Chapter 428: Stealing a Chicken, Losing the Rice
Chen Zhancai was startled and turned his head suddenly, only to see an old woman approaching him without him noticing.
He hurriedly said something, "I, I'm not looking for anyone, I'm just passing by, yes, passing by."
The old woman looked Chen Zhancai up and down and questioned, "Just passing by? I just walked to the alley entrance and saw you sneaking around my door. What do you want to do? Are you trying to steal something?"
"No, no, no, mother, you misunderstood me." Chen Zhancai finished speaking, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "What did you just say? Is this your home?"
"Yes, this is my home, what's wrong?"
"Where is your young lady?"
"Our young lady?" The old woman looked confused. "I only gave birth to one son, so how could there be a young lady?"
Chen Zhancai hurriedly explained, "Old mother, you misunderstood again. I meant the young lady you serve."
"The lady I serve? When have I ever served anyone? Are you crazy?" The old woman's face suddenly darkened.
Hearing this, Chen Zhancai panicked all of a sudden, "No, old lady, don't get angry first. Since you said this is your home, then what's the matter with the young lady here?"
"Oh, so that's what you're asking." The old woman suddenly realized something, shook her head and gave a wry smile. "I'm almost going crazy. Just talking about this makes me angry. We originally agreed to rent the house for three months, but who knew that those people would check out in less than ten days? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have rented it to them!"
"What did you say? Those two girls left?" Chen Zhancai's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly had a bad feeling. "That's not right. That girl said her father was an official in the court. How could she rent a house? Did you make a mistake?"
"What? Her father is an official?" The old woman laughed as if she had heard a huge joke. "You really amuse me to death. How could such a frivolous girl be the eldest daughter of an official? You are talking nonsense!"
"What, frivolous woman, how can you say that?"
"Since you ask, I'll tell you." The old woman stopped laughing and sighed softly, "This is what happened. More than ten days ago, I was cleaning the yard at home when two men came. They said they were here to do business and wanted to rent out a house nearby.
It just so happened that my house had been vacant for a long time and I was looking to rent it out. Without thinking too much, I verbally rented the house to them.
Unexpectedly, they paid a month's rent and brought two women with them. The two women were really pretty, but they were shameless enough. They called one of the men "brother" in front of me, and then bit another man on the face. I didn't know what the relationship between them was.
I regretted it at that time, but there was nothing I could do. I just waited for a month to drive these shameless people away.
Just last night they came to me in a hurry and said they wanted to check out. I refused, and then a woman named Xiaozhu came and held her waist and started to curse in the street.
When I saw it, I realized that I couldn't afford to offend them, but I could afford to avoid them, so I immediately returned the rent to them, and several people left overnight.
Later, I heard from neighbors that these people were scammers who used their beauty to deceive men from other places. They checked out in such a hurry, they must have caught a big fish.
After hearing what the old woman said, Chen Zhancai was struck by lightning and petrified on the spot. He was unwilling to accept it and was a little bit unbelievable.
"That's not true. The woman herself said that their master was an official. How could she be a liar?"
"Oh my, I'm not saying anything harsh on you, but you must have gotten your head stuck in a door or kicked by a donkey when you were a kid, why don't you just turn around?" The old woman was a bit amused. "Don't you think about it? Officials are not cheap. They're all wealthy and live in mansions with pavilions and towers. How could they let their children live in these thatched huts? You're just talking nonsense!"
"Oh my god, I've been cheated." Chen Zhancai woke up from his dream, his legs softened, and he collapsed to the ground.
I played with eagles all my life, but was pecked in the eye by an eagle.
How come you didn't see through this crude deception?
He was so annoyed that he raised his hand and slapped himself twice.
I made you self-righteous and extravagant, and now, you've lost more than you gained, and the only forty taels of silver you had on you were swindled away...
The old woman was frightened by Chen Zhancai's behavior. She thought he was mentally ill and was afraid of being blamed, so she turned around and left in a hurry.
It took Chen Zhan a while to come back to his senses. He almost wanted to die. He had no money on him. How could he pay the bill at the inn? How would he get home?
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Yes, the results have not been announced yet. As long as he passes the exam, he will have money and can go home in glory.
Although I felt better when I thought about it, I was also heartbroken. After all, it was forty taels of silver.
How many times could I go to brothels, how many delicacies could I eat, but now all of them have become a bubble.
I shouldn't have thought about climbing up the social ladder at that time.
Instead of getting rich, he got a pile of shit on his head.
It really fits the saying, "The city is full of tricks, it's better to go back to the countryside, where the roads are slippery and people's hearts are more complicated."
When the high-ranking official gets to ride a fine horse one day, he will first catch a group of big swindlers and vent his anger.
After returning to the inn, Chen Zhancai was afraid that the inn owner would find out and ask for the room fee, so he quickened his pace to return to his room.
The shopkeeper had been waiting for Chen Zhancai for a long time. As soon as he entered the door, he hurried out from the cashier's office with a big smile on his face.
"Mr. Chen is back. Why are you back so early today?"
"I just went out for a walk, but it was boring, so I came back early." Chen Zhancai said as he walked upstairs.
The shopkeeper saw this and hurriedly blocked his way, saying, "Mr. Chen, please stay. I want to tell you something."
Chen Zhancai asked knowingly, "What's the matter?"
"Mr. Chen, you know we're a small business. You've been staying here for over a month, and you've been treated to delicious food and drinks every day. We're already running out of money. Could you please settle some of the previous rent first, so we can get by?"
"You're so rude! Didn't I tell you long ago that you should pay the bill after you check out? Yet you keep asking for the money. How can you do business like that? Are you afraid I'll default on my payment? If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have stayed here."
"Mr. Chen, don't be angry. I didn't mean that. It's just that our store is short of funds. I hope you can understand." The store owner did not lie. Since Chen Zhancai came, there have been high-quality banquets every day. After more than a month, the cost has reached nearly fifty taels of silver.
Chen Zhancai was furious, but he pretended to be calm on the surface. He put on airs and shouted sternly, "I have always been a law-abiding gentleman. I will do what I agreed to do. How can I allow you to go back on your word? This is outrageous!"
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