Chapter 207: Secretary Jiang

Jiuhu County barely had a population of over a million, with vast mountains and little arable land. Thus, despite being adjacent to Qiufeng City, it remained the poorest of the ten counties under Qiufeng Prefecture.

On Faqing Street in Jiuhu City, inside a small restaurant, Wang Binboredlyly wiped the shiny table surface. His face appeared haggard, marked with bruises. His eyes held deep resignation.

It was noon. Looking around the entire restaurant, none of the eight tables were occupied. With such poor business, not to mention rebuilding Kelaibai Restaurant was pure delusion—just surviving was a question.

At the counter, Wang Shuangxi, however, looked radiant, noticeably younger than he had been over a month earlier. All this was thanks to a wonderful daughter-in-law in the kitchen.

From the first moment, Wang Shuangxi had been utterly satisfied with her. Though he had been surprised and angered a few days earlier when he overheard Wang Bin call her “Yiyi,” after some thought, he forgave the couple for hiding it.

Poor business in the restaurant didn’t bother Wang Shuangxi much. Yiyi had a good talent for cooking. Though she couldn’t yet compare to chefs from large restaurants, she far surpassed those in small eateries. Wang Bin also wasn’t idle anymore; he greeted guests with a smile and worked efficiently—skills he had honed over time.

The poor business was due to the treacherous nature of the county yamen’s secretary, and Wang Bin didn’t know how to compromise.

In Wang Shuangxi’s eyes, this was actually a good thing—it provided an opportunity to temper Wang Bin’s sense of responsibility and tact. As for the restaurant’s business… as long as the cooking was good and guests were treated warmly, it wouldn’t be hard to improve once Wang Bin was truly capable of taking charge. In fact, Wang Shuangxi believed that rebuilding Kelaibai Restaurant might not happen in the three to five years Wang Bin had promised, but it wouldn’t take twenty or thirty years either.

With a smart and filial daughter-in-law and a diligent son who was gradually taking on more responsibility, though Wang Shuangxi still regretted losing Kelaibai Restaurant, he was already very content.

Outside, a figure flashed in his peripheral vision.

“Sir, please come in…” Wang Bin felt hopeful and raised his head to greet them, but stopped halfway, his smile turning into disgust.

Swish!

A folding fan with pictures of green mountains and clear waters on the front and the four characters “Jiang Weng Chui Dao” on the back was slowly opened. After fanning himself a few times, Jiang Dening stepped through the threshold of the restaurant. Behind him, two officials followed in a swaggering manner. One of them wiped the long bench with his sleeve and politely invited Jiang Dening to sit down. The other suddenly kicked over a table and glared at Wang Bin, shouting, “Haven’t you brought tea for the secretary yet?”
Wang Bin gritted his teeth and stared back at the official without fear.
Inside the counter, Wang Shuangxi shook his head secretly but didn’t get up. Instead, he took out a few taels of silver from his clothes and held them in his hand.
“What, planning to rebel?”
The official sneered, reached out with his staff, and pushed hard against Wang Bin’s chest, forcing him to stagger backward.
Furious, Wang Bin clenched his fists tightly and took a heavy step forward, like a wild lion exposed to danger.
Jiang Dening crossed his legs and fanned himself leisurely, paying no attention to Wang Bin’s expression at all. The two officials couldn’t help but burst into laughter. One of them even stepped toward Wang Bin, pointed at his chest, and said disdainfully, “Bring the tea!”
Wang Bin slowly relaxed his clenched fists, and his furious expression gradually subsided as he took deep breaths.
Shoving the official’s fingers away, Wang Bin turned to the counter, picked up the teapot, and went over to Jiang Dening. He placed a teacup in front of him and poured the tea from the teapot into it with great force, the liquid pouring in along with his anger.
Bang!
He slammed the teapot on the table angrily and said, “Drink the tea!”
Jiang Dening closed his folding fan and swung his right arm, sending the fan flying straight at the teacup and knocking it aside.
With a crisp sound, the broken teacup ignited Wang Bin’s anger once again.
Jiang Dening stood up. His fan, still damp with water, tapped a few times on Wang Bin’s head, which was burning with rage. He said leisurely, “Kid, have you made up your mind?”
The words “Never!” burst out of Wang Bin’s mouth.
Jiang Dening shook his head, sat back down, pinched the fan between his index finger and thumb, and opened it again with a swish. Looking at the characters “Jiang Weng Chui Dao,” he said, “It seems you don’t want me to retire to the green mountains and waters to live a carefree life of fishing like Jiang Weng.”
“You? How dare you?” Wang Bin snapped angrily.
“Whether I’m worthy or not isn’t up to you,” Jiang Dening said calmly. “But in this Nine Tigers City, I can crush you like a bug.”
“Don’t think you and those corrupt officials can dominate everything in Nine Tigers City,” Wang Bin said, slamming his fist on the table so hard that the teapot trembled. “Above you are the prefecture government, the county government, and even the imperial court!”

