Zhu Da remained silent, pulling a thick wad of cash from his pocket and shoving it into the proprietor's hand. “We’ll cover every loss tonight. Fry us some more skewers, chicken wings, dog wings—whatever you have. And put extra dipping sauce on them. Don’t be stingy with the flavor, what kind of business skimps like that…”

Before the owner could agree, two small hands snatched the money away from Zhu Da. “Dad, stop worrying about it,” one said. “Just do your job. Some sucker is paying the bill anyway.”

The owner’s eyes widened at the sight of the thick stack of bills; he was tempted. After all, this was payment for his labor, and even if his labor wasn’t worth that much, anyone who refused free money was a fool. So the proprietor declared, “Fine! Tonight, you could tear my whole stall down, and it would still be worth it.”

The twin sisters leaned in close to Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er, whispering, “If a fight really breaks out later, you two had better help us dismantle the stall. That way, our family won’t have to work tomorrow and can enjoy the New Year holiday.”

The two fat men were completely captivated by the twins’ intimate gestures, stammering, “We’ll tear it down, we definitely will! Sisters, may we ask if either of you has a boyfriend yet?”

Ma Xiaorui and Linglong, seated beside me, chuckled softly. Ma Xiaorui whispered in my ear, “Now I finally understand what people mean around here when they say someone looks like a pig’s head.”

The twin sisters didn't answer the questions from Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er. With mysterious smiles, they returned to helping their father work. Once everyone was seated, Xiao Wan apologized to the Village Chief, explaining and introducing her classmate, Xiao Ru. She then pleaded, “Director Li, Xiao Ru is in a terrible situation. Could you possibly help her resolve this? I know it puts you in a difficult spot, but we don't know anyone else. Please, Director Li, if you could lend a hand, we would be eternally grateful.”

The Village Chief glanced at Xia Huren and chuckled. “Xiao Wan, it’s not that I won’t help. It’s just that I shouldn't steal young Xia’s thunder, should I? Don’t worry. If they don’t show up, fine. But if they do show up today, they won’t get off easy.”

I stealthily kicked Xia Huren under the table. Taozi had just reported the peeping situation to me. Xiao Wan truly was a good girl, and it was rare for Xia Huren to have feelings for someone. I had to play matchmaker; otherwise, when I visit my home for the New Year in two days, my mother will start nagging me again.

Xia Huren and I have been old friends for years; he immediately understood my intention. Following the Village Chief’s lead, he said, “Xiao Wan, if you trust me, let me handle this matter.” Xiao Wan nodded solemnly, which gave Xia Huren immense encouragement. He continued, “Then I need to understand the situation first. Listening to the conversation between Xiao Ru and that person earlier, is there something Wu Jun is holding over her? Otherwise, Xiao Ru wouldn't bother acknowledging that scoundrel.”

Xiao Ru looked like a child who had done something wrong, lowering her head and twisting her fingers incessantly. Finally, bolstered by Xiao Wan’s encouragement, she confessed, “Don't look down on me. Wu Jun used to be my boyfriend. We lived together for over a year, and during that time, he took many intimate photos of me. I loved him completely back then and never thought anything of it. I never imagined he would use them to blackmail me now. He even threatened to post them outside my parents’ home in my village. He squeezed every bit of my savings—savings I had accumulated over many years. If you hadn't been here today, I wouldn’t know how to cope.”

“How can a person be so shameless! To treat his own girlfriend like that!” Two voices suddenly spoke up from behind me. I turned to see the stall owner's two daughters standing there, one on each side, holding plates of spicy skewers, completely engrossed in the story.

Ma Xiaorui and Linglong rose to take the spicy skewers from the sisters’ hands, firmly expressing their solidarity with the twins. The charming demeanor of Linglong and Ma Xiaorui immediately won the goodwill of the two sisters. The twins admired the expensive clothing the others wore, and soon the four of them were gathered in a warm circle, chatting away.

After listening to Xiao Ru’s account, Xia Huren assured her, “Don’t worry. I will get all the photos back for you later. He won’t be able to threaten you again.”

Xiao Wan was delighted. “Xia, are you really that confident? Wu Jun really has connections. I know he’s close with some underworld hoodlums. Earlier, he even claimed ties with the Federal Planning Bureau. We can’t afford to offend the Federal people. However, if Director Li is willing to step in—since the People’s Shopping Group is directly under the Federation—perhaps he can speak to someone in the Planning Bureau.”

Xia Huren laughed. “So what if he knows the mob? I know two bosses from the Brotherhood Alliance. What’s so great about the Federal Planning Bureau? I don’t know them anyway. If he thinks he’s someone important, then what does that make the Federal Chairman?”

I wasn’t the Federal Chairman right now. Although Li Qi kept saying she was only the acting Chair, I genuinely didn’t want to hold office anymore. With the people gradually forgetting about me during my years in hiding, it was the perfect time to exit the stage. While Li Qi was overworked, as soon as Ma Xiaowei became familiar with Earthly affairs, she could quickly assist her. Plus, recalling He Yuqing from Galactic Archaeology would mean I hardly had anything to worry about.

Although Xiao Wan hadn’t known Xia Huren long, she knew he wasn't one to speak carelessly. Therefore, Xia Huren’s words shocked her. “Xia, you really know people from the Brotherhood Alliance? I heard they used to deal in illegal arms, but now they are the legitimate operators of the world’s organized crime structure.”

