Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"All this fuss about paintings! Everyone's going on and on about whether there are any paintings!" In the private room of the Chen Family Teahouse, Manager Xu banged on the table, making it rattle. Manager Chen sat across from him, rolling his eyes at the angry complaints.

"You break it, you buy it."

That just made Manager Xu even madder. "We're in the same boat. If you're not worried, fine, but why act like you're being forced?"

"Did I hold a knife to Manager Chen's neck when we signed the contract?" Manager Xu sneered. "You enjoyed the benefits, and now you're acting all high and mighty?"

Manager Chen turned red at these words but, constrained by the powerful backers of the Xu family, he could only choke back his anger.

"Why vent your frustration on me? It's a done deal that the Ji Family Teahouse will display paintings in three days. Instead of losing your temper here, you'd be better off thinking about how to handle it."

Manager Chen's frown deepened. "Also, your story 'Obsessive Love Between Human and Ghost' is becoming less and less successful. Patrons have been complaining that it's not as good as 'Love Between Human and Ghost.' A huge crowd has switched over to the Ji, Liu, and Xu family teahouses."

"We copied 'Love Between Human and Ghost' word for word. How could it not work?"

Although Manager Xu wouldn't admit it out loud, it was true, as Manager Chen said, that business had been dropping off these past few days.

When the waiters asked why, the patrons all said it didn't sound as good as "Love Between Human and Ghost."

It was downright weird. They were clearly the same story, so why did one sound good and the other not?

At that moment, a racket broke out downstairs. Manager Xu and Manager Chen exchanged a puzzled look. Just as they were about to call the waiter at the door to ask what was happening, they heard the man's panicked voice. "Manager Chen, it's terrible! The customers are kicking up a fuss!"

"What do you mean the customers are kicking up a fuss?"

Manager Chen didn't understand and called for him to come in and explain.

The waiter, sweating bullets, blurted out, "Today, the storyteller reached the part where Chu Qi fends off all the guards to help Liu Minqing escape. He was telling it fine, but then a customer cut in, saying this part was dull and demanding he start that part again."

"The storyteller was forced to plow on. When he described Chu Qi being beaten to death by the guards, even more patrons interrupted. If we hadn't stopped them, they might have rushed up to beat the storyteller."

Before Manager Chen could speak, Manager Xu exclaimed, "What the...? When Chu Qi died in 'Love Between Human and Ghost,' everyone was in tears, saying how moving it was. He dies here too! What's the big difference?!"

Manager Chen rolled his eyes, unable to even look at him.

He had heard the whole story of "Love Between Human and Ghost."

Even though it was secondhand from his staff's retelling, he knew that in this segment, Chu Qi in "Love Between Human and Ghost" stood up to his own father for Liu Minqing's sake.

One could even say he intended patricide.

From the earlier plot, it was clear enough that Chu's father was the mastermind behind everything, the source of the tragedy.

He didn't care about his son at all; for the sake of family interests, even his legitimate heir could be killed.

Chu Qi's rebellion gave the audience a satisfying sense of revenge. It provided a resolution to the listeners' emotions—the grief of Liu Minqing's parents being killed, the longing for their deceased loved ones, and their hatred for the Chu family—all reached a climax at this moment.

It also showed Chu Qi had depth; he was a real person.

For the sake of his beloved and for himself, he would choose to act, even if it was unfilial.

Even knowing it was a trap and that Liu Minqing might not return, he still tore open a sliver of hope for her survival.

Although he ultimately died at his father's hands, his goal was achieved.

But in "Obsessive Love Between Human and Ghost," they wrote Chu's father out. Chu Qi did not attempt patricide; he was simply beaten to death by a group of guards.

Manager Chen felt such an ending would only provoke anger, not heartache or pity.

The character of Chu Qi became flat and uninteresting.

However, he didn't voice these thoughts. Even if he did, the other man wouldn't understand.

He would just yell, "It's exactly the same as 'Love Between Human and Ghost'! What's the difference?!"

