Fu Deyong wanted to sell Hechunlou, including the land and the entire building.

Hechunlou has a good location in Yongle County, and the restaurant is very well decorated, so it doesn't add up to a small amount of money.

He wouldn't have come to Nangong Qing to take over if he hadn't been completely desperate.

Fu Man Lou was his competitor, and it took him several days to swallow his pride and talk about it.

"Nangong Qing, you're the big boss, what do you think?"

Opening a branch was inevitable, but in Su Luo's plan, it should have been something that could only be achieved next year. She didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"The operating rights of the branch will belong to you and Ah Xu in the future, so your opinion is more important."

Nangong Qing couldn't run the restaurant with Su Luo and the others forever; he had more important things to do.

Then look at Ah Xu, who is standing at the door holding a sword, with an indifferent expression.

"How about this, Mr. Fu, let's go check out Hechunlou first, and then make a decision, shall we?"

"Of course, please, everyone..."

Ever since he failed to protect Nangong Qing last time, Ah Xu has been inseparable from Nangong Qing ever since.

Hechunlou was on another street in Yongle County. When Su Luo was no longer there, the two restaurants were equally famous and each had its own merits.

The decoration style is very similar to that of Fumanlou, and the kitchen is even larger than that of Fumanlou.

Going up the stairs again, the second floor had private rooms; Su Luo counted, there were ten.

The private room wasn't very big, but it was fully equipped with tables and chairs.

"Boss Fu, doesn't your Hechunlou restaurant have any large private rooms? If we have a large group for a meal, these small rooms won't be enough, will they?"

"Hahaha! Madam Su is right. The large private room is on the third floor. Please come upstairs."

There are also private rooms on the third floor, unlike Fumanlou, where the entire third floor is used by Nangong Qing alone.

"Do you like it? If you do, then buy it."

Nangong Qing whispered in Su Luo's ear.

Su Luo nudged him with her elbow, telling him not to talk nonsense. Even if he liked it, he shouldn't say it out loud, otherwise it would be difficult to negotiate the price.

"Let's see it first."

After replying to Nangong Qing, Su Luo and the others followed Fu Deyong up to the third floor.

Hechunlou has been closed for several days, and all the private rooms on the third floor are closed.

As soon as I reached the stairwell, I heard chairs being pulled apart and people arguing.

"Feng Bin, you actually lied to me, making me give you all my savings. Give me back my money, or I'll fight you to the death."

Then came another thud of tables and chairs hitting the ground.

And the voice that spoke was familiar to Su Luo; it was Chen Mengqing's voice.

"Chen Mengqing, let go. You were the one who begged me to let you come to Hechunlou as the accountant. It was all your own choice. What does it have to do with me?"

Feng Bin was pinned to the table by Chen Mengqing, his neck gripped tightly, his face flushed red.

“I gave you all my sister’s betrothal gifts, but what about you? You didn’t tell me that Hechunlou was going to go bankrupt. If I hadn’t taken all the accounts and done the math, you would still be in the dark.”

"You're still telling me about closing down for rectification? The accounts are all showing losses. Hechunlou is doomed, do you know that?"

Chen Mengqing's eyes were bloodshot. He had risked everything he had to get a high-paying job.

But he was cheated out of everything; the brothel was just an empty shell.

The landlord can sell the building, but what does he get? All the money was used to bribe Feng Bin, and he has nothing left.

Chen Mengqing was consumed by rage; with just a little more force, he could strangle Feng Bin to death.

"Little...Little Chen...the money...I'll give you the money."

Feng Bin managed to utter this incomplete sentence with difficulty.

Chen Mengqing let go, but carried the chair on his shoulder. If Feng Bin dared to play any tricks, he could kill him. After all, he had nothing left, and he had pawned almost everything in his house.

He was too ashamed to go home, too ashamed to face Chen Xique, and too disappointed in his parents' expectations. He might as well take Feng Bin with him and die.

After getting some fresh air, Feng Bin coughed for a long time before recovering and patted Chen Mengqing on the shoulder.

"Xiao Chen, don't make such a fuss. Let's talk this out. If we don't have the money, we can find a way to get it. If you kill me, you'll have to pay with your life."

Don't you think about it? You're the only son in your family. If you die, who will take care of your parents in their old age? Who will support your sister? Don't be foolish."

Feng Bin started by appealing to Chen Mengqing's family ties, getting Chen Mengqing into Hechunlou. His goal was to get Chen Mengqing to cooperate with him in earning the last bit of money from Hechunlou, so that he could just run away.

"Shut up, all I want is the money. Give me back my money, or I'll go to the owner and tell you exactly how much money you and the former accountant spent at Hechunlou."

If you don't let me have an easy time, I won't let you have an easy time either.

Upon hearing that Feng Bin had embezzled his money, Fu Deyong clenched his fists and was about to rush in to arrest him when Nangong Qing stopped him with her fan, telling him to wait.

Feng Bin sneered: "Xiao Chen, you're still too young. What good would it do you if I got arrested?"

How about we team up and both make a fortune? Let's achieve a win-win situation, what do you say?

Hearing that he could get money, Chen Mengqing was tempted. He could lose the job, but he still had to redeem his sister's betrothal gifts from the pawnshop.

He also wanted to take back the money his family had given him, money that Luo Mei had borrowed from her parents' home.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Feng Bin sat in the chair and told Chen Mengqing his plan in detail.

"Xiao Chen, now that you have the accounts, it's not difficult for you to tamper with the books and get the money out, since Hechunlou is already losing so much money."

They would record the expenses on the vegetables they bought each day. If no customers came to eat, the vegetables would be thrown away, and the price would be inflated. When the owner checked the accounts, they wouldn't find anything wrong.

"We'll split it 50/50 then, and you'll get all the money you paid back, right?"

"Bullshit! If this gets caught, you'll be in jail for life."

Feng Bin sneered, "What's there to be afraid of? No one will find out."

"Yeah?"

A cold, stern voice came from outside the door, and at the same time, the door to the private room was forcefully pushed open from the outside.

Chen Mengqing and Feng Bin were both startled by the voice and looked at the person at the door.

Suddenly, Feng Bin slid off the chair and collapsed to the ground.

Chen Mengqing was so frightened that he pressed his back against the wall. Although he had only been at Hechunlou for a few days and didn't know anyone else, he did know the owner.

"Boss, let me explain, things aren't as you think."

Judging from his demeanor, Fu Deyong must have overheard his conversation with Chen Mengqing.

What should I do? How can I explain things to Fu Deyong so he'll let me go?

“I didn’t think anything. I did hear it. Feng Bin, you’ve been my manager for so long, I’ve treated you well, haven’t I? How dare you stab me in the back.”

"Fine, you've been exposed today. We'll see you in court."

"No, no, no... Boss, I was wrong. Please forgive me for all these years. I've worked hard, even if I haven't made any great contributions. I didn't embezzle much silver. Please don't report me to the authorities. Just let me go."