Chapter 2: The Bizarre Encounter of Picking Up Porcelain

  It's clear that the old man in front of him has encountered the notorious "碰瓷" incident, and these two young people wearing cloth jackets are obviously intentionally letting the old man bump into this worthless porcelain, and then extorting money from him. However, looking at the old man wearing a silk jacket with a classical air, a pair of sideburns, and a unique pocket watch hanging on his chest, he is probably either rich or noble, but he appears calm and composed in the face of what's happening, his eyes revealing a sense of stability and composure.

  Xu Shaowen felt a bit strange in his heart. How could such an old man with status come alone to this kind of busy and chaotic place?

  "Two young brothers," the old man smiled, with a hint of disdain, "I dare ask which official in the Qingwang Fu is your respected father? Although I am shallow and ignorant, I also had some dealings with King Qing's officials in the past. Perhaps we have met before?"

  Upon seeing the old man's calm demeanor and hearing his words, the two swindlers furrowed their brows. To be honest, they couldn't even recall the name of the King of Qing, let alone whether their own father had ever worked in the King's mansion. However, in this city that was once the capital of the Qing dynasty, all sorts of high-ranking officials and nobles existed. The old man before them, in terms of both temperament and attire, seemed to be a member of the aristocracy; it was possible that he really did have some connection with the King of Qing.

  It's not that they can't afford to offend these two rascals in principle, but with so many neighbors watching, no one wants to lose face, otherwise they won't be able to show their faces in this alley anymore. Moreover, although this porcelain is a fake product casually picked up from Liulichang, it's still an object after all, and you can't just waste the capital, right?

  "You're quite the character, old man. At your age, you should know better than to break someone's property and not offer compensation." The older youth spoke up, his tone somewhat shaky, "Let's not discuss the Qing Emperor for now, we just need to resolve this matter of the vase."

  "You old man, have you gone senile? What time is it now? This is the Republic of China era. You're acquainted with Qing Wangye, so aren't you on brotherly terms with those Manchu Tartars? I've seen many old men like you, don't think you can act arrogant just because you used to be an official in the Qing court and have some family assets. Now is the time to talk about democracy and law." The second padded jacket spoke menacingly, his tone not weakening in the slightest, but what he said unknowingly became contradictory.

  They previously called their father a servant in the Qing royal court, but now they scold him as a traitor. Little do they know that they are also scolding themselves as traitors.

  The old man slightly furrowed his brow but quickly regained his composure and continued smiling without saying a word.

  "Alright, 200 yuan is indeed not a small amount. Since you have had dealings with King Qing before, you're practically family. We won't ask for more. How much cash do you have on hand? Let's just say we'll take a loss." The older youth decided to back down and at the same time gave another young man in a woolen jacket a signal.

  "Did you hear that? Take out how much money you have on you, don't make a big deal out of this small matter. You're someone with status, be careful not to tarnish your reputation if it gets out." Another blanket-wearing person immediately shouted in understanding.

  The two brothers, one playing the white face and the other playing the black face, sang in harmony as if they were going to devour this old man's family.

  Xu Shao Wen couldn't help but feel a sense of injustice, although he vaguely felt that the old man should be able to handle it, at most just spending some money to settle the matter. However, as a 21st-century police officer trainee, he had an innate aversion to crime and social evil. This mentality was largely due to his youth and inexperience with the true face of society.

  He strode quickly through the crowd of onlookers, walked to the middle of the old man and two young people, deliberately put on a majestic posture, and shouted: "What's going on? What's making such a big fuss?"

  Although Xu was only wearing a dress shirt on his body, the blue military pants and long tube military boots, plus the military coat wrapped in his hand, made everyone certain that an officer had appeared. Some timid and fearful onlookers who were worried about getting into trouble began to disperse.

  Upon seeing the officer's arrival, the two swindling youths exchanged a knowing glance. The older one walked up to Xu Shaowen with a smile and bowed slightly, saying: "Officer, you've arrived just in time! We neighbors have all been watching, although it's not a big deal, but we still need to reason things out. This porcelain was something my father had a hard time getting his hands on, but this old man has smashed it to pieces. You're here to mediate the situation."

