Chapter 51: Peach

Hearing this, Chen Ling finally understood the whole situation and nodded slightly.

"Officer Chen Ling," Boss Li glanced around, took a small oil paper bag from the cabinet, and handed it to Chen Ling. "This is a small token from my shop... Please accept it. If you ever want cake in the future, just let me know, and I'll personally deliver it to your home."

Chen Ling narrowed his eyes, opened the oil paper, and two silver coins, still smelling of cream, fell into his palm.

His brow immediately furrowed.

Seeing Chen Ling frown, Boss Li, who was good at reading expressions, felt a jolt in his heart and quickly said, "Officer Chen Ling, this month we've had heavy rain, heavy snow, and a disaster invasion. My shop really hasn't made much money... Next month, next month will definitely be more."

Looking at the two silver coins in his hand, Chen Ling seemed to understand what the residents of Frost Street had been whispering about earlier.

Just as Chen Ling was about to speak, several 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 remember me? I fixed your family's water pipes before. My hardware store is right next door, this is a small token from me..."

"Officer Chen Ling is truly handsome... Have some free time to visit our shop? We have plenty of pretty girls there..."

It seemed that after seeing Boss Li from the cake shop make the first move, the other shop owners also followed suit. All of them were beaming, carrying oil paper packets, and handing them to Chen Ling.

Judging by the weight, these bosses must have already discussed it before he arrived; each shop gave two silver coins.

Except for the middle-aged woman who invited Chen Ling to visit her shop; she slipped him five coins at once, then gave him a knowing look.

In just over ten seconds, Chen Ling already had nearly twenty silver coins in his hand.

If converted to pre-Calamity currency, it was already 5,000 RMB, and this was just from walking onto the street.

At this moment, Chen Ling suddenly understood why an enforcer like Ma Zhong could afford such a luxurious residence in District Two. If an ordinary enforcer could openly gain such income by leveraging their position, then how terrifying would Ma Zhong's income be, as the dominant enforcer in District Three?

Moreover, his businesses also involved dark areas like Ice Spring Street.

Judging by the reactions of the residents of Frost Street, such incidents seemed perfectly normal in the Aurora Realm.

"Sorry, I don't accept these," Chen Ling shook his head.

Hearing these five words, everyone's faces paled. After exchanging glances, they cautiously spoke:

"Then, what do you mean by that...?"

"I don't mean anything; I just won't accept them."

Chen Ling placed all the money on the cake counter, turned, and continued walking towards the other end of Frost Street.

The expressions of the many bosses grew even worse. Gritting their teeth, they pulled out a few more silver coins from their pockets, slipped them into their respective oil paper packets, and then hurriedly chased after him.

"Officer Chen Ling, our revenue this month really hasn't been good. Please have mercy and give us a month's grace..."

"Yes, Officer Chen Ling, we're all neighbors on this street. Please, make an exception for us!"

"If you don't take this money, we won't feel at ease... If another enforcer comes, we'll have no one to protect us..."

As their voices grew fainter, Chen Ling's understanding became clearer.

What they were offering wasn't just tribute; it was also a form of protection money. They knew they couldn't continue operating in District Three without protection, and if he didn't accept their money, they'd feel even more insecure.

They thought Chen Ling refused simply because they hadn't offered enough.

Accepting wasn't an option, nor was refusing... Chen Ling narrowed his eyes, and a thought suddenly sprang into his mind.

"Are you trying to test an officer with this?" he said coldly.

As soon as he said this, the other bosses were stunned.

"W-we... Then, how much do you want? Just name a price..."

"I, Chen Ling, have never been interested in money."

"Then what do you like? Just tell us, and we'll prepare it immediately!"

Chen Ling slowly pulled a "peach" from his convenience bag and handed it to Boss Li. "I want this kind, exactly this kind of 'peach'... Start with a cartload."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ling turned and left.

If these bosses were smart, they would inquire where this "peach" was bought, and it wouldn't be hard to find the old woman selling "peaches" on the next street... This way, they would pay the old woman, deliver "peaches" to him, and find peace of mind.

"Hmm, this plan is perfect," Chen Ling thought to himself.

As his figure gradually receded, the gazes of the bosses fell upon Boss Li's hand.

Two of them felt their legs buckle and fell to their knees with a thud.

"He... he he he... he said he wants us to deliver *this* kind of 'peach' to him?" The hardware store owner, a 1.8-meter tough guy, was so frightened his lips had turned purple.

"He... called *this* a 'peach'!?"

At that moment, in Boss Li's hand, a fresh, red human heart slowly stopped beating.

Audience Expectation: 2

The moment this line appeared in the snow, Chen Ling was startled.

Why did the audience expectation suddenly increase for no reason?

Chen Ling frowned slightly, replaying everything he had just done, but still couldn't find the point where the expectation increased... Could it be that the audience was causing trouble again?

As Chen Ling pondered suspiciously, he continued deeper into Frost Street. More and more shop owners came forward, trying to curry favor. Chen Ling, in turn, handed them the "peaches" from his bag, telling them he only accepted these, and then turned and left.

The effect of handing out "peaches" seemed better than Chen Ling had imagined. Each time he gave one out, the bosses stopped chasing him; they were probably all off to find places to buy "peaches."

Audience Expectation: 2

Audience Expectation: 2

Audience Expectation...

As more and more expectation values appeared, Chen Ling's brow furrowed tighter. He seemed to realize something and looked down at the bag in his hand.

The last remaining "peach" lay inside, smooth and plump, exuding a fresh fragrance.

Chen Ling picked up the "peach," examined it in his hand for a while, and found nothing amiss.

So, cautiously, he took a bite himself.

"Mm, it's sweet."

Meanwhile, in a house across the street, where a family was secretly watching Chen Ling through a window, the hostess's eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot from fright.

Chen Ling finished the "peach" in a few bites. By this time, he had nearly walked the length of Frost Street. Seeing that it was getting late, he headed straight for his own alley.

Arriving at his doorstep, he noticed that the Zhao Family Breakfast Shop diagonally across the street had already lowered its metal shutter. He was slightly surprised; normally, even if Uncle Zhao wasn't open for business at this hour, he'd still have the door open to prepare ingredients for the next day...

Chen Ling didn't think much of it. He went straight home, changed out of his black and red uniform, and sat on the doorstep.

He didn't know how long passed, but he sat gazing at the empty street, lost in thought...

Why hadn't anyone come to deliver peaches yet?