"Qing Lao, why don't you say something? This teacup was broken by you!"
"Don't you understand the importance of respecting the elderly and cherishing the young? Do you really want me, an old person, to argue with them over this?"
Qing Guo Bo's words left Shen Qingyou speechless; these two, the grandparent and grandchild, truly are cut from the same cloth!
There was no other way; it seemed she had to step up herself!
Shen Qingyou faced everyone with determination, "So, what do you all want?"
"What do we want? The tea fee is 999, the teacup fee is 0, totaling 1499! Not a cent less!"
The articulate server rattled off a number that left Shen Qingyou dumbfounded. 1499? For just two sips of tea? This was robbery!
Although inflation was a concern, surely the Renminbi hadn't depreciated to this extent?
"I only have 100 yuan; take it or leave it!"
"Oh, look at you two all dressed up; how can you be so poor that you can't even pay for tea?"
Tea? If 1499 was just for two sips, she really wanted to know what kind of divine nectar she was drinking!
"Ma'am, I think you need to understand: it's not that we can't afford it; it's that we don't want to pay!"
Shen Qingyou stood firm; she absolutely would not pay a single cent more than necessary. She felt that 100 yuan was in line with the overall consumption level of this city, and the so-called zero-cost cup was simply Fang Yetan.
At this point, both sides had reached a stalemate. The other party refused to budge, and Shen Qingyou wouldn't compromise. The Officer, caught in the middle, didn't know how to handle the situation. In the end, after receiving a mysterious phone call, he immediately pulled out his handcuffs and was about to cuff Shen Qingyou's wrist.
"Wait!"
Shen Qingyou pressed down on the Officer, "Comrade, I did something wrong, you have to arrest me!"
"Disturbing public order!"
The Officer said little, pulling Shen Qingyou out.
"Stop!"
A stern voice sounded from behind the crowd. The previously silent Qing Guo Bo slowly stood up, "Which district are you from?"
"What does that matter to you?"
The Officer instinctively protected his badge. It turned out that this Officer had some sort of agreement with the Tea House. He was responsible for maintaining public order in this area, and the Tea House paid him a certain amount each month for security. Usually, if some customers who were being overcharged refused to pay, when the 110 emergency call was reported to their district, he would respond. Generally, customers would prefer to let things go; in today's fast-paced society, how many people have the time to go to the police station over a few hundred yuan?
"Hurry up and leave!"
The Officer urged Shen Qingyou. Although this old man had been silent, he felt that he was more difficult to deal with than the woman in front of him. However, since he had taken money from others, he naturally had to help them out of trouble. Otherwise, if the other party turned against him, wouldn't he be losing more than he gained?
Thinking of this, the Officer perked up a bit and tried to intimidate Qing Guo Bo. But no matter how much he tried to act tough, Qing Guo Bo had walked the Long March of twenty-five thousand miles, crossed the Yalu River, and fought in Vietnam; what kind of scenes had he not seen? Would he really be scared by this kid?
Qing Guo Bo wore a faint smile and slowly took out his phone from his pocket.
"Wang, are you asleep?"
"……"
"Are you still awake tonight?"
"......"
"Oh, it's nothing, I just miss you and want to have a drink with you!"
"......"
"Alright then, I'll wait for you at the Fuchun Tea House in the western suburbs!"
After hanging up the phone, Qing Guo Bo dialed again: "Lu, are you asleep?"
......
Why does this scene feel so familiar to Shen Qingyou at this moment?
Everyone looked at Qing Guo Bo, one moment mentioning Wang and the next Lu, not understanding what kind of identity this Lu and Wang held.
"Hey, old man, are you done? Once you're finished, we can disperse. Everyone can go about their business, and I also need you to come with me to the police station!"
"The police station? Of course I need to go, but not right now!"
After finishing the call, Qing Guo Bo sat back down on the stool, his fingers casually tapping on the table—tap, tap, tap—each sound resonating in everyone's hearts. After a while, a series of urgent sirens sounded outside the Tea House. Qing Guo Bo's fingers stopped tapping, and a deep smile appeared on his lips.
"Qing Lao, Qing Lao, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm late!"
Public Security Bureau Chief Wang An was panting heavily as he rushed in. Upon seeing everyone gathered around Qing Guo Bo, his expression froze for a moment before he bent down and quietly asked Qing Guo Bo, "Qing Lao, what's going on?"
In those years, Qing Guo Bo had great gratitude towards Wang An. If it weren't for his promotion back then, how could Wang An have the glory he has today? Wang An regarded Qing Guo Bo as a second father. Unfortunately, Qing Lao always maintained a low profile, and Wang An had long struggled with not having the opportunity to repay him. Unexpectedly, today, Qing Lao took the initiative to call him and invite him for tea. Although it was already midnight, he still felt flattered and surprised!
"Director Wang!"
"Qing Lao, please don't tease me. Just call me Wang An, Wang An!"
This officer had never seen a bureau chief before, but when he heard Wang An's name, he wondered if it was their bureau chief.
"Wang An, you are a bureau chief now. How much is your monthly salary?"
Qing Guo Bo faced the crowd with an indifferent expression. Wang An was taken aback. "Qing Lao, my monthly salary is eight thousand yuan!"
Once, a commentator asked why there were so many corrupt officials in the Chinese government. There were many reasons, one of which was that the value of Chinese government officials had not reached its peak; simply put, their salaries were inadequate. A public security bureau chief earning eight thousand yuan? "That's too little, too little! That's only enough for eight cups of tea!" Qing Guo Bo lamented.
Just the title of public security bureau chief made everyone present break into a sweat. However, this mysteriously influential old man commanded such respect from the bureau chief, which made people even more nervous.
At that moment, while Qing Guo Bo and Wang An were still talking, a figure rushed up the stairs. Who was it? The director of the Price Bureau followed by the director of the Department of Commerce. This seemingly unremarkable tea house was indeed "star-studded" today!
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