Chapter 13
Chef Chen shrank back in fright, unable to believe what had just happened. He had been sitting in his carriage, leisurely drinking tea, when this young man appeared out of nowhere, rushed into his carriage, and easily dragged him off, leaving him powerless to resist.
At this moment, he looked at Yu Wan with a resentful expression, as if he had just recognized her, and said with a smile,
"Isn't this Madam Yu? We met in the magistrate's kitchen on New Year's Eve, do you remember? You're quite famous now, the whole county knows you. Our Fu Man Ju's owner, Mr. Qian, has been talking about it ever since he got back, wanting to hire you for a hefty sum."
Yu Wan was quite pleased to learn that the restaurant's name was starting to circulate.
"I hadn't heard that. Thank you for telling me this good news."
Chef Chen muttered under his breath, "What's with all the smugness about a small workshop!"
“Whether I’m smug or not is none of your business,” Yu Wan changed the subject, getting back to the main point, “Did you go to this Boss Du’s tavern to get some wine today?”
Chef Chen, his neck stiff and eyes wide, admitted, "Yes, I bought thirty coins worth of wine, and I put the money on the table right then and there. Why are you asking about this? What does it have to do with you?"
Yu Wan smiled, her expression a typical, clumsy lie.
Did you bump into a child on the way?
Chef Chen immediately answered, "No! I haven't seen any little boy."
Yu Wan said, "I didn't say whether it was a boy or a girl."
Seeing Chef Chen's guilty look, everyone guessed that it was probably true.
Du Jikang's anger, which he had finally managed to calm down, was reignited, and he questioned:
"Was it you who did this? Tell me now!"
Chef Chen arrogantly raised his chin and argued, "As the head chef of Fu Man Ju, it's your honor to go to your little tavern to get wine. Why are you criticizing me? What kind of attitude is that?"
Du Jikang, full of recklessness, didn't care about his identity. He took a few steps forward, grabbed his collar, and cursed viciously:
"What are your true intentions? Why are you framing a little child? You almost caused me to wrongly accuse someone and do something irreversible. Explain yourself clearly, or I'll take you to the yamen!"
Chef Chen wanted to argue, but he glanced at He Jing and saw a warning look in the latter's eyes, which immediately dampened his momentum.
Yu Wan, however, did not notice any of this; she was thinking about something.
If Chef Chen was seeking revenge, how could he know she didn't have any alcohol if he had never been to the restaurant himself, and how could he know she would definitely send her brother to get alcohol?
Unless Chef Chen had been secretly observing the area around the restaurant, waiting for an opportunity to act, it's not surprising that he knew Chen Lie and the others liked to drink, since they all worked together at Fu Man Ju.
There's also the issue of time difference. After Ah Cheng ran out of the restaurant and bumped into Chef Chen, he lingered at the candied hawthorn stall for a while. This gap might be the reason why Chef Chen arrived at the restaurant ahead of time.
She was mentally rehearsing the process when she was suddenly pulled back to reality by a series of screams.
Chef Chen's face was bruised and swollen, and he was lying on the ground screaming and begging for mercy.
"Have mercy! I'll tell you everything, please stop hitting me. It's the New Year, how am I supposed to go out and face people these next few days? Please!"
Du Jikang stomped him to the ground, and without saying a word, punched Chef Chen in the face again.
"Ouch! Help! Murder!" Chef Chen shouted at the top of his lungs, his gaze sweeping around before settling on Yu Wan.
He had lost all his previous arrogance and pleaded desperately, "Madam Yu, I know I was wrong. I did it, and I'm sorry. But I don't deserve to die. Please, please make him stop hitting me."
Yu Wan didn't sympathize with him, but she didn't want to disturb her mother.
"Mr. Du, please take a rest. I have something to ask him."
Du Jikang replied in a simple and honest voice, "Okay, I'll listen to Madam Yu."
However, before letting go, he kicked Chef Chen again.
"If it weren't for Madam Yu speaking up for you today, I wouldn't have let you off so easily. Everyone in this town knows that my fists are not to be trifled with, Du Jikang! You'd better answer Madam Yu honestly, or I'll beat you up again!"
Chef Chen got up from the ground. Because he was injured from head to toe, he didn't know where to rub his hands. In the end, he held his waist with one hand and covered his swollen half of his face with the other.
Yu Wan asked calmly, "Chef Chen, who asked you to do this? Was it Mr. Qian from your Fumanju restaurant?"
Chef Chen's eyes darted away. "Of course not. I was just being stubborn, so I deliberately got back at you. On New Year's Eve at the magistrate's house, you beat me with your kebabs. I painstakingly prepared a whole table of my signature dishes. If it were you, would you be happy? So when I heard that Chen Lie and the others were coming to your restaurant for barbecue, I secretly followed them. When they're not working, they like to get together and have a few drinks, so I knew they'd probably do it this time too. I came here yesterday to scout it out, and I know that your restaurant doesn't sell alcohol. The nearest one is Boss Du's restaurant, so I came up with this idea."
