That very evening, Si Jiuyin delivered the dishes that the owner of this private restaurant had personally packed to He Qinqin. From then on, the Si family became the exception for this private restaurant.
The hot water used to rinse the bowl suddenly turned cold, and He Qinqin's hands were instantly drenched in the icy water, turning bright red.
The electric water heater is broken again.
He Qinqin washed the dishes and chopsticks with cold water and tidied up the kitchen.
Soon after, the chilblains on her hands started to itch again.
He Qinqin felt agitated when she thought of the large bathtub in the Si family home, with its precisely controlled room temperature 24 hours a day.
*
Haiper Bay Grand Flat
Si Jiuyin felt a bit dizzy after sitting on the yacht for so long, so she came back first.
Butler Liu poured her a cup of lemon tea: "President Si, the surveillance footage has been repaired."
Si Jiuyin perked up upon hearing the news.
Butler Liu took a USB drive out of his pocket and handed it to Jiuyin.
"I've also finished checking the footage from the surveillance cameras near the monitoring room."
"Three outsiders passed by the monitoring room that day."
Several parts of the surveillance video playback were burned out, including footage from the entrance to the monitoring room and inside the room.
Therefore, the investigation can only be conducted based on people passing by nearby.
"Florists, organizers, and masseuses."
Si Jiuyin took out the list of visitors and related information that the housekeeper had previously compiled for her from under the coffee table.
The florist is a young woman named Xiao Hu, 26 years old, who currently runs a flower shop. She comes to Si's house at 10 a.m. to do floral decorations.
The organizer, A-Yang, is a 35-year-old man who previously worked in cybersecurity.
They arrived at the Si family home at 1:56 PM that day and began organizing and tidying up Si Jiuyin and Si Jin's walk-in closet.
Xiao Yang stayed at the Si family's house for quite a while, not leaving until 5:30 pm.
The masseuse, Aunt Ling, is blind, in her sixties, highly experienced, and possesses superb skills. She has been associated with the Si family for over 10 years.
At 8:30 a.m., the original owner invited her to her home for breakfast, and she left the Si family after dinner.
Si Jiuyin's brows furrowed slightly: "What do you think?"
Butler Liu answered in a very organized manner: "It would be too much of a coincidence if it was burned; the probability is relatively small. It is more likely that it was caused by human intervention."
"The most suspicious person right now is this organization and tidying specialist who switched from cybersecurity."
"However, this illustrator is not without suspicion, as their identity could easily be disguised."
Si Jiuyin: "So, does that mean we can completely rule out the possibility of a masseuse?"
"Yes, Aunt Ling is blind and old, making it even more difficult for her to do this kind of thing."
Uncle Liu's expression was as if he were recalling something: "She was honest and kind to the Si family, and she once saved your life."
Si Jiuyin learned from the original owner's memories that this Aunt Ling had saved the original owner's family's lives seven years ago.
Si Jiuyin's family drove their SUV out of the underground parking garage to go on a trip, and their route would happen to pass by Aunt Ling's hometown.
So Si Jiuyin decided to take Aunt Ling along as well.
However, when Jin Che started the engine, Aunt Ling suddenly started banging on the car door frantically, her face filled with panic.
Only after Si Jiuyin inquired further did she learn that Aunt Ling felt the sound of the car was not quite right.
Adhering to the principle of caution, the Si Jiuyin couple took the car for inspection, only to find out that the engine was faulty and the brakes also posed a safety hazard.
Aunt Ling saved Si Jiuyin's life. In addition, she was gentle and kind and had good skills. Si Jiuyin had been friends with her for more than 10 years.
The Si family has always treated Aunt Ling as a member of the family, and they have visited her often during holidays. Si Jin and He Qinqin even regard Aunt Ling as a relative of their grandmother generation.
After reading the original owner's memory about Aunt Ling, Si Jiuyin felt a pang of sadness. The original owner had so many good people around her, including her deceased husband Jin Che, Aunt Ling, Old Li, and Little Liu, yet in the end, she was ruined by a heartless daughter.
Si Jiuyin suddenly remembered that although Aunt Ling was blind, her hearing was so sharp. Could she have heard something that day?
"Let's leave it at that for now. Anyway, we've already got the surveillance footage."
"Uncle Liu, thank you for your hard work."
Si Jiuyin looked tired.
"Mr. Si, you're too kind. In short, I will pay close attention to all aspects of the family situation during this period."
Uncle Liu handed Si Jiuyin a blanket and then left.
Si Jiuyin was just about to take a nap on the sofa while waiting for Li Han to return when the phone rang.
—It was a call from one of the project managers at the fast food factory under the Si's Group.
"Mr. Si, this is bad. The supplier who has been providing us with chili peppers has suddenly cut off the supply."
“We took the contract to them to discuss the matter, but they refused to pay and argued with us, using tactics like demanding commissions, but they just wouldn’t deliver the goods.”
Si Jiuyin: "Are there any chili peppers left in stock?"
"We can still support one production cycle, about half a month. However, several of our best-selling instant food products use chili peppers from this supplier, and the inventory will soon be exhausted."
Si Jiuyin: "I understand. Let's proceed with the work step by step."
After hanging up the phone, Si Jiuyin stroked her chin; this situation was rather troublesome.
Si's Group's food division has other chili suppliers, but by changing suppliers, the chilies used in their ready-to-eat products are different from the original ones, so the taste will definitely be somewhat different.
In addition, it's a classic best-selling product, and with many changes in flavor, consumers will definitely be able to notice the difference.
These signature products, which have been around for many years, cannot have their recipes changed easily; changing the recipe could easily lead to a loss of customers.
When All Things Cola burst onto the scene, it was sweeter than the established brand Coca-Cola, and its sales growth rate surpassed that of Coca-Cola for a time.
So Coca-Cola increased the sweetness of its products, but the increased sweetness not only made the products sell worse than Coca-Cola, but also caused dissatisfaction among the original consumers.
Left with no other option, they had to adjust the sweetness back to the original level, but not many of the lost customers returned.
Having learned from past mistakes, Si Jiuyin realized this matter was indeed tricky, so she decided to go to sleep first.
Thinking about this kind of headache late at night is unlikely to yield a solution and will only cause you more trouble.
Having learned from the original owner's experience of being angered to the point of illness by He Qinqin, Si Jiuyin felt that physical and mental health was the top priority, and making money was secondary.
*
Lao Zhang Barbecue Restaurant.
Shi Yao, his cousin Shi Hang, and A Hai and a group of brothers sat at a roadside stall eating skewers.
Ah Hai: "Brother Shi Yao, did your sister-in-law really sign the agreement to terminate the adoption relationship with Si Jiuyin? Then he has absolutely no connection with the Si family anymore."
Shi Yao took a swig of wine: "We've only signed a paper agreement; we haven't registered it with the civil affairs department yet."
"It's not a done deal yet."
Shi Hang also said, "Hasn't He Qinqin been sick these past few days? How could she have the energy to go with Si Jiuyin to do any registration? We can still delay it for a while."
Ahai scratched his head: "What if Si Jiuyin gets impatient and sends a car to pick up He Qinqin to register?"
Shi Yao checked his phone messages, then his furrowed brows relaxed: "It's nothing, she's just too busy for the time being."
"Her retribution has come."
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