Chapter 233: People’s Suffering and Sudden Awakening

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

Most of the people living here are peddlers and ordinary people. They are not too poor, but they are far from rich.

After a night of rain, the roads in Yongyangfang were muddy.

Shang Jingchuan walked with difficulty, carrying enough food for a day.

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

Because the Shang County Magistrate who used to be very particular about appearance and kept clean and decent no matter what happened.

At this moment, he had a shabby beard and messy hair. He was wearing a shabby long gown. At first glance, he looked like a poor teacher.

Finally, he walked out of the muddy road and came to an inn that couldn't be any smaller. He rubbed the mud on the soles of his shoes on the steps at the door, and then slowly walked in.

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

Although he was called a waiter, there were only two people in this small inn, including the shopkeeper, and they were father and son.

So this child, who was only fifteen or sixteen years old, also served as the young shopkeeper of the inn.

"Well, there were not many 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 waiter took it swiftly, opened it and took a look, and then asked: "Is it the same as before?"

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

"Okay!"

The waiter carried the things and went into the kitchen.

Although he was young, his cooking skills were not bad.

In order to save money, Shang Jingchuan often bought ingredients by himself, and then asked this waiter to process them for him.

Shang Jingchuan went to the counter to pour a pot of tea and drank it slowly while sitting on a chair.

This kind of small inn without even a name naturally couldn't afford good tea. Basically, it was the bottom of the tea shop's leftovers, which were mixed and sold outside.

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

At the beginning, Shang Jingchuan also felt that it was a little difficult to swallow, but after adapting to it for a few days, he suddenly felt that this tea soup, which was like soy sauce, tasted good.

While drinking tea, the innkeeper came in from outside.

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

This Bai shopkeeper was only in his forties, but I don’t know if it was because of the poverty of life or something else, his back was hunched early, his hair was gray, and he often looked sad, so he looked like an old man in his sixties.

However, Shang Jingchuan still noticed something wrong today, because the sadness on the face of Bai shopkeeper was worse than before, and it was almost overflowing.

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

"Old buddy, I'm really sorry, please move out today."

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

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

"It's not that you owe me rent. To be honest, my shop... can't be run anymore!"

At the end, Shopkeeper Bai spoke with a sad voice, tears rolling in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" Shang Jingchuan couldn't help asking.

"Alas, don't ask, it's useless to ask. I don't want the rent for the past few days, just move out quickly."

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

Looking at his back, Shang Jingchuan was confused.

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

In addition, they didn't hire anyone, and they did everything by themselves, so the cost was very small. Therefore, although there were not many customers, they could still make a living.

Why did it open well before, but suddenly it had to close?

Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard a quarrel in the kitchen, and then he saw the young man rushing out of the house with a kitchen knife.

Shopkeeper Bai hugged his waist tightly from behind, and persuaded him with tears: "Son, you can't go, if you go, you will lose your life."

"Father, let me go, these people have set their sights on our inn, and I can't bear this anger if I don't go out."

The usually kind young man's eyes were red and his face was a little ferocious.

"What can you use to fight with them? They have the support of the Four Seas Gang behind them. Okay, accept your fate. At worst, we can move to the countryside." Shopkeeper Bai said crying.

Perhaps the three words "Si Hai Gang" played a role. The young man froze all over, 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 was confused, but he still heard the name of Si Hai Gang clearly.

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

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

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

"Well, forget it, since you insist on asking, it doesn't hurt to tell you."

Then the shopkeeper Bai briefly recounted the whole story.

It turned out that there was a group of hooligans in Yongyangfang, led by a man named Bai Lao San.

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

Before, the small shop run by Bai Zhanggui had to pay a protection fee every month, otherwise he would not be able to open it in Yongyangfang.

If that was all, it would be fine, and Bai Zhanggui would have endured it.

