The entrance of the entire supermarket was in chaos, filled with the wails of Jiang Cui'e and Jiang Cuiping's families, drawing curious onlookers and causing a general disturbance.
Qin Yang's expression was grim, his fists clenched. Usually even-tempered and steady, he was struggling to control his emotions at that moment. He had promised Qin Chuan he would handle this situation. However, things were not going as planned; the conflict seemed to be escalating, and the shamelessness and unreasonable behavior of the two families far exceeded his expectations.
Qin Yang couldn't understand what benefit they stood to gain from this. They weren't getting any money. Instead, they were further damaging the already strained relationship between the two families, pushing them towards a complete estrangement. He genuinely wondered who had come up with such a terrible idea. Was it merely out of stubborn pride?
"Qin Yang, this can't go on. They seem determined to escalate this conflict!" Zheng Chengdao said in a low voice, noticing the growing crowd of onlookers. "If this continues, it will only be detrimental to us." He understood that prolonged incidents like this could generate significant negative publicity for Meitehao Supermarket, something detrimental to any business.
"What should we do then?" Qin Yang asked quickly, also feeling the predicament. The troublemakers' identities were sensitive, and with his parents present, he felt constrained in how he could handle it.
Zheng Chengdao hesitated, then decisively suggested, "Why don't we just call the police?"
"Call the police?" Qin Yang's eyebrows shot up. He glanced instinctively at his parents. He had considered this option, but he wasn't sure if his parents, especially his mother, would agree.
"I'll... I'll go talk to my mother first and see what her stance is." Qin Yang turned and walked towards his parents.
"I'll go too!" Qin Erge chimed in, following him.
The brothers pulled their parents aside to a quieter spot. Qin Yang brought up the idea of calling the police. As expected, Jiang Cuihua reacted strongly, shaking her head vehemently. "No, absolutely not. We can't call the police!" For many ordinary people, calling the police was a major event, and involving them would fundamentally change the nature of the situation.
"Mom, after all this, you're still protecting them!" Qin Gang said angrily. "Look at what they've done to our family! The ones who beat people were subordinates of Third Brother's side, and it was their own fault. Why aren't they looking for Third Brother, and instead coming to the supermarket you're responsible for? It's only because you've been too good to them, typical bullies picking on the weak!"
Jiang Cuihua's expression flickered. "And with them causing this scene, how can our supermarket continue to do business? We can ignore this afternoon's business, but if our reputation is damaged in the future, the losses will be enormous!"
Hearing Qin Gang mention the supermarket's reputation and losses, Qin Shuren's face immediately changed. The Meitehao Supermarket was now the apple of the elderly couple's eyes. They had poured all their efforts into it since taking over. If its reputation suffered and sales declined as a result, it would be truly unbearable.
"Cuihua, I think the sons are right. Those people are clearly trying to drag us down with them. There's no other option but to call the police!" Qin Shuren said to his wife.
Jiang Cuihua looked hesitant. When their family's core interests were involved, the sentiment she had held onto began to waver. "Besides calling the police, is there really no other way?" she still asked.
This time, before Qin Yang or Qin Gang could speak, Qin Shuren spoke up. "Cuihua, you saw how they reacted earlier! We wanted to invite them to a quiet room to discuss things calmly, but they refused without even thinking and insisted on making a scene here at the supermarket entrance! It's obvious they want to drag us, the old couple, into this and have us follow them to find Xiao Chuan. With something like this, is there any other choice but to call the police?"
Jiang Cuihua fell silent.
"Mom, now is not the time to be indecisive!" Qin Yang interjected. "Perhaps you truly value that familial bond, but some feelings are not worth it for certain people. You don't deserve to be treated like this by them!"
"Alright, we brothers need to get back to work. You just watch." With that, Qin Yang exchanged a look with Qin Gang, and the brothers strode away.
Jiang Cuihua watched her sons leave, her mouth opening and closing, wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent, only shedding tears. Qin Shuren gently embraced her, murmuring words of comfort.
