Goldfield
Chapter 110: Apology

“I plead guilty, I plead guilty! It's all my fault, I have to die! I hit Yu Hang when I was drunk and I was afraid of the consequences, so I made it sound like he had stolen money from me! God, I'm sorry, ah, I'm sorry! ” Zhang Dongming has been scared out of his wits. He held his head with both hands as he knelt on the ground while crying out for forgiveness like a broken tape.

Zhang Dongming actually had good business intelligence. Otherwise, the rich and aristocrats from the capital would not bother coming to a backward place like Tanggu City to order furniture. However, this man was not only stingy, but also had a fatal character flaw: he liked alcohol. Moreover, his ability to handle alcohol was very poor. Whenever he found wine, he had to drink it until he was drunk, and when he was drunk, he was prone to violence.

To those around him, especially the disciples who came from poor families, he would beat them with his fists or find other means to torture them to satisfy his cruel desires. So, most of the interns in his shop did not stay for long as they all tried to find whatever method they could to go. As for those who had no choice, they could only be like Yu Hang, silently surviving until they lost their lives because of him.

Of all the disciples, Yu Hang was considered one of the people who lasted the longest. He was naturally diligent and cautious while working, so the shop master teacher took better care of him. Because of this, Shopkeeper Zhang had less of a chance to make him a punching bag.

Unfortunately, Shopkeeper Zhang was like a mad dog when he was drunk and did not distinguish between the innocent and the guilty before he bit them. In fact, in his drunken state, he did not have any doubts that caused any problems to the handyman's head. Every time he got drunk, the apprentices in the shop were less fortunate, and Yu Hang often could not escape the fate of being hit by Shopkeeper Zhang.

This time, the head craftsman went to buy some wood and brought one of his tall and strong apprentices to help. He left Yu Hang in the backyard to practice carving and shaving wood —— the craftsman's head had noticed that Yu Hang was hardworking and smart, so it was because of his kindness towards this apprentice, he wanted to transfer some carpentry techniques to him .

Yu Hang had been practicing his skills diligently and did not expect a disaster to suddenly hit him. Shopkeeper Zhang had been invited to drink alcohol with a few people, and as he staggered back to the store, he headed straight to the backyard to satisfy his drunken desire to hit someone. Yu Hang had become his victim. Not only did he beat up the boy with his fist from head to toe, but he was, but the drunk man also took every spare piece of wood that was around him and threw it into the small and weak body of Yu Hang. The boy tried to protect himself but in the end he spat out blood and stopped moving…

This was not the first time he had accidentally killed an apprentice. In fact, Shopkeeper Zhang had never cared about the lives of his students who came from helpless and destitute families. After killing them, he carelessly dumped their corpses into the public grave and let the stray dogs drag their bodies away. Once he got rid of the clues or evidence that led to him, he would then make a fake counterattack. Shopkeeper Zhang would take his colleague to visit the deceased apprentice's family and then accuse the apprentice of stealing something from the store and running away. Later, the embarrassed family member even had to bow down to him and apologize.

Shopkeeper Zhang had a faint picture of what the situation of the Yu Hang family was like. He was the son of an ordinary, impoverished fishing family who relied on fishing for generations. Yu Hang had no background and status, so even if he accidentally killed the child, what was the worst thing that could happen? However, who would have thought that young man Yu had a younger brother studying at Rongxuan Academy and he would take a break and want to visit his brother today? So, his crimes were exposed prematurely.

In reality, being exposed was no big deal either. All he needed to do was make something that made it Yu Hang's fault and send his poor and trashy family away. After all, aren't the poor fishermen, who are under the social ladder, all cowardly and shy? Why would a silly girl manage to lead her nose and make her swear to heaven? Usually making a heavenly vow does not mean anything, but why does heaven act today and send lightning bolts to punish him …

To settle matters now, his only choice was to kneel on the ground and ask for mercy and forgiveness from heaven! Zhang Dongming repeatedly banged his forehead against the ground and the sound of his head knocking on the ground echoed. When he raised his head, one could see a purple mark forming on his face, “I was wrong, I admit my mistake! I am willing to pay all the medical expenses of Yu Hang! If, on the other hand, things get worse, then I will bear all the expenses of his funeral! ”

“Bah! you surnamed Zhang, stop cursing my brother !! Is being rich really great? You should know, everything that people do on this earth is seen by Heaven !! If you sin too much, don't be surprised when Heaven decides to punish you !! ” When the lightning struck, Yu Xiaocao had been shielded behind his father. Now, without the slightest trace of fear on his face, he took a step forward with a flash of lightning behind him. It made it seem as if he was a child sent by Heaven.

