Having a Baby Before Marrying a Wicked Husband - Chapter 79

“Who are those people?” Yan Cai leaned over the railing on the second floor and pointed to the few people who had just come in from outside the door.

As soon as four or five thugs-like men entered, they occupied the table in the lobby on the first floor directly facing the main entrance. Passers-by on the street could easily see the situation inside Ji Xiang Ju if they just glanced slightly sideways.

The thugs began loudly demanding food, with one foot propped up on a stool, their posture sloppy. The noise they made quickly attracted other customers from nearby tables.

These people weren’t afraid of being watched at all. Seeing people crowding around, they became even more arrogant.

“Where’s the waiter? Is this the attitude you have towards customers? I want food, hurry the hell up and serve me!” shouted the second-in-command of the Changqing Gang. The top boss hadn’t shown up.

Lin Shu nodded. “It’s them. They come here every day, occupying the most conspicuous table early in the morning, doing nothing but ordering food and eating. They eat extremely messily and keep shouting loudly about how bad the food is.”

That’s the biggest problem. If they were slandering something else, there would be reasons to drive them away, but now they’re just saying your food isn’t good.

Taste is a peculiar thing; some people like it, some don’t. Only those who have eaten their food will believe that their dishes are really delicious, while passers-by will only think that this shop is overrated and expensive.

As a result, new customers have decreased by more than half in these few days, relying solely on regular customers to keep going.

“Yesterday, there was indeed a real problem. Some of them got a rash from eating our spicy dishes.”

Yan Cai knew it could be an allergy to capsaicin.

“I’m really fed up with these people. They come here every day even though they don’t like the food. Do they think others are fools?” Unfortunately, passers-by don’t know that.

If this situation persists, passers-by will only think it’s the merchant’s problem.

“Let’s take a look at the situation first,” Yan Cai said, “if necessary, I’ll take special measures.”

The food was served. After the group had eaten most of them, they all glanced at each other. One of them quietly took out a small paper packet from his pocket, shook out a dead cockroach into the dish, and then pretended to pick up the chopsticks.

Just as they were about to raise the dead cockroach a bit higher so other customers could see it more clearly, suddenly something heavy fell from above, jumping down from the second floor. The dead cockroach, annoyingly intact, fell right into the second-in-command’s mouth.

The second-in-command hurriedly tried to spit it out, but the person who jumped from the second floor landed a pat on his back, and the cockroach went straight down his throat.

The second-in-command was so disgusted that he almost vomited bile, yet the person who jumped down still smiled dazzlingly at him with narrowed eyes.

“I heard bugs are quite nutritious, you know…”

He did it on purpose! The second-in-command glared furiously. Yan Cai remained calm in the face of danger. He had seen the action from the second floor and without hesitation, jumped down. Lin Shu, who hastily climbed down the stairs, awkwardly explained to all the customers present.

“Boss Yan is going to put on a show for everyone.” Regardless of what strange jumping-off-a-building act it was, as long as it wasn’t about the cockroach.

The act of jumping off shocked everyone, and the entire hall fell silent for a long time. It wasn’t until Lin Shu spoke that people reacted, and suddenly there was applause.

Some people even enthusiastically shouted for another round! Lin Shu was sweating profusely, unsure if it was an acrobatic performance or street art — what do you mean, another one!

The evidence of the false accusation disappeared, but the second-in-command wasn’t ready to let go. He had swallowed the cockroach, and if he didn’t sort things out, the suffering would be in vain.

The second-in-command acted immediately, sitting down and screaming.

“The food in the restaurant is not…” Ah! The second-in-command screamed as he felt a sharp pain in his leg. That damn guy actually stepped on him.

Yan Cai quickly pulled the second-in-command up from the ground with one hand, swiftly stuffing something into him. The whole movement was smooth and fluid, catching the second-in-command, his subordinates, and even Lin Shu off guard.

Suddenly, Yan Cai shouted loudly, pushing the second-in-command back to the ground and stepping on him. The second-in-command felt a sharp pain in his chest, his organs contracting, a sweet taste in his throat as he coughed up blood.

This kick directly caused internal injuries to the second-in-command. The scene fell silent, as it seemed a bit too brutal to watch a thin, weak figure violently attack a big man.

Several subordinates were subdued by this move, and it took a while for them to come to their senses and offer help. However, before they could approach Yan Cai, all of them inexplicably fell to the ground.

Several followers said in unison: “You provoke me, you pushed me!”

Yan Cai’s foot on the second-in-command’s chest exerted even more force, then Yan Cai innocently raised two hands that had nowhere to go, as if silently saying, this has nothing to do with me; they fell by themselves.

Onlookers: Got it, those guys faked it!

Yan Cai kicked the second-in-command, seemingly accidentally kicking something out of his chest. A packet of powder fell to the ground, releasing a bit of white dust.

“What’s this? Oh, I see, you guys are the bad guys, here to sabotage our shop!”

The second-in-command wanted to deny it vehemently; what the heck, he dropped the cockroach, not this powder. But how could Yan Cai let him speak?

Taking a rope, Yan Cai tied the four or five people together one by one, dragging them like a string, proudly and arrogantly intending to take them to the authorities.

If you were just a cockroach, the government would most likely not try the case. They could easily gloss over it, settle it privately, and let it go.

