As time went by, the bookstore became more and more crowded. They were either selecting their favorite books or chatting with friends about interesting literary anecdotes, and the whole bookstore was filled with a strong cultural atmosphere.
However, just as everyone was immersed in the lively atmosphere, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the bookstore. Leading the group was a dandy, dressed in gorgeous clothes. His name was Li Fugui, a well-known playboy in the capital. He relied on his family's power to bully others and do whatever he wanted.
Li Fugui looked at the bustling scene outside the bookstore, feeling a pang of jealousy. He snorted coldly and said, "A small bookstore dares to be so ostentatious! I'll see how I tear it down today." With that, he swaggered into the bookstore with a group of servants.
Su Jinli saw this group of people coming in, and she secretly thought that something was wrong. She walked forward and said politely, "What can I do for you, sir?"
Li Fugui looked Su Jinli up and down, a malicious look in his eyes. He said, "I heard that your bookstore sells some good books. I came here today to see them." After that, he picked up a book from the shelf, read a few pages, and threw it away, saying, "What kind of thing is this? It's full of clichés. I find it boring to read."
The customers around him all looked dissatisfied after hearing this. Su Jinli was furious, but she suppressed her anger and said, "If you are not satisfied, you can go to another bookstore."
Li Fugui refused to give in. He shouted, "I am going to make a scene here today to see what you can do to me." After that, he ordered the servants to start making trouble in the bookstore and push the books on the shelves to the ground.
Jiang Yan was furious when he saw this. He walked over, grabbed Li Fugui's arm, and said coldly, "Mr. Li, this is a bookstore. Please be respectful."
Li Fugui looked at Jiang Yan and said disdainfully, "Who are you? How dare you meddle in my business?"
Jiang Yan's expression was stern as he said, "I am Jiang Yan. You are causing trouble in this bookstore today because you are trying to make things difficult for me."
Li Fugui was stunned at first, then burst into laughter: "So it's you, the top scholar, who's now meddling in the bookstore's affairs?"
Jiang Yan said, "Jinyun Bookstore is the fruit of my wife's hard work. I can't just sit back and watch you cause trouble."
Li Fugui looked at Jiang Yan, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes, but then he said stubbornly, "Humph, you're just a top scholar, and my Li family is not to be trifled with in the capital. I'm going to cause trouble today, what can you do to me?"
Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Su Jinli suddenly had an idea. She walked over and said to Li Fugui with a smile, "Mr. Li, since you think the books in this bookstore are not good, how about we make a bet?"
Li Fugui was stunned and asked, "What bet?"
Su Jinli said, "My bookstore has all kinds of books, including poetry, songs, legends, classics, history, and everything in between. How about I pick a book at random? If you can tell me what's so wonderful about it, I'll admit that the books here are indeed not good and will willingly close the shop. But if you can't, I'll ask you to apologize to the bookstore and not mess around again. What do you say?"
Li Fugui was secretly pleased with himself. He felt that since he had read a lot of books, he was sure to win the bet. So, he said without hesitation, "Okay, I'll bet with you."
Su Jinli smiled slightly, picked up a copy of The Analects of Confucius from the bookshelf, handed it to Li Fugui, and said, "Mr. Li, please."
Li Fugui took the book and read a few pages. He suddenly felt a little uneasy. He usually read books in a superficial way, so how could he appreciate the subtleties of this book? He stammered, "I've read this book before, but I just can't remember it today."
Su Jinli sneered and said, "Mr. Li, it seems you have lost."
The guests around also said, "Mr. Li, I admit defeat and please apologize to the bookstore."
Li Fugui's face flushed crimson. He looked at the gazes of the people around him, feeling both ashamed and angry. But he was unwilling to admit defeat, so he said, "I'm not in good shape today, so this bet doesn't count. I'll try again another day."
Seeing this, Jiang Yan said, "Mr. Li, playing tricks like this is probably unmannerly."
Li Fugui snorted and said, "Don't go too far. I won't apologize today, so what can you do?"
At this moment, a majestic voice suddenly came from the door of the bookstore: "Li Fugui, what are you doing?" Everyone turned their heads and saw the Jingzhao Yin walking in with a group of yamen runners.
Li Fugui panicked when he saw the Jingzhao Yin. He quickly asked, "Sir, why are you here?"
The Jingzhao Yin's face darkened. He said, "I heard you were causing trouble outside. You're so bold! You dare to mess up the bookshop owned by Jiang Zhuangyuan's wife?"
Li Fugui quickly said, "Sir, I...I was just joking with them."
The Jingzhao Yin snorted coldly and said, "Are you kidding? Look at what you've done to this bookstore. Why don't you apologize to Madam Jiang right away?"
Li Fugui had no choice but to bite the bullet and apologize to Su Jinli: "Madam Jiang, I was wrong, please forgive me."
Su Jinli said, "Mr. Li, I hope you can take care of yourself in the future and not cause trouble again."
The Jingzhao Yin then said to Li Fugui, "Li Fugui, you have been a tyrant in the capital, and I have tolerated you many times. I will not pursue the matter today, but if you dare to cause trouble again, don't blame me for being rude."
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