Chapter 271 - 271 Causing Trouble
271 Causing Trouble
“I want to stay in Willow Village. First, there will be all kinds of problems after everyone starts planting soybeans and chilies. Second, I want to take care of the villagers. If everyone participates in my workshop, they can improve their lives.”
Zhao Zhan recalled Yue Jiaojiao’s usual complaints about how the women in the village were either dependent on men or were tortured by their mother-in-law. They were treated this way because they didn’t have the autonomy to earn their own money.
Zhao Zhan wanted to do something about that and make the change.
At the very least, if there were more and more independent women in the village, the girls from each family would be valued. That way, his lover might be able to have a few more friends to talk to in the village.
“Zhao Zhan, although what happened in Huai County changed my opinion of your wife, I still think you’re caring for her like a daughter instead of a wife. Why are you worried about things like making friends or not?”
“I’m not raising a daughter,” Zhao Zhan retorted seriously. “Jiaojiao will only get this treatment from me. If I really have a daughter in the future, I will love her as much as my life… But Jiaojiao will always be the most important one in my heart.”
Fang Tianliu was speechless.
Li Xiangjun subconsciously turned to look at Fang Tianliu.
“Fang Tianliu, if you’re free, you can go to Huai County to find a shop first.” Zhao Zhan estimated the time and wanted to leave soon. “We can’t sell tofu forever, I’m going to make a public announcement in Huai County a month later and gather the managers of various inns, restaurants, and even eateries to hold a taste test.”
“Like a conference?”
“When everything is ready, I’ll tell you everything in detail.”
“Since that’s the case, leave the matter of finding the shop to me.”
Fang Tianliu patted his chest and promised the rest. Then, he heard the commotion outside. He frowned and was about to go out to see what was going on when Madam Chen rushed in.
“It’s not good!”
“An old man fainted and a few people were causing a scene in front of our shop. They keep saying that the food in our shop is killing people.”
Madam Chen had never experienced something like this before. She was so flustered that her voice was shaking. “W-what should we do?”
“I’ll go check it out.”
Zhao Zhan’s expression was solemn as he pulled the curtain aside and went to the front of the shop. Fang Tianliu and Li Xiangjun followed closely behind.
Chen Xiaolang was surrounded by people. Some of them were even spitting at him.
“Didn’t anyone recognize him earlier? He’s the notorious thief of our town!”
“That’s what I was thinking. How can such a shop hire someone like him? Look, isn’t this what happened!”
“Maybe this old man offended Chen Xiaolang. Somehow he found a way to poison the old man!”
The crowd was furious. Someone broke off two rotten vegetable leaves from the basket and threw them at him while they cursed.
“You wretched human, go back to where you came from!”
“Yeah! Back to the heaps of trash you live in!”
Chen Xiaolang gritted his teeth until there was a metallic taste in his mouth.
If he retaliated, he would not get a second chance at life.
“Stop right there!”
Zhao Zhan quickly walked to the entrance of the shop. When he saw the crowd, he took a deep breath and shouted, “Everyone, make way! I’m the owner of this shop!”
Someone in the crowd suddenly wailed, and the sound of his sorrowful cry could be heard three miles away. “Father! You only had a bite of their tofu pudding today! Who would’ve thought that the people in this shop would plot against you?”
The voices were mournful. Many of them each took turns crying and wailing. “You’ve had such a hard life!”
The onlookers were whispering to each other.
Zhao Zhan could only force his way to the center to see what was happening.
In addition to the hunter’s fiendish temperament, his eyebrows were raised as he swept his gaze over them one by one. The surrounding crowd subconsciously lowered their voices when they realized how daunting he looked.
“Chen Xiaolang, find Doctor Zhou.” Zhao Zhan pushed Chen Xiaolang away from the crowd.
He looked at the old man lying on the ground.
His winter robes were thick and loose, and if not for Zhao Zhan’s sharp eyes, it would have been difficult to notice the slight rise and fall of the old man’s chest.
A dead person and a person with a bad stomach were two completely different situations.
Zhao Zhan half-squatted and put two fingers together in front of the old man’s nose. “He’s still breathing. You didn’t send him to the clinic and couldn’t wait to take him to my shop to create trouble because you thought he was dead?”
The young man kneeling beside the old man panicked and straightened his neck. “You’re the boss, aren’t you? My father ate that st*pid tofu thing in your shop and fainted. What are you going to do to compensate us?”
Zhao Zhan’s eyes swept over the rest of the people and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
When the young man heard this, a trace of ecstasy quickly flashed through his eyes.
“I don’t want much. Just give me twenty pieces of silver as a lesson so that you won’t dare to harm others in the future.”
Zhao Zhan’s eyebrows raised slightly. He did not believe that this was his only purpose. “And then?”
“And then? After that, it’ll be the downfall of you and your business!” The man said earnestly, “I’m going to get rid of all evil today. If my father hears about this, he will definitely agree with my actions! If this shop of yours continues to operate, who knows how many other people will be harmed! You should just shut down and get lost!”
The crowd cheered in unison. This person didn’t want money and only wanted justice.
Zhao Zhan didn’t say anything immediately, so the young man quickly glanced at the old man lying on the ground.
According to the time he spent here with his unconscious… His father should be dead by now, right?
Was it because the old man was strong, so he could hold till the fight was over?
Zhao Zhan took in all the changes in the other party’s expression and stood still.
“What you said makes sense.”
“Since that’s the case! Then why don’t you hurry up and give me the silver and close your business?”
Someone hidden in the crowd added in his two cents to help. “Yeah! Stop selling things that can kill people!”
Zhao Zhan turned a deaf ear to the noise.
“The old man is still breathing. Since I’ve already sent someone to find a doctor, we’ll wait for the doctor to check out what’s happening.
“Even if it’s a crime, we have to wait for the truth to be revealed before we can convict someone. It’s not too much for me to wait for a while to save the old man.”
“Why should I wait for your quack doctor?! What if you’re in cahoots with the doctor? Are you making sure that my father won’t have a peaceful passing?!”
“If you leave your old man on the ground on such a cold day, will he be able to rest in peace?”
Zhao Zhan heard a familiar voice and turned to look at the person. He hurriedly walked up to her, held her hands in his palms, and rubbed them with a face full of concern. “Why did you come out on such a cold day?”
The woman’s hands were like blocks of ice. Zhao Zhan grabbed her hands and placed them on his chest. “You need to be warmed up.”