Chapter 304: Following the Trend
Once, Old Yuan always relied on his descendants to bring glory to the family name.
But now, Old Yuan suddenly felt that he himself could bring glory to his ancestors.
Of course, Old Yuan only thought about it in his heart; he wouldn’t really get carried away and do something rash. At his age, even though he’s still quite robust, if he accidentally made a mistake, it would cause trouble for his children and grandchildren.
As people age, they need to accept their limitations.
Avoiding causing trouble for one’s children is the greatest kindness a parent can offer!
Because of the plaque inscribed "Home of Accumulated Goodness," Yuan Bao could clearly feel that his grandfather had been in a particularly good mood these days, smiling at everyone he met.
...
The Yuan Family, with their "one penny for a day’s worth" iced green bean drink, received the "Home of Accumulated Goodness" plaque from Emperor Xia, which certainly drew considerable attention.
Soon, within just a couple of days, several stalls offering free iced green bean drinks sprang up in the streets.
However, these people did not understand the "first effect."
In many aspects, and at many times, people only pay attention to the first, while often selectively forgetting those who come after.
Most importantly, this bowl of free iced green bean drink was overtly driven by profit motives.
Laborers, though they earn their money through hard work, mostly have a clear sense of right and wrong.
Though the old saying goes, "A penny can stump a hero."
Yet for the laborers, they truly didn’t mind that penny.
Labeling oneself as lacking integrity for the sake of a penny is not worthwhile.
After all, the Yuan Family’s Cheap Food Shop was already operating on small profits, and they could certainly afford the penny for the green bean drink, so why bother going elsewhere for it.
"Truly a bunch of stubborn peasants, they deserve to be poor!"
The steward of one of the free iced green bean drink stalls, looking at the bustling scene at the Yuan Family’s Cheap Food Shop nearby and then at his own deserted free iced drink stall, felt his resentment flare into anger.
"Forget it, pack up, let’s close the stall!"
"These insanely foolish peasants aren’t worth our effort!"
Even as citizens still approached the stall, the steward imperiously ordered his people to pack up and leave.
Their intention was to win people’s hearts.
But with the current situation, it was clearly a waste of effort. So why bother stirring up more trouble?
The steward flamboyantly led his people away, and during the departure, he did not forget to shove the crowd of citizens, even knocking an elderly woman to the ground.
Such actions instantly stirred up a hornet’s nest.
At that moment, those coming to get the free iced green bean drink were local residents living nearby. They had come for a small advantage, but ended up not getting it and being insulted instead — how could they tolerate that?
Thus, the enraged citizens raised their fists at the steward.
Once someone started the fight, the scene turned chaotic.
By the time the city guards arrived, the steward, whose origins were unknown, had already been beaten unconscious, unsure if he could survive.
The servants brought by the steward luckily avoided this disaster and weren’t held accountable.
Faced with the highly charged situation at the scene, the hastily arriving guards were overwhelmed.
As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses.
There were at least a hundred citizens who had gotten involved in the fight.