After the village chief left, only the brothers from the barbecue restaurant remained at the scene, and everyone remained silent.
Lan Ya Mei knew that these brothers were scared.
The living example of Er Gou and his wife is right before our eyes; they died with their eyes wide open in disbelief! We didn't dare tell them any of the clues we found, for fear of frightening them.
He used to hang out with Tie Tou in the ghost market collecting protection money, then he started selling barbecue on his own, all just to make a living. Now, it's obvious to everyone that the barbecue shop is being targeted by a powerful figure! They can't afford to play along anymore, so while helping out in Luo Family Village these past few days, they've all secretly agreed to resign from their jobs after Er Gou and his wife are buried.
But when it really came down to it, no one was willing to be the first to speak up; they all kept their heads down and remained silent.
Lan Ya Mei understood everyone's thoughts. They were reluctant to part ways, but she could only force a smile and say, "So much has happened in the shop lately. The murderer hasn't been caught yet, and this morning Aunt Guan and Uncle Ouyang were kidnapped at home. There are still no clues. It's like a broken house being hit by a series of bad luck."
These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd, who were filled with unease.
Qiu Zeyu hadn't expected Lan Yamei to be so candid! The most important thing right now was to calm people down! If everyone ran away, would the shop still be able to stay open? This girl was really hard to figure out; she was so sincere it was almost naive! Sometimes she was so cunning it was infuriating.
But Lan Yamei thought that everyone's life was their own, and everyone should make their own decisions! Staying would be dangerous, but not staying would also be reasonable.
So he continued, "The reason I'm telling you the truth is to let everyone know the real situation and make a clear judgment. Those who want to stay will have their wages doubled! Those who plan to find other jobs will each receive fifty taels of silver as a consolation payment! Thank you all for your hard work during this time, let's part ways amicably."
Except for Tie Tou, all the brothers chose to take fifty taels and leave.
Tie Tou remained silent, his head bowed.
After handing out the silver notes, a young man came over and pulled him aside, saying, "Brother Tietou, Manager Lan is kind and generous. With these fifty taels, you can get married or start a small business. It's better than risking your life. Let's go."
Tie Tou shook off his hand, his clenched teeth loosened indifferently, and he raised his head with a bitter smile, saying, "Brothers, everyone has their own ambitions! I wish you all the best! Farewell!" After saying that, he turned his head and stopped looking at them.
The brothers were somewhat moved, after all, they had been hanging out together for three or five years. All they could do was say with red eyes, "Take care!" with a fist bump, and then strode away.
Lan Ya Mei never expected that this most carefree, chubby fellow would be so loyal, remaining completely unmoved by the prospect of fifty taels of silver. These past few days, she had been running around doing errands, and he had taken care of everything at the funeral—he was responsible and dependable!
"Well done, Iron Head!" Qiu Zeyu now had a different opinion of the fat man; he had previously looked down on him.
"Tie Tou, why did you choose to stay? We'll face even more difficulties later. Aren't you afraid of dying?" Lan Ya Mei asked.
Tie Tou frankly said, "Thank you for not looking down on me. I'm an orphan who doesn't even know who my parents are. I was ignorant and went down the wrong path before. After meeting you all, I finally understood what I should do. Right now, the shop does seem both tiring and troublesome, but I'm not a coward. I'm willing to protect it with you. I believe in you!"
"Okay! From today onwards, as long as you're willing to learn, I'll teach you more martial arts. I'll never let you suffer!" Qiu Zeyu said affectionately, putting his arm around his shoulder.
Tie Tou immediately knelt down and kowtowed, his face full of a simple smile, "Thank you, Master!"
Lan Yamei then took out the bank statement given to her by the village head. After glancing at it, she saw that the expenditure records were detailed and that the remaining silver notes had been returned, which pleased Lan Yamei greatly.
Currently, Hua Manlou has been shut down, and his swordsmen and thugs have all gone into hiding. The barbecue restaurant is safe for now and can continue operating. So he said to the two men, "Let's spend tomorrow cleaning up, and we'll open for business the day after!"
"Oh, so fast? I'm afraid we don't have enough staff! We haven't even bought the vegetables and meat yet." Tie Tou immediately got into work mode and started worrying.
"If we don't have enough, we'll hire. We'll offer the same treatment as others. Those who do well and are responsible will receive a bonus at the end of the month. Gender doesn't matter, as long as they're quick-witted and agile, we'll take them all." Lan Yamei turned her head, bowed towards Er Gou and his wife's grave, and said firmly, "Er Gou, may you and your wife rest in peace. We already know who harmed you. I promise, they'll pay for this in blood. Don't worry about Auntie and Gou Dan, I'll take good care of them. Don't worry, I mean what I say."
After saying this, he poured three cups of wine onto the grave and kowtowed. Just as he stood up, a whirlwind rose from the ground, circled around them, and then dissipated.
Qiu Zeyu said, "Ergou and his wife received it!"
The three of them bowed again before leaving the cemetery.
Since we're opening for business the day after tomorrow, we need to prepare more today. Now that Auntie and Gou Dan have no one to rely on, it's worrying to leave them in the village any longer. Lan Ya Mei decided to talk to the village head about business first, then bring the two back to the shop to take care of them.
First, we arrived at the village head's house. The village head was sitting on a small stool in the yard, silently weaving baskets. Several mud-footed chickens were rummaging through the weeds at the base of the wall, eating insects and ants.
Upon seeing the three enter, the village head put down his work and called into the house, "Menglan's mother, pour three cups of tea for the guests."
He then got up and pulled out three low stools just like his own from under the eaves, inviting the three of them to sit down.
Lan Yamei got straight to the point, "Uncle Village Head, thank you so much for your help these past few days! I'll bring Auntie and Gou Dan to my place in a little while, and I'll take care of them in their place from now on, so don't worry."
The village head nodded, and Lan Yamei continued, "The shop will open for business the day after tomorrow. I see there are still quite a few vegetables left in the village; I'll take any that we can't finish. Now that the old lady needs to recuperate, I'd like to ask you to help make the first move."
The village head habitually pulled out a long pipe from his waistband, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, then took out a pinch of tobacco from his right pocket, rubbed it in his palm, put it in the pipe, lit it with a tinderbox, took a puff, and said with a frown, "Women shouldn't show their faces in public. Listen to your uncle, you're not young anymore, it's time to find a marriage partner and settle down."
Before Lan Yamei could retort, a tall, bright-eyed girl came out from the inner room, carrying a tea tray with three cups of tea. She said in a stern voice, "Father, stop talking about those old, trivial things! Can't a woman have her own ideas besides getting married and having children? I think Manager Lan is someone I should learn from! She does what she wants without caring about what others think."
Lan Yamei really wanted to applaud her.
"You crazy girl, once it snows and there's no work in the fields, I'll find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for you. I can't control you, but someone else will!" The village head's words were harsh, but his eyes showed reluctance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com