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墨書 Inktalez
Amidst the laughter and chatter, someone noticed the man following Liu Yang and curiously asked, "Liu Yang, you brought a lackey with you? Must be nice to have money at home."
Liu Yang turned to glance at Gu Da trailing behind him and suddenly sighed with a look of regret.
Brother Feng patted his shoulder, puzzled. "Why the sigh? You sound like a woman. Speak up, don’t beat around the bush."
"You don’t know," Liu Yang said nonchalantly. "My sister-in-law has always been in charge at home. My brother listens to everything she says. If she doesn’t let me hang out with you guys anymore, she’ll even cut off my allowance. This is probably the last time I can come out and have fun; look, they even sent someone to keep an eye on me."
Gu Da immediately leaned in closer, pleading, "Liu Yang, since you know this is your sister-in-law's wish, why make it hard for me? I'm just a runner here, trying to earn a few coins isn’t easy. Let’s just go back quickly. You can listen to your sister-in-law and study hard at the private school; it’ll save us both some trouble."
Brother Feng's temper flared again upon hearing this, and he cursed, "That damn woman! Just because she has a bit of money, she thinks she can look down on the head of the family. We’ve never liked her anyway. Liu Yang, don’t be afraid; stick with me. If that woman dares to come after you, I’ll make her kneel to leave!"
You should be the one kneeling! Liu Yang rolled his eyes internally but maintained a sorrowful expression on his face. "Brother Feng, I know you value loyalty. But the Liu family is my foundation; if I leave, my brother and sister are still here. I can’t just abandon them."
He sighed again and continued, "Actually, all those rumors are just that—rumors. My sister-in-law is quite good most of the time; otherwise, my brother wouldn’t treat her so well. They have a great relationship, and she treats me and Qi well too. Some of you know what our family used to be like? Ah, right. The life we have now is all thanks to my sister-in-law working tirelessly for the Liu family."
Whenever he had the chance, Liu Yang took the opportunity to praise Ye Xiaohan vigorously, dispelling any malicious gossip.
The others thought about it and found it reasonable. The changes in the Liu family were evident; ever since Ye Xiaohan returned, things had been looking up. If Ye Xiaohan were truly as restless as rumored, the Liu family would have fallen apart long ago.
Especially since these words came directly from Liu Yang himself; they carried much more weight than outside gossip.
"Then why has she suddenly become harsh with you? Did you provoke her?" Brother Feng still had some doubts.
Liu Yang was waiting for them to ask; otherwise, he would have to find an excuse himself: "Well, I can’t blame my sister-in-law for this; she’s been troubled by my second uncle lately. Just two days ago, he forced her to hand over two hundred taels of silver! With all their money taken away, it’s no wonder she’s in a bad mood."
"Two hundred taels!" The eyes of the gangsters widened; even if they lived their whole lives, they couldn’t earn that much money.
Liu Yang feigned deep sorrow while genuinely feeling sorry as he said, "Exactly! It’s because my sister-in-law is too filial. My second uncle used my father’s affairs to blackmail her; for the sake of our Liu family, she had no choice but to let them bully her."
Everyone had witnessed when Liu Ergou and Zhou Fen dug up the Liu family's ancestral grave; many heard Zhou Fen demanding money from Ye Xiaohan firsthand. Liu Yang laid out everything clearly to prevent further rumors from spreading.
"I never expected that woman… no, your sister-in-law is actually a good person." Brother Feng felt ashamed for having believed the rumors and misunderstood her. These gangsters came from various nearby villages and weren’t very familiar with Ye Xiaohan; they had hardly seen her and only heard things through word of mouth.
"Yes, if it weren't for my Sister-in-law, I wouldn't even know where my father's coffin would end up!" Liu Yang sighed. "My Second Uncle is really something. Sigh, I'm not supposed to speak ill of my elders."
Brother Feng exclaimed angrily, "What kind of person deserves to be called an elder! Today, I, Brother Feng, will teach this old scoundrel a lesson!"
"Wait, wait, wait." Liu Yang stopped Brother Feng, who was about to rush out. "He's my brother-in-law after all; he is an elder of the Liu family. Even if he treats us this way, we can't reciprocate. Sigh, my sister-in-law is just too soft-hearted."
Gu Da chimed in from the side, "That's right. Boss Ye is such a good person. It's infuriating to see someone like him being bullied. If only I had the skills like you all, I could win that money back."
The group of thugs looked confused and asked, "What does this have to do with gambling? Are you saying we can win the money back from their family?"
Liu Yang hesitated for a moment but spoke quickly, "My Second Uncle's son, my cousin Liu Gui, has always been a gambler. Now he has taken our family's money and is throwing it around like it's nothing."
"I was hoping you brothers could help me win the money back from him. My Second Uncle only has this one son; I must help him pay off his debts so we can get that money back. But I feel embarrassed to ask for help in setting a trap."
Brother Feng slapped him on the back with determination. "What are you talking about? Your problems are our problems! Whoever bullies you is bullying me! Right, Brothers?"
The others exchanged glances; aside from a few who were close to Liu Yang or had a good relationship with Brother Feng, most were hesitant.
They didn't have much connection with Liu Yang and didn't see the need to offend others on his behalf.
