xymnovel Chapter 43 "Now you know you're not someone to mess with?"
Chapter 43 "Now you know you're not someone to mess with?"
The day after the merchant protection team was established, Meng Zhanpeng arrived at the official granary in the west of the city just as dawn broke.
He changed into a clean black cloth jacket, his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, and the wounds on his face had not fully healed. There was a bruise under his left eye, left by Wu Song's punch. He stood at the entrance of the main hall, not daring to go in, and first asked Sun Sheng to announce his arrival.
Liu Bei was drinking porridge. A bowl of millet porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables. After hearing Sun Sheng's words, he put down his bowl.
"Let him in."
Meng Zhanpeng strode in, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Brother."
Liu Bei pointed to the stool opposite him: "Have you eaten?"
Meng Zhanpeng paused for a moment, then shook his head.
Liu Bei said to Zhang Shi, "Add another set of bowls and chopsticks."
Zhang Shi went to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of porridge, placing it in front of Meng Zhanpeng. Meng Zhanpeng looked at the bowl of porridge, then at Liu Bei, picked up the bowl, and finished it in a few gulps. The porridge was very hot, and he was sweating profusely, but he didn't utter a sound.
Liu Bei put down his chopsticks and looked at him.
"How much money did those three grain merchants give you?"
Meng Zhanpeng put down his bowl, took out a cloth bag from his pocket, placed it on the table, and untied it. Inside were one hundred and twenty taels of silver, gleaming white, neatly stacked.
"One hundred and twenty taels as a deposit. We agreed that the rest would be paid after the matter was completed."
Liu Bei didn't look at the silver; he looked into Meng Zhanpeng's eyes.
"What are you planning to do?"
Meng Zhanpeng clenched his hands on his knees and bowed his head, saying, "I will obey your orders, brother."
Liu Bei smiled. He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Meng Zhanpeng.
"Take the silver back."
Meng Zhanpeng looked up and froze.
"elder brother……"
"I told you to take it back," Liu Bei turned around, "but not to return it to those three people. It's to do something for me."
Meng Zhanpeng stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Please speak, brother."
"Send a few clever brothers to visit Li Wanchun, Zhao Demao, and Qian Guangcai," Liu Bei said calmly. "Tell them that Chao Baozheng is hosting a banquet at Zuixianlou tonight and invites the three managers to grace us with their presence."
Listening from the side, Sun Sheng couldn't help but say, "Brother, isn't this alerting them? They'll know we've subdued Chief Meng; they won't dare come back!"
Liu Bei glanced at him. Sun Sheng immediately shut his mouth.
Meng Zhanpeng hesitated for a moment, but quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I will take care of it right away."
"Wait," Liu Bei called out to him. "You've delivered the message, but don't say more. If they ask, just say you were only there to relay the message. Let them figure out the rest themselves."
Meng Zhanpeng nodded, turned around, and strode out.
.........
When Li Wanchun received the message, he was in the accounting room calculating with an abacus.
The newcomer was a stranger, dressed in a gray cloth short shirt, looking like a street idler. He entered the grain shop, but didn't buy any grain. He went straight to the door of the accounting office and glanced inside.
"Manager Li?"
Li Wanchun raised his head: "Who are you?"
"I'm passing on a message from Chief Meng," the man said, his voice neither servile nor arrogant, "Chief Chao is hosting a banquet at Zuixianlou tonight and cordially invites the three managers to attend."
The abacus beads in Li Wanchun's hand fell onto the table with a "clatter".
He stared at the man for a moment, and the man, expressionless, clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and left.
Li Wanchun sat in the chair, his fingers trembling slightly. He reached for his teacup, but the tea had gone cold. He took a sip but couldn't taste anything.
Meng Zhanpeng.
One hundred and twenty taels as a deposit.
Chao Baozheng.
These three words swirled in his mind like three millstones, pressing down on him and making it hard for him to breathe.
.........
Just after noon, Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai squeezed into Li Wanchun's study.
Zhao Demao's face was ashen. He entered the room, plopped down in a chair, grabbed the teapot on the table, and started chugging tea. Qian Guangcai stood by the door, his face ashen, without uttering a word.
Li Wanchun sat behind his desk, spinning the two walnuts in his hand very quickly.
"Have you all received the letter?" Li Wanchun asked.
Zhao Demao put down the teapot and wiped his mouth: "That Meng Zhanpeng has definitely been taken in by Chao Gai. I recognize the messenger under him; he's from the Black Tiger Gang. He used to be a doorman at the casino."
