Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

That night, it was dark and windy.

The entire town was immersed in tranquility. Shi Qian, dressed in black night clothes, moved as nimbly as a cat, using his light-footed skills to silently traverse the streets and alleys.

His figure moved like a ghost, leaping lightly over one courtyard wall after another. The vendors operating illegally on the street were completely unprepared. With his superb light-footed skills and agile movements, Shi Qian easily avoided all obstacles that could cause a sound.

Like a shadow in the night, he stealthily approached the window, gently pried open the latch with his dagger, and then silently slipped into the room. The room was pitch black, but Shi Qian's eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness. He accurately located the place where the documents were kept and skillfully stole them.

And so, one company after another, Shi Qian followed the same method and successfully completed the task.

After succeeding, Shi Qian quickly handed the documents to Wu Yong. Wu Yong was sitting in the room, the candlelight flickering, his face full of anticipation and nervousness.

When Wu Yong saw Shi Qian return, he quickly asked, "Brother Shi Qian, did nothing go wrong?" Shi Qian chuckled, picked up the teapot on the table, took a big gulp of tea, wiped his mouth, and said, "Brother Wu, you're overthinking it. When have I, Shi Qian, ever failed? Those vendors were sleeping soundly and didn't even notice me."

Wu Yong patted Shi Qian on the shoulder and said, "You did a good job. With my plan and your skills, you're sure to succeed." Shi Qian proudly raised his head and said, "Of course. As long as it's Brother Wu's order, I will do my best."

Wu Yong nodded slightly and continued, "We need to get these street vendors leaving quickly, otherwise Manager Zhao's restaurant business will suffer."

It's safe to operate normally now.

The next morning, as soon as the sun shone on the street where Zhao Tianming's restaurant was located, the vendors, as usual, bustled towards the vicinity of the restaurant.

It turns out that behind this was the benefit of Wang Zhiqiang giving them five taels of silver every day, which drove them to ignore everything else and continue to set up their stall here.

Before they could even set up their stall, Lei Heng and Zhu Tong arrived menacingly with a group of constables. Lei Heng, a burly man with wide eyes, shouted, "Get out of the way! No stalls allowed here!"

Zhu Tong was more composed, but his expression was equally serious.

At this moment, a vendor named Hou San stepped forward and said to Zhu Tong and Lei Heng with a face full of indignation, "You two constables can't do this! We all have legal business licenses. The government office has issued us the documents. You are officials, you can't bully people!"

"That's right, that's right! We have the documents, why can't we set it up!"

"You can't be unreasonable!"

The scene became chaotic and noisy. After hearing Hou San's words, Lei Heng flew into a rage and sneered, "Hou San, you say you have documents? Then bring them over! Whoever has the documents, I, Lei Heng, will let you set up your stall here. Zhu Tong and I will absolutely not interfere in this matter again."

Upon hearing this, Hou San was overjoyed and said, "Let's go, let's go, let's all go home and get the documents. Once we have the documents, what else can they say?" After saying this, the group put their things down by the roadside and prepared to turn around and leave.

Seeing this, Lei Heng shouted, "Take all your things back first! If you can't find the documents, I'll punish you severely! How are passing vehicles supposed to get through with all this stuff blocking the street corner?"

Hearing Lei Heng's angry shout, Hou San and the others were unwilling, but dared not disobey, so they could only grumble and pack their things away again.

"Hmph, Chief Lei, don't be so arrogant. Wait until we get the documents, you'll be sorry!" Hou San was still trying to sound tough.

"Stop rambling and hurry up!" Lei Heng waved his hand impatiently.

Hou San and the others left nervously to retrieve the documents, while Lei Heng and Zhu Tong stood there with solemn expressions.

Zhu Tong looked at Lei Heng and said, "Brother Lei Heng, do you really think these people can produce any documents?"

Lei Heng frowned and said, "I don't think so. It's most likely fake. Even if it is, it must have been obtained through improper means."

The two waited, while cautiously watching their surroundings to prevent the vendors from returning. Pedestrians passing by watched the scene with curiosity, whispering among themselves.

After a while, Hou San and the others ran back, panting, but the confidence they had shown before was gone from their faces.

Hou San stepped forward hesitantly and stammered, "Commander...the document...can't be found."

Lei Heng snorted coldly: "I knew it! Hurry up and move all your things out. You're not allowed to set up a stall here again, or you'll be sorry!"

Seeing that they had failed to set up their stall and had lost a lot of things, the group of people were filled with resentment and arrived at Wang Zhiqiang's shop amidst all the noise and commotion.

At the shop entrance, Wang Zhiqiang's men were standing guard vigilantly. Hou San led his men forward aggressively, but was stopped by one of the men.

"What are you doing? What are you trying to do, blocking Manager Wang's shop entrance in broad daylight?" the subordinate shouted sternly.

Hou San led the way, shouting, "Nonsense! Wang Zhiqiang doesn't owe us any money. He promised that if we blocked Zhao Tianming's business, he would give each of us five taels of silver a day! Today, we not only didn't make any money, but we also suffered heavy losses. Wang Zhiqiang has to give us an explanation!"

Everyone chimed in, "That's right, that's right! Wang Zhiqiang, if you don't give us our money, we're not leaving!"

The subordinate's face darkened, and he glared angrily: "Hey, so you're trying to act tough and unreasonable, aren't you? Let me tell you, don't cause trouble here, or I'll have the authorities arrest you!"

