Chapter 210: Lesson

The military officers bound Mrs. Hu and dragged her outside, muffling her cries with a cloth before leaving.

The Chen family was petrified, and Chen Jue was so frightened that she couldn’t even cry. They discussed quickly going to the general’s mansion for help, but Chen Ming was bedridden and unable to get up, so Chen Shi had to take Chen Ye with her.

Just then, Zeng Shuang arrived. Because Chen Shi’s home was small, Zeng Shuang usually returned to his own home to rest at night. He had a small courtyard in the rear street of the general’s mansion. Though they had been taken away, their courtyard hadn’t been reclaimed, and he still had a son working at the general’s mansion.

The two brothers saw Zeng Shuang and considered him their savior, asking him to take them to appeal to Steward Luo, and then to request an audience with Mr. Chu. They knew that they wouldn’t be able to meet Mr. Chu on their own.

Zeng Shuang shook his head and said, “I won’t go. My young miss, with a kind heart, allowed your main branch to earn without investing money. But not only did Mrs. Hu fail to appreciate it, she even insulted my young miss, uttering those cruel words. That restaurant was my young miss’s idea, and she arranged for Mr. Yang to find experienced managers and chefs. She was the one who brought in so many customers, not to mention she invested money and provided the recipes. Despite all this, she didn’t receive a single coin from the profits. Instead, it all went to your Chen family. Not only did you fail to acknowledge her kindness, but you also spoke ill of her. Let me tell you, steward Luo, won’t see you either. He said he doesn’t want to deal with ungrateful people, and he doesn’t want any shares in Prosperous Grand Restaurant. He’s giving it all to the main branch. He doesn’t need the money.”

As he finished speaking, Chen Shi burst into tears. If steward Luo, withdrew his support and Zeng Shuang stopped managing the restaurant because of what happened, the restaurant’s customer base would be reduced by more than half. Not to mention the exploitation by layers of yamen runners and the troublemakers…

Originally, with the connections at the general’s mansion, they didn’t have to spend six months or even a year losing money just to establish themselves. They didn’t need to find ways to curry favor with the yamen runners or attract customers. They could have started making money right away, and no one would dare to trouble them.

He had worked tirelessly day and night for over a month, thinking that the restaurant would bring in substantial profits. But now…

Chen Shi choked up, “If that’s the case, what will we earn? Let them cause a scene. Let them. If everyone can’t make money, that’d be… fine…”

Chen Yu and Mrs. Zhang also realized the seriousness of the situation then they began to cry. When Aman and Tang saw their parents and elder brother crying, they joined in.

Chen Ye and his mother didn’t understand at first, but after hearing Chen Shi’s crying and muttering, they realized that Mrs. Hu’s commotion had caused the business to lose nearly half of its customers.

Grandma Chen also began to cry.

Chen Ye quickly said, “We all know A’Feng’s kindness, we know she’s a good child. Please, Mr. Zeng, take us to see steward Luo. I’ll apologize to him. It’s my fault for not managing my wife well, allowing her to talk nonsense. I will certainly discipline that woman properly in the future. No, as soon as she returns, I’ll send her back to her family. Mr. Zeng, please, take us to see steward Luo. If she really goes to jail, it will not only bring shame to our family, but also affect the future of the children. A’Lu, Dabao, and Dahua are all going to take the imperial examination in the future.”

Mr. Zeng snorted and ignored him. Chen Ye went to Chen Ming’s bedroom and spoke many kind words to him. Chen Ming, unable to bear to see his elder brother in distress and understanding the potential implications for Lu and Dabao if Mrs. Hu went to jail, supported Chen Ye and asked Mr. Zeng to take them to appeal to steward Luo.

Once the commotion had subsided, Zeng Shuang took Chen Ye and Chen Shi to visit Steward Luo’s residence in the city.

Chen Ye and Chen Shi nodded and humbly spoke kind words for a long time. Chen Ye mainly asked for help for Mrs. Hu, while Chen Shi primarily requested that he not withdraw his shares.

Steward Luo sternly lectured the two brothers for a considerable time before stating that he would petition the master and see if he was willing to help. Upon returning, he instructed the brothers to wait at home, informing them that the general had agreed to help. He also decided, out of respect for Ms. Chen and Chen Ming, not to withdraw his shares. The brothers returned home, deeply grateful.

Mrs. Hu was released the following afternoon. She seemed to be in a state of shock and only began crying after half an hour. She was also covered in filth, having apparently soiled herself with urine and feces.

She had been taken to what appeared to be an execution site, where she witnessed the appalling sight of prisoners enduring severe punishment, which had left her petrified. Subsequently, she was dragged to a windowless dark room, where she was left unattended and unfed for a day and a night before being returned.

Upon finally breaking into tears, her first words were, “Gentlemen, spare me. I won’t speak out of turn again.”

She fell ill with a high fever and delirium, repeatedly muttering, “I won’t speak out of turn again, spare me.”

Initially, Chen Ye had intended to reprimand her severely, but seeing her condition, he couldn’t bring himself to do it and had to call for a physician to treat her.

However, the second branch harbored a clear animosity toward Mrs. Hu, and Chen Ye was also eager to leave the city. Chen Ming was anxious to return, so on the third day, they lifted the ailing Mrs. Hu onto a carriage and hurried back. As they left in the afternoon, they only arrived back home that evening.

Some things Chen Ming felt embarrassed to articulate, but Zeng Shuang helped him express everything.

Chen Feng was speechless. She had proposed the idea to express gratitude to Chen Ye and Chen Gui for standing up for their family when they were being mistreated by others. Her intention was for them to earn some money without investing any of their own. But to her surprise, her good intentions were met with ingratitude. What was even more infuriating was that Mrs. Hu dared to speak in such a manner!

After finishing his egg noodles, Chen Ming mentioned that he had also discussed the matter with Chen Ye and his mother. If his elder brother and Mrs. Hu were unhappy and the second branch decided to withdraw its shares, he suggested allowing the main and third branches to run the restaurant.

Chen Ye was not naive. He knew that if Chen Ming withdrew his shares, Steward Luo would also withdraw, and he wouldn’t even make “a small profit.” Consequently, he apologized on behalf of Mrs. Hu.

Chen Feng persuaded Chen Ming, and Mrs. Wang assisted him back to Luyuan. Since Yang Chao was staying there, Lu remained at Fengyuan, sleeping in the east wing with Yang Chao and Dabao.

As they left, Chen Feng smiled and asked Zeng Shuang, “Uncle Zeng, was it Mr. Chu who ordered Hu’s arrest?”

Zeng Shuang chuckled, “Indeed. I was present during dinner that evening. Afterward, I spoke to Steward Luo about it. He was extremely angered and reported the matter to Mr. Chu…”

Chen Feng thought to herself that Chu Lingxuan had gone too far. She knew he wouldn’t explain any of these matters upon his return. Nevertheless, after such an ordeal, Mrs. Hu should behave more honestly in the future, shouldn’t she?

The next day, Chen Feng had someone invite Shitou, Sixizi, Dazhu, and Guanzi, and also called for Dahua and Daya to come over. In addition to Chu Hanyan, Yang Chao and Yang Qian, Luo Mei and Luo Ming Cheng, there were more than ten children in total.