"Ming, I think you better not go. That shanty town is a mixed bag, full of all sorts of people. Negotiating with them could easily lead to a huge loss. We should just call the police!"
Fatty, sitting in the car, still expressed his worries anxiously.
"What’s there to be afraid of? Those minor characters can’t make suffer a loss. Besides, if I don’t go, Xia Wei’er’s family’s house might be burnt down by those people, then where would her family live?"
Tang Ming, with his eyes closed, leaning against the back of the car, said indifferently, "As for calling the police, let’s not let Lin Xue co again, she’d arrest before catching any criminals!"
"That’s also true."
Fatty couldn’t think of a better solution and could only let Tang Ming go and see, mainly just hoping Xia Wei’er’s family’s house doesn’t actually get burnt down.
Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the shanty district.
The driver charged over forty dollars for the fare and drove away after reversing the car.
The shanty district is located in the southwestern corner of Songlan City; originally, this was farming land. However, due to the continuous developnt of the city size and population, over the past decade, these fields were gradually converted into various kinds of rural houses, which the local farrs either lived in or rented out, thus forming a village within the city.
Due to its remote location and poor managent, the shanty district resembled a foreign slum, with dirt and gri everywhere, and the ground was all uneven. Even when it rained, the place would turn into a marshland. But due to the cheap rent and close proximity to a bus station, many workers from outside Songlan City still rented places here.
All over the shanty district, there were rental hos and hair salons. The telephone poles were plastered with all kinds of small advertisents; even rows of hanging wires sprawled across the air like spider webs right above people’s heads.
"Wow, this place is really rough. Looks like it needs to be demolished and developed to be livable."
Fatty, observing the dirty and ssy environnt, couldn’t help but remark.
Outside the shanty district at that ti, large areas of land were being excavated by excavators, and the muddy roads were bustling with dump trucks, all signs of imminent redevelopnt and construction.
"Fatty, we haven’t had dinner yet. Let’s find a place to eat first; we still have so ti before the negotiation," Tang Ming said, rubbing his stomach.
Fatty nodded. It was just past six, so there was plenty of ti to eat.
The two started looking for a small restaurant in the shanty district to fill their stomachs. Since people lived here, naturally, there were snack shops and small restaurants, offering various local flavors from all over the place.
There were many small eateries in the shanty district, but most were dirty and greasy. Tables were set up both outside and inside the places, with the kitchen right behind where the chefs, mostly topless and smoking, flipped their pans, making the hygiene of the food quite unimaginable.
Fatty, being picky, searched for a long ti before finding a sowhat cleaner restaurant. As soon as they entered, Fatty began to order food, knowing Tang Ming had a big appetite, he ordered extra-large portions.
"How many bowls of rice?"
The proprietress was a woman in her thirties, still charming, with a considerable bust, which drew longing looks.
"How much per bowl?"
Fatty asked casually.
"One yuan per bowl."
The lady boss efficiently replied, her hand moving swiftly with a ballpoint pen as she took down the order.
"Start with ten bowls, we’ll order more if it’s not enough."
The chubby man said.
"Ten bowls?"
The lady boss was taken aback for a mont, but seeing that the chubby man wasn’t joking, she noted it down and went straight to the kitchen to give the cooking instructions.
"Tang Ming, six at dishes and one pot of soup, we can order more if it’s not enough,"
the chubby man said, knowing well that a small diner like this wouldn’t cost much, so he spoke generously.
"Alright, I’ll treat you to a nice al when I have money,"
Tang Ming said with a smile.
anwhile, in another part of the shanty area, there was a small rural courtyard with a very dilapidated two-story building next to a row of brick-tiled houses rented out to outsiders, where the surroundings were incredibly poor.
At that ti, the area around the small building was crowded with people, and an excavator lood nacingly. A group of demolition company workers stood at the door, shouting at the rental houses and the small building for everyone to co out.
After a mont, the leader looked at the small building and said, "We’ve been shouting for a long ti; the family must not be at ho. Go ahead and start with the house, other matters will be easier to handle thereafter."
It turned out that these people wanted to take advantage of the ti the Xia family mother and daughter were out opening their shop to demolish the house first. This would not only serve as a warning to others but also reduce hindrances for the developer who preferred to start the construction sooner rather than later, as the longer the delay, the greater the loss. The demolition company workers naturally wanted to wrap up the task as soon as possible to get paid.
With an order, the excavator roared towards the small building and imdiately dug into the outside wall, and soon after, tore a large chunk out of the second-floor house.
The onlookers around were shocked to see such bold demolition.
The leader laughed and said, "You all see this? This is what happens when you don’t sign the contract. If you still refuse to sign, we’ll forcefully demolish it. When your house is gone and your furniture destroyed, see who suffers the most."
Inside a ground-floor bedroom of the building, Xia Wei’er’s father was deep in sleep. At the sound of the excavator starting, his face turned pale, but after struggling for a bit, he still couldn’t get up. Out of fear, he started calling for help, but due to his long illness and weak body, his cries couldn’t be heard outside amidst the rumble of the excavator.
The excavator worked quickly, and the Xia family’s two-story building was demolished in an instant. Seeing this, the nearby neighbors couldn’t stop the demolition workers and imdiately rode a motorcycle to find Xia Wei’er and her mother at the snack street.
The cold drink shop had been ssed up earlier that afternoon, and although only minor items were broken, the disturbance was significant. As Wei’er’s mother was already on edge, she chose not to continue with the business. After tidying up the shop, she closed the door and went ho.
The mother and daughter bought so vegetables from the market and then took a bus back to the shanty area. They arrived ho earlier today, and Wei’er’s mom thought of cooking a nice al for her husband to nourish his health.
After getting off the bus and walking on the muddy path, a motorcycle horn sounded in front.
Wei’er’s mom looked up and saw their neighbor, Wang Dayong, and couldn’t help but greet him, "Dayong, are you going to the city to buy sothing?"
As soon as the person on the motorcycle saw Wei’er and her mother, he quickly stopped the motorcycle and urgently said, "Wei’er’s mom, it’s terrible, sothing big has happened! Hurry, get on my bike, and I’ll take you ho to see."
"Ah! What happened to my house?"
Wei’er’s mom was already feeling uneasy, and now, shaken even more by the neighbor’s words, she beca utterly distraught.
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