Right after witnessing that scene, Ah Caiâs eyes turned bloodshot from anger.
He was truly shocked. This young madam had remained calm and silent from the moment she had entered, and she had seemed to have a mild temperament. When they entered, she had let her glib-tongued servant speak. Furthermore, she seemed pretty young to boot. Ah Cai had subconsciously assumed that she was weak and easy to bully. He completely hadnât expected her to sweep all the dishes onto the floor when angered.
This young madam had even said that their food was the food of pigs. However before she and her entourage arrived, these dishes were originally meant to be consumed by none other than his family! His eldest aunt had simply served the food already being cooked. So, didnât this mean she was calling them all pigs?!
Ah Caiâs face flushed with anger. He always had an explosive temper. Ever since his uncle made use of his connections to give him a job at Guilin Restaurant, Ah Cai had never faced any setbacks. How could he endure this terrible insult?
He was shocked speechless for a moment before his anger took over. Ah Caiâs face warped, and he found the voice to shout, âHeh! Who the hell do you think you are, creating trouble at our Guilin Restaurant? Why donât you ask around and find out just who this Guilin Restaurant belongs to! Let me tell you, if you donât want this matter to blow up, pay up and get out!â
The commotion in the main hall had finally managed to alert Mrs Wang, who was all the way in the backyard. She hurriedly rushed out. When she saw the mess on the floor, her eyes widened in shock as well. She stuttered, âWhat... whatâs going on?â
Ah Cai turned to tell her, âThis arrogant madam was the one who tossed them to the floor!â
âWhat!â
Chu Lian calmly glanced at Ah Cai. She couldnât care less about their conversation.
She dusted off her hands and stood up. âWhat if I donât want to pay up and refuse to leave? What can you do to me?â
Ah Cai hadnât expected Chu Lian to be so forceful. However, with House Jingâan backing them, she had to think again if she thought they were going to be easy to bully!
Thus, he started getting aggressive too.
âWhat can we do? Iâll let you have a taste of what jail is like!â
Wenqing and Wenlan stood in front of Chu Lian with angry expressions, shielding her. Their bodies were tense; the moment Chu Lian gave the order, they would immediately take this boastful fellow down.
Chu Lian sneered. So this trip wasnât a complete waste.
She had seen clearly for herself what the state of affairs were like at Guilin Restaurant, so she didnât have to continue acting out this farce with these two servants. Chu Lian sent a commanding look towards the manservants behind her.
Before Ah Cai and Mrs Wang could throw up another fuss, the two of them were caught and tied up by the two burly manservants.
In a rage, Mrs Wang cried out, âHow dare you tie us up! Weâre servants from House Jingâan! You canât tie us up!ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Chu Lian walked a circle around the two of them, then another for good measure. âHouse Jingâan? Iâm apprehending some bad servants on behalf of House Jingâan!â
âYou! How dare you! Arenât you scared that House Jingâan will hold you accountable for your crimes and punish you?!â Ah Cai struggled and wriggled against his bonds. His eyes were now completely bloodshot from anger. However, since he was just a teenager, he couldnât possibly beat the manservants who practised martial arts. His struggles bore no fruit, only succeeding to tighten the ropes around him further.
âYou bitch! Just you wait! My uncle has already gone to report this to the officials!â
Wenqing was trying her best to hold back her laughter. If these two clowns before her realised who their master was, they would probably pee their pants in fright!
Just as Ah Cai finished speaking, they could hear someone running in from outside Guilin Restaurantâs entrance. Following that, a panting middle-aged man entered the main hall.
The man proudly pointed at the middle of the hall where Chu Lianâs party stood, before turning back to say, âSirs, these people are the ones who came to cause trouble in our restaurant! Please arrest them, quickly!â
Right after that, five bailiffs with tall figures and fierce expressions came striding into the hall. Each of them had a sword hung at their waists.
One of the sturdy-looking bailiffs with a full, curly beard seemed to be their leader. He started roaring when he marched into the hall. âWhich one of you was so impudent as to commit a crime in broad daylight! Arrest them all!â
TL Note: These bailiffs work for the criminal court. They patrol around their assigned districts and can arrest anyone whoâs doing something against the law. They are somewhat like a police force in ancient China, but they work directly for the criminal court.
âBailiffâ is my own translation of the Chinese term è¡å½¹ (ya yi), or literally yamen (criminal court) runners. I went with the British definition of the word: a sheriffâs officer who executes writs and processes and carries out distraints and arrests.
Iâm trying to localise words where I can so itâs easier to read, but at the same time, providing enough context like the original Chinese term. Let me know if any terms seem out of place, as my understanding of English might be different from yours. :3