Chapter 164:
That thug scrambled back to report to Fourth Brother Ding.
Fourth Brother Ding was furious!
This damned Li Wei almost ruined his business. For those two trifling sums, he made him run around in vain several times and nearly offended the County Magistrate’s young master.
Li Wei returned to the restaurant with heavy thoughts. Unexpectedly, he was met with a torrent of scolding from Steward Wang, who said that when the restaurant was busy, he couldn’t be found, they needed him to purchase some things, but he was nowhere to be seen.
He even somewhat suspected that his thoughts weren’t here. This vegetable market purchasing job was said to be a waiter’s task, but actually it was a cushy job. He heard that Li Wei had built a big house at home, sent his child to school in town, and kept his wife by his side.
Before, he had a glib tongue, a flexible brain, and the restaurant needed someone who could talk well like that. Now he actually dared to disappear for a whole day without even greeting him?
On second thought, he only earned six hundred cash a month, where did he get the silver to build a house?
Expenses in town weren’t small either. A family of three, and he heard his wife’s belly had another one almost full-term ready to give birth. Living expenses, school fees—all that required silver?
It seemed he had been too kind to him, making him disregard this steward, forgetting his own identity, status, and sense of proportion.
“Li Wei, do you know there are plenty of people who could take your position? Since you don’t cherish it, then from today onward, leave Hongyun Tower, go to a place of freedom, and do whatever you want!” Shopkeeper Wang said without any emotion.
Lately, the restaurant’s business had been crushed by Yumian Tower. Making trouble at this critical moment—wasn’t that just asking to be scolded?
Even the head chef couldn’t plead for him.
“No, Shopkeeper Wang, please give me another chance. For the sake of my many years of dedicated service to the restaurant, today I really had something urgent at home, I rushed back without greeting in my panic.”
Actually, he was used to doing this usually. Everyone saw him as a veteran, often out purchasing for half a day without being seen, so no one minded him. Today he thought it would be fine too.
Who knew that today business was pretty good, the bullfrog stew sold well—it was something they developed themselves, needing him to collect goods at the market, but he was nowhere to be found.
All this piled up together, fueling Steward Wang’s anger.
“Oh? Something at home? What is it?”
Steward Wang said indifferently.
“My mother, my mother fell suddenly ill, that’s why I rushed back in a panic.”
Mother fell ill? That was a bit too heartless, with so many employees watching. “Although your mother being ill means you should go home to care for her.”
“But, not getting permission and running off privately can’t be forgiven. Here’s what we’ll do: given your many years at Hongyun Tower, no merits but hard work, we’ll temporarily not fire you.”
Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next words hit him like a stick into the abyss. “From today onward, Liang Zi will take over your purchasing position. You’ll go back to being a regular waiter!”
Liang Zi stood behind the steward with arms crossed, looking at him smugly.
“What?”
He was to revert to being a mere waiter?
“What? You’re not happy?”
Steward Wang said indifferently.
Li Wei clenched his fist, inwardly seething with hate. Wasn’t this clearly forcing him to pack up and leave?
Look at that smug Liang Zi, always badmouthing him behind his back!
But for now, unhappy as he was, what could he do? His wife was about to give birth, town rent was almost due, so he could only take it step by step and figure something out slowly.
“Yes! Steward Wang.”
Watching his dejected departing figure, Steward Wang’s lip curled. He’d long found him an eyesore. Did he think he didn’t know about him leaving for so long each time unscathed?
He had deliberately let it slide.
Li Wei returned to the kitchen in a daze to pack his things, seen by the head chef. “Sigh, I’m afraid someone greased palms to arrange his nephew into the cushy job. Kid, just accept your fate!”
Who told him he didn’t have a relative as a steward uncle?
“When needed, arrange me for purchasing. When someone more to his benefit comes along, kick me aside. I’m not someone to be trifled with!” Li Wei muttered these words quietly, then took his things and left.
Head Chef Zhao Shi was a bit startled by the hatred in his eyes. No way, that intense!
Li Wei must have something on Steward Wang. This was just Steward Wang killing the donkey after unloading the millstone.
That night on his way back to lodging, in the alley, Li Wei was surrounded by a gang of thugs. Fourth Brother Ding sent them to demand ten times the service fee!
“Two hundred taels.”
“What? Wasn’t it agreed twenty taels?”
“Ten brothers here, ten taels each, then hand over half more. How much do you think that is?” That thug said menacingly.
“Aren’t you from Hongyun Tower? Surely you can cough up two hundred taels? Get your steward here!”
“No!”
That night Li Wei was beaten half to death, and they demanded he quickly raise the silver, or watch out for him and his family’s lives!
Having provoked such figures, how could he escape?
The next day, early morning, Li Wei endured his body’s pains, dragging his arm as he limped to Hongyun Tower, thinking how to ask the steward for leave. Before he could even change into waiter costume, Shopkeeper Wang fired him on the spot.
“Li Wei, I was soft-hearted and still held some hope for you, yet you dared to use me and Hongyun Tower’s name to deal with that street bully. Now you’ve provoked street thugs, and they’re demanding service fee from me and Hongyun Tower. What are you going to do?”
“What?”
“Get out! Solve your own trouble, don’t implicate others. From now on, don’t appear before me again!”
The successive blows left Li Wei disheartened. Naturally, he lost his job at Hongyun Tower.
Leaving such a big trouble, they weren’t fools. From the start, they denied any relation with Li Wei and Hongyun Tower.
Directly denying he went to avenge his family was unheard of. Hongyun Tower standing firm in town for so many years wasn’t for nothing.
The master behind them wasn’t an ordinary merchant. He Li Wei was just a waiter, so the thugs still had to give some consideration.
After Shopkeeper Wang’s threats and mentions of government officials, they naturally turned their sights back on the defenseless, background-less Li Wei.
Li Wei fled home that night with his whole family and belongings. Covered in wounds, Li Zheng Sen, Zhao Xiaomei, and the others were stunned.
“What exactly happened?”
Li Wei told his parents everything. Zhao Xiaomei felt the sky was falling!
“This is all your fault, you woman, insisting Wei Zi avenge you! Now look what happened!”
Truly, when one’s luck is down, even drinking water stuffs the teeth. How could so much happen in just two days?
Her ears must have been clogged, Li Wei got fired, provoked bullies and got beaten, owed silver. Fearing they might secretly harm them, even grandson Li Gen couldn’t be left in town for school.
Looking at his daughter-in-law’s round belly, eyes swollen like peaches, fleeing like refugees—what to do?
How would this family live from now on? Were they to keep hiding? Would that gang find their home? Was her ox cart hopeless this year?
