Chapter 53 They're all scammers
Kong Dazhuang was beaten so badly by his angry neighbors that he was barely breathing. His face was swollen and deformed, turning blue and purple, and he was completely unrecognizable.
It's unclear which heavyweight boxer wasn't paying attention, but accidentally stepped on Kong Dazhuang's ankle. With a "crack" sound, Kong Dazhuang's ankle bone broke.
An older woman who only talked but didn't fight was worried that someone would die, so she quickly shouted for everyone to stop, and the crowd gradually stopped beating Kong Dazhuang.
Seeing Kong Dazhuang lying limp on the ground, seemingly about to breathe his last, everyone's eyes cleared.
They exchanged a glance, then pretended nothing had happened and headed home.
"Time flies. I need to hurry home and cook so my husband won't nag me."
"Yes, yes, it's time to go home and cook. I still have two pieces of clothing soaking in the water; I need to wash them and hang them up to dry quickly."
"Old Wu, Old Wu, what are you standing there for? Aren't you afraid your wife will pull your ear? Get out of here!"
"..."
The once crowded alleyway became clear in an instant, and everyone left, leaving only the half-dead Kong Dazhuang and three old men with desolate faces.
Sheng An glanced coldly at Kong Dazhuang, said nothing, turned around and smiled to greet Tan Zhenlin: "It's almost noon, stay and have lunch before going back to school."
Tan Zhenlin was more than happy to oblige, and smiled obsequiously, "I'll do whatever you say, sister-in-law!"
My sister-in-law's dumplings are so delicious, her cooking must be even better. He's in for a treat today.
Xu Jinnian couldn't bear to look and couldn't help but tap his junior brother's forehead with his finger: "Be normal."
Tan Zhenlin immediately covered his forehead and pitifully complained to Sheng An, "Sister-in-law, look at Lao Xu!"
Sheng An glared at Xu Jinnian: "Don't bully your junior brother."
Xu Jinnian: "..."
We shouldn't have let that kid come along.
Seeing that Sheng An was about to leave, the old man who had just tried to blackmail her with blood ties hurriedly called out to her: "An girl, your father has been beaten like this and you're not going to do anything about it?"
Sheng An looked at him coldly: "My father died the moment I was abandoned. If you want to find him, go to the underworld."
After saying that, she helped Grandpa Sheng into the courtyard, without even glancing at Kong Dazhuang, who was covered in bruises.
The others quickly followed, and Xu Chenglin, who was the last to enter the courtyard, decisively locked the gate, shutting out the three old men's scolding and cursing.
Grandma Sheng has difficulty walking and was kept in her room by Grandpa Sheng. Now that the matter is resolved, she held Sheng An's hand tightly with red eyes:
"It all comes down to your grandfather and me. If we hadn't been blind back then, no outsiders would be laughing at you today."
Sheng An comforted him, "I'm just a poor victim, no one will laugh at me. You don't know, I didn't even lift a finger, and that beast was beaten up by the neighbors. He was beaten so badly that he'll be bedridden for at least ten days or half a month."
Grandpa Sheng also chimed in, "An'an is right. Today, we've brought this up in public. The one who's been humiliated is that beast. He'll definitely never dare to come knocking again."
Grandma Sheng was still very sad, and tears kept flowing down her face.
The grandmother and granddaughter comforted her for a while before Grandma Sheng finally stopped crying.
Sheng An asked Grandpa Sheng to stay with Grandma Sheng while she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. She saw Xu Jinnian washing the ingredients and Tan Zhenlin jokingly called him a good husband.
Seeing his wife come over, Xu Jinnian found the boy very annoying and shoved the bamboo basket into his hands: "The grapes are very sweet this year, pick more and take them to the teacher at the school this afternoon."
Tan Zhenlin, unaware that he was being disliked, cheerfully accepted the bamboo basket and said to Sheng An, "Sister-in-law, I'm not picky about food. I'll just make a few simple home-style dishes for lunch."
Sheng An smiled and said, "Okay, as long as you don't mind."
Tan Zhenlin quickly replied, "No, no, I'm so grateful that you cooked for me on such a hot day."
Sheng An thought to herself that this kid knew how to talk. After watching him leave with the basket, she smiled and asked Xu Jinnian, "Your junior brother must be very spoiled at home, right?"
Xu Jinnian nodded slightly, continuing to wash the vegetables: "He is the youngest son in the family, and the elders spoil him."
At this point, he looked at Sheng An and reminded him, "This kid looks naive and easy to fool, but he's actually more cunning than a hornet's nest."
Sheng An smiled enigmatically: "No matter how cunning he is, wasn't he just used as a pawn by you outside just now?"
Xu Jinnian paused in washing the vegetables, his handsome face showing no sign of helplessness at being exposed: "An'an, I..."
Sheng An raised her hand to interrupt him: "No need to explain, I understand."
This man once said that all four of Master Jiang's students would take the path of taking the imperial examinations and entering officialdom.
Therefore, reputation is very important to them.
Even if a student who was originally naive and innocent was chosen by Master Jiang, after years of nurturing, he would become a glutinous rice ball with black sesame filling.
She had no connection with Tan Zhenlin, and Tan Zhenlin would never risk his life for her. Yet, just now, he shouted that highly provocative shout in the crowd.
There's only one truth: he was tricked by Xu Jinnian.
Unlike Xu Jinnian, Tan Zhenlin was a stranger. No one in the neighborhood knew him, and no one knew that it was him who shouted.
Even if Kong Dazhuang were seriously injured, the authorities would not be able to hold Tan Zhenlin accountable if they tried to investigate afterwards.
