Chapter 51 Ru Fang's Tragedy (1) Chen Junbo's Powerful Rebuttal to Liu Yitong...

"Let him go!"

Liu Rufang rushed into the room and shouted angrily at the two burly men behind A Long.

"Hey bro, look, this bastard's girlfriend's here. She's pretty good-looking."

The pockmarked man had a lewd look on his face. He was talking to the scarred man next to him, but his eyes were darting around Liu Rufang, as if he wanted to strip him naked with his gaze.

Scarface kicked him, "Have some backbone. You haven't been to the brothel enough these past few days. Don't let it interfere with your business."

As he spoke, he slapped Ah Long on the head, "Damn it, even if the King of Heaven himself came today, you still have to pay back the money! If you're short by even a penny, I'll chop off one of your fingers!"

Ah Long's head swelled up instantly. He had been beaten countless times. His face was bruised and red, and one of his eyes was shaped like an egg, with only a slit visible.

Seeing this once imposing man in such a pitiful state, Liu Rufang felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She hurriedly said, "Let him go! Release him quickly! Just how much does he owe you?"

He came to see Brother Long today with plenty of money, just like every time before, bringing a bag full of silver coins.

"Hey, you're quite the loyal guy, bro. See? I told you this guy was his lover." The pockmarked man turned and said, "What? You're going to pay off his debts?"

Liu Rufang secretly weighed the money in her sleeve pocket, gritted her teeth, and said, "Yes, I'll pay it back for you!"

The pockmarked man glanced at the scarred man's eyes, and seeing that he had no objection, he glared at Liu Rufang and said fiercely, "Then listen carefully, this bastard has been staying in our gambling den for fifteen days and owes a thousand taels of silver!"

One thousand taels?

Liu Rufang's eyes widened in shock. A thousand taels?! He could usually handle a hundred or two taels, but now he owed a thousand taels?

He looked at Ah Long with disbelief in his eyes.

Over the years, he had sent all the money he had earned to Ah Long. Where would he get a thousand taels now? Even if you dismantled him, you wouldn't get a thousand taels of silver.

Seeing that he fell silent after hearing the amount of the debt, the pockmarked man rubbed his nose and grinned wickedly, "What, no money? If you don't have money, then stay away. Don't be so delicate. Don't be scared into wetting your pants if you see something you shouldn't see."

As the man spoke, his yellow teeth, still stuck with vegetable leaves, sprayed foul odor directly into Liu Rufang's face. Liu Rufang unconsciously frowned and took a half step back. Her disgust was not concealed in time, and the pockmarked man saw it clearly.

"Go to hell, you dare to look down on me!" This pockmarked man seemed to have a fiery temper. Seeing Liu Rufang's disgusted look, he immediately rushed up to teach him a lesson.

"Er Mazi!"

Scarface quickly stopped the man. He was there to collect money, and if he didn't get any, he would cut something off this bastard to take home as a snack. He didn't want anything else to cause trouble.

Scarface glanced at Liu Rufang and saw that he was already pale with fright. He sneered inwardly: "Hmph, she looks more beautiful than a woman, but she's still a gold digger."

With a sneer in her heart, she punched Ah Long twice more on the head, making Liu Rufang's eyes fill with tears. "Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him! I have money! I have money!"

As he spoke, he took out a purse from his sleeve. "I didn't bring this much with me today. This money will settle the debt first. I'll figure out the rest. Please give me a few more days."

Seeing that he actually took out the silver, Scarface gave Er Mazi a knowing look. Er Mazi took the money bag, opened it, and counted it. "Two hundred and fifty taels?"

As he spoke, Er Mazi turned to look at Dao Ba, only to see the other man blink slightly before turning away and saying, "You think you can fool me with such a small amount of money? Do you even know how much interest he owes?"

Liu Rufang never imagined that two hundred taels of silver would be worthless in these people's eyes. She stammered, "What, what percentage of interest?"

"Hmph, this silver is only enough for him to pay ten days' interest." Er Mazi tied the bag tightly, tossed it up, and weighed it in his hand. "If he can't come up with a thousand taels in ten days, you'll be sorry!"

