Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 245 Attempt to Steal a Chicken Backfires

Lin Yan's eyes turned cold, and he sent a divine sense towards Lin San. Just as Captain Li was about to step forward, he suddenly raised his hand: "Officer, please wait a moment!"

Before he finished speaking, he moved with lightning speed—pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, spreading it in his palm, precisely grabbing Fan Jinyou's finger that was almost poking his nose, and then snapping it backward!

"Snap!" A sharp, teeth-grinding sound.

"Agh—!" Fan Jinyou let out a pig-like scream, his whole body went limp on the ground as if his bones had been removed, and his right index finger was bent backward at a strange ninety-degree angle!

This sudden and ruthless attack silenced the entire tavern instantly. All the patrons held their breath in shock, Master Niu froze, and Master Pian trembled in fear.

Captain Li and the two police officers' expressions changed drastically, and they immediately stepped forward to try to subdue Lin Yan.

"Captain Li!" Lin Yan advanced instead of retreating, his voice not loud but carrying an undeniable sense of pressure, "If you take another step forward, it will be a diplomatic incident!" His gaze was sharp as a knife, "My third brother will be here soon, and he will explain everything to you."

As he spoke, he used his coat pocket as cover to take out his Hong Kong ID card from his pocket and lightly slapped it on the table. He then calmly squatted down, looking at Fan Jinyou, who was writhing on the floor in agony, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Didn't your mother teach you that pointing your finger at someone's nose is impolite?"

Fan Jinyou was in excruciating pain, his face pale and covered in cold sweat, yet he still glared at Lin Yan with venomous eyes, spitting out a provocative cry through gritted teeth: "Captain Li... Captain Li! You saw that, didn't you?! He... he openly attacked a state cadre! This... this shows he doesn't respect the organization! He can't be let off!"

Captain Li picked up the ID card and examined it carefully. With a complicated expression, he handed it back to Mr. Lin, saying, "Mr. Lin, although you are a Hong Kong citizen, you must abide by our laws in mainland my country. Your actions just now are suspected of being illegal. Please come with us for investigation." He tried to maintain the seriousness of law enforcement.

Lin Yan stood up, slowly straightened his coat cuffs, and calmly asked, "Captain Li, may I ask which law I violated?" He pointed to Fan Jinyou on the ground, "He provoked me first, poking me in the face with his hand, intending to attack me. I acted in self-defense and restrained his attack. As for feeding my dog ​​meat, I used my own money. To say I'm capitalist..." A faint sneer appeared on his lips, "I come from Hong Kong, isn't that a capitalist society now? I'm stating the facts, what's wrong with that?"

"Uh..." Captain Li was momentarily speechless. Upon reflection, he couldn't find a clear legal provision to refute the other party's words. Extravagant dog feeding? That's at most a moral issue. Self-defense? That seems plausible too...

Listening from the side, Old Master Niu's cloudy old eyes flashed with understanding and admiration. He nodded to himself, thinking, "This Brother Lin not only has a powerful background, but also ruthless methods and clear principles. He's quite a character!"

Pian'er Ye nervously gripped Niu Ye's arm, barely daring to breathe, thinking that this Brother Lin was far too bold.

Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, the curtain was lifted again. Lin San appeared, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a crisp white police uniform with prominent epaulets.

"Director Zhang, my younger brother is young and impetuous, and he's causing you trouble," Lin San said to the man in white uniform, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

The person who came was none other than Captain Zhang, who had relayed Lin Yan's message to his superiors to "earn merit" back then, and is now Director Zhang, who has been promoted to Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

Upon seeing his former leader, Captain Li immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Director Zhang!"

Director Zhang casually waved his hand, pulled Captain Li aside, and whispered a few words to him. After hearing the brief report, Director Zhang's face darkened, and he forcefully struck Captain Li on the back of the head.

"Ouch—! Director Zhang, why did you hit me?" Captain Li rubbed the back of his head, feeling wronged.

"Why would I hit you? I'd hit you because you're a blockhead!" Director Zhang said in a low voice, but his tone was tinged with lingering fear. "Do you know who you almost handcuffed? That's our country's grain sack, our god of wealth! If you really took him back for 'investigation,' and this young master got upset, our entire bureau would starve for the next month! Alright, that's none of your business here, get back to work!" He waved his hand dismissively, then added, "Drag that disgraceful thing off the ground too!"

"Yes, Chief!" Captain Li dared not say anything more and immediately ordered his men to lift up Fan Jinyou, who was still groaning, and quickly leave the tavern.

Director Zhang then put on a warm smile and quickly walked to the small square table where Lin Yan was sitting and sat down:

"This young comrade must be Mr. Lin's younger brother! Indeed, he's a handsome and distinguished man! Today's incident was purely a misunderstanding; our subordinates were incompetent, causing you to suffer. In the future, if you encounter any unreasonable people in Beijing who try to make things difficult for you, just send someone to headquarters to find me, Zhang! You're a good boy, Uncle believes in you!" His attitude was extremely friendly. "Just call me Uncle Zhang! Uncle has official business today, so I'll take my leave first. In a couple of days, I'll definitely have your third brother bring you home for a simple meal so you can try your aunt's cooking!"

