Chapter 58

It is said that this group of people, acting carelessly, stumbled into the hotel. Wang Lun looked up and saw that the leading man was about seven feet and five inches tall, with a purple complexion and a fan-shaped beard. Behind him followed more than ten constables, still grumbling about the difficulty of their duties. Seeing this, Wang Lun secretly took note and did not greet them, instead turning around and entering the hotel directly.

As these officials entered the door, one of them shouted, "Innkeeper, don't ask! Just bring us the best wine and meat! We, the gentlemen, have been patrolling to ensure the peace of the merchants and commoners, working tirelessly for half a day. We are tired and need to rest here!"

After saying this, the group swaggered in, picking out three or four of the best seats for themselves, their faces showing utter disdain for the surrounding guests.

At this moment, a waiter came forward to greet them, "Gentlemen, please take a seat. I will bring you tea, and the wine and meat will be served shortly!"

One of the officials, seeing this, waved the waiter away as if shooing flies, "Go, go, go, get to your work!" Then he snatched the tea from the waiter's hand and poured it for the leading man with the purple complexion, flattering him as he poured, "That magistrate has only been in office for three months, yet he keeps sending us on patrols and bandit hunts, showing no consideration for us! He doesn't even think about it; if it weren't for Song Yansi and our Captain Lei helping him in Yuncheng County, would anyone listen to him?"

Another official chimed in, "Exactly! The bandits on Liangshan are getting stronger, and they have killed several wealthy families in our county. When someone comes to report, the magistrate doesn't dare to deal with those bandits but instead forces us to patrol the countryside and catch petty thieves, just to meet the quota. What's the point of always pushing us like this?" As he spoke, he became increasingly agitated, waving his hands wildly. At this moment, the waiter was just bringing the wine and meat, and he accidentally knocked it over with his elbow, shattering the plates and bowls on the ground.

Seeing this, the man stood up and shouted, "How do you serve the food? Don't you see we are discussing official business? You splashed me with sauce, are you trying to get killed?"

The waiter quickly apologized, while the other officials laughed and tried to calm him down. Seeing that the waiter dared not retort, the man cursed a few more times. At this point, the man called Captain Lei laughed and scolded, "You just keep cursing, are we not going to drink our wine?"

Seeing Captain Lei speak, the others all advised the man, "Why are you arguing with a waiter? Don't you have something to say to Captain Lei? Come, come, come, sit down and talk slowly!"

Only then did the man stop, giving the waiter a glare before sitting down next to Captain Lei, putting on a smile.

Seeing him sit down, Captain Lei advised him, "Don't be so anxious. We all need to keep our cool. Our magistrate is more anxious than we are! Think about it, he has only been in Yuncheng County for three months, and the wealthy families in his jurisdiction have been robbed six times. How can he not be anxious? Fortunately, the neighboring counties are the same, having been harassed by the Liangshan bandits four or five times, so we are not too conspicuous! I say, be more careful in the future. Don't always stir up trouble in front of the magistrate. When we come out on patrol, we can enjoy the wine and meat, which is better than watching his face in the county office, isn't it?"

Hearing this, everyone agreed, and one of them said, "Captain, you drink your wine and keep your land deeds, of course, you are very comfortable! But next time you eat meat, give us a taste too!"

Captain Lei laughed, "You good-for-nothings, who told you this? How much land have I taken? Why are you all pestering me? Haven't you heard that Cao Baogong in Dongxi Village swallowed 1,200 acres of good land from his neighbor? That's what eating meat is! What do I have? I tell you, if our magistrate were not a temporary official, and if he cared about land instead of silver, you would all be dreaming!"

Hearing this, the others gathered around, "Captain, next time there's a benefit, think of your brothers. We've heard that Song Yansi has already taken more than 3,000 acres of land. He should share some with us! And we all know you bought a lot of land before the New Year. Compared to those two big shots, we are small fry, but we don't have big appetites. Just give us a little from the cracks of your fingers!"

