Chapter 57: What did you find out?
Ruan Jiao quickly lowered her head. When she was about to speak, Li Mao bluntly said, "Aunt Ruan, you are also a member of our uncle's house now, and I am still your second uncle. If I ask you for help, you will definitely not refuse."
Ruan Jiao's heart skipped a beat, and she had a hunch that something bad was going to happen.
But it would definitely be bad to offend Li Mao.
Since he came to me, he probably didn't give me the chance to refuse.
"I wonder what I can do for you, Master."
Li Mao just smiled with his slender eyes full of cunning, and he whispered his thoughts.
After hearing this, Nanny Zhang opened her eyes wide in shock, and immediately went to find Wang to tell her what she had seen and heard.
However, at this time Wang happened to be talking to Ruan Mian.
Wang looked at Nanny Zhang and smiled, "But what did you find out? Madam Ruan is not an outsider, so tell me."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhang immediately told them what Li Mao had said: "Madam, Madam Ruan, I just saw the Second Master go to Madam Ruan, and they were... secretly discussing to take action against Madam Ruan's sister-in-law. They planned to..."
Ruan Mian narrowed his eyes slightly and raised the corners of his lips.
She didn't expect that the other party would actually target her sister-in-law.
Wang looked at her and whispered, "Madam Ruan, I think it would be better if I could tell my mother-in-law about this matter."
Ruan Mian shook his head, glanced at Wang, and guessed what she meant.
She took the initiative to ask Aunt Zhang to tell her all this. Wasn't that just asking for cooperation?
So he chuckled and said, "I won't let anyone take advantage of my family. Since Ruan Jiao wants to do that, let her taste the bitter fruit of her own making."
"What does Madam Ruan mean?"
Ruan Mian leaned over and said something in their ears.
In the original book, Chen was exploited by Ruan Jiao and died along with the baby in her belly, leaving two lives behind!
How could she let the tragedy happen again this time?
Before leaving, Wang Shi remembered something and reminded Ruan Mian, "Madam Ruan, just in case, I need to tell you that the Chaling Restaurant in Taoqiu County is owned by the Bo Mansion and has always been managed by the Second Master. You should be careful."
Ruan Mian's eyebrows moved slightly, and he thought about it carefully. The original book did not mention much about Li Mao, but there was indeed an incident in which the Li family secretly collected military pay for the King of Yan in Taoqiu County.
So... the business chain behind this is Li Mao?
No wonder Li Maocai came to prominence after arriving in Taoqiu County. Before that, he was unknown in the team and didn't even say a word.
When he was in a place where he had his own people, he even dared to covet married women.
It seems that he is looking for an opportunity to do something behind the scenes.
In that case, she would personally shatter his sweet dream!
But these days, no shop in the city is open. Everyone is focused on survival and has no time to do business.
Taking advantage of the free clinic opportunity, Ruan Mian and County Magistrate Lin inquired about it.
"Sir, do you know the owner of this Chaling Restaurant?"
County Magistrate Lin regarded her as a benefactor and did not hide these things: "To be honest with you, Madam Ruan, there are only two people in charge of the Chaling Restaurant. I don't know the name of the boss behind it."
"However, after this natural disaster in Taoqiu County, even if traffic is restored to normal, I'm afraid that restaurant won't be able to open."
"Oh? What do you mean, sir?"
"Chaling Restaurant was originally famous for its luxurious cuisine, catering to passing caravans for delicacies from land and sea. For some reason, they've been running out of ingredients for the past few months, so many of their delicacies aren't being prepared anymore. Coupled with the bad weather, business has slowly declined."
"The restaurant is large, and even the two capable managers can't keep up the business. I think there must be some problems with the boss's accounts."
It seems that because something happened to Li Mao, the funding chain behind him was cut off.
Therefore, some precious materials are gradually out of supply.
"Sir, you just said that the two managers are very capable. Have you ever seen them?"
"They are both locals who have been doing business for many years and have opened their own shops. Their business has always been good."
"What about their character and business reputation?" Ruan Mian asked.
County Magistrate Lin immediately gave an affirmative answer: "It is very reputable in our area."
If so, that would be even better.
This time when Li Mao passes by Taoqiu, he will definitely squeeze out every last bit of value from the restaurant.
Ruan Mian looked at County Magistrate Lin again and said with a smile, "I wonder if your Excellency could introduce me to the two managers of the restaurant?"
Chaling Restaurant.
The two managers came quickly in thick clothes and saluted County Magistrate Lin together.
When they saw Ruan Mian, they exchanged glances and asked in confusion, "Sir Magistrate, who is this?"
Ruan Mian stood up and smiled faintly, "Thank you for your courtesy, both of you. Today, I asked the county magistrate to introduce you to me. I want to discuss the matter of taking over the restaurant with you." "You...you want to take over our restaurant? Madam, please don't be ridiculous. If you want to take over our restaurant, it will cost you a lot of money."
In this kind of weather, and with the restaurant in such a state, only a fool would spend so much money to clean up this mess.
But they didn't know what Ruan Mian was thinking.
She confidently took out a few gold bars and some documents and handed them over.
When the two heads saw the gold bars, their eyes widened in shock!
No one expected that this woman could be so generous! Moreover, she was related to the county magistrate.
Suddenly, their attitudes became humble: "Madam, this...this matter I still need to talk to our boss about, you see..."
"In this case, your boss has no reason to refuse."
"Also, after I take over the shop, I'll write down the secret recipes and management methods of the dishes here in the documents. You can still continue to be in charge here, but I will be your boss."
"I will pay you twice your usual wages. I want to see the detailed accounts every month. You just need to fill out the monthly operating status according to the document and submit the accounts to the county magistrate."
On the way here, Ruan Mian had already greeted County Magistrate Lin in advance.
Because it is not convenient for him to stay here, he wants to ask the handsome man under County Magistrate Lin to collect the debt for him temporarily.
County Magistrate Lin agreed without hesitation.
As for the restaurant's secret recipe, based on some of the dishes that County Magistrate Lin told her on the way, she found that they generally tended to be heavy in flavor.
She also wrote down several more recipes and cooking methods, and added breakfast, tea, and desserts.
For the two managers, this news was like a godsend.
The two of them looked at each other. Boss Li had gotten into trouble and was asking them for money recently. The restaurant couldn't continue operating anyway, so it was great to have some extra money now!
There was only one store after this one, so they happily agreed without waiting for Ruan Mian to finish speaking.
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