Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

More and more people gathered around to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering about the Jia family.

Jia Dongxu was completely dumbfounded. He was a grown man who had never seen such a scene before. He was so anxious that he didn't know what to do, and his face turned as red as a pig's liver.

Qin Huairu was so embarrassed that she was about to cry. She bit her lip tightly, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could crawl into.

Yi Zhonghai frowned deeply.

He thought Jia Dongxu was the best candidate for his retirement, and he couldn't let his reputation be ruined on the very first day of their marriage.

"Alright! Stop crying!"

Yi Zhonghai said in a deep voice. He walked up to Jia Zhangshi, then turned to Cheng Shuhai, "Shuhai, Jia's sister-in-law was in the wrong in this matter. But on such a joyous occasion, we can't let everyone go hungry."

"In that case, I'll pay for these ten tables!"

Yi Zhonghai, looking pained, pulled money from his pocket. "Go do it now, and make sure it's done properly!"

He thought that once he paid the money, the matter would be resolved, and Cheng Shuhai would finally give him face as an old man.

To everyone's surprise, Cheng Shuhai didn't even look at the money in his hand and simply shook his head.

"I won't answer."

Two words: crisp and clean.

Yi Zhonghai was stunned: "Why? I've already paid!"

Cheng Shuhai glanced at him indifferently, then looked at Jia Zhangshi, who was still howling on the ground, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Uncle Yi, I dare not accept your money."

"You gave me the money today, so I'll prepare the feast. But tomorrow, Aunt Jia will come to my door crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself, demanding the money back. My small business can't afford such trouble."

"I'm not doing this business anymore."

After saying that, Cheng Shuhai ignored the astonished looks of the crowd, took his younger sister Cheng Ling'er's hand, and turned to leave.

Under the complex gazes of the crowd, the brother and sister returned to the small restaurant.

Only a group of people remained outside the small restaurant.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Yi Zhonghai.

The money in his hand was awkwardly suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to give it or not.

"Old Yi, what... what should we do?"

Tan Zhaodi tugged at his sleeve, her face full of anxiety.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

He absolutely could not let Jia Dongxu's wedding become a joke, otherwise where would he, as the master, put his face?

"What else can we do? We have to find someone else!"

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and turned his gaze to Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui.

"Old Liu, Old Yan, this matter can't just be left like this."

"We can't let outsiders laugh at our happy occasion!"

Yi Zhonghai then spoke.

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's ambition immediately flared up, and he stepped forward, his belly protruding: "That's right! Old Yi is right! We have to think of a way!"

Yan Bugui was secretly wondering if he could get some benefits from the Jia family if he put in the effort.

So the three of them put their heads together and, with Yi Zhonghai taking the lead, pooled their money to urgently hire a cook from outside.

But in this emergency, where can we find a good cook?

Finally, they spent a lot of money to hire a chef from a nearby tavern. Compared to Cheng Shuhai, the chef's skills were worlds apart.

When the banquet started at noon and the dishes were served, everyone in the courtyard turned green with shock.

The promised feast of fish and meat turned into plates of stir-fried cabbage and stewed tofu. The slices of meat were as thin as paper, swirling in the soup, and it took a long time to find a single piece with chopsticks.

"That's it? You call this a wedding banquet?"

"I gave 5,000 yuan as a gift, and this is what I get to eat?" (At this time, 10,000 yuan was equivalent to 1 yuan.)

"It's not even as good as a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes at Cheng Shuhai's restaurant!"

The guests complained bitterly, finding the food utterly unappetizing.

Sitting at the main table, looking at the watery and bland dishes, Jia Zhangshi's old face was as long as a donkey's, and she cursed Cheng Shuhai a thousand times in her heart.

Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu didn't dare to look up the entire time; this wedding was a complete loss of face and dignity.

The news that the Jia family's lavish wedding banquet had become a laughing stock in the entire neighborhood spread like wildfire throughout Nanluoguxiang.

……

In the evening, Cheng Shuhai held his younger sister's hand and strolled slowly back from the restaurant.

The restaurant was unusually busy today. Many people who came to see the Jia family's commotion ended up having a meal there and asking about the gossip.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Xu Damao darted out from the backyard like a monkey and blocked his way.

"Brother Cheng! Brother Cheng! You're finally back!"

