The two exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.
The man and woman turned away and left.
Yet Xu Maoxiu had clearly seen the hatred in their eyes.
He was certain he had never met them before—where did such venom come from?
“Third Young Master.”
A maid’s voice called from behind. Xu Maoxiu turned back, pulling his thoughts away.
“Then we’ll be off.”
He gave them a slight nod.
The maid let down the carriage curtain, and the carriage slowly pulled away.
In the back kitchen, Li Dashao came out, looking rather displeased.
“We’re in the middle of a rush—what are you doing here?” he asked in a low voice.
Ah-Song glanced around nervously, her expression tinged with unease.
“The Dou family’s people… they’ve come again,” she said in a hushed tone.
“So they’ve come—just tell them plainly,” Li Dashao replied with a frown.
“I have told them. More than once,” Ah-Song murmured, still glancing about as she spoke.
In the back corridor, workers bustled in and out.
Noticing the couple talking, some even chuckled slyly.
Ah-Song grew more uneasy. She tugged Li Dashao a few steps farther away.
“What are you sneaking around for?” Li Dashao said, annoyed.
“This time… they brought our land back,” Ah-Song whispered.
When Li Dashao had fallen ill, they had sold two prime plots of farmland to raise money—an outright sale.
Getting them back wouldn’t be easy.
Li Dashao was clearly surprised.
“You… want to take it back?” he looked at his wife and asked.
Under his gaze, Ah-Song shook her head and sighed.
“Do you take me for that kind of person?” she said. “Master Xu has shown us a kindness as heavy as a mountain, and besides, he represents Young Master Han’s name—how could I ever repay kindness with betrayal?”
Li Dashao nodded, letting out a breath of relief.
“Once we’ve saved a bit more, we’ll buy even better land with our own hands,” he said.
“I came to tell you this,” Ah-Song said in a lowered voice, “but do you think… should we tell the master about it?”
“This is our own family’s matter—why bring it to him?” Li Dashao shook his head.
“But the Dou family keeps coming by every few days. I worry that with so many mouths talking, word might reach the master and cause a misunderstanding,” she murmured.
“But if we do tell him, wouldn’t that just cause a misunderstanding anyway?” Li Dashao replied, still shaking his head.
They had agreed at the start that his wages wouldn’t be paid until six months later, so even though business at Tai Ping Residence was booming, he hadn’t taken a single coin. Still, their family lacked for nothing, and with the growing reputation after Puxiu Temple, things were stable.
If he now went to tell the master that the Dou family wanted to poach him—wouldn’t it seem like a veiled threat?
Ah-Song nodded.
“Let it be. We’ll ignore the Dou family. If we stay firm, they’ll give up eventually,” Li Dashao said.
“Master!”
A young apprentice poked his head out and called to Li Dashao from the other side.
“We need two orders of fish head stew!”
These days, the new cooks mostly worked as assistants—the signature dishes at Tai Ping Residence were still prepared by Li Dashao himself.
He responded with a quick acknowledgment.
“You head back,” he said to his wife.
And with that, the couple each went their separate ways.
Xu Maoxiu and Fan Jianglin drew their gazes back from the second-floor window.
“She said she came to deliver something, but never actually took anything out,” Xu Maoxiu said.
“Perhaps there’s something going on at home they don’t want to speak of in front of outsiders,” Fan Jianglin offered.
Xu Maoxiu nodded.
“Let’s hope that’s all it is,” he said.
“The shop’s doing well now—should we pay him his wages ahead of time?” Fan Jianglin asked.
“Sister insisted we stick to our word. Since it was written in black and white from the start, we shouldn’t change it now,” Xu Maoxiu replied.
When times were tough, his sister had subsidized Li Dashao’s entire household as agreed. Now that business was booming, the rules still had to be followed.
Fan Jianglin responded with an “oh,” as if he were about to say more—when a sudden commotion rose from outside the window.