Yu Wanxin understood; it was pretty much what she had guessed.
She naturally didn't completely believe him, but given her current situation and circumstances, she couldn't delve any further into the matter.
She slightly curved her lips, the smile not reaching her eyes. "Whether it is or not, I will not pursue the matter further today. However, I hope you understand one thing: I am not an easy person to talk to. Don't think I can be manipulated at will. You can leave now."
Du Jikang was somewhat unwilling. "Madam Yu, are you really going to let him go like this? In my opinion, we should report him to the authorities and let the magistrate punish him! Such a vicious person deserves to be punished!"
Yu Wan took out a brocade money pouch from her bosom and placed it on the table in front of him, advising, "Boss Du, your money has been recovered, my brother has been exonerated, and you've already beaten him up. Let's just let this matter go, what do you think?"
Du Jikang was still furious, but he didn't say anything more. He took the money bag, said goodbye, and left.
Chef Chen, his face bruised and swollen, felt embarrassed and covered his face with his sleeve as he prepared to leave. Before leaving, he glared at the five people who had been silently watching the drama unfold, then deliberately avoided the direction Du Jikang had gone and timidly walked away.
Chen Lie and the others looked embarrassed. They had really enjoyed a good show for free during the New Year holiday. Now that they had finished eating, it was time to leave.
As they were leaving, Yu Wan reminded them, "Today, you saw Chef Chen in such a sorry state. If you see him at Fu Man Ju in the future, it might upset him. So please be careful."
The group was quite frank, and they gave Chef Chen a piece of their mind. "He always bosses us around and looks down on us. I've been annoyed with him for a long time. It was really satisfying to see him get a good beating today!"
After seeing off a few people, there are no more customers for today.
Yu Wan turned around and found the man surnamed He still sitting there, his eyes filled with scrutiny as he looked at her.
"You have something to say? You don't expect me to pay you to run errands for you, do you?"
He Jing had sharp eyebrows and eagle eyes; his gaze was like a sharp sword, trying to see right through her.
His voice was deep and magnetic, with an interrogative tone.
Who are you?
Yu Wan felt a pang of guilt and was greatly shocked. Had her identity as a time traveler been discovered?
Could this man be from the same hometown?
However, the man's next words dispelled her unease.
He Jing stared at her with a puzzled expression. "You're only about fifteen years old, yet you have superb cooking skills, are good at business, and can recognize the material of brocade and the craftsmanship of Suzhou embroidery. If you had grown up in this remote town, you would never have such knowledge. I've lived for eighteen years and seen many noble ladies, even princesses and county princesses, but very few people possess several extraordinary skills like you."
"Wait a minute!" Yu Wan seized on a loophole in his words. "When my mother asked you how old you were, didn't you say you were twenty? How come you're saying you've lived for eighteen years now? So are you twenty or eighteen?"
"Ahem!" He Jing looked slightly embarrassed, his ears turning red, and he scratched his cheek. "Saying I'm older makes me seem more mature."
Yu Wan was speechless. She took out the contract she had written in advance and handed it to him.
"If there are no problems, sign and put your fingerprints on it. From now on, we will be partners. I don't care what trouble you've caused in the past. Since you're staying here to recuperate, you have to follow my rules."
He Jing didn't take it; his gaze fell on the paper, and he scanned its contents in one glance.
Yu Wan slammed the paper on the table, then placed the pen, ink, and inkpad beside it. "The first clause is what I've emphasized repeatedly: you mustn't cause any trouble for me or my family. If the people chasing you find their way here, you must protect our family's safety. You can see that my family isn't well-off; we've only just started to see some hope. Don't ruin my path to happiness. The second clause is about the seven days' worth of medicine I prescribed for you last time. Some of the herbs in it aren't cheap, and I don't have much money to begin with, so I can't let you pay for it for nothing. Even though you're seriously injured, carrying dishes and washing dishes shouldn't be too difficult for you, right? I've already told everyone that you're a helper I hired, so you'll work to pay off your debts. There are some other clauses after this; take a good look at them, and sign them if there are no problems."
He Jing smiled helplessly. "Alright, we'll do it your way."
He picked up his brush and wrote the three characters "He Suzhi" on it with a flourish, then pressed his handprint on it.
Yu Wan carefully put away the contract, finally feeling a little more at ease. She didn't know the identity of the person she had taken in, and hoped there wouldn't be any hidden dangers in the future.
If the worst-case scenario does occur, this contract can serve as proof.
"Alright, there shouldn't be any more customers today. I'm going upstairs to check on my mother and brother. You tidy up the table, sweep the floor, clean the kitchen, wash the dishes and utensils, and then close the door."
He Jing's cold expression immediately crumbled; he could hardly believe it: "Starting today?"
Yu Wan's departing figure seemed somewhat flustered as she walked up the stairs.
"From now on, you need to be more careful in your work. I will check, as the hygiene requirements for the catering industry are very high."
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