Chapter 49 Can't Change

　　“I just remembered—that was a few years ago, right? I heard the boss owed him some wages, and then he died mysteriously just days later.”

　　“Looks like Sister Mengyun knows about him too,” I said, noticing her familiarity with the case.

　　“Of course! That incident caused quite a stir back then,” Wang Mengyun responded, connecting the dots. “Wait, are you saying Li Hongmin also died in that house in Huayuan Community?”

　　“Yes!” I confirmed.

　　Her expression shifted to surprise. “What a coincidence! Back then, Huayuan Community was one of the city’s first marketization demonstration projects. When issues arose, it created a real uproar. But then it was quickly buried under other news—something like…”

　　“Tongming Group!” Liu Dazhuang cut in, lighting a cigarette with a cool demeanor.

　　“Exactly! Tongming Group!” Wang Mengyun quickly agreed, her voice tinged with urgency.Back when Tongming Group was founded, they really pulled out all the stops for the grand opening. It was a huge spectacle, and they gave away loads of free stuff. The place was a madhouse with people scrambling to grab whatever they could. Before you knew it, nobody was even talking about what happened with Li Hongmin anymore.

　　"Xiaofeng, did you find out something?" Wang Mengyun asked, her voice tinged with concern.

　　I shook my head. "No, Mengyun, you're overthinking it," I said, then turned to Liu Dazhuang. "Hey, Dazhuang, how about coming with me to the flower and bird market? It’s high time we sorted out that fish tank situation of yours!"

　　"Sure, give me a sec. Let me grab my jacket." Liu Dazhuang stubbed out the cigarette he'd only taken a couple of puffs from and disappeared into the back room.

　　"Mengyun, I’m not really sure what’s going on here, but I can’t shake the feeling that this whole thing is pretty complicated. You and Dazhuang better be careful," Mengyun said, worry etched on her face.

　　I flashed her a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, Mengyun. We’ve got this."

　　Just then, Liu Dazhuang reappeared, jacket in hand. "Alright, let's go, Xiaofeng. We'll make it quick—I've still got to get back and make lunch for Mengyun."

　　I stood up, chuckling. "Look at you, the perfect domestic man. Alright, let's head out."

　　The flower and bird market wasn’t far, and Liu Dazhuang and I got there in no time. It was a small market, mostly selling plants and greenery, with the occasional small animal up for sale.

　　“There it is, that shop right up ahead,” Liu Dazhuang said, pointing.

　　From about a hundred feet away, I could already make out someone at the entrance, bent over and tidying up. As we got closer, I saw it was a young guy, probably around fifteen or sixteen, a bit on the scrawny side.

　　“Hello!” I said.

　　“Hi there! What can I do for you? Come on in and take a look around, prices are negotiable,” the young guy replied with a smile.

　　“I’m looking for your boss. Where is he? Tell him to come out here and see me!” Liu Dazhuang said, his face hard and unwelcoming. It was no surprise, given that the problematic fish tank had come from this shop. There was no way he’d be speaking politely.

　　“The boss is out getting some stock. He won’t be back for a while.”

　　“The fish tank you sold me last time has a problem, and I need to get this sorted out with him!” Liu Dazhuang’s voice was loud enough that people from the neighboring shops were sticking their heads out to see what was going on.

　　The young guy didn’t seem too happy with Liu Dazhuang’s tone, probably worried it would drive away customers. He quickly said, “What’s the issue? Tell me, and if it’s really a problem, I’ll swap it out for you!” Then he turned back to his work, not even glancing at Liu Dazhuang.

　　Liu Dazhuang was a hothead, and seeing the guy’s indifferent attitude only made him angrier. “What kind of attitude is that? Is this how you talk to customers?” he shouted.

　　The young guy shot him a cold look. “What’s wrong with my attitude? Didn’t I just say I’d replace it if there’s a problem?”“Kid, I’m done talking to you. Just wait until your boss gets back, and then we’ll settle this!” Liu Dazhuang barked.

　　The young guy scoffed, muttering, “If you’re just trying to get some free cash, you might as well say so.”

　　“What did you just say?” Liu Dazhuang’s eyes narrowed as he rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the boy by the shoulder. “You want me to haul you down to the police station?”

　　“Get your hands off me!” The boy jerked away, glaring defiantly. “Are you out of your mind? What are you grabbing me for? I didn’t do anything wrong. Who do you even think you are?”

