Elder brother's garrison

Xiao Bai turned to Io Hua and started a new topic.

"Yes... I hope those lovely little angels won't make the same mistake again." Iowa nonchalantly took a bite of a candied hawthorn and licked her lips.

"...Iowa, you don't seem angry at all."

"Why are you angry?"

"They got your clothes dirty..."

“Ah… about that.” Iowa smiled. “Although it’s frustrating that my only piece of clothing got dirty, now that I think about it, it’s because of those lovely destroyers that my first meeting with the admiral became a fun memory.”

"That's an interesting story..."

"So I'm not angry at all," Iowa said with a smile to Xiaobai.

"……"noob.

Come to think of it, Missouri seems to be the kind of girl who likes to create precious memories with the people she cherishes, memories that will last a lifetime.

They really are sisters.

In their emphasis on memories, these two people are surprisingly alike.

Xiao Bai stared at Iahua's face for a while, then took a deep breath and ate the candied hawthorn in her hand in one or two bites.

"Hey Iowa, where are we going after we finish this?" Xiaobai asked Iowa with great interest, holding a bamboo skewer. "Should we go have a proper breakfast first, or go to the amusement park, or maybe a tourist attraction, or head straight to the clothing store?"

"The admiral seems quite interested."

“Well, it’s a promise we made before, so I have to take responsibility and make sure you have a memorable experience!” Xiaobai said to Iohua.

Iowa looked at Xiaobai's energetic eyes with some surprise, and smiled.

"Yes, thank you, Admiral...but..."

"but?"

"However, the reason I asked the Admiral to go out with me this time is not to have dinner with him, nor to go to an amusement park or tourist attraction, and certainly not to head straight to a clothing store."

"Huh?" Xiaobai asked, puzzled.

“This time, I hope to work with the Admiral to help me bring someone home,” Iowa said to Xiaobai with his hands behind his back.

"Bring someone home?" Xiaobai was stunned. "Uh...who?"

“Of course…” Iowa said to Little White.

But before Iowa could finish speaking...

Suddenly, a loud shout came from not far in front of Iowa and Xiaobai.

"This is my final ultimatum: Get out of here!"

The harsh voices, like the roars of a group of ruthless bandits, sounded quite out of place and abrupt on the leisurely street.

Many vendors on both sides of the road were stunned by the familiar movements of the vendors, and passersby were also startled by the sound and subconsciously turned their heads.

Iowa opened her mouth halfway and continued, maintaining a serene smile as she gazed ahead. However, a hint of something that Xiaobai couldn't understand appeared in her gentle expression.

"...What a spoilsport, Admiral," Iowa muttered.

Xiao Bai quickly looked ahead.

The loud shout came from a spot not far in front of Xiaobai and Yi Ahua. There were few pedestrians on the road at the moment, so even though they were some distance away, Xiaobai and Yi Ahua could clearly see the scene at the source of the sound.

Not far away.

On the pedestrian street.

Several tall men dressed in casual clothes were gathered around a small stall.

Some of the men were standing, while others were squatting. The one squatting on the ground had a fierce face and was slapping the goods on the stall with his big, sandbag-sized hands, yelling menacingly at the stall owner.

"You bastard! Weren't you listening to me?!"

"Setting up a stall here, do you think this is your own backyard? Have you paid the stall fee yet, huh?!"

"Where's the business license?!"

"Do you think you don't need a business license to set up a street stall?!"

"Give back all the money you've made! Then get the hell out of here!"

"Did you hear me?!"

"Wow————"

Then came the sound of a pile of pebbles being kicked away, colorful pebbles scattered all over the ground.

Xiao Bai stood still, listening to the distant roar.

The men's shouts were incredibly vulgar. As they yelled, they slapped their hands hard on the stall, and each time they shouted the last word, they would raise their voice and draw out the last syllable.

The stall, surrounded by tall men, had a vendor wearing a straw hat sitting at it. The vendor had kept his head down the whole time, and even though a group of men were looking at him aggressively, he stood quietly in front of the stall as if he hadn't heard anything.

“Uh… that person, could it be…” Xiaobai looked at the straw hat vendor at his stall, then glanced at the colorful pebbles kicked across the street by the men, and opened his mouth, “Could it be the one from yesterday…”

Street stalls.

Pebbles.

Straw hat.

On this bustling pedestrian street, it seems there's only one person who can bring together these three unique elements.

Is it the blonde lady who sold stones yesterday?

Xiao Bai covered her mouth, looking at the menacing-looking men in front of the stall with some surprise.

Judging from what this group of people just shouted...

Is that blonde older sister ship girl embroiled in some kind of dispute involving "protection money"?

"Iowa, what should we do now... Huh??" Xiaobai turned her head, just about to ask Iowa what she should do now, but as soon as she turned her head, she found that Iowa's figure had disappeared.

Then turn your head and look forward.

Iowa strode up to the stall and gently patted the shoulder of the man standing in the middle.

The man standing in the middle, seemingly the leader of the men around him, had been simply looking down at the stall owner without saying a word.

After Iowa patted him on the back, the man frowned and turned around with an annoyed look.

"Can't you see we're doing serious business here? Stop taking pictures of your mother..."

The man turned around and was stunned when he saw that the person who patted his shoulder was a beautiful woman with a stunning figure and a graceful appearance, who was smiling and looking at him. He then closed his mouth in surprise.

"...Miss, is there something you need?"

The man scrutinized Iowa, but ultimately refrained from uttering any foul language. Instead, he asked with a puzzled expression.

"Excuse me, what wrong did this stall owner commit?"

