Chapter 11: Force Me to Slap You? Alright!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When he heard Shen Lang and Boss Lin’s conversation, Tian Thirteen was both astonished and surprised.
Although his godfather, Tian Heng, had promised Shen Lang, he was not expecting anything at all. He was merely placing a bet since he promised the Xu family to kill Shen Lang in three days.
However, he did not expect Shen Lang to achieve it. His godfather really managed to get 1000 gold coins. In that case, the person who was responsible for this, Tian Thirteen, would naturally take the credit.
“That’s amazing.” Tian Thirteen gave Shen Lang a thumbs up.
Shen Lang came to the kitchen of the courtyard and shut the door as he began to make the dye.
“Boss Lin, please give me two hours,” said Shen Lang.
“No problem, I will go and prepare the gold coins,” said Lin Mo.
...
The process of making the gold paint was straightforward. The magazine “Silk” from 2001 had a detailed description of the process, and there were related experiential classes in Hangzhou’s silk museum.
First, boil the sophora in water to obtain the yellow liquid. After removing the impurities, the yellow dye would be produced.
Then, boiling it after adding potassium alum would turn the yellow color into a bright gold color.
Therefore, in less than two hours, Shen Lang made half a bowl of gold dye.
For the last step, Shen Lang cooked all the potassium alum and the excess sophora in the fire and ensured that no traces were left behind.
...
Shen Lang pushed the door open.
Lin Mo, the boss of Silk Pavilion, and Tian Thirteen rushed forward with anticipation.
Shen Lang passed the half-filled bowl of gold dye over.
Lin Mo’s hands shook slightly as he looked at the new dye under the bright sun.
He could not stop trembling. That was not only a dye-it was a critical factor that would help the Lin family rise in power.
“Not only is this gold color outstanding, but the color fastness on the silk is also excellent. The color will not fade after the dying process,” said Shen Lang, “Boss Lin, are the 2000 gold coins ready?”
Lin Mo pointed at the table. There was a box on the table with the lid slightly open. It was filled with gold coins.
Every gold coin was about an ounce in weight, so the 2000 gold coins were more than 20 kilograms.
2000 gold coins were a tremendous amount of money. After passing Tian Heng 1000 gold coins, he would have 1000 gold coins left, and that was enough for his family to live a good life.
In the modern world, Shen Lang had never earned so much money before.
“Where’s the formula?” asked Lin Mo.
Shen Lang passed him the formula that he had written.
Lin Mo opened it and saw only a few dozens of words on it. He said in shock, “It’s so simple?”
Shen Lang said, “Yes, it’s so simple.”
Lin Mo said, “The cost price is quite low too.”
Shen Lang said, “Yes, it’s very low. Many things on earth are elementary once you figure it out. Unless you think that these words are not worth your 2000 coins?”
“No, it’s very worthy of it.” Lin Mo smiled.
Shen Lang said, “Boss Lin, you can go and verify this formula for yourself. After an hour, you will be able to make this gold dye yourself. After that, I will leave with the coins.”
Lin Mo did not ask his servants to do it and went to prepare the ingredients by himself. He went to the kitchen in the backyard to verify Shen Lang’s formula.
After an hour, Lin Mo made the gold dye, and it was even better than the one Shen Lang had made.
“This is amazing. The Lin family is going to earn a lot of money.” The patriarch of the Lin family laughed.
Shen Lang said, “Congratulations, Boss Lin, for defeating the Xu family. I shall take my leave first!”
He hugged the bag of 1000 gold coins and was about to leave.
“Hold on!” At this moment, a familiar voice rang from outside.
Then, two figures entered.
One of them was his ex-father-in-law, Master Xu, while the other was his ex-wife, Xu Qianqian.
Instantly, Shen Lang felt a shiver down his spine.
Master Xu looked at Shen Lang and said coldly, “Shen Lang, I chased you out of the Xu family, and I don’t blame you for hating us. However, you shouldn’t steal our new formula. This is the lifeline of the Xu family. Not only did you commit a crime of theft, but you also offended the monarch. That’s a huge crime, do you know?”
Lin Mo, the boss of the Silk Pavilion, was shocked. “Master Xu, Shen Lang stole this formula?”
Master Xu said, “Brother Lin, you must have heard about Shen Lang in the past. He is stupid and lazy and can be considered as a useless brat. How would he be able to make this dye? This formula is invented by the Xu family after much effort and investment, and this thief took it? The reason why I chased him out of the Xu family was that he had stolen things and flirted with the female servants. He is the worst person I have ever seen. Yet now, he came to scam you, brother Lin.”
Xu Qianqian said gently, “If I guessed correctly, he must have found the formula from my wardrobe and memorized it. Shen Lang, I know that you hate the Xu family, but you should not do this.”