Qian Guangcai said coldly, "Three hundred strings of cash, gone down the drain. Meng Zhanpeng took our money and then turned around and sided with Chao Gai. He's trying to profit from both sides."
Li Wanchun shook his head.
"He wasn't trying to have his cake and eat it too. He was completely defeated by Chao Gai. You've all heard about Wu Song's skills. Meng Zhanpeng couldn't even last three moves."
Zhao Demao asked anxiously, "What does it mean that Chao Gai invited us to drink? Is it a trap?"
Qian Guangcai snorted: "If he wanted to harm us, he could just send Wu Song. Why bother inviting him?"
Li Wanchun stopped turning the walnuts and looked at the two of them.
"He's not trying to harm us. He's trying to let us know—he knows everything."
Zhao Demao's face turned even paler.
"Then... what do we do?"
All three of them fell silent.
The sun was blazing outside the window, and the cicadas were chirping more and more urgently.
After a long while, Qian Guangcai spoke up: "Find Master Shi. Only he can speak on our behalf."
Li Wanchun lowered his head and thought for a moment before placing the walnuts on the table.
"I'll go and invite him. You all make preparations; we'll go to Master Shi's residence before tonight."
.........
Shi Wenbin was taking a nap in the pavilion in the backyard.
A bamboo chair, a pot of cool tea, and a palm-leaf fan covering the face.
The cicadas' song is far away, the wind is gentle.
Song Jiang stood outside the pavilion, not daring to go in.
The steward entered through the side door and whispered a few words in Song Jiang's ear.
Song Jiang frowned slightly, then nodded.
He walked to the edge of the pavilion and said softly, "My lord."
Shi Wenbin did not move.
Song Jiang then said, "My lord, Li Wanchun has arrived and is waiting outside the door."
The palm-leaf fan moved slightly.
Shi Wenbin removed the palm-leaf fan from his face, opened his eyes, and looked at the sky.
"Let him in."
Li Wanchun was led to the pavilion by the steward and knelt down on the bluestone slab with a "thump".
Shi Wenbin didn't tell him to get up, but picked up the herbal tea and took a sip.
"Speak."
Li Wanchun recounted the whole story.
From asking Meng Zhanpeng to smash the rice shop, to Meng Zhanpeng being defeated by Wu Song and joining Chao Gai, to Chao Gai hosting a banquet for them at Zuixianlou tonight.
He didn't dare to hide anything or embellish anything; by the end, his forehead was pressed against the ground.
"My lord, we were confused for a moment, please save our lives."
Shi Wenbin held his teacup without saying a word.
A breeze blew through the pavilion, dissipating some of the steam from the teacups.
After a long while, he put down his teacup.
"What did I say when you were looking for Meng Zhanpeng?"
Li Wanchun's body trembled.
"My husband said... leave some room for maneuver in everything you do. Chao Gai is not someone to be trifled with."
Shi Wenbin snorted.
"Now you know you're not someone to mess with?"
Li Wanchun lay on the ground, not daring to speak.
Shi Wenbin stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked to the pavilion, and looked at the old locust tree in the yard.
The locust flowers are in full bloom, their fragrance filling the air, and bees are buzzing around them.
"I received gifts from Chao Gai. What he told me was—'Let's all get rich together.'" Shi Wenbin turned around and looked at Li Wanchun kneeling on the ground. "And you? You only want to get rich yourselves. If you want to get rich, fine, but you have to block other people's way. If you want to block other people's way, fine, but you can't even stop them. And if you can't stop them, then you've given others leverage over you."
Sweat dripped from Li Wanchun's forehead onto the bluestone slab.
"Your teachings are correct. I know I was wrong."
Shi Wenbin walked back to the bamboo chair and sat down.
"You know you're wrong. What good is knowing you're wrong? If Chao Gai wanted to kill you, he wouldn't have invited you to dinner tonight. He invited you because he's giving you a chance."
Li Wanchun suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with pleading.
"Please, my lord, show me the way!"
Shi Wenbin picked up a palm-leaf fan and waved it twice.
He looked up at the northern sky and pondered for a long time.
"Let's meet at my residence tonight. Tell Chao Gai that I'm hosting and inviting him over for a chat. The three of you will accompany him. Let's have a frank discussion, with those who need to apologize apologize and those who need to make concessions. If he gives me face, we'll let this matter drop."
Li Wanchun kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
Shi Wenbin waved his hand.
"Go. Remember, when you arrive at my residence tonight, don't put on any airs of a manager. Serve tea and water, and do what you're supposed to do. I can speak for you once, but I can't speak for you forever."
Li Wanchun got up and backed out of the pavilion.