Chapter 144 City Streets 44

Chapter 144: City Streets 44

"What happened?" Qin Rongshi asked, his expression serious.

Qin Banban finally found someone to complain to. She recounted the entire incident in detail, then glared angrily at Qin Rongshi. "Second Brother! These ruffians are bullying us! And that 'Snow Skin Soft Cheese' selling for five coins each—it must have been copied from us by the shop next door!"

"How could she be so wicked? And I even called her Auntie before!"

Qin Rongshi grasped the situation, his face grave. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Did she truly claim the 'Snow Skin Soft Cheese' she sells is identical to ours?"

Before Qin Banban could answer, one of the thugs, lying on the ground with his neck craned, shouted, "It’s exactly the same! That’s what she said!"

Qin Rongshi ignored him and quietly instructed Qin Banban, "She was just at Rainbow Bridge market. It’s bustling there, so she probably hasn’t gone far. Spend some coins to hire a couple of unfamiliar faces to find her and buy a few portions of 'Snow Skin Soft Cheese' to bring back."

Qin Banban listened carefully, nodded seriously, and turned to find someone.

After giving all the instructions, Qin Rongshi finally furrowed his brows and looked at Liu Guyu, his expression solemn, with a hint of concealed worry in his dark eyes.

Seeing his expression, Liu Guyu felt a headache coming on. He leaned on the bamboo chair’s armrest and stood up, as if wanting to take a few steps to show Qin Rongshi that his injury wasn’t serious.

But his sprained right foot refused to cooperate, and he had clearly overestimated his pain tolerance.

"…Ouch."

As soon as Liu Guyu’s toes touched the ground, sharp pain shot through him, making his vision go black.

Qin Rongshi quickly reached out to hold his arm, saying with a hint of frustration, "Can’t you just stay still?"

Liu Guyu: "I—"

Before Liu Guyu could finish his sentence, a large, warm hand pressed against his side. His waist was sensitive and ticklish, and Qin Rongshi’s sudden movement caught him completely off guard, startling him so much he nearly jumped like a rocket.

But the hand was strong, gripping Liu Guyu firmly and preventing him from jumping. In the next moment, Qin Rongshi wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted him off the ground entirely.

A princess carry?

A princess carry!

Liu Guyu squirmed like an eel, instinctively raising his hand to punch Qin Rongshi’s head. But then he remembered—this was the head of a future top scholar! He couldn’t damage it.

"Qin Rongshi! What are you doing?" Liu Guyu shouted, but Qin Rongshi carried him into the eatery, heading straight for the kitchen in the back.

Hearing the commotion, Fang Liuyin paused for a moment before saying slowly, "Go on in. I’ll give Accountant Zhang a couple of acupuncture treatments and be right there."

Accountant Zhang was a man, so there was no need for caution. Even if someone saw him receiving acupuncture in the eatery, it wouldn’t matter. But Liu Guyu was a *ge'er* and needed to be more careful.

That’s what Fang Liuyin thought.

Inside the kitchen, separated by a bamboo curtain, Qin Rongshi carried Liu Guyu in, glanced around, and seeing the wooden countertop was clean, set him down on it.

Sitting on the countertop, Liu Guyu felt extremely uncomfortable, as if goosebumps were rising all over his arms. Without thinking, he lifted his uninjured foot and kicked out, muttering under his breath, "You little brat, no sense of propriety!"

He didn’t know where he kicked, but Qin Rongshi let out a low grunt, took half a step back, lowered his head to adjust his clothes, and brushed off the gray shoe print on his hem.

While speaking softly, he reached out and grasped Liu Guyu’s calf. "Is this what you call 'no sense of propriety'?"

Liu Guyu choked, about to retort, but Qin Rongshi quickly removed his shoe, rolled up his pant leg, and frowned as he examined the swollen ankle.

His sock had loosened, dangling halfway off his toes.

Liu Guyu felt uneasy, very uneasy, as if needles were pricking him from below—a storm of needles!

He quickly tried to pull his foot back, but the hand gripping his calf was firm. Even through the fabric of his pants, he could feel the warmth of Qin Rongshi’s palm.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Liu Guyu didn’t know why he was so flustered, stammering as he instinctively tried to pull his foot back with some force.

Qin Rongshi gave him a calm glance, but the strength in his hand was anything but gentle.

"Stop moving. It’s swollen like a steamed bun, and you’re still squirming?" He lowered his head to examine the injury on Liu Guyu’s ankle.

It hadn’t been long, but the originally slender, well-defined ankle had swollen significantly. The ankle and instep were both puffed up, with several veins around the injury turning bluish, and the skin gradually darkening with bruises.

Sitting on the countertop, Liu Guyu guiltily touched the tip of his nose and muttered after a moment, "…It’s not that white."

Well, aren’t steamed buns supposed to be white?

His ankle was bruised and swollen—more like a moldy bun.

Qin Rongshi almost laughed in exasperation. He hadn’t expected Liu Guyu to be thinking about such things at a time like this.

He took a deep breath, stood up, fetched a cloth, soaked it in cold water, and applied it to Liu Guyu’s injury.

"Ouch… cold, cold, cold…"

Qin Rongshi frowned, looking up to see Liu Guyu shivering and hunching his shoulders. His frown deepened.

"Bear with it." His voice was low and hoarse, as if he was holding something back.

After changing the cold cloth a few times, Fang Liuyin finally entered with the medical kit, examined the injury, and felt the bones.

