Chapter 233 People’s suffering suddenly awakens

Chapter 233 People’s suffering suddenly awakens

Yongyangfang is located in the northwest corner of Yandu City. It is a very inconspicuous small square.

The people who live here are basically traffickers and common people. They are not too poor, but they are far from rich.

It rained all night and the roads in Yongyangfang were muddy.

Shang Jingchuan walked hard carrying enough food for one day.

If anyone he knew saw him at this time, he would be shocked and would not dare to recognize him.

Because he was once a Shang County Sheriff who had a very important appearance and always wanted to stay clean and decent no matter what he encountered.

At this moment, he was unshaven, his hair was messy, and he was wearing a shabby gown. At first glance, he looked like a poor teacher.

Finally walking out of the muddy road, Shang Jingchuan came to a small inn, wiped the mud off the soles of his shoes on the doorstep, and then slowly walked in.

"Old man, you came back so early today!" the innkeeper greeted with a smile.

Although they are said to be waiters, in fact, there are only two people in this inn, including the shopkeeper, and they are father and son.

So this kid, who is only fifteen or sixteen years old, is also the young innkeeper.

"Well, there were no people in the market today, so I bought some food and came back early." Shang Jingchuan said as he handed over the things in his hand.

The boy took it quickly, opened it, took a look, and then asked, "Is it still the same?"

"Well, it's the same as usual."

"okay!"

The boy carried the things and entered the kitchen.

Despite his young age, his cooking skills are pretty good.

In order to save money, Shang Jingchuan often buys the ingredients himself and then asks this little guy to do the processing for him.

Shang Jingchuan went to the counter to pour a pot of tea, sat on a chair and drank slowly.

This kind of small inn that doesn't even have a name can't afford good tea. It basically uses the last remaining products sold by the tea house, which are mixed together and sold for takeout.

The advantage is that it is cheap, and sometimes you can buy good tea if you are lucky, but the disadvantage is that it has all kinds of flavors.

At the beginning, Shang Jingchuan also found it a bit difficult to swallow, but after these days of adapting, he suddenly felt that this tea soup, which was like soy sauce, actually tasted good.

While drinking tea, the innkeeper walked in from outside.

The innkeeper's surname was Bai. Shang Jingchuan never asked him his specific name, so he always called him Bai.

Shopkeeper Bai is only in his forties, but whether because of the poverty of life or something else, his back has been hunched early, his hair is gray, and his face is often sad, so he looks like he is in his sixties. Like the old man.

But today, Shang Jingchuan still noticed something was wrong, because shopkeeper Bai's face was even more sad than before, almost overflowing with sadness.

He hunched over and came to Shang Jingchuan. He first sat down and drank a bowl of tea soup, and then wiped his mouth.

"Old man, I'm really sorry, but you can move out today."

"Move out? Why do you want to move out? I don't owe you rent money?" Shang Jingchuan asked in shock.

When he "ran away from home", he took a sum of money with him. Although it was not much, it was enough to live in a small shop like this.

"It's not that you owe me rent, to be honest, my store...can't open anymore!"

At the end of his speech, Shopkeeper Bai spoke with a sad voice, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Shang Jingchuan couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, don't ask. It won't help. I don't want the rent for the past few days. Just move out as soon as possible."

After saying this, shopkeeper Bai stood up and staggered away.

Looking at his back, Shang Jingchuan was confused.

Although this small shop is dilapidated, it is still clean, and this house is the ancestral home left by Shopkeeper Bai's ancestors.

In addition, they did not hire anyone, and the father and son did everything themselves, so the expenses were very small, so even though there were not many customers, they could still make ends meet.

Why was it that it was open well before and suddenly it was about to close?

When I was wondering, I suddenly heard the sound of quarreling in the kitchen, and then I saw the boy rushing out of the house with a kitchen knife.

Shopkeeper Bai hugged his waist tightly from behind and advised with tears streaming down his face: "Son, you can't go. If you go, your life will be at risk."

"Father, get out of my way. These people are targeting our inn. I really can't stand it unless I say this."

The usually kind boy's eyes were red and his face looked a little ferocious.

"Why are you fighting with me? She has the support of the Four Seas Gang behind her. Okay, just accept your fate. At worst, we will move to the countryside." Shopkeeper Bai said in tears.

Maybe the three words "Sihai Gang" had an effect. The boy froze, and the kitchen knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. Then he slowly squatted down, covered his face and cried bitterly.

