Chapter 66

The head chef of Heshengquan, Master Zhang, quickly entered and respectfully said, "Master, you called for me? Is the food to your liking? If not, I will make it again for you!"

In his heart, he now felt both awe and envy towards Chuhuan. Chuhuan had shown his prowess and repelled the Eight Li Hall, which naturally made all the workers at Heshengquan respect him. Being invited by the Master to dine in this private room was something that had never happened before in Master Zhang's memory. Although the Master was very gentle with his subordinates, in the eyes of the workers, the Master was a high and mighty figure, almost otherworldly. Today, however, a worker was invited to dine in the private room, and Master Zhang was very envious, sensing that Chuhuan would surely rise rapidly in Heshengquan.

Linglang, however, did not waste words and said straightforwardly, "Master Zhang, I want to ask you, what do the workers usually eat?"

Master Zhang was taken aback, sensing something, but he opened his mouth and said nothing.

"Speak!" Linglang's voice became cold.

Sweat appeared on Master Zhang's forehead, and he panicked, "Master, this... this is not my fault, I... I will never do it again, this... this is all...!" but he did not continue.

Linglang seemed to understand something and said calmly, "Uncle Su, go and call Master Liang over!"

Uncle Su responded and quickly left. Not long after, Master Liang hurried over, entered the private room, and thought Linglang had called him for a meal, feeling quite pleased. However, seeing Linglang's expression was not right and looking at Chuhuan beside her, he felt a sense of unease.

Chuhuan stood up and said with a smile, "Master, it's too stuffy in here, I'll go out for a bit!" Without waiting for Linglang's response, he left the room.

Seeing Chuhuan leave, Master Liang immediately sneered, "Really no manners." He leaned in, lowering his voice, "Master, is this boy spreading rumors behind your back? I have something to report to you!" Linglang said nothing, just looking at him calmly. Master Liang then exaggerated the incident where Chuhuan had threatened him with a knife, and as he spoke, he unconsciously sat down, saying with a helpless look, "Master, tell me, can we keep someone like this in Heshengquan? Yes, today he stood up to the Eight Li Hall, which seems to be for the good of our distillery, but by doing so, he has completely offended the Eight Li Hall."

Linglang remained expressionless, just saying, "Oh."

Seeing Linglang's reaction, Master Liang became even more animated and said in a low voice, "Our distillery still needs to operate in Qingliu City; this is our home. The Eight Li Hall's influence in Qingliu City is untouchable. By offending them this time, we will surely face more trouble in the future. Master, do you think those ruffians will just let it go? They are people who will seek revenge for the slightest offense. I am already worried that they will take action against our distillery... Ah, peace is the best, but Chuhuan only knows how to be brave and fierce, causing trouble for Heshengquan. Master, such a person cannot be kept!"

Linglang's face remained calm, and she asked softly, "What do you think we should do?"

Master Liang, hearing Linglang seek his advice, was overjoyed and said proudly, "Master, to be honest, he did help us today, and if we just drive him away, the others might not understand and could be dissatisfied. I have thought about it; if Master were to speak to him and persuade him to leave on his own, it would save everyone's face... and even give him a few taels of silver. He is just a country bumpkin; seeing silver, he will surely leave obediently!"

A hint of a cold smile crossed Linglang's eyes, and she asked, "If we send him away and the Eight Li Hall comes to cause trouble again, what do you think we should do? Today, the ruffians from the Eight Li Hall were arrogant and lawless in our Heshengquan, but among the more than a hundred men, only Chuhuan dared to stand up...!" As she spoke, her beautiful face turned cold, "If the Eight Li Hall comes again and Chuhuan is not here, what do you think we should do?"

Master Liang opened his mouth but said nothing.

Linglang did not say more and asked, "How much does the distillery spend each month on food?"

Master Liang was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Master, I... I will go get the ledger!" He rushed off and quickly returned with the ledger. Linglang took it and flipped through a few pages, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Master Liang felt that today's events were quite strange, and thinking of Chuhuan's calm smile before leaving, he felt a wave of panic.

After a long time, Linglang asked, "The monthly food expenses are not small. Do the workers usually eat well?"

"Master, rest assured, they have three meals a day, not a single one missed. There is always meat, and they eat until they are full!" Master Liang stood up straight and said with a smile, "Master, you once said that the workers do physical labor and need to be well-fed. I have always kept this in mind!"

