Blissful Days After Widowhood

by Usui Takumii

not mine, word drain.

8. 121 to 140

When they came out, they also heard the people scolding with righteous indignation.

"Last summer, my old man had a stomach ache after eating this Feng family's daughter-in-law's buns. He had diarrhea all day, and he almost went to heaven. I went to her, and she said, 'Why are other people who ate my food okay, just your old man isn't? Isn't it normal to be in bad health when you're old? And can you say that your old man only ate something from my shop all day? Don't deliberately blame my shop'. It is true that my old man also ate something else before. On the other hand, her food was sold out again, and I couldn't find any evidence, so I could only admit that I was unlucky."

"Auntie, go to a lawyer to write a case. It's best to ask the doctor who prescribed the medicine at the time to come up with a medical case. If you file a lawsuit now, they would be added to the crime, and maybe you can get compensation!"

"I'm going right now!"

Of course, it was more of cursing Wang Dafu and Mrs. Zhao.

"Full Moon Hall has been in operation in the town for more than ten years. Who would have thought they did this kind of deed in private? I dare not go there again."

"Our whole family only ate there during Chinese New Year! It's really bad luck!"

After leaving the yamen, Gu Ye followed Gu Yin. Originally, he felt that he had done what his mother said, and had been proudly holding out his small chest, but when he saw Mrs. Wang's pale face with red eyes, his small chest fell a little bit.

"Mother, my grandmother is not happy, is it my fault?" He took Gu Yin's hand and asked in a low voice.

"No, no!" Mrs. Wang immediately wiped her eyes when he heard it, and forced a smile, "Our Xiao Ye did a good job, Grandma was thinking of other things. I've been holding you for a long time today, are you bored? I'll give you two coins, take it and buy something for yourself."

Gu Ye immediately became happy and took the money not before looking at Gu Yin.

Gu Yin also praised, "Xiao Ye is indeed a great hero, you can take the money that was given to you. Go play with confidence in the afternoon, but come back before dark."

Gu Ye nodded with a smile, and left with a jump.

He didn't run far, but waited for Li Zhutou at the yamen's gate.

It was Li Zhutou duty that day, but he was the one who took people back to the yamen at the beginning, so after the handover was clear, he came out too.

The people in front of the yamen had already dispersed, and only a little beanie was waiting for him.

"Is Xiao Ye waiting for me?" Li Zhutou stepped forward with a smile, reaching out and rubbing the top of his hair.

"Yeah, I haven't practiced today!" Gu Ye said with a smile.

The smile on Li Zhutou's face collapsed. That day, he ran all day, and finally knew what his master's meaningful words meant. Later, he and Officer Caotou agreed that Gu Ye's foundation was already solid, and there was no need for trotting and running. Officer Caotou was responsible for teaching him the breathing exercises for internal strength, and Li Zhutou began to teach him simple moves.

They thought that this kid would find it difficult but they still underestimated the vigorous energy of the little bean.

In the past, when Li Zhutou learned by himself, he could learn three tricks in one morning.

Gu Ye could learn half a set of moves in a day, and he couldn't pick out the slightest mistake in his movements.

It left a great psychological blow to him who had just turned twenty.

"I haven't eaten lunch yet," Li Zuotou said helplessly.

"I invite you to eat," Gu Ye showed him his two coins very generously.

"This is only enough for me to eat a bowl of plain noodles." Of course, Li Zhutou didn't point to the little guy to invite him to lunch, but jokingly took him out, "With a hungry stomach, you can't practice well."

"I'll eat this," Gu Ye took off his small purse.

That small purse was hung around his waist every day, but after he took it off, Li Zhutou realized that it was different from ordinary purses- the top of it still had an elastic opening like a normal purse, with two straps tied around his waist. But the bottom was actually sewn into his belt. Even if the laces come loose when running, they wouldn't come off.

"It's a really interesting design."

"My mother did it!" Gu Ye raised his chin proudly, and pulled the tight end of his purse as he spoke. Inside were small cakes and dried meat, each of which was only the size of an adult's thumb, just right for him to take one bite.

How could he buy food with the child's money and let the child eat dry food?

"Hey, don't eat this, I'll take you to eat noodles," Li Zhutou laughed.

He felt something was wrong.

"You've been carrying this purse with you? Were you carrying pastries and dried meat with you every day?"

Gu Ye said, "Um, mother said to eat less but more frequently."

"You ran with me two days ago… No, you also ate this on the day I ran with you?"

Gu Ye looked at him like an idiot, "Yeah, how can you run if you don't have enough to eat?"

Li Zhutou: …

He could understand why Mrs. Wang kept saying that he was too sincere after hearing that he ran with him for a whole day without eating.

Gu Yin accompanied Mrs. Wang back to the house in Jengyi Alley.

Mrs. Wang entered the door and said, "We didn't set up a stall this morning, and we lost a day's silver. Hey, it's too late to set up a stall now. But it's okay, there won't be those who imitate us on the pier tomorrow. We can explain it to the customers and they will understand."

After saying that, she was about to enter the kitchen, when Gu Yin called, "Mother, it's just the two of us at home, you don't have to do this."

"What's wrong with me?" Mrs. Wang said, her eyes turning red again.

When she first caught Chef Zhao and the daughter-in-law of the Feng family, she was so happy that she couldn't help laughing.

A large group of people came out from behind, and she couldn't laugh when she watched her eldest brother and sister-in-law confess in court.

She really didn't understand, obviously they were siblings born from the same mother. Although the relationship was not good and they stopped contacting each other, how could they try to ruin her small business?

Was it because they hated her for taking the courtyard in the old house? But that was left to her by her parents!

Did they hate her because their parents loved her the most when they were alive? But although her parents loved her when they were alive, it didn't mean they were bad to them. Everything in the small family was divided into three copies, and it was never said that it was only for her, not for the two brothers.

Even when the parents wanted to make her husband join the family, they talked openly and honestly with her, saying that at most one-third of the family property would be given to them, and the two brothers could not get less.

Mrs. Wang really couldn't figure it out. The three in the family were very harmonious when they were young. The eldest brother often bought some toys for her to play with, and the second brother often made jokes to tease her.

Why did they hate her so much?

Mrs. Wang rambled a lot, and after crying for a while, her emotions calmed down, and she was embarrassed to hide in her room.

Gu Yin listened to her patiently, and did not feel bored, but remembered something else.

Something she had been thinking about for a long time, but never understood.

As Mrs. Wang said, why?

When her mother-in-law first returned to Hanshan Town, the Wang family had already started to deal with her.

Later, they only gave her twenty two taels of silver, which was not a small sum of money for ordinary people, but for the eldest brother's household with Full Moon Hall and the second brother's household that was not at a disadvantage, it was just a drop in the bucket, far from nothing. It would not hurt the bones.

That time, they did not hesitate to commit illegal activities. If she hadn't guessed that the Feng family's daughter-in-law was instructed and asked Gu Ye to follow her, she would just like her mother-in-law only think about going to the fight with counterfeiters. In the past few months, the reputation of her stall had been smashed.

If she was right, in a short while, the Wang family would arrange for someone to perform an act of finding someone to settle the account from them as someone's health was compromised.

Those who knew the situation may guess that the other party had bought a fake, but as long as anyone got food poisoning, it would be because of eating "Old Master Wen's Porridge", and the person would also forget from which stall he ate.

If the business was bad, and her reputation was ruined, he would offend Old Master Wen— of course, with the current friendship between Gu Yin and Old Master Wen, he would definitely stand by her and lend a helping hand.

But outsiders didn't know their relationship, they only knew that she had worked part-time in Wen's house, and she had a master and apprentice relationship with the Wen family's cook.

For outsiders, Old Master Wen knew that his name was used as a food name by a cook who had worked as a part-time worker, so he didn't care. But if it was such a mess, the old man had enjoyed a clear name for a lifetime, could he bear it?

In general, the Wang family not only wanted to mess with her business, but also wanted them to cut their relationship with Old Master Wen.

What was the purpose that was worth their planning?

And that was too coincidental. It had not been a day or two since Chef Zhao and the Feng family's daughter-in-law had started doing that black-hearted deed. As long as she found out that they were colluding, they would naturally find out what they had done in the past. Mrs. Zhao may be short-sighted. Wang Dafu could ask Manager Zhou to manage Full Moon Hall and make the business so prosperous. Obviously, he had some brains. How could he dare to let the Feng family's daughter-in-law do that?

It should be as he said, he didn't know about the kitchen waste, and the choice of the Feng family's daughter-in-law was mostly an idea given to him by others.

The person who gave him the idea only knew that the daughter-in-law of the Feng family had conflicts with her family, so he chose her. Did he even know about her buying kitchen waste, and even plotted against the Wang family?

Gu Yin pinched her brows irritably. The first trial gave too little information, and she could only hope that the second trial could give her more.

Here in the Wang family's old house, after Wang Dafu and Mrs. Zhao were handcuffed away, the people in the big house panicked like headless flies.

The two old couples planned unsightly things and they wouldn't tell the younger generation. So they didn't even know what happened. They only heard rumors that their restaurant sold kitchen waste for people to eat, and they also organized people to go to the wharf to mess with their aunt's business.

At that time, Wang Dagui stood up. He first appeased his nephews and nieces-in-law, and then clenched his fists and said sadly, "Big brother and sister-in-law have been doing business for a lifetime, this time they must have been framed. Don't panic, we'd better go to the prefecture. The lawyer must clear their charges!"

Wang Dafu had two sons, but it was not a problem. They only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, so Mrs. Zhao and the others put their hopes on their grandchildren, hoping that a few young ones could study and get ahead.

Sure enough, as soon as Wang Dagui said that, the two nephews seemed to have taken a reassurance.

One said, "Neither father nor mother are such kind of people. They run their own big restaurant. How can they care about those petty profits, and how can they harm their own family?"

Another said, "That is, although my aunt didn't communicate with our family anymore, she is blood relatives. She did petty business and did not interfere with our family. Why did my parents break the law and harm them? They must be framed by someone!"

Seeing the two nephews filled with righteous indignation, Wang Dagui couldn't help but smirk, but then he said sternly, "Everything you said is reasonable, but now is not the time to fight for this. Now the county magistrate has taken the eldest brother and sister-in-law into custody and they are in prison. We don't know what it's like inside. But once they are in, they peel off the skin. How can they stand it at such an old age? Let's hurry up and gather money to ask a lawyer! If they are convicted, it would be too late! "

Speaking of which, Wang Dagui was ashamed and said, "Things happened in a hurry. I spent a lot of money on my business in the first year, and my household only collected one hundred taels of silver."

One hundred taels of silver to hire a local lawyer was definitely more than enough, but it was definitely not enough to go to the state capital to hire a lawyer for such an urgent matter.

The two sons of the big house also contributed the money themselves, but they just ate, drank and had fun every day, and only received monthly money from their parents. They went to borrow it from their friends, but they heard that their parents were arrested, and Full Moon Hall was closed.

As for the money that their parents saved by themselves, it was all in the bank, because they knew that their sons were not good enough, and they had to go in person before they could use it.

After working all day, the brothers found nothing. In the end, they pried open the private treasury, and temporarily pawned their daughters-in-law's jewelry and dowry items, which was enough for three hundred taels.

With a total of four hundred taels of silver, Wang Dagui said worriedly, "I asked someone to inquire when you were out. The famous state government would charge five hundred taels for local lawsuits. If it was not local, the fee would be doubled. We can't even get five hundred taels together… Forget it, I'll let your second aunt and the others also pawn jewelry and dowries, so we'll have to collect five hundred taels first."

The two brothers in the eldest brother household were flushed with embarrassment, and regarded Wang Dagui, who had split up the family but helped collect the money, as their savior.

The five hundred taels were finally collected. When the brothers were about to take the money to the state capital to try their luck, Wang Dagui also said that he would go with them.

But just after leaving the house, Wang Dagui suddenly slapped his forehead and said angrily, "Look at my brain, you can't leave like this, you have to send a message to your parents to let them know that the family is working hard, don't just give up."

