Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 30 Brothers of the same mind
After saying this, Young Master Chen got up and left without the slightest hesitation.

This wasn't just for show; he really was leaving.

Because today's matter is not a negotiation, Chen Qing doesn't even intend to get anything from these people. Since he has no expectations of them, then today's meeting is just that—a meeting.

It was a simple one-sided crushing victory; they were the ones who needed Chen Qing's help.

After Chen Qing got up, he didn't turn his head and strode towards the door. When he reached the door, Gu Jiu and the others realized that he wasn't just pretending. However, when they wanted to ask him to stay, none of them could bring themselves to say anything.

Gu Jiu was very proud, and his face was flushed with anger. He didn't recover for a long time.

After a while, one of the people who came with him stood up and sighed, "I knew it, this guy surnamed Chen wouldn't be easy to talk to."

He looked at Gu Jiu and said with a wry smile, "Uncle Jiu, why don't we just forget about it and wait until Uncle San comes back before we talk about anything else?"

Gu Jiu sat there for a long time before his expression calmed down. He remained silent for a long time, then tilted his head back to drink some tea before looking at the latter: "I wonder when Third Brother will be back."

He looked at the others accompanying him and continued, "Yesterday, I went to Anrentang and talked to Lao Lu for a while. The people Chen Qingxin recruited are already quite capable, and they even asked for their own wages..."

Gu Jiu paused, then sighed, "It's less than 30% of our Gu family's."

A moment of silence fell over everyone again.

After a long while, Gu Jiu stood up and said, "I am the senior among those who came today, so I will be the one to lose face. You can all go back. I will go see Chen Qing."

After saying that, he stood up, walked to the door, looked around, and saw no one else, but saw Xiaoyue standing at the door. He quickly stepped forward, forcing a smile on his face: "Xiaoyue, is Young Master Chen still living in the same courtyard as before?"

Xiaoyue forced a bright smile: "Ninth Master, I heard everything that was said inside. Young Master Chen was too impulsive. When the Master returns, please give him a good scolding."

This address of "Ninth Master" was filled with a sarcastic tone. Even the not-so-bright Gu Jiu could sense that something was amiss. He sighed and said, "Xiao Yue, take me to see him."

Hearing his tone soften, Xiaoyue blinked, feeling a surge of joy, but she didn't show it on her face. She simply sighed, "Master Jiu's temper is still too good. Please come with me."

After saying that, she turned and led the way.

Gu Jiu followed behind her and soon arrived at the courtyard where Chen Qing was. At this time, the eldest son of the Chen family was practicing standing meditation in the courtyard and was already sweating profusely. When he saw Xiao Yue leading Gu Jiu in, he stopped practicing standing meditation according to the breathing method taught by Mr. Yang, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the two of them.

Gu Jiu stepped forward, forcing a somewhat forced smile.

"Young Master Chen also knows kung fu, that's truly rare."

"I won't."

Chen Qing shook his head and said, "My body is a bit weak, so I'm practicing to strengthen it."

He sat down by himself and looked up at Gu Jiu.

Gu Jiu looked at Xiao Yue and coughed, "Xiao Yue, you go out first. I need to say a few words to Young Master Chen."

Xiaoyue responded, but did not move.

Chen Qing waved his hand and said, "Go pour some tea."

Xiaoyue responded sweetly and bowed, saying, "Yes, young master."

After saying that, she turned around and swayed her slender waist as she left.

Seeing that she had left, Gu Jiu bent down and said, "Young Master Chen, there were many people just now..."

“That day, our family shouldn’t have come here with Gu Shouzhou to make things difficult for you, young master.”

"I apologize to you, young master."

He bowed to Chen Qing, but did not kneel down.

They're from different generations, yet if they actually kneel down, they'll lose all sense of shame.

Chen Qing looked up at him and clicked her tongue: "I've heard that you're a person who cares a lot about face."

"Why are you coming over to admit your mistake so suddenly?"

Gu Jiu's face turned bright red. She hesitated for a while before gritting her teeth and saying, "My son is doing quite well in his studies in the city."

"The teacher said that there is hope that I can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing smiled enigmatically: "So your son is quite the scholar. In that case, I should be more polite to your family, lest your son come looking for me to settle scores when fortunes change."

"Young Master is joking."

Gu Jiu sighed: "It's a miracle that he passed the county-level imperial examination. He could never be even a fraction as good as your father, Master Chen."

