Chapter 680: Chapter 680: The County Magistrate is about to face trouble Chapter 680: Chapter 680: The County Magistrate is about to face trouble Erbai raised an eyebrow. Was his father worried she might be anxious?
The matters at the stall… Hmm, as far as he knew, the only issue at the stall was the local tyrant.
Shu Yu paused, then asked in a low voice, “Is it about Boss He that father mentioned?”
“Cough cough.” Lu Erbai choked on the wine he was sipping, his eyes widened as he suddenly turned to look at Madam Ruan, “Did you tell Yu?”
“No, it was Yu herself who encountered him.”
Lu Erbai frowned, “Did Boss He give you a hard time?”
Shu Yu shook her head, “Father, don’t you know me? How could he have troubled me?”
As for how she tricked Boss He, there was no need to elaborate, especially since Carpenter Yao was also present.
Lu Erbai gave her a skeptical look. Thinking of Yu’s cleverness, he suddenly felt that the one who might be in trouble could be Boss He.
Their Yu, after all, was someone who could easily handle herself even in front of Lord Xiang. Even if she were banished, she wouldn’t panic, a remarkable woman indeed – Boss He, well, definitely couldn’t match her.
Lu Erbai felt relieved and then addressed Shu Yu’s earlier question. “Indeed, the matter at the stall I referred to was about that local tyrant. He demanded a protection fee from our family, starting with ten taels of silver. This is clearly bullying.”
Their family could afford to pay ten taels of silver, but that was money they had worked hard for, waking up early and staying up late to earn. Such a large sum of money was hard to part with; Boss He was clearly making it difficult for them, testing their limits.
Once they paid this time, Boss He would target them, and there would surely be a next time.
The Lu family believed that this money should not be given.
“Your mother and your sister thought that after closing the stall early this morning, it might be better not to open tomorrow, to avoid trouble. But this is not a long-term solution. I’ve asked around, and Boss He is not an easy man to deal with. Even if you stop going to the stall, he will still come knocking. We can’t let him drive us out of our own house, can we?”
Shu Yu nodded. This was also what she had considered, so she had never thought of not going to the stall but only of resolving the issue with Boss He from the root.
Lu Erbai turned to Carpenter Yao, “I was thinking, is there any other way? But here in Heichang County, apart from the Huifeng Escort Agency, I know only Brother Yao. I went to the Yao Family this morning to discuss a plan with Brother Yao. Coincidentally, Brother Yao had just taken a job, making a display piece for the Manor of the county magistrate’s brother-in-law outside the town.”
“Brother Yao took me to the manor, and we even met the county magistrate’s brother-in-law successfully. He has already promised me that he will send two constables tomorrow to patrol near our stall. If the local tyrant shows up, they will help settle the issue.”
It might cost a bit for their troubles, but compared to ten taels of silver, it was only the cost of a meal’s worth of wine, and he could still afford it.
Yet, upon hearing this, Shu Yu looked puzzled.
“Father, you said… the county magistrate’s brother-in-law?”
“Yes, what about it?”
Shu Yu fell silent for a moment, then hesitantly spoke, “Well, he might not be able to send constables to patrol our stall tomorrow.”
Just as Lu Erbai was enjoying a sip of wine, he froze at her words and set down his cup, “Why?”
“Because,” Shu Yu said, “the county magistrate of Heichang County might be in trouble. The governor has arrived, and he is currently at the Heichang County Office. When I passed by the office this afternoon, I saw that the security was very tight. I vaguely heard that the county magistrate was in trouble.”