Shang Jingchuan listened in confusion, but he still heard the name Sihai Gang clearly.

He didn't understand how such a small inn could be related to the Sihai Gang.

So he walked over and helped shopkeeper Bai up who was also crying bitterly on the ground.

"Old man, what's going on, can you tell me?"

"Oh, that's all. Since you insist on asking, there's no harm in telling you."

Then shopkeeper Bai briefly told what happened.

It turns out that there is a group of ruffians in Yongyangfang, led by a man named Bai Laosan.

This man bullies the market and commits all kinds of evil, but because his brother is a minor leader in the Sihai Gang, with this background, Bai Laosan is even more emboldened and no one dares to offend him.

The small shop run by Shopkeeper Bai had to pay a protection fee every month, otherwise there would be no hope of opening it in Yongyangfang.

If that's all, if it means losing money and avoiding disaster, shopkeeper Bai will endure it.

Unexpectedly, today, Bai Laosan suddenly called shopkeeper Bai over, saying that he was interested in his family's ancestral property and planned to pay for it, and the price he gave was even one-third of the market price. Less than.

Shopkeeper Bai was willing, but Bai Laosan was so powerful that he didn't care whether he agreed or not and gave him an ultimatum.

They were given three days to pack up everything and get out of the house, otherwise they would be beaten every time they saw them.

Then he ignored Shopkeeper Bai's pleading and kicked him out.

Shopkeeper Bai then returned home in despair.

After hearing this, Shang Jingchuan couldn't help but get angry.

"This is so bullying. Why don't you report it to the official?"

"Report to the official?" Shopkeeper Bai smiled bitterly upon hearing this, "Believe it or not, if I report to the official today, I will die in prison tomorrow."

"Why? Is this Bai Laosan so powerful?" Shang Jingchuan asked angrily.

"No reason, just because we, ordinary people, are powerless and deserve to be bullied."

At this time, Shopkeeper Bai had already accepted his fate.

"Old man, you should leave quickly. Bai Laosan's people may come at any time. If they see that you haven't moved out yet, you may be implicated."

"Then what do you do?"

"What else can I do? Of course I have to move away. It's a pity that I've lost the property left by my ancestors!" Shopkeeper Bai said with reluctance.

Shang Jingchuan's lungs were about to burst with anger.

He once stood high above the temple. Although he knew that there were many injustices among the people, he thought it was just an isolated phenomenon.

Unexpectedly, what he saw and heard in just a few days completely overturned Shang Jingchuan's outlook on things.

He discovered that injustice among the people was no longer an isolated phenomenon, but a shocking norm.

For example, in the case of the Bai family's old store, just because of Bai Laosan's words, shopkeeper Bai and his son had to pack up and leave obediently. If they resisted at all, they would be beaten to death.

And Bai Laosan, who is so arrogant, is actually not even a member of the Sihai Gang, he is just a gangster who uses his name to show off his power.

You can see how dark it is.

For the first time, Shang Jingchuan had a more intuitive understanding of the corruption and depravity of this great Yan.

"I won't leave. I want to see if these Bai Laosan people have three heads and six arms. Otherwise, how dare they act like this."

Shang Jingchuan fell into the scholar's stubbornness again.

"Don't say that. All of Bai Laosan's men are desperadoes, and they really dare to kill people." Shopkeeper Bai said with a pale face in fright.

"Dare to kill someone? I want to see if they dare to kill me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a sneer coming from outside the door.

"Who is so bold as to dare to provoke our Mr. Bai?"

Following the words, a group of green-skinned hooligans broke into the inn.

Upon seeing them, Shopkeeper Bai was so frightened that he started to tremble all over.

"Everyone... Dear gentlemen, he is just a passerby. He doesn't know the rules. You don't want to be like him."

"Go away, how can you speak here?"

With a scolding, a green-skinned man with dragon and phoenix tattoos walked up to Shang Jingchuan, looked up and down first, and then sneered.

"Old Bangzi, you're still so damn arrogant."

Everyone laughed.

Shang Jingchuan was also a little uneasy, but he still said bravely: "You are openly robbing other people's property. Don't you have no laws?"

"Oh, return the king's law, let me tell you, in this Yongyangfang, our Third Master Bai's words are the king's law!"

Following the words, Qingpi raised his hand and slapped him.

Snapped!

After a crisp sound.

Shang Jingchuan looked at the other side in confusion, "How dare you hit me?"