Meanwhile, Qin Yang and Qin Gang had approached Jiang Cui'e and Jiang Cuiping's families. The brothers' expressions were cold, their eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
"I'll ask you one last time, will you leave or not?" Qin Yang asked loudly.
"You little brat, I'm sitting here today and I'm not leaving. What can you do about it?" Jiang Cui'e, with her shrewish demeanor, declared.
"Come on, your Qin family is rich and powerful now, isn't it? If you have the guts, beat all of us to death, otherwise, this matter will never end today!" Jiang Cuiping cursed sharply.
Qin Gang's brows furrowed with rage, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists, nearly losing control again.
"Fine, you asked for it!" Qin Yang said. "Erge, call the police! Tell them someone is causing a disturbance in front of our supermarket!" He had no more patience for these people.
Qin Gang quickly took out his phone and dialed 110. "Hello, is this the police station? I want to report a crime!"
On the other side, the members of Jiang Cui'e and Jiang Cuiping's families, who had been shamelessly lying on the ground, immediately panicked when they saw Qin Gang actually calling the police. For many ordinary people, calling the police was a serious matter, not to be taken lightly.
"Hey, you punk, you're actually calling the police!"
"Damn it, black-hearted bastards, calling the police over such a small matter!"
"Where are Jiang Cuihua and Qin Shuren, those dog-like things? Why are they hiding?"
Jiang Cui'e and Jiang Cuiping's families, while flustered, continued to curse incessantly.
"Dad, Mom, don't be afraid, we are the victims!" Of course, not everyone was afraid. Wang Xinjun, seeing this, immediately shouted. "It's good the police are here. They can handle this impartially. We want to see if the Qin family really has the final say in everything!" Zhang Cheng added. This statement was effective and quickly stabilized the situation.
The police arrived quickly. Within fifteen minutes, two police cars pulled up. This time, the officer in charge was not Xiao Guodong but a middle-aged man named Zhao, the deputy captain. After understanding the situation, Captain Zhao's brow twitched incessantly. Anyone with information in Yongnan County knew Qin Chuan's name. This young man, barely in his early twenties yet with a net worth of tens of millions, was already a household name. Consequently, any unit or department dealing with Qin Chuan's business or related matters proceeded with extreme caution, fearing they might offend this promising young tycoon.
Captain Zhao never expected to be so unlucky this time when he volunteered to handle the situation. The parties involved in the conflict were Qin Chuan's relatives. How could he possibly handle this? If he mishandled it, his future could be in jeopardy!
Captain Zhao weighed his options and soon made a decision. Regardless of the specifics, as long as he leaned towards Qin Chuan's parents and brothers, there would likely be no major problems. Moreover, it wasn't Qin Chuan's parents who had made the mistake this time... With this thought, Captain Zhao, his face grim, surveyed Jiang Cui'e and Jiang Cuiping's families with a fearsome gaze.
"What's going on here? Who told you to come here? Do you know this is a public disturbance and disruption of public order? I can detain you on the spot!"
"Officer, we are the victims!" Hearing the threat of detention, everyone in Jiang Cui'e and Jiang Cuiping's families was startled and quickly spoke up.
"Look, what have they done to my son?" Captain Zhao said darkly. "Every wrong has its source and every debt has its owner. Whoever hit him, go find them! What is this behavior, causing trouble here?!"
"Officer, but they are Qin Chuan's parents, and also our sister! With such a big incident, of course, we'd come to our sister first!" someone said.
This statement completely enraged Qin Erge. He immediately cursed, "Get lost, you sons of bitches! Is this how you find my mother? Ganging up, bringing so many people, blocking our supermarket, and not letting us do business! What kind of ridiculous behavior is this? Is this how you do things?! This is typical bullying of the weak, using the shred of affection my mother has for you as leverage and indulgence. You don't deserve to be my mother's sisters!"