When the brothers thought about it, although there were still a few days left for the second trial, they would still ask for a confession in prison. What if their parents were scared and broke their courage and confessed their guilt?

The message from the brothers were brought to Wang Dafu and Mrs. Zhao's ears, and the jailer also teased, "You have good luck, both your sons and younger brother have hearts. I heard that the two pawned and put together 500 taels, and your younger brother also personally took your son to find a lawyer."

The message was just a few words, but the price was ridiculously expensive – after all, the prison guards had to face the danger of being discovered by the county magistrate and Officer Caotou. If the money was short, they would not dare, and the entire cell had to be taken care of.

It took fifty taels, and the brothers were at a loss.

They never thought that dozens of taels of silver would be so difficult, and they were all ready to loan money.

Wang Dagui persuaded, "Don't be confused, is money so easy to borrow? Even if you rescue your parents, the interest would be too high. Alas, there is actually a last resort, that is… "

The brothers, who had no choice, naturally asked him to speak quickly.

Wang Dagui said, "It is to mortgage Full Moon Hall. You can keep the mortgage deed, and wait for your parents to come out and take the money from the bank to redeem it."

The two brothers knew that Full Moon Hall was the family's only property, but that was really a no-brainer, and it was better than borrowing that terrifyingly high-interest money.

They were led by Wang Dagui to an underground bank, and they saw that the deed stated that as long as they could bring the deed within three months, they could redeem the restaurant with an extra 100 taels. Of course, it was also stated in the deed that if the redemption was due in the future, then the deed must be passed to the bank, otherwise the compensation would be ten times.

Thinking that three months would be enough, even though a hundred taels was more, it was nothing to their parents, so the brothers took out the title deed and signed it.

Full Moon Hall was mortgaged for 1,000 taels of silver, and the money for the lawyer was enough.

Wang Dagui urged them to leave, and when they reached the gate of the city, the servants of the second brother's household suddenly came over and said, "It's good that the master hadn't left the city, Madam suddenly suffered from chest pain and fainted! Everyone was terrified!"

Wang Dagui gritted his teeth and said, "This Mrs. Zou, I have already said that about my elder brother and elder sister-in-law, we men will find a way, she absolutely didn't need to worry, why is she sick?!"

The two brothers hurriedly persuaded him to go back, saying that the second uncle had done enough to help, and it was the right thing to go back to check on their second aunt first.

Wang Dagui had to get off the horse and told them to pay attention to safety on the road, and then turned around and returned to the house with the servants.

When he reached the Wang family's old house, Wang Dagui entered the main house, only to see the so-called Mrs. Zhu who had chest pain drinking tea slowly.

The anxiety and helplessness on his face faded, and he smiled and sat opposite Mrs. Zou.

"Those two idiots went out of town?"

Wang Dagui leisurely opened the tea cup, "Isn't it? But they won't go too far. I have already arranged people on the way… For their stupidity, I let them go. I told the people to leave them with a whole corpse."

Mrs. Zou put down the tea cup and suddenly sighed.

"What are you sighing for?" Wang Dagui said, "In three months, Full Moon Hall will be ours. My eldest brother and sister-in-law know that I am leading their sons to apply for a lawyer. As long as they are not stupid like pigs, they would not involve me. After all, if I go in too, who would take care of their case? Besides, no one else was present when the deed was made that day. It will take more than a month for the news to come back, and everything will be settled by then."

"I don't know what's wrong," Mrs. Zou said, "I just feel uneasy. Although we just wanted to let them fight against Wang Baoyun at the beginning, no matter who loses, it would only benefit us. But we failed too fast. Wang Baoyun doesn't have such a brain, do you think it's her cunning daughter-in-law…"

Wang Dagui sneered lightly, "A woman, even if she is a little clever, what can she do?"

…

The second trial five days later proceeded as scheduled.

In the past five days, there were no more fake stalls on the dock, and Gu Yin's small business became better again.

Old Master Wen had a minor illness. Knowing that he missed it, he went home and complained about it. But anyway, that matter was resolved quickly, and the old man didn't get too angry.

On the day of the second hearing, Mrs. Wang didn't go, and said that she couldn't get away from business, and only let Gu Yin go.

The county magistrate heard that Wang Dafu and Mrs. Zhao's sons went to the prefecture to ask for a lawyer, but no one came that day. Although it was strange, he did not miss the time for the trial.

The frightened Chef Zhao and a large number of underlings like the Feng family's daughter-in-law were implicated, and they confessed to everything. Wang Dafu still insisted that he did not know about the sale of kitchen waste. When Mrs. Zhao heard that someone was going to ask for a medical certificate for himself, she even changed her confession and said she didn't know.

Many people even filed petitions, all saying that there had been problems with eating the food of the Feng family's wife and others over the years.

The county magistrate sentenced Mrs. Zhao, Chef Zhao, the daughter-in-law of the Feng family and others to imprisonment for one year. That was because they were lucky and did not have any major troubles. If they really caused harm to people, they would be sentenced to hanging.

As for Wang Dafu and Mrs. Zhao, one seemed to be really ignorant, and the other directly changed her confession and obviously had to be held again.

And that case involved so many people, it was considered a major case in Hanshan Town in recent years, and the county magistrate had to hand that case to the prefecture.

After the second trial, Wang Dafu, Mrs. Zhao and others were taken down again.

The people watching the excitement were about to disperse when they suddenly heard the sound of drums pounding outside.

Although people from the county government come to report crimes every day, only urgent or unjust cases would beat the drum.

The drum didn't ring throughout the year, so the people stopped again.

The two sons were carried up.

These two people had disheveled hair, disgraced faces, covered in blood, and the people watching the fun gasped.

The county magistrate asked again, only to know that the two brought all their belongings to apply for a lawyer, but they met the mountain bandits before they reached the state capital. The money was robbed, and the robbers wanted their lives. If the two didn't jump off the cliff and hang on the branches together, they would not be able to get back alive.

The two brothers cried while talking, saying that they had more than 1,400 taels of silver bills on them, of which 1,000 taels were obtained after mortgaging Full Moon Hall. Once someone was robbed, it was simply horrific.

No matter how powerful the county magistrate and Officer Caotou were, they could only keep one side of Hanshan Town safe, and they couldn't control the affairs of other counties, especially when there were riots of soldiers outside. They could only file a case, and then send the case up.

The two brothers were carried back by their families again.

The people who were watching the fun didn't feel much sympathy for them.

"This is what this family did, and they are punished!"

"No, I heard that the second master of the Wang Family was going to go with them. It seems that he had an emergency, so he turned back. Obviously, this disaster was only aimed at this family who had done a bad thing!"

Gu Yin listened and stopped quickly. She knew something was wrong.

Although the Wang family had split up, the elder and second brother had always been plotting together.

Why did this only involve the eldest brother, but the more cunning second brother was not involved at all?

Now she understood.

When the snipe and the clam fought, it was the fisherman who profited. It was a vicious plan to kill two birds with one stone.

Everyone left, and only Gu Yin was standing there.

When Officer Caotou saw it, he stepped forward and asked, "Why haven't you returned home? Are you worried? The fine will not be given to your family until the case is over."

"I'm not worried about that!" Gu Yin pondered, then said, "Officer Caitou, I have a way, which should be very helpful to the progress of the case. Can you listen to me?"

…

That night, Officer Caitou went to the county jail to find Wang Dafu.

He bluntly told Wang Dafu that his two sons, accompanied by Wang Dagui, mortgaged Full Moon Hall.

No one was allowed to visit unconvicted jailers for fear of family members colluding with them.

But he only said the facts. Even if Wang Dafu didn't know about these things, the county jail was so cramped that it was only divided into male and female jailers.

After talking about that, the head of the jailer walked away, and it didn't take long for the jailer to distribute the meals.

Others were all rough and cold bean rice, only Wang Dafu got different food, it was a few newly made white flour steamed buns.

"Oh, your family really did their best, and at this time they still wanted to bring you food," the jailer left after he put the things away.

If it was before, Wang Dafu, who was accustomed to the good food at home and couldn't swallow the bean rice, naturally ate it, but at that moment he dared not move – both sons were injured like that, who would open up the joints at that time to bring him food?

As soon as he hesitated, the others in the same cell swarmed up, snatched all his steamed buns, and devoured them.

In less than a quarter of an hour, these people all fell to the ground clutching their stomachs.

At the moment of life and death, Wang Dafu figured out a lot of things. Wang Dagui specifically mentioned that the daughter-in-law of the Feng family, who had a enmity with Gu Yin, but she also did illegal activities with Chef Zhao. He became a puppet. The man brought his two silly sons to ask for a lawyer, handed over a message to appease them husband and wife, then tricked them into mortgaging Full Moon Hall, and deliberately turned back at the gate of the city, only to let the brothers suffer the catastrophe…

Wang Dafu was sweating profusely, clawed at the door of the jail and shouted hoarsely, "Master, someone harmed me! I want to confess! I want to sue Wang Dagui for embezzling his parents' inheritance, and now he wants to make money and kill me!"

He shouted directly, and it was conceivable how panicked he was in his heart.

At the door of the county jail, both Gu Yin and Officer Caitou heard him.

"Why is he scared like this?" Gu Yin stroked her forehead embarrassedly, "Did I put too much croton?"

Officer Caotou chuckled lightly, "It's okay, those who are locked up with him are all convicted, and they are not good people, so they should clear their stomachs."

After Wang Dafu shouted hoarsely, Officer Caotou took him out of the cell.

The county magistrate ascended to the hall overnight, and Gu Yin, as the bitter victim at the beginning of the case, was also a person who contributed to the progress of the case, and was lucky to get a seat.

Wang Dafu was pale, sweating profusely, and he was still shaking when he went to court, "I will confess, I will confess everything. I just ask the master to save my old wife. She probably also had some poisonous food delivered to her…"

It was Gu Yin's idea to send buns mixed with croton, and Officer Caotou did not implement it until he asked the county magistrate for instructions.

Therefore, the county magistrate knew very well, "You can rest assured about this, Mrs. Zhao is safe and sound."

Wang Dafu thought that he almost died, and in a panic, he simply confessed to everything, but the ultimate goal was only one, and that was to kill Wang Dagui.

From the very beginning of concealing their father's will to Mrs. Zou coming up with an idea and taking Mrs. Zhao to find Mrs. Wang who had just returned to Hanshan Town, intending to deceive her to go to sea to work on an ocean-going ship. When Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin relied on Old Master Wen's reputation, their business was booming and they became famous. They were afraid that their parents' old friend would come to town one day and expose the matter of inheritance distribution in those days.

Of course, that was not the end. Wang Dafu was going to sue Wang Dagui for trying to make money and kill him. First, he colluded with bandits to kill his sons, and second, he sent poisonous steamed buns to poison him.

After some remarks, the county magistrate held his head. Although the previous food case was a big case, it did not cause any fatalities. The misappropriation of family property was considered serious, but that kind of dispute over money occurred every year. As the head of a county, that kind of thing had long been commonplace, and it was not shocking. But if it was true as Wang Dafu said, Wang Dagui and the bandits colluded to kill people, the nature was completely different, and he must alarm the prefecture.

"Wang Dagui, that wolf-hearted thing is extremely cunning. Please bring him to justice quickly!" Wang Dafu kowtowed after confessing.

The county magistrate didn't respond, not because he wanted to shield Wang Dagui, but because the poisonous steamed buns was just a countermeasure and there was neither proof nor material evidence for him colluding with bandits to hurt others. When the incident happened, Wang Dafu was imprisoned. Not even the parties involved, not only people from the local royal family, but also out-of-town gangsters were involved, and the prosecution was a very serious crime. That case was obviously beyond his ability.

Whether to try it by himself, or report it and wait for the head to come to the trial, the undecided county magistrate asked Officer Caotou with his eyes, he thought the same as him. If they locked Wang Dagui, he would refuse to recognize his crime. The land was in other places, and it would only end up in a stalemate, and it may even startle the snake.

