Chapter 22
Inside the cell, the other men, who had been dozing, were awakened by Manager Luo's voice. They listened silently to their conversation, whispering amongst themselves and speculating about the relationship between the young girl and this man.
They all knew Manager Luo, because he was the one who usually took charge of the counter at Fumanju.
It was unclear what the two were talking about, but the conversation was probably unpleasant, as Manager Luo's face darkened.
Yu Wan knew in her heart that someone like Qian Jindai, who loved to scheme and plot, would discard her once he achieved his goals. Talking about benefits now was just empty talk; it was impossible for him to actually deliver.
She never considered giving in as a fallback option.
"Please pass on a message, Manager Luo: if he is sincere about cooperating, then he should come and talk to me himself."
Manager Luo gritted his teeth, "Young lady, you should look at your own situation. Whether you can even get out of here alive is another matter entirely. Where do you get the nerve to make demands?"
Yu Wan waved her hands. "These hands are my confidence. Isn't that what your boss Qian is after? I'll wait and see how sincere he is. Don't even think about trying to get anything out of my mother and brother; they know nothing. The recipes for all the dishes I can make are all my own ideas. I've never written any cookbooks; they're all in my head. So if you want to work with me, you have to listen to me, or you'll just be wasting your time."
Manager Luo thought he could scare her with a few words, so he didn't think it would be a difficult task before he left.
"You! How arrogant you are! Aren't you afraid that Boss Qian will disregard your life and death and directly ask the county magistrate to help cure Miss Zhu's poison? Aren't you afraid that if Miss Zhu doesn't survive, you'll end up being beheaded?"
They were just short of saying, "If you don't cooperate, you'll have no way to survive."
Yu Wan smiled mockingly. "I'm so scared! Why don't you hurry up and save me? What if I go crazy staying in this prison and can't come up with any formulas?"
Manager Luo wanted to say a few more words of coercion and enticement, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.
He flicked his long sleeves, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.
This scene drew applause and cheers from several fellow inmates.
"Hahaha, that's hilarious. He usually acts all high and mighty, looking down on everyone because of his status. But he's met his match today!"
"Madam Yu, you have such courage at such a young age, I admire you a bit."
"What I'm saying is, even Boss Qian from Fumanju is envious of your cooking skills, so how delicious must your dishes be? I can't even imagine the aroma."
Yu Wan smiled bitterly to herself. In truth, she was also feeling guilty. The reason she chose to confront him head-on was that she didn't want to be forced to sell herself into servitude to others in ancient times.
However, she has neither connections nor background, so climbing up from the bottom will definitely be very difficult for her.
"We're all destined to be cellmates. When you get out, you can come to my restaurant and have a taste. It'll be on me."
The group burst into hearty laughter, "Great! This young lady is no ordinary person. Aren't you afraid we'll eat your shop dry?"
Yu Wan didn't care at all, "If I can ask for this, then I can certainly do it. Now that I am in trouble, I am fortunate to have met you all. I am treating you all to dinner because I have a favor to ask."
The bearded man was the smartest among them and quickly guessed her purpose.
"You want us to be your witnesses?"
Yu Wan readily admitted, "That's right! As you all have seen, Manager Luo of Fumanlou came to see me for what purpose. When Boss Qian arrives, I will try to get information out of him. I hope that you can all be witnesses in front of the magistrate someday."
Without saying a word, the group readily agreed.
They were used to the attitudes of the owner, manager, and waiters at Fumanju, and had long since consciously sided with her.
As dusk approached in the afternoon, Qian Jindai finally covered his mouth and nose and entered the prison.
He disguised himself, changing into a simple set of clothes, wearing a cloak, and covering his head with a hood.
The jailer led him in and said, "Mr. Qian, hurry up! The magistrate has instructed that no one is allowed to visit this young lady without permission."
Qian Jindai, who was covered up completely, was stunned. "Even like this, you can still recognize me?"
The jailer chuckled helplessly: "I may not recognize your face, but I certainly recognize your purse embroidered with gold thread."
Upon hearing this, Qian Jindai realized that the money bag that usually dazzled passersby had been exposed, and quickly stuffed it into his clothes.
Yu Wan was about to die laughing at him. "Mr. Qian, is it really that serious? You came here to discuss cooperation, what kind of shady business is this?"
Of course, for Qian Jindai, it was indeed a shameful thing.
Qian Jindai glanced left and right, then cleared his throat.
"You are now a suspect, a suspect in the poisoning of the county magistrate's daughter. Do you know how much danger I risked to come to see you? This has already shown my sincerity, hasn't it? Be quick, sign and seal the document today, and I will send a message by carrier pigeon tonight to ask my divine doctor friend to come and help detoxify you."
He took out a contract. "Young lady, can you read? Or shall I explain the terms to you?"
Yu Wan glanced at the contents. "I know a few words, not many. Mr. Qian, please tell me."
