Jiang Bai resumed the life he had before Zhao Yi returned, the only difference being that Young Master Wang still came to see Jiang Bai every day.
Jiang Bai said helplessly, "I think I made myself clear enough that day."
"What did you mean?" Young Master Wang blinked. "We talk so much every day, how would I know which sentence you're referring to?"
Jiang Bai sighed: "I love Zhao Yi, and Zhao Yi loves me too. We have a very good relationship as husband and wife."
Young Master Wang's expression remained unchanged, but he asked in a questioning tone, "What does your good relationship with your spouse have to do with me? You don't think I like you, do you?"
He scoffed, "I just like the milk tea sold at your bubble tea shop and the medicinal cuisine sold at your medicinal cuisine restaurant."
"In this county, how many people are customers of two stores at the same time? You probably can't even count them all, so why are you targeting me?"
Jiang Bai shrugged: "You'd better do as you say."
She felt she had made herself clear enough, but rumors inexplicably started circulating.
"Did you know? Boss Jiang and that Young Master Wang are having an affair."
Which prince?
"It's the one who was saved by Jiang Bai before, and said he wanted to repay the life-saving grace by giving Jiang Bai a cartload of gold and silver jewelry, but Jiang Bai refused."
Upon hearing about the dazzling array of treasures, many people present immediately recognized the young master's identity.
Someone scoffed, "If I were Jiang Bai, I wouldn't be able to resist seeing so many good things!"
Someone patted him on the shoulder and corrected him, "It's not that you can't move your legs, it's that you're so happy you can't close them."
Upon hearing this bawdy joke, the group burst into laughter.
A woman at the next table, who couldn't stand the foul language and usually had a good impression of Jiang Bai, couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Master Jiang refuse those gifts?"
"What you saw was what wasn't collected, but what about what you didn't see?"
"Maybe they secretly took it to their house to collect it at night."
"Zhao Yi is still alive, so why did he just become a coward?"
"Zhao Yi might be more than willing, and they could even have a threesome!"
"In my opinion, this woman, Jiang, is very clever. She refused during the day, so isn't it perfect that she brought this wealthy man home at night?"
"Don't be fooled, Jiang Bai might not have actually accepted the money."
"Only after he refused the money did Young Master Wang agree to marry her. Otherwise, what respectable man would want a middle-aged woman like her who had been married before?"
"It's too difficult to repay a debt of gratitude."
Finally, the man concluded with a gloomy expression, which drew another burst of laughter from the audience.
The laughter of the men at the table carried far. Before they could even close their mouths, a dirty, smelly rag was thrown over and landed squarely in the mouth of the man who had started the lewd joke.
The man immediately stopped talking, took out a rag, spat on the ground several times, and looked up angrily, shouting, "Who is it?"
The golden boy and jade girl stepped forward, and the jade girl said with a disdainful look, "It's me, so what?"
"You ate at our Anle Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant, and you dare to slander our boss?"
The person next to him objected: "It's not slander; it might all be true."
"All true? Which sentence is true? Repeat it: Did you see it while lying under my bed?" Before the golden boy and jade girl could refute, Jiang Bai's voice came from behind them.
Everyone turned around and saw Jiang Bai standing not far away with his arms crossed, and next to him was Wang Gongzi, the other party involved in the gossip. It was unclear how much of what they had just heard was said, but their faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.
Jiang Bai said, "Since Young Master Wang is here as well, let's have a proper discussion about what you've said and clear up any doubts in everyone's minds."
These men were delivery workers from the neighborhood. A few days ago, after receiving their monthly wages, they pooled their money and decided to go to a medicinal cuisine restaurant for a meal to replenish their bodies.
They sat in the private room closest to the door, and started talking loudly without even hanging the curtains. The golden boy and jade girl stood at the door and could hear everything clearly.
Jiang Bai happened to be seeing Young Master Wang out, and by sheer coincidence, he overheard almost the entire conversation.
This means you shouldn't speak ill of others behind their backs, nor should you speak ill of them in their own territory.
Looking at Jiang Bai and Young Master Wang's expressions, Jin Tong almost felt sorry for this group of people.
If only the two of them heard it, they would have a fight and kick them out, and that would be the end of it. They wouldn't report it to their superiors and let the foul talk offend Jiang Bai's ears.
But if Jiang Bai himself hears it, then this matter will probably not end well.
The worker's tone was somewhat hesitant, but he still said, "You adulterers are together every day, are you afraid of what others will say?"
"First of all, how do you know we're together every day?" Jiang Bai retorted. "He's a guest, and also a friend of mine and Zhao Yi's. I greeted him and exchanged a few polite words; does that mean we're having an affair?"
"Among the guests present, there are many I've been having affairs with."
Several portly, wealthy businessmen present burst out laughing.
The reason is simple: they are regulars at both stores, coming almost every day. Whenever they bump into Jiang Bai, they exchange a few words of pleasantries.
Putting aside other things, some of the fat people got fat from eating at Jiangbai's restaurants.
The wives of wealthy businessmen were also present, one of whom was the same woman who had spoken to Jiang Bai earlier. She snorted coldly and said, "How important is a woman's reputation? If she were to be slandered for doing business, to suffer such gossip without any evidence, that would be absurd."
“You all have mothers too. Your mothers worked hard to raise you, only to be rewarded with such a beast who disrespects women. How heartbroken she must be?”
The workers were still stubborn: "What evidence do men and women need for adultery? How can she prove her innocence?"
Jiang Bai retorted, "If I say you killed someone, how can you prove you didn't?"
"I didn't kill him, you have no evidence," the man said anxiously.
The others burst into laughter again.
Young Master Wang said, "You didn't kill anyone, but you slandered members of the royal family."
"Royal relatives?" The man muttered a few words subconsciously, then his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground.
The crowd whispered among themselves, "Is it fake?"
"Who knows? Who among ordinary people has that much gold and silver jewelry?"
"Isn't slandering members of the imperial family punishable by death?"
Finally, the man raised his voice, and upon hearing the words "beheading," three of the four workers immediately knelt on the ground in fear. After a while, a faint smell of urine wafted from the surroundings.
—They were so scared they peed their pants.
The only one standing immediately wanted to leave, but was stopped by the golden boy and jade girl.
They glared at them and said, "You think you can just get away with it after committing a crime? No way!"
Seeing this, the people around sighed with relief: they had also heard the rumor, but luckily, Chief Jiang was usually a good person, so they didn't spread it around.
Looking back now, this compassion actually saved my life.
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