The shop door suddenly opened, and Zhou Xiaosi and Qing Yang, each holding a stick, were overjoyed to see Jin Shanyao, but then said in a wronged tone, "Master... you're finally back."
The two burly men at the door exchanged glances, their eyes fixed warily on Jin Shanyao. "Are you the owner of the Anzhi Hall?"
Jin Shanyao glanced at the two of them. "You're looking for me?"
The burly man, clutching his head, staggered over. "Do you know Shen Huaiyu? She's the second mistress of my Abundant Celebration Hall. If you dare use her, you're going against the Abundant Celebration Hall. If you know what's good for you, you'll cancel the contract, otherwise you can forget about opening this shop..."
Jin Shanyao her head and asked Qing Yang, "Where is Shen Huaiyu?"
Qing Yang: " Shopkeeper Shen hasn't arrived yet."
"Have you reported it to the authorities?"
Upon hearing that the report had been filed with the authorities, the burly man revealed a wise smile.
Qing Yang lowered her voice, "I've reported it. There are eight of them in total. Except for the first day when they were all arrested, they were in pairs for the other days."
They don't fight, they just intimidate customers. Even if they're arrested by the authorities, they're only detained for two days before being released.
They've been causing trouble at the Anzhi Hall's entrance for five days now. The shop is so disruptive that they can't even write a single prescription all day.
Jin Shanyao entered the house under the watchful eyes of two burly men. "What did Shen Huaiyu say?"
Qing Yang shook her head. " Shopkeeper Shen didn't explain much... but she rolled her clothes up on a stick, covered in feces, and shoved it at them every day."
Jin Shanyao's lips twitched... What a waste of such a good thing.
She walked to the desk and opened the window, the window sash hitting the big man on the head.
The burly man glared angrily, about to shout a curse, but saw that Jin Shanyao didn't even look at him. Instead, she casually sat back down in her chair, completely unconcerned that they were eavesdropping.
Why not send a letter to the capital?
Qing Yang: "Young Master, the imperial examination is just around the corner... I was afraid of distracting you, so I didn't send a letter."
Upon hearing the words "Imperial Examination," the burly man instinctively glanced around the room... but didn't see any successful candidates.
But the old man next door said that this family has a scholar who passed the imperial examination, and that the owner is not someone to be trifled with... What a joke, who are they trying to scare!
What is there to fear about a mere scholar who has passed the imperial examinations but is not an official? The owner of the Abundant Celebration Hall is a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations.
Moreover, Abundant Celebration Hall is a top-tier pharmaceutical merchant in Jiangnan, deeply rooted and established for many years. How could a small border town like Qingzhou compare?
In Jiangnan, the owner had already declared: anyone who dared to take in Shen Huaiyu would be going against the Abundant Celebration Hall. The other businesses were all wary of the owner's power, and no one dared to hire her.
Unexpectedly, she secretly ran away to the border town.
But so what?
A woman whom the master takes a fancy to, even if she dies, must be buried in the master's ancestral graveyard.
As for intimidating shops, they're already an expert at it... Anyone who dares to hire Shen Huaiyu will have their contract terminated after three days of this kind of commotion.
The reason it's been so long is simply because the owner of the Anzhi Hall hasn't returned.
They've encountered tough opponents before, but in the end, they still had to compromise.
As for this delicate woman, the burly man scratched his head, realizing he'd been too ruthless... a slap nearly knocked out her teeth.
As the sunlight gradually rose outside, Shen Huaiyu came to work at the shop and saw two men standing by the window from afar.
The windows were completely blocked, and nothing could be seen inside.
She calmly walked into the shop and saw Qing Yang and Zhou Xiaosi standing in front of the table, while Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi were sitting opposite them.
Shen Huaiyu paused slightly... her heart pounding with unease, "Master..."
Jin Shanyao gestured for Qing Yang and Zhou Xiaosi to get back to work, then said to Shen Huaiyu, "Come and sit down... Tell me what's going on with the people outside?"
