Ping'an Town has twelve streets. DouDou Tavern is located on the third street. There are twenty shops on each street. From left to right, the tavern is located on the twelfth street, and its address is 312.

Li Fu's tavern has the address 412, and his front door faces Dou Dou's back door.

Seeing his business declining day by day, and after the loss he suffered last time, Li Fu was determined to make up for it, but he was also wary of Yuan Doudou's powerful backing. He really didn't know what to do.

One day, Li, a scholar, came to his house for drinks. Seeing that he looked worried, and since they were cousins, and Li Fu often treated him to free meals, he still had to show some concern.

“Cousin Fu, I see you sighing and lamenting, is something wrong?” Li Juren asked on the surface, but in his heart he thought that he was just a tavern owner, a low-class person, what important things could he have that were not worth mentioning.

Li Fu was worried about who to talk to about this, but when he saw his cousin, he felt a special warmth and was inexplicably moved. In times of crisis, it was his family who cared about him.

He excitedly sat down next to Li, so close that he was too moved to notice that Li instinctively stepped back.

Before Li Fu could even speak, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, as if he had suffered a tremendous injustice.

A burly, unshaven man, with a strong build, was crying his heart out in front of a slick-haired man, sobbing so hard that bubbles were coming out of his nose. To an outsider, this would conjure up a variety of images.

It's hard not to let one's imagination run wild.

Li Juren couldn't understand what had made him cry so bitterly. He hadn't cried this much when his grandmother passed away.

"Alright, stop crying." Scholar Li looked disgusted. He regretted asking the question and bringing bad luck upon himself for no reason.

Li Fu sobbed, then slowly stopped crying.

"My dear brother, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. I'm just full of grievances, and at least there's someone who can listen to me." He was so preoccupied with his own sorrow that he completely failed to see the disdain in Li Juren's eyes.

Li, the scholar, gradually lost his patience. "What is it? Tell me, and I'll help if I can."

After all, they are brothers, so we have to save face.

Li Fu felt reassured and completely stopped crying. She then explained the whole story to him.

After hearing this, Li Juren's contempt for Li Fu intensified.

"Is that all?" Scholar Li didn't take it seriously at all.

Li Fu nodded, "Brother, you don't know this, but she has a very powerful backer. I really have no other choice."

"DouDou Tavern," Li Juren muttered to himself, then gritted his teeth.

If I remember correctly, it was the proprietress of this tavern who ruined his plans.

"Is the proprietress named Yuan Doudou?" Li Juren asked.

"Yes, brother knows?" Li Fu asked in surprise.

Scholar Li sneered. Sure enough, enemies always meet. First, they bullied his cousin, and then they stole his beautiful concubine.

A gentleman would not leave this grudge unavenged.

"Don't worry, leave this to me. I'll get her fired in three days," Li Juren said viciously, his dead fish eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

The following evening, DouDou Tavern was busier than usual, with people thronging inside and out.

Not far from the entrance, an old man wearing a bulky cotton coat, leaning on a cane, walked shakily to the front of the tavern.

He stopped and glanced at the woman in front of the counter, who looked exactly like the one in the portrait, before continuing to walk inside.

When Yuan Doudou saw him come in, she quickly stepped forward to help him, saying, "Grandpa, please slow down and watch your step."

The old man didn't say anything, but let her lead him to an empty seat.

"What would you like to drink, sir?"

The old man lowered his head, staring at the table, and after a long while said, "Bring me a bowl of warm rice wine."

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment."

An Rong was busy in the kitchen, Lu Xi was busy serving dishes, and Huang Rong was helping out.

Yuan Doudou didn't rely on anyone else; she went to get the wine herself and delivered it to the old man.

The old man stared blankly at the yellow wine, lost in thought.

"Sir, your wine will get cold if you don't drink it," Yuan Doudou kindly reminded him.

The old man seemed to hear him, stretched out his frostbitten hands, picked up the wine bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

Yuan Doudou was about to say to drink slowly, since she was getting old and drinking too much at once was bad for her health.

"Good wine, give me another bowl, and a plate of pig's head meat."

Yuan Doudou responded and went to the kitchen, wondering as she went. The old man seemed to be of modest means, so drinking a bowl of wine wouldn't be a problem for him. Yellow wine only cost five coins, but a bowl of pork head meat cost thirty coins.

It wasn't that she looked down on people; since the tavern opened, there had been people who ate and dashed, and she had even caught one who sneaked away without paying.

Despite the suspicions, the dishes still had to be served.

She personally served the wine and dishes, saying, "Sir, please enjoy your meal. You can pay after you've finished eating."

"Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged a penny," the old man said gruffly.

Yuan Doudou didn't leave; she stood behind him.

"What are you doing? Are you afraid I'll run away? You're standing here like I'm a thief. How am I supposed to eat?" the old man said angrily, his voice loud.

He shouted loudly, attracting the attention of other guests.

Yuan Doudou couldn't keep watching, so she could only walk away silently.

"Lu Xi, keep an eye on that old man over there. I'm afraid he might try to renege on his debt." One should always be wary of others.

Lu Xi was very clever; every time she served dishes, cleared plates, or served wine, she would walk around in front of the old man.

The wine in front of the old man remained untouched, as if he were waiting for something.

Yuan Doudou sat at the counter, her eyes never leaving the old man except to collect money.

He neither eats nor drinks; what is he trying to do? Yuan Doudou's suspicions deepened, and she found this person very strange.

The old man looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, took out a paper packet from his sleeve. After opening it, he poured the white powder inside into the pig's head meat and wine. Just as he was about to put the packet in his mouth to eat, his hand was grabbed and restrained.

An Rong glared at the old man and asked coldly, "What are you doing?"

"Let me go!" The old man tried to break free and escape, but An Rong was too strong.

Yuan Doudou strolled over slowly, a smile playing on her lips.

"Sir, please calm down. Why don't you sit down and tell me who sent you?"

The old man was completely distraught. His employer had promised his family a sum of money after the deed was done, but now that the matter had been exposed, his family would also be implicated. He figured it was better to remain silent; perhaps there was still a chance for things to turn around.

"You won't talk, huh? Then we'll report it to the authorities and let them handle it. We've all heard about their methods." The white-clad man went in, and the red-clad man came out.

The old man was so frightened that his face turned pale; he never expected that the authorities would be involved.

"No, don't report it to the authorities," the old man stammered, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to escape.

Yuan Doudou guessed that he wouldn't dare report to the authorities, and that the person who sent him was probably a colleague.

However, this method is quite despicable; in order to compete, they even dare to use poisoning as a trick.

She was determined to report it to the authorities, but that didn't stop her from finding out who was behind it first.