Sheng An patted Xu Jinnian on the shoulder and sighed, without knowing whether to praise or criticize, "Zhenlin is so lucky to have a senior brother like you!"
He was ruthless in taking advantage of his junior brothers.
Xu Jin coughed lightly, taking it as a compliment from his wife: "As expected, An'an understands me best."
The fellow disciples often tricked each other, and they were used to being tricked.
Tan Zhenlin may not have been unaware that he had been scammed, but he simply considered it a minor matter and didn't care about it.
Sheng An shooed him aside speechlessly: "There are still a lot of dried shrimp at home. Bring some over. It's their first time visiting, so we should treat them well."
Xu Jinnian corrected, "He came on our wedding day."
Not only Tan Zhenlin, but two other senior brothers also came, all trying to get him drunk so that he couldn't consummate the marriage.
Fortunately, he was prepared and replaced the wine he was drinking with water.
Otherwise, he would have definitely lost face in front of An'an on their wedding night.
"Just go when I tell you to, stop talking nonsense!"
Sheng An glared at Xu Jinnian speechlessly. Was this the time to fuss over such details?
Tan Zhenlin, who was picking grapes and enjoying them in the yard, heard everything clearly and sighed inwardly, "Old Xu's husbandly authority is waning!"
Fortunately, he didn't have a wife, otherwise he would have been scolded like a grandson.
Lunch was plentiful, with fish, meat, shrimp, and a dish not commonly seen on the table: stir-fried loach with chopped chili peppers.
The chopped chili peppers were made by Sheng An himself. After being sealed in a jar, they were placed in a cool place for a whole month. When the jar was opened, the whole kitchen was filled with the unique salty and spicy aroma of the chopped chili peppers.
Stir-frying it with the tender loach meat creates an absolutely delicious flavor!
"Sister-in-law, I never used to eat loach because I thought it had a strong earthy taste. I never expected your stir-fried loach with chopped chili peppers to be so delicious. It's spicy, fresh, and goes perfectly with rice!"
Tan Zhenlin isn't good at eating spicy food, but he simply can't control his mouth. He keeps slurping and stuffing golden-brown, crispy loach into his mouth.
Not only the stir-fried loach with chopped chili, but also the spicy dried shrimp, braised grass carp chunks, and pan-fried pork belly, all were so delicious that Tan Zhenlin praised them highly.
Tan Zhenlin was amazed by even a few seasonal vegetables, suspecting that these ingredients were not the same as what he ate at home. He even wanted the servants in his household to come to the Xu family's vegetable garden to buy supplies every day.
"This dish is too spicy; eating too much of it can cause internal heat. There's mung bean soup simmering on the stove; take it to school to drink later."
Sheng An watched with a smile as Tan Zhenlin ate with great satisfaction, mentally classifying him as one of Sheng Yuan's potential customers.
Judging from Tan Zhenlin's clothes and demeanor, you can tell that he comes from an extraordinary background; at the very least, his family is well-off.
We need more high-quality customers like this.
"Thank you, sister-in-law! I will never forget!"
Tan Zhenlin was deeply moved, and his gaze toward Xu Jinnian was filled with accusation.
No wonder Lao Xu wouldn't let him come to his house as a guest; it turns out he wanted to eat alone!
He had misplaced his trust in his fellow apprentices of many years!
Xu Jinnian got goosebumps from Tan Zhenlin's resentful look, picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of green vegetable into his bowl: "Focus on your food."
Tan Zhenlin's broken heart was instantly healed. He smiled and popped the vegetables into his mouth, squinting as he chewed.
He must come to Lao Xu's house for meals often in the future to rebuild their brotherhood.
With Tan Zhenlin, that clueless fellow, around, Xu Jinnian didn't stay at home long after the meal. Instead, she took a can of mung bean soup and Tan Zhenlin, who was carrying a basket full of grapes, back to the school.
Tan Zhenlin was reluctant to leave, turning back to Sheng An every few steps, saying, "Sister-in-law, I'll come to visit often in the future, please don't look down on me!"
Before Sheng An could respond, Xu Jinnian grabbed him, quickened his pace, and walked away without looking back, leaving only Tan Zhenlin's screams in the air.
Sheng An was both amused and exasperated.
Having such a junior brother must sometimes leave Xu Jinnian feeling helpless.
As soon as Tan Zhenlin arrived at the school, he quieted down, not mentioning at all how good Sheng An's cooking skills were. He just protected the pot of mung bean soup like a treasure, not allowing anyone to covet it.
His possessive behavior towards his food naturally attracted the attention of his two fellow students.
So the two of them joined forces to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
When Tan Zhenlin realized he had been tricked and rushed back to the school, he was met with an empty earthenware pot and two senior students smacking their lips, still not finished eating. He was so angry that he almost cried.
Two days later, on the weekend, there was a knock on the Xu family's gate, and Xu Jin went to open it.
When he returned, his face was ashen, and behind him were three faces beaming with smiles.
On this day, Sheng'an gained two more potential high-quality customers.
Tan Zhenlin and the other two didn't leave until after dinner. That night, the couple went back to their room to sleep, and Sheng An discussed things with Xu Jinnian:
"Before Shengyuan opens to the public, we will move there first. We will invite relatives and friends to celebrate. We will definitely invite my aunt's family, and Zhenlin's three children should also come. Should we invite Master Jiang as well?"
Xu Jinnian nodded: "I will mention it to the teacher, but the teacher may not necessarily come."
The teacher diligently instructed the four of them, but never visited any of their homes.
When he and An'an got married, the Master only sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts; he did not attend the ceremony himself.
Perhaps there will be an unexpected outcome this time.
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