He looked at Gu Yin next to him. She was the one who came up with the idea to frighten Wang Dafu into confessing. Did she have another plan?

Gu Yin really had a plan.

That night, on the grounds of inquiring about the robbery, Officer Caotou took people to the Wang family's old house and found the two brothers.

Wang Dagui wanted to hear it, but when the government handled the case, if they didn't want people to hear about it, it would not be heard.

Wang Dagui had no choice but to hide the anxiety in his eyes and return to his room.

Mrs. Zou was also nervous at that time, and the couple sat down together and began to discuss again.

"Useless things!" Wang Dagui slapped the table, "They charged me so much money, and they can't even kill two idiots who were powerless?!"

Mrs. Zou said, "What should we do now? Should we pack up and hide? What about the children?"

Wang Dagui said irritably, "Why are you saying that? Women really can't do anything! Although those two idiots were lucky enough to escape death, they didn't suspect me. We leave Hanshan Town at this time?"

"But the county magistrate and Officer Caotou…"

"Does the county magistrate and Officer Caitou have supernatural powers, can they still interrogate cases of other counties? As long as the bandits aren't caught, who can testify against me? Besides, I have no correspondence with the other side, nor have I sent anyone. I have just sent word of mouth, all of which I contacted myself through the name of running a business."

The old man had always been cautious and careful in his work, and he could do everything by himself without leaving a clue.

"The news in the prison goes slow. My eldest brother probably doesn't know that his two stupid sons were injured. We are real brothers, and we know each other well. If he thinks about it a little bit, he would probably suspect us. In this way, you continue to be ill tomorrow, and I will take the initiative to surrender to the yamen on the grounds that my conscience is not good, and admit that I participated in driving the Feng family's daughter-in-law to make trouble at the wharf."

Wang Dagui said as he sighed again, "Oh, if it weren't that the little officials in the yamen are afraid of Officer Caitou, I would have given some money to get rid of them directly in the prison… That's the real peace of mind."

(Yamen: the headquarters or residence of a Chinese government official or department.)

After hearing that Officer Caitou had left, and making sure that the two stupid nephews weren't acting abnormal, they both fell asleep.

It was not until the middle of the night that Wang Dagui was suddenly woken up by someone.

When he woke up, his mind was still confused, and suddenly he found that there were more people in the room.

In the dim light of the room, a tall man, wearing a gray mask, was holding a nine-ringed broadsword, with a red scarf hanging from the handle, and a large character that said No.9.

After seeing it clearly, Wang Dagui put away his frightened expression and said angrily, "What are you doing here?"

The other party spoke in a lame Mandarin mixed with dialects. His voice was extremely hoarse, "What are you saying? You have caused us brothers to suffer! Now that this is a big problem, won't the Wang family take out some more money?"

Wang Dagui said angrily, "You are ineffective, you can't even kill two idiots who were powerless, but you are not embarrassed to come to me for money? It was agreed in advance, I only need the deed of Full Moon Hall! This much is not enough, do you still have any integrity to the name 'No.9' in the martial arts world? Not to mention that when they came back to report to the officials, they caused me so much trouble. What a hassle…"

As he talked, the last bit of confusion in Wang Dagui's mind disappeared.

The two brothers only fled back to the town that day to report to the official, and the incident only started in Hanshan Town. Moreover, the owner of No. 9 suffered a lot from Officer Caitou back then, so he moved the bandit village far away from Hanshan Town, and only dared to do it elsewhere. How could No. 9 dare to come there?

"Who, who are you? I don't know you!" Wang Dagui responded very quickly.

But the man in front of him ignored him. As soon as he took off the mask, he shouted to the door, "Master, he noticed it."

Officer Caitou pushed the door and came in, and said, "It's okay, anyway, he just admitted it himself."

Gu Yin came up with the plan, but she didn't come up with the specific operation.

After she came up with that plan, it was getting late so she went home first.

At home, Wu'an had already left Wen's house, Mrs. Wang had already prepared the dinner, and even Gu Ye had returned.

She was waiting for her at the entrance of the alley with a lantern, and when she saw her, he said, "Where were you? I saw that you haven't come back all day. In the evening, I went to the yamen to look for you. The yamen said that you and Officer Caitou had something to do. If I hadn't known who Officer Caitou was, I would have been worried to death. What were you doing?"

"I went to assist in the investigation,"

"Oh," Mrs. Wang responded and led her home.

When Gu Yin entered the main room, she found that the food on the table had not been touched. The whole family was waiting for her. She said apologetically, "I didn't know I would be so late this time. Next time, you eat first, don't wait for me."

Gu Ye hurriedly said, "It's okay, I'm not hungry."

Wu'an said, "Yes, I'm not hungry either."

After talking, their stomachs growled in unison.

Gu Yin laughed, and rubbed their heads.

The family had dinner, and Mrs. Wang boiled hot water and sent the two children to take a bath. After hesitating, she asked, "What about your assistance in investigating the case?"

Gu Yin didn't plan to hide it from her, even if Mrs. Wang didn't ask, she would still tell her.

Although Wu'an and Gu Ye didn't know what had happened recently, the children could sense the adults' emotions. After the bath, the two little guys didn't bother them, and consciously went to bed by themselves.

Mrs. Wang didn't cry that time, she just gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "These two beasts are no longer my family. I'll just think my eldest brother and second brother died together with my parents. Tomorrow I will follow you to listen, I want to see them be brought to justice!"

Speaking of which, Mrs. Wang asked Gu Yin uncertainly, "Can they do it?"

Gu Yin didn't dare to guarantee that. Officer Caitou and the others asked the two brothers about the gangster's clothes and characteristics. And according to statistics, they chose to do the plan at two or three o'clock in the morning. It was the time when people's willpower was the weakest and when they were in deep sleep. Even if Wang Dagui's willpower was strong enough to defy heaven, it was impossible for him to stay awake at that time. As long as he retorted them, it would be a self-inflicted confession.

"Let's go and see tomorrow. Don't worry, mother, even if the plan doesn't go well, with the county magistrate and Officer Caitou, it would be a matter of time before they confess their guilt and face the law."

The next day, the county government's office was opened again.

That case involved a dispute over the property of a wealthy family. The uncle even hired bandits to kill his nephews. It was no longer enough to describe it in simple words. It was even more twisted and bizarre than the story compiled in the play.

The threshold of the county government was about to be broken.

If it weren't for Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin being victims, they wouldn't even be able to rank for a hearing.

When Wang Dagui arrived at the court, he actually refuted it by saying that he wasn't awake at the time but was dazed, so he was talking nonsense.

Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that reason. The county magistrate ignored him at all. He didn't admit it, right? He could be beaten first, then put in jail, and then go through the guys in the jail.

During the normal trial of prisoners, the county magistrate would of course not use that method of torture to extract confessions, and naturally there was no need to show mercy to such a capricious villain.

When Wang Dagui was dragged to the side to be hit with a board, Mrs. Zou was brought to the hall again.

The more Wang Dagui screamed in pain, the more pale her face became.

Wang Dagui had always been conscious and prudent, doing things that couldn't be known to others, and boasting that he left no evidence.

But he missed a variable, Mrs. Zou. She knew everything about him clearly, which was actually the best witness.

In peacetime, as a wise person, Mrs. Zou would of course not confess her husband's wrong and she might even spend all her wealth for Wang Dagui.

But when Li Zhutou pretended to be No.9, she was beside Wang Dagui and heard him admit it himself.

It was all over, and the smarter the person, the more she knew how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Without waiting for the punishment, Mrs. Zou explained the whole thing one by one.

In modern times, she would be an accomplice who became tainted witnesses. In ancient times, there was no such statement, but a reduced sentence could be obtained as a witness.

Wang Dagui never imagined that he had been shrewd all his life, but he still lost in the hands of the woman he despised the most.

This case was really appalling, and people from Fucheng came the next day, saying that the prefect had seen the file presented by the county magistrate and wanted to bring everyone to Fucheng for trial.

Usually, the county magistrate would hand over the official letter, and the prefect could give a reply within a month, which was considered giving a face.

But this time, the prefect was fast. Naturally, he heard that the case was a big one, and the intricate parts of it had been clarified. Only the prisoner confession and the sentence was not concluded.

So the case was immediately transferred to Fucheng. The presiding judge, the county magistrate, and officers escorted the Wang family's personnel to assist in the trial.

In fact, Mrs. Wang still wanted to know the follow-up development, but the case was not local, and it was about Wang Dagui's collusion with the bandits, which had nothing to do with her, and she couldn't hear it.

Gu Yin was also concerned about that case, but it was indeed a long way to go. If the two women followed along, it would cause trouble for Officer Caitou.

And the case was so troublesome that it was no longer for ordinary people to intervene, so they finally decided to stay in Hanshan Town to listen to the news.

Before leaving, Officer Caitou made a special visit to tell them not to worry, saying that the case would definitely come to a conclusion.

He was a member of the public, and he understood the truth better than Gu Yin and the others. These words were equivalent to giving them reassurance.

Early the next morning, the Wang family and others were escorted out of Hanshan Town.

Before dawn, the people were all waiting at the gate of the city to watch the excitement. Rotten vegetables, leaves and rotten eggs were thrown at the two old couples of the Wang family, and some people were carrying buckets of swill, and they were all ready to pour it on them. Seeing Officer Caitou and the county magistrate next to them, they quickly stopped.

At this time, Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang also got up, only to find that Gu Ye was not at home.

The child must be watching the fun. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law didn't think much about it, and went to work and set up the stall as usual.

The pier had returned to its former appearance. The business had not only recovered to the previous level, but had improved to a higher level.

The outsiders heard that there was a big case in Hanshan Town, but they didn't know it, and they spread the truth, but within a few days, it was rumored that this "Old Master Wen's Porridge" was too delicious, aroused the jealousy of others, and they did not hesitate to hire a bandit to kill.

Even people who were not curious about it wanted to try this famous "Old Master Wen's Porridge" that almost caused a fatal case.

That rumor was really over the top. Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang refuted the rumor, but people didn't listen to them. They just thought she was frightened and didn't want to cause trouble again.

There were also people who were righteous and persuaded, "Don't be afraid, little lady, isn't the thief locked up?! If another family harms you in the future, we will all be on your side!"

"That's right, I was almost deceived by those fakes. I will look for your stall after this time!"

Later, Gu Yin couldn't explain it anymore.

Gu Yin's porridge that could be sold until noon before, couldn't even last half the morning market.

And in the past, only porridge sold well, steamed buns and wontons sold less, but with everyone's curiosity and sympathy for her family, they were all rushing to take care of her business.

By noon, the steamed buns and wontons were all sold out, and there was nothing on the stall, and some people asked Mrs. Wang if the tables and benches were for sale.

"Not for sale, not for sale!" Mrs. Wang firmly guarded the tables and took Gu Yin to close the stall as if she was fleeing.

When she got home, Mrs. Wang wiped away her sweat and said, "These people were so enthusiastic, they really regard us as the bitter victims who were almost killed because of our craftsmanship. I hope the magistrate will conclude the case quickly, give our family justice and clear the misunderstanding."

In the afternoon, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law rested separately. Wu'an came back from studying in the evening, so Mrs. Wang got up and made an evening meal.

Then, when it was completely dark and Gu Ye had not returned home, the two of them thought that the child must have gone to play and they were accustomed to leaving his meals alone. After each had their meal, Wu'an went back to the room to sleep, while Mrs. Wang accompanied Gu Yin to sit in the main room and wait for him.

That wait was until midnight.

The two were really in a hurry, so they could only ask for help from Li Zhutou.

Li Zhutou led them to search for a long time, but they didn't find a shadow until dawn.

Before dawn, Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang were so anxious to report to the officials—although the county magistrate was not there, there was a chief clerk and a master in the county office, and they could handle cases.

