"Brother-in-law, you're finally back!" Yang Hong's face was beaming with excitement.

"I heard from Mother that you've been here for two days and were waiting for me to come back. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I heard you opened a restaurant in Qing'an Prefecture. I'd like to help you manage it."

Zhao Xian was almost amused by his anger. This good-for-nothing had the nerve to want to manage a restaurant.

"Who said I opened a restaurant in Qing'an Prefecture? I just invested in a restaurant. There was already a manager in the restaurant. Would he be willing to give up his position to you?"

Besides, you can't read a single word, you can't even read an account book, letting you be the manager? That's a joke!

Zhao Xian gave an annoyed reply, showing no respect whatsoever to his brother-in-law.

Yang Hong didn't care and continued:

"I heard you put Zhao Xiaoshan in charge of the kitchen. It's easy to manage, so you put me in charge of the kitchen."

“Every aspect of running a restaurant is difficult to manage. Take the kitchen, for example. Not only do you have to manage more than a dozen chefs, but you also have to be responsible for the dishes they make. The people who come to the restaurant are either high-ranking officials or young masters, and these people are very difficult to serve.”

"Xiaoshan has been working incredibly hard these past few days, busy from morning till night. He hasn't even had time to sit down and rest, let alone have a drink of water. If you want to be a hands-off manager, you'd better save your breath." Zhao Xian refused outright.

It seems that working in a restaurant is not easy, and I definitely can't endure such hardship. It would be better not to go. But that is Qing'an Prefecture, a big city in the minds of these country folk. It would be a real pity not to take such an opportunity.

"Brother-in-law, why hasn't Ruotong returned? I heard you have a residence in Qing'an Prefecture. Is Ruotong living there?"

When Zhao Xian heard this scoundrel ask about it, his scalp began to tingle; he knew what Yang Hong was thinking.

"This house is a temporary residence provided by the government, not ours. Ruotong didn't come back with us this time because she has some things to take care of and will be back in a few days."

Yang Hong didn't say anything. Zhao Xian had rejected all his requests. Since Ruotong was still in Qing'an Prefecture, he would go find his sister. This time, he was determined to stay in Qing'an Prefecture.

"Brother-in-law, how are our parents at home? You've been here for two days now, do they know?"

When the topic of going home came up, Yang Hong immediately lowered his head.

"Don't even mention it. Last time I offended Xiao Kui, he beat me up badly, and I had to stay at home for five or six days before I could get up."

He demanded that I return the thirty taels of silver he owed him, and said that he and several of his men had been injured by your men, and that I should pay him twenty taels of silver in medical expenses, making a total of fifty taels of silver to him.

Forced into a corner, I had no choice but to ask my mother to help me pay off the debt. But my mother said that her silver was official silver and could not be used for private purposes. Xiao Kui also dared not accept this official silver. I had no choice but to borrow from loan sharks. I borrowed from loan sharks, but I could only borrow twenty taels. I still owed him thirty taels.

I'm currently on the run from my debt collectors. I came to your house a couple of days ago looking for Ruotong. Now, only my sister can help me.

Yang Hong probably drank too much today, and said everything he should and shouldn't have said.

Zhao Xian sighed. This was reaping what he sowed. His brother-in-law's personality was probably beyond redemption. No matter how much money he had, he wouldn't help him. He had brought this upon himself, so he had to deal with it himself.

Knowing why Yang Hong had taken thirty taels of silver from Xiao Kui, Zhao Xian pretended not to understand and asked:

"It's understandable that Xiao Kui wants you to pay him twenty taels of silver as compensation for medical expenses. When you meet Xiao Kui again, just tell him that I was the one who hit him and that I will pay for his medical expenses. He can then come find me."

But when did you ever owe him thirty taels of silver? Is he trying to extort you? You mustn't fall for his tricks.

“He didn’t extort me. I do owe him thirty taels of silver. This thirty taels of silver is… is…” Yang Hong couldn’t finish his sentence.

"Is this thirty taels of silver the deposit that Xiao Kui paid you to prepare for selling your sister?" Zhao Xian showed no respect for Yang Hong whatsoever.

Zhao Xian's words brought Yang Hong to his senses a little more. He dared not answer, nor did he dare to look at Zhao Xian.

“Since you’ve already taken thirty taels of silver from him, just return it to him. He doesn’t seem to have asked you for any more money.”

"I've already spent those thirty taels of silver, so I can't pay him back," Yang Hong said with a hint of helplessness.

"Thirty taels of silver is no small sum. I haven't seen you do anything significant, so how did you spend it all?" Zhao Xian was speechless.

Yang Hong was speechless and lowered his head without saying a word.

"I can't help you with this. You'll have to figure it out yourself." Zhao Xian was no longer willing to beat around the bush with him and flatly refused.

Seeing that Zhao Xian refused outright, Yang Hong immediately frowned, but he couldn't lash out, so he could only lower his head and drink in silence.

"Let me calculate it for you. You told Xiao Kui to come to me for his medical expenses. You've already paid him twenty taels of silver, so now you only owe him ten taels."

Starting tomorrow, you can find something to do here, whether it's production or farm work, it's up to you. As long as you're willing to work, you can pay back the money you owe Xiao Kui in just one year.

If you can't even handle this little bit of hardship, then you should hurry back. There are a lot of people here, and they all have their own things to do. They are very busy every day. There are no idle people in our family.

Apart from the younger sister Zhao Lingling who has to go to school, everyone else has to work every day. You've been here for two days now, so you should have seen all of this.

Yang Hong did not answer. He was used to being idle and didn't want to do any work.

Seeing that Yang Hong did not react, Zhao Xian continued:

"These past few days you've been a guest, so we haven't been too concerned about what you eat and drink at home. You should know that the wine you're drinking now is called Qinghe wine, which is in high demand and sells for four taels of silver per pound."

Starting tomorrow, if you continue drinking, you'll have to pay for it. How can anyone afford to drink such expensive liquor so casually?

Yang Hong was stunned. This wine was very delicious. It used to cost four taels of silver per catty. He had been drinking it with almost every meal for the past two days and had already drunk quite a lot.

But starting tomorrow, he'll have to pay for this kind of wine, which he simply can't afford.

At this moment, Yang Hong raised his head and saw that everyone around him was staring at him with disdainful eyes. He began to feel his face burning and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

Fueled by alcohol, Yang Hong was about to say something when he suddenly noticed Zhao Cheng standing next to Zhao Xian. The imposing aura in Zhao Cheng's eyes sent chills down Yang Hong's spine.

Xiao Kui had suffered a great loss at this person's hands last time. If this person were to throw him out, no one would stop him, and he would be powerless to do anything about it. Thinking of this, he had no choice but to swallow his words.