Chapter 178 177. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Meng Luo strictly implemented the plan set by Lei Li for him.
From time to time, he would write letters to his parents, bringing them things to express his true feelings and some fun and delicious things to bring back, although his mother said that his father was very angry and scolded him again.
This made Mengluo very worried, fearing that his father would send people to arrest him, so he quickly sent a message to his mother and his elder and second brothers, asking them to help persuade his father.
Not long after, Mengluo also received a message from his elder brother, which brought two good news.
First, my second brother is engaged to the eldest daughter of Li Zhifu in Xiling Prefecture. They are preparing for the betrothal gifts and wedding this year, and plan to get married in the early spring of next year. Second, the "Yijia" series has been launched in other prefectures such as Baihui.
"...I heard a lot of things happened, but it's because of cousin Xiang Chong's help at Bai Hui that things are going so smoothly and business is booming."
Meng Luo, the naive young master, was so happy that he immediately ran to tell Lei Li and Zhou Yi after receiving the letter, "Nine prefectures and cities... We've made a lot of money this year. You two can count the money until your hands are numb at the end of the year!"
"Cousin Xiang Chong...?"
Upon hearing this, Lei Li exchanged a glance with Zhou Yi. "I remember that Baihui wasn't a place where all sorts of people lived, and you said a lot of things happened. What happened?"
"Oh..."
Meng Luo waved his hand. "It's just the collusion between officials and businessmen, the monopoly of the local tyrants. The big local restaurants have been entrenched for decades. If an outsider like me wants to get a piece of the pie, won't someone use tricks?"
"Deliberately lowering prices and spreading rumors are minor matters. I wonder who is so disgusting as to actually set fire to our restaurant in the middle of the night!"
"That's a huge loss."
"The restaurant burned down and needs to be repaired. Otherwise, it will be pitch black and we won't be able to welcome customers. It will cost us money and time, and we won't be able to do business. It will also bring bad luck."
"Isn't it bad luck to have this happen right after opening? Plus, someone in the market spread the rumor that the restaurant owner indulged in drinking, gambling, whoring, and even killed a good girl. He's ruined our restaurant's popularity."
"This move is indeed vicious."
Lei Li frowned and said, "First of all, it's difficult to catch the people who set the fire and spread rumors. Even if they are caught and put in jail, there's no guarantee that the people behind it won't use the same tricks against the restaurant again, and our reputation will be difficult to restore."
"yes."
Meng Luo nodded in agreement. "I definitely wouldn't have thought of what to do. What would you do?"
"I?"
Lei Li chuckled, "Of course it's an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"What do you mean?"
Mengluo didn't quite understand.
"I will bribe the beggars and thugs in the market. They roam the streets all day long and will most likely know who started the fire and spread the rumor."
Lei Li said slowly, "Then bribe the arsonists and rumormongers, find out who is behind the incident, and have them ignite the fire and dispel their arrogance. Then, dig up some negative information and spread it half-truthfully."
"Which is better, a joke from a newcomer who you know nothing about, or a joke from a powerful force that has been entrenched in the area for years?"
"Of course it's the latter!"
Meng Luo said without hesitation, "You forget the jokes of outsiders after hearing them, but the jokes of acquaintances are more memorable. And there must be many people who want to bring them down——"
He suddenly paused and burst into laughter, "You used that trick well!"
“It’s really good.”
Zhou Yi nodded and said, "Not only can you give them a taste of their own medicine, but you can also shift the conflict from being just you and your opponent into a three-way battle, dragging in your enemy's enemy as well."
"And as the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with the little devils."
Lei Li smiled and said, "Since they are colluding with the government, they will definitely have good relations with the officials under them. But there are so many minor officials and constables in the government office. Is it possible for them to have good relations with every one of them?"
"Those who are usually bullied and want to squeeze each other out of the position have a common enemy. I have money and can make the devil work. It's naturally a win-win cooperation."
"They get promoted, and I get rich."
"Wow!"
Meng Luo's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Lei Li, you're so smart! You can actually think of so many things!"
"Isn't this a very common method?"
Lei Li laughed, "But I'm just saying this verbally. The actual solution depends on the specific situation. After all, not everything can be solved with money."
"By the way, how did you solve the problem with cousin Xiang Chong?"
"It seems like he has leverage over those people?"
Meng Luo was unsure and shook his head, saying, "My eldest brother didn't tell me the details, but everything went smoothly once cousin Xiang Chong took action. He later went to Wensheng."
Do you have any evidence against those people?
Who were they? Merchants or officials? He even went to two prefectures. Could Xiang Chong solve the problems Bai Hui encountered, and also solve the problems Wen Sheng encountered?
Lei Li narrowed his eyes.
He felt that Xiang Chong was not simple. Even if he relied on the power of the Meng family, he was not an ordinary person as he could get things done in such a short time and run back and forth.
But never mind.
No matter whether Xiang Chongpu is ordinary or simple, it is a good thing for him that his business is getting bigger and bigger. He can just sit at home and have a steady stream of money coming in. How cool is that!
