Chapter 92: Black Sesame Filling
Jin Le Fang, as a decades-old renowned shop, has always been a place that local noblewomen and misses frequently visit, with customer traffic that could be called endless every day. However, recently, their shop door has been deserted. Especially today, not to mention those regular customers, there isn’t even a single casual customer.
The shopkeeper’s face was dark as he opened a bottle, sniffed it under his nose, and said to the shop assistant beside him: “Hasn’t our master formulated a better new product yet?”
“The masters have already done their best. Over these years, they’ve exhausted every effort to formulate various cosmetics, and all the prescriptions they could think of have already been thought out.”
“It seems we should find some young perfumers. Although the masters have good skills and the advantage of experience, they don’t have fresh brains that work well. What about Chen Fugui?” the shopkeeper asked again. “Why haven’t I seen him today?”
“The second manager didn’t come to the shop; he must have been delayed by something!” the shop assistant guessed. “This little one isn’t very clear either.”
Crying and shouting came from outside, the voice sharp, and it even mentioned Jin Le Fang and the like.
The shopkeeper went out and saw two bloodied and mangled people lying at the doorway, crying and shouting. When they saw him come out, they cried even more miserably.
“Who are you, and why are you causing a scene at our shop’s doorway?”
“Wah… Everyone come judge this! It was clearly Jin Le Fang that hired us as a couple to cause trouble at Peach Blossom Workshop, and now we’ve been sued by Peach Blossom Workshop, beaten with the board at the government office, and they deny it all. My legs can’t walk… My waist is ruined too… Especially my buttocks, there’s not a single good patch of flesh… Ouch… It hurts so much… It hurts so much…”
“Shopkeeper, Chen Fugui smeared inferior cosmetics on me, and my face turned like this. He also got me a face cream from Peach Blossom Workshop to let me splash dirty water on Peach Blossom Workshop, but Peach Blossom Workshop people work meticulously. Not only did we fail to splash the dirty water, we got beaten with the board. Now Peach Blossom Workshop wants us to compensate for losses, but we’re just two poor wretches—where would we get silver? Shopkeeper, you have to take responsibility!”
More and more people heard the crying and shouting and gathered around.
The shopkeeper hadn’t seen so many people gathered at their shop doorway for several days. But at this moment, he wished there was no one at all.
“Where’s Chen Fugui? Find Chen Fugui right now.” The shopkeeper roared in fury.
“This little one will go find him right away.”
Chen Fugui had caused trouble but wasn’t on site; as Jin Le Fang’s shopkeeper, he could only bear this responsibility.
He said to that couple: “Chen Fugui hired you to harm people, and you did such unconscionable things for money—how dare you come to trouble Jin Le Fang? Chen Fugui’s actions are his alone and have nothing to do with Jin Le Fang. Jin Le Fang has always been upright and would absolutely never do such backstabbing things.”
“Everyone, has Jin Le Fang ever harmed anyone before? Everyone has seen it with their own eyes. Jin Le Fang can afford to win and afford to lose. However, Chen Fugui is indeed Jin Le Fang’s second manager. From today on, this second manager has no relationship with Jin Le Fang. We will also find him and send him to Peach Blossom Workshop to apologize.”
The extortion couple turned their heads to look toward the corner.
The person who had been standing there just now had already left; presumably satisfied with their performance.
Suddenly, they felt a relief of surviving the disaster.
That young boy was so good-looking, yet his methods were so vicious.
Just now, he had followed the officers to escort them to the government office. The government office didn’t even need the county magistrate to try such an obvious case; the secretary directly pronounced judgment and had the officers beat them with the board.
That boy watched them get beaten with the board and told the officers that he had sent them into the government office, and now that the beating was over, they couldn’t let them bloody up the government office’s ground, saying he would take them away.
Yes, he did take them away. He found a few beggars to carry them to Jin Le Fang and said that if they didn’t finish acting out this play, their legs would never walk again.
He would never forget the ruthlessness in those eyes. Even if that boy said he would kill him, he would believe it.
Peach Blossom Workshop’s opening had customers nearly crowding the threshold to pieces.
Though there had been a bit of unpleasantness just now, that matter not only didn’t affect their business but brought even more customers rushing over upon hearing the news; business was better than expected.
Su Yaoguang looked out the doorway a few times.
Zhang Zhaodi said: “Worried about Wangshu?”
“Why has he been gone so long?” Su Yaoguang looked again. “He’s always timid and honest; I shouldn’t have entrusted this matter to him.”
“He’s a big man, and with officers following him, you still afraid he’d be bullied?” Zhang Zhaodi said. “Don’t be so nervous. Look, isn’t he back?”
Su Yaoguang followed Zhang Zhaodi’s gaze and saw Zhou Wangshu striding in. She went up to him, looking him over: “Why were you gone so long? Are you okay?”
“I watched them get beaten with the board before coming back. Each got thirty big strokes of the board; after the beating, none could walk and they were carried out.”
“Serves them right.”
“Jin Le Fang is just letting it go like this?” Zhang Yingdi asked from the side. “They act so disgracefully; once is precedent for twice— are we just swallowing this silent loss?”
“Today is our opening big day; let’s not worry about those people for now. We’ll talk after we’re done with the matters at hand,” Su Yaoguang said. “Wangshu, go help your uncle-in-law.”
Zhou Wangshu looked toward Wang Huanzhi, who nodded at him.
Zhang Zhaodi knew Zhou Wangshu didn’t know these people yet and began introducing them.
Everyone had already met Zhou Wangshu just now; it was just that Zhou Wangshu didn’t know who was who. After simple mutual introductions to get familiar with faces, they went back to their respective tasks.
There were too many customers today; they didn’t have time to chat. If they wanted to chat, they could do it after sending off these customers, when tallying today’s results in the evening.
“Yaoguang…” Chun E ran in excitedly from outside. “Something big happened!”
Su Yaoguang now got a headache just hearing the words “something big.” But seeing Chun E’s expression, it shouldn’t be bad news.
“Sister Chun E, what happy event do you have to share with me?”
“It’s not my happy event; it’s yours,” Chun E said. “The two people who came to make trouble at your shop just now are crying and shouting at Jin Le Fang again. Everyone in the city knows about Jin Le Fang’s deeds. I heard the shopkeeper is looking for that Chen Fugui, planning to bring Chen Fugui to you to apologize! He hasn’t come over yet, probably because Chen Fugui is hiding and he hasn’t found the culprit.”
“Those two got thirty big strokes of the board and still went to make trouble at Jin Le Fang?” Su Yaoguang was surprised.
“Exactly. People like them definitely want some compensation!” Chun E pursed her lips. “But it turned out well by mistake, helping your Peach Blossom Workshop build reputation, letting more people know about your feud. This counts as climbing up on Jin Le Fang’s shoulders. Everyone knows your Peach Blossom Workshop’s cosmetics have even the decades-old renowned Jin Le Fang scared, so they must be good stuff.”
