Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast.
Almost overnight, everyone knew that the food at Sihaiju had killed people.
The teahouse was right across from Sihaiju, and many people could see it clearly and were discussing it.
"Sihaiju is a business owned by the Wang family. Wang Xinqiu is a reliable person, and the business has been doing well for many years. How could such a thing have happened!"
"I heard that Master Wang's headaches seem to have gotten worse, perhaps because he can't take care of his business."
As they were talking, someone suddenly shouted, "Oh dear, Master Wang is here!"
The crowd gathered in front of the restaurant parted to make way for Wang Fu, who was carrying Master Wang on his back, followed by a waiter from the restaurant, as they hurried over.
The once refined and handsome Master Wang has been through something; now his hair is disheveled, his face is thin, and there are dark circles under his eyes. He looks extremely haggard.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Wang Fu set Wang Yuanwai down, then bowed to everyone and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry to have troubled you all."
Everyone nodded awkwardly, unable to respond.
It was the middle-aged man in mourning who stepped forward and loudly questioned, "Wang Xinqiu, you scoundrel! You said last night you'd give my family an explanation, and then you disappeared without a trace. Tell me, was my father poisoned by your restaurant?!"
Master Wang frowned, wanting to speak, but suddenly clutched his head, in so much pain that he couldn't stand up straight.
Wang Fu and the shopkeeper quickly helped him up, and the shopkeeper hurriedly asked, "Is your headache acting up again, sir?"
Wang Fu replied softly, "Yes, it's been several days already, otherwise how could we have neglected this place?"
The shopkeeper was anxious.
He was waiting for his employer to make the decision, but what can he do now?
The middle-aged man persisted, crying and wailing, demanding an explanation from Sihaiju.
Master Wang stood up with difficulty and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I will definitely give your family an explanation. Our Sihaiju restaurant has been open for twenty years and has never done anything like this before!"
"Give me an explanation! Give me what explanation? Can you bring my father back to life? My father worked hard his whole life, and he was just starting to enjoy some good food here when you poisoned him!"
"Waaah, Dad, you died such a terrible death!"
"Father, if you're watching from heaven, look on this! This wicked man killed you, and he still won't admit it!"
In the funeral procession, everyone was wailing and shouting as they rushed forward.
The servant and the shopkeeper were terrified and desperately tried to protect Master Wang as they retreated.
Master Wang's face turned deathly pale. He wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he spat out blood!
The bright red blood, splattered on the bluestone steps, was particularly conspicuous when the sunlight shone on it.
People around were so frightened that they retreated a great distance, and even the people in mourning were stunned.
Inside the teahouse, Li Lao Er, witnessing this, was so anxious he almost jumped out of the window, but Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng quickly pulled him back, whispering reassuringly, "Don't worry, it's all fake!"
Fake?
Li Lao Er was somewhat dazed. "Impossible! My eldest brother vomited blood! He really vomited blood!"
He had been staying in Suijintan recently. Although he knew that his elder brother wanted to ruin the Wang family's business, he didn't know the specifics of how he would do it.
Could all of this be fake? But how can you fake vomiting blood?
Mr. Wen pulled him down to sit and explained in a low voice, "Manager Ye sent over a few helpers who all know some martial arts skills. The one who vomited blood was one of them. These troublemakers downstairs were all brought by them. Don't worry, your brother is fine."
Liu Zhiheng nodded, "Sihaiju was founded by the Wang family patriarch. What he is most proud of is Sihaiju's reputation. Your older brother insists on starting here."
Li Lao Er finally breathed a sigh of relief, and when he looked down again, the commotion in front of the restaurant had become even more intense.
After vomiting blood, Master Wang fainted. The shopkeeper and Wang Fu were terrified. Wang Fu carried Master Wang on his back and ran home.
The shopkeeper wanted to go too, but the family in mourning refused to let him go.
"No, you can't leave! If you leave, who will we complain to!"
The shopkeeper had no other choice, and with his master's fate unknown, he could only say, "There's silver in the counter. I'll give you one hundred taels first. You can send the old man off first. We'll talk about the rest after our master recovers."
The middle-aged man in mourning probably felt that he couldn't squeeze any more benefits out of him today, so he nodded.
"I've sent the old man away first, but you still need to give me an explanation, or I'll take this to the government!"
The shopkeeper quickly took out some silver and gave it to the man. The funeral procession finally moved forward again, passing through the commercial street, and then disappeared.
After such an incident, who would dare to stay and continue eating? Sihaiju was empty in the blink of an eye.
Left with no other option, the shopkeeper closed the shop and went to the south of the city to check on his employer.
In such a bustling city, in such a famous restaurant, Sihaiju has closed down.
Those who knew sighed, while those who didn't were curious. The rumors spread like fermenting dough, and soon everyone on the streets knew about them.
Some people talked about how glorious it was that Old Master Wang founded Sihaiju.
Some say that after Wang Yuanwai took over, the business continued to prosper.
Some even recounted how, years ago, Master Wang was seriously injured and taken in by Old Master Wang. He didn't know his name or where he came from. To repay the debt of gratitude, he married into the Wang family, had children with Miss Wang, and lived a loving life together for half his life…
People are always so strange and contradictory; they say it's impolite to pry into other people's privacy, but they love to hear it.
As a result, all the old stories of the Wang family were dug up and told in detail.
Some people sighed, some lamented, some sympathized, and some gloated.
The Wang family and Sihaiju became a popular topic of conversation for everyone during their leisure time...
Inside the teahouse, Li Lao Er was somewhat taken aback when he saw the restaurant entrance suddenly quiet down.
Although he is clever and tactful, his vision is ultimately limited, and this is the first time he has seen something like this.
A perfectly good restaurant went out of business in no time, and the whole thing took less than half an hour!
Liu Zhiheng closed the window, then shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I have to say, Zhensheng is really ruthless. He's run this restaurant for years, and he just destroyed it like that. Reputation is the hardest thing to build, and the easiest thing to ruin. I'm afraid no one will come to eat here again!"
Mr. Wen raised his hand to pour tea for the group and said, “To outsiders, all they see is the reputation of Sihaiju over the past ten years, but in Zhensheng’s eyes, it is his shame. He has worked diligently for so many years and devoted so much effort to it, but it was all for the sake of protecting his enemy’s business. Only by destroying it can he vent his anger.”
Madam Cui nodded, "If it were me, I would have done the same."
Li Lao Er took a sip of tea, paused for a moment, and asked, "What's next, my elder brother?"
"Don't worry, your elder brother has planned everything out, one step after another, so he won't suffer any losses. There are other things going on in the Wang family's business soon, and when they need money, they can sell this restaurant without any problem."
Liu Zhiheng comforted Li Lao Er, pointing to himself and saying, "The new owner is right here, but I'm just passing through. In a year or two, I'll return this place to your elder brother."
Li Lao Er nodded, agreeing that it would indeed be a pity to close such a prime shop in a bustling area.
He wanted to ask a few more questions, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that even if he asked, it wouldn't help him. If it exposed the Li family, it would ruin his elder brother's plans.
“We live far away and can’t come to the city often, so we’ll have to trouble you all to take care of things here. But if there’s anything we need, please send someone to let us know. We brothers are not afraid of anything if it’s for my eldest brother to return home safely.”
Having said that, he rose and bowed deeply, prompting Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng to quickly help him up.
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