Yu Yunxi had stood for a long time in the midst of the crowd. He calmly watched the sturdy, fearless girl in the middle who had a cold expression on her face. A hint of respect for the rose in his heart along with another indescribable feeling.

Although Shopkeeper Zhang wanted to deny the little girl before him in his heart, he continued to prostrate to heaven and admit his mistake. As he apologized and repented, the dense lightning in the sky slowly disappeared and the thick dark clouds in the sky slowly disappeared.

After witnessing the phenomenon, Tanggu City residents also immediately uttered a saying based on this event, ‘If you do bad things you will be punished by lightning’.

Yu Hang, who had been diagnosed as a hopeless patient by the doctor from the Tongren Medicine Hall, slowly opened his eyes after the black clouds dispersed. In a very weak voice, he called Liu Muyun, who was crying non-stop, “Mother ..”

The people around them all commented one after another, “The sky has eyes! The gods not only punished the bad guys but also saved the life of Yu Hang .. ”

“Are you awake, Xiaosha? Which part of you is uncomfortable? ” Yu Hai gently asked his frail son as he supported his weeping wife tears of joy.

Yu Hang barely managed to pull out a soothing smile on his incredible thin face and replied with great difficulty, “Dad, Mother! I'm fine, sorry to make you two worry.. ”.

“It's all my fault, it's all my fault! If I brought you back early, then you wouldn't have suffered such bad luck.. ”Madam Liu has cried so hard that her eyes were swollen that she could barely open them. After the crazy rollercoaster events of the day, she felt physically and emotionally exhausted.

Yu Xiaocao noticed that his elder brother was struggling to sit down and hurriedly stopped him, “Sister, three of your ribs are broken! Doctor Sun has just done his best to bandage your wounds, but you are absolutely not allowed to move just yet! ” Mother, it's a good thing that Big Brother is awake, so stop crying. Your body is not very healthy, so if you continue to cry, it will make Old Brother worry about you a lot. ”

“Sister, let's go home! Father and Shitou will protect you, so there will be no bad people who can bother you !! ” Little Shitou's eyes have been flushed like rabbit's eyes. He slightly sobbed as he tried to comfort Yu Hang. Yu Hang did his best to return his smile.

“Ah .. normally, if the apprentice leaves the store before completing their training, the penalty fee must be paid ..” Shopkeeper Zhang secretly glanced at the dark clouds near the horizon as he stood painstakingly. He barely managed to calm his weak legs as he patted his chest.

When Third Young Master Zhou heard the news, he hurriedly rushed over from the dock. He got off his horse when he got there and broke through the crowd. He came just in time to hear the shameless comment from Shopkeeper Zhang, so he coldly snorted and said, “The family name is Zhang! We haven't even charged your debt from injuring someone, so how do you have the face to ask for a penalty fee ?! How about this, let's go to the county magistrate's office and settle the matter there? ”

Everyone in the city knew that the Zhenxiu Restaurant business was roaring. After all, there were three months of waiting to book a private room there. Moreover, with the imperial merchant of the Zhou Family behind the young master, how could Shopkeeper Zhang not know the status of this young man before him?

“Third Young Master Zhou, what kind of relationship do you have with Yu Hang?” From Zhang Dongming's point of view, one was the son of a wealthy prosperous family, and the other was the son of a poor fisherman. There is not much in common between the two. However, judging from Third Young Master Zhou's tone of voice, why did it sound like he was on the side of the Yu Family?