Xiao Ru’s face lit up with joy. “If you know them, even the Director of the Federal Planning Bureau would have to show face based on a single word! The Brotherhood Alliance is the most powerful organization in the world today, second only to Red Dragon Security. Xiao Wan, your boyfriend is amazing!”

Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er, who had been trying to flirt with the twin sisters, couldn't help but look up at Xiao Ru when they heard this. “Hey, girl, are you implying that our Brotherhood Alliance is inferior to his Red Dragon Security?”

Xiao Ru retorted, “It’s the truth! Red Dragon Security is a legal armed organization; they are righteous figures. They are now an administrative body maintaining federal order. The Brotherhood Alliance is just a bunch of petty thugs. No matter what, they can’t be truly accepted by society. Even though their two bosses have a special relationship with the Federation, legitimizing their status, they still can’t compare to Red Dragon. Think of all the major things Red Dragon has accomplished.”

Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er were so angry their mustaches bristled. At that moment, the twin sisters, who had been laughing and chatting with the others, chimed in, “You two fat guys, are you writing novels? Talking about ‘your Brotherhood Alliance’? Don’t you feel ashamed? The Brotherhood Alliance isn’t yours! Even if you’re fat, don’t insult the idols in our hearts!”

“What?” Ma Xiaorui and Linglong, knowing the truth, were astonished. “Your idols are those two fat guys from the Brotherhood Alliance?”

The twins declared, “So what if they are? We don’t admire Zhao Qian like others; we specifically admire those two fat guys. Even though they deal with the underworld, they don’t do evil deeds—they only do good things. They are unsung underground heroes!”

With two simultaneous thuds, the two fat men lost their balance and fell onto the ground. They eagerly reached out to grab the twins’ hands, but when they were brushed away, they didn't mind. Instead, they asked breathlessly, “You… are you serious? You know them?”

The twins shook their heads. “No, we don’t. If we knew them, we would have gotten their autographs already. But don’t tell our dad; he hates it when we mention the Brotherhood Alliance. He always says, why don’t young people find something better to do than turn bad.”

Ma Xiaorui chuckled and asked, “By the way, what are your names? I’m Ma Xiaorui, and she’s Linglong. As for those two fat guys, you can just call them Big Fatty and Second Fatty.”

“I’m Bai Jie, and I’m Bai Bing,” the sisters introduced themselves.

Linglong asked, “Who is older? How do we tell you apart?”

The one named Bai Jie replied, “This year, I’m the older sister. In a few days, it will switch to her. Just look at our hairstyles: the older sister’s braid is combed to the right; the younger sister’s hair is combed to the left.”

Zhu Da looked confused. “What do you mean, ‘This year you’re the older sister’?”

Bai Jie explained, “We’re twins, and our parents couldn't tell who was older or younger either. So my sister and I agreed that neither of us should lose out—we just switch roles every year.”

When everyone heard this, they nearly collapsed. They actually did things like that?

The group chatted and laughed while eating the piping hot spicy skewers. Soon, several bowls of soul-searingly spicy Malatang came out of the pot. Watching the snow drift outside the stall, they took a satisfying sip, fished out some vegetables, and yes, it was warm and quite flavorful. Bai Jie and Bai Bing seemed to be energetic people, and with Ma Xiaorui and Linglong around, everyone gathered, laughing and joking, making the atmosphere lively. The previous unpleasantness quickly vanished.

I could absolutely trust Xia Huren’s feelings for Xiao Wan. As for the sincerity of those two fat guys, I couldn't be certain yet, but the eagerness they showed was rarely seen before. Frankly, Xiao Wan, Bai Jie, and Bai Bing were all beautiful girls. With the Village Chief vetting Xiao Wan, there wouldn't be any major issues, especially since she and Xia Huren had already spent time together several times. This 'Tiger' who allegedly only married his gun had finally developed real feelings, so one way or another, I had to make this happen. As for Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er, there was no rush. We needed to see if there was any possibility between the four of them first. It was absurd to talk about marriage right after meeting.

Village Chief Li Tieniu was the very definition of an old farmer and hunter. The fact that even an introverted girl like Xiao Wan wasn't overly formal with him showed his natural affinity. Xiao Ru, seemingly a standard outgoing young woman, quickly warmed up to the Village Chief’s genial nature. Eventually, Xiao Ru actually proposed to Comrade Li Tieniu that she wanted to work at the People’s Shopping Group.

Comrade Tieniu was actually more concerned about the marriages of Xia Huren and Zhu Da than I was. Cai Bao’er had his parents looking out for him, so the Village Chief rarely brought him up. But Xia Huren and Zhu Da’s parents had passed away long ago. Years ago, the few of us often had meals at Xu Jing’s house. Back then, Xu Jing’s parents lived with the Village Chief and Han Fen’s family at the Tieniu Tofu Company. Han Fen was a warm-hearted, good person, and naturally, she worried about Xia Huren and Zhu Da’s romantic lives. She had introduced no fewer than twenty girls to them and constantly nagged Comrade Tieniu about it. Thus, Comrade Tieniu was determined this time: he would overcome all obstacles and resolve at least one of their situations first.

Out of affection for those under his care, Li Tieniu readily agreed to Xiao Ru’s request: “Done, no problem. Come to my office tomorrow, and we’ll discuss the details of your job.”