Thick smoke billowed from the kitchen, and it looked like the fire was about to break out. Gan Li hurriedly directed her family to put out the fire. The Gan family worked together and finally managed to extinguish the fire, but the kitchen was still filled with a burnt smell, and the walls were blackened by soot.
The fire was extinguished, but the commotion had already attracted the attention of the surrounding residents. Lights were turned on in every household, and people rushed out carrying buckets of water.
"Why is there so much smoke? Could it be that the fire started?"
"That looks like their house!"
"Quickly, go help put out the fire!"
Fires are terrifying at this time; a single mishap can set a whole area ablaze. Therefore, when a fire breaks out, the neighbors will not stand idly by.
Fortunately, the Gan family discovered the fire in time, and by the time the neighbors arrived, the fire had already been extinguished.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then remembered to ask about the cause of the fire.
"How did this fire suddenly start out of nowhere?"
"Yes, Manager Gan, what exactly happened?"
Ganli patted her chest, feigning lingering fear, but her face was full of doubt as she said:
"I'm not quite sure either... After closing today, Zhao Juan said she was grateful that I took her in and apologized to us for what happened before. She even treated us to drinks and said some words of repentance."
Seeing her sincere attitude, we were very happy and drank a few glasses. Who knew that the alcohol would have such a strong aftereffect! I have a low alcohol tolerance and only drank a little less than half a glass before I felt dizzy and fell asleep in a daze.
I was awakened by the noise from the kitchen and saw flames shooting into the sky. I quickly woke up my family to help put out the fire; otherwise, it might have really started a full-blown fire!
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed with relief, "Thank goodness you woke up early, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
"Yes, thank God!"
But some people noticed something was wrong, and looking at Zhao Juan beside them, they asked in confusion:
"Manager Gan, you said that liquor was strong, and you all fell asleep after drinking it, but how come Zhao Juan is still sober?" Everyone felt that something was very wrong.
"Hiss—you know what, you really shouldn't say it!"
"I don't think this is as simple as it seems. The way the fire started is suspicious!"
Zhao Juan was still shaken by the sudden fire. Hearing this, she was anxious to refute, but Gan Li beat her to it.
Gan Li paused for a moment, as if reminded, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Yes! I also find it strange. This wine is really intoxicating. Even my second brother, who can usually drink the most, got drunk after only two cups!"
Among the crowd was a traveling doctor who, upon hearing Gan Li's words, stepped forward and said, "Manager Gan, could I see the wine you've left?"
Gan Li immediately nodded and said, "Of course, Dr. Wang, please."
Doctor Wang found the wine glasses they had used in the main hall. He picked up the glasses and smelled them, then opened the wine pot on the table and examined it carefully. Finally, he found some powder that had not completely dissolved at the bottom of the pot.
"Someone has drugged this wine!" Doctor Wang said with certainty.
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in an uproar!
Was this wine drugged? Manager Gan just said that Zhao Juan paid for the wine, so who drugged it? It's obvious.
The onlookers were furious and began to condemn Zhao Juan.
"I knew this was suspicious. It turns out Zhao Juan tampered with the wine!"
"This is too vicious! They actually wanted to burn the Gan family alive!"
"Manager Gan is kind-hearted and took her in despite past grievances, yet she repays kindness with enmity. She is truly a viper!"
Listening to the crowd's discussion, Gan Li coldly looked at Zhao Juan and questioned, "Zhao Juan, now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, what else do you have to say?!"
Zhao Juan was terrified by the sudden turn of events and was completely at a loss. Looking at the cold gazes of the Gan family members towards her, she suddenly realized that all of this was arranged by Gan Li long ago!
She didn't know when she gave herself away, and Gan Li saw through her scheme, which led to the trap she set, and she herself stepped right into it!
Thinking of this, she was both angry and annoyed, and loudly defended herself:
"No...it wasn't me, I didn't! It was Ganli, Ganli framed me! I didn't start the fire!"
"Frame you?" Gan Li sneered, "Miss Zhao, you're joking. If I wanted to frame you, why would I have taken you in in the first place!"
The others chimed in, "That's right. Manager Gan has a plaque bestowed by the Emperor, and her business is booming. What good would it do her to frame someone like you who has no money?"
"That's right, and to say that someone burned down her shop to frame her is... even more absurd!"
"That's right, you're clearly up to no good and want to harm people!"
Ganli pressed on relentlessly, her tone icy:
"Zhao Juan, I'll ask you one last time, why did you do this? If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for being ruthless and sending you to the authorities for investigation on charges of arson!"
Zhao Juan trembled with fear upon hearing the words "sent to the authorities." Although she was not very knowledgeable, she knew that arson was a serious crime! If she were really sent to the government office, her life would be over!
She looked around in a panic, only to see that everyone's eyes were filled with anger and disgust, and no one was willing to believe her.
She bit her lip, torn between her inner turmoil and her will to live. Ultimately, the instinct for survival triumphed over reason, and she collapsed to her knees with a thud, crying out:
"I...I'll tell the truth, I'll tell the truth! Someone gave me money to...to steal the chicken essence recipe..."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd erupted in uproar, their condemnation even louder than before, accusing Zhao Juan of being opportunistic and ungrateful.
Zhao Juan, disregarding all else, blurted out:
"That man gave me ten taels of silver and asked me to steal the chicken bouillon recipe. He also said... he said that if I succeeded, he would give me another two hundred taels..."
As she was speaking, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, causing her to change the subject of what was about to come out.
"But...but I didn't expect that Manager Gan had seen through me all along, so he tampered with the porcelain vase. I wasn't on guard, and that's how...that's how the fire started..."
Upon hearing this, Gan Li sneered inwardly. This Zhao Juan, even at this point, is still trying to be clever!
Indeed, the mechanism on the porcelain bottle was something she had gotten from Maria, but she couldn't admit it now.
Zhao Juan knew arson was a serious crime; surely she knew that? Regardless of the reason, arson is punishable by imprisonment!
Zhao Juan's words were a trap for her!
Thinking of this, Gan Li vehemently denied Zhao Juan's words: "What mechanism? I don't know anything about mechanism. It was clearly your own guilty conscience that caused you to accidentally knock over the oil lamp, which started the fire!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked down at the ground and, sure enough, there was an overturned oil lamp lying not far from Zhao Juan!
They immediately understood—Zhao Juan hadn't repented at all and was still trying to slander Manager Gan!
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