"What nonsense are you spouting?" Master Chu had already seen the county magistrate walking towards them and was trying his best to explain.

But the county magistrate didn't give him a chance to explain at all. "Guards, throw this man out of here!"

"My lord, it's a misunderstanding, I didn't mean it!" Before he could finish speaking, the constables guarding outside dragged him out.

"Who do they think they are, daring to go against me like that?" The county magistrate cursed under his breath before turning back to the banquet.

Xu Genshan acted as if nothing had happened, eating and drinking with everyone as usual.

The banquet ended when it got dark. Xu Genshan had drunk quite a bit and was already feeling a little dizzy.

Liu Fang specially asked the kitchen to prepare a hangover soup. After everyone drank it, they boarded their own carriages one after another.

This time, the couple saw the guests off at the door, and soon the once bustling street became quiet.

Liu Fang sighed almost imperceptibly, "Today's events are finally over."

God knows how anxious she was while cooking in the kitchen, fearing that some idiot might do something outrageous, which would ruin all their previous efforts.

"Yes, at least I can finally go back and get a good night's sleep today." Xu Genshan put his arm around his wife's shoulder.

As soon as he got close to Liu Fang, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Xu Genshan was not a heavy drinker, but after opening the restaurant, he had to drink because of social obligations.

"Let's go back and pack up to go home."

Just as the couple was about to turn around and go inside, a carriage drove up.

"Father, Mother." Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, a little girl jumped out. It was Fu Man'er.

"Man'er, what brings you here?" Liu Fang went straight over to her daughter when she saw her coming.

Xu Genshan's hand, which had been on her shoulder, remained suspended in mid-air before he casually withdrew it.

"I've come to take you home," Fu Man'er said with a smile, taking Liu Fang's arm.

The mother and daughter walked hand in hand into the restaurant, but after only a few steps, Fu Man'er sensed something was wrong.

"Mom, why has our signboard been changed?" She clearly remembered that the previous signboard had large, gold-plated characters, but now it's just three dark, unattractive characters.

Xu Genshan knew this matter best, so as he recounted it, Fu Man'er's mouth went from turning down to an "o" shape, and finally turned up uncontrollably.

"No wonder! I was wondering why these characters looked so grand and powerful, unmatched by anyone. They are truly excellent characters."

He was so busy flattering her that he completely forgot that he had initially thought she didn't look good at first glance.

“Father, we need to frame this calligraphy with a gold-plated plaque. Our wooden frame is no longer worthy of it.”

As expected of father and daughter, they thought of the same thing. Xu Genshan took the opportunity to walk to the other side of Fu Man'er.

“Daughter, that’s what your father thinks. A calligraphy piece worth three thousand gold pieces should be accompanied by a plaque worth one thousand gold pieces, otherwise it won’t be able to show our respect for the governor.”

Liu Fang, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. She thought to herself, "It's not respect for people, it's respect for these three daughters."

Seeing that the father and daughter were getting more and more outrageous, Liu Fang had to interrupt them, "Alright, alright, are you going home or not?"

"You're saying you'll use a gold-plated plaque? Aren't you afraid someone will covet it and steal the plaque along with the inscription?"

This reminded Xu Genshan, "Right, I almost forgot about that."

"I'll find a few strong and healthy guys to stay here and take turns watching over these three girls tonight."

"Not just tonight, but tomorrow too, and in the future."

Liu Fang didn't bother to reply, because she knew that Xu Genshan was getting drunk.

“Man’er, the governor still remembers you. He’s been back for a while now, and I heard from your brother that he will stay in Lan Town for a while longer.”

"Try to visit Lord Song with your brother sometime when you have some free time."

Liu Fang wasn't trying to curry favor with the powerful. Song Kang had taken good care of Man'er before, and now that she was back, she was happy to see her.

As a junior, it seems a bit unreasonable not to pay a visit.

"Okay." Fu Man'er agreed. She was old enough to remember things at that time, and there was always a sense of familiarity and warmth about Song Kangcheng.

So every time she saw Song Kangcheng, she was always willing to get close to him. She wondered what Song Kangcheng had become after all these years.

"By the way, where is my brother?" She had heard yesterday that her brother would be attending today's banquet, but she hadn't seen Xu Yi yet.

"Your brother helped take those drunk people home."

Xu Yi had an excellent capacity for alcohol, and the main figures today were the governor and the officials in the yamen.

So Xu Yi didn't drink too much, but he still took on the task.

