Hearing He Quansheng speak this way, the old men couldn’t stand it anymore. Red-faced and necks bulging, they shouted accusations of slander and surrounded He Quansheng.
It seemed they were about to collectively beat this outspoken young man.
These words from He Quansheng had been coached by Mian Tang beforehand. Otherwise, the straightforward young man wouldn’t have been able to speak so incisively.
Mian Tang had anticipated Old Cao coming to find her, but she hadn’t expected him to be so shameless as to flip tables and threaten violence.
She completely dropped her polite facade and said to Old Cao: “You’ve no shame! Do I need to point out that you’re the secret owner behind the Cao family shipping business? You took advantage of my grandfather’s illness when he wasn’t managing affairs and privately divided up the Lu family’s shipping business! You hold onto the business in one hand while still collecting monthly payments from our Lu family in the other. You’re truly a shameless scoundrel who only sees money! My grandfather may tolerate you, but I won’t! Since you’re so greedy, having swallowed so many of the Lu family’s benefits, I’ll make you spit out everything you’ve eaten bit by bit! Just try to touch my people!”
A nineteen-year-old girl, who usually appeared gentle before her elders – to be honest, these old-timers hadn’t taken Mian Tang seriously.
But now, the young lady’s stern face and harsh words carried an inexplicable aura, causing those old fellows to hesitate.
Old Cao, his face tightening from her words, recovered and flew into a rage, raising his hand to continue smashing things.
Although Mian Tang had provoked Old Cao verbally, she showed no intention of physical action. When she saw her staff about to rush forward to restrain him, she stopped them.
At this moment, someone shouted in full voice: “Stop right there!”
Everyone turned to see Lu Wu entering the escort agency, his face full of anger.
Seeing him, Old Cao seemed to have found a savior. He knelt before Lu Wu, crying and complaining about how aggravating Liu Mian Tang was.
But before he could finish, Lu Wu raised his cane and struck him hard across the face.
Lu Wu’s martial skills were still intact, though he hadn’t practiced much in recent years due to illness. But today, in his anger, he put full force behind the blow.
Old Cao, who acted like a lord before others, was nothing before Lu Wu. He stumbled backward and fell sitting on the ground.
The remaining troublemakers, seeing Lu Wu appear, fell silent like cicadas in winter.
Lu Wu valued loyalty and righteousness, but he was also fiercely protective! His granddaughter was his weak spot, untouchable by anyone!
Originally, when he heard Mian Tang had taken over the escort agency, he thought she was just having fun and wanted to contribute money to the family.
Although he had scolded his two sons, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word against Mian Tang, only thinking of selling some property to give her more money when a suitable buyer was found.
He hadn’t expected that today, a staff member from the escort agency would come to him saying someone was causing a big disturbance and Miss Liu couldn’t handle the situation.
So Lu Wu hurriedly came with his old servant and household guards, only to witness the scene of a group of old-timers bullying Mian Tang by throwing their weight around.
He had heard everything He Quansheng and Mian Tang said. Regarding Cao Wu’s takeover of the escort agency’s shipping business and setting up his transport operation, someone had informed him long ago. But Cao Wu had vehemently denied it, insisting the shipping business belonged to his nephew.
At that time, Lu Wu was in poor health. Seeing his old comrade crying and pleading innocence before him, he naturally believed his words.
If his eldest son had told him what he heard today, he would have been a hundred percent displeased, thinking his son was just finding excuses to avoid managing things because he found these old fellows burdensome.
But hearing those words from the orphan of the He family made them seem particularly genuine.
Moreover, this Old Cao Five acted loyal and righteous in front of him, but was so domineering and arrogant when out of his sight!
Lu Wu’s eyes, long deceived, finally began to open a little!
Thinking of Cao Five’s various actions, Old Master Lu also became angry. He said with full voice: “Cao Five if you have the ability, go act like a big shot elsewhere. But in this hall, not a single table belongs to you! If my granddaughter can snatch food from your mouth and you’re not convinced, show your true skills. Stop shouting and blustering here! Looking at your fine clothes, Mister Cao, and considering your capable nephew, you shouldn’t need any charity from the Lu family. From today, let’s consider our debt of gratitude settled. Please don’t use my, Lu Wu’s, name to impress people in the future!”
Lu Wu had built up an impressive network over his decades in business. Old Cao’s shipping business had been so successful because he had used the reputation of being a loyal old comrade of the Lu family, riding on the coattails of the old escort master.