But unexpectedly, today, Bai Laosan suddenly called Bai Zhanggui over, saying that he had taken a fancy to his family's ancestral property and planned to buy it with money, and the price he offered was even less than one-third of the market price.

How could Bai Zhanggui be willing, but Bai Laosan was helpless because he was rich and powerful, and he didn't care whether he agreed or not, and directly gave him an ultimatum.

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

Then, regardless of Bai Zhanggui's pleading, he was directly kicked out.

Bai Zhanggui returned home in despair.

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

"This is simply too bullying, why don't you report to the police?"

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

"Why? Is this Bai Lao San so powerful?" Shang Jingchuan said angrily.

"No reason, just because we ordinary people have no power and deserve to be bullied."

Shopkeeper Bai had already accepted his fate.

"Old buddy, you should leave quickly too. Bai Lao San's people may come at any time. If they see that you haven't moved out, maybe even you will be implicated."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"What else can we do? Of course we have to move out. It's a pity for the property left by my ancestors!" Shopkeeper Bai said reluctantly.

Shang Jingchuan was so angry that his lungs were about to explode.

He used to be high up in the temple. Although he knew that there were many injustices among the people, he also thought that they were just very individual phenomena.

Unexpectedly, what he saw and heard in just a few days completely overturned Shang Jingchuan's three views.

He found that the 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, the Bai family's father and son had to pack up and leave obediently. If there was any resistance, they would be beaten to death.

And Bai Laosan, who was so arrogant, was actually not even a member of the Sihai Gang. He was just a small gangster who used his name to show off his power.

It can be seen how dark it is.

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

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

Shang Jingchuan was stubborn like a scholar again.

"Don't say that. Bai Laosan's men are all desperate people. They really dare to kill people." Bai Zhanggui said with a pale face.

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

As soon as the voice fell, a sneer came from outside the door.

"Who is so bold that he dares to provoke our Third Master Bai?"

As the voice was spoken, a group of young hooligans broke into the inn.

When he saw them, the shopkeeper Bai was so scared that his whole body began to tremble.

"Every... Gentlemen, he is a passerby and doesn't know the rules. Don't bother with him."

"Get out of the way, you don't have the right to speak here?"

Accompanied by a scolding, a young man with dragon and phoenix tattoos walked up to Shang Jingchuan, looked him up and down, and then sneered.

"Old Bangzi, you are still so arrogant."

Everyone laughed.

Shang Jingchuan was a little nervous, but he still said with a stiff face: "You openly robbed other people's property, don't you have the law?"

"Oh, the law? Let me tell you, in Yongyangfang, our Third Master Bai's words are the law!"

As he spoke, the young man raised his hand and slapped him.

Snap!

After a crisp sound.

Shang Jingchuan looked at the opposite side with a confused face, "How dare you hit me?"

"What's wrong with hitting you? I hit you. I think you are tired of living. Brothers, give him some rest."

The young men rushed up and soon knocked Shang Jingchuan to the ground, and then kicked and kicked him.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Bai knelt on the ground and kowtowed like pounding garlic and begged.

"Everyone, please stop fighting. If someone dies, this place will become unlucky. How can Third Master Bai live then?"

Maybe this sentence worked.

The gang of thugs stopped, and the leader spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at Shang Jingchuan on the ground.

"Damn, I thought you were a great man, but this is all you are? If I wasn't afraid of dirtying Mr. Bai's place, I would kill you first today."

Shang Jingchuan lay on the ground with blood all over his face, and he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Here, Shopkeeper Bai kept saying nice things, and finally made the gang of young thugs happy.

"Okay, you old guy is still good at dealing with things, so let's just forget it today, pack up your things and get out, otherwise Mr. Bai will really take your life."

After saying this, the gang left.

Shopkeeper Bai hurriedly helped Shang Jingchuan up from the ground.

His son brought water to wash his face 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 Xiaojing Alley in Guangdefang, 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! Come with 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 hearing this, 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 it?"