Repay kindness with kindness, and repay evil with evil.
The wine goes down my throat, and I say it's to dispel my sorrows.
"Waiter, another pot of wine. Don't add water, I'm rich." Yu Xi shouted, slurring his words as he drank too much, leaning against the square table.
"Good wine, please." The waiter's voice came from afar, seemingly greeting someone: "Look how wet you are, is it raining outside?"
Yu Xi was so drunk he could barely open his eyes, all he remembered was to drink more. He reached out and touched the wine pot, but couldn't find it.
Hey, this waiter deserves a beating.
Just as Yu Xi was about to start cursing, someone grabbed his wrist.
"Wine! Give me some wine." Yu Xi waved his hand.
"Bang!"
A punch landed squarely on Yu Xi's face, making his head buzz and his body stagger backward.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two more punches landed on Yu Xi's abdomen. The pain made Yu Xi writhe like a boiled shrimp, causing her to bend over and fall to the ground.
"Sir, please calm down," the waiter advised, stopping the man.
"Who the hell are you? Are you looking for death?" The intense pain brought Yu Xi to his senses. He opened his eyes, looked at the person, and laughed instead.
At five or six tables, more than ten people drinking were all quite surprised, whispering among themselves, "Has this guy been beaten senseless?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Xi laughed even harder: "Hahahaha! Jiang Jinghong, you like sleeping with other people's women. My women are for this old man, not for you."
Jiang Jinghong gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed with hatred: "You beast! She's five or six months pregnant. How dare you make a move on her?"
"Huh..." The patrons looked at Yu Xi with disdain.
The waiter bent down, intending to help Yu Xi, but instead pulled out a rag from his waist and went to wipe the table.
Yu Xi squatted on the ground and saw Jiang Jinghong's clenched fist, feeling a surge of satisfaction. This time, he had won again: "See? The new restaurant across the street, that gentleman booked a top room for a month, and right now, he's on his wedding night."
"You!" Jiang Jinghong pointed at him with her index finger: "You don't regret it? Rumor has it that the old man has some shameful habits, and the well in the backyard has been filled up."
"What do I have to regret?" Yu Xi laughed easily, then looked at Jiang Jinghong with a hint of mockery: "If you can't bear to part with him, you can go to the back door of the restaurant and wait with the dogs. Maybe when Ye Qingzhou is thrown out, you can still lick a lukewarm sip. Hahahahahaha."
Jiang Jinghong gritted his teeth so hard they clattered, revealing the bone in his jaw. He was furious, but instead sneered, "I was wrong."
The mistake was treating you, Yu Xi, like a human being.
Jiang Jinghong bent down, grabbed Yu Xi by the collar, and pulled him outside.
It's raining outside.
Yu Xi was kicked to the ground by Jiang Jinghong, and her whole body fell into the puddle.
"He hasn't paid yet, you surnamed Yu." The waiter followed them to the door and, seeing the two of them starting to fight, peeked out to watch the commotion.
"Look at that punch, that power, he must be a trained fighter." The patrons, holding wine jugs, crowded the entrance with more than a dozen heads.
Yu Xi stood up from the mud: "Jiang Jinghong, I've had my eye on you for a long time. Damn it!"
Yu Xi kicked, Jiang Jinghong punched.
Yu Xi launched a flying kick, but Jiang Jinghong grabbed her leg and counter-attacked.
Both of them were angry, and they used all their strength in their punches and kicks.
After several rounds of back and forth, Jiang Jinghong finally prevailed, riding on Yu Xi's neck and fiercely beating the dog's head.
Yu Xi was beaten so badly he cried out in pain and begged for mercy. But Jiang Jinghong wouldn't let him off the hook.
"Master, help! Matchmaker, help me! Mother!" Yu Xi cried out incoherently as she was being beaten. The alcohol was taking effect, and her head was spinning and throbbing.
Sure enough, someone came. A woman, holding an umbrella, walked through the night and rain.
The woman walked over to them, bent down, and pulled Jiang Jinghong: "Jinghong! Don't get your hands dirty because of him."
"Why are you here? Why didn't you go home?" Jiang Jinghong was still pressing down on Yu Xi, grabbing Yu Xi's collar, and about to punch her.
Ye Qingzhou wiped the rain off his face, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Officer Li is coming with his men. There's only half a street left. You should hurry."
"I'm not afraid." Jiang Jinghong's fist was about to strike.
"What will I do if you get taken away?" Ye Qingzhou put one hand on his shoulder and shook him.
This swaying struck Jiang Jinghong's heart, and he immediately stood up.
Jiang Jinghong took the umbrella, and as she was about to leave, she turned back and kicked Yu Xi.
The kick made Yu Xi sit up abruptly. Seeing the figure in front of him, he wiped the rain from his face: "Ye Qingzhou! What are you doing here? Weren't you in the restaurant? Where's your wedding dress?"
Ye Qingzhou ignored him.
Raindrops pattered, and the beautiful woman's silhouette was like a painting.
Yu Xi's head was spinning, then clear. He stood up, ran a few steps, and stopped Ye Qingzhou: "Are you a human or a ghost?"
Jiang Jinghong held Ye Qingzhou in his arms, protecting her completely and not letting Yu Xi get hurt at all.
The rain was misty, and the night was deep, making everything somewhat indistinct.
"Are you a ghost? Are you dead? Did that old man torment you to death in bed?" Yu Xi waved her hand: "Don't come looking for me. My mother said that since you can't live without a man anyway, she'll find you a rich one to live a life of luxury."
