Chapter 79: Speaking of a Man Named Meng Chengwei

He could commit a great crime, and then the Gu family would be executed. Just thinking about the expressions on Mrs. Gu and her children’s faces at that time made Gu Jie want to laugh out loud.

Meng Chengwei didn’t sign the contract himself but pushed forward an unknown person to sign and seal it. Yang Hong was naturally dissatisfied but didn’t dare to say anything. If he refused, Meng Chengwei could turn around and leave immediately.

When Ye Chongming received the message from Song Dequan, Meng Chengwei was drinking tea at the Yang family’s tea house.

“…I will return to the capital tomorrow. Mr. Yang, please handle the matter I mentioned promptly. Rest assured, Gu Jie will stay in Lin’an. If anything comes up, you can directly contact him, and he will get in touch with me,” Meng Chengwei said.

“Understood, Mr. Meng,” Yang Hong said, feeling a bit excited.

Meng Chengwei had invested tens of thousands of taels of silver, asking him to use Jiangnan tea as a share. Although it pained him to share these tea leaves, with the support of the Meng family, they could collect raw tea from the surrounding areas, and the Yang family’s business would grow bigger and bigger.

By next year, it should be his turn to take the position of head of the Jiangnan Tea Trade Association. He was about to express his loyalty to Meng Chengwei when his servant came in and signaled an issue at the tea house.

Yang Hong was startled. Although he had signed a contract with Gu Jie, representing Meng Chengwei’s side, and the cooperation wouldn’t change, Meng Chengwei’s impression of him directly affected the level of support he would receive.

Meng Chengwei was set to return to the capital the next day, and nothing should go wrong during this time to affect his impression of the Yang family. His mind raced as he thought of an excuse to go out and check the situation, but then he heard a commotion downstairs.

Meng Chengwei naturally heard it too. He frowned and looked at Yang Hong, “What’s going on?”

Yang Tai quickly explained to Meng Chengwei, “It’s probably a troublemaker causing a scene. Recently, a troublemaker likes to go to tea houses and restaurants, order food, and then lie on the floor, claiming the food is poisoned and demanding compensation. Since he doesn’t ask for much, many managers prefer to settle with money to avoid trouble. This has emboldened him.”

He stood up and bowed to Meng Chengwei, “Mr. Meng, please wait here. I’ll go check it out.”

But before he could take a step, Yang Hong’s face changed, and Meng Chengwei’s expression darkened.

The person downstairs had a loud voice, and the name “Meng Chengwei” was repeatedly mentioned. Yang Hong couldn’t pretend not to hear it. The voice was filled with anger, clearly indicating hostility towards Meng Chengwei.

Yang Hong looked at Meng Chengwei, wondering how he had offended the person downstairs to the point of causing such a scene.

Being called out by name, Meng Chengwei couldn’t hide and be a coward. He stood up and said, “Let’s go down and see,” and led the way out.

The Yang family’s tea house was modeled after the Ye family’s tea house. The third floor was for the family and managers to conduct business and rest, with a dedicated staircase at the back and another at the front for convenience.

Yang Hong, entertaining Meng Chengwei upstairs, had arranged for servants to guard both staircases to prevent guests from accidentally intruding.

As soon as the door opened and Meng Chengwei stepped out, his attendants quickly surrounded him protectively.

One of the servants at the staircase made a hand signal behind his back.

The person downstairs continued speaking loudly, “That young man from the Wang family naturally refused.”

At this point, his voice paused, then carried a tone of anger, “Guess what happened next?”

He recounted an incident involving Meng Chengwei when he was fifteen, and his storytelling captivated everyone.

When he stopped at the crucial moment, the audience grew impatient and shouted, “Oh, I can’t guess what that heartless Meng Chengwei did! Don’t keep us in suspense. Tell us quickly.”

“Yes, hurry up.”

“Oh, this Meng Chengwei is truly wicked,” someone added.

Yang Hong’s face turned pale as he listened upstairs.

Since Meng Chengwei arrived in Lin’an, Yang Tai had been keeping an eye on him, knowing his identity. Yang Hong knew that Mr. Meng was a very disciplined person. During his stay at the inn, he either read or wrote, only visiting the tea house during the day.

After observing for several days, Yang Hong decided to cooperate with Mr. Meng. Otherwise, if he were a troublemaker or a trouble magnet, Yang Hong wouldn’t risk his peaceful life by partnering with him.

But now, these tea guests were spreading rumors, making Mr. Meng sound terrible, and they chose to do it in his tea house, right when Meng Chengwei was there!

He said to Meng Chengwei, “Mr. Meng, please wait here. I’ll go get justice for you.” He rolled up his sleeves, ready to go downstairs in anger.

Meng Chengwei, having achieved success at a young age, was not only shrewd but also very determined. He never shied away from trouble and always dealt with it directly.

If Yang Hong intervened, he would only say a few mild words and drive the person away, but Meng Chengwei’s reputation would be tarnished. The Yang family might even start to doubt if Meng Chengwei was really as ruthless as the person claimed.

So, this matter couldn’t be resolved by hiding behind Yang Hong.

With this in mind, Meng Chengwei followed Yang Hong downstairs.

The second floor was usually reserved for private rooms and wasn’t very crowded. Most people preferred the lively first-floor hall for chatting, drinking tea, and listening to stories.

But in the past two days, to show that his business was more prosperous than the Ye family’s and to compete with the bustling Jixiang Lou due to the osmanthus tea, Yang Hong had offered a fifty percent discount on all expenses, attracting more customers. The second-floor private rooms were quite full.

The person downstairs had a loud voice and was telling a captivating story about Meng Chengwei’s actions in the capital, more interesting than the storyteller on the first floor. Guests on the first floor couldn’t help but crane their necks to listen.

Eventually, they moved to the second floor to hear the gossip, and the servants couldn’t stop them. So, the second floor was just as lively as the first.

“Bang!” The person had somehow moved a table out and, like a storyteller, slapped a fan on the table, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Meng Chengwei had someone hold the young man from the Wang family down in a water tank…” he shouted, his voice rising and falling like a professional storyteller.