Chapter 663 - 663 Ding Family Looking for Trouble
Ye Qing understood the feud between Jiangsha Gate and the Shen Family thoroughly, and he realized that he truly couldn't stop the imminent war between them. Therefore, he simply stopped thinking about it. What was destined to come would eventually arrive, and there would be a way out when it comes to the crunch. He would decide what to do when the time came.
First, he took Old Wang Ba for breakfast. The old guy seemed like he hadn't eaten in a while because he ordered wildly as soon as he entered the breakfast shop, even demanding abalone. His sleazy appearance, combined with his shabby clothes, drew a lot of attention as he entered. People might mistake him for causing trouble. If Ye Qing hadn't promptly paid, the staff would have probably thrown Old Wang Ba out.
"Ah, the world is deteriorating, and people are not what they used to be!" Old Wang Ba lamented while sitting at the table, "Nowadays, these young people have no respect for the elderly. I just came for breakfast, and even if it's not available, why throw me out? Such service won't do in today's society!"
"Give me a break!" Ye Qing scoffed, "Aren't you just thirty-six and a few months old? How old can you be? And what's with ordering a two-foot-long lobster for breakfast? Can you even finish it?"
Hearing this, Old Wang Ba felt guilty and waved his hand, "Don't talk about my age."
Ye Qing said, "What are you afraid of? You're not a woman. Are you afraid of someone mentioning your age?"
"Damn, it's impossible to chat with you!" Unable to argue with Ye Qing, Old Wang Ba eventually just lowered his head and continued eating his breakfast.
While they were eating, the breakfast shop wasn't very crowded anymore. They had just finished half of their meal when several people suddenly came down from the second floor. Leading them was Ding Changyuan, the father of Ding Shaoyan, and he was followed by other members of the Ding Family, like Ding Changsheng and Ding Xiangyun.
It was clear that the Ding Family members had become haggard recently. Especially Ding Changyuan - not only was his son Ding Shaoyan crippled, but also he faced contempt from all other families because of it. After all, Ding Shaoyan was responsible for Tie Yongwen's death, which indirectly led to Elder Master Ding's demise. Although the Ding Family had saved him, it didn't mean they forgave him. Ding Changyuan, as the father, had borne a lot of pressure during that time, and most of the Ding Family had cut ties with him.
The people with him now were those closer to him, but their situations were not any better. After Elder Master Ding's death, the Ding Family had started to decline. Recently, some who bore grudges against them had taken the opportunity to strike back, leading to numerous important members of the Ding Family being under investigation, including Ding Changsheng, who had been stripped of all military duties and was under investigation at home.
Furthermore, those who previously relied on and had good relationships with them had now severed ties with the Ding Family. It was a case of "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter." With the fall of Elder Master Ding, those who depended on him had dispersed. However, the Ding Family itself couldn't simply disband; they were doomed to bear the consequences of their patriarch's downfall.
When the Ding Family members saw Ye Qing, they were first stunned and then their expressions turned icy cold. Ding Changyuan, in particular, stared at Ye Qing with venomous eyes, as it was Ye Qing who had crippled his son, Ding Shaoyan.
Ye Qing also saw the Ding Family members, but he didn't pay them any attention. He was somewhat displeased for not killing Ding Shaoyan the last time, and the Ding Family kept causing him trouble over and over again. He would have acted against them long ago if not for the debt he owed Elder Master Ding.
However, Ye Qing's indifference towards the Ding Family didn't mean the Ding Family would let him off the hook.
Ding Changyuan stared at Ye Qing for a while before suddenly striding over with a sneer, "Mr. Ye, you really have the leisure to come out for breakfast early in the morning. What, are the orphanage's troubles taken care of already?"
The orphanage was Ye Qing's most pressing concern at the moment. Hearing that remark, he frowned instantly. He turned to look at the Ding Family members, said nothing, and just picked up a bowl of porridge from the table and slowly drank it.
"I believe he's not busy at all!" Ding Changsheng came over, mocking, "Third Brother, haven't you heard? The provincial authorities have requested that Ye Qing immediately send all the children from his orphanage to the public one. There was never a precedent for private orphanages nationwide. Wanting to start a private orphanage, heh, is just wishful thinking. I bet it won't be long before the province makes a final decision, officially decrees, and orders him to hand all those children over!"
"Dammit, can't we have a peaceful breakfast?" Ye Qing didn't speak, but Old Wang Ba couldn't help cursing out loud, shouting, "Waiter, waiter, look at this – your establishment isn't clean!"
"Huh?" The waiter immediately came over, saying, "Where is it dirty? Sir, our restaurant is renowned for its cleanliness, and there's nothing wrong with our food quality!"
"I wasn't talking about your food," said Old Wang Ba, "I was referring to your environment. Early in the morning, trying to have a meal, and there are a few flies buzzing incessantly nearby. Can't you take care of your hygiene?"
The Ding family members were furious; Old Wang Ba was basically insulting them by calling them flies. However, the waiter hadn't understood yet and looked around in confusion, asking, "Sir, you must be mistaken, where are there any flies?"
Old Wang Ba pointed at the Ding family members and said, "Damn, there's such big flies sitting right here and you can't see them?"
It was then that the waiter understood Old Wang Ba's meaning. He glanced at the Ding family members and didn't quite know what to say. But the expression on his face was very awkward; caught in the middle of this situation, he really didn't know what to do.
"What did you say!" Ding Xiangyun was the first to explode in anger and pointed at Old Wang Ba and angrily said, "How can you even speak like that? Have you no decency? What are you, to speak to us in such a manner?"
"Decency, that's something relative," Old Wang Ba said. "Compared to many, I lack decency. But compared to you, the people from the Ding family, my decency is way above. Tell me, when have I ever buzzed around people like a fly?"
"You dare to curse someone!" Ding Changsheng was even more furious. He picked up a plate from nearby and pointed at Old Wang Ba, angrily saying, "Say that again, I dare you!"
"Oh, trying to scare me?" Old Wang Ba couldn't help laughing, and looked at Ye Qing, saying, "Boss Ye, look, someone's trying to intimidate on your turf!"
Ye Qing just smiled slightly and didn't say anything. But Ding Changsheng was indignant, saying, "His turf? What pile of crap is he to claim this as his turf? I'm telling you, unless our Ding family falls, you'll never flaunt your power in Shenchuan City!"
As he spoke, Ding Changsheng violently smashed the plate on the ground, trying to make an impression. However, this action only brought displeasure to the waiter. He looked at the few Ding family members and said in a stern voice, "Gentlemen, don't blame me for not warning you. This restaurant belongs to Southern City Brother Yongpeng. Before you make a scene here, think carefully..."
When had Ding Changyuan ever been intimidated like this? Hearing this, he immediately roared, "Your mom's a bitch, Yong Peng. If he's dissatisfied, let him come and try!"
With that, Ding Changyuan went over and slapped the waiter across the face. The waiter covered his face, stunned for a good while, and angrily said, "Fine, fine, just you wait, don't you run away now!"
The waiter stormed out, and the Ding family members didn't pay him any heed. Ding Changyuan still looked coldly at Ye Qing and said in a deep voice, "Ye Qing, you've condemned my son to a life in bed, I'll never let you get away with it. Even if the Ding family isn't what it used to be, I, Ding Changyuan, will fight you to the end. Even if it costs me my life, I won't let you build that orphanage, and I'll make sure you know pain!"
Ye Qing looked at Ding Changyuan and said, "Ding Changyuan, let me give you some advice. Those who often do evil will destroy themselves. The more bad deeds you commit, the more you'll eventually have to pay for them. The Ding family has fallen to this state because of your own actions. If you had made Ding Shaoyan correct his ways the first time he did wrong instead of indulging him, then both Ding Shaoyan and the Ding family wouldn't have fallen to where they are today!"
Ye Qing's words were the truth and were also what several people from the Ding family had said to Ding Changyuan before. He was sick of hearing it. Ding Changyuan abruptly waved his hand away and angrily said, "I don't need your hypocritical words. You talk about evil doing itself in; considering what you've done to our Ding family, how many times should you have died?"
"I'll say it one more time, it's not my fault the Ding family has reached this state; the responsibility lies with you!" Ye Qing stood up and said, "Excuse me, please move aside, I have some business and can't keep chit-chatting with you all!"
"You're trying to leave!" Ding Changsheng immediately came over to grab Ye Qing's clothes, but just then, a group of about a dozen people suddenly rushed into the restaurant. Leading them was the waiter from before.
"Brother Yong Peng, it's them!" The waiter pointed indignantly at the Ding family and said, "They're the ones causing trouble here, they even insulted you, saying if you don't like it you can come over and try!"
The moment Brother Yong Peng walked in, he saw Ye Qing. He might have been swaggering with anger, but upon seeing Ye Qing, his arrogance faded immediately. Before he could even deal with the Ding family, he hurried over to Ye Qing with a smile, "Ye, you're here early."
This Brother Yong Peng had previously attended a dinner hosted by Ye Qing. His boss had bought some shares from Ye Qing, which now made him Ye Qing's business partner. Having met Ye Qing, he knew about Ye Qing's influence in Shenchuan City, which he could only look up to. So, when he saw Ye Qing, he immediately approached him with a smile.
Ye Qing exchanged a few casual pleasantries with Brother Yong Peng, while the Ding family members watched angrily on the side. Although it irked them to no end, they had to admit that Ye Qing was now a changed man. Walking on the streets of Shenchuan City, nearly everyone knew him. But what about the Ding family? The once influential family of Shenchuan City had now fallen to such a sorry state, which could not help but provoke sighs.