“Move aside, move aside! We’re here to eat—what’s the point of crowding around to read some words?”
Four burly men, swaggering unsteadily, dismounted and walked over. Ignoring the staff’s greetings, they shouted straight at the crowd gathered outside the restaurant.
The guests, who had been peacefully enjoying tea and pastries while waiting and reading the noticeboard, were startled. Seeing that these men were clearly local thugs, they quickly stood up in alarm.
“Gentlemen, we’re full at the moment—please wait a while,” the shop assistant said with a forced smile.
The man in front shoved him aside with a slap.
“Full, huh? I’ll see for myself,” he said, striding straight into the hall.
The others surged in behind him.
Everyone in the dining hall turned to look—some frowned, some looked annoyed, and others clearly felt nervous.
It wasn’t uncommon for restaurants to face extortion, harassment, or petty trouble. They had hoped that, being located on the outskirts of town, Tai Ping Residence would be spared such nuisances. But evidently, good wine needs no bush—its reputation had still drawn unwanted attention.
Incidents like this often dragged innocent patrons into the mess.
“Still eating? Do you know what time it is? You done yet?” the leader barked at a few tables near the hall’s entrance.
Those nearby tables were occupied by some well-dressed, affluent-looking guests. At his words, they immediately stood up.
“All done, all done,” they said hastily, turning to leave without another word.
“You haven’t paid yet!”
A shop assistant finally reacted and shouted after them, preparing to chase—only to be grabbed by the man blocking the door.
“Hurry up and clear the place out. We’re here for a meal,” the thug said with a grin.
More people in the hall began to shuffle about uneasily, and the customers waiting outside, sensing trouble, started calling for their horses and carriages, preparing to leave.
Manager Wu had already arrived, having heard the commotion.
“Gentlemen, are you here to dine?” he asked with a courteous smile.
“No shit—what do you think we came for, to use the damn outhouse?” the man shouted.
The crudeness of his words made everyone in the hall visibly uncomfortable; some lowered their heads, others looked away.
Meanwhile, the man’s companions had noisily sprawled into seats, glancing around and making a racket.
“Bring the food! Bring the food!”
“What’s on the menu? What’s this dish? You call this fit for humans?”
Manager Wu’s expression hardened.
If this continued, today’s business would be ruined—and if this became a regular occurrence, there’d be no business left to run at all.
“Gentlemen, we’re all neighbors here. If there’s an issue, let’s talk it out…” he said, trying to reason with the man.
But before he could finish, the man raised his hand and swung at him.
“You old bastard! Who the hell’s your neighbor? Don’t get all chummy with me!” the man shouted.
No one had expected the thug to be so vicious—to strike without warning. With arms like tree trunks, one hit on the elderly Manager Wu could be devastating.
Caught off guard, Manager Wu barely had time to register the rush of air past his ear. All he could do was brace himself and shield his head.
Wounds elsewhere could heal, but an injury to the head could be fatal.
The sound of wind rushed past his ears, sharp and intense. A startled cry echoed through the hall, followed by a loud crash, a scream, and the sound of a man slamming into a table.
But instead of the expected pain, Manager Wu was confused as he lowered his hands. He looked up to see the burly man already collapsed on the floor, having toppled onto a nearby table. Unwashed plates and bowls, still full of food and soup, scattered across the ground, spilling everywhere.
Shouts and curses filled the room. The guests, now standing, huddled in a corner, their faces filled with anxiety. They could only regret that the door had been blocked, leaving them no way to escape.
“Boss.” Manager Wu looked at Xu Maoxiu, who had somehow appeared beside him.
Xu Maoxiu retracted his fist, flexing it in front of him, his face serious as he stared at the men before him.
“So, what do you gentlemen intend to do, causing trouble here today?” he asked.
The man lying on the ground had been struck in the face. He was now clutching his face and wailing in pain, blood dripping from his nose.
Normally, it was them who would make the first move and then ask what the other party planned to do. But today, things had been turned around.
