Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Upon returning home, Qi Cheng recounted the matter brought up by Deputy Magistrate Yang that day, as well as his encounter with Yang Baozhu on his way home.

Lu Yuan gave him a look that spoke volumes. "So, are you acting as bait? Bait to help Deputy Magistrate Yang take down Scribe Yang?"

Qi Cheng replied, "Everyone has a selfish streak. Only by intimidating Scribe Yang and threatening his career will he step out of his role as a doting father. That way, we’ll have fewer troubles."

"And what about acting dirty, ugly, and rotten, as you mentioned yesterday? Are you still going to keep it up?"

Qi Cheng shook his head.

Seeing him shake his head, Lu Yuan let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking to herself that if Qi Cheng really became unhygienic, ugly, and bad, even as a temporary measure, it would still torment her. After all, Yang Baozhu only saw him occasionally, while she was the one living with him day in and day out. At that point, should she share a room with him or sleep separately?

Noticing her slight sigh of relief, Qi Cheng smiled wryly and added, "If anyone suspicious approaches the stall these days, move back with Hu Qiniang and be careful not to get hit by hot oil."

Lu Yuan nodded but couldn’t help asking, "If they really do smash the stall and we get compensation, can I get all new equipment?"

Qi Cheng: "...Is that all you can think about?"

Lu Yuan: "What else? You said we shouldn’t worry. With Deputy Magistrate Yang’s assurance, the compensation is guaranteed. Even if Scribe Yang refuses to pay, I trust Deputy Magistrate Yang’s integrity—he’ll make sure we’re compensated, right?"

Qi Cheng: ...

Her mind really was filled with nothing but money.

He wondered if, after filling it with silver, there was still any room left for him in her heart.

Qi Cheng’s thoughts drifted for a moment before he snapped back to reality and looked at her seriously. "This could get messy. You still need to be careful."

Initially, it would likely just be intimidation without actual harm, but he couldn’t tell her that. She seemed afraid of everything on the surface, but in reality, she feared nothing. If pushed too far, she might even resort to extreme measures. Her impulsiveness worried him, so it was better to keep her cautious.

Lu Yuan had been stressed about the possibility of the stall being smashed these days. Whenever someone who looked intimidating or fierce approached, she would immediately pull Hu Qiniang farther away.

As a burly man passed by the stall, the two women both let out a sigh of relief at the same time.

Hu Qiniang asked, "Boss, if someone really tries to smash our stall, should we just stand by and watch?"

Lu Yuan replied, "If someone is determined to cause trouble, two women like us won’t be able to stop them. Our safety is the most important thing."

Hu Qiniang nodded and added, "I never would have guessed that the heavyset woman who came to our stall that night could be so malicious."

Lu Yuan thought to herself, "She’s already capable of forcibly pursuing a married man—what kindness can you expect from her?" A bad tree seldom bears good fruit. Yang Baozhu was wicked, and her father, Scribe Yang, was even worse. Yang Baozhu’s malice wasn’t innate; it was spoiled into her by her parents.

"You can’t judge a person’s heart by their face. How can you tell what’s inside through their outward appearance?" Lu Yuan said, still remaining vigilant.

Just as she was staying alert, a familiar person suddenly appeared in front of her stall.

Lu Yuan wasn’t particularly good at remembering faces, but the way this person held their chin high, as if looking down on everyone, made it unnecessary to see their face. Lu Yuan recognized them instantly.

Aside from the maid who accompanied Yang Baozhu that day, who else could it be?

You don’t often see a servant carrying themselves with such an attitude.

Lu Yuan thought to herself that this maid looked thin and weak—she probably wouldn’t have the nerve to smash the stall, right?

The maid looked at Lu Yuan and said, "Pack up two of each snack from your stall."

As she spoke, she placed a food basket on the table: "There are containers in here. Put the food in them once it’s ready."

Lu Yuan: "..."

What’s going on?

Both Lu Yuan and Hu Qiniang were baffled, but they went ahead and prepared the order.

Lu Yuan did the frying, while Hu Qiniang kept an eye on the maid in case she tried anything like tipping over the fryer.

It took Lu Yuan a good while to finish preparing and packing the food.

The maid picked up the basket, counted out forty-two copper coins and placed them on the table, then looked up at Lu Yuan and asked, "Have you thought it over?"

It took Lu Yuan a second to catch on to what she was referring to.

Lu Yuan gathered her resolve, though her expression remained cold and detached.

