"What's there to be afraid of? Zhao Juan wanted to sell the shop herself. I didn't force her to. I've already paid the money, and the property deeds are in place. The shop is mine now. They can't do anything about it." Gan Li sneered.
Old Sun thought about it and realized that Zhao Juan was stupid for making the purchase without checking who the buyer was. Who else could she blame?
Moreover, this Manager Gan may look gentle and weak, but she is actually not someone to be trifled with. My worries were completely unnecessary.
Old Sun chatted with Gan Li for a few more minutes. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, he got up to say goodbye, and Gan Li saw him off at the door.
Across the street, Master Zhao passed by in his carriage. Upon seeing this scene, he was so angry that he slammed down the carriage curtain.
Master Zhao was in a good mood. He had just returned from the county town and had originally gone to see the county magistrate.
—For some reason, lately no matter what message he sent to the magistrate, he had not received a reply. Even today, when he personally went to see him, the gatekeeper said that the magistrate was busy and had no free time.
Fortunately, the trip wasn't a complete waste. He actually ran into the owner of the largest merchant house in the county. He took the opportunity to promote his ice, and the other party was very interested. They agreed to meet in three days, after he finished his business, to discuss the matter in detail.
With the weather getting hotter and the demand for ice increasing dramatically, Mr. Zhao was confident he could close the deal as long as the price was right.
Thinking of this, Master Zhao was overjoyed.
However, upon seeing the two mortal enemies gathered together and chatting happily, with Gan Li even personally bringing out the man surnamed Sun... Master Zhao's mood was not very pleasant.
"This is Gan Li's restaurant? Food is Heaven? Ha, what a lousy name!"
Master Zhao was somewhat disdainful, but when he recalled how he had only glanced at the small eatery and seen so many customers rushing in, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
But he also had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
"That eatery... the location of that shop... it seems so familiar..."
Upon hearing this, Butler Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his brow and, forcing a smile, reminded him:
“You gave the young lady a shop before, but everything she did there lost money. She even came to you crying and begging you to give her another shop…”
Master Zhao suddenly realized!
He had felt that the shop looked familiar, and then he realized it was his own shop.
He only has one daughter, and whether he likes it or not, the family business will be his in the future. He doesn't want to work hard all his life only to have it squandered by his daughter, so he intentionally trains her.
Therefore, no matter how much his daughter cried and begged, he did not give in, but only told her to find out the reason why the shop was losing money.
He hadn't heard his daughter complain for quite some time now, and he thought she had found a solution... But now, how did it turn into a pear-filled restaurant?
"I heard that this shop was rented out for a few years. Could it be that the tenant couldn't make it work and sublet it to Gan Li?" Butler Zhao guessed.
Upon hearing this, Master Zhao's spirits lifted, and he ordered, "Hurry back to the manor!"
He wanted to call his daughter over and ask her. If it really was rented out, he would break the contract even if it meant losing a few taels of silver. In short, he wanted to make Ganli's restaurant go out of business!
...
Zhao Juan was a little confused when she learned that her father had called her over as soon as he got home. She didn't know what was so urgent.
Although she has adapted well to Zhao Juan's life now, she is still a little guilty in front of Zhao Juan's biological father. She rarely hangs around Mr. Zhao, for fear of being discovered.
Chen Danian urged her, "I heard that Dad went to the county to discuss the ice-selling business. He called you over this time, maybe he wants to talk to you about it."
Zhao Juan was overjoyed, thinking to herself, "That's right, he only has me as his daughter, so he'll definitely tell me if there's anything good."
So they went off happily.
Unexpectedly, after only a brief encounter, Master Zhao didn't mention the ice at all, but instead asked abruptly:
"That shop by the dock, did you rent it out?"
Zhao Juan was taken aback. Although she didn't understand why her father asked that, she quickly and honestly shook her head.
"That shop has been losing money year after year. Although it was finally rented out, the tenant has threatened to terminate the lease several times. I refused and held him back, but it's still a troublesome matter."
So, a few days ago he came to me and said someone had taken a liking to that shop and wanted to buy it. I thought, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," so I sold it for four hundred taels of silver.
She imagined how happy her father would be to find out that she had sold that worthless shop for so much money; he even seemed a little smug at the end.
To everyone's surprise, Master Zhao slammed his fist on the table and cursed:
"Fool! Fool! I bought that shop for more than four hundred taels of silver back then, and you sold it for a pittance, and you're still so smug about it? Besides, do you even know who bought the shop?"
Zhao Juan shrank back in fright at his reaction, but was also somewhat puzzled:
"I know. He is the son of a wealthy family, but he has a conflict with his family and does not want his private property to be known. So he registered it under the name of a servant in the family, named Gan Tian."
Seeing her completely bewildered and clueless, Master Zhao was so angry that his face turned green and he couldn't utter a single word.
Butler Zhao had no choice but to step forward and remind her, "Miss, since you've married Chen Danian, has he not told you the names of his children?"
"How could I not know?" Zhao Juan was even more confused. How could she not know the name of the child she gave birth to?
However, she naturally couldn't say that to Butler Zhao and the others, so she just said politely, "Isn't it called Chen Yaozu and Chen Pan'er?"
"That's Chen Pan'er... she's changed her name to Gan Tian now."
Butler Zhao, determined to be a good person to the end, explained in one go:
"A new restaurant called 'Food is Heaven' has opened in town. It has only been open for two days, but it is already bustling with customers and doing brisk business."
The owner of that restaurant was none other than Gan Li.
Boom! Zhao Juan felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Even if she was naive, she realized at this moment that she had been tricked!
Seeing the murderous look in Master Zhao's eyes again, she remembered what Chen Danian had told her before: Master Zhao really wanted to get Gan Li's braised pork recipe. Now, not only did he not get the recipe, but his shop and customers were also robbed...
No wonder Master Zhao was so angry!
Zhao Juan's legs went weak, and she almost knelt on the ground. She explained frantically to the person seated:
"Father, I had no idea! How could anyone know... that bitch is so cunning!"
Chen Danian, standing to the side, didn't dare to breathe too loudly, but worried that his father-in-law would hold a grudge against him so soon after he married into the family, he quickly whispered a defense:
"Father, I knew nothing about this! If I had known, I certainly wouldn't have let it happen!"
Looking at the two men in front of him, Master Zhao's anger suddenly dissipated. He sighed, waved his hand impatiently, and told them to get lost.
"Useless! All of you are useless! Get out of here, or you'll drive me crazy!"
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