Chapter 202 Escape attempt ends in capture

A crowd of onlookers had gathered in the lobby on the first floor. Their expressions ranged from disdain and silence to amusement as they stared at the middle-aged man in the center, who was blushing and looking fierce on the surface.

The middle-aged man was hunched over, with a dark and thin face. Even though he was wearing new clothes and shoes, his demeanor was completely out of place in the Baolou.

His exposed hands were covered with calluses and old scars, and his hard fingernails were full of dirt. Anyone with eyes could tell that he had been doing heavy physical labor for many years.

Hearing the man's unrepentant words, the shopkeeper, who had initially wanted to avoid making a scene, became enraged and picked up a jade pendant with a chipped corner from the counter to show to everyone present:

"Please take a look, everyone. This jade pendant is smooth and lustrous, of superior quality. It was meticulously carved by a master craftsman over several days. Its price in our shop is three hundred taels of silver."

Among the onlookers, some knowledgeable people examined the jade pendant in the shopkeeper's hand and then nodded in agreement, saying objectively, "It is indeed worth the price."

There were more than one perceptive person among them; some were regulars at this establishment and knew it valued its reputation and wouldn't overcharge. So they all spoke up for the establishment:

"You broke the shopkeeper's jade pendant, and the shopkeeper only asked you to pay two hundred taels in compensation, which is already quite generous of him. How can you make up such a story and accuse the shopkeeper of cheating you?"

"Exactly, exactly. You make a mistake by accident and then blame others. If everyone acted like you, how would businesses do business?"

"Judging from his appearance, he's broke. Two hundred taels of silver would probably bankrupt him, so of course he wouldn't dare admit that this jade is worth that much."

“If you don’t have money, don’t touch other people’s things. I saw it just now. He picked it up and looked at it himself when another customer put it down. It wasn’t the shopkeeper who forced it on him.”

Xu Laosan was berated by the crowd, and he felt that they were belittling and looking down on him. How could he bear this when he had been enjoying great success and being flattered by the whole village?

Xu Laosan glared fiercely at the people around him who were criticizing him, his dark red face full of anger: "Fine, fine, you dare to gang up on me! Do you even know who I am!"

Hearing him say that, everyone was stunned.

One of the men looked Xu Laosan up and down, his face showing obvious disdain: "Even if you're the King of Heaven, you still have to pay for the damages you cause to other people's property!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was filled with voices of agreement, and the accusations against Xu Laosan became even more intense.

Unable to withstand the pressure of public opinion, Xu Laosan, who was visiting the prefectural city for the first time and was completely unaware that he was still a frog in a well, immediately asserted his status and attempted to intimidate everyone present:

“My nephew is a scholar who has passed the county-level imperial examination. He knows important people in the capital. Once this provincial-level examination is over, he will become a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination. How dare you show such disrespect to the uncle of a future successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination!”

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.

Xu Laosan thought the group was intimidated by his identity and was about to speak with a smug expression when a sneer suddenly came from the crowd.

The sneer was like a spark igniting a firecracker, and laughter immediately erupted in the hall. Several people with low thresholds for laughter laughed until tears streamed down their faces, and they pounded on the wall next to them.

"Hahaha, this is hilarious. I never knew that in our Jinling area, the uncle of a mere scholar could be so arrogant. Even the son of our prefect doesn't act like this."

"Tsk tsk, having such an uncle is a blessing for that scholar."

"You can't say that. Birds of a feather flock together. If the uncle is like this, how can the nephew be any better?"

"..."

The laughter of the crowd was like slaps to Xu Laosan's face. He belatedly realized that something was wrong, and his expression began to panic uncontrollably.

He said he had powerful backers, and they were from the capital. How come these people aren't afraid at all?

On the second-floor corridor, Sheng An, who witnessed this scene, nudged the man next to him: "It seems that the important person Xu Huaining has met is no ordinary person."

Xu Jinnian watched the commotion downstairs indifferently, showing no interest in the important figures Xu Huaining had met, nor any intention of going downstairs to help Xu Laosan out of his predicament.

Although they are father and son by blood, their father-son relationship was completely severed the moment Xu Jinnian was abandoned by the Xu family and thrown into the mountains to be eaten by wild animals by Xu Laosan.

Later, Xu Chenglin severed ties with the three brothers of Xujiaba, and Xu Jinnian and Xu Laosan were not even uncle and nephew.

To Xu Jinnian now, Xu Laosan is just a complete stranger.

Seeing that the man didn't care about Xu Laosan's life or death, Sheng An naturally wouldn't have a saintly heart and go downstairs to help him out. Instead, she continued to watch the commotion downstairs with great interest, wanting to know what Xu Laosan would do.

Xu Jinnian had no choice but to stay and watch with her.

Facing the ridicule of the crowd in the lobby, Xu Laosan felt a surge of anger. Pointing at the loudest laughers, he roared, "You just wait! You just wait!"

Once Huaining passes the imperial examination and becomes a high-ranking official, he will definitely smash this magnificent building to pieces and let everyone know the consequences of offending him!

Seeing that Xu Laosan still dared to be so arrogant, the person being pointed at retorted: "You'd better pay back the two hundred taels of silver first, and then you can bark like a dog here."

Being publicly insulted like a dog by a junior, Xu Laosan's old face instantly turned a deep shade of liver: "You, you..."

You talked for a long time, but you couldn't get the words of reprimand out.

Xu Laosan looked at the jade pendant he had smashed, then at the shopkeeper who was eyeing him menacingly. He subconsciously touched his purse, which contained less than two taels of silver, and felt an overwhelming sense of regret.

If he had known it would turn out this way, he shouldn't have come here to broaden his horizons, nor should he have impulsively taken that jade pendant.

Two hundred taels! That's two hundred taels! He's lived most of his life and has never seen so much silver. Where is he going to get the money to pay it back?

Xu Laosan became increasingly regretful as he thought about it, and in a flash, a "good idea" came to mind.

He glanced around at his surroundings, his gaze subtly drifting towards the doorway. Then, adopting a pitiful and docile demeanor, he took two steps into an empty space, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and humbly addressed the shopkeeper:

“I don’t have that much silver on me, and I’m all alone right now. Why don’t you send someone with me to the inn where we’re resting to get the silver?”

Seeing Xu Laosan's attitude, the shopkeeper, who believed in making money through harmony, nodded and said, "Alright."

After saying that, the shopkeeper turned around and prepared to instruct the two shop assistants behind him to make a trip.

The next moment, a figure flashed before my eyes and darted towards the main gate.

Amidst cries of "He ran away!", Xu Laosan, who had just rushed to the gate, was tackled to the ground by two burly men and rendered unable to move.

The shopkeeper, his face cold, walked through the crowd and kicked Xu Laosan in the stomach: "You're still too green to try anything with me!"

He rose from a beggar to become the manager of a treasure shop, and he's seen all kinds of people. The tricks of the people under his feet are nothing!