However, bean collection is a chaotic task, and many strangers would co to the house. Worried about Gu Jinxiu being a grown girl, Gu Jinli said, "Third Grandpa, let Aunt Luo’s family handle the bean collection in the future."
Father Luo and Ms. Chu would take turns running the stall, but Luo Wu never did. He stayed ho grinding beans every day, and often visited her house. Gu Jinli knew he did it because he was worried about Gu Jinxiu and wanted to protect her.
So she wanted to entrust this task to him.
Luo Wu was more than willing. Without waiting for Father Luo or Ms. Chu to speak, he said, "Third Grandpa, I can handle this task. Let those selling beans co to my house."
Third Grandpa looked at Father Luo and Ms. Chu, asking, "Tie Zhu, Tie Zhu’s wife, what do you say?"
Father Luo and Ms. Chu naturally nodded in agreent: "The beans are ground at our ho anyway. Having the bean collection here is more convenient than at other houses."
And so it was decided.
The next day, many people ca to the Luo Family to sell beans, and at the town’s tofu stall, many farrs also ca with loads of beans to sell to them.
"Elder Gu, we’ve brought you soybeans, look at these of ours, all dry and full, not a single bad bean."
"Ours as well, all handpicked good beans."
Third Grandpa said with a smile, "Go and find Xiao Yu and Qin San Lang, get the soybeans weighed with them, then co here to get your money from the old man."
Upon hearing this, the bean sellers hurriedly went to look for Gu Jinli and Qin San Lang.
Gu Jinli and Qin San Lang, together with Gu Qingtian and Gu Qingliang, collected beans in a composed manner, and in just two hours, they had purchased two thousand catties of soybeans.
...
At the grain store, Manager Tao was originally smugly waiting for the Gu Family to co to him, but he miscalculated.
As soon as the Gu Family set up their stall, a large group of farrs ca to deliver soybeans to them.
Manager Tao, furious, slamd his abacus down on the counter, cursing, "Rebellious, rebellious, these paupers actually dare to sell soybeans to the Gu Family, this is a slap in the face of the Tao Family."
"Zhaofu, spread the word, anyone who dares sell beans to the Gu Family, the Tao Family’s Grain Store will not buy their grain!"
Farrs relying on farming and selling grain to live, if he refused to buy their grain, let those paupers’ grain rot in their hands.
"Also, go find so beggars, have them smash the Gu Family’s tofu stall. Just because they set up a stall for a few days, they think they’re businesspeople? Pah, a bunch of paupers whose legs are still caked with mud."
"Rest assured, boss, I’m on it." Zhaofu hurried to the broken temple outside of town, found Liu Sanzi, gave him a tael of silver, and ordered him to bring a bunch of beggars to cause trouble at the Gu Family’s tofu stall.
He also promised, after the job was done, another tael of silver and a catty of rice as a bonus.
Liu Sanzi and his group of beggars, holess and jobless, survived on begging and doing shady deeds for the rich. Seeing a job coming their way, they naturally agreed and ca to town with twenty beggars, their presence nacing as they headed straight for the Gu Family’s tofu stall.
Upon reaching the Gu Family’s tofu stall, they sat in front of it, singing a begging song, essentially aning they were begging for food and money, and wouldn’t leave without it.
Farrs selling soybeans and custors buying tofu and bean dregs cakes all stepped back when they saw what was happening, fearing they might get hurt.
Third Grandpa wanted to calm things down and offered them a basket of bean dregs cakes: "We’re just a small family business, we don’t have much to give, take these bean cakes and please be on your way."
After Liu Sanzi grabbed a few bean dregs cakes, he slapped the basket aside, and even deliberately fell to the ground, wailing, "Ouch, the Gu Family is hitting people, bullying us beggars!"
Several beggars also began rolling on the ground and wailing, "Murder, the Gu Family is murdering, they’re bullying beggars!"
The remaining dozen or so beggars picked up their sticks and surrounded Third Grandpa, pointing at him and saying, "Old man, you dare hit our big brother, pay up now!"
Third Grandpa was dumbfounded. He had not expected offering them cakes to eat to backfire on him this way.
Gu Qingliang and Gu Qingtian were terrified. They were just trying to run their stall and now they were faced with beggars causing trouble.
Gu Damu and Ms. Yan were also really frightened, while Gu Dagui and Mrs. Chen were infuriated. One grabbed a carrying pole, the other a shovel, ready to fight the beggars.
But before the couple could act, Gu Jinli and Qin San Lang rushed out.
With two loud bangs, Qin San Lang kicked one beggar away and then punched another to the ground.
Gu Jinli grabbed a beggar’s hand, twisted it viciously with a crack, breaking it, then kicked him over.
Drawing out her dagger with a whoosh, she sliced an attacking beggar, then leaped in front of Liu Sanzi. She stomped on his stomach, then with her dagger at his throat, she sneered, "Thinking you can make trouble and extort money, not even checking if you’ve got the skill?"
Qin San Lang was like a storm of fists and kicks, knocking down five or six beggars, scaring the rest so much they didn’t dare to move forward.
So beggars were so scared they knelt down with a thud, "rcy, kind sirs, rcy! We were just following orders, we didn’t an to cause trouble."
Qin San Lang was uncompromising and imdiately grabbed the one who had spoken. After dislocating his arm with a snap, he demanded, "Whose orders? Tell !"
"Ah!" The beggar scread as his arm was wrenched out of joint, crying, "It was Zhaofu, a clerk at the Tao Family’s Grain Store, he gave us a tael of silver to co and make trouble for you."
Normally they would pull off this kind of scam successfully, who would’ve thought that today they’d et two demons in human form.
The beggar looked at Gu Jinli holding the dagger, then at Qin San Lang. Were these even kids? They were so vicious.
When Liu Sanzi heard Li Erdan spill their secret, he wanted to speak out to stop him, but a pain in his neck imdiately made him wet himself with fear: "rcy, miss, we won’t dare do it again."
Third Grandpa, afraid that the actions of Gu Jinli and Qin San Lang would frighten the surrounding villagers, imdiately spoke up: "Folks, don’t be scared. The two kids learned so martial arts back ho, and today they only acted out of necessity. We are reasonable people, we won’t hurt them, we will report this to the authorities."
Third Grandpa then turned to Gu Damu: "Damu, go to Si Li Square and call for the officials, ask the Lord to co here."
"Right away, I’m on it." Gu Damu hurried off to Si Li Square and reported the beggars causing trouble at their stall.
The duty official today was Old Kong, who knew about Elder Gu’s relations with Scholar Shang and County Captain Jiang, and the latter had also passed down instructions for them to take good care of the Gu Family. If the Gu Family encountered trouble, they were to help.
Upon hearing Gu Damu’s report, Old Kong imdiately called Dasheng, Kangzi, and Hai Zi to hurry to the Gu Family’s tofu stall, and they tied up Liu Sanzi and his gang.
Old Kong, knowing the Gu Family would continue doing business on the street and afraid that the incident with Gu Jinli and Qin San Lang would scare their custors, then shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, don’t be afraid. The Gu Family are good people and they won’t hurt anyone unreasonably. The Gu Family’s young lady has even saved the granddaughter of Lord County Captain, and he has spoken highly of her. Today’s incident will be dealt with by the governnt office, and you can still co and support the Gu Family’s business as usual."
The villagers present, reassured, joined in condemning the beggars, "Well caught! That Liu Sanzi is always leading beggars to the town to demand things, we townsfolk have all been extorted by them, best to catch them and send them to the official mine to suffer, see if they dare to try and extort everyone again."
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