Lei Li slowly curved his eyes and smiled. In Zhou Yi's eyes, he looked like a little fox that was happy after eating meat. He was very cute.
Zhou Yi took a sip of tea.
He remembered something and said to Meng Luo, "Stay for dinner later. I found another good thing. If it is well made, it can make as much money as chili peppers."
"real?"
Meng Luo's eyes instantly lit up, even brighter than when he had just looked at Lei Li in admiration, like a mouse seeing food. "What is it? Is it edible too?"
"yes."
Zhou Yi nodded. "It's called tomato, a vegetable. However, there are very few tomato seeds right now, so they still need to be cultivated. It should be planted on a larger scale next year."
"That's no problem!"
Meng Luo waved his hand proudly, "There's no rush. Take your time. I can wait no matter if it's next year or the year after. If you're short of money or land, just tell me."
"I can't grow vegetables or cook, so I can't help much, but my family is rich."
"Of course."
Lei Li smiled mischievously and said, "You are our wealthy man. I will not miss the opportunity to exploit you. Just don't worry about the money when the time comes."
"That's for sure!"
Mengluo agreed happily.
—
Zhou Yi is going to prepare a tomato banquet.
But instead of using the whole tomato, the "flesh" after the tomato seeds are picked out, that is, the part developed from the inflorescence, as well as the tomato juice.
More than three months had passed since Zhou Yi obtained the four tomato plants, and it was the end of October.
During this period, Zhou Yi would collect the seeds from all the tomatoes he picked and then plant them, taking good care of them until they sprouted, bloomed, and bore fruit.
Continue to take seeds and save them. Choose the one with the right sweetness and sourness, and put the ones with too much sourness in a separate can. Now I have saved a lot of seeds.
Because they are planted in the backyard of a country house, Mengluo is not often in Sanlihe Village but in Qingmi County, so Mengluo only now knows that these red-fruited wolfberries are "tomatoes" and can be used to cook.
A large square table was filled with tomato-related dishes.
Squirrel fish, tomato tofu, sugar-coated tomatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and tomato-stirred pork, with a hot pot with tomato soup in the middle.
It has good color, aroma and taste.
Mengluo couldn't help but eat with relish.
"Eat slowly."
Liu Ye'er said jokingly, handing him a glass of iced lemonade, "Why are you eating so hastily? No one is trying to snatch it from you."
Liu Ye'er liked the young man Mengluo very much. He was about the same age as her brother Li, with a round and cute face. He always called her Aunt Liu Ye with a smile.
“This is so delicious!”
Meng Luo was too hasty in eating the meat that had just been cooked in a tomato hot pot and accidentally got scalded. He quickly took Liu Ye'er's ice water and drank two sips. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he was no longer scalded.
He smiled again, showing his canine teeth, "I think every dish is delicious!"
"The tomato hotpot is especially different from the chili hotpot. It's sour, sweet and appetizing, and especially suitable for people like me who can't handle spicy food. I finished it quickly without realizing it."
“It’s delicious and there’s no rush.”
Liu Yeer smiled lovingly, and seeing that he liked sweet and sour pork ribs, she moved the food closer to him.
"Okay, Aunt Liuye!"
Mengluo Cuisheng agreed, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and took a big mouthful of rice. He found that everyone at the table was not in a hurry, and he was the only one who was so reckless. He felt a little embarrassed and confused.
"It's so delicious, why don't you eat more? Aunt Liu Ye, don't you like it?"
"No, no."
Liu Yeer smiled and said, "We've already eaten. Besides, you're the guest, how can you compete with them for food?"
The Lei family also likes to eat tomatoes, but they can't stand having tomatoes every day. Because Zhou Yi cultivates suitable tomatoes and collects seeds almost every day, tomato-related dishes often appear on the table.
Even if it's the most classic dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, having it every day would be too scary...
Little Ginger really likes it.
This little guy's taste is very similar to his father Lei Li. He especially likes this kind of sour and sweet food. He never gets tired of eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes every day. In the morning when he goes to study, he will remind his father to remember to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes for lunch, and he wants to bring his brother Xiaobao back for dinner.
Little Jiang is still a child, and his way of expressing his love for someone is very simple. He just shares his favorite things with the person he likes, such as his favorite toys, favorite clothes, and favorite food.
——Although Xiaobao didn’t know what the use of Xiaoshengjiang’s wooden horse, ball toys, and his little clothes was.
But as soon as he refused, the little ginger looked at him with tears in her eyes, which softened his heart and he couldn't help but agree to it, as if he was helping him keep it for safekeeping and let the little ginger play with him when she came to his house.
This meal was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests.
Finally, Mengluo packed a new one and said he would take it back for his son Xiaoqing to eat.
"If my Xiaoqing didn't like going out, I would really like to bring him here to meet you. On one side you are the person I like, and on the other side you are my good friend."
Meng Luo sighed.
Lei Li smiled and said, "It's okay. There's always a chance."
"That's right."
Meng Luo nodded, picked up the food boxes for Mei and Qing, and happily got into the carriage and left.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