A guard who followed Officer Caotou to Fucheng came back to Jinyi Alley to report, saying that it took half a day after they left to find out that Gu Ye had been following them. Officer Caotou wanted someone to bring him back to Hanshan Town, but the kid said, "No. Let me stay, I'm here for my grandma!".

Officer Caotou thought that ordinary people couldn't restrain him, and he didn't want to lose him on the way, plus he was too weak to send him back, so he just let him accompany them and only had someone send a message back immediately.

Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang's hearts that were hanging finally fell back.

…

The Wang family's case was held in Fucheng as scheduled.

At the time, there was no need to pay attention to human rights. It was not uncommon for people to be subverted and beaten, not to mention that Wang Dagui had already committed a crime.

The prefect was not as gentle as the county magistrate. Under his instruction, Wang Dagui was punished at night when he arrived in the city.

Wang Dagui didn't dare to argue with the prefect, and immediately confessed.

He was also vicious. Knowing that Mrs. Zou had sold him, he also involved her and identified her as an accomplice.

Mrs. Zou, who was also tortured, called out that she was wronged. The husband and wife accused each other in court. After the quarrel, it got out that it was not the first time they bought a murderer to kill, They had already used the move against countless competitors.

In the past, the two people who were in unison, wished they could tear each other alive in court.

The prefect didn't care. The two didn't know what to say, left their dignity and started the fight immediately.

Cases that had been dragged on for several days in Hanshan Town without a final result were brought to the prefect, and it was concluded in two days.

After the case was closed, the prefect sentenced Wang Dagui and Mrs. Zou to be executed in the autumn, and put them in jail. The couple would not be taken away by the county magistrate and Officer Caotou, after all, that political achievement was counted on his head.

Moreover, the ill-gotten wealth obtained by the second house of the Wang family had to be confiscated from the house, which naturally had to be added to the public account in the city.

However, the prefect also accepted the credit of the county magistrate and helped him solve the case of the Wang family. Mrs. Zhao would return to Hanshan Town to spend a year in prison. Wang Dafu was rich and ruthless, although he did not know about the matter of leftover food sold, he was involved in the rest of the matter. He stole his parents' estate, and was beaten ninety times first, then he was fined to hand over the property that was engulfed in the past and originally belonged to Mrs. Wang.

The silver deposits of the second elder of the Wang family were no longer available for investigation, but the shops and fields under his name were well documented, and the value was around 1,000 taels. Although the Wang family was a wealthy family in the town, no matter how rich they were, they must be filial. Otherwise, the business would not be successful.

The two brothers of the Wang family should give three hundred taels to Mrs. Wang.

But if the property of the second elder of the Wang family was to be charged to the public, the prefect naturally couldn't do anything about it, so Wang Dafu was asked to take out the money by himself.

Three hundred taels was a huge amount of money for the former Wang family, not to mention the fact that the family had already been robbed of four hundred taels and mortgaged Full Moon Hall. It was emptying out their household.

Hearing the verdict, Wang Dafu and Mrs. Zhao passed out directly.

But they had seen the prefect's method, and after the yamen had each poured a ladle of cold water, neither of them dared to resist.

The presiding judge recorded the case of embezzlement to the county magistrate, which was considered his merit. The prefect also helped the county magistrate with a few words of praise in the file sent to the top.

In fact, things went smoothly, but when they left the city, the county magistrate and Officer Caotou's moods were not very good.

Needless to say, the reason was naturally that they were very displeased with the prefect's practice of taking over the meritorious deeds.

But Gu Ye didn't understand that. He only knew that the bad guys who harmed his family were punished, and they would get a lot of money.

He had no idea how much money three hundred taels was, but it must be much more than the coins his grandma usually gave him.

After returning to Hanshan Town, the county magistrate and Officer Caotou went back to the county government to sort out the files.

Gu Ye couldn't wait to run back home, and when he entered the house, he shouted out the words that had been brewing all the way, "Grandma! Our family has money, they will give us a lot of money… It is originally grandma's… With the inheritance, it's three hundred taels!"

Mrs. Wang was taken aback. She knew that outside Hanshan Town, officials had the virtue of eating people and not spitting bones. She never expected that the case would go out for a trial, and she would still be able to get money back.

Moreover, the amount of three hundred taels was too large. Mrs. Wang had never heard of so much silver in most of her life.

She pursed her lips in disbelief and asked, "A lot of… how much money?"

Gu Ye was about to answer with a grin, when he saw Gu Yin with a cold face and the small wooden stick in her hand. He couldn't smile anymore, and said with trembling lips, "Three three… three… three… three hundred."

"God has opened his eyes!" Mrs. Wang stroked her chest, her body trembling with excitement.

Gu Ye also trembled, but after trembling, he still stood still.

Gu Yin gently pushed Mrs. Wang, who came back to her senses, put down the rag to wash in her hand, and stood up from the small bench.

Gu Ye thought that his mother was going to catch him, and subconsciously took a few steps back.

However, instead of catching him, Mrs. Wang went out and closed the door.

Gu Yin mentioned toward the small bench where Mrs. Wang was sitting before, "Take off your pants, come over and lie down."

Gu Ye pursed his lips, but still obeyed. He unfastened his belt, folded his trousers to his knees, and slumped on the bench.

He went out and his whole body turned black again, but his little butt was round, and white..

The little-finger-thick wooden stick fell against the flap of his buttocks, and Gu Ye's body trembled every time she hit him.

After five or six hits, his little butt was swollen, but he didn't shout.

After the fight, Gu Yin threw the small wooden stick back into the corner and asked him, "Do you know what you did wrong!"

Gu Ye's eyes were red, and he held back his tears and said, "I know… I know."

Seeing him like that, Gu Yin couldn't bear it anymore, but she still said coldly, "Do you dare to do it next time?"

"Next time, I'll tell mother first," Gu Ye tried his best to widen his eyes so as not to let the tears fall, but his voice was nasal.

"Hey, forget it!" Mrs. Wang helped smooth things out, "Xiao Ye really knows he is wrong. Forgive him once, and he will be punished if he does it again next time!"

Gu Yin also followed, "Mother, take him back to the room, and I will cook the evening meal."

"I'll go by myself," Gu Ye was sobbing as he tried to lift his trousers, but this little strength was naturally no match for Mrs. Wang, and he was finally carried to the kang in the room by her.

Seeing the little brat lying on the kang sobbing, Mrs. Wang sighed, "Don't blame your mother, she hasn't had a good night's sleep these days."

Although everyone knew that Officer Caotou was a reliable person, he had no experience with children, and they went to a place like the state capital to handle the case. How could she not worry?

Gu Ye immediately shook his head, "I don't blame my mother!" Embarrassedly, he pulled the quilt over his buttocks, and urged, "Go help my mother cook."

Mrs. Wang responded and went out of the room to the kitchen, but did not see Gu Yin.

After a quarter of an hour, Gu Yin came back and handed Mrs. Wang an exquisite small porcelain box, "I just went to buy medicine for Xiao Ye, mother help him apply medicine in a while."

Mrs. Wang said with a smile, "I won't, I have thick hands. Besides, you are his mother, you do it yourself."

Gu Yin had no experience in raising children. She just couldn't hold back when she was angry. But after she calmed down, she regretted it. She didn't advocate physical punishment, especially when she thought that this brat of hers used to wander around and was used to wildness. The family adopted him for only two or three months, so his habits must be slowly changed.

"Wu'an is so good, I beat him when he was naughty when he was a child. How can there be a mother who doesn't beat a child?"

Her daughter-in-law was capable, but was habitually letting her make up her mind. It was rare to see her in such a difficult state, and she couldn't help laughing, "It's okay, let's cook first, and you two have a good chat after dinner. How can mother and son have an overnight feud?"

Not long after, Wu'an came back with a small bag on his back.

When he entered the house, he first asked if Gu Ye was back.

When he learned that he was back, Wu'an didn't put away his bag, and even jumped into the room.

"You're finally back!" Wu'an said, and was about to pounce on him. Seeing that he was lying on his stomach quietly, he stopped again and asked him what was wrong.

Gu Ye grinned and said, "What else? I've been beaten!"

"My mother beat?"

"No, my mother."

Wu'an pouted in disbelief and said, "Liar, sister-in-law is the most gentle, she never hits anyone."

After Wu'an finished speaking, he thought about it and said, "But it's normal for my sister-in-law to be angry. You left without saying anything that day. My mother and sister-in-law were still at home waiting for you to eat dinner. When it was so late, I got up to pee, but they were still sitting in the main room."

Gu Ye also felt guilty and said, "I didn't know it was so far away, I thought I'd be back soon."

"Later, they went out to look for you. I said I would go too, but my sister-in-law told me to stay at home because you might come back home. My mother went to Li Zhutou and met the officer… Hey, I haven't seen you for many days, I'm not used to it."

"I'm not used to it either." Gu Ye said flatly, "There was no mother, no grandma, and no you. I would never go there again."

"Then you know it's wrong. Actually, I still can't believe that my sister-in-law beat you. I wouldn't be surprised if you said that my mother beat you."

Gu Ye patted his side, let Wu'an lie beside him, and whispered, "I'm learning a new sentence, 'women are like tigers'. I thought it's a lie, my mother is very gentle… but she's also a tiger!"

Gu Yin, who walked to the door with the medicine: ….

This little brat had gone a long way, and his speech was getting smoother, but what did he learn?

In order to take care of Gu Ye, whose buttocks were beaten, Mrs. Wang moved the table to the room and put on the evening meal.

"Eat quickly, especially Xiao Ye, eat more."

Seeing that Gu Yin and Gu Ye were a little awkward, Mrs. Wang specially prepared vegetables for Gu Ye and said, "It's rare for your mother to cook at home, she made it for you!"

They usually ate a simple evening meal at home. She made a lot on that day, such as spring bamboo shoots, fried shredded pork, green vegetable ball soup, cold wild vegetables and white steamed buns.

Wu'an couldn't help but smile when he saw his mother serving Gu Ye with bamboo shoots.

"Eat, why are you smiling?" Mrs. Wang also gave Wu'an a pair of chopsticks.

Wu'an couldn't help laughing out loud, "Xiao Ye has already eaten a meal of fried pork with bamboo shoots (beating), this is the second meal!"

Gu Yin couldn't help laughing, "You have been studying for a few days, and have become talkative."

The atmosphere became relaxed, and Mrs. Wang asked Gu Ye how he was doing outside these few days, and whether he had endured hardship.

Gu Ye wanted to talk for a long time, without stammering at all, and immediately said, "I had a good time! Officer Caotou took me, and when someone asked him who I was, he said I was his apprentice! There was a fat man. What's his name? Prefect, he invited us to dinner."

Wu'an had never been to such a big place as Fucheng, so he immediately asked, "What did you eat?"

"There were fish, meat, and knuckles." Gu Ye put down his chopsticks, and his two little hands made a big circle, "It was so big!"

"Wow, that's really big," Wu'an sighed.

Mrs. Wang asked him, "What else did you do besides eating?"

"I also listened to a play."

Wu'sn said enviously, "It would be nice if I could go there. My master said 'It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books'."

"Go, let's go all the way!" Mrs. Wang said with a smile, "Our family is rich now, why can't we travel?"

After speaking, she stopped talking and said in a low voice, "From what Xiao Ye said, I feel that the prefect is not a good person. There is also a war outside, and maybe one day it would hit the palace. Just wait, we'll definitely go!"

After the evening meal, Mrs. Wang cleaned up the dishes and Gu Yin gave Gu Ye medicine.

"Does it hurt?"

Gu Ye hissed and sucked in the cold air, but still said, "It doesn't hurt."

"You!" Gu Yin said helplessly, "It's better not to do this next time, how could you just follow people out of the city without telling me? Didn't you hear what your grandmother said? Our town is peaceful, and it's not the same when you go outside. Tell me, if you lose your way outside, how can you come back? Mother can't find you every time."

"There will be no next time!" Gu Ye put his head into his mother's arms like a puppy, "I promise!"