Captain Lei chuckled, "You all complain about being poor, but now you have money to spend? How did you get it?"

They all said, "We can even sell our pots and pans to get some money! Of course, we can't compare to Captain, but next time the Liangshan bandits come down the mountain for supplies, look after us. Speak to Song Yansi for us and get us some land. We are reasonable people and won't owe him money! After the deal is done, we will have a small gift for you, Captain!"

Captain Lei laughed heartily, "Speaking to him is easy, but whether it works depends on what Song Yansi says!"

Hearing this, everyone was delighted, "Who in this county doesn't know your relationship with Song Yansi? With Captain Lei's face, how can Song Yansi refuse?" They all toasted him, and Captain Lei, not refusing any, drank until his face was flushed and his spirits high.

After this commotion, seeing that the matter was settled, everyone ate heartily, quickly clearing the table of wine and meat. Captain Lei burped and fumbled in his chest, pretending to take out money to pay. Seeing this, everyone quickly stopped him, "Which hotel in this county would dare to take our money? This new hotel needs to learn the rules! Captain, don't worry about it, just sit and watch. We will handle it!"

These words were all heard by Wang Lun and his group, who were about to go upstairs to rest. Seeing this, they stayed, sitting at their table, drinking tea and chatting, curious to see what these people would do next.

Wang Huanzhang, Xu Ning, and Zhang Jiaotou were all experienced, and they remained calm upon hearing this. Only Mo Fei and Jiao Ting, seeing these people's arrogance, could hardly contain their anger, but they held back because Wang Lun had not spoken.

"Waiter, settle the bill!"

At this moment, the officials finished their meal and shouted to the counter.

A waiter quickly ran over and said, "Gentlemen, did you enjoy your meal? Our boss has instructed that today's meal is on the house!"

Hearing this, the man who called for the bill laughed, "That's decent!"

Seeing that there was no problem, the waiter was about to clear the table, but the man held him back, "You haven't told us how much the meal costs yet?"

The waiter hurriedly replied, "Just three or five guan, not much. Gentlemen, enjoy your meal!"

The man laughed, praising, "You know how to speak!" But before he finished laughing, he suddenly changed his expression, "You give me?"

The waiter smiled bitterly, "Gentlemen, if there was any lack of service, please forgive us! When our hotel opened, several clerks in the county came to celebrate!"

Captain Lei, who had been watching from the side, suddenly became very unhappy upon hearing this, "If you have greeted several clerks, why didn't you notify me? Are you bullying me because I am not a clerk?"

The waiter, at a loss, involuntarily looked toward Wang Lun. Captain Lei, following his gaze, said, "What are you looking at? Afraid we will ruin your business? Get out of the way, call your boss!"

As Captain Lei spoke, he staggered over to Wang Lun's table. The people at the table, all aware of the situation, continued chatting and laughing, not looking at Captain Lei. Seeing this, Captain Lei became furious, shouting, "Is the chest in the hall yours? Where are you from, and where are you going?"

Everyone sat quietly, still ignoring him. Captain Lei, seeing that they were not intimidated, became even angrier. As the alcohol took effect, he was about to lose his temper. The other officials, seeing this, gathered around, adding, "In broad daylight, why are you wearing an iron mask? Do you think you are the reincarnation of Di Renjie?"

The other officials laughed loudly, and Captain Lei coldly said, "You dare not show your true face, are you hiding something? Stand up, I want to search you!"

At this moment, Wang Lun put down his teacup but did not stand up, looking at the drunken Captain Lei, "Captain Lei, the hotel has already waived your meal charges. Gentlemen, after eating and drinking, you should return to the county office to report. Why are you harassing us guests? Do you think the hotel will be afraid of you and let you extort them in the future? Captain Lei, I advise you, don't you know that there are always people better than you and skies higher than yours? While the matter is still manageable, take your things and leave. This will be the end of it."