19. The Clown

Walking out from the staircase, the scene in the hall was clear at a glance. Seeing his own manager sprawled on the floor, the owner of Huichuntang’s face immediately darkened. At first, he thought it was merely a quarrel and had even blamed Zhao Liu in his heart for not handling things well. But now, it was obvious that his own people had been bullied.

The manager, seeing his boss come down, felt emboldened. What was there to fear now? Gaining spirit, he began to wail miserably toward his employer.

“Boss, it’s not that I disobeyed your orders—it’s these two outsiders who are simply too unruly! Look at my clothes, they’ve been torn from being pushed to the ground just now. I was only trying to reason with them, but they completely disregard Huichuntang, and were about to rob us outright.”

As he cried out, the manager struggled to his feet, knowing full well that the other side would not dare do anything further to him. With quick steps, he positioned himself behind the owner.

“Gentlemen, I’m not sure how my manager has offended you, but if there’s any issue, we can certainly discuss it. There’s no need to make such a ruckus. Tell me, what exactly did he do to provoke such anger?”

The owner was a businessman; to have brought Huichuntang to its present state, he was naturally not one to be easily provoked. Still, having his own people bullied in his own establishment—especially his manager—his displeasure was evident.

Ye Feng understood the owner’s meaning perfectly, but he couldn’t be bothered to argue. He replied with a faint smile, not intending to explain.

The owner sneered coldly and turned to question the manager, “Well? Hurry up and tell me what happened. How did you offend these customers?”

With a face full of grievance, the manager replied, “Boss, you can’t blame me. They came in wanting to buy all sorts of things, but when it came time to pay, they complained about the price, saying we run a crooked business.”

The owner glanced at Ye Feng and his companion, then turned to admonish the manager, “Didn’t you tell them that our medicinal materials are only supplied to herbalists?” At these words, the manager’s heart settled. If the boss was really going to ask about the specific herbs and prices, it would mean he was to blame. But if he said the herbs were only for herbalists, then the pricing issue would be shifted to the herbalists. Judging by the looks of these men, they didn’t seem able to produce a herbalist for confrontation.

The manager quickly chimed in, “I saw they were outsiders and kindly reminded them that these herbs are meant for herbalists. But not only did they ignore me, they became violent.”

Huichuntang had been operating in Haifeng City for many years; no matter the industry, people generally gave them face. But now, seeing the manager’s torn clothing, the owner’s expression grew even darker. The damage wasn’t serious, and the man was unhurt, but such an act was a slap in his face.

Still, being a man of status, the owner wasn’t about to curse and shout like his manager. He cast a glance at the two plainly dressed young men, then turned back to scold the manager, “How many times have I told you? Although most of our clients are esteemed herbalists, we inevitably deal with people from all walks of life. If you keep flaunting lofty language before everyone, sooner or later there will be misunderstandings.”

“Yes, yes, boss, I was careless,” the manager quickly agreed.

“Enough. Remember this lesson. If you make such a mistake again, you won’t need anyone else to kick you out—I’ll do it myself,” the owner said sternly.

The owner and manager were playing their parts in concert, and it was obvious to anyone what they meant. Luo Ming was so angry he could barely breathe.

Damn it—the manager had just been screaming like a fishwife, and now it was called noble language? What kind of aristocracy talks like that?

Luo Ming wanted to speak up and reveal his status as the Luo family’s eldest son, but seeing Ye Feng’s calm expression, he had a sudden realization: What’s the point of arguing with such petty merchants over status? Even if he revealed his identity, what would it amount to? At best, an apology—making himself appear petty.

After rebuking his manager, the owner turned to Ye Feng and Luo Ming. “Gentlemen, I apologize. Our trade is in medicinal materials, and we mostly deal with herbalists. Perhaps Manager Zhao Liu failed to explain things clearly, causing you to misunderstand and feel slighted. However, since you have already punished him, could you now calm down and hear me out?”

Though the owner’s tone was polite, his meaning was plain: this establishment serves herbalists. You are not among that class; here, you are nobodies. The lack of respect is because you have not recognized your place.

“Yes, boss, it truly was my fault. I only wanted to keep the customers from wasting their money—after all, two hundred thousand might be their life’s savings. I didn’t consider their pride, and being misunderstood is my own doing,” the manager said, following the owner’s lead and earnestly admitting fault.

“You’ve heard it yourselves—my manager meant well. These herbs are not suitable for just anyone. A two hundred thousand transaction is insignificant to us, but letting customers spend their life savings on useless herbs would trouble our conscience. If there was any offense, I ask for your understanding.”

Though his mouth spoke of seeking forgiveness, the owner’s chin was raised high, his demeanor one of condescension, as if they ought to be grateful.

Watching this performance, Ye Feng felt no anger at their arrogance or disdain. Having relived the coldness of the world from the age of nine, his temperament had matured greatly. In the past, he might have made a scene if slighted, refusing to let the offender go without a memorable lesson. But now, facing their mockery, he merely smiled and was ready to leave with Luo Ming. The herbs he needed were nothing special; if he couldn’t buy them here, he could find them elsewhere.

