Hearing this, Chen Ling finally understood the sequence of events and gave a slight nod.
"Officer Chen Ling." Boss Li glanced left and right, then pulled a small bag of oil paper from the cabinet and handed it to Chen Ling. "This is a little token of appreciation from my humble shop... Please accept it. If you ever want cake in the future, just let me know, and I will personally deliver it to your home."
Chen Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, opening the oil paper to find two silver coins still carrying the scent of cream falling into his palm.
His brow instantly furrowed.
Seeing Chen Ling frown, Boss Li, who was skilled at observing expressions, felt his heart skip a beat and immediately spoke up, "Officer Chen Ling, with the heavy rain, the snowstorms, and the Calamity Invasion this month, my shop really hasn't made much money... Next month, next month there will definitely be a bit more."
Looking at the two silver coins in his hand, Chen Ling seemed to understand what the residents of Frost Street had just been whispering about...
Just as Chen Ling was about to speak, a few more figures emerged from the surrounding shops.
"Officer Chen Ling, I'm from the tailor shop across the street, just call me Xiao Xu..."
"Officer Chen Ling, do you still remember me? I fixed the water pipes at your house before. My hardware store is right next door. This is a little token of my appreciation..."
"..."
It seemed that seeing Boss Li of the cake shop take the lead, the other shop owners also followed suit. They were all beaming with smiles, clutching oil paper in their hands, and pressing them into Chen Ling's grasp...
Judging by the weight, these bosses must have already discussed this before his arrival; each shop gave exactly two silver coins.
Except for that middle-aged woman who asked Chen Ling to come sit in their shop. She stuffed five coins in one breath and then gave him a 'if you know, you know' look.
In just over ten seconds, the silver coins in Chen Ling's hands already numbered nearly twenty...
If converted to before the Great Cataclysm, this was already five thousand RMB deposited, and this was just after stepping onto the street.
At this moment, Chen Ling suddenly understood why a Law Enforcer like Ma Zhong could buy such a luxurious mansion in District 2. If an ordinary Law Enforcer could use their position to openly bring in such income, then how terrifying must the profits be for Ma Zhong, the Law Enforcer who covered the sky with one hand in District Three?
Not to mention, his businesses also involved dark territories like Ice Spring Street.
Judging by the reactions of the Frost Street residents, this kind of thing seemed entirely ordinary in the Aurora Domain...
"Sorry, I won't accept this." Chen Ling shook his head.
Hearing these five words, everyone's faces turned pale. After exchanging glances, they cautiously spoke up:
"Then, then what do you mean..."
"I don't mean anything, I just won't accept it."
Chen Ling directly placed everyone's money on the cake counter, pulled back, and continued walking toward the other end of Frost Street.
The faces of the numerous bosses grew increasingly ugly. Gritting their teeth, they pulled a few more silver coins from their pockets, stuffed them into their respective oil papers, and hurriedly chased after him.
"Officer Chen Ling, our revenue this month is truly poor. Please have mercy and let us off for one month..."
"Yes, Officer Chen Ling, we are all neighbors on the same street. Please, please make an exception for us!"
"If you don't accept this money, we can't feel at ease... If another Law Enforcer comes over, we, we won't have anyone covering for us here..."
The voices of the few people grew softer, but Chen Ling's mind grew clearer.
What they were giving was not just tribute money, but another form of protection fee... They wanted to continue operating in District Three, and it wouldn't work without someone covering them. If he didn't accept their money, they would feel even more uncertain.
They thought Chen Ling refused purely because the money offered was too little.
Accepting wasn't right, and neither was not accepting... Chen Ling narrowed his eyes, a thought suddenly surging into his mind.
"You guys, are you using this to test a cadre?" he asked coldly.
Upon hearing this sentence, the other bosses were instantly dumbfounded.
"We, we... Then, then how much do you want? Just name a number first..."
"I, Chen Ling, have never been interested in money."
"Then what do you like? Just say the word, and we will prepare it immediately!"
Chen Ling slowly pulled a peach from his convenience bag and handed it to Boss Li. "I want this kind of peach, exactly the same... Let's start with a cartload."
As his voice fell, Chen Ling directly turned and left.
If these bosses were smart, they would ask around to find out where this peach was bought, and it wouldn't be hard to find the old woman selling peaches on the adjacent street... This way, they would pay the old woman, and also send peaches to him, gaining peace of mind...
'Yes, this plan is perfect.'
Chen Ling thought to himself.
As his figure gradually faded into the distance, the bosses' eyes fell upon what was in Boss Li's hand...
Two of them felt their legs go soft and dropped to their knees with a thud.
"He... he he he... He said, to let us send him this kind of 'peach'?" The one-point-eight-meter-tall tough guy, the hardware store boss, was so frightened at this moment that his lips turned purple.
"He... calls this a peach!?"
At this moment, in Boss Li's hand.
A bright red human heart slowly stopped beating...
...
【Audience Expectation Value +2】
The moment he saw this line of text appear in the snow, Chen Ling was stunned.
Why did the Audience Expectation Value increase out of nowhere?
Chen Ling frowned slightly, reviewing everything he had just done, but still couldn't find the point that increased the Expectation Value... Could it be that the Audience was stirring up trouble on their own again?
While thinking suspiciously, Chen Ling continued deeper into Frost Street. More and more shop owners stepped forward wanting to build a good relationship. Chen Ling backhandedly gave out the peaches from the bag, told them he only accepted this, and then turned away.
The effect of giving peaches seemed better than Chen Ling imagined. Every time he gave one out, that group of bosses stopped chasing after him. They probably all went to find a place to buy peaches.
【Audience Expectation Value +2】
【Audience Expectation Value +2】
【Audience Expectation Value...】
Watching more and more Expectation Value pop up, Chen Ling's frown deepened. He seemed to realize something and looked down at the bag in his hand.
The only remaining peach lay inside, smooth, tender, and overflowing with a clear fragrance.
Chen Ling picked up this peach, observed it in his hand for quite a while, and couldn't find any issues.
So, cautiously, he took a bite himself.
Mhm, sweet.
At the same time, in a household across the street where the female owner was peeking at Chen Ling through the window, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
Chen Ling finished eating the peach in a few bites. By this time, he had almost walked the entire Frost Street. Seeing it was getting late, he headed straight for his own alleyway.
Returning to his doorway, he found that the metal rolling shutter of Zhao's Breakfast Shop diagonally across the street had been pulled down. He was slightly surprised. Logically, even if Uncle Zhao wasn't open for business at this hour, he should have kept the door open to prepare tomorrow's ingredients...
Chen Ling didn't overthink it. He went directly home, changed out of his black and red uniform, and sat on the eaves in front of his house.
An unknown amount of time passed as he looked at the empty street, lost in deep thought...
'Why hasn't anyone come to deliver peaches yet?'