Outside the government office.
Wu Shiren coldly stared at the three chefs behind him, clenching his teeth. They were traitors; if it weren't for Wu Shiren taking them in, they'd all be begging for food.
After supporting them for so many years, they're actually siding with a lowly handyman.
It seems we need to teach them a lesson; otherwise, they'll really be too arrogant.
He sullenly snorted, "Wang Guotou, from now on, you don't need to go back to the shop anymore."
Before Wang Guotou could speak, Wu Cuihua hurriedly stopped her, "Dad, you absolutely mustn't! Wang Qi and Zhao Tian have already been punished. If we fire Master Wang, our shop will be too busy to handle the workload."
"Even if we close down, we don't need this traitorous thing." Wu Shih-jen's mind was made up.
Wang Guotou knew Wu Shiren's character all too well; he was incredibly narrow-minded. After this incident, he would never let him live again.
But he won't regret it, because he can't do things against his conscience.
Wang Guotou shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Cuihua, you are a good girl. Thank you for your kindness. Since the shopkeeper has made his decision, I will not force him."
Wu Shiren glared at Wu Cuihua and said, "Shut up! It's not your place to make decisions about the restaurant. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Let me tell you, shut your restless heart. Unless I'm dead, don't even think about getting my approval."
Wu Cuihua shook her head and continued to persuade him, "Dad, have you thought this through? Firing Master Wang won't do you any good."
"Don't say anything more. I know what I'm doing. At worst, I'll take charge of the cooking myself. I'll never use these people again."
Seeing that Wu Shiren had made up his mind, Wang Qi was happy. Wang Guotou had always been at odds with him and was always contradicting him. Now, things would finally be peaceful.
He endured the pain in his buttocks and assured the manager, "Don't worry, boss. Although I was beaten, it will not affect the restaurant's business. I can still work."
Zhao Tian and the others quickly pledged their loyalty, saying, "What Wang Qi said is exactly what we wanted to say. We will never delay the restaurant's business."
"Alright, from now on, the restaurant will rely on you all." Wu Shiren said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. Then, with a dark face, he turned to Chen Feng and said, "Don't think you're so great just because you've learned a few dishes. Let me tell you, you're nothing but a piece of trash in front of me. You still want to covet my daughter? Forget about it!"
Although Chen Feng's face was pale, his eyes were resolute. After this incident, he had completely woken up. He used to think that he had learned cooking skills at Qingshui Restaurant, which was a favor to him by Wu Shiren, and that Wu Cuihua was sincere to him. So he thought he would open the restaurant further away and try his luck in Anyang County.
But now he understands that one shouldn't be too cowardly. The more you give in, the more others will take advantage of you. Before, he hid his sharpness, never competing or grabbing.
Wu Shih-jen thought he was weak and easy to bully, and didn't treat him like a human being. He would fight back when he needed to, and would never be soft-hearted again.
Chen Feng straightened his back, his eyes burning with anger, all restraint vanished, and at this moment he was no longer timid, no longer cautious and hesitant.
His voice was firm and powerful.
"Manager Wu, I had no intention of going against you. I've said before that I love cooking, but once I've mastered it, I will never open a shop in Qingshui Town again. But what you've done has completely enraged me. Now I will never leave Qingshui Town. I'm going to open my first shop in Qingshui Town, and then I'll open restaurants all over Da Ning Chao. I'm going to make you willingly marry Cuihua to me. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."
Chen Qingqing knew that the timid older brother was a thing of the past, and she was genuinely happy for him. As long as he had the will, he would definitely succeed.
"Big brother, you can definitely do it."
"Hahaha..." Wu Shiren laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Chen Feng, aren't you afraid of biting your tongue when you talk big? You think you're worthy of fighting with me?"
Wang Qi laughed so hard he almost fell over. "Chen Feng, you secretly learned a few dishes and think you've become a culinary god, and you even want to open restaurants all over the Great Ning Dynasty? That's just wishful thinking."
Zhao Tian laughed until tears streamed down his face. "You think cooking is so easy? You've been a handyman for three years and you've only learned the basics. You're far from good enough!"
Chen Feng scoffed, "Then we'll see!"
After saying that, he looked at the dejected Wang Guotou and smiled sincerely, "Master Wang, now that Wu Shiren has fired you, are you willing to follow me? Although I can't promise you anything right now, as long as you follow me, I will definitely not let you down in the future."
Upon hearing this, Wang Guotou nodded firmly, and the dejection on his face disappeared. "Brother, I'm willing to follow you. I believe you can do it."
"Okay, then come home with me first. After I recover in a few days, we'll go all out."
Wu Shih-jen, with a look of disdain, flicked his sleeves and walked away.
Wu Cuihua turned back to look at Chen Feng with reluctance, as if she had a thousand words to say.
Chen Qingqing frowned slightly. Wu Cuihua was a good girl, but with such a father, who had almost killed her older brother, she didn't want her brother to have anything to do with Wu Cuihua anymore.
But matters of the heart are unpredictable; let's just take it one step at a time.
If the two are truly destined for each other, no amount of hardship or obstacle can stop them from being together.
So she could only offer her blessings to them.
Nanshan Village
Old Mrs. Chen saw Chen Zhanshan's family leave in an oxcart early in the morning.
With a gossipy look on her face, she arrived at the willow tree at the village entrance and saw many people already sitting there chatting. She joined them, trying to make conversation.
"Are you all taking a break? Is the work in the fields not busy anymore?"
When everyone saw her arrive, they stopped talking and laughing, and started teasing her.
"Of course I'm busy! This is just a moment of leisure amidst my busy schedule. Unlike you, Auntie, you have a scholar in your family who doesn't even have to farm. It's truly enviable!"
"Who says otherwise? We're so envious we're green with envy."
"That's right, Auntie! Your son Zhancai passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, which has also given you a new daughter-in-law. You must be overjoyed!"
Grandma Chen didn't catch the sarcasm in everyone's words; she thought they were just envious of her, and she was overjoyed.
He was beaming with joy, his face crinkling with wrinkles. “It was expected that my third son would pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. What makes me happiest is my third son’s new wife, Ruhua. She is a filial and capable woman. Since she entered the family, there is no chore she can’t do. She even prepares my foot bath water. She is much better than my unfilial sons.”
"Yes, you've really fallen into a lucky hole. If you become successful in the future, don't forget about us peasants."
"Rich lady, we're all neighbors, you're being too formal with your words." Old Mrs. Chen smiled, craned her neck to look out of the village, and asked as if she knew nothing, "Oh, Old Liu's oxcart business is getting better and better, who is he taking to town this time?"
Liang Fugui had just asked and learned that Chen Qingqing had taken her family to the county to file a complaint. He didn't intend to hide it from Old Lady Chen and said directly, "It's the Zhan Shan family. It seems they went to the county to file a complaint."
When Grandma Chen heard this, she was overjoyed.
She knew Wu Shiren had connections with people in the county government, so even if she went to file a complaint, she wouldn't win; she might even get a beating and be sent back.
She really wanted to see Chen Qingqing get a beating.
His eyes were filled with anticipation...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
