The man seemed oblivious to the surrounding commotion, his gaze darting anxiously around him. Suddenly, he lunged at the nearest table, grabbed the teapot, and, as if parched land receiving rain, gulped down the tea. After finishing in one go, slightly out of breath, his gaze fell upon the steamed buns left behind by a guest on his plate. Before anyone could react, he quickly grabbed two buns and wolfed them down.
He looked as if he hadn't eaten for days.
The waiter finally realized what was going on and hurriedly stepped forward to pull him away, saying, "You ungrateful wretch, so you wanted to eat and drink for free?"
"You filthy beggar, you're incredibly audacious! Don't you know where you are? If you were hungry, just ask me, and if I'm in a good mood, I might give you some leftovers from the shop. But you dare to openly steal food from customers! If you don't want a beating, get out of here right now!"
The waiter cursed and shoved him as he walked out.
However, the man suddenly knelt down, tightly hugged the waiter's leg, and cried out in tears, "I haven't eaten for three days, a full three days! They've imprisoned us, not giving us a single drop of food or water. My companion, Brother Qi, has been beaten and is on the verge of death. Please, have mercy and save us!"
He kowtowed repeatedly to everyone in the inn.
The waiter was stunned for a moment. "You're not a beggar?"
"I'm not!"
"Then who exactly are you?"
After resting for a while and regaining some strength, the man slowly began to speak: "My name is Zhou Fu, and I come from Taiding Village. Besides farming, I also do odd jobs in town to supplement my income. A few months ago, through a fellow villager's introduction, I came to work in a workshop in town. The wages were good, and the work wasn't too strenuous; I should have been content, but who knew…"
Not long ago, the workshop owner broke the law and was imprisoned. A new manager took over, but several senior managers were suspicious of him, believing his background was questionable, and therefore resisted his orders. A stalemate ensued. I was just an ordinary craftsman; this had nothing to do with me. However, the new owner, dissatisfied with the managers' resistance, imprisoned us all in the workshop, depriving us of food and attempting to force us into submission through starvation.
Three days have passed, and we haven't been able to eat a single grain of rice. Many people can no longer endure this torment. I tried my best and finally found a chance to escape. My goal was to find help, hoping that someone would step forward and rescue my companions trapped in the workshop.
When I told them all, the customers in the store all looked surprised and sympathetic, and they all asked me questions:
"How could such an atrocity occur?"
"Businessmen should act with harmony in mind; how could he treat you like this?"
"This behavior is outrageous! Tell us the exact location, and we'll go there right away. We'll all work together to get justice for you!"
...
There are many people with a sense of justice in this inn, and many expressed their support, saying that even if they couldn't help, it would be good to see the dispute.
Zhou Fu was moved to tears and repeatedly bowed to us in gratitude.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and some kind-hearted people even brought food for Zhou Fu to eat. "You went through so much trouble to escape, don't be impatient. Fill your stomach first, and then take us to confront that person!"
As Jiang Huaiyu listened to these words, an ominous premonition gradually rose in her heart.
She looked up at Ling Mo and found that he also had a worried look on his face.
Noticing her gaze, Ling Mo slowly said, "To make it easier for you to handle the workshop's affairs, I specially found an inn nearby, and this is it."
Jiang Huaiyu asked doubtfully, "Is the workshop very close to here?"
"It's right next to this inn."
Jiang Huaiyu let out a soft, silent sigh. He already understood that the workshop Zhou Fu mentioned must be the one under his name.
After all, what he had just said was exactly the same as what Cao Shuwan had experienced.
Life is truly like a game of chess, full of unexpected encounters.
Jiang Huaiyu slowly stood up and asked Zhou Fu, "Zhou Fu, is the new owner of the workshop you mentioned named Cao Xin?"
Zhou Fu nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, you know him?"
Most of the guests at this inn are strangers to the place and may be unfamiliar with the name Cao Xin, but the waiter, who has lived in Wusu Ancient Town for a long time, knows him very well.
"The Cao family? That Cao family's workshop? Isn't it right next door to us?"
He looked utterly astonished. "It's said that the workshop was given to Cao Xin because that unassuming woman from the Cao family was involved in a murder case. If that's the case, why is he being so harsh on you? Could the truth be different from what's being said?"
Zhou Fu looked distressed. "How could I possibly understand?"
“I’m just an ordinary person who does manual labor. All I know is that the workshop specializes in making rouge, and those precious recipes have always been known only to the original owner and a few capable managers. Although Cao Xin got the workshop, he couldn’t master those recipes, so he made us scapegoats. It’s infuriating!”
Those around him, upon hearing this, all showed expressions of sympathy.
Some couldn't help but sigh, "You're incredibly unlucky to have such an unreliable employer. If that woman hadn't been framed for murder, none of this would have happened to you."
Jiang Huaiyu immediately retorted, "Miss Cao did not kill anyone; this was all Cao Xin's conspiracy."
Curious, the crowd asked, "So who are you? You don't look like a local, so how did you know all this?"
Jiang Huaiyu ignored the questions from others and looked at Zhou Fu with a firm gaze.
"Brother Zhou, I've taken over this matter. I'd appreciate it if you could show me the way."
Zhou Fu looked her over and saw that she was a woman. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, after all, Cao Xin was no easy person to deal with.
However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that the woman possessed an extraordinary air, while the man sitting beside her had deep-set eyes and an imposing presence, clearly no ordinary person. If these two were to intervene, they might be able to intimidate Cao Xin, thus creating a turning point for everyone.
He hurriedly grabbed two more meat buns and hid them in his sleeve. Composing himself, he said in a deep voice, "Come with me!"
Jiang Huaiyu and Ling Mo followed closely behind, taking the lead in stepping out of the inn's threshold.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment, then paid their bills, their curiosity driving them to join in the fun.
...
at the same time.
Within the adjacent workshop.
Cao Xin fiercely grabbed a man's hair and shoved his head into a huge vat filled with water, only releasing him after a long while. The man hurriedly raised his head, panting heavily.
"Butler Wei, you still won't reveal the secret recipe?"
"The recipe is known only to Miss Cao..."
"Hmph, stubborn as a mule!"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
