Chapter 75 Setting a Scene "Dean, my brother Nian is indeed..."
"Dean, my brother Nian really doesn't understand these things. The current war has been going on for more than a day or two. Our country is full of capable people and no one can break through it. How can we, who are not even considered small fry, talk to him?" Lin Qing'an couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to help Chen Gengnian out of the predicament.
Lin Qing'an thought his explanation was a bit cunning, but it couldn't escape the notice of Lu Wenkang, a scholar. He saw the eyes that had been staring at Chen Gengnian slowly move towards him. Lin Qing'an felt a little uneasy, but he still pretended to be calm and looked up to meet Lu Wenkang's gaze.
Lu Wenkang parted his thin lips slightly and turned to ask Lin Qing'an, "According to what you're saying, young man, this world is beyond saving, is that right?"
Clang—
Chen Gengnian suddenly stood up, knocking over the stool with a loud thud, startling everyone present except Lu Wenkang.
“Dean, my husband didn’t mean it that way. We hope you will take back this label!” Chen Gengnian said firmly, pulling Lin Qingan to his feet. He looked at the dean with wariness, his previous respect gone. “We came here today only to process the leave of absence for Lin Yanfeng and Chen Langyue. But the dean has made things difficult for my husband and me time and time again. I’m sure it’s not the fault of these two boys. I’ve thought about it carefully and haven’t offended you. So we hope you won’t put any labels on us. We can’t afford to wear such a label!”
Chen Gengnian, who used to be very obedient, now speaks with a strong and logical tone when he's protecting people.
"Hahaha—" The dean suddenly laughed, not at all angry because of Chen Gengnian's tough stance, but instead became even more excited.
He also got up, picked up his teacup and took a sip. Chen Gengnian felt uneasy, so he called Lin Yanfeng and Abao to leave. He had only taken two steps when the dean's voice came from behind him again.
"You say you can't fit into this hat, but it will be yours sooner or later!"
Chen Gengnian suddenly stopped and rushed towards the dean, grabbing Lu Wenkang by the neck before Lin Qingan could stop him.
"Brother Nian!" Lin Qingan quickly called out, "Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive."
Lin Qingan quickly ran over to pull Chen Gengnian away, but the fierce look in Chen Gengnian's eyes didn't fade, and the force in his hands increased, causing Lu Wenkang to spill the tea he had just drunk.
"Are you threatening me?" Chen Gengnian's cold voice was like a sharp sword, pointing directly at Lu Wenkang's throat.
"Hehe...heh...cough cough..." Lu Wenkang was still laughing. His current manic state was no longer that of the calm and refined dean he used to be. He looked like he was possessed by a ghost.
Seeing that Lu Wenkang was about to be choked unconscious, Lin Qingan quickly reached out to pull Chen Gengnian away. Lin Yanfeng and Abao also rushed over to help. The commotion in the courtyard attracted the steward and servants.
"Let go of our dean!" the butler shouted as he ran over.
Just a second before he arrived, Lin Qingan finally pulled Chen Gengnian aside and dragged him to the side, thus preventing the two servants' fists from hitting Chen Gengnian.
Just as Lin Qing'an dodged the butler, he and his men were chasing after them again. Lin Qing'an had barely prepared for battle when Lu Wenkang coughed and shouted, "Stop...cough cough...stop..."
His voice was weak but still intimidating. The group of people rushing towards Lin Qing'an stopped instantly, and the butler's eyes were filled with helplessness.
"Alright, this is none of your business." Lu Wenkang walked step by step toward Chen Gengnian, twisting his neck as he went. Coupled with his red eyes and face, he looked very strange and frightening.
The butlers stood obediently to the side, their eyes constantly watching Chen Gengnian's every move.
Lin Qing'an was afraid that Chen Gengnian would act impulsively again, so he held Chen Gengnian's hand tightly and pulled him behind him. Chen Gengnian tried to struggle, but he couldn't overcome Lin Qing'an's restraint.
Heaven knows Lin Qing'an isn't a coward; it's just that the current times are particularly special. Impulsiveness is the devil, and impulsiveness not only harms himself but also his innocent family.
Besides...
Lin Qing'an looked at Lu Wenkang and wondered why Dean Lu didn't seem to be threatening them.
Lin Qingan hoped that his idea was correct.
"You little brat!" Lu Wenkang raised his hand and pointed at Chen Gengnian behind Lin Qing'an, his finger trembling, but his face had a smile that was hard for ordinary people to read. "You're pretty strong! I think it's a waste to use you to hunt wild game in the mountains. You should be on the battlefield, killing the enemy and protecting your country!"
"Hey, hey, hey... Dean, Dean... please don't do this." Lin Qing'an quickly spread his hands to block, tentatively asking Lu Wenkang, "Dean Lu, what you just said... wasn't a threat to us, was it?"
Lu Wenkang was about to speak when his neck itched and he started coughing again, his old face turning red. After catching his breath for a while, he said, "Do I need to threaten you? If I wanted to, you wouldn't be able to leave today!"
Lu Wenkang tried to catch his breath and suppress his cough.
"Then what do you mean?" Chen Gengnian couldn't help but ask again.
“What do you mean?” Lu Wenkang glared at Chen Gengnian, looking at him with a disappointed expression. “I mean, the current emperor is greedy for pleasure and listens to the slander of sycophants, so he thinks you are more suitable than him…”
Before Lu Wenkang could finish speaking, the few little brats who were just standing in front of him turned around and ran far away, leaving only their backs to him.
Hey! Why are you running?!
Lu Wenkang raised his hand weakly to call out, but soon even his back was out of sight.
