Chapter 108: Trouble Knocking on the Door
Chen Ding the Clan Leader listened to the villagers' complaints with a sullen face.
Knowing that Chen Xiao Mi was the owner of the Sino Commercial House, several villagers came over to his house and tried to come up with a way to amend their relationship with Chen Xiao Mi. This Sino Commercial House has made a lot of money in recent years!
Chen Xiao Mi must be rich now. They wished to ride on his coattail. Therefore, the pressing matter of the time was to build a good relationship with Chen Xiao Mi.
Chen Ding listened to the gabble from the villagers and all sorts of feelings welled up in his mind.
In the past, he sided with Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen, asking Chen Xiao Mi to cover part of Chen Jing's debt with a tough attitude. Chen Xiao Mi must have hated on him.
He wasn't confident that he could convince Chen Xiao Mi to help out the villagers. No one, including the Chen clansmen had talked Chen Xiao Mi up when he and his brothers were abused by Grandma Chen.
No one had offered Chen Xiao Mi a hand when he lived in a cave with his two little brothers.
The villagers didn't leave Chen Ding's house until he asked them to.
"Yang! My son, how am I going to resolve this matter?" Chen Ding was so frustrated.
Chen Yang sighed. "Father, let's wait for a little while. Remember what happened last time? Both sides voiced complaint about you."
Chen Ding heard Chen Yang's words and nodded. "Son, you're right."
Back then, Chen Ding didn't think much about it when he promised Chen Xiao Mi that he was going to help him handle the village house. However, Grandma Chen said that he had a kickback when his nephew bought it, and Chen Qu kept telling the villagers that the house should have been his brother Chen He's matrimonial home. He kept saying that they were bullied by the Clan Leader.
"Do you think this is true? Chen Xiao Mi is really the boss of Sino Commercial House? Such a huge commercial house and residential area in town is worth at least several hundred taels, " said Chen Ding.
Chen Yang nodded and said, "It should be true. Why would Grandma Lu make up such a lie."
"I heard that Sino Commercial House has opened a branch in Willow Town as well!"
"If the store in Forest Town belongs to Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin, most likely the branch in Willow Town belongs to them as well."
Chen Ding sighed and said, "What a shame We have such a capable clansman, but none of us is on good terms with him, he could have been grateful to us if we had helped him when he was young."
After all, Chen Xiao Mi would always send things to the old hunter who had helped him in the mountain. Unfortunately, the old hunter had no luck and he passed away a year ago.
"Father, I heard that Grandma Lu kept saying that she was going to find trouble for Lu Lin. She would make a scene if Lu Lin didn't give her money," Chen Yang said.
Chen Ding pulled a long face and said, "What's wrong with Grandma Lu? Lu Lin is already married into Chen Xiao Mi's family, he has nothing to do with the Lu family. Lu Lin doesn't owe her anything."
Chen Yang's face stiffened. "Father, don't you know what kind of person Grandma Lu is? She would pester people endlessly until she gets what she wants."
......
In Sino Commercial House.
Lu Lin now was making spring rolls in the kitchen.
Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao stayed by the side, drooling at the mouth.
Yuan Bao held a pair of chopsticks in one hand with his eyes sparkling, he was so ready to dive in.
Zhang Rui looked at Lu Lin with a strange expression on his face. "Brother Lin, please allow me, how can a master like you do such cooking work?"
Lu Lin glanced at Zhang Rui and said, "What do you mean by a master like me? Besides, can you make it as delicious as I have?"
Zhang Rui, "..."
"Brother Lin, recently many people have asked me if you're the boss of this commercial house," Zhang Rui said.
Lu Lin glanced at Zhang Rui and thought to himself, 'We've been hiding it for so long, but the time has finally come!'
"The boss of commercial house is not me," technically speaking, the commercial house was under Chen Xiao Mi's name.
Zhang Rui said in a confused tone, "So there is really a Big Boss! behind the scenes!"
Lu Lin smiled and said, "What's there to be worried about, so what there is Big Boss?"
"So, Brother Lin, you're not the boss! I was scared to death to be honest. I thought you were really the Big Boss, but the villagers seemed to have misunderstood," Zhang Rui scratched the back of his head and let out a sigh.
Lu Lin glanced at Zhang Rui and asked, "So I don't look like a Big Boss?"
Zhang Rui scratched his head and said awkwardly, "That's not what I meant. I just think that you are too young to own such a big business. However, Lin Ge, you're indeed very capable."
Lu Lin, "..."
"Father, Father, can I eat some now?" Yuan Bao tugged at Lu Lin's sleeve.
Lu Lin glanced at the Yuan Bao and said helplessly, "Okay, okay, it's still very hot, take a small bite first."
Yuan Bao said impatiently, "Don't worry, I will, I will."
Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao sat opposite each other, eating the spring rolls happily. They were completely uninterested in the topic of "Big Boss".
Zhang Rui looked at Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao and thought to himself, "These two boys are really calm and collected! They have zero interest in finding out about the Big Boss."
Seeing the way Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao gulping down the spring rolls, Zhang Rui couldn't help but lick his lips, " Lin Ge, can I eat one of the spring rolls?"
Lu Lin nodded and said, "Yes, yes, of course, no need to stand on ceremony with me, there are many anyways."
......
"Lin Ge, Grandma Lu is here," Qin Lang walked in and reported.
Lu Lin raised an eyebrow, "Already? That was fast than I thought."