Although Liu Ergou's easy gain of two hundred taels was indeed enviable, it was ultimately someone else's money. They preferred to listen rather than get involved; after all, regardless of whose family the money belonged to, it had nothing to do with them.
Liu Yang had already anticipated their reaction and pretended to be moved. "Thank you so much, brothers! I can't let you work for free; I still have ten taels of private savings. Let's split it as my treat for drinks and food!"
"What! There's silver!" The rest of the group brightened at the mention of money.
Liu Yang stepped aside slightly as Gu Da took a step forward and pulled out a pouch filled with heavy silver ingots.
"Liu Yang's matter is our matter!"
"Let's make sure that damned Liu Gui loses everything until he's left with nothing and get that money back!"
The atmosphere suddenly surged, and everyone immediately looked indignant, eager to take down Liu Gui.
"Just like that, we set a trap and lured Liu Gui in. He lost two hundred taels before we let him go," Liu Yang recounted, gesturing with his chopsticks.
Liu Bei asked in confusion, "He was fooled so easily?"
"Of course!" Liu Yang scoffed. "Big brother, you don't know. Liu Gui has a gambling addiction! We set up a stall right where he would pass by, and he came running over like a fly drawn to dung."
"Cough, cough." Ye Xiaohan nearly choked. What a terrible metaphor; who compares themselves to feces?
Liu Yang was too excited to notice anything amiss and instead found Ye Xiaohan's reaction strange. "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Did you choke? Do you need some water?"
"Thanks, but no," Ye Xiaohan replied, speechless.
"Oh," Liu Yang continued eagerly. "You should have seen it! When Liu Gui started gambling, his eyes turned red; he couldn't be stopped! I had so many plans ready, but he just rushed in on his own."
After several rounds of wins and losses, with the help of some hidden card sharps and the raucous encouragement from the thugs, Liu Gui kept betting bigger and bigger until he lost two hundred taels in less than half an hour.
"He thought he could act recklessly just because he got money from our family. He threw it around without a care!" Liu Yang said indignantly.
Ye Xiaohan laughed. "But you got it all back, right? With interest included, don't be upset. You were quite ruthless yourself; getting the money back is enough. Why did you have to take back two hundred taels? That's like digging into Second Aunt's flesh with a knife!"
Feeling pleased with himself, he boasted, "Well done! How did you manage to get the money back from his house? Second Aunt is so obsessed with money; do you think she would willingly give it to you? Did she even write an IOU?"
Liu Yang spat dismissively. "She certainly refused at first and tried to sweep me out with a broom. It was clearly Liu Gui's own addiction that got him into trouble, yet he insisted others were tempting him. Second Aunt has never learned anything in her life except how to throw tantrums!"
Then his eyes sparkled as he animatedly gestured to them both. "It was all thanks to Brother Gu! Brother Gu is truly amazing. When I first saw him, I thought he was just an ordinary person. Big brother asked me to bring him along just for extra support. I never expected Brother Gu to know everything!"
"What do you mean by 'know everything'?" Ye Xiaohan perked up at the mention of Gu Da. This person was sent by Liu Bei and definitely had some secret connection with him.
It was even highly likely that this person was one of the men in black.
She cast a calm glance at Liu Bei, who appeared unfazed, showing no signs of anything amiss.
Liu Yang continued to boast about Gu Da, "We took Liu Gui to Second Uncle's house, and as soon as Second Uncle and Second Aunt heard about it, they immediately backed down. They even wanted to drag me to see the authorities! Hmph! Who's afraid of whom!"
Ye Xiaohan urged, "Stop the nonsense, hurry up."
"In a race against time, Brother Gu made a swift move that no one saw coming. He grabbed Second Uncle by the collar and lifted him up like a chick. When Brother Gu spoke, his imposing presence instantly intimidated the whole family." Liu Yang beamed with pride as if he had done it himself.
"What happened next?" Ye Xiaohan listened with great interest. "Hey, Liu Yang, I didn't realize before that you have quite a flair for storytelling."
Liu Yang realized he was getting a bit carried away and smiled sheepishly. "Hehe, I was just so happy! Sister-in-law, you should have seen it; Brother Gu could snap such a thick stick with just one hand! Impressive, right?"
"Impressive indeed. The person your brother introduced is certainly not an ordinary individual. Right, Liu Bei?" Ye Xiaohan said meaningfully as she turned to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei maintained a neutral expression and simply agreed, "Gu Da is indeed remarkable."
"Mm~" Ye Xiaohan elongated her tone, noncommittal. In moments like this, she deeply felt Liu Bei's extraordinary nature; with his flawless acting skills, he could easily win an award.
Seeing that his brother also praised Gu Da, Liu Yang became even more delighted and wished he could sing Gu Da's praises to the heavens.
"The Second Uncle's family was so scared they nearly wet themselves. If Brother Gu hadn't agreed to take money instead of cutting off Liu Gui's hand, Liu Gui was trembling on the ground and couldn't speak. Second Aunt had no choice but to hand over the money to save her son’s life. Sister-in-law, you should have seen how Second Aunt clutched the money tightly as if it were her lifeline; it was truly hilarious!"
The silver was returned intact along with an IOU for fifty taels. From then on, they would occasionally send thugs to collect debts and intimidate them. The Liu Er Gou family was too preoccupied with their own troubles to devise any schemes against others.
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