"If you don't know, go ask!" Zheng Bingyi kicked them and angrily chased them away. "All of you, get out! Don't come back if you can't find out!"
Several servants hurried out the door and looked at each other, all looking dejected.
They worked so hard to find out, but not only did they not get any reward, they were even beaten. They were so unlucky to have such a stingy master.
But despite the scolding, they had no choice but to go out and continue investigating.
Zheng Bingyi, who was in the room, had no idea that the servants were unhappy, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. What he cared about were his superiors and money, the one who could promote him and the other who could pave the way for him.
When he first arrived in Shunde Prefecture, he married his superior's daughter and was successfully promoted to the rank of sixth-rank official. However, last year, his father-in-law died of illness, leaving him without support. His wife wasn't close to her brothers, and aside from occasionally visiting her mother-in-law and bringing back food, she was of little use to him.
Seeing his colleagues getting promoted one after another, he was still stuck in his current position, and his heart was burning with anxiety. However, his attempts to gain promotions were ineffective.
Especially half a year ago, the woman in the north also died. Not only did the supply of money cut off, but a useless son also came to find her, which was simply adding insult to injury.
This time, his boss, who had never thought much of him, had his mother's birthday, so he came to celebrate specially, intending to make a break with his boss and resume his career.
Unexpectedly, I ran into my former uncle and adopted son by chance!
Furthermore, Chen Zhao seemed to have a relationship with the Xiushan County Magistrate, which was a pleasant surprise. You know, the Xiushan County Magistrate was not of high rank and had not been promoted in many years, but he had always been among the top in the imperial examinations, and it seemed that he had the help of a noble person behind him.
If Chen Zhao could help introduce him, he would have a close relationship with the Xiushan County Magistrate, and he would definitely not have to worry about promotions in the future...
But he had figured out all these things clearly, but there was one key person he could not avoid, and that was Chen Zhao!
The woman in the north had no parents, and only her younger brother, Chen Zhao, depended on her for survival. Over the years, Chen Zhao had earned money through business and supported the woman and her child, and even him...
Now that the woman is dead, Chen Zhao must be resentful of him. How can he get away with it?
Just when I was having a headache, there was a sudden noise downstairs, and the noise sounded very familiar.
Zheng Bingyi remembered that his son was not around and ran downstairs immediately.
Sure enough, the person in the crowd whose sleeve was pulled by the innkeeper was his beloved son Zheng Yan.
"Brother Yan, what's going on?"
Zheng Bingyi pulled his son and looked him up and down, fearing that his son would suffer a loss.
The little fat boy hugged his father's arm and started crying, "Dad, I was just drinking tea and accidentally knocked over the teacup! This damn shopkeeper insisted on making me pay for it!"
The innkeeper across the street was also furious and immediately retorted, "This young master is so unreasonable! There are so many people in this room, why didn't I ask others to pay compensation? You are just going too far!"
"You were disgusted with the tea bowls I had originally prepared for guests, and you pointed to the set of thin-walled white-glazed tea bowls in my cabinet, insisting I take them out for you. I told you at the time that this set of tea was valuable and had been displayed for everyone to admire. If you used it, you would have to pay for any damages.
"You promised me clearly, but then you turned around and said the tea was hot and smashed one of my hands! I'm asking you to pay me back, is that okay? But you've turned your back on me, how can that be justified?"
The shopkeeper was also very angry. He spoke quickly and clearly, like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, and at the end he asked the customer next to him for confirmation.
"Everyone's here. You all saw him clamoring for the tea set. Now tell me, was I lying, or was this young master being too much of a bully?"
One enthusiastic and fair-minded tea drinker spoke up, "It's exactly as the shopkeeper said. We all heard the young master cursing and making a fuss just now, demanding this fine tea set."
"Yes, the shopkeeper did say it was too expensive and that compensation would be required for any damage. The young master agreed to it, but it's really too much for him to suddenly change his mind now." Another person also agreed.
The other tea drinkers nodded one after another, all helping to bear witness.
In fact, the little fat boy looks only eight or nine years old, and is not a big kid. It’s okay for him to be naughty and get into trouble, but it’s really unbearable for him to shirk responsibility and evade responsibility after causing trouble.
Seeing everyone like this, the little fat man felt uneasy and started to make excuses, "The tea was too hot, don't blame me for breaking the tea bowl!"
The shopkeeper said nothing and looked very disdainful.
The other tea drinkers also shook their heads, saying that this child was ruined by his upbringing.
Zheng Bingyi's face looked like it was on fire, and it turned very red.
He brought his son with him this time because his boss also had a son who was being raised by the old lady who was celebrating her birthday. He thought that if his son got along well with the old lady, he would also become closer to his boss.
I never thought that my son is such a useless piece of mud!
"Stop talking. I'll pay you whatever amount of silver you want!" Zheng Bingyi gritted his teeth and agreed to clean up his son's mess!
The shopkeeper's expression brightened considerably, and he replied, "I spent eighteen taels when I bought this tea set. Now, three years have passed, and the master who made it has passed away. Logically, the price should be higher, but you only need to compensate me for the original price. For the rest... I'll take the blame!"
Zheng Bingyi took out twenty taels of silver from his purse, endured the pain, and coldly threw it to the shopkeeper, "Here are twenty taels, no need to change!"
After saying that, he pulled his son and went upstairs!
The tea drinkers had no more fun to watch and started joking around.
"This guy is pretty good. At least he knows how to give more."
"You just don't know how to educate your son. I'm afraid you'll regret it many times in the future!"
"It is the father's fault if the son is not well educated!"
The teahouse owner, however, was not grateful and grumbled, "My tea set cost more than twenty taels of silver, and I haven't even paid for the snacks just now. It's just bad luck!"
"That's great, boss! Don't be stingy. If we didn't help you just now, you won't get the compensation back!" A tea drinker shouted with a smile, "You should serve us some snacks as a thank you!"
Others also joined in the fun and started to make noise.
The shopkeeper waved his hand, smiled and asked the waiter to bring a plate of dim sum to each table.
The dim sum was not high-end, but it was the fruit of victory, and the tea drinkers were all very happy to eat it.
In the corner, there was an ordinary tea drinker, drinking tea and eating snacks, listening to the noises upstairs from time to time, looking a little out of place.
Upstairs, Zheng Bingyi was slapping his son with his hands, making loud noises.
The family had already been struggling financially since the financial aid from the north had been cut off. To celebrate his birthday this time, he even sold a few of his favorite inkstones to scrape together enough money for the gift.
He didn't expect his son to be so disappointing and unable to help, but instead caused him to lose another twenty taels.
"I'm going to beat you to death, you unfilial thing!" The more Zheng Bingyi thought about it, the harder he slapped his hands.
The little fat boy wasn't just pretending to cry this time. Tears and snot were streaming down his face as he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Mom, help! I want to go back to my mom!"
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