Chapter 77 The speaker may have meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. ...
"Boss Li told me to find an opportunity to steal the recipes and methods for making the sweets and pastries from the shop when the shopkeeper wasn't around."
At this point, Yang Qiaomai's voice inexplicably lowered. "Boss Li said that as long as I secretly hand over the item to him, he will give me ten taels of silver."
They used coercion and enticement, first threatening him with two tall men, then promising him so much money.
Most people would obediently nod and agree at this point.
Moreover, this sum of money was almost equivalent to his annual wages at Guo's shop.
It was just a moment of distraction.
Boss Li thought he was complaining about the amount, so he clapped his two short, chubby hands and called for the two waiters behind him to come forward.
The shadows of the three people fell, completely covering Yang Qiaomai...
"Take the benefits I promise you, or you'll be left with nothing but your fists when the benefits are gone!"
As Mr. Li spoke, the two men's fists pounded against each other with a loud cracking sound.
He didn't dare to look up. Seeing this, Boss Li only said, "Young man, you should think it over as soon as possible," and then told the two people behind him to continue to wait at his door.
...As he spoke, Yang Qiaomai's head, like his voice, lowered further and further.
He didn't refuse Mr. Li right away. If the shop owner finds out, he'll definitely regret agreeing to let him work there.
Maybe--
Maybe... he'll be fired soon, he might not be so sure.
Yang Qiaomai felt a little bitter, but she also felt that this was a punishment for her lack of willpower.
Unexpectedly, Guo Baiwen patted him on the shoulder, "Since he's already promised to give you ten taels of silver, then take it. At least check if it really is ten taels of silver—"
After all, money can be a powerful motivator.
Who knows if what Boss Li gave us is genuine?
But that's precisely why he found Boss Li even more despicable. His approach of using both carrot and stick was bad enough, but the stick he offered was nothing more than empty promises!
How stingy!
After all, if Mr. Li were to come to their door in a straightforward manner and say that he likes the taste of their desserts and wants to buy the recipes for some of them, it would be a different story.
Guo Baiwen might not refuse outright, but he would consider whether or not to sell him the recipe for the dessert.
After all, Xiuning County is so big, and one family's dessert shop can't possibly dominate and attract all customers.
As he pondered this, he helped Yang Qiaomai up and comforted her, saying, "I'm already very happy that you were willing to tell me this news."
After all, ten taels of silver is not a small amount.
In particular, Yang Qiaomai's family now has a sick older sister and a young niece.
Yang Qiaomai clearly felt that she had acted very unfairly in the face of Boss Li's 'wavering' at that time.
The shop owner not only gave him a job during his most difficult time, but also paid him more than others. Not to mention holidays, he brought home a lot of scraps every day.
But he couldn't refuse immediately...
Now, I feel even more sorry for the shop owners who have treated me with such 'gentle words'.
My heart was filled with mixed feelings, which ultimately coalesced into a deep loathing for Boss Li. "That man said that if I didn't want to do it myself, I could find an opportunity to lure you all away and then have someone else come and get it..."
They say they'll 'take' it, but they also say they'll do it when the shopkeeper isn't around—isn't that just—
"It was theft."
Although Yang Qiaomai had been poor and hungry, she never thought of stealing anything.
During the hardest times, as he listened to his rumbling stomach, he thought that at worst he could swallow his pride and go beg for food in a more distant place.
Even when he could only drink cold water to stave off hunger, he never thought of stealing.
Even though he was still terrified of the two men squatting at his doorstep, his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. "I won't steal anything! And I certainly won't let this money make me feel bad for you, shopkeeper!"
After listening to what he said, Guo Baiwen patted Yang Qiaomai on the shoulder and comforted her, "You're willing to tell me everything, so you haven't really wronged me."
"And you don't need to rush to find a way to refuse, it's fine to just agree first."
Rather than guarding against Mr. Li's repeated schemes if one fails, "we should just play along."
During the day, the confectionery shop remains open for business.