The two children snored not long after they laid down. Gu Yin went out to wash up, and found that Mrs. Wang was still sitting in the main room.

"Are the kids asleep?"

"Yeah," Gu Yin said when she saw the smile on her lips, and smiled along, "Mother, you should smile more, you look good and young."

"What's the matter with you?!" Mrs. Wang gestured to hit her, and pulled her to her side, "I'm thinking about taking another day off tomorrow, and we'll go and ask for the bill. That's three hundred taels! You don't have to go to the pier, it's enough to buy a shop. I'll buy it for you and keep it in your name, how about it?"

"Would it be better to keep it in your name? It's something your parents left for you."

Mrs. Wang smiled and did not respond. It was naturally better to write it down to Gu Yin than to put it in her own name. First of all, the food and clothing expenses of the family were all earned by Gu Yin's craftsmanship, and the shop had to be run by her. And with that shop nearby, she didn't have to worry about remarrying in the future.

But when it came to remarrying, Gu Yin was very conflicted, so Mrs. Wang only thought about it in her heart and didn't say it, she just urged her to rest.

Early the next morning, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law packed up and went to Wang's ancestral home.

The door of the old house was wide open.

They inquired from the neighbors who were watching the lively scene about it, only to know that an official came to Fucheng early that morning to confiscate the property of the second house of the Wang family.

Although the Wang family's eldest house and the second house were separated long ago, they still lived in the same place. Those officials didn't care so much. They were like bandits entering the city, counted all the property and turned it over to confiscation.

Wang Dafu came back the day before with the county magistrate and Officer Caotou. Fortunately, the prefect did not let the yamen beat him on the spot after the prefect sentenced him.

Therefore, he and Mrs Zhao were beaten only when they returned to Hanshan Town. After the beating, Mrs. Zhao was imprisoned for a year, and Wang Dafu was brought back.

In the morning, the house was in chaos. Wang Dafu was anxious and angry, but he couldn't move. He heard that Mrs. Wang was coming, and he quickly said, "No, hurry up and block her, tell her that I can't get up now!"

But he didn't know that the officials raided the house and frightened the servants.

Hearing Wang Dafu's words from outside, Mrs. Wang walked in and said, "Big brother, don't get up if you can't get up. It doesn't matter. We, brother and sister, can talk through the door."

When it came to the words "brother and sister", Mrs. Wang's face was so cold that it condensed into ice.

Wang Dafu laughed awkwardly inside, "Why did my little sister come here in the morning? The house is in a mess, so I didn't want to scare you."

Mrs. Wang sneered and didn't go around in circles with him, "Everything does not go to the Three Treasures Hall( not going to the house for visits when there is nothing to do). Of course I have something. The prefect's judgment document is already in the yamen. Will the eldest brother follow me to the yamen, or give me three hundred taels of silver?"

"This…this," Wang Dafu couldn't hide it, and suddenly changed his style, "Full Moon Hall was mortgaged, and your two nephews were robbed of 1,400 taels, and now they are still injured and can't get out of bed. Can't you tolerate it for two days?"

Mrs. Wang said, "No, you either give it now, or I'll go and invite Officer Caotou!"

Wang Dafu cried inside and said, "My family really can't get so much money. At this age, I would die soon but your two nephews are still young, so you can't cut off their food. …"

Coincidentally, as they were talking, a child about Wu'an's age came over with a medicine bowl.

He obviously hadn't done that kind of work, and his face was wrinkled when he was holding the medicine bowl. He almost tripped over the threshold when he walked to the door.

Mrs. Wang picked him up with one hand, and took the medicine bowl in his hand with the other one.

The child patted his chest in fear, and when he saw her, he laughed, "Thank you, auntie!"

When Mrs. Wang returned to her parents' home for the first time, she took Gu Yin to Wang's ancestral home and met several children in the family.

Mrs. Wang also had an impression of him, and vaguely remembered that he was the child of the eldest brother's household.

"Why did you carry such a hot medicine bowl yourself?"

The child said, "Mother wants to take care of dad, so she sent me to take care of grandpa."

Mrs. Wang handed the medicine bowl to the old servant who was beside Wang Dafu and said, "Auntie and your grandfather need to talk, you can go play by yourself."

The child responded, holding his earlobes with his red hands, and ran away.

"Oh, my poor grandson!" Wang Dafu continued to cry inside, "Is everyone dead? How could the young master do such a thing?"

The old servant also cried and said, "The official came into the mansion in the morning, and even locked away the second house. The servants are all terrified. I guess they all hid and didn't dare to move."

"D*mn that Wang Dagui, harming people!"

"Okay!" Mrs Wang shouted, "Just tell me how much money you can give now!"

"Two… No, thirty-two! Look, girl…"

Mrs. Wang couldn't help saying, "You give me fifty taels first, and I will give you a few days for the remaining two hundred and fifty taels."

Although the eldest brother's household was severely damaged, fifty taels could still be given. Wang Dafu immediately asked the old servant to help open the hidden compartment under the bed board, and took out the silver note inside and handed it over.

Mrs. Wang also wrote a receipt on the spot, and asked the old servant to hand it over to Wang Dafu.

After leaving the Wang family's old house, Mrs. Wang sighed, took Gu Yin's hand and blamed herself, "I'm soft-hearted. Child, I'm sorry, that shop can't be bought for the time being."

Gu Yin said it was fine, "It's your stuff, it's all up to you."

Mrs. Wang squeezed her hand, and spat again, "This Wang Dafu is not a good person. His grandson would not come to deliver medicine early or late, but he came when I came. If the servants were hiding, can't he take medicine later? This is tricking me into being a fool!"

Mrs. Wang could see it, and of course Gu Yin could see it too.

Not only did she see it, she also had a way to make Wang Dafu immediately spit out the three hundred taels as they were.

However, her mother-in-law was really soft-hearted and loved the younger generation. If Wang Dafu was really asked to hand over so much money, the children and nephews would suffer, and she would be uneasy. And that was Mrs. Wang's own money after all, since she said it could be collected slowly, Gu Yin couldn't go against her intentions.

"I'll wait another month till they heal. If they still refuse to pay back the money, I'll twist Wang Dafu's head!" Mrs. Wang scolded and dragged Gu Yin away.

Although only fifty taels were taken, for Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang, it was a lot of money.

What Mrs. Wang thought about was to open a shop and not let Gu Yin suffer on the pier.

She did what she said, and immediately took Gu Yin to Daxing, and asked Wen Peifeng if the good shop was rented out.

Of course there was no such thing. Second Master Wen was still not giving up, he would not rent it out. The old man also had the heart to wait for Gu Yin, so he was not in a hurry.

There was only a smile on Mrs. Wang's face. She stuffed the fifty taels of silver to Gu Yin and asked her to go to Wen's house to sign a contract with Old Master Wen, while she went home, washed the tables and chairs set of the stall to prepare Of course, and sold them. The most important thing was to make a trip to the pier to publicize the news that they were going to open a shop.

Wen Peifeng lent Gu Yin his carriage and asked the coachman to take her to Wen's house.

When Old Master Wen heard that Gu Yin was coming, she was led to his study room.

"Boss Gu goes to the Three Treasures Hall for everything (infrequent visits), what's the point of coming here today?"

When Mrs. Wen started to speak in an official tone, Gu Yin couldn't help bending her lips, and then said sternly, "I got a sum of money at home. Thinking of the good shop in your old hands, I came to you to sign a contract."

"If you didn't have to sign the deed, you won't come, right?" Old Master Wen snorted.

He had a cold before and had a headache for several days, and was forced by Eldest Master Wen to rest at home. After he recovered, he knew that someone was using his name to interfere with Gu Yin's business. Although the latter matter was solved, it involved other cases. After the old man found out, he drafted a letter overnight to help Gu Yin fight the lawsuit.

However, his cold was not yet completely healed. He lit the lamp and stayed out in the wind for a long time, and the next day he developed a cough.

How could Eldest Master Wen bear to see him like that? He held him back, let the doctor come to check his pulse and prescribe medicine, and then send the servant to take the paper to Gu Yin, and say that although the old man was going to recuperate, he could also give a copy.

After that, Gu Yin's ideas all worked, and the investigation of the case went smoothly. She asked someone to tell Old Master Wen to recuperate first.

"How can I not come? I came to see you in the afternoon two days ago. Didn't you see me?"

The old man's eyes flashed. His previous coughing attack was really severe, and when he coughed, he couldn't catch his breath. And at that time, he knew that the case was handed over to the prefect for trial – the prefect was a scumbag, and he couldn't help. He simply didn't see her.

"Last time I stewed Chuanbei and Snow Pear and sent it, was it useful?"

Chuanbei and Snow Pear was a very common thing in later generations. It was also available then, but it was not common. It could be bought in big places like the state capital. Most of the people in Hanshan Town were ordinary people.

Gu Yin simply did it herself.

The washed asian pears were ground together with the skins, the chuan bei (fritillaria bulbs) was ground into powder, the red dates and soaked lilies were added, and boiled on the stove for a quarter of an hour, filtered with gauze, and then the pure juice was boiled until it thickened.

Of course, it was better to add Luo Han Guo (monk fruit) but unfortunately that thing was produced in the south, it was not easy to buy, and the price was ridiculously expensive.

The old man couldn't hold it anymore, and said with a smile, "It's good, I felt much better the day after drinking it. Later, Chef Xu made it as you said. But after he boiled it, it was not as good as yours."

"I gave you medicine, why are you thinking if it's good or not?" As she spoke, Old Master Wen took out the deed.

The deed this time was different from the last time, it was based on 80% of the market price, and the annual rent was forty taels.

"Do you have enough money? In fact, monthly rent is also possible."

Gu Yin said, "It's good to pay quarterly. Don't worry, when the store's income is stable, next year I will pay on an annual basis like others, and I won't want you to give me 80%."

"Who gave you 80% of the price for nothing?" said Mrs. Wen, "The price difference of 10 taels is the price I pay for a table. Remember to leave a table for me… What did you call it last time?"

"The VIP seat."

Gu Yin readily signed the contract, and Old Master Wen also gave her the key to the shop.

After coming out of Wen's house, Gu Yin still felt a little unreal while holding the key in her hand.

Her dream shop was there!

But before she could get far, Chef Xu chased after her.

"Congratulations Master!" He clasped his fists

Gu Yin bent her lips, "You got the news so soon!"

Chef Xu smiled, "When the master was talking to the old man, my little apprentice just went to deliver the soup. After listening, he told me when he came back. There must be a lot of things to buy for the new store. Let's go, I will accompany you!"

Gu Yin asked if he didn't have any work.

It wasn't even noon, so Chef Xu naturally wasn't off work. He waved his hand indifferently, "What kind of work do I still have? You promised that I will come to help you when you open a shop. I took a day off from the housekeeper. I'll come over tomorrow and officially resign."

"Okay." Gu Yin looked at him and said, "Then we will do it together, I will definitely not treat you badly."

"Master, what are you saying? You are treating me favorably if you take me with you."

The master and the apprentice went to the shop, but Chef Xu knew the way. Although Gu Yin had been there once before, she was sitting in the carriage at the time and didn't know the exact location.

"One of these two streets is called Wencheng Street and the other is called Anxing Street. Although the shop under the master's order is located at the intersection of the two streets, it is generally still on Wencheng Street."

The shop was still the same as last time, but maybe because of the different mood, Gu Yin liked it more.

But there were a lot of things to add, not to mention the firewood, rice, oil, salt, pots and pans, and since they were opening a store, they had to think of a resounding store name and customize a good sign board.

And because no one had been there for a long time, there had been a thin ash inside, and it had to be cleaned well.

In addition, since they were opening a shop, they had to think about what to do.

At first, Gu Yin only wanted to open a small shop near the wharf, and she also thought about making porridge and noodles like the one on the wharf.

With such a good shop, it was not enough to make those, and she had to develop some other signature dishes. She had to hire a chef of the red spicy cuisine in order to make the best use of this good shop.

