Chapter 22
Ye Jiao didn't understand what feng shui was, but she could see that these people weren't going to let the Qi Family Wine Shop open smoothly.
Although they didn't bring many people and didn't seem to be carrying any weapons, their rogue-like attitude made it clear they were here to cause trouble.
Manager Song had originally planned to give some instructions and then go inside to take the opportunity to curry favor with the master's young mistress while the auspicious time hadn't arrived. Who knew that things would start getting chaotic outside, pinning him outside with no way to leave.
Lady Dong frowned, and a flash of disgust appeared in her eyes. She said in a low voice: "Jiao Niang, these people probably can't be sent away with money."
When ordinary shops opened for such happy occasions, they would often attract some idle people.
Beggars would come with sticks to sing auspicious songs and ask for lucky money. Ruffians would find excuses to come and cause trouble to get some silver.
Generally, merchants would just give them some silver to send them away, spending money to avoid disaster. But this kind that announced their names from the start probably couldn't be settled peacefully.
Reporting to the authorities would be problematic since it was a minor matter, and the constables mostly wouldn't take it seriously.
Letting it go would be a small matter if it only disrupted the auspicious time, but if it damaged their reputation, that would be troublesome.
Ye Jiao blinked her eyes. Little ginseng had only recently become human and didn't understand these things very well, but in her world, good and evil were clearly defined.
People like her husband were good people, so these people were bad people, bad people that even demons didn't like.
Her face naturally showed shared hatred for the enemy, and Ye Jiao echoed Lady Dong: "These people are very bad."
Lady Dong nodded along, but her face showed some worry, afraid that Manager Song wouldn't handle the situation well and cause trouble.
Just as the two finished speaking, Ye Jiao saw Manager Song downstairs approaching them.
Manager Song had a smile on his face. Though he was getting on in years, despite being shrewd, he had a kind and benevolent appearance. When he smiled now, he looked even more loving: "Gentlemen, harmony brings wealth. Our small shop hasn't opened yet, but fortunately we have plenty of good wine. If you have business to discuss, how about we go inside and talk?"
These words were flawlessly diplomatic, but he completely ignored whatever Manager Sun they mentioned, as if Manager Song hadn't heard it.
These people naturally weren't pleased. If they went inside to talk, how could they still cause trouble?
If they didn't cause trouble, how would the people who sent them give them reward money?
This was all part of their routine. These ruffians were very experienced at it, and naturally weren't going to give Manager Song this face.
The leader among them was about to speak again, but saw that Manager Song had already smiled and beckoned the assistants over, not giving them any chance to react. The assistants paired up, one person per ruffian, and cleanly got them inside.
On the surface it looked like they were welcoming them in, but secretly, one covered their mouths while the other grabbed their hands, efficiently handling them.
Since it wasn't yet the auspicious time and it was mealtime, there weren't many onlookers around. Those standing on the street only saw their backs and heard the initial shout, but couldn't see anything else clearly. Naturally, they had no idea whether these ruffians went in willingly or were forced inside.
But Ye Jiao on the second floor saw everything clearly, and her eyes showed some surprise.
Lady Dong even exclaimed "Oh!" and said: "I used to think Manager Song was kind and shrewd, but I didn't expect him to be so decisive now."
Especially these assistants who looked like they had martial arts training, their movements skilled and smooth without a single flaw, as if they had been prepared for this.
After they got these troublemakers inside, they weren't as polite as they had been outside.
Although they didn't hit or scold them, they tied them up with ropes, and used considerable force, tying them very tightly. The experience probably wasn't pleasant.
Ye Jiao found this interesting and got up to go downstairs. Lady Dong and Nanny Liu quickly followed.
Manager Song was coldly addressing the leader: "Speak. What's your name?"
The man wouldn't talk, so Manager Song raised his hand and slapped him.
A crisp slap, heavy and harsh, almost instantly swelling half the man's face. Yet Manager Song's expression didn't change. Ye Jiao particularly wanted to praise Manager Song as "vigorous despite his age."
Thinking this, little ginseng complimented herself for using another idiom.
The leader could see that this old manager was ruthless. Seeing Manager Song raise his hand to slap the other side of his face, he didn't dare hold out any longer and immediately howled: "Wang Wu, my name is Wang Wu!"
Manager Song nodded and lowered his hand, slowly asking: "Who sent you?"
Wang Wu mumbled and said: "Manager Sun."