They couldn't even plagiarize properly.

If Prefect Wang weren't blocking the Chen family's supply lines, the Chen family would never have been strong-armed into this partnership by that Xu guy.

Manager Chen just wanted to end this farce quickly. If things continued like this, the Chen Family Teahouse would go down with the Xu family ship.

"Let's go down and see what's going on, try to calm things down."

After saying this, Manager Chen left the private room first. Manager Xu, seeing no other option, trailed after him.

The main hall of the teahouse was in complete chaos.

The waiters had formed a circle around the storyteller, facing down the furious customers.

Those patrons, regardless of status, had rolled up their sleeves, looking ready to fight.

The leader was someone Manager Chen recognized—the head guard of a security agency, a man strong as an ox with bulging muscles.

His voice was booming; when he spoke, it drowned out even gongs and drums.

"What kind of crap are you spewing! Trying to fool me with this garbage? Think I haven't heard a good story before? If you don't tell it properly, I'll beat you until your own parents don't recognize you! Got it?!"

The head guard's shout got a roar of approval from the crowd.

The crowd chimed in. "Chu Qi was a dead man walking. How could he hold off all those guards? Were the other guards' legs broken? Didn't they know to chase after her?"

"Exactly! And they all stayed to beat Chu Qi to death. And he actually let himself get killed by them? What a loser!"

"And that Liu Minqing earlier—every time she went into the mountains to gather herbs, Chu Qi had to save her. You'd think she'd find some miracle cure, but in the end, all her patients died anyway. What was the point of all that?"

"Is Liu Minqing a healer or a harbinger of death? How come no one survives in her hands? Does everyone who meets her have to die?"

Hearing this, the government vet for livestock yelled out, "Even I could have saved a couple if I were there!"

The storyteller knew the problem lay with the story's content. The two characters who should've been the biggest hits had become the biggest targets of the crowd's scorn. The storyteller felt helpless.

He was just telling the story as given!

Besides, "Love Between Human and Ghost" was supposedly the same way.

Manager Xu, watching the standoff below which was on the verge of turning into a brawl, started to panic.

Both teahouses were telling the same segment today. If the Chen Family Teahouse was like this, their Xu Family Teahouse was likely in the same boat.

He asked anxiously, "Manager Chen, think of something quickly."

Manager Chen shook his head. He had no solution.

A bunch of people who didn't have a clue about the heart of "Love Between Human and Ghost" had mangled the story into something weird, so badly that the customers were fed up. What could he do?

The only solution was to tell "Love Between Human and Ghost." But if they dared to use it directly, they wouldn't have gone through this trouble in the first place.

"What do you mean by shaking your head? Are you just going to let it go?" Manager Xu grumbled unhappily.

"If you have a solution, go ahead and try it yourself. See if that chief guard can knock you down with one punch."

Manager Chen gestured for him to go ahead, his meaning simple: if he had a trick, go downstairs and try it.

The local customs here were rough. If he went down and pissed them off, he really could get beaten up. Manager Xu glanced at the burly chief guard and stopped pressing Manager Chen for ideas. He ventured hesitantly, "Should we go upstairs to lay low for a bit?"

Manager Chen turned around and headed straight back to the private room.

Let the local authorities handle the commotion in the main hall.

A clerk went to the yamen to request officials, but unexpectedly hit a wall.

He stuffed a whole bag of silver into the officer's hand, pleading, "Sir, please do us a favor and lend a hand. If you don't go soon, our teahouse is likely to be trashed."

"You'd better go back. Find a place to hide, and you might avoid a couple of punches," the officer said with a sigh. "Magistrate Pang is claiming illness. Fifth Master Xie has directly taken over the yamen. Right now, the yamen is under Ji Pingan's control. Even if you brought a chest of gold and jewels, we'd have the life to take it, but not the life to spend it."

The matter between the Ji Family Teahouse and the Xu and Chen family teahouses—everyone in Qingyun County with any status knew about it by now.

