Seeing that Chen Zhancai was lying on the ground and wouldn't get up, the waiter was at a loss. "Manager, what should we do if this man is acting like a rogue?"
The shopkeeper was so angry that his teeth itched. "You should go to the yamen and report this to the authorities. Let the officials deal with him, give him a good beating, and see if he still dares to act like a coward."
"Okay, I'll go right away." The waiter was furious and kicked Chen Zhancai a few times with all his might. "You idiot, what are you pretending to be if you don't have money? You've made me act like a grandson and let you boss me around for so long. If I don't get the officials to give you a few dozen lashes, I won't be able to vent my anger."
After saying that, the waiter turned to leave.
Seeing this, Chen Zhancai stopped pretending to be a coward and hurriedly stepped forward to hug the waiter's leg, "Brother, I beg you, please don't report this to the authorities."
"Get out of here. If you don't want to get beaten up, get up and come with us."
"No, no, I'm not going anywhere." Chen Zhancai looked at the shopkeeper with pleading eyes. "Brother, please calm down. I'm really in trouble. Even if you send me to the authorities, I won't be able to pay you the rent in a short time. Please, have mercy and just let me go like a fart, okay?"
"You wish! Even if I don't want the money, I'll still go to the authorities and report you to the magistrate, and let him punish you!"
"No, no, no, brother, I beg you. As the saying goes, 'Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them,' and 'One should be lenient when one can.' Besides, I'm not lying to you. My family is rich, and we certainly won't be short of your little bit of money." Even at this point, Chen Zhancai was still bragging, fantasizing that he could persuade the shopkeeper so that he could find a chance to escape.
The shopkeeper didn't believe his lies and grabbed his arm, dragging him forward.
"Shopkeeper, my father is indeed Chen Baiwan, the richest man in Anyang. If you don't believe me, go and ask around. I will definitely pay back the money I owe you for the shop. Just don't send me to the authorities."
"I'm not refusing to pay for the hotel, I have my reasons. I encountered a female swindler in Ningjing who cheated me out of my money. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to that street and ask around. I was really scammed..."
At this moment, Chen Zhancai was filled with regret. If he had known it would turn out this way, he shouldn't have acted so nonchalantly and shouldn't have fantasized about a romantic encounter...
But there's no going back in life, and since things had come to this, all he could do was beg for mercy.
The shopkeeper remained unmoved and continued to drag him forward.
Chen Zhancai cried and wailed, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
The already narrow streets were instantly blocked.
In the midst of the chaos, a carriage slowly came to a stop.
"What's going on up ahead? Why is the whole road blocked? Are they just bored and having nothing better to do than start a fight?" the driver casually remarked.
The people inside the carriage didn't ask any further questions after hearing what he said.
Suddenly, a commotion outside caught the attention of the two people in the car.
"Uncle, listen, why does that voice sound so familiar?"
"Yes, Da Bao, it sounds a bit like your third uncle's voice."
The two people in the car were Chen Zhanshan and Chen Dabao.
Since Da Bao took Chen Qingqing's advice last time, he has begun to expand into other prefectures and cities.
He had thought that promoting sugar in Ningjing would be difficult, but to his surprise, it went very smoothly.
When he found one of the largest grocery stores, after a brief introduction, the shopkeeper became interested.
In just three days, a sugar sales contract was signed.
In order to get the merchant to pick up the goods as soon as possible, I got up early and set off.
Da Bao pricked up his ears and listened carefully. "Uncle, you're right. It's my third uncle's voice."
Chen Zhanshan nodded. "Isn't your third uncle here to take the exam? But the sound of him fighting with someone is so strange."
"Uncle, you stay in the car, I'll go check on you."
“I’ll go with you.”
Chen Zhanshan then jumped off the carriage.
The two men came to the edge of the crowd and peeked inside on tiptoe. They saw Chen Zhancai slumped on the ground like a lump of mud, praising a middle-aged man and a man dressed as a waiter.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, the two of them frowned simultaneously, a hint of doubt flashing in their eyes.
When they were confused, they heard the onlookers whispering among themselves.
"What's going on with that person sitting on the ground?"
"You didn't realize that the man didn't pay for his stay at the inn, so the innkeeper was going to take him to see the authorities."
"I think the shopkeeper is too domineering. People have already said that his family is rich, so why did he still hit them!"
"He said he had money, but who knows the truth? Maybe he's just a big swindler who freeloads. Otherwise, the shopkeeper wouldn't have reported him to the authorities."
"Yes, yes, you're right. That guy said his father was Chen Baiwan. If that were true, how could he owe money for a hotel room on credit? That's just utter nonsense!"
"This person looks shifty and sneaky; he doesn't look like a good person at all."
"You can't say that. Maybe this person really is a rich young master!"
"Don't talk nonsense. What's the difference between this cowardly behavior and a scoundrel?"
After listening to everyone's words, the two understood the whole story.
Da Bao felt that Chen Zhancai was beyond saving and showed a speechless expression.
Chen Zhanshan frowned more and more as he listened. He had ruined the family's life, but he was out there bragging and talking big with the family's only hard-earned money.
He deserved this fate; such a person should be handed over to the authorities for investigation.
He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "He's a hopeless piece of trash, utterly beyond redemption. Da Bao, let's go, let's mind our own business."
"Uncle, wait a minute." Da Bao hurriedly called out to Chen Zhanshan, who was about to turn and leave. "Shouldn't we help my third uncle?"
"Da Bao, I don't need to elaborate on what kind of person your third uncle is. You'd better not cause him any trouble." Chen Zhanshan had completely lost faith in Chen Zhancai and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.
Da Bao shook his head and smiled, "Uncle, I don't want to help him, but have you thought about what will happen to my grandparents if he really gets into trouble?"
"It's his own fault for taking the family's money and not using it for legitimate purposes. He brought this lawsuit upon himself. It might not be a bad thing to teach him a lesson."
“Uncle, you’re wrong. If that’s the case, we’ll be in a lot of trouble in the future. My third uncle’s behavior is fraudulent and deceptive, which is considered a crime of ‘disrupting the government’ and ‘doubting the public’ by the laws of Da Ning. At best, he will be exiled to the frontier, and at worst, he will be executed.”
Hearing Da Bao say this, Chen Zhanshan was moved. Although he was extremely disappointed in Chen Zhancai, they were, after all, brothers from the same mother. He couldn't bear to do nothing, but he couldn't get over his conscience if he meddled.
Chen Zhancai was selfish and greedy. In order to allow him to study, he almost caused his daughter to be sold and himself to be castrated into a eunuch...
Each and every one of these incidents was like a knife cutting into his heart, like an awl piercing his bones; he could never forgive him...
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