Chapter 130: Sending Them Away

Luo Zi was quite accustomed to bullying others by leveraging power. However, having recently arrived in Chengdu, he had been so thoroughly demoralized of late that he felt the waters in this city ran deep, causing him to become timid and withdrawn.

Hearing Lu Ying's words now, he couldn't help but exclaim, "A-Ying, you are too soft-hearted. Since our backers are so formidable, why must we pay them three hundred taels? One hundred would suffice, and I could have seized it for you immediately!"

Lu Ying shook her head. "Three hundred taels of gold it shall be. Keeping one hundred back serves as a lesson. If we truly took three hundred less, it would break their spirit and bones; driven to desperation, they might resort to unpredictable acts. We cannot guard against them for a lifetime, can we?"

Luo Zi realized the logic in her words.

At that moment, the government soldiers had already approached, and Luo Zi strode forward to meet them. Lu Ying stood quietly to one side, her expression calm and composed.

Inside the ox-cart, Chen Shu’s complexion had shifted. He stared at Lu Ying, the muscles in his cheeks twitching violently. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "This woman, this woman!"

How was it that this woman’s reactions were always so unexpected? When humiliated, she did not weep like other women, nor did she lose control and shriek with rage. Instead, she turned around and, in broad daylight, under the gaze of everyone, initiated her revenge!

Was this how a woman behaved? It was more like the conduct of a high-born, arrogant aristocrat—unmoved by provocation, decisive and swift in retaliation, and brimming with confidence when facing the authorities. As he pondered this, a sudden chill ran down Chen Shu’s spine.

While Chen Shu sat with a grim face, his servant called out to him, "Master!"

"What is it?" Chen Shu replied absentmindedly. As he looked up, he was stunned to see that Lu Ying, who had been standing across the street, was ignoring both the soldiers lecturing in front of the restaurant and the wailing, obese woman. Instead, she had turned and was walking straight toward them.

...This woman’s actions never adhered to the norms of ordinary people. Chen Shu’s face darkened, and he commanded, "Let us leave."

Just as the order left his lips, he caught sight of Lu Ying’s delicate, flower-like face. Gritting his teeth, he sneered, "Wait for her to arrive!" Was he supposed to be afraid of her?

The driver had just acknowledged the order when Lu Ying reached the side of the ox-cart. She smiled slightly and bowed to the carriage, asking, "Is the master an old acquaintance?"

Chen Shu merely stared at her through the slit in the curtain, offering no response.

Seeing the owner of the carriage remained silent, Lu Ying curled her lips. She glanced at the two servants and the driver before saying, "My apologies."

Apologies? Why the sudden apology?

Before Chen Shu and his entourage could fathom the meaning, Lu Ying stepped forward and, with a swift motion, pulled the curtain aside!

...The gesture was abrupt and intrusive—something Chen Shu could never have imagined!

With his face pale, Chen Shu had not yet recovered his senses when he found himself squarely facing Lu Ying’s eyes.

Seeing his face, Lu Ying flashed a radiant smile. Revealing a set of snow-white teeth, she said slowly, "So, it really is an old acquaintance!"

Only then did Chen Shu retort with a dark expression, "Lady Lu, your—your audacity is truly boundless!"

"Indeed, that person also said I was far too bold." Outside the carriage, Lu Ying seemed entirely oblivious to Chen Shu’s fury, nor did she feel any remorse for her intrusive behavior. Maintaining the refined politeness of a reunion with an old friend, she said meaningfully after mentioning "that person," "Alas, there is no help for it; I was born with a temperament that is willful and reckless."

Having said this with an air of nonchalance, Lu Ying bowed to him. "It has been a long time since we last met. Shall we share a cup of wine today?"

She gestured toward the noisy restaurant and added, "Master Chen may not know, but this restaurant is about to change its name to Xiao. As a vanguard for the Xiao clan, I shall be managing this establishment henceforth. Would Master Chen care to join me inside for a few drinks?"

Named Xiao? Did she mean she was representing the Xiao clan to seize this restaurant? Chen Shu’s expression shifted.

He stared at the smiling Lu Ying, understanding all too well the warning, the threat, and the unabashed arrogance contained within her seemingly simple words.

She was warning him to be careful, to refrain from making any rash moves, wasn't she?

For no apparent reason, cold sweat broke out on Chen Shu’s back. Looking at the smiling Lu Ying, he felt as though those clear, black-and-white eyes could see through everything. It seemed she was as clear about his hidden intentions as if they were laid bare in the light.

Afraid to wipe the beads of cold sweat from his forehead, Chen Shu replied stiffly, "Lady Lu is joking. What name this restaurant bears has nothing to do with me, and I have no interest in it." He then commanded, "Let us go."

"Yes."

The ox-cart moved on.

After traveling several dozen paces, Chen Shu turned to look back. Lu Ying had already turned around and was walking toward the soldiers. Observing her slender silhouette, Chen Shu suddenly thought: I have been in business for many years; what kind of people have I not seen? Yet this is the first time I have been afraid to face a woman directly. I could not even hold a conversation for two sentences before fleeing in a rout.

