At first, everyone was probably quite annoyed by this, but after it passed and we calmed down, we realized it wasn't a big deal, and there's no question of forgiveness.
Now that Tie Qingfeng and Zheng Qingshu have taken the initiative to show goodwill, and this whole thing has really helped a lot, the wealthy and powerful families in the county will definitely follow suit. Those with sharp minds will definitely think more deeply, assuming that the county magistrate and the Zhou family have a close relationship.
Those who wanted to cause trouble would have to give up their plans, and families who wanted to be on good terms with the magistrate would come to visit, receiving many benefits. From then on, there would be no need to worry about not having customers.
Old Zhou, of course, wouldn't pretend to be innocent after getting a good deal. He immediately said that the past was forgotten and everyone should live in peace and benefit each other.
However, when Zhou Laoda told Zhao Guihua, Zhao Guizhi, and Chen Shunping about this, the three of them immediately had strange expressions.
Zhao Guihua said, "I think the county magistrate and his entourage probably just wanted to get a free meal."
“I think so too.” Zhao Guizhi nodded in agreement.
"Looks like I'll have to prepare a feast for them today," Chen Shunping said solemnly.
Boss Zhou: "?" Was he too naive?
However, it turned out that they had misjudged Zheng Qingshu and Tie Qingfeng. They were genuinely there to support him, and they paid the bill immediately after the meal, spending thirty taels of silver.
Well, I originally thought it was to pay tribute to the officials, so Zhao Guizhi served all the best and most expensive food and wine in the restaurant. That's more than enough sincerity, isn't it?
However, when the magistrate came to pay, Chen Shunping felt a chill. Thirty taels of silver for a meal—he had unintentionally ripped off the magistrate. He had originally wanted to reduce it by half and only charge fifteen taels of silver.
But in his nervousness, he blurted out, "Thirty taels."
Not a single copper coin was shortchanged.
Even someone as wealthy as Zheng Qingshu paid thirty taels of silver without batting an eye. Perhaps he had some doubts, but he didn't show them at the time.
Xingxing and Fu were a little incredulous when they learned that Tie Qingfeng and the county magistrate had come to show their support. These two uncles and nephews were both incredibly shrewd; it was already a good thing they didn't take advantage of others, but they even took the initiative to help them. It was truly astonishing.
"Don't judge a gentleman by the standards of a petty person. We're just here for a meal today. The bayberry wine is good, and the dishes are all excellent. I'm very satisfied." Tie Qingfeng finished his boastful act with nonchalance and got into his carriage to leave.
"It's really incomprehensible." Zhou Sanfu shook his head speechlessly. Were these uncle and nephew just here to show off how rich they were?
"Who cares? As long as he doesn't become our enemy, it's fine. The common people can't fight with officials. If this magistrate can continue to look after us, our restaurant can stay open for a long time." Zhao Guizhi hoped that Zheng Qingshu could come to eat more often, which would also boost the restaurant's business.
"It's so great to be an official! Big brother and third brother must become officials in the future!" After this experience, Xingxing deeply felt the benefits of being an official.
By the end of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the restaurant was empty of customers, and the waiters were cleaning up. These waiters were bought from a brokerage firm a couple of days ago. The three boys were all related; the oldest, nineteen, was named Tong Zhen; the eighteen-year-old, Tong Li, was his cousin; and the sixteen-year-old, Tong Hui, was Tong Zhen's younger brother.
The three brothers fled to Lishan County last year due to famine. All their elders died during the escape, and only the three brothers survived. They had no other choice but to sell themselves to a brokerage firm a month ago.
At that time, Tong Li was very ill. They had no money to treat him, so they had to sell themselves into slavery at a brokerage firm to raise money for his treatment. The brokerage firm held the three of them hostage, insisting that Tong Li also sell himself into slavery before they would pay for a doctor to treat him.
In short, all three of them eventually sold themselves into servitude and were trained at a brokerage firm for a month. A couple of days ago, Zhao Guizhi took a liking to them and bought them back. She was right; these three young men were all hardworking and reliable, and they wouldn't cheat or slack off. They were also clean-cut.
At least for now, that seems to be the case.
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