Gu Yin looked at Chef Xu helplessly. He was a good apprentice, but his craftsmanship was really not very good, and she couldn't afford that for the time being.

It would be nice if Manager Zhou was still there.

It was a pity that Full Moon Hall closed, and Gu Yin's mind was all about the case at that time. But she didn't expect they could rent her dream shop so soon, and she didn't contact Manager Zhou at that time.

She didn't know where to look for him, and with his skill, Manager Zhou's monthly pay would definitely not not be low.

Probably she should write down what to buy.

Gu Yin went home with that thought.

It was not until noon in the afternoon that Mrs. Wang returned home, and Wu'an also came back from Wen's house.

What was even more rare was that Gu Ye came back not long after.

"You just ran out after being beaten up. You little brat is so wild, but luckily you are back early," Mrs. Wang said helplessly.

Gu Ye just came back to inform them, saving his mother and his grandmother from worry.

When Mrs. Wang asked him where he was going, Gu Ye said, "I have a friend who is leaving, and I want to see him off."

Hearing that, Mrs. Wang felt very strange, "Why didn't I know you still have a friend? Who is he?"

"In winter, he feeds me. He cooks delicious food too."

If it was someone else who said that the food was delicious, Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin would just listen.

But Gu Ye, this little brat, had a stubborn tongue. After eating the food made by Gu Yin on the pier, he would not eat the food others made.

It could be said that a large part of his closeness to Gu Yin was because the food Gu Yin made was delicious.

Even when he went to the prefecture, Mrs. Wang had never heard Gu Ye praise the meals.

Gu Yin stood up and said, "Since that's the case, then I'll send off your friend with you."

At first, both Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang subconsciously thought that Gu Ye's friend was a child similar to him.

When they heard that he could cook and make delicious meals, he was obviously an adult.

It was a little weird for an adult to be friends with such a child.

Gu Ye thought about it. His friend was very happy when he heard that he now had a home, and kept praising his mother for being a good person, so he probably wouldn't mind him taking her with him.

The mother and son walked out of the house holding hands.

Gu Ye walked with Gu Yin for a quarter of an hour and arrived at an ordinary residential house.

The door was knocked, and a burly middle-aged man came to open the door.

When Gu Yin met him, both of them were a little surprised.

"Manager Zhou?"

"Little lady?"

Still an acquaintance!

Gu Ye turned to look at Manager Zhou, and then at his mother, wondering how they knew each other.

The fact that Gu Yin adopted Gu Ye was well known on the dock, but not elsewhere.

Especially when Manager Zhou and Gu Yin only met by chance. He only knew that her family was poor, and she had to go out to find work in the snowy days of winter. He never thought that she would be the one who adopted Gu Ye.

"It turned out to be the little lady who adopted the child, I admire you," Manager Zhou clasped his fists, and Gu Yin returned the salute.

Because Manager Zhou was a single man, it was inconvenient to greet Gu Yin to enter the house, so the two of them stood at the door talking.

After chatting, Gu Yin realized that when Gu Ye disappeared in winter, it was Manager Zhou who was taking care of him.

"It was very cold at that time. When I got off work and left the back alley, I saw a small thing in the corner. At first I thought it was a wild cat. I took the lantern and realized that it was a fainted child. I took him home that day, fed him porridge, warmed him for half the night, but the child disappeared in the morning…"

Manager Zhou laughed as he said, "After that, he waited for me in the back alley every day. I wanted to take him home, but he wouldn't let me approach. I had no choice, so I made him a small house in the back alley to bring him some food every day. When he suddenly disappeared, I was worried that he was… Anyway, seeing that he is well now, I can leave this place with peace of mind since he is adopted by a kind-hearted person like you."

Speaking of which, Gu Yin naturally asked, "Where are you going?"

Manager Zhou's eyes dimmed, "I'm not a manager anymore, just call me Uncle Zhou. As for the future… Full Moon Hall can't stay any longer, there is only Hanxiang Hall in the town, a shop I had applied for a few days ago."

He laughed to himself, "To be honest with the little lady, the owner of Hanxiang had poached me more than once before, but this time when I went there, the owner changed his tone. The salary was half what he said before. And the position is of second chef."

Manager Zhou was the one who turned Full Moon Hall into profit and brought it back to life. If asked to be the second chef for others, he could not stand it no matter how good his temper was.

Seeing Gu Yin frowning, Manager Zhou said, "None of the other shops in the town have any plans to recruit people, and I have been searching for a few days with no results. So I'm going to go back to the prefecture to have a look. There are many shops there. Even if I don't work as a chef in any big shop, it's not difficult to find a chef job in an ordinary shop. Don't worry, little lady, chef's won't starve to death in the famine years, there is always a way out!"

With Manager Zhou's ability, it was certainly not difficult to find a job, but his salary was not affordable by ordinary shops, and when he worked, he was the manager who picked the staff, and his requirements were not low.

Hearing that Manager Zhou had plans to become a chef in another small shop, Gu Yin would be a fool if she didn't act, "My family is about to open a shop, and the shop has been selected. It is at the intersection of Wencheng Street and Anxing Street. Are you free to follow me?"

At that time, the sky was getting dark, and it was impossible to make the trip that day. Gu Yin made an appointment with him to meet at the shop the next morning.

The mother and son went back along the same road again, and it was completely dark when they reached Jinyi Alley.

Mrs. Wang had already prepared the evening meal, and Wu'an had also returned from school, and they were all waiting for them.

The mother and son were in a good mood. Gu Ye was happy that Manager Zhou didn't leave, Gu Yin was naturally happy that Manager Zhou received the olive branch she handed over – they were all smart people, and Manager Zhou had naturally thought about it. And knowing everything, he was willing to go to her shop to see. If he was fine with the place, her job was half done.

Of course, the other half still depended on Gu Yin's cooking. After all, it was just an empty shop at the moment. At least Manager Zhou must see a bright future before he would be willing to join.

So after two bites of food, Gu Yin asked Wu'an for a brush and paper.

Not used to writing with brushes, Gu Yin took charcoal and started planning to open a store.

The first thing to do was have a good store name.

Everyone who had opened a store knew how important a signboard was.

In her previous life, Gu Yin inherited the Gu family porridge shop from her grandfather. But this one was not owned by her alone, but co-founded by her and Mrs. Wang. She was not only planning to do white porridge dishes, so the name was not suitable.

But it wasn't a big issue with Eldest Master Wen there. He was knowledgeable and experienced, so he could naturally help them come up with a good name.

The second, of course, was the design.

The place had a lot of things, but after a change of owner, although they didn't have money to redesign, it was always necessary to rearrange and do some soft decoration.

The third step was the arrangement of the staff in the shop.

The red and white cuisine chefs were naturally necessary. The assistant chefs would be Chef Xu and his two young apprentices, so it was enough. If Manager Zhou could join, then the manager would be him. In addition, waiters were also needed, that was, the so-called serving staff, etc. in that era, to entertain customers and do other chores. Her mother-in-law alone was definitely not enough.

The third step, that was, the food that the shop would mainly sell in the future, was also the future business direction of the entire shop.

She didn't plan it alone, she had to wait for Manager Zhou to join the team and discuss it together.

Gu Yin used charcoal to write and draw on the rice paper, and it was midnight before she knew it.

Because she was too excited, she simply didn't sleep. She got up and made buns. The buns were still for the Ge family. They only sold preserved egg and lean meat porridge. However, the dock's rent that month still had to be paid, and there was no income for a day, so she still had to earn a little bit. Moreover, in that era, information and communication were not developed. Although her mother-in-law had gone to the pier to promote it, there must be a large number of new visitors who may not know about it. In order to prevent the loss of these customers, it was still necessary to promote slowly.

The cutlery had already been sold by Mrs. Wang at a discount, so Gu Yin didn't make much porridge. According to the current level of business, it was basically enough to sell for an hour, so there was no need for those. She just brought some empty bowls.

When it was dawn, Mrs. Wang went to the pier. Gu Yin asked Gu Ye to go to Wen's house, and asked him to send a message in her own name, inviting Old Master Wen and Chef Xu to come over, and she went to Wencheng Street and waited for Manager Zhou to come over.

When the sky was bright, Old Master Wen and Manager Zhou came over.

Gu Ye was faster than the old man, so he rushed back to report and said, "That fat one is not coming."

Hearing that his master was able to open a shop, Chef Xu was even happier than Gu Yin herself. He visited her the previous day, and Chef Xu had already helped her figure out what to buy.

So hearing that he didn't come, Gu Yin was quite surprised and asked, "Is it due to something that he couldn't come today or he didn't want to come?"

Without waiting for Gu Ye to answer, the old man came over, and he said with a sullen face, "Of course he wants to come, it's my family's money lover… that second son, didn't let anyone go."

Chef Xu had average craftsmanship and few skills, but he was fast and had two young apprentices who were also quick. The total salary was five taels per month, which was higher than that of ordinary cooks. They could at least do the work of six or seven people.

If it weren't for him being cheap and easy to use, Second Master Wen would have stopped him since he saw that he was getting fatter in the kitchen.

When he said he was going to quit his job, where would Second Master Wen find such a cook? If they invited a few cooks to take care of the food and drink of the whole family, the wages would be doubled or tripled at least.

And not only that, Second Master Wen also got the news that the old man rented the shop he was interested in to Gu Yin, and Chef Xu was going to help her.

Chef Xu was not the long-term worker of the Wen family, but the living contract was also limited. Chef Xu would work there until summer.

It was only the beginning of April, which meant that it would take two months for Chef Xu to regain his freedom.

Chef Xu turned to Old Master Wen for help, so he talked with his second son.

Second Master Wen just said, "The deed was signed by Chef Xu himself, not forced on him by me. If you have signed the deed, can you go back at will, won't the order of the world not be in chaos?"

His words sounded high-sounding. Although the old man guessed his careful thoughts, he couldn't say anything.

After simply talking about what happened, the old man was quite ashamed. He really didn't want to admit that he raised such a son.

Gu Yin saw that the old man was unhappy, so she persuaded, "Don't be unhappy, originally our shop will not open in a few days. Chef Xu will work there for two months more. With some part-time workers, or my own family doing more, we can handle it."

The old man calmed down and asked her, "Aren't these things ready-made? Why will it take several days?"

Just at that time, Manager Zhou also came.

Gu Yin showed everyone what she wrote in the middle of the night.

At her age, being a boss and opening a shop was actually not very reassuring.

Like Manager Zhou, he knew that Gu Yin had a craft, but Gu Yin looked too young and tender. At her age, it was extremely rare to master a craft, and she would have no clue about running a business properly. It was because of some friendship that Manager Zhou agreed to come and take a look.

Before coming there, he had planned for the worst, but now that he saw her plan, his heart settled down.

It wasn't until he saw what she wrote that Manager Zhou knew that it was too shallow to speculate on a person's ability based on age.

Old Master Wen said first, "This name thing is simple, I can help, do you have any ideas of your own?"

Gu Yin smiled and said, "I got a lot of ideas. At first, I thought of 'Evil Mother-in-law's Snack Shop'. After all, my mother-in-law is very famous on the dock, but after thinking about it, won't that justify her notoriety? She is actually a very kind person, it's not appropriate to let people misunderstand her. Later, when I heard Wu'an recite the phrase 'the people take food as the heaven', I thought the three words 'food as the heaven' were very good. Don't laugh, you two, although I am only opening a slightly larger store, in the future I want to open a shop, or even open a branch in a big place like the prefecture or the capital, so the signboard should be more atmospheric. The name had to be used forever."

"These three words are really good. 'The king takes the people as the heaven, and the people take food as the heaven'. It was from 'Historical Records: Lisheng Lu Jia Biography', which can carry on your great ambition."

Gu Yin nodded with a smile, and then hesitantly said, "That's the name…would it be too showy?"

If that was left in modern times, Gu Yin would use it, but in that era, the Emperor was the Emperor, and food was heaven, so she was afraid that it would be taboo.