"Fortunately, the bone isn’t injured. I’ll apply some medicine and bandage it. Try not to walk around these next few days."

Liu Guyu nodded and asked, "How is Accountant Zhang?"

Fang Liuyin mixed the medicine as he replied, "He hurt his back. It’s more serious than your injury, but luckily, no bones were broken either. It’s just very painful. I’ll come by every day to give him acupuncture for the pain and prescribe some medicated wine for rubbing. But in his condition, he’ll probably need to rest in bed for about ten days. If he doesn’t recover properly and it leaves a chronic issue, he’ll suffer more when he’s older."

Liu Guyu’s brows furrowed tightly, clearly unhappy.

"If those troublemakers don’t get a lesson, I’ll change my surname from Liu!"

Then he turned to Fang Liuyin and continued, "My foot is injured, so I probably won’t be able to open the shop these next few days. That’s good—Accountant Zhang can rest more. He got injured in the eatery, so it’s my responsibility. Please use the best medicine for him; we can’t let this become a chronic issue."

Zhang Yun and his family had been working at the eatery for three months. The family was frugal, and the eatery provided meals. As long as they worked hard, Liu Guyu paid generously.

They had saved quite a bit in the first two months, and this month they rented a small two-room courtyard. It was farther away and simpler, but it was good for the family to live together.

This was just as well, making it easier for Zhang Yun to recuperate. If they had continued staying in the eatery, he couldn’t have rested properly on the floor, could he?

Fang Liuyin smiled and said, "I knew you’d say that. I already used the best medicated oil earlier."

Liu Guyu nodded in relief.

At that moment, there was another commotion outside, and it sounded like the constables had arrived.

Liu Guyu jerked his chin at Qin Rongshi and said, "Go check it out first."

Qin Rongshi nodded, gave Liu Guyu one last concerned look, and reluctantly went out.

Outside stood four constables, dressed in sharp and imposing black official uniforms, with swords at their waists, cutting an impressive figure.

As soon as the constables arrived, most of the onlookers dispersed, but the five men who'd helped earlier stayed behind.

Seeing Qin Rongshi, they noted his refined bearing and the long gown worn only by scholars who had passed the imperial exams—clearly, he was a government scholar with a degree.

A scholar was different from ordinary commoners, and the constables' expressions softened noticeably. They treated Qin Rongshi respectfully.

"Are you the one who reported the case, young sir?"

Qin Rongshi nodded and pointed at the three troublemakers on the ground. "These three barged into my family's shop, refused to pay for what they bought, argued with my family, and then started smashing the place when the argument got heated. They also injured the Accountant Zhang and one of my family members."

The lead constable glanced at the hooligans on the ground and immediately grew furious, landing a kick on one of them. "You lot again!"

Clearly, these three troublemakers were notorious, and even the constables had heard of them.

The three were seasoned troublemakers. The constables had scolded, reprimanded, and even jailed them for a few days, but they remained as stubborn as ever, completely unrepentant.

After cursing a few more times, the constable turned to Qin Rongshi and said, "We'll take them to the magistrate's office now. However, since you reported the case, you'll need to come with us as well."

Qin Rongshi nodded but said, "Could you wait a moment? My family member is injured, and I need to get them settled first before I can leave with my mind at ease."

The constable glanced into the eatery and saw the mess inside. Sympathetically, he nodded and said, "Of course, of course. Please go ahead, young sir."

If it were an ordinary commoner, he might not have been so accommodating. But the man before him was a scholar, and there was no telling if he might advance further in the exams, earn a higher rank, or even become an official. It was best not to offend him.

Qin Rongshi returned to the kitchen and found that Fang Liuyin had already helped Liu Guyu down from the counter. Liu Guyu was now sitting on a bamboo chair.

Qin Rongshi spoke first, "The constables are here. I'll go with them first. You stay put for now."

Liu Guyu frowned and pointed at his own nose. "I'm the shop owner. Shouldn't I be going too?"

Qin Rongshi replied, "You’ll have to kneel before the magistrate. Are you willing to kneel?"

Liu Guyu: "..."

Living in ancient times, some rules had to be followed.

If kneeling became absolutely necessary, Liu Guyu wouldn’t cling to the strange pride of "a man’s dignity lies beneath his knees," but if he could avoid it, he would... He really didn’t want to kneel.

He muttered, "I’m injured like this. Do I still have to kneel?"

Qin Rongshi simply said, "I don’t know the Magistrate’s temperament, so I’ll go first to see how things are."

Some benevolent officials might show leniency if they saw someone injured in court, perhaps even offering a seat. But there were also arrogant officials who loved to flaunt their authority and wouldn’t care how badly you were hurt.

Liu Guyu nodded and hurriedly added, "Then hurry up and go! We can’t let them off lightly! At the very least, they have to pay for all the damage to the shop! Both the Accountant Zhang and I are injured—they must cover the medical expenses too!"

Qin Rongshi nodded but lingered, seemingly waiting for something.

Just then, Qin Banban hurried in, carrying a small basket.

"Second Brother! I bought the 'Snow Skin Soft Cheese' from that vendor! It’s all here!"

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Author's note: ...I originally intended to write the scene at the magistrate’s office, including the compensation and other details, to make the plot more complete... but I just couldn’t manage it. Please bear with this for now (sigh) [Please, I beg you] [Please, I beg you]