Chapter 108 Some are happy, some are sad...
Some are happy, some are sad.
As for Fengxianju, its head manager was executed in the autumn. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the matter of framing Zhu Mingyue was concealed, and few people know about it.
However, the story of the head manager of Fengxianju forcibly abducting a woman and driving her to suicide has become widely known. People say he is a scoundrel. Sun Weifu has been imprisoned, but his descendants are still enjoying the benefits of the property he left behind. So some people started to jeer, and after that, who would dare to go to Fengxianju to support this beast's business? That would be aiding and abetting evil.
Those who originally went to Fengxianju were all prominent people. No one wanted to be branded as an accomplice to evil just for having a meal at Juxianju. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble for nothing?
Moreover, if we're talking about pure deliciousness, Mingyuelou's dishes are far superior—or even worse, they're at least double the price, yet the price is comparable to Juxianju's. Mingyuelou's dishes are so incredibly delicious that even high-ranking officials and dignitaries would doubt their own knowledge.
Even the pork knuckle, which I usually wouldn't even glance at, is made into a rich, dark sauce that's incredibly delicious. The best dishes, however, are the braised pork belly and the Jihe perch. One has a strong flavor, while the other has a mild one, making them favorites for those who prefer strong flavors and those who prefer mild flavors, respectively.
The sea bass, in particular, is incredibly fresh and tender, leaving a lingering aftertaste. It's a must-order dish at Mingyuelou, and in just a few days, it's already in high demand and short supply.
What? You're saying your elderly lady has lost her appetite but loves this dish, and you want the restaurant to do them a favor and save a few sea bass for her?
Your child is still young and doesn't understand things. Why does he insist on eating the perch from Mingyuelou Restaurant? He cries incessantly when he can't get it.
Everyone has their reasons, but once the fish are gone, they're gone. You can't make things easy for one group and offend another. At least we can get lucky and eat some now, but once the Jihe River freezes over in winter, there won't be a single fish left.
If that's all, you can still eat other dishes: braised mutton, twice-cooked pork, spicy chicken, lion's head meatballs, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, sour soup fish—all kinds of novelties you can't find in other restaurants.
After the meal, the master and young master went to the Cuju field to digest their food, while the ladies went to the teahouse next door to play cards and listen to operas. It was as pleasant as could be.
With delicious food and fun activities, who would want to go to Fengxianju!
Fengxianju is located in a bustling area. The area downstairs is lively, but in the end, it's just about having a meal. Anyone who has been to Mingyuelou feels that other places are lacking something.
Moreover, with the head manager having such an incident, business at Fengxianju became increasingly slow over the past two or three months, until Mingyuelou opened, at which point business completely dried up.
The doors were always wide open, and the manager was lazy and listless, watching people come and go without a smile. Only one waiter remained, and the tables were wiped clean again and again until they shone, but no one came to patronize them. Everyone, from top to bottom, was just wasting their time.
This can't go on. We haven't made a single sale all day. Not only will we be a laughing stock, but we also have to pay our employees' wages. Besides, such a big restaurant has to pay a lot in taxes every year.
The men in Sun Weifu's family are all good-for-nothings, a bunch of good-for-nothings who can't stand up to scrutiny. Apart from knowing a few words, they can't do anything else, but they are quite good at squandering money.
Sun Weifu had a strong desire to control the women in his family and was extremely old-fashioned. He believed that women should stay in the backyard and serve their husbands, at most sewing and embroidering on weekdays, and were not allowed to show their faces in public. Therefore, they were all somewhat introverted.
In general, none of them had any business acumen.
In this vast Kangyang County, there are three Fengxianju restaurants alone, one in each county. In addition, the business also involves three gambling dens and shares in two brothels.
As soon as Sun Weifu got into trouble, these shady businesses immediately distanced themselves from him, except for Fengxianju, which remained untouched and was left to the Sun family, who knew nothing about business.
After Zhu Mingyue finished her inspection, she and Wang Zongxiu had a casual lunch at Mingyue Tower. Wang Zongxiu was busy and didn't enjoy his meal as much as before. He had a rough throat and wolfed down his food, then let out a burp: "I'm full, you should eat too!"
Zhu Mingyue: ...
Even when I'm eating, I have to be rushed. My business has grown so much, yet I feel like my standard of living has declined significantly.
He An is much better. Even if He An dislikes his lazy and listless appearance, he will only glare at him with a resentful look, but he will not say anything.
Zhu Mingyue chewed faster and faster, suddenly losing the joy of eating, and simply put down her chopsticks after eating only until she was about 70% full.
Wang Zongxiu didn't know whether he was really full, so he turned around and had the bowls and chopsticks cleared away: "The private room where you are sitting has been reserved in a quarter of an hour."
Zhu Mingyue pouted: "Don't I deserve to have my own private room?" He's the head manager, what head manager doesn't even have this little bit of privilege?