"Why do you still want a thousand taels?" Liu Rufang questioned loudly. "I've already paid back two hundred and fifty taels. Are you robbing me?"

"Hehehehehe," Er Mazi laughed out loud, "You young man, with your delicate skin and tender flesh, how come you're as innocent as a woman? Don't be afraid to tell you, everyone who comes to this gambling den to borrow money knows the rules: 20 percent interest, clearly marked."

A thunderbolt struck Liu Rufang's mind: a score of twenty.

Where could he possibly raise so much silver in just ten days...?

The two men, having received a full bag of silver, left after giving their message. Seeing them depart, Liu Rufang, without thinking twice, rushed forward, cradled Long Ge's head, and examined it closely, her heart aching. "Does it hurt?" she cried.

To everyone's surprise, Brother Long swatted him away, saying, "You idiot, how could you give them the money!"

Liu Rufang was thrown to the ground and stammered, "I, they beat you like that..." He was usually very eloquent with Chen Zhangshi, but when he saw Brother Long, the person he loved, all his eloquence vanished.

Brother Long seemed about to curse a few more times, but then he pulled at his wound and gasped. Liu Rufang rushed over again, "Does it hurt? Where's the medicine? I'll take you to see a doctor."

Ah Long's one eye was already unrecognizable, with only his right eye still somewhat intact. He rolled his eyes and said softly, "Ru Fang, I said something foolish just now, please don't be angry."

"I'm not angry. Are you alright? Do you want to see a doctor?" As Liu Rufang heard his voice soften, her heart ached again, and her eyes reddened, on the verge of tears.

“Brother Long, in my heart you will always be the Hegemon of Western Chu, a great hero. Now you are just a pearl covered in dust, a dragon encountering shallow water.” Liu Rufang saw that apart from his slightly unsightly appearance, he seemed to be unharmed, so she leaned into his arms, her fingers tracing his chest and climbing up his shoulder. “This time you listen to me. Once you have paid off your debts, don’t gamble anymore. I will go and beg the troupe leader, and you can go back to the troupe.”

Upon hearing this, Ah Long frowned instinctively. However, with his eyes and eyebrows swollen, he gasped for breath. He suppressed his irritation, reached out and gently patted the other person's head. "Okay, Ru Fang, I'll listen to you."

He sneered inwardly: What a load of crap! That old bastard dared to slap me back then, so don't even think about me going back to make money for him... But remembering that the people at the gambling den really wanted to chop off his fingers, he suppressed his anger and decided to appease the man first so he could pay back the money for him.

Having made up his mind, he reached down to Liu Rufang's lower body. "Rufang, I am so grateful to you for saving me today. If it weren't for you, I don't know if I would have been able to keep my hands... Rufang, I miss you..." He always knew how to coax Liu Rufang. Besides, Liu Rufang's body was whiter and more tender than that of ordinary women, and she listened to him in everything. He was happy to do so.

Seeing that her beloved had now calmed down and was even willing to condescend to serve him, Liu Rufang had no choice but to comply. She softened her body, lay down in his arms, and whispered her lover's name while her hands reached straight into his clothes.

At this moment, he only wanted to transform himself into the best medicine in the world, so that the person would never feel pain again.

The earthen house with its low door could not conceal the trembling sounds inside, and the fragrant quilts seemed to flutter wildly in flight.

"Rufang, answer me."

In his younger days, Ah Long practiced martial arts every day in the guise of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Now, he used all his skills in this small world, displaying an extremely domineering demeanor. This made Liu Rufang dizzy, and as she arched her back and shrank her toes, a few melodious sounds of warbling birds escaped her lips.

"Rufang, is that Mrs. Chen from the Chen family as good as me?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Rufang suddenly opened her eyes and looked at her lover, her eyes instantly reddening and welling up with tears, "You..."

How could he say such a thing? Ever since he taught Brother Long to lose his virginity, all he's thought about is that the two of them can save money and live a good life.

