Chapter 101: The Black Tiger's Resentment

Delicious, truly delicious, the taste lingers on the tongue.

“Don’t miss out if you’re passing by—get a membership card, spend and get double the value!”

“The most authentic fried chicken drumsticks, tasty and affordable!”

At the area near the east gate’s main entrance, Black Tiger’s men were calling out to attract business, their voices once strained and forceful, now weak and dispirited.

Everyone passing by seemed to avoid them as if dodging the plague.

“This shop has no shame—it’s practically daylight robbery.”

“The prices are exorbitant, and they force people to buy membership cards. You can’t even get your money back.”

“That’s right, it’s not a good deal at all. I got tricked into eating here once, but luckily, I’d rather pay fifty cents more than get a card.”

Groups of three or five people passing by would glance at Black Tiger’s shop, pointing and commenting with scorn.

Reputation can be both positive and negative.

Clearly, the shop’s reputation had been ruined.

Inside, Black Tiger’s men slumped over the tables, the place deserted, and they had nothing to do.

The old chef in the back kitchen wore a worried look—if things continued like this, would the boss be able to pay him? Was there money for wages? Did he even dare ask Black Tiger for his salary?

The atmosphere in the shop was stifling.

“Tiger Brother.”

“Tiger Brother.”

At that moment, Black Tiger walked in from outside, his face dark, followed by Er Mao.

“What are you all doing? Sleeping at the tables?”

“Don’t you see there’s no business? Get out there and bring in customers!”

Black Tiger shouted angrily, scaring his men into rushing outside.

Er Mao shrank back behind him; lately, Black Tiger's temper had grown increasingly volatile.

He glanced at the bleak scene and, thinking of the lively business at Chen Huajiang’s shop, shook his head slightly.

He knew Tiger Brother wasn’t cut out for business, certainly not compared to Chen Huajiang. This round might even end in a loss.

“Lu Niu, give me the ledger.”

Black Tiger, his face grim, strode behind the counter and signaled his subordinate to hand over the business ledger for the past few days.

“Cousin, didn’t you just check it last time?”

Lu Niu, a lad of eighteen or nineteen, was Black Tiger’s cousin. Financial matters were important; Black Tiger didn’t trust outsiders not to skim off his money, so he naturally let family handle the accounts.

“Give it here!” Black Tiger glared, his voice furious.

Seeing his cousin’s expression and the empty shop, he already suspected business had been bad.

But—

When Lu Niu handed him the ledger with a bitter face and Black Tiger saw it, his face went ashen. He never imagined things could be so dire.

Three days, just three yuan and fifty cents in revenue. It was a joke!

“There were seven or eight people here yesterday, weren’t there?”

“Are you skimming my money?!”

Black Tiger stared at his cousin in anger. Something wasn’t right—even yesterday’s customers should have spent more than three yuan fifty.

“Tiger Brother, these past few days, most of the people who came to eat were those who already had membership cards.”

“They didn’t really want to come, but they were afraid their prepaid money would go to waste.”

“And after you left yesterday, those guys started complaining, saying our shop set them up and cheated them out of their money.”

Lu Niu, feeling wronged, spoke up. Black Tiger was clearly accusing him. Helping out in good faith, yet being doubted for nothing—how could he be happy?

“What!? Cheating them out of their money? Scoundrels, real scoundrels!”

“If I see them again, I’ll make them pay!”

Black Tiger clenched his fists in rage, veins bulging on his face.

When they bought the cards, it was voluntary; sure, Black Tiger had asked friends from the street for help, but hadn’t he returned the favor? Didn’t he treat everyone afterward? Many brothers bought cards on credit!

Among street brothers, a handshake and a note meant a lot of the business was done that way.

Seeing Black Tiger so furious, his men barely dared to breathe, exchanging helpless and gloomy glances.

From bustling beginnings and wealth flowing in, to today’s desolation and empty doors.

They all knew, if things continued, the shop would have to close.

But where was the problem? They’d been thinking and discussing for days, but found no answers.

“Tiger Brother, maybe we should ask Chen Huajiang to come take a look, give us some advice.”

Er Mao ventured the suggestion, noticing that lately Black Tiger seemed to dislike Chen Huajiang—even hearing his name made his face darken.

But with the shop in this state, many brothers had bought shares—if things went on, their investment would be lost.

“That’s right, our place is similar to Chen Huajiang’s, so why aren’t we making money? Something must be wrong; we should ask.”

“Yes, yes, when I came by, I passed South Sky Hotel and saw a long line at Kunlun Catering. Their business is booming. We don’t expect that kind of success, but even a third of their business would fill our pockets.”

“We should ask Boss Chen to come take a look. We’re amateurs; he’s a pro—he’ll see things more clearly.”

With Er Mao’s suggestion, the brothers grew excited.

They were out of ideas, watching the shop head toward closure, their investments about to go down the drain—they were anxious, at least hoping to break even!

“That’s enough!”

But Black Tiger, furious, clenched his fists and glared at Er Mao.

“Chen Huajiang, Chen Huajiang—always Chen Huajiang. If he can do it, why can’t I?”

“Is he three-headed and six-armed, or does he have an extra brain?”

“I’ll go ask Brother Zhang. He’s a college graduate, much better than Chen Huajiang.”

Black Tiger growled, then strode out, burning with anger.

He looked down on Chen Huajiang, having watched him grow from a fired factory worker to where he was now.

Back then, Chen Huajiang couldn’t even handle the street riffraff and had to curry favor with Black Tiger, bring him gifts to keep his shop open.

But now, he seemed almost an equal—how could Black Tiger accept that?

Especially after his legendary rise at the mass grave, rallying hundreds of helpers to crush the arrogant Wolfdog—the story still circulated on the streets.

“Let’s hope Tiger Brother can fix it.”

“Zhang Xiaobing’s a top student; he should be able to handle it.”

“Nonsense, I don’t think so. Zhang Xiaobing is just a rich kid, arrogant as hell. I never liked him.”

After Black Tiger left, the men chatted—some hopeful, some dejected.

But soon, the next day, Black Tiger returned with a shop improvement plan, accompanied by a group of women.

These women were dressed flamboyantly, striking seductive poses, attracting crowds of passersby.

Before long, a thick crowd had gathered at the entrance, making Black Tiger and his men excited—the scene reminiscent of their opening days, full of bustle and glory.