Chapter 76 Chapter 76 The Disappearance of Shopkeeper Xie. (First Update)…
What made Chen Yan feel lucky was that no one around him doubted this, and they surrounded him and Madam Xie and kept praising them.
What bothered Chen Yan was that just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Lin Zhi, after listening to Madam Xie's thoughts, turn around and look at him with anticipation in her eyes, clearly asking him to share his thoughts as well.
Immediately afterwards, everyone's eyes were focused on Shen Yan, causing cold sweat to break out on his back.
Chen Yan thought furiously under his gaze, racking his brains until he finally came up with an idea. As he sorted things out, he slowly said, "I feel that wontons with too much toppings taste a bit greasy, and I can't taste the wonton flavor. But the bubble wontons are quite refreshing and very comforting."
The more he talked, the smoother Chen Yan's thoughts became.
After praising her for a few times, he suddenly changed the subject: "Sister Zhi, are you trying to change everyone's wonton-eating habits by doing this?"
Lin Zhi was startled and frowned slightly.
Chen Yan continued, "Instead of asking everyone to choose which one tastes better, why not give the choice to the diners?"
Lin Zhi's eyes opened wide, and she froze in place.
Seeing her like this, Chen Yan thought he'd spoken too harshly, and sweat immediately broke out on his forehead. He explained dryly, "What I mean is... most yamen are not like me and Tao Lang. We're not very willing to accept new things. I'm afraid they'd have a hard time accepting clear soup wontons."
Officials’ meals were very particular about the show, cooking methods and ingredients, which is why hundred-flavor wontons came into being. Due to the habit of following the example of the superiors, it gradually spread to lower-level officials, wealthy families and even ordinary people.
It was rare among the sons of officials to be as willing to try new things as Chen Yan and Tao Yingce. Furthermore, their attempt at clear soup wontons wasn't so much about trying something new as it was simply being friendly. If someone else had offered them clear soup wontons, they wouldn't necessarily have accepted them.
Chen Yan’s meaning was very clear: wontons with heavier fillings were more to his taste, but it was too difficult to change people’s habits nowadays, unless some opportunity happened to arise.
Madam Xie sensed something strange, tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, and nodded, "Mr. Chen is right."
Everyone looked at Lin Zhi in unison. Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang even exchanged glances secretly. They clenched their hands nervously, fearing that their daughter would not be able to accept the advice and lose face.
Just as the couple was thinking about how to get out of this situation, Lin Zhi suddenly raised her hand and slapped her forehead, crumpled up the note in her hand, and threw it directly into the trash can: "I was confused!"
Who was the last person to dare to tell customers what to do? It was Zhang Mouquan, the merchant who, after seeing a broken knife, demanded that customers change their knife-handling habits!
If Linzhi came out and said that the way you eat wontons is wrong and you should do the same as me, then okay, okay, Linzhi could already imagine the scene of his shop being abandoned by customers.
When Linzhi thought of this, he became more and more frightened. He secretly told himself to stay calm and steady, and not to be blinded by the good business and forget about the directions.
She said in a deep voice, "Why bother choosing the flavor? Just like today, it's up to the diners to choose. If they like clear soup, they can have it clear; if they like toppings, they can add them."
As for what kind of dishes diners prefer, it will naturally become clear over time.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, Tao Lang smiled and changed the subject: "Speaking of which, Sister Zhi, your shop is really a bit small!"
"That's right." Lu Datou slapped his thigh, agreeing: "I wanted to come here to eat several times during my shift, but I couldn't even squeeze in!"
"My husband is the same." Mrs. Qi, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up and poked Lu San's arm. "A few days ago, I asked him to bring me some crab meat rice, but he came back empty-handed."
"It was sold out when I went there." Lu San sighed helplessly and pointed at his wife. "She kept nagging me about this all night and didn't stop until she made up for it the next day."
"You were the one who seduced me first." Yu glared at him and turned to the others to vent her grievances. "He had crab roe rice the day before, and it would have been fine if he didn't bring it back to share with me, but he kept asking me to ramble on about how delicious it was all night long. It really got me itching."