The butler came over and asked, "Master, would you like to bring them back?"
"Sigh!" Lu Wenkang sighed deeply, waved his hand helplessly, and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, it's not the right time yet."
They ran for more than ten meters before they were too tired to stop and rest.
The group of men were panting heavily, like old oxen.
Lin Qing'an leaned lazily against Chen Gengnian, feeling annoyed. "Wait, is he sick in the head?"
Ah Bao touched his neck repeatedly, still shaken, and said, "Luckily I ran fast, otherwise my neck would have been torn off."
The group was both amused and speechless. This Dean Lu was probably mentally ill, spouting whatever came to mind in his dreams.
After a short rest, they didn't dare linger, because given Lu Wenkang's crazy behavior, no one could say for sure whether he would chase after them and start talking nonsense in the street at any moment.
If those words were actually said on the street, then they could forget about packing their bags and going home; they could just sit there and wait to die.
Lin Qing'an and the others originally wanted to turn a corner and pick up Aunt Wang and Wang Tingting, but when they got to the door, they couldn't take any of them. Aunt Wang and Wang Tingting's eyes were swollen from crying, and no matter what Uncle Ren said, they refused to go out.
Having no other choice, the village head had to tell Lin Qing'an and the others to go back and pack their things, and he would take them over in a little while.
Lin Qing'an and the others couldn't bear to watch this scene either, and they all went back to the shop with tears in their eyes.
Before I even reached the shop entrance, I heard Lin Jing's furious voice.
"Have you no shame? Aqing has cut ties with you all long ago. This shop has absolutely nothing to do with you, okay?"
"What do you mean, no? As the saying goes, even if the bones of relatives are broken, they are still connected by tendons. How can they be severed by a few words? Get out of the way, who do you think you are, an outsider!"
Even from just their backs, Lin Qing'an and Lin Yanfeng immediately recognized the troublemakers.
It was their kind second aunt and her family.
A family of three, all together, neat and tidy.
Zhang Cuiping stepped forward to push Lin Jing, but Lin Jing flipped her over and sent her flying. At this moment, Lin Yongwu, who had been silent, naturally could no longer stand idly by. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to go forward and beat Lin Jing up when Lin Qing'an shouted anxiously, "Stop!"
Chen Gengnian also ran over quickly and tackled Lin Yongwu to the ground.
The man who had been so arrogant was now like a weakling in front of Chen Gengnian, completely powerless to fight back.
Zhang Cuiping had suffered too many losses at their hands, so she quickly knew when to stop. Her vicious expression just moments before underwent a complete 180-degree turn. She hurriedly went over and affectionately took Lin Qing'an's arm, flattering him, "Oh, Qing, why are you only coming back now? Your aunt, your second uncle, and your cousin came all the way from our hometown to see you."
As Zhang Cuiping spoke, she picked up a coarse cloth bag from beside Lin Yongwu's feet and was about to hand it to Lin Qing'an. "Hey, your second uncle was afraid you'd miss the cured meats from home while you're here, so he specially brought you the best cured duck from home."
“But we just came up from home,” Abao suddenly added, forcefully exposing Zhang Cuiping’s excuse.
Lin Qing'an's temples throbbed, and he had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. He raised his hand and brushed Zhang Cuiping's hand away, then took a few steps back and did not take what she offered.
"Speak," Lin Qing'an said coldly, "What is your purpose in coming here?"
Lin Yongwu disliked Lin Qingan's cold attitude and retorted, "What are you saying? We're family. Can't your uncle come up and see you?"
Lin Qing'an sneered, "Ha! Second Uncle, you and Second Aunt can even sell your own daughter, do you have such a kind heart?"
Lin Yanfeng finally couldn't help but step forward to chime in, "Your and your second aunt's ill intentions are written all over your foreheads."
The two of them looked away guiltily, as if they had been stepped on.
"Sister Jing, what's going on? Why are you here too?"
Unable to get anything out of the two, Lin Qing'an had no choice but to ask Lin Jing, who had suddenly appeared there.
Lin Jing said, "Hey, I was thinking of coming up to buy some sugar-coated fried dough for Yiyi to take back, and to see how your transfer was going. I didn't expect to see these people acting suspiciously at the door as soon as I got to the shop. After asking, I found out that you transferred the shop to Lin Lao Er."
"What?" Lin Qing'an and the others were even more shocked, and then they noticed the middle-aged man standing on the far side.
Isn't that the next tenant they're subletting to?
Chen Gengnian walked over to the man and asked, "Wasn't this shop transferred to you? Why is it now theirs?"
The man was somewhat intimidated by Chen Gengnian's robust physique and stammered, "I...I...I passed it on to them again."
Lin Jing was already angry, and the more she saw their pretentious behavior, the angrier she became. She pointed at Zhang Cuiping and Lin Yongwu and said to Lin Qing'an, "Qing, maybe this was all a setup by them from the beginning."
"Setting up a trap?"
Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian both looked at Zhang Cuiping and Lin Yongwu. Their guilty looks made it clear that they didn't need to ask any further questions. They were surprised that the two of them actually had such brains.
This mess was supposed to be left to its own devices, but it ended up back in the hands of these two again.
Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian looked at each other for a moment, then sighed helplessly, saying that it was fate playing tricks on them.
As the two hesitated, Zhang Cuiping pushed Lin Yongwu to step forward and stammered, "I...we have a contract, it's written clearly in black and white, the shop is ours now, even if you go back on your word, it's no use!"
Zhang Cuiping became more and more courageous as she spoke, and Lin Yongwu, emboldened by this, took out a contract from his sleeve.
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