Upon hearing this, the burly man outside perked up his ears and leaned against the windowsill without anyone noticing.
Shen Huaiyu sat opposite her. "Master, when I was ten years old, my family fell into decline. At thirteen, I disguised myself as a boy and went to the Abundant Celebration Hall to work as a servant. Because of my outstanding performance, I became the second manager at the age of fifteen."
Once, while out purchasing medicinal herbs, my menstrual cycle was out of order, which is how the shop owner discovered I was a woman. I thought he would fire me. But to my surprise, he made me dress as a woman again and let me continue working as the second-in-command at the shop.
She paused for a moment, then continued, "I became the head manager at eighteen, and out of gratitude for my employer's kindness... I served him wholeheartedly."
"I never expected him to ask me to be his mistress. When I refused, he said he would marry me into his household as a concubine..." Shen Huaiyu revealed a sarcastic smile.
"I thought he was kind-hearted, but it turns out he's nothing special..."
The burly man outside the window, displeased, retorted, "Nonsense... It's you who sways your slender waist around in front of the master all day long, stringing him along, just so he'll marry you as his principal wife."
Shen Huaiyu's face paled slightly. "No... I've always worked diligently. It was only when he saw someone offer me a higher price to be the manager that he panicked..."
She turned to Jin Shanyao and hurriedly explained, "The owner of the Abundant Celebration Hall doesn't like me at all. He only likes to keep capable women in his home for his own use."
His principal wife owned a medicinal herb garden, his concubines could tell the difference between genuine and fake herbs with a glance, and his maids were skilled in financial management and accounting. None of his women were idle.
He would marry any woman who was capable. This way, he wouldn't have to pay for her services, and he could also prevent her from being poached by others.
Upon hearing this, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci's eyes darkened, and it was unclear what they were thinking...
The burly man outside, hearing Shen Huaiyu's slander of his master, shouted angrily, "Bullshit! Stop spouting nonsense! You women are nothing but women who rely on your talents to seduce the master, all you want is to marry him! You're just a little more cunning than others, you know how to play hard to get!"
Shen Huaiyu was both anxious and angry, gritting her teeth and saying fiercely, "You're spouting nonsense, it's not like that at all..."
"Everything we said is true," the burly man said, slamming his hand on the table through the window.
Jin Shanyao stared at his desk in disbelief. "Oh ho... He dares to make a sound at me!" Jin Shanyao raised his hand and slapped the big man on the head.
Smack! The burly man's head buzzed, and he felt dizzy. He unconsciously staggered back a few steps, then, regaining his senses, he waved at the Jin Shanyao and said, "If you hit me again, I'll report you to the authorities."
Jin Shanyao at him, "Spit it out again, and I'll crack your skull open."
The burly man silently shut his mouth, daring not to utter a word...
Shen Huaiyu looked out the window in shock. This group of people had caused trouble countless times, but this was the first time they had behaved so obediently, shutting up as soon as they were told to.
Jin Shanyao asked Meng Anzhi, "How do you plan to solve this problem?"
Shen Huaiyu's heart sank, and he even despaired, thinking that the young owner would definitely kick him out. No shop would get into trouble for the sake of a manager.
Just as she was feeling uneasy, Meng Anzhi slowly spoke up, " Shopkeeper Shen is the manager of the Anzhi Hall. Their blocking of the Anzhi Hall's entrance is a provocation against the Anzhi Hall."
If we can't even protect our own men, who will dare to work at the Anzhi Hall in the future?
The burly man's expression changed upon hearing this. "What do you mean...? You want to go against the Abundant Celebration Hall for Shen Huaiyu's sake, is that it?"
Meng Anzhi glanced at him, "You were the ones who trampled on the Anzhi Hall's reputation first."
They intimidated patients, blocked customers from getting their medicine, and even forced us to fire our staff and terminate our employment.
In the end, how did it turn out that we were the ones opposing Abundant Celebration Hall? You're so unreasonable."