Neither the goods in the store nor the customers seemed to be affected by the shortage of raw materials in the past few days.
So angry that night, Mr. Li ate two more meatballs.
Just as he was feeling indignant, the shop assistant suddenly came over to him and said that the child he had gone to earlier had just run to the back door of his house.
So he stopped eating the meatballs, threw down his chopsticks, casually wiped his mouth, and went around to the back door.
Sure enough, they found Yang Qiaomai squatting on the ground, completely wrapped up.
He was holding a twig and drawing something on the ground.
Mr. Li's previously aggrieved mood instantly eased by half, and he stepped forward with a friendly expression, greeting him, "Brother Yang is here? Why didn't you send someone in to call me sooner—"
Yang Qiaomai seemed uncomfortable with his familiar and intimate manner, but remembering the shopkeeper's instructions before she left, she forced herself to suppress her discomfort.
He said in a flat tone, "The shop owner has made plans to have dinner at the restaurant tomorrow, and his family is going out with him. There should be no one there after the shop closes at night."
The meaning of this statement is...
Mr. Li raised his eyebrows, feeling that the two meatballs he had just eaten were definitely worth it, so he greeted him with a big smile, "Brother Yang, you're such a straightforward person!"
Yang Qiaomai was not used to him calling her that, and hesitated before turning to leave.
But then he remembered what the shopkeeper had told him, so he turned around and reminded Mr. Li, "Don't forget what you promised me."
What did you promise him?
What about the ten taels of silver I mentioned?!
Upon hearing this, Mr. Li, who had been on edge, immediately felt relieved, even though he secretly looked down on Yang Qiaomai for being so disloyal.
But it's precisely these kinds of young men who are easy to handle!
Although it's painful to part with ten taels of silver, it's still a bit of a financial strain.
But soon, his shop's business will pick up again.
By then, we can earn back as many ten taels as we need!
So he kept a friendly smile on his face and readily agreed, "Of course, of course."
However, Yang Qiaomai did not leave even after hearing what he said.
She remained where she was, not saying a word, only staring at him with her dark, piercing eyes.
Upon seeing this, Mr. Li's smile froze for a moment.
The next moment, I immediately understood.
While thinking to himself that this guy wouldn't give up until he saw meat, he slowly rummaged through his sleeve for a long time before finally pulling out a money pouch.
Why did I only bring this one money pouch with me today?!
If he had known this young man was coming, he should have prepared a small, worn-out purse beforehand!
But now, looking at each other in bewilderment, he couldn't very well turn around and ask the shopkeepers to fetch him a new money bag at this moment.
Even though he was reluctant, Mr. Li gritted his teeth and handed it over, saying warmly, "This is the deposit we agreed on before."
He patted his hand, his heart bleeding inside, but he smiled and said, "After this is done, Brother Yang, you'll definitely get your share!"
There were nearly five taels of silver in the money bag!
And this money pouch!
He had just recently commissioned a fabric embroiderer to make a new piece using the most fashionable satin available at the time!
While silently bleeding inside, Boss Li comforted himself with the thought that you can't catch a wolf without risking your life.
Seeing Yang Qiaomai still weighing the money bag in her hand after receiving it, Boss Li closed his eyes.
He tried his best not to look at the money pouch, and then politely gritted his teeth and saw Yang Qiaomai off.
The next day, around noon, the pastry chef saw Mr. Li instructing the two young apprentices in the shop to change into a pair of common straw sandals and put on a dusty long headscarf.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Shopkeeper, how about—" Never mind?
Anyway, even though their business has halved, they can still make a profit.
But Mr. Li clearly wouldn't listen to his advice, and even seemed a little impatient. "Stop talking!" He glared at the pastry chef in a curt tone. "If you could make those sweets, would I need to come up with these methods?!"
"It's all because you're useless," Boss Li said, his anger rising as he thought of the new money pouch he had given away. "You've worked for my family for so many years, you should have known long ago what you can and cannot say!"