"Why?" Mr. Wen said indifferently, "I'll write the sign for you, and then stamp it with my seal. When people ask, you can say that I gave the name."

When it came to Mrs. Wen's seal, the origin was deep.

The seals of ordinary people were either carved by themselves or by famous masters.

The old man had two private seals, one was made by the Emperor, and the other was even more extraordinary.

The power of the two private seals could be imagined.

Gu Yin didn't know the origin of the old man's seal, but she was very fond of the old man.

"As for this second thing, I'll help." Manager Zhou said, "I've been the manager in Full Moon Hall for so many years, and I also have some connections. No, you tell me how to arrange it, I'll help with everything."

When Gu Yin heard Manager Zhou's change, her eyes turned small from smiling, and she hurriedly said, "Then for this, I'll trouble you."

Having said that, Mrs. Wang also sold out the porridge and came over from the dock.

"Mother, you just came at the right time. We were discussing the recruitment of people. You know people better than me. Would you like to come and help us come up with ideas?"

In fact, Gu Yin could make up her own mind about that matter, but she didn't take the shop as her own, so she still had to let her mother-in-law feel involved.

"I don't know how to recruit people," Mrs. Wang said, "but I count myself as one, and your Aunt Xu counts as one. Although the store is large, the two of us are enough. I'll do the other chores, and I can save some money."

Gu Yin felt that it was not possible. The store could have seven or eight tables. If the business was good and the customers were full, the two waiters would definitely not be enough. But what Mrs. Wang said also made sense.

After taking fifty taels from the Wang family, she had a total of more than seventy taels in her hands. She had given more than 13 taels of rent for one season, and there were nearly sixty taels left.

Chef Xu and his young apprentice gave up their original work to help her, and the wages offered to them naturally couldn't be lower than that offered by Second Master Wen.

Buying pots and pans and simple decorations, Gu Yin temporarily counted them as twenty-two.

Although Mrs. Wang was her own family member, Gu Yin planned to share the dividends for her at the end of the year, but she still had to give a salary. Mrs. Wang was also able to do the work of two or three people by herself, so she had to pay at least eight tael.

The head would be Manager Zhou. He was both the chef and manager of the red cuisine. Because the new store was currently understaffed, he still had to act as the cashier. He did the work of three people by himself. If she did not pay him at least twenty taels, she would feel ashamed.

That was almost fifty taels. If they invited a few more people, it would be even more difficult.

Gu Yin did some mental calculations, and suddenly her eyes lit up. She took the charcoal and drew a counter in the shape of a "circle" on the paper.

Ordinary counters occupied a large area and only served as a checkout. But if it was made into a "circle"-shaped counter, seats could be set up around the outside, and Gu Yin could make dim sum, steam dim sum on the spot inside, and the following items wouldn't have oil smoke or strange smell, which could not only increase the number of seats, but also save the number of waiters needed.

After she finished drawing, she explained her thoughts. Manager nodded and said, "This idea is indeed novel, but even if we find someone to make a counter like this and put the smoke out, if it's summer, I'm afraid it would be too hot to sit still in the hall."

That was indeed the blind spot of Gu Yin's idea. In that era, there was no air conditioner, so it really couldn't be made like that.

Seeing that Gu Yin was a little annoyed, Manager Zhou said, "But this is really practical. In fact, I also thought about it before. Some customers traveled alone and are not willing to share a table. It is really inconvenient that one person has to occupy a table. Just according to your idea, a circle of single tables can be set up outside the counter. A partition can be between each seat. So that customers could choose where to sit, which is fresh and would not disturb each other."

That kind of store with a single table and a partition was very common in later generations, but it was really advanced at the moment.

This manager was so worth it!

They needed to put the matter of people on hold for the time being and discuss the future business direction.

The old man said, "The roasted skewers and spicy hot pot you made earlier, I have never eaten them before. If you sell them, you will naturally have no rivals."

That was naturally a fact, after all, it was modern food, something that had been improved for hundreds of years.

But at the moment, it was not possible. The meat was not something that ordinary people could eat in one go, and the seasoning of barbeque was even more expensive. Although the living standards of the people near Wencheng Street were much higher than those on the wharf, they had not reached that level of consumption.

Moreover, the cost of buying these things would make her ingredients cost doubled. Gu Yin's start-up capital was really not enough.

Gu Yin began to write and draw on the paper again.

Just like the cafeteria of the later generations, if she made various kinds of snacks every day, and Manager Zhou cooked the home-cooked dishes of the red cuisine, which would be placed on the counter one grid at a time, not only could people dine in, but they could also take out easily without waiting.

The price of that kind of dish would be cheaper, and the people nearby could afford it.

Of course, she also decided to accept orders from customers. The price of the single cooking would be slightly higher, which was 70% higher than the price of Full Moon Hall.

In that way, different customer groups could be taken care of, and the target customers of the entire store would be set as the people in the upper and middle classes of living standards in the town.

Of course, if the store was bigger, Gu Yin thought that VIP boxes could be set up, and a special menu for VIPs could also be prepared, and the access was also differentiated from ordinary people, which would cover a wider customer service group.

It was a pity that although the backyard was big, she didn't have the money to rebuild it for the time being. There were almost no such cutting-edge customers in the town, and most of them were ordinary people. She decided to make the table first, and then think about VIP later.

After discussing with Manager Zhou, she also felt very good.

Ordinary people were willing to go to a big restaurant like Full Moon Hall only once during the holidays. Although Gu Yin's store was larger than ordinary restaurants, it was far less than the scale of Full Moon Hall. If she pursued high prices and high profits, she may lose money.

After the general direction was finalized, Old Master Wen went back and wrote a plaque for her. He had not practiced calligraphy for a long time, so he had to pick it up to practice again.

He must write a good sign for her. As for the subsequent plaque customization, Gu Yin did not need to worry about it. He did it all by himself, and it was an opening ceremony gift to Gu Yin.

Mrs. Wang went back to Jinyi Alley to find Mrs. Xu. Although when it came to recruiting, the first thing she thought of was Mrs. Xu, she had to discuss with her before making a decision.

Manager Zhou was in charge of finding someone to customize the counter and simple decoration- especially that Gu Yin said that she hoped to knock down half of the two walls facing the street and make the kind of large windows that could be opened. He brought the drawings and showed it to the old craftsman to make sure that the wall could be beaten before hiring someone to build it.

Gu Yin asked him to stay for a while, and finally discussed the salary with him.

Manager Zhou did not hide it from her and said, "When I was in Full Moon Hall, my monthly salary was 32 taels, but your scale here is not as big as that, and you naturally don't need to give that much. You can give it as you please."

Gu Yin thought about twenty taels at first, but she never thought that Wang Dafu would give Manager Zhou thirty taels.

She thought about it, and finally decided to pay twenty two taels a month, but at the end of the year, she would give bonuses and year-end bonuses. Afraid that Manager Zhou would not understand bonuses and year-end bonuses, Gu Yin was about to explain,

Manager Zhou had already smiled and said, "When you were not rich, you still adopted the child who you met by chance. I naturally trust you. In fact, twenty-two per month is very good for me now. The bonus and year-end bonus can wait until the end of the year."

Recruiting such a good employee was no different from picking up money on the ground.

Gu Yin felt warm in her heart, "You can also be relieved, I will do what I say."

In mid-April that year, "Food for the Heaven", located at the intersection of Wencheng Street and Wenxing Street, officially opened.

The plaque of the store was made by Old Master Wen.

Horizontal and vertical, the three big characters of "Food of Heaven" were decent and square, and two private seals with different fonts were tapped in the lower right corner. Although it was simple, it had a sense of grandeur.

Not to mention the materials used, Gu Yin didn't recognize them anyway, but felt that the glossy wood hanging in front of her own shop raised the level of the entire shop.

The day before the opening, Old Master Wen also suggested hiring someone to come for the lion dance. Gu Yin was also a little moved at the time. Of course, the more lively the opening, the better, and after watching so many lively lion dances in TV series, who wouldn't want to see them with their own eyes?

After inquiring about the price, Gu Yin could only leave.

Of course, the expenses for publicity were definitely necessary. Gu Yin renewed the lease of the stall on the pier for a month, but no one went there. She only set up a card, indicating the location and opening time of her new store, and then she also thought of the popular flyers.

At that time, printing was not yet popular, and unless one paid for a printing plate themselves, it would be more cost-effective to have someone transcribe it.

Later, Wu'an took over the job. Anyway, he had to practice calligraphy at home every day. Gu Yin only wanted it to be understandable by ordinary people, not beautiful.

In half a month, he wrote a total of 100 flyers. Although the number was not large, the number of literate people in the town was not particularly large, and it was enough to put them in the wealthy areas near the Wen's and Wang's ancestral homes.

Gu Yin gave him 100 silver coins, but he refused to accept it at first, but she finally persuaded him to accept it. He turned his head and gave it to Mrs. Wang, and she gave it to Gu Yin. It still spinned in the hands of the three people.

The work of handing out flyers was done by Gu Ye. He liked to go out and wander around every day, and handing out flyers was a convenient thing. He didn't say he wouldn't accept the wage, but only said that he couldn't put it in his small purse, so he asked his mother to save it for him first, to marry a wife.

At that time, Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang couldn't stop laughing. Mrs. Wang looked at his little bean-like body and asked, "Do you know what it means to marry a wife?"

Gu Ye said blankly, "I don't know, but I heard people say that when you get older, you have to marry a wife and you have to spend a lot of money."

That matter kept Gu Yin and Mrs. Wang happy until the opening day.

In the morning, Gu Yin first let someone put a bunch of hanging decorations, and then came out with Manager Zhou to say a few words, even if it was a simple opening ceremony.

Because of a little bit of publicity, the trend of "Grandpa Wen's Porridge" had not yet died, and many people knew the news and came to line up in advance.

After entering the store, the customers first felt novelty about the layout of the store.

Walking into the store, there were two rows of square tables against the wall on the left and right. That square table was custom-made by Gu Yin. It was a circle smaller than the original square table in the shop. Of course, it must be enough for four people, but it saved some space. So when at the beginning there were only enough places for six tables, it then had eight tables seats.

The wall that had only a few small windows had also undergone a major renovation. The upper part was almost completely knocked out, making it a half-person-height large window. And it was not the kind of window that was pushed open from the middle, it was the kind of window that was pushed from one side and the customer could choose to open or close it.

If it weren't for the glass being a rarity, Gu Yin would have arranged the floor-to-ceiling windows.

In the middle of the store, there was a large counter in the shape of a zigzag. There was a circle of single low tables and round stools around the counter, which could seat more than thirty people.

As for the distance between the counter and the square table by the wall, Gu Yin originally wanted to make a smaller table for two, but after a rough calculation, the store could seat sixty or seventy people. As a newly opened store, that capacity should be sufficient, so she put the plans on hold.

There were four service staff in the store. The leader was Mrs. Wang at that time, then Mrs. Xu and another pair who lived together in Jinyi Alley.

Mrs. Xu was invited by Mrs. Wang. Of course, she wanted to do good things together, but in fact, Mrs. Wang was afraid that she would not be happy at first.

But Mrs. Xu accepted it in one go.

The Xu family's income was only the rent of two small yards, which was seven or eight taels of silver a year. That money was only enough for half of Xu Qingchuan's tuition.

In recent years, they had mainly used the old money left by the Xu family.

Mrs. Xu did not have much money left in hand. Especially after the spring of this year, when she found that Xu Qingchuan was copying books for the bookstore in secrecy to earn money, she felt more uncomfortable.

She really wanted to find a job to do, but there were not many places who recruit female workers in the town, and for the first half of her life, she was pampered, and she didn't have any skills. All she could find was the work of washing and sewing. That kind of work was not only hard, but also the income was small. She wanted to do that kind of work several times, but Xu Qingchuan refused. He also said that he wanted to review the book, and copying the book was only for reviewing the old and learning the new.

