The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 110: Schemes

The gambling session lasted from the afternoon until dusk.

Feng Chuan kept losing until he was down a thousand taels of silver before stopping.

It wasn’t his own decision to stop; it was Gu Dashi who decided it was enough and stopped betting.

Feng Chuan only had a hundred taels on him, borrowed two hundred taels from the casino owner, leaving seven hundred taels that the casino owner, urged by Gu Jingzhe, was unwilling to lend.

In Yan Guan Town, this was the biggest gambling session the casino had ever seen.

Even though Feng Chuan was a VIP customer, the casino owner dared not lend him more.

Feng Chuan couldn’t repay so much silver, and Manager Feng estimated it would be difficult to come up with such an amount quickly.

Feng Chuan was forced to write an IOU to Gu Dashi, promising to repay in ten days; if not, the daily interest would be unbearable for him.

"What about your hands?" Gu Dashi drew a knife and gestured with it, asking with a smile.

Feng Chuan, clad only in a pair of shorts, shuddered in fear, realizing that Gu Dashi was unlike the meek and sycophantic younger brother trailing behind him a few days ago.

With the knife in his hand, Gu Dashi looked like a devil, his gaze upon Feng Chuan no different from that on a chicken waiting to be slaughtered.

"Dashi, we’re brothers..." Feng Chuan quivered as he spoke.

"What kind of brothers are we?" Gu Dashi threw Feng Chuan’s words back at him.

"Can I redeem it with silver?" Feng Chuan pleaded.

"How much are you willing to pay for the redemption of your hands?" Gu Dashi toyed with the knife, looking at Feng Chuan playfully.

Feng Chuan was scared into silence.

He felt that Gu Dashi could crush him like an ant.

He had no idea what number would be enough to appease Gu Dashi.

"Let’s round it up, three hundred taels, plus the seven hundred you owe, makes it exactly one thousand taels."

Gu Dashi’s face lit up with a radiant smile as he took out a contract he’d prepared long ago, and had Feng Chuan mark it with his right hand fingerprint.

"Pay it back in ten days. Otherwise, this hand used to make the mark will be mine." Gu Dashi tucked the contract into his pocket and said.

After Gu Dashi swaggered away from the casino entrance, Feng Chuan collapsed to the ground, oblivious to the pointed stares of others.

Once he came to his senses about owing a thousand taels of silver, he was trembling all over.

Today’s bet broke previous records; the largest amount he’d ever owed before was five hundred taels.

To cover the five hundred-tael gap, his uncle, who was highly regarded as the manager of the Meng Family Medicine Shop, stole the shop’s silver to help him fill the gap, leading to his expulsion from the Meng Family.

Now, a thousand taels!

He dared not imagine the consequences.

His uncle earned a considerable salary at Crispy Food Garden, along with dividends, totaling nearly three hundred taels a year, which allowed him to cover gambling debts of thirty to forty taels. A thousand taels exceeded his uncle’s ability to handle.

If his uncle didn’t help repay it, he would lose his hand.

Feng Chuan was at a loss for how to ask his uncle.

"This Dashi is truly ruthless..." Feng Chuan muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he realized that he didn’t even know where this Dashi lived, yet he owed him a thousand taels of silver.

...

Gu Dashi put away the knife, and with the stolen IOU and his winnings, sneaked through a secluded alley to avoid people, and met up with Gu Jingzhe.

"Oh mom, that scared me to death." Gu Dashi patted his chest.

Despite his calm demeanor asking Feng Chuan to write the IOU like a boss, he was actually panicking inside.

He vowed never to threaten anyone with chopping hands again; it was nerve-wracking!

"Second brother, you really have a talent for gambling. Why not go back in and place another bet?" Gu Jingzhe asked with a teasing smile.

Leaning against the wall, Gu Dashi said, "Are you setting me up? I’m not going into that casino ever again."

Feng Chuan’s crazed expression had shaken him.

