I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Compared to fish, chickens, ducks and geese here sold better than expected. In just three months, some small restaurants had already placed orders with him, which caused his sales to skyrocket.

Making money is addictive. Once he found a market, Lin Feng started raising livestock like crazy in his space, feeding almost all the grain produced there to these animals.

After several months, his worries finally subsided. In this place, no one would bother to check the source of his goods for a small shop like his! The inventory in his space was also being rapidly depleted, turning into stacks of coins.

"Boss, is this where you're hiring?"

Hearing the voice, Lin Feng looked up and frowned when he saw it was a girl. "I'm hiring a man. Can you drive?"

The girl was a little shy, shook her head helplessly, and looked at Lin Feng's shop. "I can do accounting, I can sell things! I'm asking for a very low salary..."

Lin Feng paused, his hands fiddling with the abacus. He looked at the girl's attire and felt a pang of tenderness. "You know how to sell things?"

The girl nodded vigorously after hearing this, and Lin Feng sighed helplessly. "Then you can stay. The monthly salary is 80 yuan, and there are bonuses for good performance!"

"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss! I promise I'll work hard!"

Lin Feng smiled, then lowered his head again to fiddle with the abacus in his hands, sensing that the girl hadn't moved much. "Come to work tomorrow!"

Hearing Lin Feng's words, the girl nervously twisted the hem of her clothes. "Boss, you said there's a place to stay here..."

Lin Feng put down what he was doing after hearing this. "I'll take you up!"

After Lin Feng finished speaking, he called out to the shop next door, "Uncle Bing, could you watch the shop for me? I can't get away..."

"It's okay, you can go upstairs! Remember to come grab a couple of drinks with me tonight..."

Lin Feng smiled. Since showing off his cooking skills, he has gained a lot more drinking buddies.

Leading the girl from the backyard up to the third floor, where there were four rooms, Lin Feng pushed open one of the doors. "This room is yours. Next time anyone comes, arrange for them to stay across the hall, one room per person!"

The girl stared in astonishment at the enormous house, her mouth agape. "Boss, I live alone!"

"Yes! This whole building belongs to me, it's just sitting empty anyway!"

"Boss, aren't you going to rent it out?"

"No need! Let's see if we're missing anything."

The girl looked around the room; the wardrobe, bed, and table were all new. Looking at them, she couldn't help but cry. "I don't need anything..."

Lin Feng was a bit overwhelmed; women really do cry easily. "Work doesn't start until tomorrow, so you're free to do whatever you want today. Just remember not to open the windows tonight!"

Why?

Lin Feng smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out after a few nights. By the way, what's your name?"

"Boss, my name is Xu Zhen."

Lin Feng glanced at the little girl's clothes and took out 10 yuan from his pocket. "This is my advance payment. Go buy some things you urgently need!"

With the addition of workers, Lin Feng's pressure was greatly reduced. Ah Zhen was a little shy when she first arrived, but she adapted to her job after a few days, and Lin Feng was finally able to free up some time to do other things.

After some time, Lin Feng hired two more young men. After more than half a year of operation, the seafood shop's business was booming, and they even had to buy some goods from outside from time to time.

"Qiangzi! Go deliver this batch of goods to Liu's!"

"Okay, boss!"

After the two young men left, Lin Feng looked at Ah Zhen on the counter. "Christmas is almost here, so here's a 20 yuan red envelope for each of you! Tell those two guys not to wander around tonight; things haven't been peaceful these past few days!"

"Got it, boss!" Ah Zhen was probably much older than when she first arrived. Lin Feng estimated that the little girl had saved several hundred dollars. With savings, her personality had become much more cheerful.

As soon as afternoon arrived, Lin Feng clearly sensed that something was wrong on the street. Almost everyone doing business felt it too, and they all closed their shops without prior arrangement!

Ah Zhen and Lin Feng hid behind the window, looking out onto the street. "Boss, there are more and more thugs gathering on the street. Are we going to have another fight today?"

"Who knows? Anyway, whoever takes over the territory, we'll still have to pay the fees. I just wonder when those two kids will be back? Hopefully, nothing bad will happen to them!"

As it grew later, Qiangzai finally returned with another colleague, and Lin Feng and Ah Zhen both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boss, a war is breaking out on this street today..."

"Go cook, don't worry about this!" Lin Feng said irritably, swatting Qiangzai's head. The kid was always so restless.

After finishing their meal and showers, the group all came to the balcony and looked curiously at the street. Dianfeng was no exception; this was even more exciting than watching a movie.

As it got later and later, several thousand people had gathered on the street. The patrolling police were so frightened that they had long since disappeared. Everyone was used to this scene!

"It looks like the negotiations are about to fall apart!" Lin Feng commented while cracking sunflower seeds, looking at the increasingly heated scene of the leaders in front of the two groups. In the past six months, the people who came to his shop to collect fees had changed several times! He was already used to it.

Just as Lin Feng had predicted, these people were no match for negotiation. As the leaders of the two groups started fighting, the thugs behind them swarmed in, and the whole scene descended into chaos! Lin Feng and his companions were so frightened that they quickly closed the windows and drew the curtains, only peeking out a few heads from behind the curtains.

The street had become a scene of massive brawls, with loud shouts, but only a few people were truly seriously injured. The thugs weren't fools; they were just trying to make a living, so don't take it too seriously... Aside from the few henchmen following the boss, very few actually went for the kill.

For more than two hours, the leaders of the two sides that started the fight had long since disappeared. Apart from a few who had really gotten into a fight, all the thugs left on the street were lying on the ground pretending to be dead!

As fully armed police entered the scene, the thugs who had been lying there pretending to be dead suddenly jumped up and scattered in all directions, creating a chaotic scene.

"Alright, that's all! Go get some rest, you have to go to work tomorrow..." Lin Feng casually drew the curtains, and the few young men who were still full of enthusiasm rushed back to their dormitories.

As the police left, the vendors, unfazed by the situation, swarmed in. They went about their business, each minding their own business, without disturbing the others. After all, this street couldn't be wasted.

Aside from providing fodder for gossip among the neighbors, the chaos didn't seem to have much impact on anyone. Everyone got used to it, going to work and opening their shops as usual.

The next morning, Lin Feng, who woke up naturally, slowly walked into the shop. He had just sat down when a group of thugs came to the door.

Lin Feng stood up and went out to greet him. This must be the victor from last night! "Brother, what are the rules? Same as before?" At this moment, Lin Feng looked exactly like he was welcoming the rebel king.

"Heh, the shop owners on this street are quite law-abiding! From now on, the monthly fee is 30 per shop, so for your two shops, it's 60! Also, last month's fee doesn't count!"

Lin Feng was secretly shocked; this was double the amount, not even counting what he had just paid a few days ago... Looking at the menacing-looking group, Lin Feng didn't argue, silently taking out 60 yuan from the counter! Since these people dared to come and ask, they must be fearless. Now that Lin Feng had a job and workers, a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle!