Chapter 684 - 684: A Sleepless Night
Brother Jiu furrowed his brow slightly, saying in a deep voice, "Anyun, Old Lady Lin is after all our elder. How can you speak of her in such a manner?"
Shen Anyun replied anxiously, "Brother Jiu, that old hag never took the people of the Shen Family seriously. What kind of elder is that? Moreover, our Shen Family members have always been fair and just—we've never used our influence to bully others. What she's saying is complete nonsense!"
"How we, the Shen Family members conduct ourselves, is clear to those who know us—we don't need to say more." Brother Jiu waved his hand dismissively and said, "But if you go to argue with her, that would be wrong. Both morally and logically, she is an elder. As a junior, how can you act so disrespectfully? If word of this got out, wouldn't it indeed appear as though the people of the Shen Family lack proper upbringing?"
Shen Anyun opened her mouth, but didn't know how to retort, so she changed the subject, "Who sets off firecrackers endlessly in the middle of the night like this? I'm telling you, there's definitely something fishy about this. It could be someone's deliberate arrangement, just to keep us from getting a good night's rest!"
Shen Anyun was essentially correct in her guess; however, the people she suspected were not from Sha Men, but from the Lin family.
Brother Jiu furrowed his brow slightly and after a moment of silence, he gestured with a wave of his hand, "Qianyue, take a few people and check it out."
"Yes!" Shen Qianyue responded and led several individuals towards the source of the firecrackers.
"Brother Jiu, I think there's no need to send Qianyue on a futile trip," said Shen Anyun. "This is the Lin Family Courtyard, and the Lin family is reckoned as the wealthiest in Shenchuan City. If there's a funeral or something, who would dare to make such a commotion outside their doors? Moreover, this has been going on for quite a while now, and there's been no action from the Lin family members, which doesn't add up. Don't the Lin family members find the firecrackers annoying as well?"
Her words made Brother Jiu's frown deepen even more. After a moment of silence, he suddenly turned and followed Shen Qianyue and the others out.
Shen Anyun hurried after them, saying anxiously, "Brother Jiu, this matter is definitely related to the Lin family members. What's the use of looking for the servants? It would be better to go directly to the Lin family members and ask them clearly!"
Brother Jiu ignored her, leading Shen Qianyue and the others to the place where the firecrackers were being set off. As Old Lady Lin had stated, outside was a crowd carrying a coffin in a funeral procession, with a bunch of people dressed in mourning clothes, wailing and creating a commotion. Behind them, others continuously set off firecrackers, the sound emanating from there.
Seeing these people, Shen Anyun became outraged and immediately marched up, shouting loudly, "What's the meaning of this? Setting off firecrackers at this hour of the night—are we not meant to sleep?"
Although her voice was loud, amidst the wailing and the sound of firecrackers, no one paid attention to her. Instead, the people behind started firing off even more firecrackers, with loud bangs that were deafening and disturbing.
"Can't you understand human language? Stop it! Stop it!" Shen Anyun yelled out. This time, a few people heard her.
Several individuals at the front rushed over, with one of them saying sheepishly, "Big sister, I'm so sorry. My father just passed away, and it's our family custom to send him off directly with a procession and continuous firecrackers along the way. We apologize for any inconvenience caused, we're truly sorry."
"A funeral?" Shen Anyun sneered, looking coldly at the coffin, "How do I know whether it's real or fake?"
"Hey, how can you speak like that!" The person immediately got upset, retorting, "The death of my father is a significant event. How can you question whether it's true or not? Are those even the words of a decent person?"
"How are you talking to me!" Shen Anyun also got angry and retorted loudly, "I've never heard of any custom that holds a funeral late at night with so many firecrackers. Don't you know that's a disturbance? Also, you've been setting off firecrackers here for almost half an hour, with no intention of leaving. What does that mean?"
The person hit back unwillingly, "What's wrong with holding a funeral at night? What's wrong with me setting off firecrackers here? Is this place yours? Does this road belong to your family? What gives you the right to interfere so much? My father died, such a big event, why can't I set off some firecrackers? Where did this shrew come from with such a sharp tongue!"
"You're looking for trouble!" Enraged, Shen Anyun was about to react, but was directly stopped by Brother Jiu standing beside her.
Brother Jiu had been observing the funeral procession and the man but hadn't noticed anything amiss. He walked up to the man and quietly observed him without saying a word.
"What are you looking at? What's the matter, looking to bully someone?" The man retorted angrily, ready to fight with the people of the Shen Family at any moment.
Brother Jiu still didn't speak, he just suddenly stepped forward and raised his hand to strike the man's face.
The man was startled and frantically raised his hand to guard, instinctively stepping back. However, his movements were too slow. As soon as he began to lift his hand, Brother Jiu's hand was already nearly on his face. However, Brother Jiu's hand did not hit him, but quickly retracted. The speed of Brother Jiu's move didn't give the man any chance to react. But since he had already raised his hand to defend, he was unable to take it back in time and stumbled a step backward, his hand lifting up to shield his face, yet blocking nothing.
The whole ordeal looked as though Brother Jiu had simply brandished his arm, and the man had immediately stepped back and raised his hand defensively, as if he was very scared, thereby losing face right there and then.
This move by Brother Jiu also confirmed that the man had no martial arts abilities. His reactions were just like any ordinary person facing such situations, not at all like someone trained.
Brother Jiu previously wondered if these people were from Sha Men, but seeing they had no martial arts skills, he dismissed the thought. However, what he couldn't have imagined was that these people were indeed from Sha Men. Except, they really did not know martial arts; they were just informants collecting information for the teahouse, living like normal people, never having learned martial arts.
"What are you doing?" The man shouted angrily, still unaware he had been probed and exposed.
"Nothing, there was just a mosquito just now!" Brother Jiu replied nonchalantly, then turned to the Shen Family members and said, "Let's go back and rest."
"Why?" Shen Anyun widened her eyes and said, "These people are obviously here to cause trouble on purpose. If we don't drive them away, they are bound to set off firecrackers here all night long. We won't be able to get any rest!"
"Let's go!" Brother Jiu didn't offer her an explanation and led the People of the Shen Family away directly.
Although Shen Anyun was angry, she had no choice but to follow Brother Jiu and the others back. After all, Brother Jiu was the leader of these members of the Shen Family.
Upon returning to the loft, Shen Anyun immediately approached Brother Jiu, anxiously saying, "Brother Jiu, are we just going to let this go? They clearly don't want us to sleep. If they make a fuss all night, we won't be able to rest at all. How will we fight the people from Sha Men tomorrow?"
Brother Jiu furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "They are just ordinary people, they don't know martial arts. Should members of the Shen Family really go and strike people who have no martial arts abilities?"
"But... we can't let them keep on like this, can we? Tomorrow we have to deal with the people from Sha Men. What if we don't get any rest? How will we cope?" Shen Anyun said, "Of course, we can't strike those who don't know martial arts, but these people are most likely sent by the Lin family. Why don't we just go directly to the Lin family members and have them handle this?"
"No!" Brother Jiu shook his head decisively and said firmly, "Qianyue, if the firecrackers are still going off later, call the police and let them handle this. Everyone go back to your rooms and rest. Nobody is allowed to contact the Lin family members, understood?"
"Yes!" everyone answered in unison. Shen Anyun, however, was extremely dissatisfied and pressed on, "Brother Jiu, why can't we have the Lin family members resolve this? This is clearly their place. If we don't turn to them, who else can we seek help from?"
"Anyun, don't forget, we have always had a rocky relationship with the Lin family members. If they are behind this, then there's no use in turning to them. If they are not, by asking for their help, wouldn't that show that the Shen Family is incompetent?" Brother Jiu glanced at Shen Anyun and continued sternly, "Let the police deal with this. Let's stay here tonight without getting into conflicts with the Lin family. We should give the Lin family members face on this matter. However, if something similar happens tomorrow night, it will mean the Lin family is not giving us face, and then we won't need to give them face anymore!"
Brother Jiu said this and patted Shen Anyun's shoulder, "Anyun, you are honest and straightforward, but your temper is a bit too hot. It's better to show a bit more courtesy in what you do. When the people of the Shen Family are conducting affairs outside, we absolutely can't afford to give others a handle to criticize us, understand?"
Shen Anyun finally understood Brother Jiu's intention and nodded slowly, saying, "Brother Jiu, you're right, I was too impulsive this time. Alright then, let's give the Lin family members this face for now. I want to see how much more they can stir up!"
After Shen Qianyue made the call to the police, it took over an hour before the firecracker noises gradually stopped. By then, the sky had almost brightened, and the People of the Shen Family had hardly rested all night, but a new day had already dawned, and they had no time to rest anymore!
On the teahouse side, the people of Sha Men had all rested well, ready and waiting, preparing to face the impending battle with the Shen Family. Doubtlessly, in terms of their mental state, the people of Sha Men had an edge over the Shen Family, which was an advantage in itself. The outcome of this battle was hard to predict, but the inevitable confrontation that had been brewing for ten years between Sha Men and the Shen Family was due to come to an end at last!