Zhao Tieying charged towards Wang Ma Zi's table, knife in hand, her words still sharp and forceful, startling the diners in the restaurant.
Was this the same Aunt Zhao who always spoke so sweetly and kindly?
Wang Ma Zi and the others turned around, their expressions changing.
Zhao Tieying raised the knife above her head and charged forward, her eyes fixed on them, the ferocity in her gaze chilling.
She really was going to strike!
Swish!
The cleaver slashed down beside Wang Ma Zi's face, its gleaming blade flashing with a cold light that blinded his eyes.
"Oh my god!" Wang Ma Zi cried out in shock, stumbling over a bench and falling flat on his back.
Thud!
The cleaver struck the table, the tip penetrating three centimeters into the surface, creating a horrifying gash.
The three people in floral shirts also instinctively stepped back.
"She's gone mad! This woman's insane!"
Wang Ma Zi was terrified. Where did that rural woman go?
Even a couple of years ago, during street fights, people would at least exchange a few insults before actually fighting.
It was just a cockroach; did she really have to resort to violence?
These past two years, they've been reasonable people around.
Thinking this, he felt wronged.
The local aunties have no sense of martial ethics.
"Wow!"
"Aunt Zhao is so fierce!"
The guests' eyes widened. Aunt Zhao was incredibly brave; she really did chop up those hooligans causing trouble!
But it felt so good!
These hooligans are completely lawless!
"Brother Ma Zi!" Several henchmen rushed to help him up, snarling, "You dare to attack someone! I bet you don't want to keep this shop open anymore!"
"I..." Wang Ma Zi scrambled to his feet, reaching for a bench.
The other henchmen grabbed whatever tools were in hand.
They'd been terrified by a rural woman, utterly humiliated. If they didn't get their revenge, how could they ever face anyone on the street again?
Anyway, she started it; they were in the right!
Just then, a shadow suddenly fell behind them, blocking out the light.
Smack!
Two large hands gripped the necks of Wang Ma Zi and the other man in the floral shirt, tightening abruptly and lifting them into the air by their collars.
The two men turned around in terror, facing a man as muscular as a brown bear.
Wang Ma Zi's waist wasn't even as thick as the man's arm.
"Damn it! Daring to cause trouble in the shop!"
Zhou Jie and Zhou Yan, who had been watching the situation in the shop, rushed out of the kitchen, kicking the remaining two men in floral shirts over one by one.
"Don't move!" Zhou Jie held them down, slapping them several times across the face, making them afraid to look up.
Zhou Yan first looked at Zhao Tieying, asking with concern, "Mom, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Zhao Tieying shook her head, looking at the chipped table top with a pained expression, "That bastard dodged quickly, causing my table to suffer."
Zhou Yan was momentarily speechless.
She told him and Zhou Jie not to be reckless and to be reasonable, but she was already holding a knife.
Aunt Zhao was a formidable fighter; compared to her, Wang Ma Zi and his gang looked like greenhorns.
He looked at Zhou Hai, who was carrying Wang Ma Zi and his companion, and asked with a smile, "Brother Haizi, what brings you here?"
"I took Second Aunt back, and since I had nothing to do this afternoon, I came over to check on things. As soon as I walked in, I saw them about to beat Fourth Aunt, so I caught them first." Zhou Hai replied with a smile, shaking the two men in his arms. "What about them?"
Zhou Hai's size was incredibly imposing; carrying Wang Ma Zi and his companion was like carrying two chicks.
He and Zhou Jie had been butchering cattle for years, and they possessed a menacing aura; their presence was nowhere near the level of these street thugs.
"Grab them first." Zhou Yan turned to look at Zhou Momo, who was eagerly holding a feather duster, and said, "Momo, go to the security office next door and call for help. Tell them there are hooligans causing trouble and beating people in our shop."
"Okay!" Zhou Momo replied, put down the feather duster, turned around, and ran out the door, her little ponytail shaking happily.
"Help!"
"We're customers! You've attacked and stabbed us! This is a black-hearted shop!"
"Is there no law?! Please speak up for us!"
Wang Ma Zi struggled, unable to break free, and began to play the victim, trying to garner support.
"Speak up for you? I think I'll feed you peanuts!"
Aunt Zhao raised her hand and slapped him, sneering, "You scoundrel, I've been watching you since you came in. The food smelled delicious, you even ate the broth with rice before remembering to pull the cockroach out of your pocket."
"You put a cockroach in the plate, saving it for a midnight snack?"
"You always bully the weak, like a thunder god striking tofu, but today you've run into my line of fire."
"Dare to mess with my restaurant? You'll be caught today! Tomorrow you'll be shot!"
The guests burst into laughter upon hearing this; Aunt Zhao's insults were truly masterful.
"Exactly! They deserves to be arrested!"
"These scoundrels are shameless! They're deliberately causing trouble!"
The guests knew perfectly well that if there really was a cockroach in the food, would it have made it to the end?
Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh. Aunt Zhao was born at the wrong time; otherwise, she could be on the New Rap Show.
Wang Ma Zi, his face flushed from the scolding, muttered, "Is there no law? I came here to eat and got beaten up..."
"Uncle, it's them!" Zhou Momo arrived with Luo Weidong, the head of the security department, and six fully armed security officers, pointing at Wang Ma Zi and the others at the door.