Wang Zongxiu's face fell: "Little ancestor, stop being so pretentious, okay? Business is so good, where would we find a private room for you? If you sit here, you're just eating for free, but if other people sit here, money is flowing into their accounts."
Zhu Mingyue felt even more aggrieved. These people were so ruthless in their pursuit of money, how could the money possibly end up in their pockets?
Besides, he's the head manager; he's just eating for free, yet he still complains.
Seeing his pitiful expression, Wang Zongxiu didn't know what to say: "My little darling!"
Zhu Mingyue wiped the grease from his lips. Perhaps he had eaten something spicy, as his red lips were shiny and a little swollen. He bit his lip and said, "Don't call me ancestor anymore. What family would treat their ancestors like that? How could I have such an unfilial descendant like you?"
Wang Zongxiu gritted his teeth. If he and his brothers weren't relying on Mingyue Tower for their livelihood, he wouldn't have worked so diligently.
Zhu Mingyue felt she had won the argument verbally and was finally in a better mood. She winked at Wang Zongxiu and said, "Your ancestor is off to take care of something important." With that, she strode away.
Wang Zongxiu watched his retreating figure and twitched his lips. What important matter could he possibly have?
Little did he know that Zhu Mingyue wasn't lying to him this time. As for how big the matter was, that was up to the individual to decide, but Zhu Mingyue thought it was quite big.
He even called He An and Guan Jing to support him.
The two of them were waiting on the street in the county when they saw his particularly prominent and eye-catching clown horse. Their eyes lit up and they waved to him.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhu Mingyue entered Fengxian Residence with the help of the two men.
The only waiter warmly led them upstairs and opened the door: "Please come in, sirs." He seemed quite happy, showing no sadness or confusion despite the restaurant's impending closure.
Soon, Zhu Mingyue lost interest in paying attention to other people's feelings. As soon as the door opened, about ten people inside looked at them at once.
Are they here to negotiate or to fight? Zhu Mingyue's inner alarm bells were ringing.
Guan Jing clenched his fists, preparing to take on ten men at once.
Zhu Mingyue is a weakling who can't lift a finger or do anything strenuous. He An has really been growing up these past two years. He's grown taller very quickly, and he eats a lot, all of which goes into growing taller. He doesn't look strong at all, and his kung fu is just so-so.
Zhu Mingyue was drenched in sweat. They had agreed to discuss business, not to start a brawl. This was a bit too uncivilized.
He An stood silently in front of Zhu Mingyue, his expression not very pleasant: "Our manager has come to discuss business today with sincerity. If this is your attitude, I think it's better not to talk today!"
After he finished speaking, the air froze instantly, suddenly...
thump--
A young man who looked somewhat similar to Sun Weifu knelt down.
Then, several more people knelt down and refused to get up, much to the shock of the three men.
The young man at the head of the group was fairly handsome, with a tall and straight figure and a scholarly air about him. He looked somewhat hesitant and, who had been sitting in a chair, stood up.
"The younger generation in my family has been rude and has offended everyone. I wonder if Manager Zhu now feels that our sincerity is sufficient?"
He swallowed hard, looking as if he would kneel down and refuse to get up the moment the other person shook their head.
Zhu Mingyue felt that the whole world had become magical ever since the first person knelt down before him.
He An hid behind Zhu Mingyue, utterly shocked. "What do you mean by this?"
Guan Jing: "I understand. You must be holding a grudge against our manager and want to shorten his lifespan in this way!"
Zhu Mingyue looked at Guan Jing with pity, thinking to herself: Silly child, you've become so superstitious. Have you ever considered that if simply kneeling before someone could shorten their lifespan, then all the enemies in the world would probably be too old to kneel before each other?
The other party clearly hadn't expected to be picked on even after they'd humbled themselves so much. They exchanged bewildered glances, seeing helplessness and confusion in each other's eyes. Weren't they complaining about their poor attitude and lack of sincerity? Wasn't this enough?
Having thoroughly enjoyed being treated like royalty today, Zhu Mingyue resisted the urge to shout "Get up, children!" and said gently, "It's all a misunderstanding, please get up!"
He had someone investigate beforehand and only knew that the men in Sun Weifu's family were not very respectable. He thought they were just like local thugs and hooligans. Who knew that they would be so low-class today!
Before he could even speak, he knelt down so decisively and without hesitation, showing no shame whatsoever. In short, he was filled with a strong will to survive when he knelt down.
What's wrong? There are only three of them, they can't possibly eat ten of them.
Once everyone had stood up, the young man at the head of the group nodded slightly and introduced himself: "My name is Sun Shang, the eldest son of the Sun family's main branch. I have come here with my cousins because we sincerely want to do business with Manager Zhu. We are not without sincerity."
Zhu Mingyue was a little embarrassed. "Young Master Sun has misunderstood."
Imagine this: in modern times, you go to a business dinner, and when you open the door, you're surrounded by a bunch of blond-haired guys. Anyone would be scared.
He An cleared his throat and changed the subject: "In that case, why don't we start talking business?"
