C7 The wicked charge for protection

Lu Zhu looked at the Countess and smiled. "Mother, we have only this little bit of silver right now, but that's still not enough. Mother wants to go home, and when I earn some silver, I'll definitely send you home."

Lu Zhu felt rather pleased in his heart. Since the Old Granny had a home, he might as well earn a bit more money and send her home.

Seeing Lu Zhu's expression, the old lady nodded and said, "That's fine, Little Pig. Let's not do too much in the future. You should rest earlier tonight and get up later in the morning. This way, you'll get up early, and your body will be exhausted."

"Mom, it's okay for me to be young. It's not a big deal. I'll hire someone else to do it when I have more silver saved up." With a smile, Lu Zhu helped the old lady into the inner room to rest, while she herself returned to the outer room to sleep on a simple and crude bed made of bricks. Lu Zhu rolled over on his back. This wooden bed was simply too hard. Every day, he would be busy until his waist would ache and his back would ache. Furthermore, this hard bed actually made Lu Zhu want to cry.

Remembering the hardships of the past few days, Lu Zhu felt a little astringent in her heart. When had she ever had to work so hard in the modern era? She was so busy that she didn't even have the time to think about her modern family. Even though the baby would mention it, Luzhu always pretended not to hear it. After a while, the baby stopped talking. However, Luzhu could tell that the baby would often stare absentmindedly at the child holding her parents' hands outside the shop …

Every single day was a busy day, and today was no exception. There was still a long line in front of the store, and Lu Zhu watched the line happily. Every day, she would see the crowd waiting outside the store, and her heart felt especially at ease …

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, Master Li is here …" Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the line. The people who were excluded seemed to be frightened and most of them dispersed. Only a few children who were not familiar with the affairs of the world still stood in front of the shop expectantly.

Lu Zhu was slightly startled as his expression changed. Knowing that something was amiss, he hurriedly scooped up the fries in the pot, turned around and walked outside …

When Lu Zhu saw that Lu Zhu had already stepped into the shop with his left foot, he hurriedly took a step forward and tried to stop him from entering.

That person's expression changed as he coldly said, "Why don't you welcome me?"

Lu Zhu said with a smile, "Grandpa is joking, how could I not welcome you? However, the store is not open for business yet. Please wait outside."

"How bold! Boy, you must be tired of living. You dare to tell Master Li to wait outside." A ferocious man walked out from behind the man.

Lu Zhu's facial expression changed slightly, she knew that she had met a hoodlum. She raised her head and said to the fierce-looking man, "This grandpa really knows how to joke around. I'm still young, so I should be able to live for thirty to fifty years without any problems. How dare I get tired of living?"

The fierce-looking man's face darkened. Watching Lu Zhu about to step forward to teach him a lesson, Lu Zhu's expression remained the same, but his heart was thumping wildly …

"Hey … Li Niu, we're here to try something new. Don't scare me like this." Master Li stretched out his hand to block the fierce-looking man behind him, smiling at Lu Zhu.

Lu Zhu stared coldly at the two of them, who were pretending to be kind to her. She, Lu Zhu, wasn't just scared of them, but also scared of them. Humph, they had been looking down on her too much.

"Since the two sirs are here for the set meal, please wait outside. The store is still not open for business." Lu Zhu said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

"You brat …" That fiendish looking man seemed to want to speak with his fist again.

The large man immediately lowered his head as Master Li stared at him.

Lu Zhu cast a sidelong glance at him, then said coldly, "Don't worry, I'll definitely live longer than you. Please come out."

Master Li's expression suddenly changed when he saw Lu Zhu. He stared at Lu Zhu's pink neck for a long while before finally regaining his senses. He smiled at Lu Zhu and said, "Good, good, let's wait outside."

"Master Li, aren't we here to collect protection fees?" Another strong man squeezed in and looked at the smiling Master Li in confusion.

Protection fee? Lu Zhu stared coldly at those few people before her. She knew right away that there really were people who were jealous of her. She wanted to see how they would charge her protection fee.

Lu Zhu laughed coldly and said, "Welcome, my lords."

Seeing that the three of them had already retreated out of the door, Lu Zhu didn't pay any more attention to them and shut the door with a 'bang' in front of them.

"Mom, why did you come out?" Lu Zhu looked at the old lady standing behind her in astonishment. Inevitably, she was a little worried. The old lady was timid, and Lu Zhu was afraid of scaring her.