Mrs. Wang's invitation was tantamount to giving help in the snow to Mrs. Xu.

She responded immediately. Later, Mrs. Wang said that there were still two people needed in the store, Mrs. Xu recommended to her Mrs. Tian and her daughter who lived in Jinyi Alley.

The Xu family moved there later, while the Tian family had always lived in Jinyi Alley. They could get along because Mrs. Tian was also a widowed woman with a daughter.

Her life was really rough. The young woman lost her husband and took her daughter alone to seek a living. After her daughter grew up and married someone, her son-in-law was also asked to enlist in the army by imperial court a few years ago, but there was no news.

Her daughter's mother-in-law was also ruthless. Thinking that her younger son would probably not be able to come back, she drove her daughter-in-law back to her parents' home, claiming that Mrs. Tian and her daughter brought ill fate. Otherwise, how could she be a widow? When the daughter's marriage was less than a year, her husband was also sent on the front line, and his life and death were uncertain.

The mother and daughter of the Tian family had a bad reputation under the propaganda of the mother-in-law, and the work of sewing and washing was very difficult to find – after all, there were not a few people who believed in that in the era.

After making the recommendation, Mrs. Xu also told the truth and said, "They are both quick-witted and diligent people. Even in the cold winter when the well water was piercing cold, they have never delayed their work, just their reputation… so it's just a recommendation, it's up to you whether you take them or not."

Gu Yin wanted Mrs. Wang to hold the position of lobby manager later, so she delegated the power to recruit people to her.

Immediately, Mrs. Wang said indifferently, "Nonsense, my Qingyi has been criticized for a bad fate in the early years! This is what those Taoist deliberately make up to deceive people. I don't believe in fate. Yes, it is better to believe in yourself than to believe in those!"

Later, under the recommendation of Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Wang and the mother and daughter of the Tian family met. It was exactly as Mrs. Xu said. The mother and daughter were both able to work hard at first sight. Although the clothes they wore were so old that she could not see the color, they were clean. Their hands were scarred by calluses and severe frostbite, but the house was in good order.

Mrs. Wang herself was a person who loved cleanliness. She felt very satisfied at the moment, but she didn't say anything, and discussed it with Gu Yin after returning.

Gu Yin didn't even pay attention to that 'bad fate', and let Mrs. Wang make the decision.

So the servers headed by Mrs. Wang were also ready to go. They were wearing light yellow robes, so light that if they got a little dirty, it could be spotted clearly. But as long as it was cleaned, just looking at it made people feel that the store's things were extra clean.

Their heads were covered with cloth towels of the same color, and pure white cloth gloves were on their hands. They did not come out to greet the guests, but stood at the counter.

At the counter, one finger-deep and three-foot-long wooden plates of uniform size were lined up neatly together.

The things on the wooden plates were naturally food, because it was in the morning when it opened, the food in the store was mainly made by Gu Yin.

Steamed buns, flower rolls, meat cabbage buns, bean curd, leek cakes, meat patties, eight-treasure porridge, green vegetable porridge, and of course the most famous preserved egg lean meat porridge…

There were as many as ten types, all displayed on the wooden plates.

And there was a price tag in front of everything. Steamed buns and rolls were worth one coin each, vegetable buns and leek cakes were two coins a piece, meat buns and meat patties were three coins a piece, vegetable porridge was two coins a bowl. The most famous preserved egg and lean meat porridge was three coins for a bowl.

In fact, under the name of "Grandpa Wen's Porridge", some people would buy it even if it was twice as expensive, but Gu Yin thought that when her business was not famous, that porridge was three for two coins for a big bowl. So she kept the price but the bowls in the store were not sea bowls, just the size of a home-cooked bowl. But there would be more preserved eggs, and the profit was more than before.

Gu Yin pushed out a wooden cart and said with a smile, "Please pick up the food plates here."

The guests felt novelty everywhere, so they naturally answered her words and took their plates.

The wooden plates were also custom-made, which was like the stainless steel food plates used in the canteens of later generations. There was a large grid and several small grids. There was a groove in the upper right corner, which could just fit the wooden bowl into it.

The customers went to the counter to choose their food. From one end to the other, the plate was the place for the cashier. There were two small signs "Cashier" and "Order" on the counter. The customer paid the meal fee together after choosing. Of course, if there were other things they wanted to eat, they could also order food there, and hand over the money.

But because it was the first day of opening, the special order had not yet opened.

That cash register work was naturally done by Mrs. Wang. But because everyone rushed in on the first day, it was definitely too late to check the cash alone, so Gu Yin asked Wu'an who had a leave to help. He stood on the small bench to help Mrs. Wang collect money.

Wu'an was really good at math. Gu Yin told him the price once, and he remembered it all. As long as he glanced at the food on the plate, he could immediately calculate the price, which was almost as fast as the scanning equipment of later generations. So even if there was a long queue in the store that day, the checkout speed had not slowed down.

After choosing and paying for the meal, the customer could sit down and eat at any place in the hall.

The steamed bread rolls were small and delicate, extremely soft, and if one chewed it twice, it immediately melted in the mouth, leaving only the sweetness of a mouthful of refined grains.

The outer layer of the cabbage cake was also fragrant and soft, and the vegetable stuffing inside had the aroma of lard, which was delicious.

The meat patty was even more full of flavor. The mouth was full of fragrance when one bit into it, which was so delicious that they would close their eyes in enjoyment.

The bean curd was smooth, and the eight-treasure porridge was fragrant. The most famous Old Master Wen's Porridge was more mellow and special because of the extra preserved egg.

At first, most people just came for the name of "Old Master Wen's Porridge". Later, when they saw others praising other things, they went to the counter to buy those dishes.

After the meal, the customers gave Gu Yin a thumbs up.

Especially the regular customers on the pier, who came to take care of her business, praised, "I only ate a few dishes made by you before. I didn't expect you to have so much talent at such a young age."

Gu Yin smiled and said, "Actually, I'll be cooking more dishes from tomorrow. From now on, there will be a sign at the door every morning, with the special dishes of the day written on it."

While they were talking, the well-fed customers went out one after another, but the number of customers queuing outside was gradually increasing.

Mainly, the two wide open windows facing the street exposed Gu Yin's food to the outside.

Not to mention the fragrance, people passing by paused for a while after smelling it, and then looked at the diners sitting inside enjoying the meal. Even if they were not very hungry, they would think about whether they could still eat.

After about half an hour, Manager Zhou came out of the back kitchen, and together with Mrs. Wang, they got the large plates that were sold out on the counter.

The customers queuing outside saw it through the big window and immediately shouted, "We haven't queued up yet! Why are you putting everything away? Did you only prepare so much food on the first day of opening?"

Gu Yin came out and explained with a smile, "Don't be impatient, the food in the morning was indeed sold out, but look at the time…"

The opening time was what she deliberately chose between the morning meal and lunch, so after selling one round of the morning meal, the sun was on the rise, and it was close to noon.

"So it's not that we aren't selling, but our lunch meals are already open for sale."

After explaining, Gu Yin moved the standing sign of the breakfast at the entrance into the hall, and replaced it with another sign of the lunch, with red paper on it, which said the dishes of the day's lunch.

Just after the sign was changed, Manager Zhou, Mrs. Wang and others had already placed new large wooden plates on the counter.

The lunch was naturally what Manager Zhou made. There was braised pork, fried crispy pork, Kung Pao chicken, fried pork with cabbage, eight treasures tofu, vinegared cabbage, and Old Master Wei's unique preserved egg tofu… hot dishes, cold dishes, meat; everything was there.

Five coins for a meat dish, three coins for a mixed meat and vegetable dish, and two coins for vegetarian dishes. The spoons were all long-handled wooden spoons that were used for scooping porridge. One spoon was just enough to cover a grid of the plate. The staple food consisted of steamed bread and rice, hand-rolled noodles, steamed bread was still a coin, rice was a spoon for one coin, hand-made noodles were not expensive, a big bowl for three coins, the bowl was a sea bowl. If one wanted noodles, they could add vegetables as toppings.

It was like an ordinary man with a big appetite, three coins a bowl of plain noodles, and two coins a spoonful of vegetable toppings, and he would get a full stomach with five coins.

However, the people who came to cheer on that day were all people with a decent living standard in the town, and they all tried several kinds of hot dishes with a variety of colors and flavors.

The menu was drawn up with the help of Gu Yin. At that time, she also inquired about Manager Zhou's specialty dishes, for fear that the dishes she thought of were not within the scope of his expertise.

Unexpectedly, he gave her another surprise.

Manager Zhou was from the capital. Unlike Chef Xu, who was a layman who had learned a little about cooking, he learned it from chefs of various cuisines in his family's restaurant when he was a child. It was only after the family fell out that he came out to make a living on his own.

He knew most of the dishes Gu Yin mentioned, and even if he didn't know, after listening to her how to make them, Manager Zhou could make them right away.

The hot dishes were full of color and flavor, and the flavor spread farther than those of the pork dim sum.

Outside, the dissatisfied customers who watched them remove the wooden plates immediately stopped complaining, and just smelled the fragrance while urging the people inside to come out quickly after eating.

Some of the customers at the tables next to the window were so troubled that they closed the window beside them, and some even shouted praises when eating with white steamed buns deliberately to arouse their jealousy.

"Oh, this braised pork is fat but not greasy, so fragrant!"

"This Kung Pao Chicken, cucumbers and peanuts are crunchy, this chicken is extra smooth and fragrant!"

"This preserved egg tofu. Wow, it turns out that this black preserved egg can also be used as a salad, it's delicious!"

The people queuing outside asked him angrily, "Why do you keep saying, fragrant, fragrant, delicious! Can't you say more words?"

The man smiled proudly and said, "I'm happy! Oh, it's delicious!"

The people outside were mad at him. He was really eating it deliciously. They had been queuing for so long, and it was about to be their turn, so they couldn't go straight in.

Gu Yin predicted that there would be more customers on the first day, but she didn't expect it to be so much. Seeing that the customers by the window were making the people queuing outside anxious, she simply opened a separate take-out window temporarily.

There were no disposable tableware in that era, so the food box was also custom-made by Gu Yin, which was a wooden bento box.

For that box, one had to pay two coins, but if they washed it and returned it after eating, the two coins would be refunded.

The customers outside looked toward the big window to see the dishes inside. Taking the orders, Gu Ye gave the money to Gu Yin. Gu Yin was in charge of packing the bento, and then he was in charge of giving them.

Dine-in and take-out were combined, and by noon, the hot dishes in the store were already sold out.

Just when the customers who didn't get to eat felt frustrated, Manager Zhou had already prepared a new round of dishes.

But even so, it was another hour, and the dishes were still sold out.

Fortunately, there were no customers inside at that time, and everyone in the store could finally take a breath and take advantage of that time to eat lunch.

Gu Yin and Manager Zhou rested for half an hour, and then they entered the back kitchen to prepare the evening food to be sold for dinner.

For dinner, there were mixed red and white cases, five kinds of steamed buns, dim sum, porridge and hot dishes, but the two of them were fast, and they could finish it all in one hour.

When it was time for dinner, the store opened.

Of course, compared to the lively day, there were fewer customers in the evening. Especially in that era, people paid attention to working at sunrise and resting at sunset. There were no entertainment activities in the town. Every family ate early and slept early, so after seven o'clock in the evening, the store even ended the day's business.

Once it was over, Mrs. Wang let Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Tian and her daughter go home to rest, while she stayed behind to do the follow-up cleaning work.

Gu Yin discussed with Manger Zhou. She really didn't expect that business would be so good. At that time, she thought she could be responsible for bookkeeping, but later she was in charge of packing lunch boxes. Manager Zhou also cooked two rounds of dishes and went to the front to help.

But fortunately, they remembered the account of grocery shopping clearly, and a gross profit could be calculated by subtracting the cost of grocery shopping from one day's turnover.

Manager Zhou played the abacus very quickly. After one day, the gross profit on the first day was about 5 taels of silver.