Qian Jindai pointed to the paper and said, "I am quite optimistic about our cooperation. Once you leave, don't go back to the restaurants in town. Come work at my Fumanju first. You need to make a name for yourself first. With Fumanju as your backer, your reputation will definitely reach the capital within half a year. During your time at Fumanju, we can choose a location when we have time. Afterwards, we will need to do renovations, publicity, and hire laborers. It will take at least two or three months."
He spoke with great enthusiasm, as if a grand blueprint were unfolding before his eyes.
“That’s not right, Mr. Qian,” Yu Wan interrupted his daydream, “When Manager Luo came to deliver the message, he clearly said it was about investing. You were just investing capital to open the shop for me. How come in your mouth it’s like I signed a contract to sell myself into servitude and was taken into your own Fumanlou?”
Moreover, the terms of that contract were not an investment at all, but a contract of servitude.
Qian Jindai was worried that she couldn't read, so he didn't let her look at it properly at all, but Yu Wan had good eyesight and could see it clearly.
Qian Jindai's eyes darted around, eager to sign the contract, and he chuckled, "Of course, of course. I'm just helping you out because you're young. Anyway, it's much more convenient for you to stay in the county town. We're partners, so it's easier to meet and talk things over. Besides, your little eatery is such a tiny place, how much silver can you earn in a day? My Fumanju is much bigger; the customers it serves every day are enough for your eatery for half a month. Don't you want to make more money?"
A brief silence fell over the cell as several bystanders pretended to be asleep, listening silently.
It's obvious from what I heard that Qian Jindai had ulterior motives. He kept saying he was helping, but he just wanted to take advantage of me.
Yu Wan was well aware of the intricacies involved. Regardless of whether the restaurant Qian Jindai mentioned could be opened in the end, having her stay at Fumanju for a period of time would allow her to leverage all the fame she had gained during that time.
They might even hire a few people to fawn over her every day, ostensibly to help, but actually to steal her skills.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Qian Jindai continued to make empty promises.
“I heard that your mother is getting old and your younger brother is still young, and they both need your care. You can bring them over, and I will arrange some helpers for you so that you won’t be so busy that you can’t even take care of your family. Madam Yu, I have never been so generous to anyone before. You are the first. Don’t waste my good intentions. I see that your family is having a hard time, and you are a talented person, so I stepped forward to help you.”
Yu Wan politely thanked him, "Thank you, Boss Qian."
The others exchanged glances furtively. Could this girl be so easily fooled?
Unexpectedly, Yu Wan changed the subject, "I wonder why Mr. Qian values my talent, and why he thinks that cooperating with me will definitely make money?"
Upon hearing these two questions, Qian Jindai's eyes gleamed, and he immediately explained:
"On New Year's Eve, all thirty dishes at my Fu Man Ju restaurant were defeated by your grilled skewers. I'm truly ashamed. That day..."
“Speaking of New Year’s Eve,” Yu Wan interrupted him, “I’m reminded of something that I will never forget.”
Qian Jindai observed the girl in front of him with a faint smile, her clear eyes hiding something unfathomable.
A sense of unease crept into his heart. "Oh? What is it?"
Yu Wan pretended to recall something, as if she had remembered a particularly frightening scene; her expression was terrified.
"I was almost eaten by wolves that night, it was terrifying!"
Qian Jindai's eyes darted away. "Really? Is that so? There are indeed wolves around here. I've heard that some people have seen them."
Yu Wan stared into his eyes, "I initially thought it was an accident, but the coachman said a few words to me before he ran away..."
Qian Jindai's expression changed drastically, and he asked urgently, "What did he say?"
Yu Wan smiled without saying a word, her eyes filled with a strange expression.
Qian Jindai became even more guilty and pressed, "What exactly are you trying to say? What does this have to do with our cooperation?"
Yu Wan laughed and said, "Of course it's related. That day, the coachman told me to settle my score with the person who wronged me and not to seek revenge after I died. I was very puzzled at the time. I hadn't offended anyone, so why would someone want to kill me? So I thought, maybe someone wanted my recipe, and if they couldn't get it, they wanted to kill me to end it all. I thought about it over and over again, and that night when I left the magistrate's residence, you, Mr. Qian, happened to talk to me about this."
The prison was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Yu Wan's clear voice echoed throughout the space, making several onlookers secretly sweat.
Unexpectedly, Madam Yu had such an experience; fortunately, she managed to escape from the wolf's jaws.
The surroundings reeked of decay, and rats would occasionally emerge from their burrows to forage for food, disappearing into one burrow after another.
Qian Jindai was a cunning old fox; he wouldn't be easily tricked into revealing anything. He rolled his eyes and then smiled.
"Madam Yu, you don't think I secretly ordered this, do you? How could I do such a foolish thing? I'm just a businessman, not some villain. How could I kill someone over a disagreement? That's illegal! Madam Yu, you've misunderstood. It was definitely not me."
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