"What's wrong with beating you? It's you who's beating you. I think this old man like you is tired of living. Brothers, let him relax his muscles and bones."

The gang of green men swarmed up and quickly knocked Shang Jingchuan to the ground, then started beating him with kicks.

Seeing this scene, Shopkeeper Bai knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and begged as if pounding garlic.

"Everyone, please stop fighting. If someone is killed, this place will become unlucky. How will Mr. Bai live there?"

Maybe this sentence played a role.

The gangsters stopped, and then the leader spat at Shang Jingchuan on the ground.

"Damn, I thought you were some great person, but this is what happened? If I weren't afraid of dirtying Mr. Bai's place, I would kill you first today."

Shang Jingchuan was lying on the ground with his face covered in blood, and he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Shopkeeper Bai here kept saying nice things, and finally managed to make these green-skinned gangsters happy.

"Okay, I see you are an old boy who still knows how to do things. Let's forget it for today. Pack your things and get out, otherwise Mr. Bai will really kill you."

After saying these words, the group of people walked away.

Shopkeeper Bai quickly helped Shang Jingchuan up from the ground.

His son brought face wash and wiped the blood off Shang Jingchuan's face.

After checking it out, shopkeeper Bai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, they are just superficial injuries. They will be healed in a few days. Old man, I appreciate your friendship, but we can't afford to offend others, so we'd better leave as soon as possible." Shopkeeper Bai said sadly.

Shang Jingchuan acted as if he hadn't heard anything, his eyes widened.

"Damn it, Dad, this old man must have been beaten stupid, right?" the boy said anxiously.

At this moment, Shang Jingchuan suddenly stood up and walked out.

"Hey, old man, what are you doing?"

But Shang Jingchuan didn't say a word at all, but ran out quickly.

When he came to the street, many people looked at him strangely.

Because at this moment, Shang Jingchuan's hair was messy, his body was covered in dust, and blood stains could be seen in many places. He looked like a madman.

But Shang Jingchuan completely ignored these strange looks and ran quickly to Guangdefang.

If you lose your shoes while running, you might as well run barefoot.

By the time he reached Guangdefang Xiaojing Alley, he was no different from a beggar.

After finally reaching the door, Shang Jingchuan breathed for a while before knocking on the door.

Boom, boom, boom!

The voice was urgent.

Soon, Zui'er's voice came from the courtyard.

"Come on, come on, who is this?"

As she said that, she opened a gap. When she saw Shang Jingchuan standing outside the door, Zui'er couldn't help but be startled, and then quickly said: "There are leftovers at home, you wait here, I'll give them to you." you take."

This was obviously treating Shang Jingchuan as a beggar.

"Miss Zui'er, it's me!" Shang Jingchuan shouted.

"Ah? Uncle Shang?" Zui'er said in disbelief.

"Yes, it's me. Is Mr. Zhao at home?"

"Here, there, there!"

Zui'er quickly opened the door and welcomed Shang Jingchuan in.

At this time, Shang Luoluo also heard the sound and came over. Seeing his father in such a mess, he couldn't help but be shocked.

"Father, what's wrong with you?"

"Stop asking, it's more important to save people!"

With that said, Shang Jingchuan ran into the backyard and saw Zhao Ya who was studying the newly acquired wind-cutting sword technique.

Zhao Ya was also startled, and then asked: "Uncle Shang?"

"There's something you need to help me with."

"What's up?"

"Kill!" Shang Jingchuan said firmly.

Zhao Ya was stunned, "Killing? Who to kill?"

"People from the Sihai Gang! Follow me first. I'll tell you on the way."

Saying this, Shang Jingchuan dragged Zhao Ya and walked out.

Zhao Ya had no choice but to say something to Shang Luoluo and Zui'er, and then followed him out the door.

On the way, Shang Jingchuan roughly told what happened.

After listening, Zhao Ya was a little bit dumbfounded.

"So you want me to kill that Bai San for you?"

"That's right!"

"It's easy to kill him, but then what?"

"What then?"

"There are too many people like Bai San. If we kill him, even worse people may appear. Do you think you can kill him?"

Hearing this, Shang Jingchuan stopped and lowered his head to think.

Zhao Ya didn't urge him.

He wanted to see what choice Shang Jingchuan, who had been immersed in grand narratives, would make.

A moment later, Shang Jingchuan suddenly raised his head and said with gleaming eyes: "You can't kill him alone, but what if I, the governor of Jingzhao, are added to him?"