The ordinary people in town would chat about it in their downtime, though they didn't know much. They just knew the six teahouses in the county were split into two factions, hostile toward each other.

Before the clerk from the Chen Family Teahouse could even leave, clerks from the Xu and Wang family teahouses also arrived with silver, asking officials to go to their teahouses to keep order.

The result was obvious—a fruitless errand.

The three clerks returned glumly, only to find that a fight had broken out in the teahouses.

The customers were bellowing for compensation, trashing the teahouses as they yelled.

The clerks tried to stop them, but both sides got worked up. The situation escalated, spiraling out of control.

Manager Xu, hiding in the private room on the second floor of the Chen Family Teahouse, listened to the sounds of smashing downstairs. He sat on a chair looking completely dispirited, frowning and distressed, unable to understand how things had reached this point.

It was just that they couldn't hear the story they wanted to hear. How could it lead to demands for compensation and even a brawl?

Money already given out—why would they give it back? There was no way they would agree.

Who knew the argument would grow fiercer and fiercer, culminating in a fight.

At this critical juncture, Manager Xu dared not go downstairs, nor did he dare look at Manager Chen. After all, the story was his doing. The Chen Family Teahouse being smashed was because the story wasn't told well.

Even now, Manager Xu couldn't figure it out. It was just a bad story. How did it come to this?

Taking advantage of the chaos, a clerk quietly slipped upstairs and told Manager Chen that the officials wouldn't come, saying that because of Fifth Master Xie, the yamen was now all under Ji Pingan's command.

Manager Chen had expected this to some extent.

Heaven truly wanted to destroy their Chen family.

"I know. Go on downstairs."

Hearing that even the yamen officers wouldn't come out, Manager Xu was in a panic. He knew the situation had gone beyond what he imagined. He hurriedly bid farewell to Manager Chen; he needed to go inform the head family and ask for a solution.

The news that the Xu, Chen, and Wang family teahouses had been trashed by customers soon reached the Ji Family Teahouse.

Work had already ended for the day. Everyone crowded around to listen to the clerk who had gone to gather information explain the whole story.

"Oh my, the inside of those teahouses was smashed beyond recognition, wood splinters flying everywhere. The storytellers were also beaten several times, their faces bruised and swollen. I heard Manager Wang didn't have time to hide; he was downstairs trying to calm them down and got beaten too. The other two managers hid, so they escaped unharmed."

Ji Xingwang and the others clapped and cheered upon hearing this—served them right for stealing!

Shen Yuan stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Although the customs in Wu Country were fierce, such a unified, targeted attack—if no one had orchestrated and directed it, he found it hard to believe.

Back when he fought off those little beggars at the entrance of the medical clinic, Shen Yuan had noticed something: as long as the people were slightly guided and someone took the lead as a ringleader, they could mount a strong attack.

But if no one guided them, they would prioritize their own safety, retreating if possible, only fighting if they had to.

"A-Yuan is still here? It seems I've come at just the right time."

Song Zijuan walked toward Shen Yuan with a smug and triumphant look. Shen Yuan stared at him, feeling he resembled a peacock displaying its feathers, seeking admiration and praise.

Thinking Song Zijuan and Shen Yuan had something to discuss, Ji Xingwang led the others away first, afraid of hearing things they shouldn't.

After everyone had dispersed, Song Zijuan leaned close to Shen Yuan and said, like he was boasting, "So, A-Yuan, do you feel satisfied?"

Shen Yuan looked up and asked, "Did you arrange for people to deliberately guide the customers to do this?"

Song Zijuan nodded slightly. "I merely used a little trick. Rebuilding the teahouses will take time. During that period, they won't steal your business. After this experience, they won't dare tell the story 'Human-Ghost Obsession' again either."

He looked down at Shen Yuan, smiling with fox-like narrowed eyes. "Tell it once, get trashed once."