The two bailiffs burst into laughter, but Jiang Dening looked at him with pity and said, “In Nine Tigers City, you’re the first to dare say such things. You have courage, but it’s a shame… Such people usually end up in tragic fates. I advise you to agree instead, so you won’t even know how you die.”
“Do you still have any laws at all?” Wang Bin widened his eyes, bloodshot with anger.
“Laws? Someone’s brought up laws again. How long has it been since we heard that? Five years? Three years?”
Jiang Dening seemed to think it was the funniest joke ever, while the two bailiffs laughed so hard they bent over. One of them even had tears in the corners of his eyes from laughing.
“You… you…”
Wang Bin suddenly swung his right arm and threw a fierce punch at Jiang Dening’s head.
Bang…
One of the bailiffs raised his staff to block the punch’s path.
Enduring the severe pain, Wang Bin tried to swing again when a stern voice rang out behind him: “Stop!”
“Father!”
Wang Bin endured the agony in his heart but dared not throw another punch.
“Master Jiang, this young man doesn’t understand. Please forgive him.” Wang Shuangxi shoved some silver coins into Jiang Dening’s hand, apologizing continuously with a forced smile.
Glancing at the silver in his hand, Jiang Dening sneered and threw the coins at Wang Shuangxi’s head.
“My patience is limited. I’ve tolerated you guys as outsiders only because of my tolerance. If you don’t give me an answer now, don’t blame me for being harsh.”
Seeing Wang Shuangxi stagger back after being hit in the forehead by the silver coins, Wang Bin roared in anger, unable to control his fury any longer. He grabbed a bench and swung it wildly at Jiang Dening.
Bang…
The two bailiffs, like two guardian deities, stood on either side and used their staffs to block the angry swing of the bench.
“Hit him! Break his bones!”
Jiang Dening closed his folding fan—completely lost in patience. This kid was like a stinky, hard stone in a latrine; utterly unteachable.
“What a great restaurant! Not only can you eat here, but you can also watch acrobatics.” A teasing voice came from the entrance.
“Brother Lin!”
Seeing Lin Dong, who looked a bit disheveled outside, and recalling his solemn promises, Wang Bin’s humiliation turned into uncontrollable tears.
“Even when old friends meet, there’s no need to get so emotional…”
Lin Dong walked into the restaurant with a smile and bowed to Wang Shuangxi, “Boss Wang, it’s been months. With the swelling on your forehead gone, your complexion looks much better than before.”
“You… you’re…” Wang Shuangxi was stunned, unable to utter the name.
“Lin Dong!”

“Is it really Master Lin?”
Wang Shuangxi was so excited that his hands trembled slightly. In the past, the name Lin Dong had merely been that of a capable and bold young man worth competing against. But after learning the true identity of his daughter-in-law, he felt nothing but gratitude.
Silver and the Guest-Coming Restaurant meant far less to Wang Shuangxi than Wang Bin. All his life, he had hoped that Wang Bin would find a good wife and truly mature. Although Wang Bin hadn’t fully met his expectations yet, he was only a little further from achieving that goal.
All of this was undoubtedly thanks to Lin Dong.
“Brat, where did you come from? How dare you tease us?”
The constable, who liked to poke people in the chest, reached out with his staff and tried to stab Lin Dong in the chest.
Lin Dong grabbed the staff and shook it slightly, causing the constable to let go as if shocked.
“Is it so fun to use a broken stick to attack people?”
Lin Dong sneered coldly. With a push of his right hand, he sent the staff flying toward the constable’s chest. At the moment of contact, he released a hint of spiritual energy.
Crack!
A harsh sound of a broken bone followed. The next second, the constable screamed as he was flung backward, flying five or six meters before hitting the wall and then slumping down.
Jiang Dening and another constable stepped back in horror, shouting, “How dare you! Do you know who I am?”
“I know. Someone who wants to save enough silver to live in seclusion in the mountains,” Lin Dong said disdainfully. “In fact, just a useless person who’ll have to lie in bed in his next life.”
“Brother Lin, you were here all along?” Wang Bin asked in surprise.
Lin Dong nodded and smiled. “They entered just as I arrived. I didn’t go in; I just wanted to give you a taste of what’s to come, just like Boss Wang. Unfortunately, not much progress was made.”
Wang Bin was too ashamed to speak, his face red with embarrassment.
Lin Dong looked at Jiang Dening and the other constable and stepped forward slowly.
“Go on, attack me!” Jiang Dening pushed the constables desperately, no longer calm as before.
The constable gritted his teeth and swung his staff at Lin Dong’s head.
Lin Dong stretched out his right hand, grabbed the staff, and pulled it away from the constable’s tightly clenched hands.
Then, he swung the staff hard at the constable’s shoulder.
Thwack…
The constable was sent flying like a cannonball, straight out the door.
“I’m Judge Jiang! I’m Judge Jiang of Jiuhu County! If you dare hit me, I’ll make sure you die a miserable death!” Seeing Lin Dong still approaching, Jiang Dening retreated in panic.
“What an impressive title!”
Lin Dong stepped forward, swinging the staff and hitting him hard on the legs.

With a crack, Jiang Dening let out a shrill cry of pain as he held his right leg, whose bones were now fully exposed.
“Too noisy!”
Lin Dong swung his staff again, hitting Jiang Dening’s arm squarely.
The screams stopped abruptly, and Jiang Dening fainted from the pain.
After a few more blows that shattered several bones, Lin Dong lifted him along with his staff and threw them out of the restaurant.
Watching Jiang Dening fly out of the restaurant, Wang Shuangxi said anxiously, “Owner Lin, Jiang Dening is considered a tyrant in Jiuhu City. Treating him like this… I’m afraid…”
“Boss Wang, have you forgotten my relationship with Lord Li?” Lin Dong said with a smile.
Wang Shuangxi was stunned for a moment before calming down. Within the territory of Qiufeng Mansion, there wasn’t a single advisor that this Owner Lin couldn’t handle.
Seeing the crisis averted, Wang Bin hurried over to pour tea and asked, “Brother Lin, why have you come?”
“I came to Jiuhu County to collect ingredients. Also…” Lin Dong took out a wooden box from his mobile counter, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Wang Bin. “I stopped by to see you, Yi Yi, and Boss Wang.”
“Yi Yi! How bad my memory is.”
Wang Bin slapped his head and rushed off toward the back kitchen.