That afternoon, Lan Yamei personally carried a large basket of various expensive fruits and drew up twenty free barbecue vouchers to visit Lord Liu and ask him to issue a note.
When the yamen runner came to report, Magistrate Liu looked disgusted. "Wasn't the case already closed? Why are you still here! Do you think my county yamen is her private property? Get rid of her, just say I wasn't here."
"Sir, that little girl is carrying a fruit basket. She seems to be bringing gifts, not looking for trouble," the constable said with a smile. After all, the girl had given him a free coupon earlier, and he planned to take his family there for a meal tomorrow.
"Oh, then let her in. Let's hear what she has to say." After saying that, Lord Liu straightened his clothes and hat, sat in the main seat, sipped his tea, and waited for the yamen runner to deliver the message.
As soon as Lan Yamei entered, she placed her fruit basket and twenty free coupons on the table before bowing and saying, "Lord Liu, you've worked hard in solving the case! This is just a small token of our appreciation; we hope you'll accept it."
Lord Liu thought to himself, "My concubine was just saying she wanted some fruit, and this little girl brought it over. She's got a good eye." He then glanced at the white slip of paper beside him, which read, "Six people per time, free barbecue, drinks at your own expense." What on earth was this? He had thought it was a silver note, but it turned out to be something useless. His expression changed slightly.
Lan Yamei quickly explained, "Sir, this is a free meal voucher from our shop. Just take this slip to our shop, and you can eat as much barbecue as you want without paying. You only need to pay for the drinks. I think you've tasted all kinds of delicacies, so why would you care? My barbecue is the best in the world. Lord Liu and his family must come and try it. Lord Liu has a good reputation, and I don't want to tarnish it, so I gave you this voucher. With this voucher, you only need to pay for the drinks. When the people see you paying the bill yourself, they will naturally believe that Lord Liu is honest and upright and doesn't take a single penny from them."
"Oh!" This piqued Lord Liu's interest. He picked up the stack of IOUs and said slyly, "This is good, but I don't understand whether it counts as a bribe."
Lan Ya Mei has finally come to her senses. This era isn't like the one she lived in before, where as long as you acted uprightly, the law would naturally protect you. In this era, you need to cultivate good relationships with the government to enjoy more benefits. That's why she listened to Uncle Ouyang's advice yesterday, inquired about Lord Liu's situation beforehand, and then took action.
She hurriedly said, "How can this be considered a bribe! It doesn't involve any money, just a basket of fruit and a few experience vouchers, it's not that serious! Lord Liu works diligently for the people, and we people are worried about his health. Lord Liu, you must take care of yourself!" Lan Ya Mei's flattery made Lord Liu very comfortable.
In the past, I would do things against my conscience to get some benefits, which made me worry about whether my child would have an anus before I even had one. As the saying goes, if you do too many bad things, you'll give birth to a child without an anus.
Lord Liu asked, "Manager Lan, I understand that one is obligated to accept bribes. What brings you here today?" Lord Liu thought to himself, "Let's see if the matter can be resolved before deciding whether to accept the bribe."
Not long after, Lan Yamei happily left the government office. Less than half an hour later, the yamen runners came to the barbecue restaurant and posted a notice at the entrance that read: "Fellow villagers of Longyang Town, after several days of investigation, this official hereby declares that the murder case has absolutely no connection with the Number One Barbecue Restaurant in the World. Fellow villagers, you can rest assured to dine here." It was also stamped with a large red seal.
After the constable finished reading the message at the entrance, the barbecue restaurant's loyal fans applauded happily. Taking the opportunity, Lan Yamei announced that the barbecue restaurant would open tomorrow, with buy-one-get-one-free deals, and everyone was welcome to try it.
The government's personal clarification infuriated several restaurant owners who served Chinese food, who were furious and glared at each other.
This time, Lan Yamei dared not act rashly again. She quickly consulted a feng shui master to find the best location in the shop, and then brought back a golden statue of the God of Wealth from the temple at a high price, which was then enshrined in the shop.
Upon receiving the news, Er Gou's family, along with several strong men, delivered two slaughtered fat pigs, several cartloads of vegetables, and three large barrels of peanut oil, getting busy in advance for the store's opening the next day.
Fortunately, they were all experienced workers who had already done their jobs. After checking everything, Lan Yamei sat down to drink tea with peace of mind. Aunt Guan was tidying up the accounts, and Lan Yamei went over and asked, "Aunt Guan, where are Qiu Zeyu and Wang Fengyang?"
"They ate breakfast early this morning and went to the river to practice their skills. That child is destined for great things. He gets up early to help clean the shop and even uses a small stone mill to practice his strength," Aunt Guan said with satisfaction.
"Ah! He didn't even call me! Qiu Zeyu clearly knows I also want to become his apprentice. Sigh! I'll settle the score with him." After saying that, he hurriedly chased after the river outside the city.
Aunt Guan just smiled and shook her head. This girl is really different from before!
After running for more than thirty minutes, and with my appendix starting to hurt, I finally reached the riverbank. There, I saw the two of them already practicing their moves. Lan Yamei, panting heavily, picked up a clod of dirt and threw it at Qiu Zeyu's back.
When his attempt to ambush failed, Qiu Zeyu delivered a spinning kick, sending the clod of earth flying diagonally into the river. He turned around stylishly and said, "What? Want to settle scores with me?"
Lan Yamei put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "You know perfectly well that I also want to become an apprentice, so why didn't you take me with you when you learned kung fu?"
"Take you with me? Let me think... Oh, the little girl is already 22!" After saying that, she put her arm around Qiu Zeyu's shoulder and laughed heartily.
“So what if you’re 22? It’s never too late to learn kung fu.” Lan Yamei was unconvinced by Qiu Zeyu’s excuse.
"Girl, do you know what 22 years old means? In Lin'an, many women are already mothers of two or three children at 22! Your bones and joints are already stiff, how can you learn kung fu?" After saying that, he laughed loudly again, as if Lan Yamei was a spinster with no one to propose marriage.
"Who do you think you are? I have a foundation. I can improve quickly! As long as you don't hold back." Lan Yamei thought Qiu Zeyu thought she was too tough, so she quickly regulated her breathing and immediately performed a set of Baguaquan (Eight Trigrams Fist) from memory.
This Baguaquan style of boxing was a course I took in college. It was incredibly powerful and I even won a gold medal. Later, when I taught my students, I also taught them this Baguaquan style. I thought it was enough to impress them and earn me the title of senior sister.
To everyone's surprise, after finishing her punches and stopping, she was met with a storm of maniacal laughter. Not only Qiu Zeyu laughed, but even Wang Fengyang, who hadn't smiled for days, was laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down his face.
"What do you two mean?" Lan Ya Mei looked completely bewildered.
Qiu Zeyu rubbed his stomach, which ached from laughing, and said, "Considering your high level of martial arts skills and your willingness to learn from others, I'll reluctantly accept you as my disciple. However, this kid started before you, so you'll have to be his junior sister."
Lan Ya Mei didn't mind; she had finally joined the sect. She clasped her hands in greeting to the two of them, saying, "Greetings, Master! Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Martial arts enthusiasts don't care about titles or ranks. As long as they can learn real skills and pass them on, that is the mission of all martial arts practitioners.
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