webnovelfull Chapter 106 Has your manor gone bankrupt?
Chapter 106 Has your manor gone bankrupt?
Hibiscus fell heavily to the ground, making Begonia gasp for breath.
The other staff members from Huajian Restaurant rushed over and helped Furong up.
Shen Yuan asked with concern, "Sister Furong, are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine!" Furong shook her head, looked at Li Zihao who was holding Haitang, and showed her resentment.
Shen Yuan turned to look at Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng, and said coldly, "This is a restaurant, not a brothel. If you two are not here to eat sincerely, please let go of our restaurant staff and leave!"
"Oh--"
Li Zihao's lips curled into a cold smile as he looked at Shen Yuan with disdain, assuming she was just another prostitute from the Drunken Spring Brothel. He sneered, "Just because you've moved to a different establishment doesn't mean the people there aren't prostitutes anymore. You could sell yourself before, but you can't now? What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for… Ah—!!!"
Before Li Zihao could finish speaking, he suddenly screamed and released Haitang from his arms.
Haitang quickly rushed to the side of the other people at Huajian Restaurant.
Li Zihao looked down at his bleeding tiger's mouth, then stared at Haitang with a grim face, his eyes filled with anger.
"You little bitch! How dare you bite me! You're asking for death, I'll tell Madam Hua..."
Li Zihao paused suddenly as he spoke. He had heard that Mama Hua and the owner of Zuichunlou had been arrested and taken to the yamen for trafficking girls.
I'm afraid he'll never get out again!
Haitang tilted her head back, her tone slightly firm: "Young Master Li, I am now a law-abiding citizen just like you. There is no difference in rank or status between us. Please show some respect!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan's gaze fell on Haitang, a hint of admiration appearing in her eyes.
Standing behind his good friend, Zhang Yunfeng looked completely unconcerned. "Who do you think you are? You dare to compare yourself to us?"
"Young Master Li, Young Master Zhang, why make things difficult for a few weak women?"
Suddenly, Liu spoke up and stepped out from behind the crowd.
Upon seeing her, Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng exchanged glances; it was obvious that they recognized Liu Shi.
Li Zihao chuckled: "Madam Wang, is your manor about to go bankrupt? Why don't you go to Tianxiang Restaurant instead of coming to such a low-class place?"
Wang Jinzhu and Wang Mingzhu, who were eating on the ground, paused upon hearing this, then nodded indignantly, showing great approval of Li Zihao's words.
But nobody cared about them.
Liu looked rather embarrassed; she hadn't expected Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng to show her no respect whatsoever.
But that's not surprising, since the wealthy family had nothing but money.
Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng's ancestors, going back three generations, had members who served as minor officials of the seventh rank. Therefore, they both considered themselves to be sons of officials and naturally looked down on the wealthy family.
To openly mock them for being broke... that's just ridiculous!
Madam Liu pursed her lips and said, "What do you mean by that, Young Master Li? Are you saying that places like this, which are cheap and affordable, are only suitable for people like you two?"
What does that mean?
Is it mocking them for being poor?
Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng's expressions immediately turned ugly.
The atmosphere at the Flower Garden Restaurant also became tense.
Shen Yuan stood in the middle, suddenly remembering what Magistrate Jiang had said, and with a change of heart, she went out the door.
In Jian'an City, there was a patrol station for yamen runners on duty every four streets, responsible for handling disputes and fights between shops.
Shen Yuan quickly found the yamen runner. Upon hearing that she was from Huajian Restaurant, she didn't even ask what was going on before hurriedly following her to Huajian Restaurant.
When Shen Yuan returned to the Flower Garden Restaurant, Liu Shi and Haitang's expressions were even more unpleasant than before. It was easy to guess that Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng must have said something even more offensive.
When Shen Yuan summoned the yamen runners, Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng frowned.
But seeing familiar faces among the constables following behind Shen Yuan, they greeted her with smiles.
"Master Wang, what brings you here?"
The constable, referred to as Master Wang, glanced at Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng but did not respond.
Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng assumed that the other party was on official business and it was inconvenient for them to exchange pleasantries, so they didn't pay any attention to it.
Shen Yuan walked into the Flower Inn and saw Liu Shi and Haitang looking at her. She nodded and smiled, then pointed to Li Zihao and Yang Zhangyunfeng with the yamen runners behind her.
"Sir! These are the two men who caused trouble at our restaurant, verbally abused and assaulted our staff, and they even resorted to dirty tricks!"
Hearing Shen Yuan's words, Li Zihao immediately became agitated, "Sirs, you can't listen to a mere young girl! We didn't..."
Unexpectedly, the constables didn't give Li Zihao a chance to speak, interrupting him mercilessly and waving their hands: "Take him back to the yamen!"
"Sir..." Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng tried to argue, but the constables brought by Shen Yuan subdued them, not giving them a chance to speak.
Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng finally realized their fear and cried out, "Please forgive us, sir! Please forgive us, sir!"
"Master Wang! We really didn't cause any trouble!"
"Injustice! Injustice!"
No matter how much Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng shouted, no one paid any attention to them.
They were taken directly to the yamen (government office) in handcuffs.
Upon seeing this, Wang Jinzhu's gloating vanished instantly, replaced by trembling fear.
They just broke several dishes from the Flower Garden Restaurant. Will Shen Yuan sue them for disturbing the peace?
They didn't want to be arrested by the constables!
Thinking of this, Wang Jinzhu and Wang Mingzhu obediently buried their heads in their food and quickly finished eating all the food that had fallen on the ground.
Shen Yuan only looked away after the yamen runners had completely driven Zhang Li away.
These constables didn't even summon the people from Huajian Restaurant to the yamen before arresting Li Zihao and Zhang Yunfeng.
To receive such "special treatment" must have been at the behest of Prefect Jiang.
Shen Yuan's heart stirred slightly. In fact, whether it was the fire at Zuichunlou, the plague in Chujia Village, or the help that Prefect Jiang gave to Huajian Restaurant today, she felt that Prefect Jiang was a good official.
A kind official who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and who, despite holding a high position, has a heart full of compassion for the weak.
Shen Yuan took Furong back to the pharmacy to apply the medicine.
After seeing that the Jinzhu and Mingzhu sisters had finished eating the food on the ground, Madam Liu paid the bill and made the two sisters pay for the broken dishes themselves. Then she took the two sisters and left the restaurant.
In the following days, the number of customers at Huajian Restaurant gradually increased, with fifty or sixty people entering the restaurant each day. Although this number was less than a third of what it used to be, Haitang and the others were still very happy.
As long as there are guests, Huajian Restaurant has hope of continuing to operate.
Among the people who come to the shop every day, there are quite a few like Li Zihao, who either speak disrespectfully to Haitang and the others or try to take advantage of them, but without exception, they are all arrested and taken to the yamen.
After three or five such incidents, no one dared to cause trouble at Huajian Restaurant anymore.
The people of Jian'an City all had a vague feeling that there might be a very powerful figure protecting the Flower Restaurant.
It was clear that the young owner of Huajian Restaurant was only a fifteen-year-old girl. They couldn't understand how someone like Shen Yuan could know any important figures.
That morning, Shen Yuan was at the pharmacy as usual, planning to visit the Flower Restaurant after she finished her work, when suddenly a joyous commotion of gongs and drums erupted outside—