"Tell your mistress this: my husband and I are deeply in love. Not only will we not divorce, but I also have no intention of stepping down as the legal wife to become a concubine."

The maid frowned slightly and said, "I’m warning you, don’t cross my mistress. My master is a Scribe at the Guang Kang Public Office, backed by the County Magistrate himself. He’s well-connected—everyone in Guang Kang knows of him."

"My master dotes on his daughter more than anything. Whatever she wants, he will provide. If you don’t back down, he has plenty of ways to make you and your husband change your minds."

"You’ll suffer for nothing and still end up giving in—it’s not worth it."

Lu Yuan suddenly laughed a short, dry laugh, leaving the maid bewildered. "What are you laughing at?" she asked.

Lu Yuan’s smile vanished. She threw the rag down hard on the counter and said coldly, word by word: "I’ll be waiting."

"I refuse to believe that Guang Kang is entirely under your master’s control. Above him, there’s the County Magistrate, the Deputy Magistrate, and the County Sheriff. If he dares to act, I’ll appeal over his head, level by level!"

Seeing that she couldn’t be reasoned with, the maid snorted coldly: "You clearly haven’t heard about my master’s influence in Guang Kang."

"Fine. Let’s see if you’re still this tough-talking when they actually show up at your door."

With that, she picked up the food basket and walked away.

Hu Qiniang watched the maid leave and fumed, "We should’ve refused her business in the first place."

"Not necessarily. Why turn away paying customers?"

Hu Qiniang turned to look at her, surprised by her calm expression. "Aren’t you angry, boss?"

Lu Yuan wasn’t all that angry.

Troublesome people were everywhere—she’d seen plenty during her time as a nurse. If she got angry over every little thing, she’d spend ten out of twelve hours fuming. What kind of life would that be?

"A little annoyed, but it’s not worth dwelling on. The more you get worked up over such unreasonable people, the more pleased with themselves they become."

Hu Qiniang glanced in the direction the maid had gone and said, "I’ve never seen anyone so shameless. The mistress has no shame, trying to steal someone else’s husband and acting so superior about it. Even the maid acts high and mighty, like she’s above it all."

"She's clearly just a servant, yet she looks down on us regular folks. I feel like giving her a couple of slaps just looking at her." As she spoke, Hu Qiniang even pretend-slapped the air twice.

Lu Yuan poured her a bowl of soy milk and handed it over, advising, "Calm down, calm down. Have a bowl of soy milk to cool that fire inside."

Hu Qiniang realized she had gotten too angry and had even scared off passing customers. She quickly took a deep breath to adjust her emotions, then accepted the soy milk.

After drinking half the bowl, her anger subsided a bit.

Two more days had passed since the maid's warning.

Lu Yuan continued to run the stall carefully with Hu Qiniang.

The night market was more than half over when Huang Li, wearing an outer robe and heavy makeup, hurried over.

Compared to Yang Baozhu, Huang Li actually seemed almost likable to her now.

Noticing Huang Li's hurried look, Lu Yuan asked, "You don't look too well. What's wrong?"

Huang Li came around the stall, came up to her, and gestured for her to come closer, saying, "Come here, I need to tell you something serious."

Lu Yuan was puzzled. She and Huang Li had little interaction—what serious matter could there be?

Though she thought so, she still leaned in close to listen.

Huang Li raised a hand to cover her mouth and whispered in her ear, "I'm telling you this, but you mustn't let anyone know it was me who told you."

Lu Yuan replied, "I don't even know what you're going to say. Who would I tell, and what would I say?"

Huang Li rolled her eyes. "Can't you just listen carefully?"

Lu Yuan said, "Alright, alright, my mistake. I shouldn't interrupt."

Huang Li lowered her voice further. "Among the guests drinking at the wazi (entertainment district) tonight, there are a few thugs from Guangkang. They don't do honest work—they specialize in shady, under-the-table jobs for others."

"While I was pouring drinks for them, I accidentally overheard them discussing how to smash the Su family's stall. At first, I didn't realize it was your stall, but then I heard them say they'd only wreck the stall and avoid splashing the hot oil to avoid actually hurting anyone."

"Honestly, how did you manage to offend someone? Whoever hired these thugs must either have money or connections. It's not something easily resolved. You should close up shop quickly and lay low for a while."

Lu Yuan said, "We still need to earn our living. Taking ten days or half a month off is manageable, but if we take a whole month off and these people still won't leave us alone, what then?"