"When I got angry, he said he'd bring it back the next day." Yu rolled her eyes. "To be honest, I know that many of Linzhiji's items require pre-orders. When he said that, I thought he had a conscience and had already ordered one for me."
"Brother Lu San, you deserve it!" When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter. They knew at a glance that Lu San had forgotten about the meal, and it was too late to remember it the next day.
Just as everyone was talking and laughing, there was suddenly a burst of noise outside.
"Mr. Xie, open the door!"
"Everyone, come and judge the situation! This guy named Xie took our goods and didn't pay for them!"
Crying and shouting mixed with cursing filled the room, and the room fell silent. Lin Zhi exchanged a glance with everyone in the shop, then leaned over to the doorway, trying to listen in on the gossip.
"Is the surname Xie? It seems that he is the one who competed with you, Sister Zhi?" Madam Xie thought about what Lu San had said to her, tugged at Lin Zhi's sleeve, and asked quietly.
"Yes, it's their house."
"I remember the government has mediated their situation twice already." Lü San looked at the scene outside and couldn't help but frown. "Why is there another visitor so soon?"
One of the mediations that Lu San mentioned was the cases of Zhaojia Duck Shop, Feigan Poultry Shop and Minggaofang. Perhaps it was because of the extreme behavior of the owner of Zhaojia Duck Shop that made the owner Xie panic. Finally, under the mediation of the government, he paid a sum of money and then terminated the contract with the three shops.
After a pause, Lu San turned sideways and looked at Lin Sen: "I heard that Feigan Qinsi also came to look for Linzhiji?"
Lin Sen stood on the threshold and spat at the words, "Yeah! Those guys are really shameless! They even said they were willing to reduce the price by another 10%."
He rolled up his sleeves, his teeth itching with anger at the thought: "Before, I came to ask for the goods, and they chased me away with a broom. Now they come to ask for peace? It's too late!"
Needless to say, the owner of Zhao's Duck Shop was arrested for being involved in murder. Even if there was a reason, he was sentenced to two years in prison and the shop was closed down. It is said that his wife and children used the money to pay off the debt and now they have returned to their hometown to farm.
Feiganqinsi and Minggaofang had a stronger foundation and did not collapse, but their reputation plummeted. Not only were they punished by the guild, but they also lost a number of their regular customers to other shops. The losses were not small, and their lives were quite difficult, so they turned their attention to their own business again.
The noise of the argument outside was getting louder and louder, attracting more and more people to come and watch, until Xie Da Mutton Restaurant was completely blocked.
Seeing that everyone couldn't hear what was going on inside even with their necks stretched out, Lu Datou simply ran out. Not long after, he came back excitedly, dancing and saying, "I heard that Xie Da Mutton Restaurant owes a lot of money for goods, and the merchants are here to collect it."
"Why haven't you paid for the goods again?"
"That's normal." Lin Sen leaned against the door frame and explained to everyone, "Big shops usually have strength and capital. Many of them have a certain amount of money, which they can use for lending and other things, and they can make a lot of money. So, if they can settle their accounts within a month, they're thankful. It's not uncommon to settle accounts within three to five months, and some shops only settle once a year!"
He had done the same thing in the past when he was in Xi's mansion. Of course, these shops usually had someone behind them or had huge capital, so the party providing the goods was not afraid that the person would run away.
Lin Sen casually explained a few things, then curled his lips and said, "I thought Xie Da Mutton Restaurant was one of them. I never thought that after such a short time, they would be visited by debt collectors... What a shame."
"I do know a little." Tao Yingce raised his eyebrows and pointed upwards: "This shopkeeper Xie is quite capable. It is said that he has been trying to curry favor with several officials above him."
To curry favor with high-ranking officials, one must have a recommendation or rely on a hanger-on to act as a go-between. For a yamen official like Tao Yingce, his parents and grandparents had many hangers-on around him. They usually helped run the business, offered assistance, recommended talents, or even passed on messages, acting like a broker.
