cash. In the eighties, anyone with ten thousand yuan was considered wealthy, and fifty thousand could accomplish a great deal.

Ma San glanced into the bag, and seeing the stacks of large-denomination bills, a smile curled on his lips. "Not bad, Xu Fei. How did you manage to get your hands on so much money in such a short time? Tell me, did you find some lucrative path to riches?"

Xu Fei replied coldly, "That has nothing to do with you. Count it. If it’s all there, give me my IOU."

"Haha..." Ma San nodded and signaled to his other thugs. "Don't just stand there like idiots! Get over here and count the money."

The thugs guarding the door crowded around, moved the bag to a table, and began to sort through the fifty-thousand-yuan pile, which looked like a small mountain.

Ma San walked over to a cabinet, opened a drawer, and pulled out a ledger. He flipped through it until he found the slip of paper. He brought it to Xu Fei. "Here, this is the IOU you signed."

Xu Fei took the paper, recognizing his own handwriting, and passed it to Fu Chun. "Brother Chun, take a look."

Fu Chun and the others examined the note.

"Ma San, I brought Brother Chun today for no other reason than to act as a witness to this transaction."

"Hmph, what's wrong, Xu Fei? Don't you trust me?"

Xu Fei glared at Ma San. Given his smug, raspy expression, if it hadn't been for the task at hand, he would have beaten the man up long ago. "Enough. Whether I trust you or not is irrelevant. The point is, I’ve brought every single cent I owe you. From today on, our accounts are settled."

Ma San looked at his men. "Well? Is counting a bit of money really that hard?"

One of the thugs stopped and said, "Third Brother, I've never seen this much money in my life, haha!"

"Look at you, what a country bumpkin," Ma San scolded.

Another henchman reported, "Third Brother, I've counted seventeen thousand here."

"And you?"

"I've got twenty-two thousand."

Ma San looked at the others, who confirmed their tallies. "Third Brother, it's exactly fifty thousand."

Ma San nodded in satisfaction and looked at Xu Fei. "Fine. Since you brought Brother Chun, and I, Ma San, am not a man who breaks his word, from today on, your debt is cleared."

Xu Fei looked at Fu Chun.

"Very well. I’ve witnessed this," Fu Chun announced. "Ma San, Xu Fei, from this moment forward, you owe each other nothing."

Ma San waved his hand. "Open the door." A lackey ran over and swung the door wide. "Gentlemen, I won't keep you any longer."

Xu Fei and his group had nothing more to say to him and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Just as they were about to exit the room, Ma San called out.

"Do you have something else to say?" Xu Fei turned back.

Ma San approached with a wicked grin. "Xu Fei, I'm still curious—how did you manage to earn fifty thousand in just a month? If you really have a profitable business and need capital, you can come to me."

"Is that necessary?" Xu Fei asked coldly.

"Why say that? Xu Fei, we’ve been neighbors for years. Besides, I'm not an unrighteous man. You can ask anyone in Donghai City about that."

"Enough. The debt is paid, and Brother Chun has confirmed it. We are square. As for anything else, let’s keep our affairs separate from here on out." With that, Xu Fei turned and walked away.

"Hey, I’m talking to you..." Ma San watched him leave and spat on the floor. "What a piece of work. What’s with the attitude? He wasn't like this when he was begging me for money! Damn it!"

He frowned. "Tell me, what do you think that kid is doing to make so much money so fast?"

A thug stepped forward. "Third Brother, I heard a few days ago he used to trade rice, but someone poached his business."

"Rice trading? Is that business that profitable?"

"I don't know."

"Third Brother, that was all in the past. I saw the guys he hangs out with selling television sets near the cinema recently."

"Television sets?" Ma San paused. "That sounds plausible. It seems that’s where he got the money."

"Third Brother, should we...?"

Ma San squinted, thinking. "No, don't rush. Go, find some people to keep an eye on them at the cinema for a few days and see what’s really going on."

"Understood."

Outside the dance hall, Xu Fei and his group walked into the fresh air.

"Brother Chun, come on, let me buy you a drink..."

"Forget it. You just paid off a huge debt; you can't have much left. We'll drink another time."

Xu Fei laughed. "Brother Chun, what are you saying? Making money isn't that hard."

"Oh? Even Ma San was saying you made fifty thousand in a month. What exactly are you doing that's so profitable?"

Xu Fei grabbed Fu Chun by the arm. "Why don't we go have a drink and chat about it?" He led the group toward Old Li the Fourth’s restaurant.