Upon hearing this, the pastry chef had no choice but to abandon his attempt to persuade her.
After dinner, he pretended not to have seen anything and went back to the kitchen to continue making his pastries.
—On the other side.
When Yang Qiaomai returned and learned that a time had been arranged with the other party, Guo Baiwen began his preparations.
The desserts in his own confectionery shop naturally didn't have recipes, because the real recipes were all in his head.
But since Mr. Li is so eager to have it, he'll just make a few special 'formulas'.
So on the night he was to steal the formula, Guo Baiwen prepared a thin layer of paste by mixing pine soot ink with beeswax on the inside of the drawer where the 'formula' was stored.
After confirming that he had made all the necessary preparations, he asked Yang Qiaomai to pretend to go to the pharmacy next door to buy medicine. While waiting for Boss Li's people to arrive, she also planned to send someone over to inform him while he was eating.
Although he felt that he had done a good job in his plan, Guo Baiwen still felt his heart beating exceptionally fast when he finally sat down in the restaurant.
Grandma Guo and Guo Xiaohua were completely unaware of what was about to happen in their family.
Tonight, Guo Baiwen said he wanted to thank Granny Sun for helping him with matchmaking last time, which involved making people walk such a long mountain road, so he wanted to treat her to a meal to properly express his gratitude.
They also said that too many people would make it less lively, so they asked Granny Sun to invite her family members as well.
Eight people booked a private room together. The dishes were all arranged in advance with the restaurant owner. Once everyone arrived, the dishes were served.
So once everyone was seated, they started chatting animatedly.
Midway through the night, someone suggested having a couple of drinks, but Zhao Yiren, thinking that he had to patrol the night, politely declined.
Zhao Dayong wasn't on duty today, so after a few polite refusals, he happily accepted the wine glass and started drinking with Guo Baiwen.
Whether it was because the wine at this restaurant was too strong, or because Guo Baiwen's alcohol tolerance was really low today, Zhao Dayong felt that he hadn't drunk much at all, just listening to the cuckoo's call outside the window.
Guo Baiwen had already started slumping over the table, feeling drowsy and sleepy.
Fortunately, by the time we were drinking, most of the food on the table had already been eaten.
Grandma Guo apologized to the Zhao family, feeling embarrassed, and then called the restaurant owner to prepare the payment.
Before she could even take out her money, she was told that Guo Baiwen had already paid for the food and drinks in the private room before the meal started.
So they each cleaned up the leftover food on the table and prepared to go home separately.
It was at this moment that Zhao Yiren saw two women from the Guo family, one old and one young, struggling to help the drunk Guo Baiwen back home.
Especially now that it's quite late.
I ended up like this today because I was drinking with my dad.
Since he was going out on patrol both nights, Zhao Yiren told his family and asked the restaurant owner to bring them a pot of tea so they could sit in the restaurant for a while longer.
My father and I first took Guo Baiwen home, and then came back to take our own family members.
Fortunately, although Guo Baiwen was drunk, he could still walk on his own with some difficulty.
Grandma Guo was clearly embarrassed by this. She thanked Zhao Dayong, who was walking ahead, repeatedly while carrying a lantern to light the way for everyone.
Fortunately, the way home from the restaurant wasn't far, and I could see my own doorstep just ahead.
Just as Zhao Dayong was about to take the key from Guo Xiaohua's hand to open the door, the door, which had seemed tightly closed, suddenly opened by itself with a push.
Guo Xiaohua exclaimed "Huh?" and asked with a puzzled look, "Strange, you asked me and Grandma if we locked the door before you left?"
Worried that the door wasn't locked properly, the two of them pushed it back and forth before finally leaving.
What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.
After all, he had been a yamen runner for many years, and Zhao Dayong hadn't drunk much tonight.
His eyes suddenly sharpened, the effects of the alcohol wore off, and he turned to look at his son, who was still supporting Guo Baiwen.
The two exchanged a glance across the distance.
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