Xu Damao, a gloating smile on his face, lowered his voice and said animatedly, "You didn't see what happened at noon today! The cook that Third Uncle and the others hired made dishes that tasted like pig swill!"

"Jia Zhangshi's face turned green! Everyone in the courtyard was cursing, saying that the money given as a gift was wasted!"

"That's great! The Jia family is now completely famous in Nanluoguxiang!"

Cheng Shuhai listened and simply nodded.

This result was entirely within his expectations.

If you want to gain an advantage, you have to be prepared to be laughed at.

He was about to walk past Xu Damao to go home when suddenly, a sharp gaze shot out from behind him.

Jia Zhangshi, like an enraged lioness, strode out of her house with her hands on her hips and a menacing air.

"Cheng Shuhai! You stop right there!"

Her roar, full of energy, instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

Those who had just finished dinner and were out for a stroll, those who were going to the restroom, and those who hadn't gone home yet all stopped in their tracks and looked over in unison.

This is going to be interesting!

Jia Zhangshi rushed to Cheng Shuhai in a few steps, stretched out her finger, and almost poked his nose.

"Cheng Shuhai!" she shrieked, her face full of venom. "Our Jia family has lost so much face today, all because of you!"

"You must compensate us for the damage to our reputation! Otherwise, this isn't over!"

Jia Zhangshi's outburst, which turned black into white, silenced the entire courtyard.

Even Xu Damao was stunned. He had seen unreasonable people before, but he had never seen anyone so unreasonable.

They wanted to get something for nothing, so they turned around and demanded compensation from the victim?

What kind of divine logic is this?

The people in the courtyard were also incredulous. Then, pairs of eyes, eager to see what would happen, swept back and forth between Cheng Shuhai and Jia Zhangshi.

They all knew that Jia Zhangshi was furious and about to throw a tantrum.

And Cheng Shuhai, this young man, is no pushover either.

Now, there’s something good to watch!

Instead of getting angry at Jia Zhangshi's accusations, Cheng Shuhai was so angry that he laughed.

He gently shielded his younger sister, Cheng Ling'er, behind him to prevent her from being sprayed with Jia Zhangshi's spittle, and then calmly looked at the shrew in front of him.

"Compensation? Aunt Jia, are you talking nonsense?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling quality and clearly reached everyone's ears.

"I asked you to prepare the wedding banquet, but you didn't, making my son's wedding day the laughingstock of the whole neighborhood!"

"You've completely disgraced the Jia family! Shouldn't you compensate us for this?"

Jia Zhangshi declared confidently.

Cheng Shuhai smiled as he looked at Jia Zhangshi.

"I run a restaurant, you come to eat, it's business."

"When did I agree to give you ten tables for free? It was all your own wishful thinking. You said it and then ran off, giving me no chance to refuse. That's called forced buying and selling, understand?"

Cheng Shuhai couldn't help but roll his eyes; this Jia Zhangshi was really something else.

"You say your family has lost face." Cheng Shuhai's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Face is something you earn yourself, not something given to you by others. You wanted to hold a grand wedding banquet without spending a penny, eating for free from everyone in the hospital. From the beginning, you never intended to care about face, so what's the point of talking about losing face now?"

"As for compensation..."

Cheng Shuhai changed the subject, took a step forward, and instantly overwhelmed the enemy with his imposing aura.

"If anyone should be paying compensation, it should be you paying me!"

"You've repeatedly come to my restaurant entrance and caused a scene, and today you even tarnished my reputation in front of the entire hospital, affecting my business and delaying my ability to entertain guests. How much loss have you caused me, both inside and out?"

"Aunt Jia, shouldn't we settle this score?"

Cheng Shuhai's words were logically clear and piercingly insightful, leaving Jia Zhangshi completely bewildered.

She opened her mouth, stammered for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

The way the neighbors looked at Jia Zhangshi changed.

Yes, Cheng Shuhai's words make perfect sense!

From beginning to end, it was you, Jia Zhangshi, who wanted to take advantage. When others didn't let you, you still had the nerve to say that?

"You...you're spouting nonsense!"

Enraged and humiliated, and seeing that she couldn't win an argument, Jia Zhangshi was about to resort to her ultimate weapon—a tantrum.

She was about to rush up and give Cheng Shuhai a few slaps.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi coming at him, Cheng Shuhai immediately struck, slapping her across the face several times!