  Before Xu Shao Wen could speak, another man in a padded jacket said: "General, we two are sworn brothers with Captain Wu of the police station. If you can help us preside over justice, this reward will naturally not be less for you."

  Xu Shao Wen smiled coldly and kicked the broken porcelain pieces on the ground with his foot, saying in a cold tone: "What does the police station have to do with me? Are they also managing the Army Ministry now? Who said earlier that this was the ancestral porcelain of Qing Wang Fu? Don't mention it to me, but your broken porcelain is only one or two years old, and the craftsmanship is not pure. Is this what you call ancestral?"

  The two brothers immediately sensed that Xu Shao's tone was not from their own people, and they suddenly felt a chill in their hearts. They even wondered if this military officer had any connection with the old man. The two of them immediately wanted to retreat, fearing that if they continued to get entangled in this matter, they might end up losing everything.

  The older cloth seller smiled and said, "General, whether this porcelain is an heirloom or not, we two brothers are not experts. Since you say it's worthless, let us first go back and ask our elders at home if we've brought the wrong thing." After finishing speaking, he pulled his partner and turned to leave.

  Xu Shaowen coldly laughed and shouted: "Halt!"

  One sentence was spoken with a stern tone but without anger, and the two swindlers immediately dared not to move rashly, turning around and smiling apologetically.

  "You scoundrels, I've seen many of your kind. As you just said, this is the Republic of China, where democracy and constitutionalism reign. You're all aware of that, so why do you still deliberately commit such shameful acts?" Xu Shao-wen sternly questioned, not intending to lecture these hoodlums with grandiose words. For people as obstinate and opportunistic as they were, lecturing was completely pointless; the only option was to intentionally make things difficult for them, to let them know who's boss.

  "General, can't we just admit our mistake and be done with it? We didn't do anything serious like murder or arson. Besides, the old man was the one who damaged our stuff in the first place." The older padded jacket repeatedly begged for forgiveness, but still tried to salvage some dignity on the surface.

  Xu Shaowen couldn't help but shake his head in frustration. This little rascal really didn't know what was good for him. He walked up and heavily patted the older man's shoulder, saying: "You're still stubbornly insisting that it was the old man who broke your porcelain, aren't you? Do I need to invite you to sit in the military police interrogation room so you can understand the situation?"

  Two young rascals naturally didn't know whether the army department had an interrogation room or not, but upon hearing the words "interrogation" and associating it with the military, they couldn't help but feel a wave of fear in their hearts.

  "Officer, we were wrong, it was our fault," the older hoodlum hastily changed his tune. "We were blinded by self-interest, but Officer, you are a magnanimous person, and we two brothers also did this because we couldn't make ends meet at home. We have elderly and young dependents, and life is not easy for us either. I swear, this was absolutely the first time my brother and I have done something like this, and we will never do it again."

  The little rascal who always played the villain finally put on a sorrowful face and followed, shouting "General, this won't happen again, this won't happen again!"

  Xu Shaowen saw the two men's dog-like appearance and felt a bit relieved in his heart. He thought for a moment, then calmly said: "What's the use of begging me for mercy? Go ask the old master what he means."

  The two young rascals, upon hearing this, immediately thought to themselves that things were not going well. This was originally a deliberate attempt to extort money from the old man's family, so how could they possibly be easily forgiven now? The two of them looked extremely embarrassed, but still put on an innocent face and pitifully turned to beg for mercy from the old man.

  The old man was somewhat surprised to see this situation, but he was after all a person of status, and he didn't take the tricks of these street urchins seriously. He smiled slightly with deep meaning, and said to the two young hooligans: "Alright, let's just let it go this time, but if you dare to do it again, heaven and your conscience will punish you."

  The two little rascals, as if they had been pardoned, hastily thanked them and then rushed away in a flurry. The onlookers, seeing that there was no more show to be seen, also dispersed one after another, and the street returned to its usual bustle.

  Xu Shaowen turned around, nodded slightly to the old man and said: "Old sir, you look like a person of status, but there are some shallow places in the city that you should be careful about. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." He finished speaking and prepared to turn around and leave.

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