Qin Lang nodded and hesitated for a moment before he said, "Xiao Mi Ge went to meet her on hearing that she was here. "
At the entrance of the store, Grandma Lu directed a torrent of abuse, "Lu Lin, you are unfilial! Never have you visit me and your grandfather even once over the years!"
"Lu Lin, don't hide from me, come out and see me already! You live an extravagant life in town while your grandparents are suffering in the village!"
"Your grandfather has been sick for so long. You, unfilial you, haven't visited him even once!"
......
Grandma Lu made a scene in front of the store, attracting so many passers-by.
Chen Xiao Mi looked at Grandma Lu calmly and said, "Lu Lin was sold by you with 10 tales of silver, he was married into my family. Lu Lin had nothing to do with you and your family since that day! If you want someone to take care of you, I'm afraid you still have to talk to your grandson Lu Cheng Yu. Is he abandoning you? Wow, quite a scandal, how can a Xiucai be so unfilial?"
Tang, who followed Grandma Lu here, pulled a long face on hearing what Chen Xiao Mi just said. She supported Grandma Lu to cause a ruckus. In her opinion, Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin must have more than a thousand taels of silver now, their entire family would benefit if they could pressure the couple to give them a fraction of their savings.
However, Tang was flustered on hearing Chen Xiao Mi mentioning her son's name. Reputation was everything for a scholar, but Tang gritted her teeth and she decided that everything should give way to money.
"Chen Xiao Mi, even though Lu Lin is married into your family, he is still a member of the Lu family. Grandpa Lu is paralyzed in bed for years and he hasn't visited his grandfather even once! That's too much."
Chen Xiao Mi pouted and said, "You are the one who asked a few villagers to carry Lu Lin on two pieces of door planks to my house when he was dying, and now you are accusing Lu Lin of being unfilial!"
Chen Xiao Mi looked at the villagers who followed Grandma Lu here and said, "The villagers of Big Stone Village, I'll pay anyone who is willing to carry Grandma Lu away from my shop 200 cents!"
Tang looked at Chen Xiao Mi and asked with alertness, "What do you want to do?"
Chen Xiao Mi pursed his lips and said, "I'm just worried about Grandma Lu's health, she is too old to do this I could see that Grandma Lu now is a bit senile, what she said doesn't make sense anymore. It's better that she goes home and rests.
The villagers gazed at each other in speechless despair, and one of them broke the silence, "Brother Xiao Mi, are you really going to pay us 200 cents?"
People in the village would only get 20 cents per day as a casual worker. Two hundred cents was already worth more than ten days of income. Quite a few of them were tempted when Chen Xiao Mi said it was as much as 200 cents.
Chen Xiao Mi smiled, "Of course, I'm a man of my word."
On hearing that, the villagers surrounded Grandma Lu and said, "Grandma Lu, no need to create a disturbance like this, let's just go back to the village."
Grandma Lu looked at the villagers and asked excitedly, "What do you want to do?"
"Old Madam, you have married Brother Lin into the Chen Family, Brother Lin has every right to do whatever he wants."
"Yeah! You are the one who has sold Brother Lin!"
......
A few people stepped forward and pulled Grandma Lu away.
Chen Xiao Mi smiled and winked at Qin Lang. Qin Lang immediately took out a wallet and paid them. The men collected the money and walked Grandma Lu to the ox-cart.
Grandma Lu kept shouting and screaming as the villagers checked her and walked her to the ox-cart.
The villagers who took money from Q in Lang asked the owner of the ox-cart to leave right away, leaving Tang alone at the store. Tang looked around and left crestfallen.
......
Grandma Lu who was checked by the villagers arrived home cursing and shouting. Lu Cheng Yu knew that Chen Xiao Mi was a rebel, but little did he expect Chen Xiao Mi would come up with such a solution.
"Damx that Bio!" Grandma Lu cursed Chen Xiao Mi after he gave her this terrible humiliation.
Tang did not expect Chen Xiao Mi to come up with this trick, either. The villagers who followed them to town got 200 cents each, but she and her mother-in-law ended up getting nothing but this burning shame.
Lu Cheng Yu's face was livid and he felt indignant on hearing the villagers betrayed them over 200 cents!
Grandma Lu looked at Lu Cheng Yu and said excitedly, "Cheng Yu! We can't just let it go! Chen Xiao Mi is too arrogant. You have to think of a way to get back at him!"
Grandma Lu's face was dark with rage when she saw all the items on display in Lu Lin's store!
Grandma Lu had been to town before, but at that time, she thought that commercial house belonged to the Big Boss. Now she was just mad jealous that both the store and the products belonged to Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi.
Lu Cheng Yu just shook his head helplessly, there was nothing he could do.
Tang said sullenly, "The villagers who took money from Chen Xiao Mi have gone too far!"
Tang asked the villagers to follow them to boost their courage, little did she expect those people would betray them.
There were people in the village who were renting Granny Shen's field, and people who were welling embroidery products, mountain specialties, vegetables, and rice to the Sino Commercial House. The truth was no one wanted to offend Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin.
Some villagers who had accompanied Grandma Lu had even hidden away when they arrived at the store.
Grandma Lu said angrily, "A bunch of cowards!"
There were five villagers who took money from Chen Xiao Mi, each of them got 200 cents, that was one tael of silver in total.
Grandma Lu turned furious on thinking that Chen Xiao Mi would rather spend 1 tael of silver to see her lose face than give that silver to her.