Right after witnessing that scene, Ah Cai’s eyes turned bloodshot from anger.
He was truly shocked. This young madam had remained calm and silent from the moment she had entered, and she had seemed to have a mild temperament. When they entered, she had let her glib-tongued servant speak. Furthermore, she seemed pretty young to boot. Ah Cai had subconsciously assumed that she was weak and easy to bully. He completely hadn’t expected her to sweep all the dishes onto the floor when angered.
This young madam had even said that their food was the food of pigs. However before she and her entourage arrived, these dishes were originally meant to be consumed by none other than his family! His eldest aunt had simply served the food already being cooked. So, didn’t this mean she was calling them all pigs?!
Ah Cai’s face flushed with anger. He always had an explosive temper. Ever since his uncle made use of his connections to give him a job at Guilin Restaurant, Ah Cai had never faced any setbacks. How could he endure this terrible insult?
He was shocked speechless for a moment before his anger took over. Ah Cai’s face warped, and he found the voice to shout, “Heh! Who the hell do you think you are, creating trouble at our Guilin Restaurant? Why don’t you ask around and find out just who this Guilin Restaurant belongs to! Let me tell you, if you don’t want this matter to blow up, pay up and get out!”
The commotion in the main hall had finally managed to alert Mrs Wang, who was all the way in the backyard. She hurriedly rushed out. When she saw the mess on the floor, her eyes widened in shock as well. She stuttered, “What… what’s going on?”
Ah Cai turned to tell her, “This arrogant madam was the one who tossed them to the floor!”
“What!”
Chu Lian calmly glanced at Ah Cai. She couldn’t care less about their conversation.
She dusted off her hands and stood up. “What if I don’t want to pay up and refuse to leave? What can you do to me?”
Ah Cai hadn’t expected Chu Lian to be so forceful. However, with House Jing’an backing them, she had to think again if she thought they were going to be easy to bully!
Thus, he started getting aggressive too.
“What can we do? I’ll let you have a taste of what jail is like!”
Wenqing and Wenlan stood in front of Chu Lian with angry expressions, shielding her. Their bodies were tense; the moment Chu Lian gave the order, they would immediately take this boastful fellow down.
Chu Lian sneered. So this trip wasn’t a complete waste.
She had seen clearly for herself what the state of affairs were like at Guilin Restaurant, so she didn’t have to continue acting out this farce with these two servants. Chu Lian sent a commanding look towards the manservants behind her.
Before Ah Cai and Mrs Wang could throw up another fuss, the two of them were caught and tied up by the two burly manservants.
In a rage, Mrs Wang cried out, “How dare you tie us up! We’re servants from House Jing’an! You can’t tie us up!”
Chu Lian walked a circle around the two of them, then another for good measure. “House Jing’an? I’m apprehending some bad servants on behalf of House Jing’an!”
“You! How dare you! Aren’t you scared that House Jing’an will hold you accountable for your crimes and punish you?!” Ah Cai struggled and wriggled against his bonds. His eyes were now completely bloodshot from anger. However, since he was just a teenager, he couldn’t possibly beat the manservants who practised martial arts. His struggles bore no fruit, only succeeding to tighten the ropes around him further.
“You bitch! Just you wait! My uncle has already gone to report this to the officials!”
Wenqing was trying her best to hold back her laughter. If these two clowns before her realised who their master was, they would probably pee their pants in fright!
Just as Ah Cai finished speaking, they could hear someone running in from outside Guilin Restaurant’s entrance. Following that, a panting middle-aged man entered the main hall.
The man proudly pointed at the middle of the hall where Chu Lian’s party stood, before turning back to say, “Sirs, these people are the ones who came to cause trouble in our restaurant! Please arrest them, quickly!”
Right after that, five bailiffs with tall figures and fierce expressions came striding into the hall. Each of them had a sword hung at their waists.
One of the sturdy-looking bailiffs with a full, curly beard seemed to be their leader. He started roaring when he marched into the hall. “Which one of you was so impudent as to commit a crime in broad daylight! Arrest them all!”
TL Note: These bailiffs work for the criminal court. They patrol around their assigned districts and can arrest anyone who’s doing something against the law. They are somewhat like a police force in ancient China, but they work directly for the criminal court.
‘Bailiff’ is my own translation of the Chinese term 衙役 (ya yi), or literally yamen (criminal court) runners. I went with the British definition of the word: a sheriff’s officer who executes writs and processes and carries out distraints and arrests.
I’m trying to localise words where I can so it’s easier to read, but at the same time, providing enough context like the original Chinese term. Let me know if any terms seem out of place, as my understanding of English might be different from yours. :3