As he said that, the old man began to roast the sweet potatoes with a smile.
By chatting with the old man, Fade and Quin learned the old man's situation.
The elderly man's surname was Liu, and he was a local in Bay City. He owned an old house in the suburbs of the city, and he had a son.
Initially, Uncle Liu lived an ordinary life in Bay City. He was not wealthy but had a decent life. However, his son often hung out with the gangsters on the street after he graduated from high school. He seldom went back home, let alone work for a living. He even frequently went home to ask Uncle Liu for money.
It was not a big deal to have such a disappointing son. However, the tragedy was when the old man's wife suddenly fell ill the previous year.
Uncle Liu brought his wife to several hospitals, and although his wife's condition had stabilized, he had used up all his savings to treat his wife's serious illness.
There were no more savings in the family, but
life still needed to go on. His wife's illness had not completely recovered yet, so she had to rely on medicine to continue her recovery. Therefore, Uncle Liu had to come out to make a living.
Unfortunately, he was elderly and he didn't have many skills. That was why he ended up selling roasted sweet potatoes on the street. After all, since Uncle Liu had spent many years taking care of his wife, he was good at cooking.
Some time ago, the weather had turned cold. Since Uncle Liu's culinary skills were not bad, many people bought his roasted sweet potatoes. Furthermore, the passers-by would often buy a few more roasted sweet potatoes out of their pity for Uncle Liu.
If it went on like this, Uncle Liu could earn a few hundred yuan a day. After deducting the cost, he could still make more than a hundred yuan a day. The income was considered quite good for Uncle Liu.
However, good times did not last long. Some gangsters on the street came to find Uncle Liu and asked for protection money.
Uncle Liu did not dare to offend them, so he gave them money. But as a result, these gangsters were getting greedier, and the frequency they came to ask for money increased. Worse still, they demanded more and more money every time.
Since Uncle Liu had no way of getting rid of their exploitation, he switched locations to sell his roasted sweet potatoes. Unexpectedly, some gangsters collected protection fees there too. Moreover, they were even more ruthless as they had snatched Uncle Liu's wallet away without a second thought.
If it weren't for Fade, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After hearing all these, Quin could not help but console Uncle Liu softly.
Fade, on the other hand, frowned as his expression darkened.
He had been away from Bay City for only half a year, and yet Bay City had already fallen till this state.
Master Xu's high- profile roadblock and the gangsters' collection of protection fees were simply too ridiculous.
When Fade was in Bay City, Uncle Jimmy was in charge of the order of the underground world in Bay City. Despite the inevitable fights and dirty tricks, the overall order was well-maintained. People of the underground world had to obey the rules of the underground world.
After listening to Darren's explanation, Fade was silent. After a moment, he said, "In that case, I will return to Bay City to help you solve the problems and stabilise the situation."
"Later, I will ask Uncle Jimmy and Tom to get some martial arts masters from Long City to come back and support you. Also, your people in Bay City should work hard and train to enhance their level. If you can't do it, you should go to Sky Martial Arts Centre to undergo special training."
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Chen!" Darren exclaimed. Fade's promise had excited him in an instant. "Mr. Chen, where are you now? I'll be right there."
Taking a glance at the roasted sweet potatoes next to him, Fade replied, "It's too late now. Meet me tomorrow. We'll plan then." "Yes!" Darren agreed respectfully and then hung up the phone.
Fade put away his phone and walked back to the stall. Looking at Quin, who was holding a hot roasted sweet potato and devouring it, he could not help smiling. "Dear, I didn't expect you to like this!" he said.
Quin rolled her eyes at Fade. She explained as she ate, "You think I've always been rich? When I was young, my parents had not managed to start a business successfully yet. At that time, my family lived an impoverished lifestyle. It was only after the business got better that my family's financial situation improved. When I was young, a roasted sweet potato was the most delicious food I could have."
"You suffered so much as a child. I promise you that I will not let you suffer anymore in the future. I will buy as many sweet potatoes as you want," Fade said with a smile.
Seeing this, Uncle Liu chuckled. "It's so nice of you two to be so close. May your life be always sweet and happy in the future."
Biting on the hot roasted sweet potatoes, Fade replied, "Thank you for your blessings! We will stay happy together!"
Quin didn't say anything, but her cheeks reddened as she was overwhelmed with joy. The roasted sweet potatoes in her hands had somehow seemed a little sweeter.
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