Chapter 53 Taking an Inch and Wanting a Mile: Chen Junbo and Li Yang's Second Argument (1...)

Meanwhile, Li Yang and Zhong Qian personally escorted the newly purchased saplings to the work site. Seeing that the laborers were already in place, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhong Qian smiled wryly, "Boss, we've finally submitted Mr. Liu's order, but our accounts... sigh."

Hearing him sigh, Li Yang didn't take it to heart. "Manager Zhong, don't worry, this money is earned. We'll urge the craftsmen at the flower shop to work harder and renovate the backyard as soon as possible so we can open to customers soon. There are still two months left, and with Mr. Zheng's help this time, we're sure to achieve something great."

"Manager Zhong, the young master requests your presence."

Bi Fang strode towards the two men from a short distance away. Upon hearing this, the two men exchanged a glance.

Li Yang looked bewildered. Zhong Qian was secretly delighted; this was the first time Young Master Chen had ever summoned him to speak!

Although I messed up the warehouse recently, I managed to salvage the situation by working hard. I wonder if the young master will scold me or praise me in a little while.

Thinking to himself, he glanced at his employer beside him. The employer had just assigned him to oversee the tidying up of the flower shop's backyard, and must have praised him to the young master quite a bit for his competence. He decided he had to make a good impression later, hoping to win a reward from Young Master Chen.

Hehe, as expected, following the young mistress's tune is always the right thing to do.

He pondered this all the way, secretly delighted. If Chen Junbo were to praise him, how should he respond appropriately? He needed to carefully gauge the situation.

Before they knew it, the two had followed Bi Fang into the tent.

After Chen Junbo welcomed Li Yang over and sat him down, he said to Zhong Qian, "Manager Zhong will go with Steward Bi in a little while to settle your wages. You can then look for another job."

What?

Zhong Qian felt as if a string in his mind had snapped. He suddenly looked up at Young Master Chen sitting in the chair and asked, "Young Master, have I done something wrong?"

"Manager Zhong, you're a smart man," Chen Junbo said with a cold glance. "If you're smart, you should have expected that the truth would come out sooner or later, shouldn't you?"

Hearing this, Zhong Qian understood everything. It turned out that the young master Chen had learned about his repeated trips to Madam Chen's place to deliver messages.

And what about the employer? Is the employer also aware of this matter?

Thinking of this, even someone as shrewd as him felt his face burning with embarrassment, and he was even afraid to look at Li Yang's expression.

His face turned a deep purple, and he stood there dumbfounded. Bi Fang sneered inwardly, "Those who are two-faced have never had a good ending."

Zhong Qian remained silent, but inwardly he cried out in indignation: "Young Master Chen, Eldest Young Master Chen! Why are you making things difficult for us lowly ones when your household is in such a power struggle? I only went to deliver messages a few times at Madam's request; I didn't actually do anything out of line. One is your mother, the other is your wife, yet this contest is taking place in a brothel… He also has his mother and wife living under the same roof at home, so he understands the hardship of being caught in the middle. But, Young Master Chen, why are you taking out your frustrations on us, who receive monthly stipends, on things you can't even handle yourself?"

He frowned and stole a glance at Li Yang, hoping that his master would put in a good word for him out of consideration for their past relationship, and perhaps the young master would change his mind.

After staring at Li Yang for a long time, the young lady in the armchair seemed to come back to her senses. Just as she was about to speak, Chen Junbai cut her off, saying, "I advise Manager Zhong to part amicably so that we can meet again in the future. If you still want to do business in Songshan Town in the future, the Chen family will introduce you to some opportunities."

The weight of Chen Junbo's words is self-evident.

Zhong Qian was jolted awake and quickly lowered his eyes, no longer looking at the young mistress.

He was right; the one who could change Young Master Chen's mind was the young mistress.

But he was wrong. If he provoked the young mistress to plead for him now, making things difficult for the young master Chen, then he would be making an enemy of Chen Junbai.