He then turned to Lin San, his smile widening: "Third Master, I'm hosting a banquet at my home in a couple of days to welcome you and your brothers back. Please do me the honor of attending!"

Director Zhang's not-too-loud shout of "God of Wealth," and the words that followed, crashed into the calm waters of the tavern, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

The entire tavern was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone seemed frozen in place, mouths agape, eyes wide with disbelief at the surreal scene before them. That was Director Zhang of the Beijing Public Security Bureau! To ordinary people like them, he was a figure from heaven! Yet now, he was bowing and scraping before that young man, speaking to him with the warmth of a family elder, and even inviting him to his home for dinner?!

The pipe in Uncle Niu's hand fell onto the table with a "clatter." He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, his cloudy eyes flashing with a sharp light. He had always felt that Brother Lin was no ordinary person, but he never expected his background to be this powerful! To be treated so well by the Director-General, who called him "God of Wealth" and was afraid of offending him... the power behind Brother Lin was terrifying! He subconsciously straightened his back, and the admiration and casualness in his eyes when he looked at Lin Yan were now mixed with a hint of awe.

Old Man Pian was terrified, his face turning pale. He clutched his chest tightly, as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest. As soon as Director Zhang left, he rushed to Old Man Niu's side, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Old Man Niu... this... this Brother Lin... who... who is he? The... the Director of the General Administration... my God..."

Old Niu slowly picked up his pipe, tapped it on the corner of the table, squinted, and spoke in a very low voice with a worldly-wise sigh: "Shut up. Just open your eyes. This guy is a true dragon crossing the river; it would be a great fortune for us to get a little bit of his favor. We should fawn over him from now on; that won't hurt."

Xu Huizhen stood behind the counter, her fingers unconsciously twisting the ever-clean and tidy dishcloth, her heart pounding. She felt both fear and relief—thankfully, she had been polite to Lin Yan from the very beginning, even going so far as to make an exception for him. Composing herself, she immediately picked up a freshly warmed pot of the finest wine, put on a smile three times warmer than usual, and strode over.

"Brother Lin, are you alright? This is truly an unexpected disaster!" Her voice was exceptionally gentle as she deftly replaced Lin Yan's wine cup with a freshly warmed one and filled it with hot wine. "This meal is on me today! Please don't refuse! I'll also have the kitchen fry some peanuts and slice some braised pork knuckle for you, as a way to calm Xiao Qi down!" As she spoke, her eyes keenly swept over the diners who were still in shock, and she knew perfectly well that after this incident, Brother Lin's position in her little tavern was firmly established, and from now on, no one would dare to provoke him easily.

The tavern erupted in a buzz of excitement. The patrons whispered amongst themselves, their voices mingling with gasps of amazement, their eyes darting furtively to the corner table, their gazes filled with an indescribable shock, curiosity, and profound awe.

Lin Yan, at the center of the storm, simply continued to slowly tear the braised beef from the plate, patiently feeding it piece by piece to Xiao Qi, who was squinting and enjoying it in his arms.

Without even looking up, he asked Lin San, who was still standing quietly to the side, "What did you say to that Director Zhang just now? You scared him like that."

Lin San bowed slightly: "He didn't say anything. He just told him that you, young master, are the heir of the family, and your words are the imperial edict of the Lin family, not a single word can be discounted." He paused, then added, "He was probably afraid that if you were displeased, you might tighten your grip and cut off our food supplies."

"Tsk," Lin Yan chuckled softly, waving his hand, "Let him be. You go about your business. You handle someone else!"

"Yes, young master." Lin San responded and withdrew.

Lin Yan then looked up at the still somewhat reserved Master Niu and the pale-faced Master Pian, a lazy smile on his face, and personally poured them a full glass of wine:

"Uncle Niu, Uncle Pian, don't just stand there, don't be afraid." The voice carried a reassuring casualness. "I'm not the kind of person who bullies or oppresses others. I make friends based on whether we click. I like your straightforwardness and insight, so we're friends. Come on, don't let those irrelevant people spoil the fun, let's keep drinking and chatting!"

Looking into Lin Yan's clear and open eyes, the last vestiges of tension and awe in Old Niu's heart instantly vanished. He slapped his thigh heavily, picked up his wine bowl, and his booming voice was filled with genuine admiration:

"Alright! Brother Lin, just for that one sentence, I admire you! I truly admire you! Come on, let's have a drink!"

Pian'er quickly picked up the bowl with both hands, his face regaining its color, and his smile became much more natural. He nodded repeatedly, "Brother Lin, you're so generous! So incredibly generous!"

The three men's wine bowls clinked together, creating a crisp sound. The stagnant atmosphere in the tavern, created by power and status, seemed to be completely shattered by the clinking of glasses and the ensuing laughter, and the air returned to the warm and lively atmosphere of everyday life.