Zhou Zixu casually cleared some dust from her clothes as she asked about Yu Hang's current condition. In addition, he learned the whole story of what had happened, including all the details. Only then did he glance towards Shopkeeper Zhang, whom he coldly ignored the entire time. She said solemnly, This young lady, Miss Yu, is someone I consider to be my little sister! Anyone who wants to bully my little sister, tell me that they don't want to have a good relationship with me, Third Young Master Zhou! ”

Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inside, ‘Price Zhou ah, when did this girl become your little sister? At most, we're just a pair of business associates, okay? ‘

Zhou Zixu seemed to be able to sense his inner thoughts and turned to look at him convincingly before she turned to smile faintly at Shopkeeper Zhang. For a split second, it seemed like the figure of the small and weak young man had suddenly become tall.

In order for Shopkeeper Zhang to be able to run a business as easily as a fish swimming in the water, he naturally had a good feeling about who he could hurt and who he should treat carefully. Although Third Young Master Zhou was young, the head of the Zhou family respected him a lot. It is clear that the future of this young man will be bright in the future.

Moreover, Third Young Master Zhou had a close relationship with District Judge Wu's son, and he was wrong in this situation. If they really brought this to the county magistrate's office, Shopkeeper Zhang was afraid of losing it was still him …

Zhang Dongming immediately showed off his acting skills with ‘changing expression to fit the situation’. A wide smile flashed across his face as he said stiffly, “I really don't have the sight to distinguish between trash and treasure. Since Third Young Master Zhou helped us resolve our differences, this fool will return the apprentice contract back to the Yu Family taking into account the reputation of Third Young Master Zhou .

Upon seeing the extent of Yu Hang's injuries, Third Young Master Zhou became angry and saddened at how ruthless Shopkeeper Zhang was towards the boy. He cut the compliment of Shopkeeper Zhang short and coldly replied, “Store Guard Zhang, there is no need to do this as it worries about my reputation. We can find out who's really at fault in the judge's office! Simo, please go to the county magistrate's office to report a case, let them know that the owner of the Carpentry Shop Zhang Ji has seriously hurt someone while drunk .. ”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” Although it was a cold spring day, Shopkeeper Zhang suddenly felt cold sweat dripping down his bruised forehead. He immediately bowed deeply and repeatedly pleaded, “Young Master Zhou, tell me what to do and this lowly one will comply immediately!”

Third Young Master Zhou glanced towards the quiet and reserved Xiaocao and calmly asked, “Xiaocao, how do you want to handle this Zhang Shopkeeper ..”

“ Shopkeeper Zhang ruthlessly beat up my older brother and caused quite serious injuries until he almost died. In addition, he also caused severe psychological damage to her. We will free up psychological costs. As for the cost of treatment, treatment, disability, and nutrition, he needed to pay for all this to repent for his mistake. Furthermore, Shopkeeper Zhang incorrectly accused my elder brother of stealing from him and damaging his reputation. He should sincerely apologize to my brother in front of everyone here! ”

Zhou Zixu watched the small figure in front of him, with his hands folded behind his back, pretending to have an adult demeanor. Everything she said made sense, and it only made her feel that she was an adorable little girl. He could not help but soften his gaze towards her and reveal a warm and gentle smile on her face.

“Did you hear all that? Medical expenses, medical expenses. Given our status as fellow citizens of the city, I will make a deal with you. Pay a hundred taels as respect, okay? That wouldn't be considered too expensive, would it? ” Third Young Master Zhou is as gentle as a spring day against his friends, but against his enemies, he is as cruel and cruel as a winter day.

Originally he wanted to blackmail the man for about three hundred to five hundred taels, but he was afraid that Xiaocao and his family would then be slandered as blackmailers. So he changed his request to a hundred taels which made more sense as compensation for Yu Hang's injuries.

Shopkeeper Zhang obviously could not say anything at the moment. His heart was dripping blood at the thought of the term but he still kept smiling as he nodded furiously, “Not too much, not too much! Young Master Zhou's requirements are very fair, very fair! ”

Third Young Master Zhou took a hundred taels worth of banknotes from the hands of Shopkeeper Zhang and then turned to face Yu Hang, who was lying on a donkey wagon. He hinted, “Compensation has been paid off, so hurry up and apologize now! We still have to go back to the treatment room to check on her condition again! ”

Shopkeeper Zhang really did not want to apologize to his poor and humble disciple. However, if he did not do so, most likely he would be taken to the —— area magistrate's office in this case, then he would really lose his face and reputation. After considering the facts, he decided to be sincere and figuratively pinch his nose as he apologized to Yu Hang.