He felt that in front of Lu Ying, he had nowhere to hide. It seemed that everything hidden in the depths of his heart was known to her. Even her seemingly indifferent smile carried a hint of mockery and disdain.

Facing such a person truly left one feeling powerless!

Exhaling a long, weary breath, Chen Shu closed his eyes and thought, I must be tired—exhausted—to have been intimidated by a young girl who has not yet come of age and has no notable family background.

Though he thought this, Chen Shu could not summon the strength to stop Lu Ying from acquiring the restaurant. Only a short time ago, he had been planning to block her path at every turn in her business dealings!

The business regarding the restaurant went smoothly.

Once Lu Ying produced the wooden token representing the Xiao clan, making it clear she intended to leverage their power, success was inevitable.

By the afternoon, the title deeds and property contracts were in Lu Ying’s hands. The name of the owner had been changed to Lu Ying—when she told Chen Shu that morning that the restaurant would belong to the Xiao clan, her words could have been true or false. Even if Chen Shu tried to investigate, he would find nothing, as it was common practice for great clans to register their assets under others' names.

The restaurant was valued at three hundred taels of gold. At the same time, Lu Ying had Luo Zi give the soldiers thirty taels of gold to thank them for their hard work.

With the restaurant secured, the next step was to drive the former occupants out.

Inside the slightly darkened main hall of the restaurant, the obese woman was wailing in despair, while the waiter stood with a pale face and cold sweat, looking at his brother-in-law. After a long moment, he asked hoarsely, "Second Sister, Brother-in-law, is there truly no way out for us? That young scholar doesn't even have a decent ox-cart or donkey-cart; by what right can he seize our restaurant?"

He would have been better off remaining silent. At his words, the tall man was overcome with grief. He glared fiercely at the waiter, his voice raspy with resentment. "You have the nerve to speak? If not for you, how could such a disaster have happened? They only came to eat a meal and ask a question, and you..." Driven to the brink of rage, he waved his sleeve to drive them away. "Go, just go! I finally understand—I cannot afford to support you, my brother-in-law, nor can I handle you."

As the man’s voice fell, the obese woman shrieked from the side, "A-Gen, how can you say such things? It was clearly that person who bribed the officials to bully us; how can you blame your own kin?" Turning her head, she shouted at the waiter, "Er-zi, don't leave! Who says you have to leave? I will fight them to the death for you!"

With that, she glared at her husband, the flesh on her face trembling.

Just as the obese woman expected her husband to compromise as he had every time before—to lower his head and say nothing—the tall man spoke in a dull voice: "You leave as well."

"What?"

The sister and brother looked up at the man in unison.

Amidst a rustling sound, the man took out a piece of silk and threw it in front of the woman. His typically honest and simple face was now completely expressionless. "This is a letter of divorce. I cannot afford to keep a wife like you. You should leave as well."

What? A letter of divorce?

The woman was shocked. She stared blankly down at the silk. Though she could not read, her brother could. As the waiter stuttered the words "Letter of Divorce," the obese woman let out a piercing shriek from her throat. She sprang to her feet and lunged at the man.

Throwing herself at her former husband, she clawed at his face and bit into his flesh, screaming, "How dare you, Li A-Gen! You dare to divorce me? You actually dare to divorce me?"

The man blocked her with his right hand and pushed her away, sending her stumbling back several steps. Just as the woman sat on the floor, ready to roll about and make a scene in disbelief, the man suddenly grabbed her collar, his massive fist raised high.

However, the fist did not fall. He simply glared at the woman and shouted, "Enough! I have had enough! Qi Changxiu, you have been in the Li household for seven years. In these seven years, my family has gone from a hundred acres of fertile land to nothing, from a thriving restaurant to losing the property, and from warehouses full of silk to having nothing left. Qi Changxiu, marrying a destructive woman like you is the greatest misfortune I, Li A-Gen, have suffered in ten lifetimes! If I do not divorce you now, I fear I won't even have a place to stay. Get out, and do not come back. The two children are my own; you are not permitted to see them again."

Having said this, the man pushed her away heavily, turned, and walked out of the restaurant with heavy steps. The woman continued to wail in disbelief, watching him while crying and cursing, waiting for him to turn back. But until his figure vanished from sight, the man never once glanced back.

In the restaurant’s loft, Lu Ying and Luo Zi, who had entered during the argument, had been watching the scene quietly.

Seeing the man leave and the woman and her brother still lingering, crying and howling in the restaurant, Lu Ying frowned slightly and said coldly, "Go call a few men and throw them out!"

"Understood."

"And when you throw them out, tell those men to give the two of them a beating—a heavy one, but take care not to break any bones."

Hearing this, Luo Zi was somewhat confused. Lu Ying glanced at him, thinking that since she intended to groom him, she would explain: "This woman and her brother are clearly the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, greedy and insatiable. When dealing with such people, one must be ruthless—a kind of unreasonable, power-abusing ruthlessness. Only then will they think to stay far away from you and me. Otherwise, I fear they will blame all the misfortune and pain of their later lives on us, and we will be unable to guard against their schemes." Pausing, she added, "The reason I did not break their bones is because these two have no money left; we must not truly cut off their means of survival."

Luo Zi took the lesson to heart and said earnestly, "I understand."