Chapter 140 Counterattack
"I thought you were angry," Zhou Chengzhu said, relieved to see that her expression was normal.
“My distress these days isn’t because of this incident, but because I feel that the child is so innocent.”
Song Yushu didn't want Xu Mingchuan to escape punishment so easily. However, the Xu family was deeply rooted in the prefectural city, and it was not easy to shake them. At the very least, the Xu family didn't take a nobody like her seriously. But making Xu Mingchuan pay some price was still possible.
Zhou Chengzhu felt a little down when she thought of the child who was buried alone in the suburbs.
After Song Yushu accompanied her to place the order, they went to see Old Master Liu.
"Doctor Wu is here too? Is Master Liu feeling unwell?" Song Yushu had just entered when he saw Doctor Wu and Master Liu drinking tea in the courtyard.
"It's just that someone is unhappy and holding back his anger. If I hadn't come, all the good medicines I've prescribed for him over the years would have been wasted," Doctor Wu joked humorously.
"That's just how he is. If you hadn't come, I don't know how long he would have held this grudge. He tossed and turned all night, giving me a headache!" Old Mrs. Gu brought out some tea and snacks and invited Song Yushu to sit down together.
"Hmph! I wonder who insisted on talking to me all night!" Old Master Liu snorted coldly after his wife interrupted him.
"If I don't talk to you, with your stubborn temper, what if you get sick from anger? Wouldn't it be a hassle for this old woman to take care of you?" Old Mrs. Gu retorted without any politeness.
Song Yushu watched them bicker with a smile, and only spoke after they finished: "I just came here to ask about something. What businesses does Xu Mingchuan currently own?"
"You're not thinking of getting revenge, are you? That won't do! Xu Mingchuan is ruthless! You only escaped this time because the prefect is honest and doesn't collude with the Xu family. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't even have had a chance to explain yourself!"
Only then did Dr. Wu recall the scene of Song Yushu's confrontation with Dean Su, and immediately spoke up to dissuade him.
“Even if I do nothing, Xu Mingchuan might not let me go. Instead of waiting for him to deal with me, I might as well find a way to break through. At least I can’t let him bully me.”
“Listen to me, you’re not the only merchant in this city who has been coerced and framed by Xu Mingchuan. At best, they go bankrupt; at worst, they end up in jail, their families are destroyed, and they die. Xu Mingchuan is still living a good life, isn’t he? You still have two children, you can’t do something like this!”
Grandma Gu pulled Song Yushu aside and tried to persuade him.
Unexpectedly, Song Yushu grasped the key point: "Grandma, could you tell me about the merchants who were framed by Xu Mingchuan? I am weak and alone, but with them, it is better than being alone. Moreover, the prefect is fair and honest now, so there is no need to worry about the Xu family becoming too unscrupulous."
"Oh! Tell her! This child is stubborn. Even if we don't tell her, she'll probably find out from other places. It's better to make things clear to her sooner rather than later." Old Master Liu knew Song Yushu's character and knew that she wouldn't give up on finding out about these things.
"The Xiao family caused the biggest trouble back then. The Xiao family made their fortune by selling grain. Although they were not as powerful as the Xu family in the prefectural city at the time, they were not to be underestimated. The Xu family's businesses were extensive, including grain, cloth, paper mills, and restaurants, but the most important were the restaurants and paper mills."
"Master Xu assigned several grain shops in the prefectural city to Xu Mingchuan to manage. At that time, Xu Mingchuan was ignorant and arrogant. For some reason, he insisted on going against the Xiao family, a major grain merchant in the prefectural city. However, his business skills were mediocre and could not compare with the Xiao family. He was suppressed at every turn, so Xu Mingchuan became sworn brothers with Xiao Ming, the eldest son of the Xiao family."
"If the two were to compete based on their own abilities, that would be fine. But I don't know how Old Master Xu raised Xu Mingchuan. He is narrow-minded and ruthless. He actually hired bandits to kill the young master of the Xu family and dump his body in the wilderness while the young master of the Xu family was out doing business. If it weren't for the bandits using this as leverage to blackmail Xu Mingchuan for money, the Xiao family would have just thought that Xiao Ming's death was due to bad luck and that he had encountered bandits."
Song Yushu poured a cup of tea for Old Madam Gu and told her to speak slowly.
"So what if the Xiao family finds out? That prefect had already colluded with the Xu family. The Xiao family wanted to report the case and seek justice, but they ended up with their family destroyed and their lives ruined. Now, all that's left is a widowed sister-in-law and a sickly brother-in-law. Even if you cooperate with them, it won't be of any help," Doctor Wu said, trying to dissuade Song Yushu from his idea.
"Xu Mingchuan is completely unharmed?" Song Yushu asked, unwilling to accept it.
"Yes, after this incident, the Xu family's reputation was ruined. Old Master Xu felt that he was not up to the task and only gave him a few small shops to send him away. But a wealthy family would never live too badly."
"What about the other merchants?" Song Yushu pressed on.
“The Bai family, the Jian family, and the Yan family—these three families haven’t reached the point of complete ruin, but they’re barely making ends meet now. You’re not hoping to cooperate with them to get revenge on Xu Mingchuan, are you?” Doctor Wu strongly disagreed with Song Yushu’s idea.
How will you know if you don't try?
"You really are... never mind, don't trust these people too much. People's hearts are unpredictable. What if they sell you out and the Xu family finds out? You'll be in even worse shape!" Seeing that she was as stubborn as a mule and wouldn't listen to anything he said, Doctor Wu could only remind her to be careful.
Song Yushu knew this matter wouldn't be easy, but he needed to make contact first to see who he could cooperate with.
She planned to first contact the Bai family. The Bai family originally made their fortune in the city by selling books and making paper. There used to be several bookstores in the city, but after being suppressed by the Xu family, they could only make a living by relying on a small bookstore that had been passed down from their ancestors.
The bookstore wasn't far from Song Yushu's restaurant; it was only about a ten-minute walk away.
Song Yushu had been to this street several times, yet she had never noticed that there was a bookstore there. When she finally found the bookstore, she finally understood why she had never discovered that Bai Family Bookstore was located there.
The Bai family bookstore didn't even have a sign. It was sandwiched between teahouses and fabric shops on both sides, and it was easy to overlook because it wasn't big and had no sign.
At this moment, Bai Jingyu in the bookstore was casually fiddling with the abacus, looking at the mere ten taels of silver he had earned this month, his expression completely unmoved. It was only when Song Yushu entered that he snapped out of his reverie.
What would the customer like to buy?
"Do you sell paper here? And books for beginners?" Song Yushu asked as he entered. He noticed that the bookstore was rather old-fashioned and not very spacious. Several shelves were neatly filled with books, and there wasn't a single customer inside.
“Yes,” Bai Jingyu said, taking out the white paper from under the counter. His shop only had three kinds of paper, and they were slightly yellowed, looking like they had been stockpiled for a long time without being sold.
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