The woman spoke up: "Your mother has gone off to enjoy her retirement."
"What did you say?" Yu Xi frowned, the alcohol was getting stronger, and he felt nauseous.
The door of the restaurant across the street opened. The matchmaker strode over, cursing and swearing. She didn't even have time to open her umbrella; her empty hands grabbed the soaking wet Yu Xi, yelling, "What kind of rubbish did you send? The master said, no fifty taels. Not even ten. Here! Two taels!"
The two taels of silver were barely in Yu Xi's hands before the matchmaker snatched a small piece away.
"Mine!" Yu Xi tried to snatch it.
"We agreed beforehand that it would be split 50/50. Why are you trying to take it?" The matchmaker refused to give it back to him and glanced to the side, where she happened to see Ye Qingzhou. She was so angry that her fingers trembled: "Such a beauty, you keep her instead of giving her away. You gave her to those two, one an old wrinkled old man and the other skinny as a rake, which made me get scolded."
Fearing that a fight between the two of them would cause collateral damage, Jiang Jinghong protected Ye Qingzhou and walked towards the tavern.
"What did you say? Which two?" Yu Xi became increasingly alarmed, a guess forming in her mind.
"Why are you pulling me? You're the one who's done a bad job." The matchmaker pushed him away: "What? Trying to take advantage of me? You brat, get lost!"
Torches pierced the rainy night, illuminating the restaurants on the main street. Li, the constable, spoke with a strong, resonant voice: "What's all this fuss about? Don't run. This is an official case; stay put."
An hour later, the constables completed their task and prepared to leave.
Yu Xi's mother, her clothes disheveled and her hair loose, took advantage of the bailiffs' inattention to wink at Yu Yue, hoping she would ask for help.
Yu Yue refused to leave and shouted at Yu Xi, "Brother, give me the money back. That old man drugged my mother and me with wine and made us put our fingerprints on it. He even made us serve him... Waaaaah, please let Ye Qingzhou come and replace me! I don't want to suffer."
Li, the constable, walked over and stopped her, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not making this up. Brother, go and beg Ye Qingzhou. She's easily swayed, she'll definitely agree. She saved me before, gave me money, and bought me good food. Go and beg her!" Yu Yue was being pulled away, but she kept looking back.
That night, the customers at the old tavern across from the new restaurant drank their fill and watched the show to their hearts' content.
"It's really rare to see a biological son selling his mother to find himself a stepfather!" A man lit a pipe and tapped off the ash.
"This kid, selling his mother, selling his sister, selling his divorced wife, really, tsk tsk tsk tsk..." The man casually poured out the remaining wine from the bottom of his cup.
"Oh no, he hasn't paid for the drinks yet." The waiter, who was squatting in the middle, slapped his forehead, wiping away the remaining wine and cigarette ash on his hat.
"Go ask him! The officials haven't all left yet, he'll definitely give it to you. Hurry up!" the patrons urged the waiter.
The rain was starting to subside. The waiter, without an umbrella, rushed over and demanded payment for the drinks. Ye Qingzhou and Jiang Jinghong also prepared to leave.
Yu Xi ignored the waiter and instead chased after Ye Qingzhou relentlessly: "Qingzhou, Madam, please save me, save my sister and mother."
"You spent the money they gave you. If they ask you for it back and you can't give it to them, what does that have to do with me?" Ye Qingzhou didn't look at him and kept walking forward.
“You’re soft-hearted and easy to talk to, how can you not care?” Yu Xi grabbed Ye Qingzhou’s sleeve with her dirty hand.
It wouldn't be appropriate to start a fight in front of the constables. Jiang Jinghong sighed, used eight-tenths of her strength, and pulled Yu Xi's hand away. Then, using that force, she pushed him into a puddle nearby.
Yu Xi sat in the shallow puddle, splashing around and splattering mud and water everywhere. He still didn't give up, calling out to Ye Qingzhou, "Madam, you weren't like this before."
The hem of her skirt was covered in mud splatters, which displeased Ye Qingzhou.
Jiang Jinghong tried to wipe it with his hand, but some stains remained. He rubbed the mud spot again and again.
Ye Qingzhou stopped Jiang Jinghong's hand, telling him to stop interfering. She closed her umbrella and walked towards Yu Xi.
When Yu Xi saw her coming, her face lit up with joy, and she was about to get up.
Ye Qingzhou used his umbrella as a cane and poked Yu Xi hard, knocking him down.
"You old hag, are you crazy?" Yu Xi sat in the muddy water, wiping the dirt off her face.
Ye Qingzhou took the umbrella and pounded his back hard, seven or eight times.
Who can talk this crazy woman out? Yu Xi wiped her face left and right, getting mud and water all over it.
"Madam, stop hitting him. Don't tire yourself out," Jiang Jinghong advised, quickly taking the umbrella and slapping Yu Xi into the muddy water, making him fall face-first into the mud.
With her large belly, Ye Qingzhou was exhausted after a long day of work and took Jiang Jinghong's arm for support.
Jiang Jinghong closed the umbrella, half-supported and half-carried her, and advised her to go back and rest.
Ye Qingzhou scolded Yu Xi: "Eleven years ago, you and your sister fell into the water, and I had someone rescue you. Instead, you falsely accused me of being innocent, repaying kindness with enmity. Today, I repay kindness with kindness and enmity with enmity, and only then do I feel satisfied."
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