“Get him! Get that troublemaking outsider!” the man rasped, shouting hoarsely.
His three companions immediately yelled and sprang to their feet, rushing toward Xu Maoxiu.
The guests in the room quickly covered their heads and faces, unable to watch. All they could hear were the dull thuds of fists colliding with bodies, followed by screams. Soon, everything went quiet.
Three men attacking one person didn’t take long.
Once the sounds of the scuffle stopped, everyone slowly let go and looked over. To their surprise, there was still one man standing, while four others were sprawled on the ground, clutching their heads, stomachs, and legs, groaning in pain.
The man with blood streaming from his nose stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock.
This man was skilled! And ruthless!
They were already considered good fighters among street thugs, but this man was even better. Every strike was simple but brutal, each blow thrown with the intention that it would either be their death or his.
It was just a fight—did it really need to be this intense?
It wasn’t over yet. Three or four more men rushed in from both inside and outside. When they saw the scene, their eyes widened, and they immediately took up a fighting stance.
“Are you tired of living?!” they shouted.
Xu Maoxiu raised his hand to stop them.
“Throw them out,” he said.
With a few loud thuds, the fierce-looking men were tossed out of the Tai Ping Residence, leaving the onlookers to step back a few paces, pointing and whispering.
The leader of the group stood up, spat out some blood, and glared at the five men standing at the door. This time, he had miscalculated—such a small, shabby shop actually had so many tough fighters!
“You’ll regret this! Just wait!” The man shouted, pointing at Xu Maoxiu before turning around to mount his horse.
As they watched the men run off, the front of Tai Ping Residence returned to quiet, but the originally peaceful and joyful atmosphere had been shattered.
People inside and outside looked at each other, uncertain whether they should stay or leave. Regardless of whether they stayed or left, this meal was certainly spoiled.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, it’s just a small matter, a small matter,” Manager Wu laughed heartily and cupped his hands to the guests inside and outside. “I’ve been running this shop for so long, and no one’s ever caused any trouble. I was starting to think this shop was going under, but now, everything’s fine. The stone has finally dropped.”
The crowd burst into laughter.
Indeed, which successful business hasn’t been extorted? Small shops deal with local bullies, large establishments with petty officials from the government, and some manage to run smoothly without much trouble—but they’re not the ones who get rich.
“I also have to thank those gentlemen for their support,” Manager Wu continued with a smile, bowing toward the door as he spoke.
Laughter grew even louder, and the awkward atmosphere from before completely dissipated.
“Apologies for scaring everyone today,” Manager Wu said with a smile. “As a token of goodwill, all food and drink at Tai Ping Residence today are on the house, to help calm everyone’s nerves.”
Upon hearing this, the people standing outside immediately laughed and crowded in. The servers quickly began cleaning up the mess in the hall and soon arranged the tables properly.
“However, Manager Wu, these ruffians are just petty people. A gentleman takes ten years to seek revenge, but a petty person seeks it every day. You should still be cautious,” someone kindly reminded him.
Manager Wu laughed heartily again.
“A few ruffians, causing trouble for no reason. Don’t they know the government won’t stand for this? If they dare to come here again to bully people, they will surely face the law,” he said casually, showing no concern.
If the government were really involved, these ruffians wouldn’t still be here. But seeing Manager Wu speak so casually and confidently, everyone present couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
After all, Tai Ping Residence had earned the favor of the Puxiu Temple, exclusively supplying tofu, and it had a painting of an unknown recluse hanging at its door—this was no ordinary establishment.
“Come, come, please, please,” Manager Wu said with a smile.
Everyone put aside their concerns and sat down to eat and drink. Although it wasn’t quite the same as before, the restaurant continued to operate smoothly.
After settling the guests and staff, Xu Maoxiu and Manager Wu entered the backyard. The smiles on their faces immediately faded, and they exchanged a glance, each seeing the seriousness in the other’s eyes.