"Mom has some matters to attend to today, so you should be careful at home. Those people should just spend some silver to send them off, don't let them …" The old lady looked at Lu Zhu worriedly. She had already made up her mind. Right now, she could only take some money and deal with these wicked people. Money and worldly possessions, safety and safety were the top priority.

As she spoke, the old lady took ten taels of silver and handed it over to Lu Zhu.

"Mother, do you want your baby to accompany you? You can rest assured that nothing will happen to me while I'm in the shop. " Hearing the old lady say that she was going out, Lu Zhu was slightly startled. The old lady was already old, so it was a little difficult for her to go out by herself. Although the baby was still young, she was still very quick-witted.

"No need, let the baby take care of the store for you. Mom will be back in a while." The old lady smiled.

"Alright, mother. Take your time. If you're tired, hire a sedan chair and come back." Lu Zhu was still worried when he saw the old lady off from the back door.

Lu Zhu carried his fries as he thought about how to deal with the bully. It was impossible for her to give him that protection, but from the looks of the situation just now, there probably weren't any guests who dared to come.

Lu Zhu slowly opened the door. As expected, besides the three bullies, there were not a single bird. Lu Zhu looked at the whole basket of chips and couldn't help feeling angry. Normally, this basket would be taken out in a short time, but now …

Lu Zhu snappily asked, "How many do you want, sir?"

"Brat, we …"

"Mm …" Master Li stared at the burly man who spoke on his own, his face extremely unsightly, but when he turned to look at Lu Zhu, his face changed to a smiling expression, "I'll take all of your money." While Master Li was speaking, a pig's paw reached out to Lu Zhu in a disorderly manner …

"All of them?" Lu Zhu was slightly startled. He wasn't on guard against the hoof of Li Yao being pressed on her hand …

Lu Zhu quivered instantly, quickly pulled back his body, and glared viciously at those bullies.

Lu Zhu walked back to the back of the kitchen and wrapped up all the fried chicken pieces, except for the soy milk. She held the wrapped chicken pieces, the steak, and a jar of jam before walking to the front.

"Great sir, this was prepared today. It is three taels of silver and one tael of silver. Please take this." Lu Zhu handed over the packaged food, but the bully didn't extend his hand to receive it.

Lu Zhu was a little annoyed, and he said once again, "Uncle, please hold this properly. It's only three taels of silvers."

At this moment, the dog-leg behind the bully reached out to receive it, but the bully's fierce eyes glared at him. The dog-leg hand shook, and everything dropped to the ground …

Lu Zhu raised his head, staring at the dog-leg, while the other party lowered his head in guilt. Lu Zhu wasn't sure whether this was intentional or unintentional, but since the item had already been sold, they would still pay for it.

Lu Zhu took over the small bamboo basket that contained the silver and said in a deep voice, "Three taels of silver."

"What a joke, this thing has already fallen to the ground. Why should we give you any silver? I came today to collect the protection fee. 15 taels per month, give me some silver." Dog Leg B took a step forward and stared at Lu Zhu.

This time, the bully didn't react, but only smiled obscenely at Lu Zhu.

"Protection fee, I want to ask, what did you protect?" Lu Zhu didn't dare to meet the dog's eyes.

"Brat, do you still want to do business? If you know what's good for you, hand over the silver. Otherwise …" Dog Leg looked behind him. There were some people timidly watching from a distance. Seeing the dog's eyes, they quickly moved their gaze away. "Otherwise, your shop is waiting for it to close."

Lu Zhu sneered and said, "If you want money, that's fine too. But you have to give me a proper reason, or you three can learn how to bark like dogs, one silver for each word. I'll treat you as paying for a dog to watch over my house."

"Brat, don't you dare be so shameless, you've angered our Lord Li …" The dog-leg became angry from embarrassment, and grabbed onto Lu Zhu's left hand with one hand …

Lu Zhu looked at his left hand, which had been grabbed by the dog-leg, and became a little annoyed. Wasn't this clearly bullying a weak person like her?

Lu Zhu was about to lose her temper when the tyrant yelled at the dog: "Comrade Dog Leg, take your dog claws away!"

When Dog Leg B heard this, it pulled back its paw as if it had been electrocuted. It looked at bully with an expression of disbelief …

The scumbag glared at him and said angrily, "Did I let you make a move? "How dare you." The bully reprimanded Dog Leg B and also rewarded him with a resounding slap on the face.