But today, Lu Wu’s words here meant he was severing ties with Old Cao Five. With so many old comrades around, this news wouldn’t be contained and would spread quickly.
Cao Five’s face alternated between pale and flushed. He never dreamed that Old Master Lu, who had been ill and hadn’t left his residence for so long, would appear here. Now that his business wasn’t doing well, he still needed to use the Lu family name to maintain connections. It wasn’t good to fall out immediately, so he started crying and pleading again, saying he was just angry and confused for a moment.
Mian Tang added fuel to the fire from the side: “Mister Cao, you’re not confused at all. You’re quite skilled at setting traps for others! Those dockworkers you bribed earlier to swap out several boxes of goods from our shipping line have already been caught red-handed and sent to the authorities. They said it was your nephew who bribed them. I reckon the authorities will be coming to arrest people in a few days… Why don’t you go home and prepare for that, Mister Cao?”
Old Cao Five’s face changed color upon hearing this. Losing face, he no longer cared about reminiscing with Lu Wu or trying to maintain their relationship. He hurriedly left.
The remaining old-timers were quick to change their tune, saying they had been instigated by Cao Five and didn’t know the intricate details. Then they all slunk away.
In the vast hall, amidst the mess of smashed objects, Lu Wu stood dejectedly, his usually straight back seeming to have a slight curve. He took a few steps out of the hall and looked up at the four large characters “Conscience Escort Agency,” seemingly understanding his granddaughter’s deeper meaning in choosing this name.
He turned back to look at his granddaughter, who had also come out and was supporting him. He sighed and said, “Do you think your grandfather is useless and senile?”
Mian Tang smiled and said, “The garrison commander of the neighboring prefecture seems to be a year older than you, grandfather. He recently took a new concubine, and she’s already with a child after a few months. You’re much healthier than him. If you’re willing, you could still be a father and give me a little uncle. How could you be old?”
Seeing her speak so frivolously, Lu Wu glared at her: “Talking nonsense, see if I don’t punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall!”
But because of Mian Tang’s playfulness, the momentary bitterness and sorrow were diluted. After looking at the signboard for a while longer, he said, “I heard you once borrowed the register to copy the list of names for monthly payments, saying you wanted to buy things for the uncles and elders. But in the end, you didn’t send out a single fruit… I’m old, and some things I don’t see as far ahead as young people. Over these decades, I’ve been as kind and righteous as I could be to my old comrades. Those who should appreciate it have done so; those who don’t are just ungrateful white-eyed wolves. Tomorrow, I’ll give you the key to the accounting room. You calculate things. From now on, you decide what should and shouldn’t be paid out.”
How could Lu Wu not know the current predicament of the Lu family? It’s just that he previously couldn’t get past the hurdle of “loyalty.” Moreover, his two sons couldn’t suppress those old-timers.
But now that Mian Tang was handling these matters, he was completely at ease.
This girl was clever and capable, and she had a conscience. She knew how to treat those old-timers and orphans differently. If the Lu family could unburden themselves this way, the whole family’s life could improve.
However, Mian Tang felt she shouldn’t be overconfident and still needed to be polite and defer. She humbly said she was inexperienced and still needed her eldest uncle to take charge.
Lu Wu glared at her and said, “When that worker came to the house to call me, those troublemakers had probably just stepped through the doorway, right? You had arranged everything so thoroughly in advance, provoking Cao Five with words to smash things, letting your grandfather watch a good show. Where’s the inexperience in that? Your eldest uncle is a straightforward person. I think it’s better not to let him learn bad habits from you!”
Mian Tang hadn’t expected her little tricks to be seen through so clearly by her grandfather. She immediately hugged her grandfather, acting coy out of embarrassment.
Lu Wu glared at her and said, “You’ve gone to all this trouble just waiting for this stubborn old man to give in, right? Now that your wish has been fulfilled, stop running around wildly every day and come home to eat properly.”
Mian Tang naturally agreed with a smile. She called for a carriage, helped her grandfather board, and returned home with him for dinner.
When the carriage stopped at the front door, they happened to see the second aunt warmly holding the hand of an old lady as they were leaving.
Mian Tang looked up and realized it was Madam Su, the honored guest of her second uncle’s family.
From her second aunt’s words, it seemed she was planning to take Madam Su and Young Master Su to offer incense at the famous Chanyin Temple in Western Province.