When Xu Jiang saw the yamen runner coming to her door, she knew that Xu Si had been arrested. She immediately packed up her things, took some silver, and went to the county government office with the yamen runner to go through the redemption procedures.

Before leaving, she left guard Zhu behind to guard the shop with Liang Mo and Yin Yin to prevent anyone from causing trouble.

Yin Yin wanted to go with her, but she refused. She had no choice but to stay under the tree like a puppy and watch her leave.

Seeing this, Liang Mo found an errand for her and asked her to go to the kitchen to boil water and make tea.

"When the boss comes back, there will be something ready to drink."

When Yin Yin heard this, she thought it made sense, so she picked up the teapot and happily went into the kitchen.

As Wu watched Xu Jiang's carriage turn out of the alley, with yamen runners leading the way, he said to Zhou Huai, who was standing nearby, "Xu Si must have caused a disturbance and been summoned to the yamen for questioning."

Zhou Huai snorted, then called over a few well-dressed thugs and ordered, "Take two of you to trip up the guard and the helper, and the rest of you to pour kerosene around the house."

Wu, the headmaster, advised, "Young Master, this... setting fire in broad daylight is not a good idea. If you get caught, it will be no joke. It's better to follow the old rules and just smash it."

"Smash it? Smash it, clean it up, and the shop will still be open." Zhou Huai said arrogantly, "I just want her to never be able to open it again! This Xu Jiang has repeatedly disobeyed discipline and even colluded with Lou Yunchun, causing the master of the family to be dismissed from his post. Our successor, Guan Zhang. If I don't teach her a lesson, I will never be able to relieve the hatred in my heart."

Besides, Lou Yunchun is not here now, and it is still uncertain whether he can come back. What is there for him to be afraid of?

"Young Master, even if you want to vent your hatred, there's no need to get yourself into trouble. Arson is a serious crime, and the houses are so densely packed here. If you're not careful, it could lead to disaster." Manager Wu pulled him aside and said anxiously, "The boss didn't say we were going to burn down her bookstore. How about we think about it?"

Manager Wu originally thought that this time he could just smash and destroy the books like he did with other bookstores and then give them a warning, but he didn't expect Zhou Huai to be so cruel and reckless, and not care about the consequences.

"The master said you were a coward, and you really are a coward. It's just a shabby bookstore, so let it burn down. We won't show up. Even if we catch the person, who would dare to expose us?"

Zhou Huai glanced at the gang of hooligans, who immediately smiled and flattered him, saying, "As long as no one is killed, it won't take more than a year or two. As long as Master Zhou is willing to pay the money, it's not a big deal."

Manager Wu wanted to persuade them again, but Zhou Huai pushed him away and said, "I didn't ask you to do anything, why are you talking so much?" Then he gave the thugs a look.

The two hooligans entered the alley first and went to the bookstore.

Ever since Xu Jiang left for the government office, Shopkeeper Wang had been watching from the doorway. When the shop assistant finished loading the cart, he said hello and then drove off in his oxcart to deliver the rice. Shopkeeper Wang responded absentmindedly, then stared at the alley entrance again.

The man was about to drive his cattle out of the alley when he saw two blind men about to run into him. He hurriedly shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, look at the road! Can't you see the car coming?"

The two men turned back at the shout of Wu, and when they heard the noise, they turned back hastily, narrowly avoiding the danger. Then one of them cursed, "How can you drive a carriage if you are blind?"

Seeing that the two men looked fierce, the servant didn't want to cause trouble, so he snorted and drove away in the ox cart.

The two men spat and continued walking inside. When they passed by Manager Wang, they glared at him.

Shopkeeper Wang looked up and thought one of them looked familiar. Seeing them heading back to Xu Jiang's bookstore, he stepped out and shouted, "Stop!"

The two men turned around, and Shopkeeper Wang took another look and recognized that the man was the one who set off firecrackers to scare his cows and cause him to overturn his cart.

"It's you!"

The man also recognized him and didn't know whether to continue going to the bookstore or turn back.

Shopkeeper Wang walked up to the two of them and asked, "Where are you going? What do you want to do?"

The other man raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "What's it to you?" Then he pulled the man who was setting off firecrackers and was about to leave.

Shopkeeper Wang immediately shouted towards the bookshop, "Brother Zhu, someone's looking for trouble!"

His voice was so resounding that it not only called out Guard Zhu and Liang Mo, but also all the neighbors. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two dared not move.

Zhou Huai saw him outside the alley and couldn't help but curse inwardly: "Idiot."

Wu Zhangshi took the opportunity to persuade him: "Since we have been discovered, Master, let's go."

Zhou Huai refused, "This is perfect. Let's lure everyone here and go around to the back to start the fight." He then ordered the remaining men, "Go around from the other side and burn this bookstore down."

The others were also hesitant. One of them said, "Sir, with so many people, we might fail. Why don't we come at night?"

Zhou Huai was used to being bossy, and he wouldn't tolerate repeated disobedience. He pointed at the man and threatened, "Are you going or not? If you don't go, don't expect me to help you pay off the debts you owe!"

The few people had no choice but to cover their faces with cloth and walk towards another entrance of the alley with kerosene.

On the other side, Shopkeeper Wang pointed at the thug and said, "It was him who used firecrackers to blow up the cow last time and caused me to fall off my bike."

Other neighbors also recognized the two men as the hooligans who had threatened their homes. They were all frightened and annoyed, and didn't know whether to stay indoors and avoid trouble or just stand and watch the fun.

When guard Zhu stepped forward, the two hooligans retreated repeatedly when they saw that he was tall and strong. However, they had not taken a few steps before they were blocked by shopkeeper Wang.

"What's with the bull-exploding car overturning? Stop slandering me." The man yelled in a strong but weak voice and tried to run away.

The other man, seeing the situation was stronger than him, said with an apologetic smile, "Everyone, we're just passing through here. Since this alley is blocked, let's take another route."

At this moment, someone threw out a piece of mud, which hit the man on the head with a "bang", making him see stars.

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