Upon hearing this, Manager Song gave him another slap, making it symmetrical.
But this time Wang Wu gritted his teeth and held out, refusing to say more. Manager Song frowned deeply.
At this moment, Manager Song saw Ye Jiao coming down and quickly put away his harsh demeanor, switching to his usual smile: "Second Young Mistress, please go rest upstairs. Leave this matter to me."
Ye Jiao looked around and asked: "What are you holding them here for?"
Manager Song replied: "This is what Second Young Master instructed. He said there might be people coming to cause trouble today, so he had everyone in the shop prepare. If anything happened, we should catch them first, and nothing should delay the shop's opening."
Hearing that it was Qi Yun's instruction, Ye Jiao asked no more questions and instead looked at those troublemakers. Manager Song also looked over.
Although they were already tied up, letting them continue to stubbornly play dumb wasn't going to work.
Manager Song frowned slightly. Actually, giving them a few slaps was fine, as there would be no traces after the swelling went down, but they really couldn't seriously injure them, or they would likely be blamed for it.
Going to find Qi Yun for advice now would take too much time. Qi Yun had said to handle everything himself, but Manager Song was somewhat at a loss. He instinctively turned to Ye Jiao, the master's young mistress: "Second Young Mistress, what do you think about this matter..."
Ye Jiao had never experienced this kind of situation. These people were bad people, but she didn't know how ordinary people dealt with bad people. For a moment she didn't know what to do either, so she looked toward Nanny Liu and Lady Dong.
Although Nanny Liu was old, she had always stayed in the inner quarters serving people, so naturally she had no ideas about these matters.
Instead, it was Lady Dong, who was naturally forthright and spoke very directly: "Don't say the Qi family won't be afraid of you few ruffians. Just the fact that you came here to cause trouble, even if we broke your legs and threw you to the yamen now, no one would listen to your complaints!"
Manager Song smiled inwardly, thinking that Manager Dong's wife was still young. How could you just break people's legs like that?
But little ginseng had no concept of these things. After hearing Lady Dong's words, she muttered in her heart that humans were really harsh toward bad people, and casually said: "Alright then, go ahead and hit them."
Manager Song: ......
Lady Dong: ......
When Wang Wu heard this, he was terrified. He had just wanted to come cause some trouble and get some reward money, but he'd run into tough opponents!
Breaking legs was too much! The price was too high!
He had thought that having the matter handed over to a beautiful young woman meant they would probably be released, but who knew this lady was even harsher than the men!
What kind of world was this!
Wang Wu immediately howled that he wanted to confess. Manager Song found him annoying, and afraid that his loud shouting would disturb the people outside, he waved his hand to have their mouths gagged and took them to the back for detailed questioning.
When he looked at Ye Jiao again, Manager Song inexplicably felt more respectful: "Second Young Mistress, should we tell Second Young Master about this matter?"
Ye Jiao was someone who wanted to ask her husband about everything, and this matter was no exception.
But before she could speak, she heard Manager Song continue: "Sigh, it's just that going back and forth would take a long time, and we can't keep those people locked up for too long. Leaving them here is always a problem. If we just open like this, if something happens, it'll be troublesome."
Qi Yun had told him to handle everything himself, and Manager Song had some ideas, but he had rejected them all himself.
Ye Jiao tilted her head slightly and thought: "What about sending them back to that Sun family?"
She was just speaking casually, thinking that things should go back to where they came from, not stay here where their shouting was annoying to listen to.
But this casual remark made Manager Song look enlightened.
These people were causing trouble under the Sun family's banner, but actually any clear-eyed person could see they weren't sent by the Sun family. After all, no one causing trouble would paste their own name on their foreheads for fear people wouldn't recognize them.
Regardless of who actually sent them, in the end it would be difficult for the Qi family.
Sending them to the yamen would probably just result in a few beatings before release, but it would affect their own reputation.
It would be better to dump them on the Sun family and let them ask who was using their name to cause trouble outside. Then the Sun family would naturally have ways to deal with these people and the mastermind, and it would have nothing to do with their own family.
Brilliant, truly brilliant. This diversion tactic was excellently used!
Manager Song looked moved and immediately bowed to Ye Jiao, sincerely sighing: "Second Young Mistress's wisdom is beyond what ordinary people can match."
Ye Jiao, who had spoken casually, looked at him with complete confusion. Even after Manager Song left, she still couldn't figure out what had happened.
