Chapter 536: Sheltered Flowers, Unacquainted with the Hardships of Life

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▶▶ Master Hou Madam Went To the Sky Bridge Again To Set Up a Stall

 

Chapter 536: Sheltered Flowers, Unacquainted with the Hardships of Life

Ten minutes quickly passed.

Qiao Xi watched as a middle-aged man, wearing washed-out clothes with disheveled hair and a thin frame, hurriedly ran over.

The two youths at the neighboring table lit up at the sight of the man.

The short redhead stood up and waved at the middle-aged man, "Old man, I'm here!"

The greed on his face appeared hideous to Qiao Xi in that moment.

The visible visual impact made him feel an immense pity for the middle-aged man rushing over.

The middle-aged man held a handful of change and handed it to the short redhead.

"Son, I gave you over a hundred bucks just yesterday. Why do you need more today?"

"Why waste so many words!"

The short youth snatched the money from the middle-aged man's hand, "Give it here!"

He roughly counted the money and realized it wasn't even two hundred bucks.

The short redhead immediately became furious, "You old bastard, I asked for two hundred, but you only have a little over a hundred. You're just treating me like a beggar!"

Speaking of beggars, the middle-aged man standing in front of him seemed like one now.

His clothes were tattered, and despite being in his middle age, half of his hair was already white.

What was most pitiful was that his hands, faced with his son's accusations, trembled as he clutched his clothes.

The middle-aged man looked ashamed and embarrassingly helpless.

Qiao Xi couldn't bear to see this scene in his heart.

It was just two hundred bucks, was it necessary to go to such lengths?

He stood up and reached into his pocket, pulling out several one-hundred-yuan bills.

But just as Qiao Xi was about to approach them, Su Wang and Shen Ran each grabbed one of his arms.

"You stay put!"

Su Wang's tone was serious, with a cold gleam in his eyes.

His fierce expression made Qiao Xi feel like he was back in Jiang Liu's office that day.

This guy was skilled in striking where it hurt the most, attacking the most vulnerable spots without leaving any visible wounds.

Qiao Xi swallowed nervously, holding the money in his hand as he sat back down.

Shen Ran lifted his chin toward Qiao Xi, who dared not speak up in anger, "Look at the people around us."

Qiao Xi didn't understand and showed a hint of annoyance in his gaze as he glanced around.

He noticed that most people around him hadn't paid any attention to the two redheads and the middle-aged man.

They happily skewered meat, drank heartily, and chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere.

It was as if everything happening with the redheads was already commonplace to them, not worthy of attention at all.

Qiao Xi seemed to understand something, but the confusion in his heart still lingered.

The short redhead searched the middle-aged man again and found a few coins. He snorted and grumbled as he left with the tall youth.

They left without paying the bill.

The owner noticed and hurriedly rushed out.

"You scoundrels! Eating without paying, are you trying to get killed?"

Seeing the middle-aged man still standing there, the owner grabbed his hand, looking fierce and menacing. "Your son ate here without paying. You pay up!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

The middle-aged man kept nodding and bowing apologetically to the owner.

"Apologies won't cut it, cough up the money!"

The owner's face trembled with anger, his voice loud.

The middle-aged man touched his washed-out pants pocket, but even the last few coins were taken by his son.

He didn't have a single penny on him now.

His hands, with cracks under the streetlight, tightly clutched the edge of his shirt.

The middle-aged man looked nervous and ashamed, making everyone who saw him feel a sense of shame on his behalf, as if they wanted to find a hole to hide in.

He honestly said, "I'm sorry, I don't have that much money."

The owner sneered twice and pushed the middle-aged man. "If you don't have money, call your family and ask for it!"

From Qiao Xi's vantage point, he could clearly see the owner spit in the middle-aged man's face as he spoke.

The middle-aged man took a step back, his body trembling.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, broken phone.

The phone was a model from over a decade ago, with the paint on the old body peeling off.

Trembling hands, the middle-aged man tried to press the buttons on the phone, but after hesitating for a long time, he ultimately didn't make the call.

He looked up at the owner standing in front of him, waiting for the money, and slowly put down the phone.

His eyes turned bloodshot, as if he had reached a dead end in life.

The desolate and helpless light that shimmered in his eyes shook Qiao Xi's heart deeply.

Standing in front of the fierce and menacing owner, he seemed like a fish on a chopping board, surrounded by a thick aura of despair.

The owner, seeing him put down the phone, mockingly spoke, "Just a few bucks, and at your age, you can't even come up with this little money?"

"Don't you even have any family or relatives?"

"At your age, you've lived your life in vain!"

"No money? Today, you're not leaving!"

Every word the owner spoke felt like a knife cutting into the flesh of the middle-aged man.

Qiao Xi's face became dull, and he no longer knew what expression to show.

A meal costing just a few bucks, in this day and age, there were actually people who couldn't afford it.

In reality, the middle-aged man could afford it, but he had given all his money to his son.

When the short redhead left, did he not know what his elderly father would face?

He knew.

Yet, he still chose to leave.

Qiao Xi furrowed his brows deeply, creating lines of deep wrinkles.

Su Wang placed his hand on Qiao Xi's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "This old man is the sole pillar of his family. Who can he call?"

In the Western City, family affection is precious but rare. When money is involved, there are many heartless people.

Qiao Xi's lips trembled, "But it's just a few bucks."

He couldn't understand, couldn't comprehend.

Su Wang smiled lightly and said, "A few bucks is enough for an adult to survive for a month in the Western City."

"This, this can't be!" Qiao Xi retorted without thinking.

It was simply impossible.

During his time in the Western City, following Su Wang and the others, he had spent at least a thousand bucks.

Compared to his previous life, this was already unbearable hardship.

But now Su Wang told him that there were even more bitter lives than this.

"You, young man, are like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. You haven't experienced real storms or seen the hardships of the world."

Complex emotions shimmered in Su Wang's eyes, unable to tell if it was lament or envy.

He patted Qiao Xi's shoulder, picked up the phone on the table, and walked up to the owner.

Just when Qiao Xi thought he would help the middle-aged man, Su Wang arrogantly took out two red bills from his pocket and tossed them at the owner.

In a domineering tone, he said, "Give me the change quickly. I'm in a hurry!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go get your change!" The owner received the money with a smiling face and hurriedly left.

After running a few steps, he suddenly turned around.

The owner glared at the middle-aged man standing beside Su Wang, menacingly saying, "Don't even think about running. I know where your family lives. Today's matter is not over!"

The middle-aged man hesitated and stood still, his old face showing a bewildered and helpless expression.

Su Wang sneered at his appearance.

He walked past the man, heading towards Qiao Xi, Shen Ran, and Li Zilan.

As Su Wang brushed past the middle-aged man, his phone fell out of his pocket. 

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