Chapter 365 The Beggar Who Came to the Restaurant to Inquire
The Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival.
Compared to modern times, people in ancient times attached greater importance to this festival.
If you were to ask when the town's nights are the most lively, it would undoubtedly be during the Lantern Festival!
The waiters at Xinglong Restaurant received a notice from Zhu Chengye early in the morning to go to the market to buy some colorful lanterns to hang up during the lantern festival tonight.
Of course, the more prosperous the place, the more lively the Lantern Festival.
Early in the morning, Wan Qiqi had Chen Yongnian drive a mule cart back to Lianhua Village to pick up Wang Zhi and the others to enjoy the lanterns.
She herself wasn't interested in this, but people in ancient times certainly would have been.
But she's much more interested in making money!
With such a lively atmosphere today, how can the restaurant stay idle? It's more fun to keep busy and earn more money!
Perhaps because it was a lively day, there were more people on the street, and even more people dressed in tattered clothes begging on the street.
Erpang was wiping the door at the entrance, thinking to himself that after work tonight, he would also like to stroll around the town.
Although he didn't have much spare money, it was the first time in his life that he had celebrated the Lantern Festival in town, and he couldn't help but feel excited.
There are not lanterns to admire every year during the Lantern Festival; rather, it is organized by local gentry.
In some slightly poorer towns, where the local gentry are also poor, they do not hold any activities during the Lantern Festival.
Clearly, Hefeng Town is not poor.
But the people are poor!
Therefore, very few villagers come to the town to admire the lanterns.
Living in town requires a significant amount of money.
Go back; it's not safe to walk at night!
So Erpang spent more than a dozen Lantern Festivals in Lianhua Village, only hearing about the excitement of the Lantern Festival in the town from other people.
He was still fantasizing about what to do tonight when he was interrupted by a cough.
Turning around, I saw a middle-aged man standing behind me.
He looked no different from a beggar on the street, dressed in tattered clothes and with messy hair.
The only difference was that the beggar took a bowl, while he didn't.
Erpang frowned slightly as he looked at the person in front of him and tentatively asked, "Is there something you need?"
Although he was somewhat disgusted by the person in front of him, he remembered Wan Qiqi's instructions: he should not arbitrarily send people away, and he should find out the details before making any decisions.
Zhu Chengye also instructed that if anyone comes to beg at the door today, they should be given some leftovers, as a way to help these poor people celebrate the festival.
"Um... I'd like to ask a question. Is Chen Guannian from the county government still at the restaurant?" the middle-aged man asked tremulously.
Erpang became alert upon hearing Chen Yongnian's professional title.
This place looks like it belongs to poor people, how could they know Brother Yongnian?
He asked warily, "Who are you, and what do you want with him?"
The middle-aged man seemed to realize that he hadn't given his name, and immediately said, "I'm Uncle Xiang. I met Chen Guannian before. I wanted to ask him how long the child who was arrested that day would be detained? Would he be able to get out?"
He was none other than Uncle Xiang, who persuaded Xiao Yi to turn back from the wrong path.
He was illiterate and couldn't read the notice, but he heard that Xiao Yi had been taken to the county jail, but it didn't say how long he would be detained or what his sentence would be.
Xiao Yi's parents had passed away long ago; he watched him grow up.
Although the two are not related by blood, they have come to regard each other as family.
Erpang looked at Uncle Xiang suspiciously, not daring to make a decision easily, and said, "You...you wait here, I'll go ask for you."
He walked quickly inside, looked around, and finally saw Wu Gousheng at the top of the stairs. He ran over and said, "Brother Gousheng, there's a beggar outside looking for Brother Yongnian. He wants to ask about the child who was drugged."
Wu Gousheng's eyes darkened, and he craned his neck to look outside, where he could see a middle-aged man with a hunched back.
"Tell him that Brother Yongnian is unaware of this matter yet, and he should come back when there is news in a while!"
Just as Erpang was about to leave, Wu Gousheng suddenly called him back.
"Go to the kitchen and get some food. It's the Lantern Festival today, don't let anyone leave the restaurant hungry!"
Zhu Chengye had someone prepare food and keep it warm early in the morning, so no one stopped Erpang from going to the kitchen to get it.
Moreover, Wu Gousheng had a good relationship with the kitchen staff and was Wan Qiqi's capable assistant. Even if no food was prepared, he could produce something with just a word.
Erpang quickly went to the kitchen, grabbed a few pancakes, and headed outside.
When they reached the door, Uncle Xiang had already disappeared.
Erpang was a little depressed.
Why did you leave when you were asking for news?
He could only carry the bread back and return it to the kitchen.
Seeing this, Lei Zi couldn't help but ask, "Er Pang, what are you doing running around with that pancake in your arms?"
Erpang recounted his recent experience and sighed, "Sigh, this guy is so strange, I can't figure him out!"
Wan Qiqi happened to come in from the doorway and heard Erpang's words clearly. She asked, "The person you're talking about is from West Alley?"
Erpang scratched his head and said, "I don't know. He said his name is Uncle Xiang, but he didn't say where he's from."
Uncle Xiang!
Wan Qiqi is definitely the person from West Alley.
These past few days, when she went back, Chen Yongnian massaged her and chatted with her, mentioning the West Alley of Hefeng Town.
As Chen Yongnian said, the townspeople living there were practically beggars, destitute and impoverished.
However, such people often live on the streets, making it the easiest for them to obtain information and less likely to arouse suspicion.
Wan Qiqi was silent for a moment, then said, "Erpang, have your brother Gousheng take some food and coarse rice to the west alley. Today is the Lantern Festival, how can we let people leave the restaurant on an empty stomach!"
She paused, then said, "Tell Gousheng to tell Uncle Xiang not to worry about Xiao Yi. He's not the mastermind. He'll reform himself in prison and be out soon."
"Okay." Erpang seemed a little dazed, not understanding why Wan Qiqi wanted to do this.
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