Putting himself in Feng Chuan’s position, unable to repay the silver and risking having his hand chopped off, he could go mad.

Too terrifying!

He realized his mother and third brother had completely overturned his perspective; why were they so ruthless with a gambling deal that threatened to chop off Feng Chuan’s hand?

But thinking of Manager Feng holding a knife to threaten his mother, Gu Dashi felt that Tong Huaqiong and Gu Jingzhe showed mercy by not severing Feng Chuan’s hand immediately.

"Second brother, isn’t gambling terrifying? You hit Feng Chuan with your foresight and my planning to win; if you encounter someone more skilled or if Taohua Dessert sets you up, Feng Chuan’s fate could be your example," Gu Jingzhe said to Gu Dashi.

"Third brother, stop talking; it’s too scary. If I visit the town again, I’ll have to avoid the casino completely," Gu Dashi responded.

If he were genuinely trapped, his outcome would be worse than Feng Chuan’s.

Feng Chuan had Manager Feng’s support, while he had none.

Tong Huaqiong wouldn’t redeem him with silver, she’d be quicker to sever his hand.

Gu Dashi handed the IOU over to Gu Jingzhe, and the brothers first went to Rouge Alley, only to find Tong Huaqiong had already returned home, so they took Mr. Xu’s ox cart back to Qinghe Bay to report their success promptly.

"You two really nailed it; you really trapped Feng Chuan." Tong Huaqiong grasped the IOU and silver, as if holding Manager Feng’s Achilles heel, and couldn’t stop smiling.

Truth be told, these bad bamboo were quite useful; things went smoother than she had anticipated.

Manager Feng, prepare to leave Yan Guan Town.

Unless you forsake Feng Chuan.

But Manager Feng couldn’t forsake Feng Chuan, especially in this era, the fear of having no one to handle funeral rites was stronger than death itself.

As Manager Feng’s adopted son, Feng Chuan would undoubtedly have Manager Feng fill the gap positively.

This thousand taels of silver; Manager Feng could only compensate by selling Crispy Food Garden wholesale!

If he couldn’t repay, he’d have to chop off Feng Chuan’s hand or accept Tong Huaqiong’s terms—leave Crispy Food Garden and Yan Guan Town.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t feel she was ruthless.

Manager Feng wouldn’t let her go; it was originally a commercial war that turned into a life-and-death survival battle, she had to strike first.

"Though we hold Feng Chuan’s IOU, you two shouldn’t relax; watch Feng Chuan closely to prevent desperate actions," Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Dashi and Gu Jingzhe nodded repeatedly.

After trapping Feng Chuan, Tong Huaqiong was in high spirits, happily taking Gu Taohua and Liu Yueer to market daily, also taking time to oversee store renovations.

Clerks at Crispy Food Garden eyed Tong Huaqiong like a thorn in their side, standing opposite Crispy Food Garden with the intention of stealing all its customers, causing great annoyance, prompting them to ask Manager Feng for countermeasures.

Even the owner in Pingchuan County caught wind that Taohua Dessert was snatching Crispy Food Garden’s business in Yan Guan Town.

They also sent people to demand Manager Feng come up with a plan to expel Taohua Dessert.

Manager Feng was beside himself with frustration; he was summoned and reprimanded by the owner, initially planning to use the Zheng Family to remove Tong Huaqiong, but before devising a strategy, the casino owner came to collect debts, saying his adopted son Feng Chuan had borrowed two hundred taels of silver.

He could still manage two hundred taels, grudgingly paid it, then called Feng Chuan into the room for a reprimand.

Feng Chuan had previously concealed from Manager Feng the thousand-tael debt, fearing to speak due to its enormity, planning these next days to find a chance to steal from Crispy Food Garden’s contract and ledgers to cover the gap himself. Called before Manager Feng, assuming his deeds exposed, he revealed his debt of silver and his hand.

Upon hearing Feng Chuan owed a thousand taels of silver, Manager Feng felt as if a thunderstorm exploded over his head, causing him to vomit blood right then and there.