The little guy had gone there skipping and jumping, but returned with red eyes and a pout, looking extremely aggrieved.
Zhao Tieying quickly pulled the kitchen knife nailed to the table and hide it behind her back.
"You bastard Wang Ma Zi, daring to cause trouble near the textile factory!"
Luo Weidong led his men and stormed in. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Wang Ma Zi and the man in the flowery shirt being carried by Zhou Hai, and two hooligans being held down by Zhou Jie on the ground.
Just now, Zhou Momo had run to the security office, saying four bad guys were causing trouble at the restaurant and trying to beat her mother.
The little girl looked flustered, her eyes red as she spoke, which broke his heart.
He also had a young daughter, only two years older than Zhou Momo.
Zhou Yan had delivered cross-legged beef to the security office before, and would often offer him cigarettes when they met. The young man was reliable, hardworking, and knew how to handle things.
Luo Weidong immediately brought his men over, initially thinking Zhou Yan and his mom were being bullied. However, he was surprised to find two of the four troublemakers being carried like chicks, and the other two huddled on the ground.
"Help! This shady shop is beating people! They're even wielding knives!" Wang Ma Zi shouted as soon as he saw Luo Weidong.
"Shut up!" Luo Weidong glared at him and looked at Zhou Yan.
"Section Chief Luo, you've finally arrived. Zhou Yan said with a bitter face. "This Wang Ma Zi brought three thugs to my shop to cause trouble. They ordered a whole table of food, ate it all, and didn't want to pay. So they put a cockroach in the plate, trying to frame us for having unclean food."
"Look at this, this plate is cleaner than his face. How could a cockroach just appear out of nowhere?"
"The other customers saw it all. When his accusation failed, he even picked up a bench and tried to smash up the shop. Luckily, my two cousins happened to be there and managed to subdue them."
Zhou Yan briefly explained the situation, appropriately reducing Aunt Zhao's scene time.
"That's right, they came here on purpose to cause trouble!"
"They were quite aggressive, grabbing bench and ready to hit people!"
The guests also chimed in, supporting Zhou Yan.
"Injustice! Section Chief Luo! He's lying! That cockroach found it in the food! And they were the ones who attacked first!" Wang Ma Zi cried out, kicking his legs in frustration.
Luo Weidong glanced at the cockroach on the plate, already understanding the situation. He said coldly, "If that cockroach really found it in the food, how come there wasn't a drop of oil on it? Do you think we're fools?!"
Wang Ma Zi was stunned. The soup mixed with rice was completely devoid of oil; he had miscalculated.
"Wang Ma Zi, I just went to a meeting at the county public security bureau yesterday. They said your gang is suspected of extorting money from restaurant owners in several restaurants in Jiazhou using cockroach. They asked our security section to assist the Suji police station in the investigation, and you've already tried the same trick again, coming to Zhou Erwa Restaurant to commit the crime!" Luo Weidong waved his hand: "Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly!"
Several officers stepped forward and handcuffed Wang Ma Zi and the others.
"Injustice...injustice!" Wang Ma Zi's hands and legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. If someone is behind you, confess properly, and you might get a reduced sentence." Zhou Yan said, looking at Wang Ma Zi. "Otherwise, with a gang like yours caught red-handed, you'll probably spend the rest of your life in jail."
"Take them away!" Luo Weidong waved his hand, and the officer dragged them out the door.
"You acted bravely and handled the situation very well." Luo Weidong shook hands with Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie, then looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Please tally up the shop's losses and bring them to the security department after you're done at noon. I'll try my best to recover the money for you."
"Okay, thank you, Section Chief Luo." Zhou Yan expressed his gratitude, then added, "By the way, I think there's something amiss about Wang Ma Zi's troublemaking. I wonder if someone is behind it."
"We will investigate this matter thoroughly. If someone is indeed behind it, we will definitely bring them to justice." Luo Weidong said, turning to walk towards the door. As he passed Zhou Momo, he stopped and saluted her, smiling, "Don't be afraid, the security officers will protect you."
"The security officers are amazing! You all caught the bad guys!" Zhou Momo said in her childish voice, raising her hand in a salute with admiration.
As Luo Weidong stepped out, a bright smile graced his face. Even the security officers at the gate stood tall, their lips curling into a wide grin.
That's right, they were protecting the nation's little flowers!
His gaze shifted to Wang Ma Zi and the others, immediately turning sharp. He coldly ordered, "Take them back and interrogate them properly!"
Inside the restaurant, Zhou Yan and his group had already rearranged the chairs.
Aunt Zhao put on a smile, somewhat apologetically saying, "I'm so sorry, I scared everyone. Please enjoy your meal. They won't dare cause trouble again."
Seeing her friendly smile, the guests couldn't help but smile too.
Aunt Zhao was truly a woman of character.
"Guo Guo, the police officer is so handsome! I want to be a police officer when I grow up!" Zhou Momo ran up to Zhou Yan, looking up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
"You probably can't be a police officer." Zhou Yan laughed. "You can only be a policewoman."
"Okay, I want to be a policewoman!" Zhou Momo raised her little fist, her eyes determined. "I'll catch the big bad guys!"
"Okay, policewoman."
Zhou Yan and the guests all laughed.
The atmosphere in the restaurant became relaxed and pleasant again.