Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As Ye Xiaohan was arguing with the shop owner, Boss Yan, over the price, a group of thugs suddenly burst in. They shouted loudly and caused a commotion in the store.
“Boss Yan, the time you had to consider is up. I wonder how you’ve thought it over. Can you satisfy us?”
The leader of the thugs slammed his hand on the counter, exuding an air of intimidation.
Upon seeing them, Boss Yan's expression darkened immediately. He scowled and said angrily, “Don’t even think about it! I will not help him pay off this gambling debt. If you want money, go find that scoundrel. I have no son like that!”
“Debts must be repaid; it’s only right. A son’s debt should be paid by the father; that’s also reasonable! You’re his father, and since he’s hiding away and we can’t find him, we’ll settle this account with you!”
The leader of the thugs sneered, “You old fool, we’ve given you enough face. If you refuse to drink our toast, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”
With a wave of his hand, he shouted to his gang, “Brothers, this old man doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness. If he can’t come up with the money, let’s smash this shop!”
“Stop! You can’t do this!” Boss Yan exclaimed in shock and anger upon hearing they intended to destroy his shop. “Do you have no respect for the rule of law? How dare you rob in broad daylight!”
“Rob?” The thugs laughed as if they had heard a great joke. “Old man, your son owes us money and has written an IOU. The amount on that paper is far more than what your shop is worth. Even if we smash your shop, you’ll still owe us!”
Boss Yan stepped in front of them angrily and said, “You scoundrels only know how to drag people into gambling. Once someone steps into your den, can they ever leave with a single coin? My son is useless and insists on gambling; I’ll treat him as if he doesn’t exist! Now get out of here!”
Ye Xiaohan stood by and roughly understood what was happening.
It turned out that Boss Yan had a son who had fallen into drug addiction and racked up a mountain of debt. Unable to pay back what he owed and fearing trouble from the gambling den, he ran away.
These thugs were from the gambling den. Unable to find Boss Yan's son, they came to cause trouble at the shop, demanding that Boss Yan repay the debt.
This was someone else's private matter, and Ye Xiaohan felt it was inappropriate to intervene. The gambling den was indeed a cancerous presence; however, it was legal here. Ultimately, Boss Yan's son was also at fault—if he hadn’t gambled, his father wouldn’t have been forced into such a predicament.
Seeing that Boss Yan refused to comply, the thugs mocked him sarcastically, “Old Yan, do you really think we’re so useless that we can’t even find where a worthless person is hiding?”
He provided an address, and Ye Xiaohan noticed that Boss Yan's expression grew even darker, realizing they had fallen into a trap. This address must be where Boss Yan's son was hiding.
"You! You!" Boss Yan was so furious he could barely speak, pointing at them with trembling fingers.
Ye Xiaohan felt a pang of sympathy; an old father was being bullied because of his son's mistakes.
She stepped forward and said, "There's no need for this. If you keep pushing him like this, you'll only make him more desperate, and it will be even harder to get the money. Boss Yan, you should calm down. If you get sick from anger, you're only punishing yourself."
"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?" The thug completely dismissed her, shouting at Ye Xiaohan.
However, Boss Yan turned to Ye Xiaohan as if he had just remembered she was there, his eyes showing a glimmer of hope.
"Miss Ye, regarding what we discussed earlier, I've decided to lower the price to six hundred taels!" Boss Yan announced. "For just six hundred taels, this shop will belong to you!"
Ye Xiaohan was taken aback, unsure why he had suddenly changed his mind. "Why the sudden change?"
Boss Yan sighed and said, "To be honest, my family's fortune has long been squandered by this Prodigal Son! Now I’m selling this shop to pay off his gambling debts."
He revealed everything: "As you've seen, these people have already found him. Although I'm angry, he is still my son. I can't just stand by and watch him die! I'm selling this shop at a loss; I need the money to pay off debts."