Huang Li urged, "Your safety is more important than making money. If you get hurt, not only will you have to pay for treatment, but you'll also need time to recover. It's not worth it."

Not wanting to dismiss her good intentions, Lu Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "Do those thugs have any standout features? If I see them, I can avoid them."

Huang Li said, "They usually move in groups of three to five. Their leader is called Brother Bao. He has monolids, really dark skin, and a tall, sturdy build. He's actually quite handsome—though of course, not as handsome as your husband."

"One of them has a large black mole right here on his nose." She pointed to the left side of her nose.

As Lu Yuan listened to the description, she suddenly peered into the distance. It was too dark to see clearly, so she asked, "Is it those guys up ahead?"

Huang Li turned to look, and her expression instantly changed. She hurriedly said, "I have to go. Don't tell anyone you saw me. I can't afford to mess with these people either."

With that, Huang Li rushed off.

Lu Yuan quickly turned to exchange looks with Hu Qiniang and whispered a warning, "Be careful. Don't get hurt."

Hu Qiniang nodded eagerly.

Soon, the group arrived. They didn't start trouble right away but instead chased away the customers who were eating and took over two tables with just four people.

"Shopkeeper, bring us a few bowls of soy milk and some youtiao (fried dough sticks)."

Hu Qiniang was holding her breath nervously. "How many bowls and how many youtiao?"

The man with the mole by his nose slammed the table and cursed, "Are you blind? Can't you see how many of us there are?!"

Lu Yuan gave Hu Qiniang a reassuring look, then said with a smile, "She's new here, just helping out. Please wait a moment, folks. I'll prepare your order right away."

Lu Yuan made the soy milk and youtiao, and she and Hu Qiniang served them before backing away.

They had initially worried whether this was genuine trouble or if the Yang family was behind it. But with Huang Li's warning, they felt better prepared.

While Lu Yuan was still thinking things over, one of the men suddenly shouted, "Hell! There's a cockroach in this soy milk! Are you trying to kill someone?!"

Here it comes—trouble has arrived.

Lu Yuan and Hu Qiniang stayed clear of both the oil pot and the tables.

From a distance, Lu Yuan called out, "Impossible! Our soy milk is always filtered through cheesecloth. I even filtered it again just now while boiling it. There's no way there could be a cockroach."

The man widened his eyes and shot a look at the woman standing several steps away. "Are you saying we're trying to scam you?"

Lu Yuan replied, "I didn't say that, but if you insist, I can't help but suspect it."

The man flipped her table and yelled, "I've never been accused of something like this in my life!"

The commotion at Lu Yuan's stall was so loud that people from neighboring stalls quickly fled, keeping their distance.

Even passersby avoided the area, afraid of getting caught up in it.

"Brothers, this stall is dishonest! Let's teach them a lesson—smash it!"

Lu Yuan and Hu Qiniang kept their distance, not making a sound or putting up a fight, simply watching as the stall was destroyed.

The tall, dark, and sturdy man, however, didn't move. He seemed to sense something wasn't right and turned to look at the two women who appeared to be watching calmly, without any sign of panic.

Narrowing his eyes, he felt something was wrong.

Ordinary people would cry and kick up a fuss if their stall was being destroyed. But these two acted as if it had nothing to do with them, their calmness seeming strangely out of place.

When the stall was nearly demolished, the man shouted, "That's enough."

The man with the mole by his nose spat on the ground and said, "If you weren't women, I'd beat you too. How dare you accuse me? You're asking for trouble."

"I advise you to learn when to back down. Don't be so stubborn all the time. Know when to yield, or it won't just be us teaching you a lesson—others will be waiting to do the same."

Based on what the maid had said the other day, it was clear the thug's words carried a hidden meaning.

After wrecking the stall, the troublemakers left.

Bystanders quickly cleared a path as they approached.

Only after they were gone did people dare to discuss what had happened.

Since the whole thing took less than fifteen minutes, by the time the local authorities arrived from the end of the street, the troublemakers were already gone.

The local official asked, "I got delayed earlier, so I arrived late. Have the troublemakers left?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

It seems that the person who was detaining the local official was also one of the troublemakers.

The local official looked around the trashed stall and, after asking bystanders what had happened, inquired of the stall owner, "Do you want to report this to the authorities?"

Lu Yuan nodded emphatically and she replied resolutely, "Yes!"

"I think they were deliberately looking for trouble. If we don’t report it, wouldn’t that just confirm that the food at my stall is unhygienic?"

They had been waiting for the stall to be trashed so they could report it to the authorities.