When he got home, Xu Genshan and the others had already returned, and the whole family was sitting neatly in the flower hall.

As soon as Liu Fang finished recounting what had happened in the past two days, everyone gasped in surprise.

"We business people shouldn't cause trouble, for fear of retaliation. But we're not afraid of trouble either."

"The Chu family has gone so far as to completely break ties with us," Old Man Xu sighed.

Xu Genshan had also sobered up considerably by then. "Master Chu is probably not satisfied with today's outcome. He might cause trouble again in the future. Everyone be careful."

"Uncle, if all else fails, I'll go to the Chu family and beat up that Master Chu so he'll know that pots are made of iron."

Xu Wen, whose brute strength had nowhere to go, was already eager to show off his skills.

"Don't be so smug. There are so many people in their mansion. How many can you beat? You know you can't fight four hands with two fists." Xu Wu turned to his brother and began to lecture him.

"If we're going to beat him up, we should do it while that guy surnamed Chu is out. We can find a sack, cover him up, and drag him into the alley to beat him up."

He's a scholar; although he can't fight, he can find ways to fight.

“Yes, yes, Fourth Brother is right. Third Brother, take me with you, I want to go too.” The belligerent Fu Man’er quickly raised her little hand.

His eyes were shining brightly, as if he couldn't wait to take action.

"Are you treating me like I don't exist?" A chilling voice rang out, and the siblings looked over.

"Brother, are you going too?" Fu Man'er asked, turning her head. "But you're the captain of the guard, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to go?"

"You still know I'm the captain of the guard!" Xu Yi rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Of course I know, how could I not know?" Fu Man'er was still confused.

Xu Wu couldn't stand it anymore; if his sister kept talking, he was afraid he would be so angry he would vomit blood.

"Well, our eldest brother is the commander of the guard, so this kind of thing should be within their jurisdiction."

"Let's not talk about it now. Let's go to my room later and the three of us can discuss it properly."

Now it was the other members of the Xu family who felt ashamed. Xu Wu was somewhat clever, but it seemed he wasn't very clever.

And what's wrong with these kids? Why do they like to cover people with sacks and beat them up?

What's the point? If you're going to fight, fight fair and square.

"Alright," Xu Genshan interrupted the restless hearts of his siblings, "You kids don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it."

Just like Old Man Xu said, the Xu family doesn't cause trouble, but when trouble comes, they won't be afraid.

No matter what methods the Chu family uses next, Xu Genshan will no longer sit idly by and wait for his doom.

Fu Man'er fidgeted with her fingers in frustration, "It's all because of my Chu family that things are like this. I want to help."

She felt she was very useful, and it would be a waste if her father didn't use her.

Liu Fang asked with a smile, "Does Man'er think she should kowtow and apologize? Should she beat Roubao to death?"

"No, no," Fu Man'er shook her head vigorously, it wasn't her fault.

“That’s it. This whole thing was the Chu family being unreasonable, it wasn’t because of you.” With Liu Fang and the others’ comforting words, Fu Man’er became even more determined. She had to take action against the Chu family.

When everyone saw her nod, they assumed that the little girl had taken their words to heart.

Xu Genshan suddenly remembered Master Chu's face, "Master Chu was strange today, he had some weird thing painted on his face."

"I heard them say it's all insidious stuff, and there's even a giant tortoise. What was this person thinking?"

Ma Hong was startled when she heard this. "Oh my god, something insidious! My God, could it be some kind of curse?"

"I've heard that some spells work like this. Could the Chu family be planning to use this method to harm our Xu family?"

"I've never heard of the Chu family believing in these things before," Liu Fang and Xu Genshan exchanged a glance, neither of them having heard of it.

"This isn't a good thing, and it's even better to talk about it and let everyone know."

"Think about it, he dared to shamelessly wear those things to such an important banquet today, I think it must be him."

Ma Hong spoke with great seriousness, "Auntie, maybe it's not?" Fu Man'er interjected weakly.

“How could it not be!” Ma Hong immediately retorted, “Is Master Chu stupid? Would he just stand by and let someone draw on his face?”

"I'm telling you, tomorrow I'll send someone to the Chu family to inquire. I've heard that the more people in a family use this technique, the more effective it is. We should be careful to protect ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Fu Man'er was completely speechless, leaning back in her chair to minimize her presence.

Hehe, she was a little curious about where her second aunt had heard these strange and unusual things.

Also, what will be the family's reaction if the person who inquires sees those three faces of the Chu family tomorrow?

Sigh~