Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

"Hey! Mr. Niu! How have you been lately?"

When Uncle Niu saw who it was, he reached out and pulled out a stool next to him, gesturing for them to sit down.

"Hey! Manager Chen! I'm fine as I am! I'm happy as long as I have enough to eat and drink. You haven't been here for a while, business must be pretty busy, right?"

"I wish I could be as carefree as you, Mr. Niu! I'm stuck to the counter every day, unable to get away."

Master Niu knew he was being modest and flattering, so he poured himself a drink and couldn't help but laugh and joke.

"If you think it's too tiring, that's easy! Just pass the shop on to your daughter as soon as possible, right? I'm just worried you'll be reluctant to let it go!"

"That would be wonderful! To be honest, I've been counting down the days, waiting for her to become the manager! When that happens, I'll follow your example and enjoy a little wine and some opera every day."

"Haha! That's great, we can keep each other company then!"

After reminiscing, Chen Zhongjie picked up his wine cup, drank it down, and then suddenly sighed.

"Sigh! It's really tough for a woman to run a business. My Xue Ru is quite the troublemaker. Since she graduated, business has definitely improved a lot, but there's also a lot of gossip! Just yesterday, someone even came to my shop to say something to my face!"

"Hey! Is that true? In our area, is there anyone who doesn't give you, Boss Chen, face?"

Master Niu looked surprised. Chen Zhongjie's silk shop was one of the top shops in Qianmen, and it was also related to the Hou family by marriage. Not many people would dare to cause trouble there.

"Hey! Don't people get disregarded when they get old? To be honest, I came to you today seeking help. You have a wide network, I wonder if you could recommend a few experienced people?"

"Mr. Chen, if I may be frank, but if that's what you're after, I have no way to get it done!"

Uncle Niu lowered his voice, gestured across his neck, and then shook his head heavily.

Times have changed; he wouldn't dare act as a middleman like that now.

"Oh dear, you've misunderstood! I just wanted to teach him a lesson, but I was worried my two employees might go too far, so I came here!"

Chen Zhongjie quickly explained, thinking to himself that this Master Niu was indeed a seasoned veteran, always aiming to kill!

"Hey! Haha, look at this... Alright, let's teach them a lesson! There are plenty of people!" Master Niu realized he had misunderstood and quickly laughed it off.

After clinking glasses with Chen Zhongjie, they began to discuss the matter.

The two lowered their voices and quickly agreed to go out together.

Chen Zhongjie didn't mention that the person he was going to teach a lesson to was in the shop, so Niu Ye naturally wouldn't pry and ask. He adhered to the rules of the underworld and only acted as a middleman.

In the corner, Cai Quan watched the two leave, chatting and laughing, his gaze filled with longing.

There was a time when his family was quite wealthy and powerful.

Unfortunately, fate is fickle, and now he lives a precarious life.

Taking a sip of the turbid wine in his bowl, Cai Quanwu sighed silently, guessing that he probably wouldn't run into a big spender like yesterday today.

He drank the bowl of wine intermittently until he finally stopped calling him.

Cai Quanwu got up in disappointment, intending to try his luck at the station again, fueled by the warmth he gained from drinking the turbid wine.

He put on his felt hat and went out. He was pulling his cart with his head down when he turned into a shortcut alley. Suddenly, everything went black.

Immediately afterwards, punches and kicks rained down on him, making him wince in pain.

He realized he had been stuffed into a sack by quite a few people, so he quickly shrank back to protect his head, groaning in pain.

Half of it was real pain, and the other half was fake.

When you're out on the streets, it's inevitable to get into arguments. He knew what to do right now. If he just accepted it and let them vent their anger, that would be fine. But if he resisted, he would only get hurt worse, and he might even get stabbed in the back.

However, despite understanding the situation, Cai Quanwu had a thousand doubts in his mind.

Damn it! He hasn't had any conflicts with anyone lately! Why did they hit him?

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Cai Quanwu felt like his body wasn't even his own anymore before the punches and kicks hitting him stopped.

Cai Quanwu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the beating was over.

Before he could even catch his breath, he found himself being lifted up and thrown onto a cart.

Where is this leading me? Murder and dispose of a body? That can't be serious!

Cai Quanwu panicked and struggled, shouting as he did so.

"Spare me! Spare me!"

"I don't know what I've done to offend you gentlemen, please tell me so I can die knowing the truth!"

"Hey! This kid's got a good act! But even if you didn't ask, I'd still be looking for you, Cai Quanwu. Tell me honestly, who was that guy you were with yesterday evening? What's his name?"

Damn it! Cai Quanwu immediately realized that he had suffered an undeserved disaster.

No wonder that guy was so generous last night; it turns out there was something wrong with that batch of goods!

"I'll tell you everything! You all know I'm just a nobody who only delivered one shipment. I don't know the man's name, but he claimed his surname was Wang and told me to call him Manager Wang. And I ended up delivering the goods to an abandoned courtyard in Baishun Hutong! I still remember the place!"

Cai Quan hurriedly explained without speaking.

He had no intention of taking the blame for the other party. After all, he had only done one deal, and he had even been beaten up for it. He was still quite resentful.

"What 'goods or bad alley' nonsense? You're still not behaving yourself, are you? Brothers, keep beating me!"

The group was furious that even after things had come to this point, Cai Quanwu was still dishonest and lying to them!

Cai Quanwu was completely dumbfounded. He was not only dumbfounded by the beating, but also mentally bewildered.

Isn't that what happened? But he only came into contact with that one man yesterday when he was helping out. He's always alone the rest of the time!

"I'm innocent, my valiant men! I'm telling the truth! You gentlemen are all wise enough to see for yourselves. Go ask around at the tavern near the front gate, and you'll find I only ever had contact with him! He was the one who asked me to go out and pick up some goods, and after I finished, I went home!"

Cai Quan spoke with a sorrowful tone and sincerity, but few of them had been told by their employers that they would not believe him.

After giving him a good beating, seeing that he still wouldn't change his tune, the group exchanged glances and could only leave helplessly.

I plan to ask my employer after I'm done, since there's no easy way to find someone like Cai anyway.

Only after hearing the footsteps disappear did Cai Quanwu dare to lift the sack, panting heavily with grievance as he checked his injuries.

Every part of his body aches; a simple touch can send chills down your spine.

In the second beating, the other party was clearly holding back their anger, unlike the previous one which was much easier.

The other party was angry, but Cai Quanwu was even angrier inside.

What the hell is going on?!

After the examination, Cai Quanwu felt a chill in his heart; his intuition told him that he had to go to the hospital.

He tried to pull the cart and almost collapsed from the pain. He died just like that, and who knows how many days he'll have to stay in the hospital. By the time he comes out, the cart will probably be gone.

Cai Quanwu immediately limped towards a nearby tavern, intending to find someone to help him.

After finding someone for Chen Zhongjie, Master Niu returned to the tavern for a drink.

Seeing Cai Quanwu come in covered in footprints and with a bruised and swollen face, he instantly understood who Chen Zhongjie was going to deal with.

Hearing Cai Quanwu complain bitterly about suffering an undeserved misfortune, he felt extremely disgusted.

"Hey Cai, you're acting all wronged by getting a beating. If you hadn't done something to offend anyone, why would they bother you? I heard you say that group of people even knew your name, so they're definitely looking for revenge. You should really think about what you did that was so despicable!"