I put the bank card back in my pocket, deciding to deal with the troublesome matter of explaining to Zhang Yu how I’d return the money later.
I walked back to Liu Zhanqian’s side and asked, “Boss, is my draft beer not ready yet?”
Liu Zhanqian paused when he heard my voice, then smiled and said, “Almost ready.” He turned to the waiter and said, “Xiao Qiang, pour a draft beer for this young brother!”
I took the draft beer and returned to my seat, digging into the barbecue.
We hadn’t eaten much of what we ordered—most of it was eaten by Mei’er, followed by me. Sister Lin, on the other hand, was too busy chatting and ate the least.
I enjoyed the lamb skewers with the draft beer. How to put it? In one word, satisfying!
When eating alone, no matter how much you eat, you won’t eat quickly, because you know no one will compete with you for the food.
After Zhang Peng’s troublemaking earlier, and since it was getting late, the barbecue stall had no other customers, leaving just me.
Liu Zhanqian, with a c!garette in his mouth and a draft beer in his hand, smiled as he walked over to me. “Kid, you really took down Da Peng; not bad, huh!”
“Not really. Uncle Liu, you’re flattering me. I know Zhang Peng’s brother, so he let me go!” I replied half-truthfully.
Since I couldn’t eat much on my own, there were still plenty of dishes on the table. Liu Zhanqian wasn’t shy, picking up chopsticks and eating while saying, “That’s good…”
“Uncle Liu, I heard from Zhang Peng that you were the king of one-on-ones?” I asked tentatively, taking a sip of my draft beer.
Liu Zhanqian paused, then burst out laughing, “That’s something from my youth; why bring it up now?”
“I’m curious, Uncle Liu! Satisfy my curiosity, please,” I said with a grin.
To be honest, Liu Zhanqian’s demeanor always puzzled me. He looked like he was in his early thirties, which should be the prime of a man’s life. Yet, instead of being the king of one-on-ones, he was running a barbecue stall. It didn’t make sense.
“Gulp! Gulp!” Liu Zhanqian finished his beer in one go, lit a c!garette, and looked at me, saying, “You really want to hear it, kid?”
Seeing me nod, Liu Zhanqian continued, “Since I had no parents, I started mixing on the streets when I was sixteen. I was a reckless kid, fighting like I didn’t care for my life. If I couldn’t win, I’d grab a brick and smash it over someone’s head. Being alone, I wasn’t afraid of trouble—at worst, they’d k!ll me.”
I took another sip of my draft beer, gesturing for Liu Zhanqian to continue. He ate some barbecue and said, “People were simple back then. Fights were one-on-one! With my small frame, I should’ve lost every fight, but my recklessness won me many battles. The street folks gave me a nickname—Brick Liu.”
“Later, some higher-ups on the streets noticed me, and I started following them. All I did was fight and guard places. The more fights I got into, the more my name, Liu Zhanqian, spread!” Liu Zhanqian looked quite pleased, taking a gulp of my draft beer.
I joked, “Uncle Liu, I paid for that beer! You drank half in one gulp; I’m charging you for half a bottle!”
“You brat!” Liu Zhanqian chuckled helplessly.
I ate a piece of barbecue, then looked at Liu Zhanqian curiously and asked, “So, Uncle Liu, why did you stop and start running a barbecue stall?”
Hearing this, Liu Zhanqian froze and didn’t speak for a long time. It seemed I had asked something I shouldn’t have.
“When I was twenty-seven, I was nearly k!lled by enemies. Back then, one-on-ones were out of fashion, so I had no choice but to run. Eventually, a girl saved me… We developed feelings for each other and got married…” Liu Zhanqian’s eyes took on that old, weary look again. I kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt his memories.
Liu Zhanqian sighed and continued, “I kept mixing on the streets while my wife stayed home, cooking for me. Maybe I, Liu Zhanqian, had done too much wrong in my life, because just as I was about to retire, my wife fell ill with a strange disease. We spent half of our savings on treatments, but nothing worked. In the end, a reclusive herbalist in the mountains gave us a possible cure…”
“What was the cure?” I asked, having lost my appetite, staring at Liu Zhanqian.
Liu Zhanqian gave a bitter smile and said, “He said my wife had Cold Coagulation Syndrome and gave me a prescription. However, the main herb was extremely hard to find. I spent all my savings but couldn’t locate it…”
“What was the main herb?” I asked, puzzled. What kind of herb was so rare that money couldn’t buy it?
“A hundred-year-old blood ginseng…” Liu Zhanqian sighed and continued, “I spent six years searching without a single clue. In the end, I had to buy ordinary ginseng to keep my wife alive. With my savings depleted, I had to make money. I’m old now, too old to fight, so I opened this barbecue stall to make a living…”
A hundred-year-old blood ginseng? I have three thousand-year-old blood ginseng kings! Even ancient cultivators’ storage rings had only three, which shows how rare blood ginseng is.
But Liu Zhanqian, willing to do so much for his wife, was truly a man. Forget being the king of one-on-ones in fights; even as a husband, Liu Zhanqian was the king!
“Enough talking! I’m closing up!” Liu Zhanqian stood up, took a deep breath, and was about to leave when I called out, “Uncle Liu, if someone gave you a hundred-year-old blood ginseng, how would you repay them?”
“How would I repay them? If I really got one, I, Liu Zhanqian, would give them my life!” Liu Zhanqian finished speaking, then laughed bitterly, “This herb might not even exist, but I just can’t, and dare not, give up this last chance!”
Liu Zhanqian’s story moved me deeply. But I couldn’t just give him the blood ginseng king for free, which is why I asked that question.
I, Xia Tian, am not really a good person, but not a bad one either. However, I felt I should help Liu Zhanqian, whether for so-called profit or truly being touched by his story.
“Uncle Liu…” I called out loudly to Liu Zhanqian, who was tidying up.
He stopped and looked at me, asking, “What’s up?”
I smiled and pointed at the food I had finished, “The bill!”
“Got it! I’ll wash my hands first; they’re dirty from cleaning up!” Liu Zhanqian greeted me and went to the tent to wash his hands.
Liu Zhanqian’s wife needed the main herb, a hundred-year-old blood ginseng. My thousand-year-old blood ginseng king—just a small piece would be enough for his medicine.
I took what Mei’er hadn’t finished eating, divided it into two, left one half on the table, stored the other half in my storage ring, and left the barbecue stall…
What? You think I left without paying? That tiny piece of the blood ginseng king is worth a lot, alright!
I don’t know why I gave the blood ginseng king to Liu Zhanqian so easily. Maybe the profit I thought of before was just an excuse for myself…
Wait! Liu Zhanqian started mixing on the streets at sixteen and quit at twenty-nine—how much money must he have made? And he still couldn’t buy a hundred-year-old blood ginseng? Did I just make a terrible business decision?
Goblin: If you like reading my translations you can become a Patron at Patreon to gain access to more chapters, or sponsor as many chapters you want from any of the novels you enjoy on Goblinslate here at BuymeaCoffee. Or if you just want to help, you can donate any amount at the Wishlist at BuymeaCoffee. You can also turn off you adb!ocker to support me. Thank you.