He just wanted to find a way to survive; offending Chen Junbo would likely mean certain death.

To his surprise, his employer seemed to have woken up suddenly and asked, "Are you going to fire Manager Zhong?"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Young Master Chen gently advised, "Zhaozhao, someone who tries to please both sides like him cannot be kept around."

Li Yang: "But..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Junbo gave her a look, and Bi Fang led Zhong Qian out.

She glanced at the group's actions and stood up anxiously. "But Manager Zhong has always been loyal to me. You can't just fire him like this."

The other party sighed helplessly, "Zhaozhao, a kind heart cannot command an army, a benevolent person cannot govern, and a righteous person cannot manage wealth..."

What kind of nonsense is this? She couldn't listen to any of these grand theories at this moment, one after another. She just thought Chen Junbai must have nothing better to do. "Don't give me that nonsense. We just can't fire Manager Zhong. He handles so many things in my flower shop. If you fire him, who will do the work?"

Chen Junbo seemed to have been prepared, "I have already instructed Bi Fang to find a reliable manager to go there tomorrow."

"Chen Junbo!"

Unable to argue with him, Li Yang felt frustrated and annoyed, so in her anger she shouted his name at the top of her lungs.

Unexpectedly, this time, the other party was no longer in a good mood and also raised their voice to coldly rebuke: "Zhao Zhao!"

Upon hearing his shout, Li Yang was stunned, his ears ringing.

The person before me had a somber expression, with high-arched eyebrows and a pair of cold, sharp eyes. The curves of his eyes and the corners of his mouth all revealed his anger.

Li Yang's heart tightened; she suddenly didn't recognize the person before her. Just yesterday, the two of them had sat embracing in the carriage, she had fallen asleep in his arms, and had been carried all the way back to Lanxin Pavilion. How could he be so unfamiliar today? Had they really been that close?

Those fragments in her mind were like dreamlike bubbles, like shattered soap bubbles carrying cold water droplets that splashed onto her heart, making her heart grow colder and colder.

He had been so spoiled during that period that he had forgotten his sense of direction, but now that he had shouted, Li Yang was much calmer.

How could she forget? This man was the young master of the Chen family, her contractual employer, a man who could wield immense power in the entire Lianghuai salt industry. And she, having gained a little favor from him, actually dared to dream of climbing over his head.

Manager Zhong has been fired; perhaps she'll be next. How laughable, utterly laughable! She's foolishly trying to defend him. What gives her the confidence? Whose favor is she relying on? It's all just a matter of Chen Junbai's whim. He was willing to give her face, but now he's unwilling. She's forgotten her own worth.

Perhaps because Li Yang's expression was too relaxed, Chen Junbo realized that his tone was unfriendly just now. He took a deep breath and said, "Zhao Zhao, I know that you two often spend time together in the flower market and have developed a master-servant relationship. You find it hard to accept this. But such a person can tell your mother about your affairs today and sell you to the enemy tomorrow. Keeping him by your side is just raising a tiger to cause trouble."

This rambling string of words was all reasonable, but unfortunately, every single one was blocked from Li Yang's ears. Her mind was filled with unfamiliarity, disappointment, and a bit of fear towards this person. In just a few moments, the previous anger had vanished from her face, and she lowered her head and replied indifferently, "I understand." She didn't even glance at him.

Seeing this, Chen Junbo narrowed his eyes slightly. He took a few steps closer, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said softly, "You're too excited right now to listen to reason. Just listen to my advice this time. There are only two months left on the bet. I will have Mr. Zheng personally go to the Flower Bureau to take charge of the renovation of the backyard. Don't be angry with me for the sake of the manager. Turning the Flower Bureau around is the most important thing."

The girl chuckled softly, then suddenly looked up at Chen Junbo with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, for thinking of everything so thoroughly for me."

Her smile lingered on her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes, causing Chen Junbo to frown. "Zhaozhao, don't be like this."

