Following the discordant voice, everyone turned to look, even the couple focused their attention on the person who had spoken. The woman crossed her arms and scrutinized Jiang Yu from head to toe, her eyes practically rolling to the sky with disdain.
"We're here to discuss issues with the shop owner, not to see you trying to get attention. We advise you not to meddle in other people's business."
When they bought the cake, they inquired and learned that the shop was run by only an honest and upright girl, which is why she came up with the idea of extorting money. They really didn't expect that someone would suddenly appear to back them up.
However, judging from Jiang Yu's slender figure and attire, she is neither strong nor does she look like someone from a wealthy family. Pretending to be a female knight-errant here might just provoke her into extorting money from her as well.
"What you said is true, but I happened to witness this, so I thought I'd do something about it. Didn't you say you got sick from eating cake? Where's the medical bill? Show it to everyone. If it's really that serious, I'll compensate you three times the amount."
Jiang Yu's words caused everyone to gasp and whisper among themselves, completely disregarding the occasion.
Three times ten yuan is thirty yuan! Putting everything else aside, just the fact that they work themselves to the bone would earn them at least a month's salary.
Liu Cui, standing beside her, gently tugged at Jiang Yu's sleeve, afraid that she would get caught up in the mess and feel terribly guilty. Out of sight, Jiang Yu patted the back of her hand, reassuring her.
The couple exchanged a glance, their eyes darting around. Thirty yuan was indeed tempting; they should have just gone to the clinic and gotten some random medicine to bring along. But now that word had spread, it would be much harder to tamper with things.
"Stop talking nonsense. We're not interested in your talk of three times or two times. We're not here to scam you. Just give us the money and don't waste our time."
Realizing something was amiss, the man cut straight to the point. This woman was truly cunning; if he hadn't been smart enough to see through her immediately, he wouldn't have gotten even the three cents for the cake, let alone the ten dollars.
Hearing his words, the woman shot him a sharp glare, but hesitated to speak due to the presence of others. Her eyes served as a warning:
Are you stupid? You're not even willing to take this huge sum of money that's being given to you for free. You've wasted your time coming all this way with me.
"Hey, wait a minute, let us think about it before deciding how to handle this."
Seeing that the man completely ignored her gaze, the woman pulled him to the side of the shop entrance and launched into a tirade. The onlookers showed no sign of leaving, clearly intending to see the whole story unfold.
That makes sense, considering that in this era there were no smartphones or the internet, entertainment relied on gossip.
"Actually, I could tell they were there to cause trouble, but I wanted to resolve things as quickly as possible and keep quiet. If they really started harassing my family, I wouldn't even have time to regret it."
Liu Cui glanced at the two figures whispering amongst themselves in the corner and sighed helplessly. She lacked the courage, feared that things would escalate and become unmanageable, and besides, she had her elderly mother at home as a weakness.
From a young age, her mother always told her that the family was poor, and that she should not cause trouble when she went out, and that suffering a little loss was nothing, which shaped her personality. In addition, after coming to the city, she met many rich and powerful people, which made her even more cautious.
Jiang Yu naturally understood, and seeing this, she simply asked one question:
"And what are your thoughts?"
Seeing Liu Cui's helpless expression, Jiang Yu didn't know what to say. Not everyone can be as fair and absolute as she is in everything. Besides, she understood Liu Cui's situation.
Looking into Jiang Yuru's sincere eyes, Liu Cui smiled slightly and squeezed out a few words through her teeth.
"We will never back down."
She used to tolerate things because everyone advised her to, and no one ever stood up for her when trouble came. But things are different now; she won't tolerate everything anymore.
Upon hearing the answer, Jiang Yu felt relieved. If Liu Cui had said no this time, their relationship might have ended there. After all, their values were different.
Outside the door, the couple's murmured conversation suddenly escalated, and many people heard their curses. Jiang Yu's lips twitched; she hoped they wouldn't start fighting later.
"Are you stupid? Since she offered to give you thirty yuan, just let her. Aren't you so capable? Can't you even write a prescription for medicine?"
The woman's sudden loud voice startled many people, but they understood the meaning behind her words and the couple's intentions.
"You stupid woman with long hair and short brains, you'll go to jail for tampering with things like this. Are you trying to send me to jail for a little money? I've known for a long time that you have an improper relationship with Old Wang next door. Tell me, are you deliberately trying to frame me so you can give money to some random guy outside?"
When the man realized he couldn't reason with her, he angrily grabbed her hair and stomped on it hard, causing her to wince in pain and unleash a torrent of insults, including those directed at her parents.
The woman was no pushover either; she grabbed his arm and scratched wildly, her fingernails covering his skin, forcing the man to let go in pain.
"Dong Er, why aren't you staying home and behaving yourself? What are you doing wandering around here? Have you forgotten the lesson I taught you a couple of days ago? Are you out causing trouble again?"
Hearing the noise from afar, Da Shuan led a group of his henchmen over to see who was causing trouble. To their surprise, it turned out to be someone they knew.
Seeing that this group of people were no ordinary people, the onlookers quickly moved away, fearing that they might be accidentally injured.
The area in front of the dessert shop suddenly widened, and Dong Er, who had heard the voice, recognized the person and his heart skipped a beat. He then stopped what he was doing and came over, bowing and scraping, to explain.
"Brother Shuan, what brings you here? I just came to buy a cake, nothing else."
Dong Er was a gambler and owed them a lot of money. Now that he saw Da Shuan, he didn't care about extorting money anymore; all he could think about was getting away as quickly as possible.
Seeing him slink away, Da Shuan and his henchman exchanged a glance and blocked his way.
"Why do I have to ask the shopkeeper for money just to buy a cake? They're asking for thirty yuan right off the bat, are they trying to kill me?"
Da Shuan slowly walked over and surrounded the man, questioning him.
"How about this, I'll add another twenty yuan, and you can buy a coffin while you're at it. That way you won't be bullying people everywhere."
His voice had a certain intimidating power, which frightened Dong Er so much that he knelt down and begged for mercy, describing how his son had gotten a stomachache. At the end, he pointed at Jiang Yu, as if he had found a scapegoat.
"Brother Shuan, it's all because of this woman. She said she would give me thirty yuan in compensation. But I didn't take it. I just wanted ten yuan to pay for my son's medical treatment."
Da Shuan glanced at the person Jiang Yu was pointing at, waved, nodded, and smiled. Then he pulled a ten-yuan note from his pocket and threw it at the man's face.
"Here, take this ten yuan and get lost. Don't let me see you again."
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