However, he didn’t want it settled privately.

Nobody wants to face the authorities. They’ve all been blacklisted within the government. Once caught, they would definitely be severely punished for their past offenses.

“Please, big brother, spare us! We were wrong! We won’t cause trouble in your shop again. Please, big brother, spare us!” The burly man cried all the way, and the passers-by were shocked to witness the scene.

The burly man in his thirties, tied up with four or five others, weighed nearly a thousand catties together, yet Yan Cai, with his slender arms, dragged them all the way to the entrance of Shun Tian Yamen.

Along the way, Lin Shu followed, but Yan Cai didn’t need his help at all. The burly men, almost a thousand catties together, paled at the sight of the words “Shun Tian Yamen”. Some of them even fainted, oblivious to their surroundings.

The bailiff, leaning on a long spear, dozing off in the sun at the entrance of Shun Tian Yamen, suddenly woke up.

Those members of the Changqing Gang all fainted. Now it was really up to Yan Cai to drag them away, or rather, carry them along. Yan Cai directly dragged them up the stone steps and reached under the eaves of Shun Tian Yamen.

The Changqing Gang second-in-command was beaten so hard their noses swollen and faces bruised, yet they still didn’t wake up.

“Two sirs! I’ve brought a few poisoners with me!”

Yan Cai dropped the rope, and the second-in-command, who was pretending to have fainted, felt the rope loosen and immediately wanted to escape in a panic. But before he could even make a move, Yan Cai, without even turning his eyes, simply caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and stepped on the rope.

No matter how hard the second-in-command struggled, he couldn’t break free. Yan Cai’s footing was as stable as an old pine tree.

Realizing he couldn’t get away, the second-in-command’s eyes rolled back, and he passed out

Yan Cai gave a fake smile, looking very innocent. “That’s the situation.”

Yan Cai’s explanation was too vague, so Lin Shu supplemented at the right time. Though Yan Cai hadn’t consulted him, Lin Shu had already understood Yan Cai’s actions.

“These people came to our store with the intention of poisoning. Fortunately, we discovered them in time and caught the culprit! Look, you two, these are the culprits.”

As Lin Shu spoke, he also gave the second-in-command a kick. Though not very forceful, the mocking kick made the second-in-command feel deeply insulted. He dared to give attitude even to such a pretty boy. Yet, when he remembered that the previous fatal blow also came from a pretty boy, he felt so angry he had a heart attack.

This time, his eyes truly rolled back, and he fainted from anger.

The two yamen on duty: Why does this feel like a joke? It can’t be that they conspired to file a false report, right?!

But when they found poison in the second-in-command’s clothes, the guards took the matter seriously and quickly brought the suspects inside to inform the magistrate.

There had indeed been a poisoner in the city these past few days, which made them take this matter seriously. Moreover, they were familiar with the Changqing Gang; some lowlifes who had been on the blacklist for a long time and were easily thrown into prison.

However, previously, they had only caught petty thieves who couldn’t be held for long before being released.

If this poisoning incident were confirmed, it would be a big achievement.

At this point, Lin Shu couldn’t help but have some doubts. How come Yan Cai conveniently found a packet of poison to pin the blame on? Could it be that Yan Cai calculated it?

But he usually looks innocent and simple, without any scheming at all.

With this thought in mind, Lin Shu became absent-minded, and several times he wanted to ask Yan Cai but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He didn’t feel at all that this happened so coincidentally. Could it be that he asked Jiang Manyue for advice?

This doesn’t make sense either. Yan Cai clearly mentioned that Jiang Manyue has been very busy lately. Not only did he have to work in the Hanlin Academy, but the emperor also entrusted him with the potato matter. It is said that those who are close to the water and towers get the moon first. With Jiang Manyue handling this matter, Yan Cai will definitely help him.

Coupled with the Third Prince’s cotton mission, Jiang Manyue was spinning like a top. This matter would be much simpler if Yan Cai were to handle it, but Yan Cai’s abilities cannot be extended nationwide. Ultimately, it depends on the common people to figure out suitable planting methods based on their local climate.

The plan cannot be directly implemented just by writing it down; it needs testing. Luckily, Jiang Manyue naturally doesn’t tan, and his skin remains very fair.

But what he’s doing now doesn’t seem like that of a Hanlin Academy editor, but rather more like that of an agricultural official.

Returning home exhausted every day, Yan Cai doesn’t bother him with matters from the shop. So, Yan Cai never mentioned anything about the trouble with the Changqing Gang to Jiang Manyue. Jiang Manyue rises early every day, goes to the fields, and returns at sunset. It’s been a long time since he visited Ji Xiang Ju, and he couldn’t possibly have heard the news and actively offered his advice to Yan.

So, in the end, it seems to be Yan Cai’s own idea. Lin Shu squinted at Yan Cai’s background, his gaze deep, realizing he shouldn’t underestimate Yan Cai’s cunning.

In the final analysis, this guy is just lazy. When he has someone to rely on, he doesn’t apply himself or engage his brain. It’s only when support is lost that he undergoes a noticeable change in behavior.

Lin Shu didn’t reveal any of his thoughts to Yan Cai and silently observed his partner.

However, perhaps he’s just overthinking it. Who knows for sure.