In fact, the Sun family took the initiative to approach Zhu Mingyue for this discussion.
Fengxianju is about to collapse, and the Sun family wants to cut their losses in time and is unwilling to make a losing deal, so they have no choice but to transfer Fengxianju to another owner.
But given the current situation, who would dare to take on such a hot potato?
It's not like we took it over when it was at its peak, so at least we could have gotten some good reputation. What can we do now that we've taken it over? We'll just be opening another ordinary restaurant.
Opening a restaurant means losing money, because all the business goes to Mingyue Restaurant. If Mingyue Restaurant serves meat, they can barely accept drinking soup. The key is that several old restaurants in the county are vying for this soup. After taking a sip or two, they're lucky if they can break even after deducting costs. The main problem is that it takes a lot of effort and time.
As a result, the "For Sale" sign on Fengxianju has been hanging for more than a month, but no one has shown any interest.
Left with no other option, the Sun family secretly sent a letter to Zhu Mingyue.
First, he expressed his sincere apologies to Sun Weifu for what happened, and then got straight to the point, asking him if he was interested in taking over Fengxianju.
After receiving the letter, Zhu Mingyue carefully considered it for a long time before finally agreeing to today's meeting.
Before Guan Jing could make a move, Sun Shang proactively brewed a cup of hot tea for Zhu Mingyue, his demeanor generous and proper, seemingly quite different from the person he was investigating.
Zhu Mingyue's heart stirred slightly: "Why did Young Master Sun want to buy Fengxian Residence?"
Sun Shang's smile was somewhat forced: "Manager Zhu should know that Fengxianju could not continue operating because of my uncle's influence."
He was clever; he only said that Fengxianju's business was failing because of Sun Weifu, without mentioning Mingyuelou at all.
He An chimed in, "Your uncle went to jail, and you really don't hold a grudge?"
Sun Shang paused, looking somewhat lost in thought, before quickly explaining, "Young master, you jest. My uncle's current predicament is entirely his own fault; why would he hold a grudge?"
"Besides..."
Zhu Mingyue looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
He sighed: "Besides, his absence will benefit everyone in the Sun family."
“Fengxianju did not belong to my uncle alone. It was originally established by my father, my third uncle, and my fourth uncle. Unfortunately, my father and my third uncle died young, passing away one after the other more than ten years ago. At that time, my cousins and I were still young, so Fengxianju was taken over by him alone. My aunt came from a good family, but she was sickly and only gave birth to one daughter. My uncle had never been interested in women, so he kept a mistress outside the home.”
Zhu Mingyue held the rim of the cup to his lips, but for a moment he forgot to drink. What had he heard? It was definitely a secret of the wealthy family!
No one can resist watching the drama unfold, even Guan Jing had a stern face, as if he were condemning Sun Weifu's unkindness.
He An: "Alas, how could I do such a thing!" He sighed after saying that, "And then?"
“His mistress bore him two sons in succession. My uncle probably felt that there would be an heir, so he became wary of our aunt and cousin. He first used the Sun family’s money to set up a gambling den and a brothel. The contracts were written in the names of his mistress and sons. In order to make it easier to manage them openly, he pretended to have invested in them himself.”
“We’re not really stupid, how could we not know what he’s been doing behind our backs?” a slightly chubby young man interjected indignantly.
Zhu Mingyue nodded and commented at the opportune moment: "Quite cunning."
Not just "quite"; it's downright utterly inhumane and unjust.
To abandon one's wife and children like worn-out shoes is unkind; to seize the assets of one's deceased brother is unjust.
He even vaguely guessed why the situation of the Sun family members he had sent to investigate was slightly different from the reality.
At such a young age, having to face such a beastly uncle, one naturally had to pretend to be useless in order to survive. Only by being unpresentable could one avoid being harmed.
After all, Sun Weifu was so devoted to male heirs that he would definitely treat these nephews as outsiders. If they were useless, he could keep them, since they were just mouths and he could at least gain a good reputation. But if they had some talent, especially in business, then they had crossed his bottom line. He was so ruthless that he would kill people without hesitation just to frame him, so he must have been able to do it.
However, after pretending for so long, some of them have indeed become truly useless. Now it seems that only Sun Shang looks decent. But for Sun Shang alone, dragging along a large group of useless little devils in his household is still a difficult task.
Sun Shang looked up and saw Zhu Mingyue looking at him with a deeply sympathetic gaze. He couldn't help but chuckle: "The outcome is not bad now. The aunts in the family no longer have to live a submissive life, my cousin no longer has to marry an old man much older than her, and we have all gained our freedom."
"We have no desire to continue running Fengxianju, nor do we want to be talked about behind our backs in Guangyang County because of his affairs. So we're thinking of selling the restaurant and moving the whole family to the neighboring county."
He looked directly at Zhu Mingyue with an open and honest expression and said, "I wonder if Manager Zhu is interested in buying Fengxian Residence?"
Zhu Mingyue smiled without saying a word, lightly tapping the table with her fingertips.
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