Chapter 21: Shopkeeper Qi Comes to Collect Debts

Just as the two were about to start arguing, the courtyard door made a loud bang.

It turned out that the person outside didn't leave, but was looking for something to hit the door. "Open the door! Open the door quickly!"

Hitting and urging at the same time.

Sun Mei showed panic, "Don't open the door!" she warned fiercely and ran back into the house.

Mrs. Lu covered her heart, listening to the sound of the impact, full of fear, and asked nervously.

"Daughter-in-law, have you gotten into trouble?"

"Let's go back to the house." Jiusu looked at the crumbling gate and saw that Sun Mei had already hidden herself. She helped Lu up and walked towards the house. "Don't worry about her."

Mrs. Lu worriedly asked, "Bao'er is still in the room. Is he in danger?"

Just as Jiusu was about to speak, the gate was kicked open.

The person in the lead was Shopkeeper Qi, whom she recognized. Jiusu immediately understood that Sun Mei and Shopkeeper Qi were in cahoots. No wonder he had always wanted to poach her.

Lu tilted her neck, grabbed Jiusu's hand, and asked, "Who's here?"

"I don't know him." Jiusu's eyes flashed as he looked at the approaching people and blocked Lu behind him. This group of people came with great momentum and it was obvious that they were there to cause trouble.

Shopkeeper Qi smiled, but his eyes became more and more vicious.

"Excuse me, is this Sun Mei's house?"

"Oh, she's in that room." Jiusu pointed towards the east room without hesitation.

Shopkeeper Qi was stunned for a moment. He walked a few steps east and turned back to ask, "Little girl, why don't you ask what I want to talk to Sun Mei about? Aren't you worried?"

Jiusu smiled politely: "This is a private matter between you and Sun Mei. I don't want to know. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator. I haven't done anything wrong, so there's nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Qi couldn't help but look at Jiusu with new eyes. Is this the female chef who cooks at Fangxinglou? Seeing her today, her credibility has increased a little.

He said meaningfully: "You are right, I will go find Sun Mei."

The servants shouted, "Sun Mei! Come out!"

Inside the room, Sun Mei gritted her teeth. When she heard Jiusu confess her crime, she cursed softly, "This little bitch has been hurting me everywhere. Chen Wu, they're here to find us. What should I do?"

Chen Wu waved his hands and turned over.

"This is your business, what does it have to do with me?"

"Chen Wu!" Sun Mei's anxious face was covered in sweat. Seeing them approaching, she grabbed the man's arm, her voice trembling with fear. "Please save me! I signed the contract with Manager Qi for this family, so that you can have money to spend. If you just tell Jiusu to go to Zhenxinglou to cook, we'll have three hundred taels!"

Chen Wu sat up and asked doubtfully, "Three hundred taels?"

Sun Mei nodded and took the contract she had signed with Shopkeeper Qi. She hadn't told the truth before and didn't dare look him in the eye. "With these three hundred taels, I can buy you an official position. Then we'll have a horde of servants."

Chen Wu touched his chin. What he was thinking about was not a large number of slaves, but a large number of wives and concubines.

Coming back to his senses, he said unhappily.

"You bitch, why didn't you tell me earlier? Did you want to take the money and run away?"

He kicked Sun Mei to the ground, walked out, clasped his hands together, and said respectfully, "Oh, it's Shopkeeper Qi. Your arrival is really... a... a dust in the tent."

Shopkeeper Qi: "...That is a great honor for our humble home!"

"Yes, yes, it's a great honor for my humble home." Chen Wu blushed. "Please come in."

Shopkeeper Qi sneered, glanced inside the room, and stood at the doorway with disdain. He looked at the woman cowering in the back and ordered the servants to tie her up. "No one in Suming County has dared to deceive me. Three days have passed. Let me ask you, where is the recipe? Where is your sister?"

Sun Mei was thrown to the ground, and then she saw her son being picked up by Manager Qi. Her son was crying loudly, and she shouted.

"Jiusu! Jiusu! Come out quickly, mother, please let Jiusu come out, Baoer is dying."

Sure enough, Mrs. Lu's heart was immediately lifted.

"Baoer..." Her grandson was her lifeblood. She followed the voice and groped over. Inside the house, the servants also came to ask for Jiusu's help.

Sun Meifei rushed to her side, crying breathlessly.

"Jiusu, I beg you, please save your nephew, he is the root of the Chen family!"

"Huh? Someone wants to kill Chen Baoer? I'll report it to the police." Jiusu pretended to be shocked. Before she could turn around, she was stopped by a servant. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "What's going on?"

Shopkeeper Qi twisted his fingers lightly, revealing a meaningful smile, and said politely.

"Your sister-in-law broke the contract and owes us one thousand taels of silver. We are here to collect the money. If you don't pay it back, don't blame us for being rude."

"We're not familiar with each other, so you're welcome." Jiusu raised her chin slightly, looking calm and not frightened at all. Then, she asked doubtfully, "Besides, Sun Mei owes money, you want to explain to me...?"

Shopkeeper Qi laughed dryly.

What's going on? No matter what I say, he won't buy it. "Aren't you and your sister-in-law family?"

"No, she always enslaves me. My brother owes money, and they want to sell me. I'm happy that you're here to collect the debt. By the way, does the contract specify what will happen if I breach the contract? Like, broken arms and legs, or even better, death."

Jiusu stretched out his hand and described vividly the misery at that time. When he talked about the punishment, his eyes sparkled.

Shopkeeper Qi glared at Sun Mei fiercely and demanded, "Didn't you say you had a good relationship with Jiusu? Are you lying to me? Come on, break her legs!"

The servant raised his stick.

Mrs. Lu held Chen Baoer, who was crying, and did not dare to go forward.

Sun Mei didn't want to become a cripple, so she struggled to break free, hugged Jiusu's legs, and begged, "Sister! Save me, I will be your slave from now on!"

"No." Jiusu pried her hands apart and stepped back a few steps. "Manager Qi, quickly have your men break her legs. Don't worry, I'll wait until you're done before reporting her to the police, and I won't make a sound."

Shopkeeper Qi: “…”

Sun Mei collapsed and sat on the ground, begging for mercy in vain. She cursed in a sharp voice, "You little bitch, you are so cruel! No wonder your own mother doesn't want you. Since you married me, I have made you work and I have made you eat!"

Let her scold.

Jiusu kept smiling. Mother? Yes, the original owner's family had a good life, but when her mother was pregnant with the original owner, she was pregnant with twins, but the boy died. So, her mother always hated the original owner. When she heard someone proposed to her, she agreed to marry her without asking whether it was good or bad.

Since they got married, the two have had no contact.

"Sister-in-law, please save your energy. Your hands and feet are broken, but it hurts."

Ouch——

A carriage stopped outside the door. Qian Junjie jumped out first and immediately saw the woman he was looking for. "Is this your home? Where's your husband?"

The county magistrate followed behind him, with a number of officers and soldiers.

Jiusu frowned slightly. Why was he here? He must have been the county magistrate summoned by Shopkeeper Qi. Once the matter involved the officers and soldiers, it would be difficult to handle. A higher-ranking official could crush someone.

Sun Mei saw that he was a rich kid and tried to please him.

"Her husband was captured and forced to serve as a soldier."