I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 34 Carrot and Stick
When Wang Ergou saw Wang Lei pointing at him, he immediately jumped up:
"Wang Shitou, you are clumsy and you blame it on me!"

Wang Lei's eyes widened and his face flushed:
"Well, that was originally your job! You said you had a stomachache and asked me to help, so I went to move the vases! Normally, I never touch these things!
"I was extremely careful, but you came back quietly and tripped me, you damned dog! Why did you hurt me, you damned dog, why did you hurt me!"

As he said this, he was about to rush forward, but was stopped by Xie Yuan.

Wang Ergou was frightened by Wang Lei's momentum and shrank back, feeling a little guilty. However, as he stood next to the shopkeeper, he regained his courage and pointed with his finger:
"Wang Shitou, you are such a fool! I saw that you are from the same village, so I took you to the city to work. I said so many good things to the boss and promised to guarantee you. But you caused such a big disaster and you still want to blame it on me! Bah, I, Wang Er, am so blind to take you, an ungrateful wolf!"

Wang Lei was panting heavily, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak clearly:

"How dare you talk about my brothers... How dare you talk about my family! I came to the city to find odd jobs, I didn't want to go to the restaurant! You insisted on dragging me along, saying you were taking me...

"You're lazy every day. I didn't say anything about all the work I did for you! It's just these expensive items. You asked me to move them many times, but I refused. But this time you said you had a stomachache, so I helped you move them because we're from the same village. But, the result..."

Wang Lei was so angry that he was shaking. Wang Ergou rolled his eyes and interrupted him:

"Wang Shitou, don't talk nonsense! I'm not lazy. This is everyone's job. I didn't ask you to do it. Just do it yourself. Don't say you did it for me.

"Boss! Look at this guy. I'm still speaking up for him, saying that he only needs to pay the land deed as compensation. His shabby land is not worth a nice vase! Why don't we report it to the police?"

The shopkeeper folded his hands and nodded slightly:

"Wang Er has been working hard for a long time and has never made any mistakes. But Wang Lei did break the vase."

He said this to Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan listened for a long time, glanced at the shopkeeper and Wang Er, sneered slightly, and had an idea in his mind.

Who is Wang Ergou?

They were all from the same village, so Xie Yuan knew that those who were hanging out with Li Mazi and his gang could never be considered "diligent and down-to-earth";
Wang Lei and Xie Yuan have known each other since childhood. They are honest people who never talk too much. They just focus on their work and are never complaining. They have never been seen telling lies in public.

When they were young, Xie Lun took Wang Lei and Li Lan to steal melons from the fields. The two of them ran away, and Wang Lei was the only one left who was caught by the adults. He didn't dare to run or lie.

He had already guessed what the situation was.

Xie Yuan calmed down Brother Shitou, who was emotional but couldn't argue with Wang Ergou, and stared at Wang Ergou:
"Why did you trip him?"

"I tripped...how did I trip him? He stepped on my foot, and you blame me?"

Wang Ergou was stared at by Xie Yuan's calm eyes. He felt inexplicably nervous and spoke faster.

My brothers said that Yuanzi has changed a lot and we dare not mess with him. It turned out to be true! It's really weird. Seeing him is just like seeing Brother Zhang...

Xie Yuan's eyelids drooped and he nodded:

"Okay, boss, thirty taels, right?"

When the shopkeeper and Wang Ergou heard this, they both looked delighted.

"The land deed is enough. For Wang Er's sake, I won't make things difficult for you."

"That's right! Pay the land deed as soon as possible, otherwise the matter will get out of hand and you'll end up in jail. Shitou, I'm doing this for your own good. If you go to jail, Hu Wa and Lan Hua will be remembered by others!"

Wang Ergou chuckled.

Wang Lei's eyes widened like bells after hearing this, looking very scary:
"How dare you! You...Yuanzi, you can't give it to them!"

Xie Yuan patted his shoulder and told him to be at ease.

He unloaded the bag from his back:

"Are these things worth thirty taels?"

The shopkeeper and Wang Ergou widened their eyes when they saw it.

The package in front of him actually contained a bear skin and four intact bear paws?
"This……"

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up and he was about to speak, but Wang Ergou poked him with his elbow calmly.

He came back to his senses, looked at it again reluctantly, then shook his head and said:
"Let's get the land deed."

