In the back room of the tavern, in front of a stove with a large iron pot, four or five waiters and two servants dressed as chefs raised their hands, warming themselves by the fire while chatting away from home.
Usually when business is good, all the waiters are busy outside. In the few days after the Chinese New Year, there is almost no business every day. One waiter is left to greet people outside, and the other waiters use the excuse to go to the back hall to help and gather around.
The stove starts to get lazy.
Hearing a sound like tables and chairs falling to the ground outside, everyone was a little puzzled. Then the shopkeeper shouted loudly, and everyone finally understood, opened the door to the back hall, and rushed out.
The captain of the Dongchang School at the door of the tavern also stood up and dismounted one by one when he heard the movement inside. Although Duan Tianming did not greet them, he was still paying attention to the situation inside.
Further out, there are more and more civilians following the cavalry to watch the excitement. They want to know what kind of trouble this group of people who even dare to beat the guard captain are going to cause in the Ouyang family's tavern.
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Faced with the guard captain's arbitrary charges for various reasons, and the Ouyang family relying on their own large business to monopolize the mining, processing, and sales market of Yishui inkstones in Yizhou City, the people of Yizhou City dared not speak out.
.Such a team of people appeared today, venting the ill will that they had harbored for a long time on behalf of the common people. They rushed to tell each other, causing more and more people to watch the excitement outside.
Inside the tavern, the singing and dancing in the single room on the second floor suddenly stopped, and a thin blue figure walked out. It was Xiao Chen.
"Tianming, what are you doing? Why did you start something in the pub?" As he asked, Xiao Chen slowly walked down the stairs with his hands behind his back.
"Sir, the waiter in this shop thought I left the horse outside the tavern door and wanted to beat me, so I gave him a kick. Who knew he couldn't help but fly to the pit." Duan Tianming clasped his fists,
It was a courtesy to Xiao Chen.
"Since he did it first, I don't blame you. Go and settle the bill. Let's go back." Xiao Chen glanced at the counter and said softly to Duan Tianming.
The low tone seemed quite gentle.
"Shopkeeper, how much money is there in total?" Duan Tianming walked to the counter and shouted to the shopkeeper.
"Four dishes cost eight taels of silver each, a total of thirty-two taels. A jar of old shochu costs ten taels of silver, a single room fee of ten taels, and a singing and dancing fee of twenty taels. The total consumption is seventy-two taels of silver." Staring at the person in front of him.
Duan Tianming glanced at Xiao Chen who was looking at the door in the distance, and the shopkeeper said coldly.
"What, so expensive? The restaurants in the capital that are much more luxurious than yours only charge one tael of silver for a single room. You are just talking nonsense and asking for a lot of money." Duan Tianming's eyes widened, and with a "pop", he stood on the counter.
Take a photo.
"Is it expensive? This is the price in Yizhou City. If you can't afford it, you don't have to eat it. You guys are coming to tell me it's expensive after eating and drinking. Isn't this a little inappropriate?" The shopkeeper said lightly with a look of disdain on his face.
"Tianming, since we have spent money, don't say more and give him the money." Xiao Chen said softly after hearing the shopkeeper's arrogant tone.
"Humph." Duan Tianming snorted coldly, expressing his dissatisfaction, and reached out to take out the banknote.
The shopkeeper stretched out his palm and stopped Duan Tianming's movement: "Wait a minute, this is just the money you spent. I haven't settled the accounts for the tables and chairs you kicked to pieces?"
Looking at Duan Tianming's gloomy face, the shopkeeper was not afraid and walked out from the counter, counting the broken tables and chairs on the ground.
"There are seven tables and six chairs in total. You can give me one hundred taels of silver as compensation." The shopkeeper didn't even look at Duan Tianming. He walked back to the counter, picked up the brush, and wrote down the bill again.
"You really dare to ask for it. Why don't you want a thousand taels of silver?" Duan Tianming said in a low voice.
"This table is at this price, why am I asking for so much?" The shopkeeper didn't even raise his head and squeezed out a sentence that was neither salty nor bland.
"Okay Tianming, just give it to him as he said. We have other things to do, so there's no need to waste time here." Xiao Chen said and walked towards the gate.
"Stop." The shopkeeper shouted.
Xiao Chen was startled, then stretched out his right hand and pointed at his nose: "Are you talking to me?"
"Your servant injured my waiter. As a master, you have to leave without paying attention. Do you think this is appropriate?" Staring at Xiao Chen, the shopkeeper said in a condescending tone.
This person is still a little angry, but this master is obviously a weakling. If you dare to attack me today, I will make you bankrupt.
Seeing Xiao Chen ordering Duan Tianming to pay money again and again, the shopkeeper already treated him like a weakling.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and walked towards the shopkeeper: "It's a bit inappropriate. Although your waiter was the first to take action, he deserved to be beaten to death. But I must have said some hypocritical words of comfort."
"Shopkeeper, you asked me to comfort the waiter. It was a lie. I took the opportunity to ask for a sum of money. I'm afraid that's what you really think. Come on, just speak up and let me hear how big your appetite is."
Xiao Chen smiled and walked slowly to the counter, staring at the serious-looking tavern owner with his crescent-like eyes.
For some reason, looking at Xiao Chen with a smile on his face, the shopkeeper felt a creepy feeling in his heart.
Even when Duan Tianming kicked the waiter into the latrine with an angry look on his face, the shopkeeper felt that he was just an ordinary man. But Xiao Chen's smile made him feel indescribably cold in his heart.
Xiao Chen’s original idea of bankrupting everything disappeared. After thinking for a long time, he finally said: "Who knows how injured the waiter is after this kick. The doctor’s fee will be paid, plus the cost of missing work due to being unable to work."
, I want you to have one thousand taels of silver, which is considered benevolent and righteous."
"Only a thousand taels of silver?" The corner of Xiao Chen's mouth raised slightly, "It is indeed kind and righteous. If you injure the waiter, you need to compensate for one thousand taels of silver. What if he is killed? How much compensation is required? Ten thousand taels of silver is enough.
not enough?"
Xiao Chen lay directly on the counter, leaned into the shopkeeper's ear, and asked softly.
"Beat to death? If you are really beaten to death, you don't need to accompany Yinzi. Your servant can live in the prison of the state government permanently and have no worries about food and clothing." The shopkeeper snorted coldly.
No matter who owns the tavern, you still dare to mention important matters of life and death here. No matter how powerful you are, can you still be bigger than Yizhou Prefectural Government? Bigger than the laws of the imperial court?
Xiao Chen smiled slightly: "Shopkeeper, don't worry, my people have a sense of discretion, and the waiter will not die."
"I'm not very interested in the waiter's life. I would like to ask, if I beat you to death, how much compensation should I pay?"
The smile on Xiao Chen's face looked particularly sincere.