Linglang smiled coldly and called, "Master Zhang, come in!"

Master Zhang, who was waiting outside, hurried in upon hearing the call, but he did not dare to look at Master Liang, only bowing slightly before Linglang.

Linglang frowned and said, "Master Zhang, tell me what the workers usually eat!"

Master Liang's face changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Master, you don't...!" Before he could finish, Linglang said calmly, "Don't speak yet. Master Zhang is the head chef of the distillery; he knows exactly what the workers eat every day!"

Master Liang looked at Master Zhang, his eyes showing a fierce look, but Master Zhang did not look at him, sweat appearing on his forehead as he stammered, "In the morning and evening, they have two steamed buns, and at noon... three steamed buns with a bowl of porridge... and some pickled vegetables...!"

Linglang did not immediately get angry but looked at Master Liang and asked, "Is what he said true?"

Master Liang's face turned pale, and he glared at Master Zhang, about to refute, but Linglang said calmly, "You don't need to lie. If I go out and ask anyone, the truth will come out. Family matters should not be exposed, so tell me the truth!"

Sweat appeared on Master Liang's forehead, and he finally said, "Master, the distillery has more than a hundred people. If they all eat meat and rice every day, it would cost a lot of silver. I... I was thinking of you...!"

"Thinking of me?" Linglang laughed coldly, "Do you know that doing this will lose the hearts of the workers? You saw what happened today. When the Eight Li Hall came to cause trouble, few people stood up. Why is that?"

Master Liang did not dare to speak.

"I will tell you. The reason is simple: the workers do not consider Heshengquan their home." Linglang's face was angry, "When my father was alive, he said clearly that if we want Heshengquan to thrive, we must make the workers feel at home. If you let them go hungry, how can they consider this their home? If you let them go hungry, why would they stand up in times of crisis?" She threw the ledger on the table and said calmly, "You say you are thinking of me, but the silver in the ledger has not decreased; it has even increased month by month. If, as Master Zhang said, the workers only eat steamed buns to fill their stomachs, then the monthly food expenses in the ledger would be enough to feed them for three to five months...!"

Master Liang still did not admit guilt and said, "Master, this is due to my poor management. I always let Manager Yuan handle the kitchen, and I believed he was honest, so I did not ask more. Who knew... Ah, it's all due to my poor supervision!"

"Manager Yuan?" Linglang said, "Isn't he the one you brought in? Could he be deceiving you too?"

"Human hearts are hard to fathom!" Master Liang shook his head, looking regretful, but he was already in a panic, wanting to find a scapegoat to take the blame, and the best scapegoat was naturally Manager Yuan.

Linglang was determined to get to the bottom of the matter and called Manager Yuan, who looked puzzled as he entered the private room, sensing the tense atmosphere and feeling nervous.

When Manager Yuan realized that Master Liang had pushed the blame onto him, he was shocked, sweating profusely, and quickly defended himself, "Master, this... this has nothing to do with me, I...!"

Master Liang, however, coldly rebuked, "It has nothing to do with you? Don't try to argue." He gave Manager Yuan a meaningful look, hoping he would take the blame first, and they could discuss the rest later.

But Manager Yuan, feeling extremely aggrieved, stood up straight and said coldly, "Master, you can't say that. If I really did it, I would have no excuse, but... this has nothing to do with me. You are trying to find a scapegoat, aren't you?" He looked at Linglang and said, "Master, I am willing to take the risk. Everything was done by Master Liang. Every month, he embezzled a large sum from the food expenses. I also got some, and so did Master Zhang. The workers have complained before, and Master Liang said it was Master's idea and threatened to kick out anyone who complained... until now, the workers still think it was Master's idea. Also, the wages... Master Liang also deducted the workers' wages every month, saying it was to deal with the Eight Li Hall, which is partly true. He does send silver to the Eight Li Hall every month, but he keeps half of the deducted wages for himself...!"

Master Liang's face turned ashen, and he picked up the wine bottle on the table, cursing, "You traitor, I will beat you to death!" He threw the wine bottle at Manager Yuan.

Manager Yuan did not expect Master Liang to attack him in front of Linglang and was caught off guard. The wine bottle hit him on the forehead with a "clink," shattering and spilling wine, and his forehead was cut, blood gushing out.