Chen Qing's father, Chen Huan, did not pass the imperial examination until he was over thirty years old, unlike Magistrate Hong who was successful at a young age, but he was still a genuine Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Even the most ordinary person can't catch up with such flattery.

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a while before finally speaking: "You came here to see me, can you represent the Gu family who have lost their jobs?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jiu nodded firmly: "Yes!"

Chen Qing said slowly, "Alright then."

“Go tell them that there are nineteen of you this time who were dismissed by Anrentang. Out of consideration for the Gu family, Anrentang will rehire half of you.” “The monthly salary will remain the same.”

"As for who to hire or not to hire, I will ask Manager Lu for details and then take appropriate action."

Chen Qing said calmly, "I know that most of you are surnamed Gu, and you are probably not convinced by me, an outsider. It doesn't matter if you are not convinced. When Uncle Gu comes back, you can complain all you want."

"What if I eat something bad then?"

Young Master Chen smiled and said, "Then things will be much easier."

Because he had to support his son who was going to school, Gu Jiu's temper had softened considerably. Upon hearing this, he quickly lowered his head and said, "I... I'll go and tell them right away."

After saying this, he bowed to Chen Qing and said, "Young Master Chen, my son has worked hard to study, please show mercy!"

Chen Qing remained calm and did not respond, simply watching Gu Jiu leave.

Gu Jiu had been gone for a while when Xiao Yue quietly peeked out, brought Chen Qing some pastries, and gave him a thumbs up: "Young Master is truly impressive."

Chen Qing took the pastries and said with a smile, "I've already played the bad guy. Now it's your young lady's turn to be the good guy."

At this point, Chen Qing paused, then continued, "They will no longer all have jobs, and whether they stay or leave is entirely in your young lady's hands. Before long, they will all be relying on Anrentang for their livelihood."

"They will all be completely obedient to your young lady."

Xiaoyue scratched her head.

Chen Qing looked at her and said speechlessly, "Can't you remember or can't you understand?"

Xiaoyue looked at Chen Qing pitifully.

"I'm afraid I might have misremembered, so please write it down on paper, young master."

Chen Qing nodded, went back into the house and wrote down the general idea, then handed it to Xiao Yue. Xiao Yue took the paper and, without delay, went back to the embroidery tower in the backyard and gave it to Miss Gu.

At that moment, Miss Gu was flipping through a newly bought novel when she heard Xiaoyue's words, and she picked up Chen Qing's writings to take a look.

After looking at it several times, Miss Gu said to Xiaoyue, "Go tell him I understand."

After Xiaoyue left the embroidery building, Miss Gu sighed softly.

"He still doesn't want to get involved in Anrentang's affairs himself."

After saying this, Miss Gu looked down at the storybook in her hand, frowned slightly, and seemed to be lost in thought.

…………

The county government office and the county prison.

Gu Shouye handed a small piece of gold to the guard, his voice hoarse: "Officer, we just want to say a few words."

"A generous reward will be given after the matter is accomplished!"

The constable frowned and shook his head, saying, "The court session is tomorrow. At this time, who would dare let you meet? What if you collude to give conflicting testimonies?"

Despite saying that, he still put the small piece of gold into his sleeve, looked around, lowered his voice, and said two words.

"The hour of Chou (1-3 AM)".

Gu Shouye understood and nodded, saying, "Thank you."

So, in the middle of the night, a set of jailer's clothes was thrown into Gu Shouye's cell. Gu Shouye carefully changed into them and, taking advantage of the midnight hour, made his way to Gu Shouzhuo's cell.

He squatted down, patted the disheveled Gu Shouzhuo, and lowered his voice: "Seventh Brother."

Gu Shouzhou looked up at him, his gaze momentarily frozen.

Gu Shouye took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Seventh Brother, listen to me."

"At most, this is manslaughter, not a heinous crime. This matter can only go as far as you can handle it."

Gu Shouye's voice was hoarse: "If the three of us brothers all fall because of this, the Gu family is finished."

“If you are exiled, I will take care of you along the way. Your wife and children will be looked after by your fourth brother and me. You will be able to come back in a few years.”

Gu Shouzhou kept his head down and didn't speak for a long time. After a while, he turned to look at Gu Shouye, his voice trembling slightly.

"Third brother."

Gu Shouye looked around and, seeing that no one was around, said, "You speak."

Gu Shouzhou's face was covered in tears, and his voice was pleading.

“I’ll take responsibility for this, but you can’t treat me like a righteous man…”

Gu Shouye held his hand and said only two words.

"rest assured."

(End of this chapter)