Xie Yuan's expression remained unchanged and he asked:
"Why, the land deed is the only way to compensate you for the vase? You want the land, right?"

"Uh, no way. I'm not from your village, so why would I need the land? It's just that we've already agreed on the price, and it's hard to estimate the value of your thing."

When the shopkeeper heard what Xie Yuan said, his expression changed slightly.

After hearing this, Xie Yuan said nothing, but just slowly touched the bear skin and bear paw.

The room suddenly became quiet. The shopkeeper and Wang Er looked at Xie Yuan, not knowing what he was thinking. They gradually became a little uneasy. "Yuanzi, what do you mean? Speak!"

Wang Ergou couldn't help but say.

Xie Yuan ignored him and just looked at the shopkeeper:

“These items must be worth more than thirty taels. I don’t even know if your vase is that expensive—needless to say, it’s not important.

"Boss, there are so many restaurants in Yunzhao County, and yours is not very big. It must be difficult to compete, right?"

The shopkeeper said nothing, waiting for his next words.

Xie Yuan continued:
"Bear paws are a delicacy. They can be used as a signature dish in the best restaurants here. But they certainly don't have any now. Where can we find bears in winter?"

He stared at the shopkeeper:

"These four bear paws are for you. Use one to make a sign, and use the remaining three to attract customers. By the end of the year and before the beginning of spring, your restaurant will be the most eye-catching restaurant in the entire Yunzhao County."

After hearing this, the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, and suddenly his heart started beating violently.

Seeing this, Xie Yuan raised his lips slightly and said:

"If you insist on having the land deed, that's fine. I'll give the bear paw to someone, to the master, to the lawyer. I'll tell them that you're running a restaurant on the surface, but you're actually occupying other people's land. This crime will be proven once you sue. Does the lawyer want this case? Does the master want this achievement?

He approached the shopkeeper and whispered:
"At that time, do you think the person who asked you to do this will be able to help you? By then, you will not be a middleman, but a tyrant who occupies the land. Not only will the person in the county government not speak for you, but he will also work harder to prove your guilt."

The shopkeeper imagined the scene, his face turned red and white, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

Seeing that the cooking was almost done, Xie Yuan stopped talking.

When put together, carrot and stick, everyone knows which to choose.

The shopkeeper's expression changed for a while, then slowly calmed down. He looked at Xie Yuan, stroked his beard and said:
"Hey, little brother, I've thought about it, these things of yours are about worth this price, I..."

When Wang Ergou heard this, he immediately became anxious and interrupted:
"Hey, shopkeeper, this is not worth it! It's just a few dollars. Look at its quality. It's such a rubbish. It's all fake! And don't forget..."

"Shut up! Are you the shopkeeper or am I the shopkeeper?"

The shopkeeper's face changed and he shouted angrily.

He reached out to take the package, but was held back by a hand.

The shopkeeper looked up and looked at Xie Yuan in confusion, but he smiled and said:
"Don't worry, boss, there are two small things. Don't worry, it's not difficult.

"First, my brother Shitou hasn't had a full meal these days. I've been traveling all night and I'm a little hungry."

The shopkeeper clapped his hands, quickly ordered the kitchen to start the fire, and then personally helped Wang Lei sit down:

"Xiao Wang, hey, these are just small matters, just talk them out! Come, have some water."

Seeing his previously arrogant boss acting like this, Wang Lei was stunned and remained silent.

After Xie Yuan and Wang Lei finished eating two bowls of fragrant lard fried egg noodles, he wiped his mouth and asked with a smile:
"Brother Shitou, are you full?"

"Yeah, I'm full..."

Seeing this, the shopkeeper ignored Wang Ergou who was still mumbling beside him and asked urgently:
"Brother, what's the second thing?"

"Boss, please think about it again! You see, this person is greedy and wants to take advantage of you. Just ignore him. Boss, considering that I have worked for you for a long time, and that person... please think about it carefully."

Wang Ergou refused to give in and stood next to the shopkeeper making a noise.

"The second one, boss, you are not short of assistants, right?"

"Hmm? Missing...Oh, not missing."

"Then don't keep Wang Ergou."

The shopkeeper and Wang Ergou were both stunned, and then looked at each other.

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment and nodded:

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)