Hou San sneered, took a step forward and approached his subordinate, saying, "Hmph, arrest us? The one who started this is Wang Zhiqiang. If he dares to lay a finger on us, we'll expose Wang Zhiqiang and make him regret it!"

Hou San's subordinates were intimidated by his imposing manner and were momentarily speechless, but they still tried to remain calm: "You bunch of ungrateful bastards, it's your good fortune that Manager Wang took a liking to you and gave you the opportunity to make money! Now that you haven't made any money, who can you blame?"

Hou San glared angrily and shouted back, "Stop talking nonsense! Everything was agreed upon before, but now that things have gone wrong, Wang Zhiqiang has to take responsibility! We only set up our stalls because he told us to, and now not only has our business failed, but we've also been driven away by the officials. Who will compensate us for these losses?"

Someone in the crowd shouted, "That's right! Wang Zhiqiang can't go back on his word!"

"We must be compensated!" others joined in the shouting.

Seeing the crowd's agitated state, the subordinate felt a little intimidated and unconsciously lowered his voice: "This...this is beyond my control. Manager Wang isn't here, so your commotion won't do any good."

Hou San refused to listen. He shoved his subordinate aside and shouted, "He's not here? I think he's deliberately hiding from us! If we don't get this straight today, we're going to storm in and find him!"

The crowd followed Hou San and tried to rush into the shop, but his subordinates were so anxious that they stamped their feet, yet they couldn't stop them.

Just then, a man who looked like a steward came out of the shop. Looking at the chaotic scene, he shouted, "Stop arguing!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

The butler cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, Manager Wang is indeed not here, but I am aware of your situation. Please calm down; this commotion can't go on."

Hou San snorted: "Calm down? How can we calm down? Who will compensate for today's losses?"

The butler frowned and said, "Well then, I'll try to appease everyone on behalf of Manager Wang. But whether or not we can give the money, and how much, will have to wait for Manager Wang to return and decide."

Hou San angrily said, "Wait? How long are we supposed to wait? You need a definite answer today!"

When Hou San heard that the steward was going to give each of them one tael of silver, he immediately sneered, glanced at the steward, and said disdainfully, "One tael of silver? That's not even enough to buy your father dentures!"

Upon hearing Hou San's words, the butler's face flushed with anger, and he pointed at Hou San, saying, "How dare you speak like that?"

Hou San spat fiercely at the ground and said arrogantly, "What? Is that how I talk?"

The butler was both shocked and furious. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "You...you...you still spit on the ground?"

Hou San rolled his eyes, snorted nonchalantly, and said, "So what if I throw up? Let me tell you, we won't leave until we get a single penny less!" He put his hands on his hips, looking determined not to give up.

The butler, barely suppressing his anger, said, "Gentlemen, let's talk this out. This commotion won't benefit anyone."

Hou San ignored him completely, sticking his neck out and shouting, "Stop talking nonsense! Let me tell you, we can also turn against you, surround your shops, set up stalls in front of your shops, and then Zhao Tianming will still give us money. Zhao Tianming's restaurant is thriving!"

Other vendors chimed in, "That's right! You think you can get rid of us with just a tael of silver? No way!"

"We won't leave until Wang Zhiqiang comes out!"

Seeing the agitated crowd, the steward grew increasingly anxious. He tried to persuade Hou San: "Hou San, don't be impulsive. Manager Wang isn't here, and I'm just trying my best to help everyone solve the problem."

Hou San, however, persisted: "Don't try to fool us with those words. If you don't give us a satisfactory answer today, we will absolutely not let this go!"

Beads of sweat appeared on the butler's forehead as he mentally calculated how to handle this thorny situation. However, the shouts and curses from Hou San and his men grew louder, making him increasingly panicked.

Just then, Hou San suddenly noticed that the butler's legs were trembling slightly, followed by a pungent smell of urine. Hou San looked down, burst into laughter, and pointed at the butler, saying, "You coward, you can't talk to me! Get Wang Zhiqiang back right now!"

The others noticed the butler's embarrassment and burst into laughter.

The butler's face instantly turned bright red, filled with both shame and anger. He tried to argue, but found himself speechless.

Hou San became even more smug. He stepped forward and approached the butler, saying, "See? You think you can talk to us with that kind of guts? Go and find Wang Zhiqiang right now, or you'll be sorry!"

The butler gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran into the shop.

Hou San shouted at his retreating figure, "Run faster! Don't dawdle!"

The crowd burst into laughter again.

After a while, the butler still hadn't returned. Hou San said impatiently, "Has that kid run away?"

Someone chimed in, "Maybe they went to find reinforcements."

Hou San frowned and said, "Hmph, ignore them. If they don't pay today, we'll fight them to the bitter end!"

After waiting a while longer, the butler finally came running back, panting.

Hou San immediately asked, "Where is Wang Zhiqiang?"

The steward, panting heavily, said, "Manager Wang... Manager Wang won't be back for a while, but he said he'll give each of you an extra tael of silver at most."

Upon hearing this, Hou San roared, "What? Add one tael? Do you think we're beggars? No way! At least five taels per person!"

The butler looked troubled: "This... I can't make that decision."

Hou San glared at him fiercely: "Then go ask him again, until Wang Zhiqiang agrees!"

Helpless, the steward had no choice but to turn around and run back into the shop.

The sun was high in the sky, and Hou San and his men stood under its blazing heat, their anger burning ever brighter. They were determined to make Wang Zhiqiang give them a satisfactory explanation this time.