As he spoke, Jiang Yaojie took out the blueprints from his pocket and unfolded them for everyone to see.

This blueprint was drawn by Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie yesterday. Jiang Yaojie pointed to the position of the lock and said, "Everyone, please look, you need two locks to open this; you can't open it with just one!"

The merchants squinted at each other for a long time, exchanged glances, and remained silent, which was taken as a tacit agreement.

"Then, esteemed managers, do you have any further comments? I hope everyone will raise their opinions. Although the commercial street in the resort area belongs to our Lujia Village, its development is inseparable from the support and dedication of all the managers."

"Then... Little Boss Jiang, what exactly are the rewards and punishments?" the female shopkeeper of the clothing store asked.

Jiang Yaojie glanced at Jiang Ling, and Jiang Ling nodded, indicating that Jiang Yaojie could speak.

Jiang Yaojie took a deep breath and said, "The suggestion box contains not only complaints but also praise. The methods and punishments are the same. The top three with the most votes will receive bonuses at the end of the year, and the first place winner can even get six months' rent waived!"

The shopkeepers' eyes lit up at these words. Jiang Yaojie looked at them and said in a serious tone, "Now that we've talked about rewards, let's discuss punishments!"

"Since we've received a complaint, it's bound to cause dissatisfaction among tourists. The consequences of this dissatisfaction could be minor or major. We will conduct a thorough review, and the most serious outcome would be termination of the contract and a permanent ban on doing business in Lujia Village Commercial Street! Of course, we will return the rent to you, but don't even think about getting your deposit back!"

After hearing these words, the shopkeepers' feelings were like a rollercoaster, some happy and some sad! The happy ones naturally planned to continue to work hard and strive to win first place, while the sad ones could only secretly rejoice that the plan had not yet been implemented.

"Everyone, I'd like to reiterate: please feel free to speak up if you have any complaints or opinions about our proposal!"

"What if... what if the votes are tied?" the jewelry shop owner asked.

"If the votes are tied, either the reward or the punishment will be the same!" Jiang Yaojie said succinctly.

The shopkeepers seemed to have no more questions and remained silent for a while.

Seeing this, Jiang Ling gestured for Jiang Yaojie to come down, then walked over and pointed at Wang Hua, saying, "Everyone, as a representative of our commercial district, I hereby announce that Wang Hua is trying to extort money from our Lujia Village and is trying to act like a rogue. I hereby declare that Wang Hua is permanently barred from entering Lujia Village! Whether for business or leisure, he is strictly prohibited!"

"Good! It should have been done a long time ago!"

"Yes, yes! Dishonest businessmen should be kicked out!"

Loud applause erupted from the crowd, and some people shouted their support for Jiang Ling's action.

Wang Hua could only reluctantly return all the silver to Jiang Ling, then hung his head and quickly left Lu Family Village.

After Wang Hua's matter was resolved, Lujia Village returned to its former tranquility.

Twenty days remain until the completion of "Kelabo". Xu Baining arrived at Jiang Ling's door early this morning with an embarrassed look on her face.

Looking at Jiang Ling's magnificent building, Xu Baining, who is usually very tactful, suddenly felt a little timid and wanted to leave.

"You've come to see our Lady Gong, haven't you? Come in, come in!" Granny Mei, who had just returned from outside, came to greet Xu Baining when she saw her hesitating.

"Grandma, I...I..." Xu Baining was startled by Grandma Mei's enthusiasm.

Xu Baining only learned about Jiang Ling's identity after teaching Wang Hua a lesson. She hadn't gone to see Jiang Ling recently, not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't dare. If she knew that Jiang Ling was a fourth-rank lady, then whatever Jiang Ling said would be law.

Xu Baining tossed and turned for a long time, but finally made up her mind to go find Jiang Ling.

But when Xu Baining saw Jiang Ling living in such a luxurious and grand place, she felt a little timid and wanted to leave.

Xu Baining, who had been inexplicably dragged in by an old woman, walked with her legs trembling slightly.

“Grandma, I…” Xu Baining, who was usually quick-witted, didn’t know what to say at this moment. She stammered for a long time without expressing her true thoughts.

Grandma Mei smiled kindly and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, our Gongren is very good. Boss Xu, you can rest assured. We have all seen the quality of your tavern!"

Xu Baining looked up at Granny Mei in surprise. Granny Mei had already led Xu Baining to the living room and said with a faint smile, "Ms. Xu, please wait here for a moment. Our lady will be here shortly!"

After saying that, Granny Mei turned and left. Seeing that no one was in the living room, Xu Baining became even more restless. She kept fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, and her thoughts became more and more complicated.

"Mr. Xu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" a voice called out to Xu Baining.

Xu Baining looked up and immediately jumped up from her chair. She quickly walked to Jiang Ling's side and said, "Boss Jiang, no, no, Lady An, I..."

Jiang Ling warmly took Xu Baining's hand and led her back to her seat.

"Mr. Xu, you're too kind. Please have a seat!" Jiang Ling said with a faint smile.

Although Jiang Ling didn't act like a proper lady of the court at all, in Boss Xu's eyes, her own status was so lowly that she couldn't possibly be considered respectable.

Jiang Ling seemed to see through Xu Baining's thoughts. She smiled faintly, pointed to the mint water on the table, and said, "Boss Xu, try this thing I invented!"

Mr. Xu was startled and hurriedly picked up the teacup on the table. When he opened it, he saw that it contained a light green liquid with a cool smell.

"What is this?" Xu Baining stared blankly at Jiang Ling's hand holding the cup, frozen in place.

"This is my original mint juice, you should try it! The raw material is the 'spicy grass' that we added later. It is named for its grass-like shape and spicy taste."

After hearing Jiang Ling's words, Boss Xu admired Jiang Ling even more.

She quickly brought the cup to her lips, took a small sip, and felt a sweet and refreshing sensation, which suddenly disappeared.

"This... Gongren, this thing is amazing!" Xu Baining exclaimed in surprise.

"Mr. Xu, you must have come to see me today because you need something, right?" Jiang Ling asked instead of answering Xu Baining.

Jiang Ling's words immediately froze Xu Baining's smile on her face. After a long while, Xu Baining said shyly, "Gongren, I..."

"Don't be so formal. Just call me Yaojie's mother like they do before! Since I'm in Lujia Village, I'm just an ordinary person here. There are no 'Gongren' here, only Yaojie's mother!" Jiang Ling interrupted Xu Baining.

These words undoubtedly brought Jiang Ling and Xu Baining closer. Xu Baining nodded gratefully and said, "Congratulations... Yao Jie's mother, I've made up my mind. I plan to move into your 'Klaar Castle'!"

"Great! Mr. Xu, that's exactly what I've been waiting for!" Jiang Ling said happily.

Seeing Jiang Ling's happy expression, Xu Baining took the opportunity to say, "Yaojie's mother, please don't call me Boss Xu anymore, just call me Baining!"

Jiang Ling nodded in satisfaction, then called Jiang Yaojie over.