bestfiction Chapter 1299 I cannot betray my conscience and falsely accuse others for the sake of making a living
Chapter 1299 I cannot betray my conscience and falsely accuse others for the sake of making a living
The reason they opened the door themselves was because the two young ladies greeting guests inside didn't respect them at all.
When Da Bao and Zuo Mingyue entered, the two hostesses stopped them. In the eyes of Europeans, Asians all look alike, so Da Bao was not unusual to them. As for Zuo Mingyue, although she was beautiful, she was pregnant and looked like a girl next door.
Neither of these two people seems like someone who could afford Graff jewelry.
The hostess spoke very politely, but her eyes held a look of disdain.
"Sir, Madam, this is Graff Jewelry. Every piece of jewelry here is worth at least ten thousand pounds. I think you've come to the wrong place. The old jewelry shop in Chinatown is four blocks away from here. Please come in."
In the early 19th century, the first group of Chinese laborers arrived in London and settled in the Limehouse neighborhood of East London, which became the prototype of Chinatown. Because of their diligence, hard work, and unity, the Chinese quickly transformed from laborers into crafts owners.
By this time, the Limehouse community had already limited the development of the Chinese community. Hong Qi, the leader of the Hongmen, decided to move all the Chinese shops to Jerroy Street and Lexington Square in West London. By the late 1950s, the entire street was populated by Chinese, and there was only one organization: the Hongmen.
In the eyes of foreigners, there are two dynasties in China that surpass all other countries in the world: the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, foreigners like to call Chinese people "Tang people," and the street under the jurisdiction of the Hongmen is also known as Chinatown.
Da Bao's face darkened upon hearing the hostess's words. Europeans looked down on Asians, believing that only white people were the most superior race in the world, so their attitude was not surprising to Da Bao.
Originally, Zuo Mingyue didn't want to cause trouble. She tugged at Da Bao, meaning, "Let's go somewhere else."
One of the greeters rolled her eyes and suddenly shouted.
"Don't leave, I suspect you stole something from our store."
Zuo Mingyue was furious. Before Da Bao could speak, she shouted.
"You've gone too far! We were standing at the door, not even inside, and you're already accusing us of stealing from your store. Is this how you treat your customers?"
The store manager, a balding man in his forties, had been watching the two hostesses intently as they tried to usher the plainly dressed young couple out. He secretly praised the two women, thinking they were quick-witted and clever; that was the right thing to do. Otherwise, any poor wretch would be able to come to Graff to pick out jewelry.
If a noblewoman were to arrive at this time and see that we, Graff, are serving such poor people, wouldn't that lower the status of our jewelry store?
At this moment, an ordinary-looking noblewoman pushed open the door and walked in, followed by two young men. Judging from their clothes, one could tell that they were high-ranking officials and nobles.
The manager immediately greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Welcome to our store, madam. What kind of jewelry would you like to see?"
Da Bao grew impatient; his face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.
"Is this how you treat your customers at Graff Jewelry? Not only do you refuse to let us in, but you also falsely accuse us of stealing. You've gone too far."
"The manager said impatiently."
"Anqi, go to the street and call someone wearing a hat over here. Arrest these two paupers and search them thoroughly to see if they have anything from our jewelry store."
Inside.
A hostess ran out triumphantly.
Da Bao decided not to leave. He helped Zuo Mingyue sit down and then stared arrogantly at the manager and the others.
The manager felt uneasy under the stare and involuntarily took a half step back. Just then, the hostess led in two policemen wearing round hats.
At this moment, the ordinary-looking noblewoman stopped looking at the jewelry and watched the spectacle with great interest. A young man following behind her whispered a few words in her ear. The noblewoman's eyes widened in surprise, and then she nodded.
The police officer spoke with extreme arrogance as soon as he saw Da Bao and Zuo Mingyue.
"Easterners, you should go to Chinatown. This is a place reserved for the most distinguished people in our empire. You are not worthy to be here. Please leave now."
The hostess hurriedly said,
"No, no, no, officer, we can't let them go. They stole things from our store."
Da Bao shouted sternly.
"Ma'am, please watch your words. We've just come in and haven't even reached the counter yet. What business is it of ours if you lose something?"
The manager turned around and winked at the clerk behind the counter. The clerk frowned, turned around, and came out from behind the counter.
“Manager Steve, isn’t what you’re doing wrong? Graff Jewelry is an open business, and we do business without discrimination based on appearance or skin color. As business owners, we can’t judge people by their looks.”
The manager never expected to be betrayed by his own people. He was furious and shouted at the shop assistant.
“Evelyn, you need to understand who pays your salary. If I hadn’t taken you in, you should be out on the street soliciting customers, not arguing with me. Now I order you to search this Asian man’s clothes. If you can’t find the missing jewelry from our store, you can settle your bill and leave.”
The shop assistant's face turned bright red. She was an ordinary girl with a few freckles on her face. Finding this job was the limit of her life. Now she was in a dilemma. In order to make a living, she should go against her conscience and wrongly accuse this Asian man and pregnant woman.
However, her parents' upbringing prevented her from going against her conscience and wrongly accusing others.
She hesitated for a long time before speaking with difficulty.
“Mr. Steve, I’m sorry, but your request goes against what my parents taught me. I don’t think I can make a living by wronging someone against my conscience. I’m not suited for this job, and I’ll pack my things and leave immediately.”
The manager was so angry that his face turned red. He turned around and pointed at the clerk at another counter and shouted.
"And you? Do you also want to be like her? To give up your life for the sake of so-called conscience? Now search for this Asian person."
The police may be arrogant, but the most popular thing in London is gentlemanly conduct. They would not stoop to wrongly accusing someone, and besides, it would not do them any good if they did.
One of the policemen pointed at Steve and said.
“Mr. Steve, I want you to understand this: we are police officers, we are paid by Her Majesty the Queen, not your servants. I think this matter should end here.”