"That doesn't seem right," Ye Xiaohan hesitated. Six hundred taels for a shop in the city center was indeed a bargain for her.
Although Ye Xiaohan's principle in life was to take advantage of any opportunity that came her way, it was usually based on mutual equality. In this situation, it felt like taking advantage of someone else's misfortune.
Seeing her hesitation, Boss Yan nearly knelt before her in desperation. "Miss Ye, please have pity on me! My son is still in their hands; I urgently need the money!"
"Well then... alright. Let's do it..."
Before Ye Xiaohan could finish speaking, a thug interrupted.
"Old man, if you don't have the silver to pay us back, why are you wasting time selling your shop?" the thug sneered. "Why not just hand over the shop to us? That would solve everything."
Boss Yan shouted angrily, "This shop was built by my own hands! I would only sell it to someone doing honest business, never to a gambling den!"
The thug cursed menacingly, "You old fool, you're asking for trouble! Let me tell you, if we don't want silver today, we're taking your shop!"
Boss Yan firmly refused, "I won't agree to that. You can leave now. Once I get the money from selling the shop, I'll pay back the debt immediately. Just don't touch my son!"
"You really don't know what's good for you!" the thug spat. "We're set on this shop! Hand it over, and we'll consider your son's seven hundred taels of debt settled!"
Ye Xiaohan sensed something was off. These thugs seemed to be after the shop specifically. If it were just a regular debt collection, they would only want their money back. Why were they fixated on the shop and even willing to use it to offset the debt?
Meanwhile, Boss Yan also realized what was happening. "You want my shop?" He thought for a moment and then exclaimed angrily, "So that's why my son racked up seven hundred taels in one night! He must have been lured by you!"
"You old fool, you've figured it out too late!" the thug replied. "Your son's life is worth as much as this shop; choose one!"
Boss Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Stop dreaming! I will never hand over my shop to you!"
He turned to Ye Xiaohan and said, "Boss Ye, I only need six hundred taels. I still have some belongings at home; if I sell them off, I can gather another hundred taels. With that money, I can pay them back and settle this."
Ye Xiaohan replied, "Boss Yan, don’t be anxious. I can't take advantage of your situation either. I'll buy the shop for seven hundred taels and give you a little extra for your troubles. Use that money to pay off your debt; there's no need to sell your inheritance."
She offered to add more money, and Boss Yan certainly wouldn't refuse. He expressed his gratitude profusely: "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Ye Xiaohan went home to fetch the silver and quickly returned.
"Here is the banknote for five hundred taels, and here are two one-hundred-tael notes. Please count them," Ye Xiaohan said as she handed the prepared banknotes to Boss Yan, urging him to verify the amount.
Boss Yan received the banknotes and confirmed that everything was correct. He turned to the thugs and said, "Seven hundred taels are right here. Now give me back my son's IOU!"
The thugs had no choice; Boss Yan was adamant about paying and refused to relinquish the shop. They couldn't openly rob him either. They had gone too far, and there were plenty of people who could deal with them.
With no other options, they reluctantly accepted the banknotes, grumbling as they left.
Boss Yan was still trembling with anger, stomping his feet and sighing as he pointed in the direction the thugs had gone. Ye Xiaohan stayed behind to offer him a few words of comfort.
The deed to the shop was soon delivered, and Ye Xiaohan accepted it, thus completing the transaction.
Boss Yan still needed to tidy up the shop, and after agreeing on a time for the handover, Ye Xiaohan took her leave.
However, she hadn't walked far when she was blocked on the road.
The group of thugs hadn’t actually left; instead, they had set their sights on her. Or rather, they were focused on the deed in her hands.
The thugs approached with sinister smiles, one of them leering at Ye Xiaohan as he said, "My lady, we've been waiting for you for quite a while. Why did it take you so long to come out?"
Ye Xiaohan scoffed lightly; truly, there were scoundrels everywhere.
Comment 0 Comment Count