Shen Yuan patted Song Zijuan's shoulder. "That's satisfying! Brother Song, you're really clever. As expected of a strategist, your mind is sharp!"

The smile on Song Zijuan's lips stiffened for a moment. "I thought A-Yuan might find me scheming and manipulative, and thus feel fearful and distant."

"Why would I think that?" Shen Yuan didn't understand why Song Zijuan would think that. "You helped me vent my anger and resolved it so perfectly. You're exceptionally capable!"

After a moment of silence, Song Zijuan let out a laugh, clearly showing his pleasure.

"So A-Yuan thinks well of me? Is that praise?"

"Yes!" Shen Yuan affirmed definitely.

"This is the first time I've been trusted like this, not disliked, only appreciated." Song Zijuan grabbed Shen Yuan's wrist and began to act frivolously. "A-Yuan, if you're willing, I could also be your brother."

The words 'false affection' were practically written on Song Zijuan's face. Shen Yuan tried to pull his hand back but couldn't free it, so he simply let the other hold it. "But Brother Song, you love to trick and deceive people."

"Brother Song might trick and deceive people, but Brother Zijun won't." Song Zijuan's narrow eyes gazed at Shen Yuan, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "I will never lie to you from now on."

Shen Yuan always felt Song Zijuan was a bit strange, as if deliberately trying to get close to him and intentionally letting him sense it.

But his expression was so sincere that Shen Yuan was somewhat unsure.

"We can be friends. I'll call you Brother Zijun." Shen Yuan couldn't stand Song Zijuan's tenderly sentimental look and chose to take a step back.

Anyway, they would need to interact in the future. Besides the first time when Song Zijuan tricked him because of a mission, he had indeed been quite good afterward. For now, he would treat him as a friend.

As for that sense of strangeness, Shen Yuan thought it was probably because Song Zijuan himself had a somewhat devious nature, due to his personality and profession.

Song Zijuan raised an eyebrow, his eyes smiling. "Alright, whatever A-Yuan says."

Evening, Xie Family Ancestral Residence.

As per routine, Song Zijuan went to report to Xie Yulin. "Reporting to Young Master Lin, the problems with the three teahouses have been temporarily resolved. What needs to be done next?"

Xie Yulin did not pause his brush as he painted the scroll, his tone indifferent as he said, "Youyang is scorching and boring. Bring a few of my cousins over here to cool off and listen to stories."

Even though Xie Yulin did not specify exactly which cousins, Song Zijun knew he meant the legitimate sons of the second branch.

"Take my jade token. If anyone disobeys or obstructs, punish them directly. Also, inform the second branch that if they dare make any more moves or touch those they shouldn’t, I cannot guarantee their sons will return alive."

A servant beside him handed the prepared jade token to Song Zijun, while Xie Yulin continued to lower his gaze, painting.

It seemed as though his earlier words were merely discussing the weather, not the life and death of several relatives.

Clutching the jade token, Song Zijun couldn’t help but ask, "Young Master Lin, is this for Shen Yuan?"

Xie Yulin halted his brush and looked up, his brow carrying a frosty chill. "Before you leave, receive ten cane blows. If there is a next time, you may pack your things and go."

Song Zijun knew his question had overstepped, prying too much and breaking the rules. He immediately bowed with cupped hands. "I accept the punishment."

Watching Song Zijun’s retreating figure, Xie Yulin seemed thoughtful, then gave a lazy smile.

Setting down the brush, Xie Yulin went to the copper basin to wash his hands. "Which day is the painting appreciation at the Ji Family Teahouse?"

The servant replied truthfully, "Three days from now, around 7:45 in the morning."

Xie Yulin meticulously cleaned his hands in order, his lowered brows concealing the emotions in his eyes. "Clear my schedule for that morning. I’m going to the Ji Family Teahouse."

The servant was slightly taken aback, then responded, "Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

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Author's note: I'll adjust for one more day. I'll try to update according to the announced schedule tomorrow, shooting for 10k words [sobbing].