Lin Mo gave a bow and said, “Sorry, master Xu, I almost got fooled by him! Initially, I was wondering why a stupid person like Shen Lang has such a good formula. He had stolen it then. This makes sense; I will report it to the officials to arrest him!”
Master Xu looked at Shen Lang with a cold gaze and said, “Speak the truth, did you steal this formula from this Xu family? You only have one chance to speak!”
Xu Qianqian said gently, “Shen Lang, if you admit it. We will let you off. If you don’t, then my father will be mad.”
Shen Lang had goosebumps all over his body and only managed to regain his composure after a few seconds.
He had predicted that such a situation would happen, but it was still astonishing when it did.
The Lin family had always been the competitor of the Xu family. An enemy’s foe was a friend. Moreover, the new formula that Shen Lang invented could bring about a massive blow to the Xu family.
However, why did this happen?
Shen Lang calmed down as quickly as he could and said to Lin Mo, “Boss Lin, can we have a word in private?”
Lin Mo nodded and said, “Sure.”
Then, Lin Mo and Shen Lang went to the backyard.
Shen Lang went straight to the point, “Did you call master Xu and Xu Qianqian over?”
“Yes!” said Lin Mo.
Shen Lang asked, “Why?”
Lin Mo said, “I know this formula will be a huge blow to the Xu family. However, I still asked Master Xu to come over to put the blame on you.”
Shen Lang did not ask further but waited for Lin Mo to continue.
Lin Mo said, “Shen Lang, for ordinary people like you, money is enough. However, for us, money is not the most important. Power is the most important. Without power, no matter how much money we have, we won’t be able to keep it. We may lose it any day.”
Shen Lang said, “If the Lin family became the supplier of the monarch, you would naturally get power.”
“No, this power is too insecure,” said Lin Mo, “My son is studying in the Martial Arts Institute of Tian Nan and is getting good grades. He is soon taking the Martial Arts examination. The results and the rank he would assume in the future is much more important than how much money we earn. Have you heard of the fiancé of Xu Qianqian, Zhang Pu?”
New fiancé? So fast!
The Xu family had just kicked Shen Lang out and had already arranged marriage for Xu Qianqian and Zhang Pu?
Lin Mo said, “The Zhang family is supported by the Zhu family. You should know how powerful the Zhu family is.”
The Zhu family was the highest class in the Yue State, the family of the wife of the monarch. Moreover, Zhu Rong was the governor of the Tian Nan province and was extremely powerful.
However, Zhang Pu probably married Xu Qianqian because of her looks and the wealth of the Xu family.
Lin Mo continued, “Zhang Pu’s father had recently assumed the position of the Prefectural Governor of Nujiang county. Zhang Pu’s martial arts skills are good and have just assumed the role of the general of Xuanwu city. If I steal the business of the Xu family, I will have offended the aristocrat, the Zhang family. What about my son, then?”
Shen Lang said, “You could have just not bought my formula and pretended that nothing had happened. Why did you betray me?”
Lin Mo smiled. “You are just an insignificant person who has no value. The only value that exists here is the opposition of Lin Mo and the Xu family. I betrayed you to gain favor from the Xu family; it’s a win for me. Moreover, now, the new formula is in my hands, I can share it with the Xu family, and both of us can make money together.” 2
Shen Lang said, “The Xu family had never treated me as a human in the first place and did not have any reason to hate me. However, I sold you the formula to destroy them. Therefore, they will suddenly hate me more.”
“That’s right,” said Lin Mo, “Therefore, the Xu family will owe me a bigger favor. My son’s future is more secure now.”
“Boss Lin, you are indeed cruel. I understand it now,” said Shen Lang as he walked away from him.
...
He returned to the living room.
A few bodyguards of the Lin family and the Xu family surrounded Shen Lang.
Meanwhile, Tian Thirteen closed his eyes at a corner as though he was sleeping.
Moreover, a few officials from Xuanwu City had also come.
One of the younger officials was the registrar of the jail of the Xuanwu city. Shen Lang looked at him in detail. He had some memories of him.
Xu Qianqian said gently, “Shen Lang, tell the officials, did you steal the dye formula? You did it because you hated the fact that I abandoned you. If you admit your mistake now, we won’t pursue the matter. We will take it as your foolish mistake. If you don’t think it through properly, then don’t blame the Xu family from being merciless!”
With the current situation, Shen Lang carefully thought through and looked at the officer once again as he tried to recollect his memories.
Yes, he was 60 to 70 percent confident.
“Hahahaha...” Shen Lang laughed immediately.
He initially wanted to sabotage the Xu family but did not expect it to end here.
...
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