Moreover, these people were not just one team, but several teams, armed with knives and swords, coming with a menacing air, each of them with the words "Don't mess with me" written on their faces.
They prepared carts and wagons, almost blocking the streets, all for carrying grain.
"Hurry up and hurry home. I heard that there is a war in the north. The imperial treasury is depleted and cannot support the war expenses, so it is requisitioning silver and grain from the people. All tea houses, wine shops, and households have to hand over half of their silver and grain."
"These are exorbitant taxes! Aren't they going to kill people?"
“Even exorbitant taxes and levies aren’t this heavy. What’s the difference between this and robbery? They’re clearly driving us ordinary people to our deaths.”
"Let's quickly hide the silver and grain; we mustn't let these people benefit from them."
As the news spread, the streets became increasingly chaotic, and everyone rushed home.
Qiao Lian'er thought to herself, even if she were to buy a shop now, she was afraid no one would dare to take the money.
Shops can't be moved, but money can be stolen at will.
Once these people have finished looting the city, she can make her move.
"With your business so thriving, who would believe that your entire fortune is only one hundred taels of silver?"
A stern voice rang in my ears, and someone slammed a whip into the ground.
"Sir, how could I dare to lie to you? You see, although my restaurant is big, it is precisely because of its size that it is difficult to maintain. It is already good enough that I can make this much profit. If you had come a step later, sir, all of this hundred taels would have been used to buy ingredients, and I am afraid I would not have been able to pay a single tael."
Qiao Lian'er turned her head and saw that it was Boss Cai's turn.
Boss Cai presented the ledger: "All expenses are recorded in this ledger. There's no way to falsify anything. Sir, even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare to lie to you."
The leader, dressed in a black suit embroidered with gold eagles, took the ledger with a cold and stern face. He read it carefully from the first page to the last, and indeed could not find any fault with it.
This ledger doesn't look newly made; it appears to be quite old.
This restaurant is said to be one of the three largest in Yongguan County, and I thought I could get a good deal.
The warden frowned slightly in annoyance: "In addition to fifty taels, our travel expenses, food expenses, and all other necessities should be included. Let's make it seventy taels."
"Ah." Boss Cai looked very unwilling and pained.
"What, you have a problem with that?"
“No objection, absolutely no objection.” Boss Cai presented the seventy taels of silver.
These people took the money, waved goodbye, and hurried to the next house.
Meanwhile, the restaurant across the street was forced to accept 1,700 taels of silver. The owner collapsed to the ground, speechless with grief, unable to recover for a long time.
With this hurdle cleared, Boss Cai breathed a sigh of relief, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.
Upon seeing Qiao Lian'er, Boss Cai quickly waved to her.
Qiao Lian'er unloaded the carriage in the stable and went into the restaurant.
Then you see that Boss Cai's body is almost bent at a ninety-degree angle as he bows deeply to her.
"Miss Qiao, thank you so much for saving me and my restaurant."
Qiao Lian'er was both amused and exasperated: "Boss Cai, you're such a big person, you're just shortening my lifespan!"
Mr. Cai sighed: "This is what you deserve. It's no exaggeration to say that you've done me a great favor. My whole family of fifty or sixty people depend on this restaurant for their livelihood. If they take away so much money like the restaurant across the street, I don't know how my family would survive."
"Miss Qiao, from now on, every meal you eat here will be on the house."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