Chen Junbo regretted his outburst. They'd only been on good terms for a few days, and he'd driven her to this bizarre state over a shopkeeper. He'd forgotten how stubborn she was; if she hadn't agreed, he wouldn't have been able to handle her. Thinking this, his disgust for Zhong Qian deepened. If it weren't for this shopkeeper, things wouldn't have turned out this way…

"President Chen's thoughtful consideration was all for my sake, so how could I possibly take advantage of him and be ungrateful?"

After saying that, she turned and left the tent without looking back. She called Zhong Qian and returned to the carriage, not even responding to Bi Fang's greeting.

Perhaps it was because her face was too gloomy, but she sat quietly in front of the clock the whole way. This person, who was usually the most cunning, seemed to have had her lips and tongue sewn shut by an embroidery needle today.

"Manager Zhong." Li Yang's voice came from inside the carriage curtain.

Zhong Qian hurriedly said, "Yes, boss."

"Manager Zhong, I'm so sorry."

Upon hearing Li Yang's words, the old man Zhong Qian sat on the edge of the carriage, raised his sleeve and wiped the corner of his eye. "Master, what are you saying? I've been following you around these days, and I've broadened my horizons and learned some skills. Maybe tomorrow I'll have someone invite me over with double my monthly allowance."

Hearing him say such comforting words, Li Yang felt as if a damp cotton ball had been placed over his heart, blurring his vision. "Manager Zhong, I really don't know why he suddenly acted this way today. If I had known beforehand, I would have stopped him... Just now, I argued with him, but he wouldn't listen to me..."

“Absolutely not, absolutely not.” Zhong Qian’s voice was sincere. “Master, you absolutely cannot have a falling out with the young master over the sake of the young master. I am just a lowly person who can survive by simply sticking a scallion or a clove of garlic into the ground. Master, you are beautiful and kind-hearted, like a fairy from heaven. You absolutely cannot say hurtful things to the young master or do anything foolish over such a trivial matter.”

He said this aloud, and he thought it in his heart: Zhong Qian, what have you done to deserve this? The young mistress of the Chen family is actually arguing with the young master of the Chen family because of you. You've really become a dish with a lot of face, and you've actually been served on the Chen family's dinner table.

He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. “Master, this is not the young master’s fault. It was my own fault for not being able to control myself. If I had refused when the madam came to deliver the message, none of this would have happened. No one can be blamed for this... To be honest, I have no face to see you.”

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Li Yang abruptly lifted the carriage curtain, stared at Zhong Qian for a long while, tears still welling in his eyes, and then burst out laughing. "Manager Zhong, you're joking again. Do you think you can refuse my mother-in-law? Let alone you, even among the Chen, Zhang, Liu, and Li families in Songshan Town, which one can stop my mother-in-law?"

Hearing her so frank, Zhong Qian thought of how Chen Zhangshi always rushed to find him for the most trivial things, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The master and servant returned to the flower shop amidst tears and laughter, each sporting swollen, puffy eyes.

Zhong Qian: "Master, I must take my leave now. Take care in the future."

Li Yang said, "Manager Zhong, if you ever encounter any difficulties, you must come to me." As she spoke, she took out all the money from her purse and stuffed it into his hand. "This isn't much, but you can take it first. I'll withdraw some more from my account and send it to you later. When I visit your home, you must welcome me."

She had already put it this way, so Zhong Qian no longer refused. His lips trembled, forcing back the bitterness in his heart, he could only keep saying "thank you, thank you," before accepting the money and leaving. Just as he turned away, a tear welled up in his eye, but he forced a smile, looked up, and grinned foolishly at his uneven teeth…

"Mom, look at this person, his eyes are crying but his mouth is smiling, he's so silly!" The child's voice was tender and he couldn't lie, so his mother covered his mouth and carried him away.

On the wide, blue-brick road, as the sun set, he walked further and further away. In a daze, Li Yang watched his shadow grow longer and longer, as if that shadow was gradually straightening its back.