After Brother Long left the opera troupe in a fit of anger, he lost his income and gambled day and night. The monthly allowance from his opera troupe was far from enough for him to squander at the gambling den.

One day, he caught the eye of a wealthy merchant's wife. The woman was quite formidable; after several failed attempts to seduce him, she resorted to underhanded tactics. Afterwards, he received a silver ingot and, distraught, wept in Brother Long's arms. Brother Long took good care of him for several days. During those days, the woman who had previously been cold and indifferent to him treated him with the same tenderness, letting him experience all the pleasures of the world. From then on, he lost all ambition and, for the sake of the silver, began his life as a prostitute in the wealthy merchant's harem.

Practice makes perfect, and he soon found himself frequenting the private quarters of countless wealthy merchants, finally settling down for a while in Chen Zhangshi's room. Of all the wealthy merchants' wives in town, Chen Zhangshi was the easiest to please. He only needed to say a few kind words and work hard for a few days to receive a steady stream of rewards, and she even helped Ah Long find a job.

Now, between the lovers in bed, Ah Long actually said such things. Liu Rufang felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. They had been so good together in the past, so why had things come to this? She had nowhere to express her grievances, and only tears streamed down her face.

Seeing that he was anxious, Ah Long, remembering the matter of the thousand taels of silver, blamed himself a few times and then buried his head in his bow, only telling him to quickly agree to go to the Chen family to get some more silver to keep the gambling den people occupied.

That day, Liu Rufang returned to the Chen residence and went straight into Baomo Hall. Upon seeing Chen Zhangshi, she unceremoniously dragged her onto the bed.

Madam Chen felt as if the young man had taken some kind of tonic today, pressing against her with gritted teeth and fierce expressions. Not only did she find it amusing, but Liu Rufang even offered her some advice.

It is said that Brother Long is still in charge of the warehouse. As long as he gets rid of the goods in the warehouse, the business between the young mistress of the Chen family and the Liu family will fall through, and the gambling agreement will naturally be lost.

In her dazed state, Madam Chen felt a warmth in her heart, thinking: Who says actors are heartless? The young man I raised is now wholeheartedly plotting for her. She raised her hand to hold his back and gently stroked him.

Liu Rufang lowered his head and coldly observed the satisfied look on Chen Zhangshi's face below. A chill ran through him. Sweet words from a lover are like daggers, but they were hard to swallow and he eventually succumbed to them.

Cause and effect cycle, struggle and reversal, and finally, a piece falls on one's own destiny.

The matter of the warehouse was exposed when Liu Yitong caused a scene at Chen's Salt Shop.

"Chen Junbo! Chen Junbo, you get the hell out here!"

Liu Yitong was as round as a barrel, and his voice was as loud as a bell. As soon as he crawled out of the carriage, his shouts and curses had already entered Chen's Salt Shop.

Chen Junbo and Li Yang walked out slowly, coldly observing the newcomers without uttering a sound.

Seeing his cold expression, Liu Yitong was taken aback, then seemed to remember something, his chest puffed out, "What are you doing! Who are you trying to scare!"

Chen Junbo: "If you want to talk, get in here. Whose father are you?" With that, he took Li Yang's hand and turned to go inside.

After being scolded, Liu Yitong seemed to feel relieved, pinching his nose and rolling his eyes as he followed the two men inside.

As soon as they entered the inner hall and sat down, Liu Yitong started shouting, "Oh, your wife is here too. So you must know about this matter. Tell me, how should we handle it?"

Chen Junbo remained silent, but Li Yang couldn't help but ask, "General Manager Liu, this is our Flower Bureau's fault. Can you still return the laborers and craftsmen on your side?"

"Withdraw?!" Liu Yitong shrieked, "Are you kidding me!" He glanced at Chen Junbo's face, which was as black as thunder, coughed lightly, and then sat down, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't make fun of me. The project is supposed to start tomorrow, and you're telling me today that the cooked duck has flown away? Even if I cancel the project for tomorrow right now, I'll still have to pay the foreman money."

Li Yang pursed his lips and asked softly, "How much silver do you want to pay in compensation?"