Innocent little ginseng didn't know there was a kind of brilliance called "others thinking you're brilliant."
This was just a small episode in the shop's opening. People outside didn't even notice that some people had been brought in and then taken away. Everything ended before it even began.
Manager Song had these people tied up and sent to Manager Sun at the money exchange, while he himself went outside as if nothing had happened, waiting for the auspicious time to light firecrackers for good fortune.
The Qi Family Wine Shop's Jade Liquid Wine had already made a name for itself, so quite a few people came to join the excitement. The hired dragon and lion dance troupes made everything lively and bustling. Naturally, no one remembered that someone had come to cause trouble just now.
Ye Jiao sat by the second-floor window, covering her ears to block out the crackling sound of firecrackers, her eyes squinting with laughter.
Lady Dong also covered her ears. Seeing Ye Jiao's delicate appearance, she felt that the earlier talk about breaking legs was probably Ye Jiao trying to scare those people. Their young mistress was clearly the gentlest person. Thinking this, Lady Dong's face also showed a smile as she leaned over and shouted loudly: "Jiao Niang, do you like watching the lion dance?"
Ye Jiao also shouted back loudly: "As long as it's something my husband arranged, I like it!"
She said this loudly, but Ye Jiao had no hesitation whatsoever.
As long as it was her husband's, she liked it, because she knew that as long as it was hers, her husband also liked it.
Lady Dong laughed directly upon hearing this, though her eyes held envy.
Being husband and wife like Qi Yun and Ye Jiao, it would be hard not to envy them.
But this wasn't the first time she'd been shown affection by the master and his wife. After being envied so many times, she had gotten used to it. Soon Lady Dong's attention was drawn back to the lively lion dance outside.
After the excitement was over, Ye Jiao didn't stay long. After all, this place was gradually getting more crowded, and Manager Song had his own business to attend to. Ye Jiao also wanted to go to the medicine shop early, so she greeted Manager Song and prepared to leave.
As she was leaving, she used the paper and brush on the table to write a few characters.
Lady Dong could read and saw her write the character "Sun" in round, plump strokes. She found it strange: "Jiao Niang, what are you writing this for?"
Ye Jiao folded the paper and put it in her bosom, answering seriously: "To show my husband when I get back. To tell on them."
Upon hearing this, Lady Dong laughed, thinking that probably only Second Young Mistress could be so righteous about tattling.
However, when leaving, Ye Jiao didn't notice that at the corner of the street, two people were staring at her.
Once again kicked out of school by the teacher for cutting the teacher's beard while he was sleeping.
The teacher shouted that he didn't want to teach him anymore, but Ye Bao wasn't worried at all. He didn't like studying anyway, so not going actually suited his wishes. The little boy was young and naturally didn't know that this schooling cost Second Sister-in-law Ye money to arrange. He just didn't like it, and he didn't hide his feelings at all.
Second Sister-in-law Ye had accumulated a belly full of anger, dragging Ye Bao home. Since the school she found was in town, on the way back she happened to encounter the Qi Family Wine Shop's opening.
Ye Bao clamored to watch the excitement, and Second Sister-in-law Ye couldn't refuse him. Thinking that it was excitement paid for by others, it would be a waste not to watch, so she took him to look.
But just as they were about to leave after watching the excitement, Ye Bao's sharp eyes spotted Ye Jiao getting into the ox cart. He pointed with his finger: "Mother, look quickly, it's Aunt!"
He tugged several times but didn't hear Second Sister-in-law Ye respond.
Ye Bao looked up at her strangely, only to see Second Sister-in-law Ye staring straight at Ye Jiao, her hands clenching tighter and tighter.
Because she was using too much force, Ye Bao cried out in pain, but Second Sister-in-law Ye couldn't hear him anymore.
It wasn't until Ye Bao forcefully pulled his hand free that Second Sister-in-law Ye finally came back to her senses.
She gritted her teeth and strained to look forward, but since she couldn't read, she could only turn to ask a nearby vendor: "Whose family is having a celebration here?"
The vendor had been setting up his stall in town for years and naturally knew: "This is the Qi family, the one with Jade Liquid Wine. It's their wine shop, newly opened. Look at this scene, it's really prosperous!"
But Second Sister-in-law Ye only heard the first half of what he said, and couldn't hear the rest anymore.
Her mind was full of the thought that Ye Jiao was really living a good life after all...
Inexplicably, her chest ached from the frustration.