Iowa asked with a big smile.

"...It's none of your business." The man frowned.

"Well, I visited this stall owner's shop yesterday, so I'm quite curious about what she did wrong. If it's a problem with the quality of the goods, then I'm really worried. So could you please give me a brief explanation?" Iowa asked gently.

"..." The man glanced at her impatiently, but staring at Iowa's beautiful appearance and friendly smile, he thought for a while and then sighed, "He occupied the stalls that other stall owners bought with their money without permission. The original stall owners complained to us last night. We are here to order him to leave and pay compensation."

"I see." Iowa nodded in understanding. "Then how much compensation is due?"

"...Logically, you should hand over all the sales revenue and pay for two days' worth of space." The man frowned, looking at the colorful pebbles scattered on the ground. "But... this stall probably didn't make much money. Maybe a fine of six hundred? Is there anything else?"

"It's alright." Iowa smiled and nodded, then bent down, took out six red banknotes from her wallet, and handed them to the man. "Is this enough?"

The man and everyone else standing next to him were stunned. "You're going to pay this stall owner's fine?"

“Yes.” Iowa handed over six red banknotes with both hands. “After all, I met this stall owner once before, and we got along quite well. If I can help her with some of her burden, I would be very willing. Is that alright?”

"..." The man looked at the red banknotes in Iowa's hand with a puzzled expression. After thinking for a while, he reached out and took the banknotes. He looked down at the banknotes and chuckled, "...If someone is willing to be a sucker, then of course I don't mind."

"Then may I ask if it is possible to do so now...?"

"Ah, what I just said was six hundred a day. This stall owner has been occupying it for two days, so it should actually be twelve thousand in total." The man put away the banknotes, raised his eyebrows, and said to Io Hua.

Iowa's expression remained unwavering upon hearing this; she smiled sweetly at the man before her.

"What a convenient way to raise prices on the spot."

“Miss, if this isn’t your business, just leave. Some things aren’t as simple as you think.” The man said to Iohua with a smile, “If you really just give us a little money and we let this stall owner go, how are we supposed to make a living in the future? Just consider this a small loss and go.”

“I see.” Iowa nodded, her gaze towards the man before her deepening. “I’ve learned something.”

“Miss, speaking of which, I have a good impression of kind-hearted girls like you. How about we exchange contact information? After I’ve dealt with this stall owner, we can have a more in-depth chat?” The man, like a victor, reached out and patted Iowa on the shoulder.

A swish sound.

Before the man could even touch Iowa's shoulder, Iowa's arm lashed out like lightning.

A bamboo skewer with half a candied hawthorn stick attached was precisely pressed against the man's throat, slightly piercing the skin.

If Iowa had just applied a little more force...

This bamboo skewer can be driven directly into a man's throat, causing blood to gush out.

The man's pupils contracted, and he instinctively took a step back.

As if in sync, Iowa also took a quick step forward, the bamboo skewer still pressed firmly against the man's throat.

“That was just to give you time to react. Next time, you won’t have that chance.” Iowa said with a smile, the bamboo skewer in her hand firmly pressed against the man’s throat. “I’ll only say this once, don’t move.”

"Uh!" The man froze, the sharp pain in his throat making him instinctively stiffen and raise his hands in terror.

The man looked at Iowa with a bewildered and surprised expression.

The man's men watched Iowa's actions in surprise, and stood up abruptly, seemingly about to lash out.

"Don't move!" the man yelled at his underling in fright. "She's staring at my throat... cough cough cough cough..."

As the man spoke, the movement of his Adam's apple caused the bamboo skewer pressed against his throat to slightly pierce his skin, making him cough uncomfortably.

Coughing is a normal human reaction.

So Iowa just smiled and watched the man, not caring about such actions.

After being yelled at by their boss, the underlings immediately stopped what they were doing. They surrounded Iowa in a flash, but did nothing further, just staring at Iowa with hostile eyes.

"Judging from your eyes, you really want to ask me why, right?" Iowa smiled as he looked at the nervous, sweating man in front of him, gently tapping the bamboo skewer in his hand with his index finger. "For example... why would I do so much for a stall owner I've only met once?"

"..." The man remained silent, his eyes fixed on Iowa, but his expression did not deny it.

Iowa's lips curled up into a smile.

"Sir... because some things are not as simple as you think."

Chapter 1448 Little White's Guinea Pig (5000 words)

On the pedestrian street, time seemed to stand still.

The sound of clattering footsteps sounded.

The moment Iowa pulled out a bamboo skewer and held it to the man's throat, the surrounding vendors and pedestrians who had been watching couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Passersby stopped in their tracks, took out their phones to watch the spectacle, and the crowd slowly began to gather.

The number of pedestrians surrounding Iowa and the man increased, and every now and then there were the sounds of mobile phone camera shutters clicking and video recording notifications. The surrounding discussions and murmurs also grew louder.

"Wow, that's an act of heroism!"

"That girl is so pretty..."

"Did you see that series of movements she just made? They were incredibly smooth!"

"A bamboo skewer subdued the bandit!"

"I was just recording a video, look, look..."

"A female knight-errant? It's a female knight-errant!"

……

Amidst the surrounding chatter, Iowa maintained her serene smile, the bamboo skewer firmly pressed against the man's throat, unaffected by the actions of the passersby.

Iowa didn't react much.

But as they listened to the surrounding chatter, the expressions of the men around Iowa quickly turned anxious and uneasy.

Although these people are ostensibly special personnel belonging to this pedestrian street and maintaining its order, in reality they are more like violent debt collection organizations under loan shark gangs.