The officials in purple robes that Tao Yingce pointed out had hangers-on of high status, so it was not easy to get into their eyes: Shopkeeper Xie, who did not have enough connections, could only rely on spending money to please the hangers-on and then asking them to do things to catch the eyes of the high-ranking officials.
Lin Sen had seen this before, and when he heard this, he suddenly understood: "No wonder!"
I'm afraid that Shopkeeper Xie has used most of his funds to please his superiors. When the business is good, the funds are active and there is naturally no problem, but when the business is bad, what will happen?
There is a saying: When you are successful, you are surrounded by good people; when you are down, you are surrounded by bad people.
There is another saying: When the wall falls, everyone pushes it.
As the reputation of Xie Da Mutton Restaurant deteriorated and business declined, it could not afford to support its hangers-on, and the hangers-on avoided it for fear of getting into trouble. The owners of goods saw that Xie Da Mutton Restaurant was getting worse day by day, and were afraid of not getting paid, so they came one after another to collect the debts.
The more this happened, the more Manager Xie spent more than he earned, and his debt grew like a snowball.
The scene before him was the inevitable result. This group of debt collectors were even more ferocious than those who had come before. They broke down the door and rushed in without hesitation.
Not long after, Chef Cao, protected by several kitchen assistants, fled from Xie Da Mutton Restaurant in a panic. Each of them was clutching a few cloth bags, and they were shouting as they ran, "He owes me three months' wages. I don't have any money. If you have any problems, go find him!"
After saying that, he left without looking back.
When the noise was heard in the yamen, people were sent over to pull the people away. Shopkeeper Xie had already been beaten up by a group of people. His face was covered with bruises. He was lying on the ground groaning in pain. When he saw the officials and officers, he burst into tears and complained about their violent behavior.
But unlike the previous two times, the attitude of the officers this time was also very indifferent. They left after giving a few simple words of persuasion.
Shopkeeper Xie wanted to make more noise, but when he looked up, he saw the man in blue clothes who came in with the officers. His face turned pale instantly, and his lips trembled: "Feng...Fengya people."
The Fengya man squinted his eyes and scanned the area before smiling at Shopkeeper Xie: "Shopkeeper Xie, your family hasn't paid back the loan from last month. This month, how much do you think—"
Shopkeeper Xie quickly stood up and bowed, "I'm just short of money! I'll pay it back in two days!"
"But your chef has left. How can you keep this shop going?" Fengya patted his shoulder and said gently, "Pay the money before the end of the month, or I'll have to take this shop back and put it up for sale."
Shopkeeper Xie gritted his teeth and said, "I have a way. Don't worry, I promise to make up the money in two days."
Seeing his confidence, the Fengya man said nothing more and walked out again with his hands behind his back. He noticed the crowd gathered at the entrance of Linzhiji across the street, smiled at them, and then got on his donkey cart and left.
Cao Datou also ran out to inquire, and when he came back his eyes were shining: "I tell you, Chef Cao from Xie Da Mutton Restaurant has run away!"
"Huh?" Even Lin Zhi's eyes widened. "How can the shop continue to operate if the chef runs away?"
Sure enough, not long after, they saw Xie Da Mutton Restaurant closed, and the owner Xie left in a hurry with empty hands, and no one knew where he went.
For the next three days, there was no sign of Shopkeeper Xie.
After another four or five days, rumors gradually spread among the neighbors that Manager Xie had run away with the money.
Madam Yu, ever the gossipmonger, immediately reported the news to Linzhiji. She slapped her thigh hard with one hand and shouted so loudly that even Song Jiaoniang shuddered: "This shopkeeper Xie is so heartless! After this incident, he simply abandoned his wife and children and ran away!"
"Now the pawnbroker has sued his family to the government and sealed up his shop. The servants who used to work there, as well as the creditors, have all come to collect their debts. It's a real mess!"
"He ran away with the money?" Song Jiaoniang was so shocked that she even forgot to pick the vegetables in her hand. "How could this be? He doesn't even want to own such a big shop anymore?"
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