Chapter 147: If You Are Unkind, Don’t Blame Me for Being Unjust

Chapter 147: If You Are Unkind, Don’t Blame Me for Being Unjust

"Please, sir, have mercy! Have mercy!"

"I never asked that Yang guy to borrow money, nor have I ever harassed a decent girl."

"Please, sir, have a heart. I’m just a guy who can barely feed himself, let alone have a little sister."

In the quiet of the night, the wooden stick rhythmically struck Chen Si’s shoulders, producing a low, forceful sound.

"Still lying when you’re about to die? Whether you have a sister or not, I’ve already found out—the Mei Embroidery Workshop in Qingshan Town!"

"And as for you harassing the young lady of the Cheng family in Biyu Lane, are you saying we’re wrong?"

Chen Si’s heart was racing, but in an instant, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had found a way out of a desperate situation.

He quickly explained, pleading, "I swear solemnly here that I have absolutely no connection with Miss Cheng of Biyu Lane. We’re completely innocent, no involvement at all."

"It was Yang who ruined her, it has nothing to do with me!"

"That Yang guy’s mouth is full of lies, not a word of truth can be trusted."

The burly man looked down at Chen Si coldly and said, "Yang said you took a fancy to Miss Cheng and begged him to help you. You two are like dogs fighting over a bone, neither of you is any good."

"Stop stalling, pay up, or we’ll take your sister."

Chen Si clenched his teeth in anger, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Sir, it was all Yang’s doing. His aunt used to work as a servant in the Cheng family. Whenever he was short on money, he’d go to the Cheng family to find his aunt, and that’s how he set his sights on Miss Cheng."

"When he told me about it, I laughed at him, saying he was a toad dreaming of eating swan meat. He shot back, telling me to just wait."

"Then one day, he bragged about stealing a kiss and taking her virginity, claiming that Miss Cheng, raised without lifting a finger, spoke softly and sweetly, her skin smoother than silk. The only pity was that she wasn’t a virgin."

"At the time, I thought he was just full of hot air, and I didn’t take it seriously at all."

"When he saw I didn’t believe him, he dressed up as a vegetable vendor and, with his aunt’s help, took me into the Cheng family to eavesdrop."

"I was scared out of my wits and didn’t stick around, so I sneaked out through the back door."

"I, Chen Si, am just a thug in a gambling den, indulging in drinking, whoring, and gambling, but I’ve never touched a decent girl."

"I have a sister at home too, and thinking about my own sister, how could I possibly do such a beastly thing?"

"Sir, Yang borrowed the money and can’t repay it. Go to Taoyuan Lane and find Old Lady Yang. She’s always paid off Yang’s debts before, and she’ll surely pay this time."

The wooden stick pressed heavily against Chen Si’s shoulder as the burly man sneered indifferently, "Yang swears this loan was for you. He won’t admit it or repay it."

"Besides, who knows if what you’re saying is true or not?"

"Everyone in Lianhua Town, from the underworld to the law-abiding, knows that Chen Si of Yongsheng Gambling Den is far more ruthless than Yang. Compared to you, Yang is just a spineless weakling. Harassing decent girls sounds more like your thing."

"How can you prove you’re not lying?"

"Her undergarments!" Chen Si blurted out. "Yes, her undergarments."

"Yang still has Miss Cheng’s intimate clothing at his house."

"He said that after tasting Miss Cheng’s body, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Even the girls in the brothels seemed bland to him, so he took a few pieces of Miss Cheng’s intimate clothing."

"Really?" The burly man’s face showed a hint of suspicion.

Without hesitation, Chen Si said, "As true as it gets."

The burly man clicked his tongue, his voice mocking, taking pleasure in someone else's misery. "Then you're really screwed. The Cheng family’s daughter accused the eldest son of the Lu family of seduction and rape, and the eldest son’s younger sister counter-accused the Cheng father and daughter of slander. The two sides are at a stalemate. Guess who’s going to take the fall?"

"The eldest son of the Lu family has the owner of Chaofu Grain Shop pulling strings for him. Yang has his old aunt to vouch for his innocence. And you? This mess is going to land right on your doorstep."

"This case has gotten so out of hand. Once it’s settled, it’s either hanging or exile. You’ve done so many wicked things in Lotus Town and offended so many people. It’s all going to come crashing down on your sister."

"Tsk."

The burly man put away his stick. "Since you’re so unlucky, I’ll cut you some slack for two more days."

"After all, if you die, our boss holds the IOU. Your ancestral house, your sister—they all belong to our boss."

Then, as if casually, he added, "The early bird catches the worm; the late bird gets the crumbs. The old saying doesn’t lie."

"Someone’s got to take the blame for the Cheng girl."

"Go!"

The burly man waved his hand, and the narrow alley was once again swallowed by silence.

Chen Si slumped to his knees on the ground, his face turned pale, then green, his eyes filled with malice.

He believed every word the debt collector said.

The matter of the Cheng family’s daughter from Jade Lane—Yang was the only one who had told him about it. And as for his sister’s identity, hardly anyone in Lotus Town knew about it.

He was an enforcer for the Yongsheng Gambling Den, doing the kind of dirty work that made enemies. Afraid of dragging his sister into it, the one person he depended on, he had long ago sent her to live with a widowed aunt in a neighboring town.

To everyone else, he and his sister were just distant cousins.

Coincidentally, once when he was drunk, he accidentally mentioned he was heading to Green Mountain Town to visit his sister. From then on, Yang had the inside scoop.

Putting the two things together, it was Yang who was setting him up!

Yang was a real piece of work.

He took out a high-interest loan and stuck him with it, ruined an innocent girl and left him holding the bag when things went south, and even dared to reveal his sister’s whereabouts to those heartless debt collectors!

He couldn’t bear to think about what would happen to his sister once the debt and the blame were firmly placed on his shoulders.

He was no saint himself, so he knew their tricks all too well.

Thinking of this, Chen Si gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

Yang, if you’re going to play dirty, don’t cry when I hit back!

Chen Si’s face showed no hesitation, only the fury of someone whose eyes were about to burst.

His nose wrinkled as he caught the foul mix of booze and piss in the air. He pushed himself up against the wall, lowered his head, and quickly walked home.

Chaofu Grain Shop.

He had never met the owner of Chaofu Grain Shop, but his sister had seen him when she went to deliver embroidery to the county’s embroidery workshop.

His sister said that the owner of Chaofu Grain Shop was a man who commanded respect and fear.

My younger sister’s eyes lit up whenever she talked about Mr. Lu.

Since he’s a respectable man, showing up looking this disheveled probably won’t get me an audience with Mr. Lu.

So I’d better head back, clean up, and put on some decent clothes before asking Mr. Lu for advice on how to move forward.

At the crack of dawn, Chen Si'er left Lotus Town and headed for the city.

By the time he reached the gates of Changhe County, the sun was already up.

"Juren Medical Hall" (a local clinic)