　　“I’m the police!” Liu Dazhuang shot back.

　　“You? A cop? Yeah, right,” the kid sneered, giving him a once-over.

　　Liu Dazhuang glanced down at his casual clothes. No uniform today. Apart from me, nobody here knew he was an officer.

　　“Why are you looking around like that? You don’t look like any cop I’ve seen,” the boy continued with a sarcastic edge.

　　“You’ve got some nerve!” Liu Dazhuang roared, then slapped the boy across the face, making him stumble back in shock.

　　“What the hell, man? Why’d you hit me?” the boy yelled.

　　“You think you can talk that way to a government official? There are consequences for insulting the police!” Liu Dazhuang snapped, pointing a finger right in his face.

　　A crowd had gathered by now, watching the spectacle unfold.

　　“You don’t scare me. You’re just a bully in plain clothes! I’m not scared of you!” the boy shot back.

　　“Oh, you’ve got a big mouth, huh?” Liu Dazhuang grunted, grabbing him by the collar. “Let’s see if you’re still this tough after I teach you a lesson.”

　　“Let go of me! Get off!” the young guy struggled, his voice rising.

　　Suddenly, a man shoved his way through the crowd, rushing over. “Officer Liu, please! Don’t take it out on the boy—he doesn’t know any better,” he pleaded.

　　The newcomer was a middle-aged man, wrinkles creasing his forehead. He looked about fifty, give or take.

　　“Boss Zhang! Finally, you’re here,” Liu Dazhuang said, releasing the kid, who quickly darted behind the older man for cover.“Just got some new stock in. Didn’t know you’d be coming by today. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone out for anything!” the middle-aged man said with a grin.

　　Liu Dazhuang pointed at the young guy. “Does he always treat customers like that?”

　　“Not at all, Officer Liu. Little Li is usually polite, hard-working, and gets along well with customers,” the man replied, then gave the kid a swift kick. “Get back to work!”

　　Little Li nodded quickly and darted away.

　　“He…” Liu Dazhuang started, but I stepped in and stopped him. Seeing me shake my head, he held back whatever he was about to say. It was clear to anyone watching that Boss Zhang was covering for the kid, deliberately sending him away.

　　“Boss Zhang, that fish tank you sold me last time is causing problems!” Liu Dazhuang said, shifting the conversation.

　　“Oh, I see, Officer Liu. Let’s go inside and discuss this,” Boss Zhang suggested.

　　He led us into the shop. From the outside, it looked small, but inside, it opened up. We walked down a narrow hallway and then entered a large room, which had two smaller rooms attached.

　　I glanced around. The shelves were packed with items—fishing rods, fish food, some greenery, and, of course, a few fish tanks.

　　“So, Officer Liu, what’s wrong with the fish tank? I can get you a new one if needed.”

　　“You’ve got the nerve to ask what’s wrong? Do you have any idea? That tank messed up the feng shui in my house. Nothing’s been going right for me since I got it! My wife even broke her leg a few days ago, and I bet it’s got something to do with that damn fish tank!” Liu Dazhuang blurted out all at once.The boss didn’t even flinch. Instead, he chuckled and said, “Alright then, I’ll just swap it out for you. Take a look at these fish tanks—whichever one you like, it’s yours. Just say the word. Sound good?”

　　Liu Dazhuang paused, glancing at me. I could tell what was going through his mind.

　　He was blunt, sure, but he wasn’t naïve. You don’t survive dealing with the scum of society without being sharp. Any other shop owner would at least hesitate when asked to do an exchange, especially over something as unusual as “bad feng shui.” It’s not exactly your everyday complaint.

　　But before Liu Dazhuang could speak, I jumped in. “No, that’s not gonna work!” I said, my voice firm.

　　My interruption clearly caught the shop owner off guard. He stared at me, bewildered. “Why not? Officer Liu didn’t say no. And who are you to be chiming in, anyway?”

　　“Watch your mouth,” Liu Dazhuang shot back. “He’s with me.”

　　“Officer Liu, I didn’t mean anything by it…” the boss stammered, trying to smooth things over.

　　I didn’t bother acknowledging him. Instead, I walked up to the fish tanks, studying them carefully. “Because,” I said, “these tanks have the exact same issue.”