To Ye Feng, both owner and manager were little more than clowns—there was nothing worth disputing.

Just then, footsteps sounded on the stairs again, and a figure hurried down.

“Ye Feng! What are you doing here?” A voice called out before the person appeared.

Descending from upstairs was Amy, much to Ye Feng’s surprise—and Luo Ming’s as well.

The owner, who had been about to show Ye Feng and his companion out, froze in astonishment at Amy’s tone. This was not the Amy he knew.

Her words left the owner momentarily bewildered, but he quickly regained his composure, remembering he still had business to settle. With Miss Amy drawn downstairs by the commotion, the owner's annoyance with Ye Feng and Luo Ming reached its peak. This was no longer just a matter of losing face; if Amy was displeased, her father upstairs would be even more so. Where would he find such a powerful patron again?

“Why are you still here? Was I not clear enough? You injured my manager, but I’m willing to overlook it, assuming it’s a misunderstanding. Do not mistake my forbearance for weakness. If you continue to make trouble, I assure you, you’re headed for big problems!” the owner barked impatiently.

Amy nearly laughed at his words. Ye Feng might not care, but Luo Ming was the legitimate young master of the Luo family—her equal in status, possibly even above her, as he was likely to inherit everything. For the owner to treat them this way—he really had no idea what he was doing.

In truth, Amy had not intended to come today, but her father insisted she accompany him to gain experience. Reluctantly, she came along, but soon after arriving, she heard a familiar voice and then an argument below. The owner went to investigate, and Amy, bored and curious, peeked downstairs, wondering who dared cause trouble at Huichuntang. When she saw who it was, she cried out in surprise, not expecting to meet him here.

Ye Feng was surprised to see Amy as well. “I came to buy some herbs. My spirits have been low lately, and I need to replenish my energy,” he replied.

Since Amy was here, her family must also be upstairs—most likely her father, Ai Zhongtang. Given that, there could be complications, so Ye Feng chose to offer a casual explanation.

“Oh? Are you living at the Luo residence now?” Amy asked curiously. She hadn’t had a chance to ask since he left without saying goodbye at the start of break.

“I’m staying at my parents’ old house. I never felt comfortable at the Luo family estate,” Ye Feng answered, glancing at Luo Ming as he spoke. Luo Ming smiled and nodded; they were too close to stand on ceremony.

This unexpected turn left the owner of Huichuntang dumbfounded. He had never imagined that these two plainly dressed young men could have such backgrounds—one even from the Luo family, an untouchable presence.

Now, all he could do was beg for forgiveness. The owner hurriedly said, “Gentlemen, I apologize for my earlier rudeness! I know a simple apology is not enough for my offense, so I am willing to accept any punishment you deem fit, if only you will forgive me.”

After speaking, the owner stood aside, anxiously awaiting Ye Feng’s response. Every second felt like torment; he could hear his own heartbeat pounding with nerves.

Ye Feng found it almost amusing—how quickly the once overbearing owner had become so humble, all because of a few words from Amy. Was this leveraging connections? Perhaps, but Ye Feng wasn’t one to hold grudges against such petty men. He had never taken the matter to heart. In a low voice, he said, “It’s nothing.”

The owner could hardly believe his ears. Only when he heard Amy’s mocking laughter did he hurriedly say, “Thank you for your magnanimity!”

With a nearly obsequious smile, the owner turned to ask, “Honored sir, what medicinal materials do you require? Our selection is quite complete—please, don’t let my mistake delay your business.”

Ye Feng smiled, “Just prepare the list I gave earlier—the one worth two hundred thousand yuan.”

“No problem, absolutely no problem!” thought the owner. Two hundred thousand wasn’t a large sum, and these weren’t rare herbs—Huichuntang certainly had them. He turned and barked at Zhao Liu, “Well? Hurry up and bring me that list!”

Zhao Liu was terrified; he had inflated the price tenfold, thinking these bumpkins would never know. But these were people with real backgrounds—he was finished. Trembling with fear, Zhao Liu crawled on the floor searching for the crumpled prescription. It didn’t take long to find it—a wadded-up paper was easy to spot on the bare floor.

He unfolded it with shaking hands and passed it to the owner.

The owner, noticing Zhao Liu’s odd behavior, thought he was still frightened by the earlier incident. But when he saw the herbs and prices, he understood immediately.

“Zhao Liu! How dare you! How could you call twenty thousand yuan of herbs two hundred thousand! How many times have I told you—!” The owner exploded in rage, berating Zhao Liu while furtively watching Ye Feng’s expression.

Ye Feng didn’t interrupt, merely smiling as the owner ranted. When he was done, Ye Feng only said, “Forget it.”

By now, Zhao Liu was nearly stupefied by the scolding.

The owner smacked him on the head. “Are you stupid? Hurry and thank this gentleman for his generosity!”

Zhao Liu immediately fell to his knees in thanks.

Watching this scene, Ye Feng thought back over the years since his parents’ death. In this world of the strong preying on the weak, men could be more ruthless than beasts. As long as one had power, anything was attainable.

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