flstandardbreds Chapter 106 Bet
Chapter 106 Bet
At a command from Shopkeeper Lang, a row of big men rushed out from the back with sticks in their hands and surrounded the group of women. How could a few girls withstand such a situation?
The girls were not pushovers either. They grabbed the big man's hand and bit it. The big man screamed in pain, and the fight that was about to break out reached a breaking point.
"Wait a minute."
At this moment, a woman in a royal blue fairy dress walked out from the crowd. She had picturesque features and a natural temperament. Every word she spoke was sonorous, and no one dared to underestimate her.
"The shopkeeper breached the contract without reason first, and then ganged up on someone to beat them up. I wonder if this is enough to land him in jail for life?"
Shopkeeper Lang was stunned when he heard this, and subconsciously retorted, "The sage said that women should respect the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. It's wrong to show off in public! We're doing business, and if we don't follow the will of heaven, we'll be criticized!"
"The shopkeeper keeps quoting classics. Doesn't it mean that studying is about striving to become a sage, and serving as an official is about keeping the emperor and the country in mind?" Jiang Lige glanced at Shopkeeper Lang with disdain. "You don't learn the integrity of a gentleman, but only know how to copy and memorize pages of rules. Your reading is just so-so! Moreover, in my opinion, the success or failure of a business doesn't depend on catering to the tastes of the world, but on the word 'honesty'."
Shopkeeper Lang was so scolded by Jiang Lige that he had no power to fight back. His fat hands trembled with anger as he pointed at Jiang Lige's nose and said, "Where did this wild girl come from? You rely on a few days of reading the classics to get your say in other people's affairs! Let me tell you, our boss is a princess!"
"Oh?" Jiang Lige covered her lips in surprise. "Not to mention you, even a princess can't be lawless."
Shopkeeper Lang thought Jiang Lige was just pretending to be calm and was very disdainful of him.
"Even if I broke one of your legs today, you can just go to the government office and pay some money and that's it. You're trying to reason with me? Ha! You're still a little naive!"
These words were extremely arrogant, causing the crowd to talk and curse in their hearts, saying that Shopkeeper Lang was not a human being.
Seeing this, Jiang Lige was too lazy to say anything more. He shrugged and called Fengquan softly, then said, "How about you go and invite the officials for Shopkeeper Lang?"
After Jiang Lige finished speaking, Fengquan and Songyue squeezed out from the crowd on the left and right. Fengquan nodded awkwardly and apologized.
"Princess, I'm sorry for not judging you well enough, and I've wronged you."
Shopkeeper Lang didn't know Jiang Lige, but he knew Feng Quan. Seeing this situation, he immediately reacted.
Just as he was about to make amends, Song Yue kicked him in the knee, causing his legs to go limp and he fell to his knees.
Jiang Lige still maintained the same standing posture, with a decent smile on his lips and a casual tone with a hint of laziness.
"It's not me who's been wronged, it's these girls."
Song Yue understood and kicked the shopkeeper Lang again, causing him to stagger and fall in front of the girls.
"Still not apologizing?"
Shopkeeper Lang's face turned as red as pig liver, but the situation was unforgiving. Now with Jiang Lige putting pressure on him, he could only endure the humiliation and apologize to the girls.
"Girls, it was my fault just now. Please forgive me."
The sudden turn of the situation made all the girls panic, and they didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Since the other party didn't respond, Shopkeeper Lang could only crawl awkwardly in front of everyone, gritting his teeth in resentment.
The girls looked at each other, wondering how true or false Jiang Lige's "righteous words" were, when they heard Jiang Lige speak again.
"In this world, it's not easy for women to make a living. If they can just have a roof over their heads and a meal to eat, who would want to walk the streets and be criticized by the world? Some of them lost their parents at a young age, some have close relatives who are seriously ill. They all have their own difficulties, but even if life has not been kind to them, they have been mentally resilient and have never gone astray. They rely on their own hands to support themselves and their parents. Like men, they make money through their skills and abilities. They have never cheated, harmed others, or done anything shameful. Why should they be looked down upon? I, Jiang Lige, am here to say this today. As long as my shop is open, I will not turn anyone away because of gender. Anyone who is diligent and capable of this job is welcome to come and try their luck."
Jiang Lige said this, turned around and bowed to the onlookers, "Welcome everyone to bear witness for Zhao Hua."
"Good!" As soon as the words fell, the crowd burst into thunderous applause. Several ladies carrying vegetable baskets had tears in their eyes, and they were obviously quite touched.
The girls who had been bullied by Shopkeeper Lang before also recovered, their suspicions disappeared, and they thanked Jiang Lige sincerely.
"Thank you for taking care of us, Master. We will work hard in the future to repay you for your kindness."
"The person you should be thanking is yourselves." Jiang Lige smiled and turned to look at Shopkeeper Lang. "As for Shopkeeper Lang... our shop is small and can't accommodate a big Buddha like Shopkeeper Lang. Please find another job!"
Shopkeeper Lang knew that if he left like this today, he would have difficulty finding a foothold in the business circle of the capital in the future.
He stood up tremblingly and argued unconvincedly, "Yes, I admit that what I did today was a little inappropriate, but no matter what, I was also concerned about the shop. Isn't the boss afraid of being despised by others for crossing the river and destroying the bridge like this?"
"What a joke." Jiang Lige's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had heard something funny. "Shopkeeper Lang's actions today were for the sake of the shop, or were they taking advantage of me because I don't know how to run a business and trying to build up influence in the shop? You should know it very well!"
The exposed shopkeeper Lang was very upset, but he could only stiffen his neck and deal with Jiang Lige: "Princess, we have signed the document!"
"Why? The shopkeeper can pay them off, but I can't pay you off?"
"Oh, compensation? Of course I can, but I wonder how much silver the princess can afford? Considering the scale of this shop, the daily expenses alone exceed a hundred taels. If there is no capable person to take care of it, the princess will not be able to bear it in more than a month, right?"
Jiang Lige just found it funny and asked, "Why? Shopkeeper Lang is so sure that my shop can't survive without you?"
"I'm not being arrogant, but there are very few people in Beijing who can be the shopkeepers of jewelry businesses. I, Lang Tianquan, am one of the best among them."
"Shopkeeper Lang is indeed arrogant. This princess will find a new shopkeeper within three days."
"It's not difficult to find the shopkeeper. Princess, do you dare to make a bet with me?"
"What does Shopkeeper Lang want to bet with this princess?"
"Let's make a bet. Can the princess find a shopkeeper more experienced than me within three days? If not, the princess must pay me a hundred times the compensation in silver. How do you do that?"