Lu Zhu stared, stupefied, at the two of them engaged in an internal struggle. He couldn't help but feel puzzled. Aren't they here to collect protection fees? Didn't they want to give her some color? How to...

"Miss, I'm sorry. This dog slave doesn't understand …" After slapping the dog's leg, the bully turned towards Lu Zhu and said with a fawning smile.

Lu Zhu was suddenly enlightened. The bully had already seen through her disguise. No wonder she was smiling so slyly. No wonder he had eaten her tofu just now … Now, all of them understood.

Lu Zhu rolled his eyes. The scene he saw in the movie and television dramas appeared in his mind. He raised his eyebrows and visualized everything in his mind. Lu Zhu popped her head out of the shop, casted a flirtatious glance at the bully and said timidly, "Uncle, you have a good eye. We only tell you this, don't tell others."

The tyrant was slightly stunned, his heart joyous as he moved his head over …

Great sir, I really want to be a girl, but my mother gave me an extra toy, and since my family is poor, I have no choice but to go to the palace and be a eunuch. Say, even I don't have that thing, what's the difference between me and a woman, but not only does the emperor despise me, he even chased me out of the palace … While speaking, Lu Zhu dubiously put his hand on the demon's hoof. Lu Zhu tried her best to recall how men in movies and TV dramas would tease women …

Lu Zhu extended two fingers and indistinctly climbed up the pig's hooves …

"Actually, I want to do it too... Female... People... "Especially someone as tall and sturdy as Great Master …" Lu Zhu contentedly watched the bully start trembling, trying even harder to recall the scenes from the movies and TV dramas …

The bully's expression changed drastically as his complexion turned more and more green. He violently trembled as if he had been struck by lightning, and then retracted his pig's feet with lightning speed …

"Great sir, don't go …" Lu Zhu shouted towards the back of the bullies as she ran out of the shop.

"Hahaha …" Lu Zhu laughed maniacally. Against an evil person, you might not be able to deal with him. Just like her, not only did she scare him away, she even entertained him …

But just as Lu Zhu caught a glimpse of the French fries and chicken nuggets on the ground, she suddenly turned bitter.

Lu Zhu walked the old lady out of the back door and immediately returned. The old lady looked behind her and walked towards the south …

An hour later, the old lady stood before the county magistrate's office, looking at the open door with some hesitation. She had come here a month and a half ago, but had been chased out by the bailiffs.

The old lady tidied up the white hair on her forehead, held onto her clothes, and touched her chest before turning her eyes to the wailing drum at the side.

After hesitating for a moment, the old lady resolutely walked over to the Sonic Crippling Drum and picked up the drum stick by her side …

"Dong Dong Dong …" The sound traveled through the mansion and into the ears of the county magistrate.

The old lady was brought to the hall by the bailiff. The county magistrate, who was dressed in the official uniform, was stunned. The bailiffs on both sides of the hall shouted, "Wei …" "Martial …"

The old lady's expression didn't change, nor did her body tremble. She stood below the hall and looked directly at the county magistrate. The county magistrate looked to be a young man, his fair face had a strong scholarly air to it, his straight and handsome eyebrows were more manly, and his bright black eyes looked like they belonged to a righteous man.

"Who's the subordinate? Why didn't he kneel when he saw this county?" The county magistrate's sword-shaped eyebrows shot up as he stared at the old lady below him.

The yamen runners on both sides of the street started shouting again. Dong dong dong dong dong. It sounded a bit scary.

The old lady looked out of the hall and saw that there were already many people gathered outside the yamen. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and she turned to the county magistrate. "Sir, can we speak later?"

The county magistrate had a face full of doubt. He raised his eyes to the onlookers outside the yamen and said to his left and right, "Left and right officials, listen up. Close the yamen's doors."

Grand Master took a step forward and whispered into the county magistrate's ear, "Old master, this might be a little inappropriate. I'm afraid this old woman …"

The county magistrate waved his hands to the side, wishing for the Grand Master to shut up. He knew what to do. The county magistrate, Liu Cheng, had been serving in the county for several years. He had been transferred to Qinglin County a year ago, and his abilities had improved from a seventh-grade subordinate to a sixth-grade official.

When the old lady was in the hall, Liu Cheng took a careful look at her. Although she was dressed simply, her face was smooth and plump, giving off the air of an ordinary lady. Just now when the frightening wood rang out, not only did the old lady not tremble, her expression did not even change as she boldly sized him up …

Seeing that the yamen was closed, the old lady said slowly, "Sir, I have an item to escort you home."