You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Chapter 65 Losing Both Money and Food

Although Jiangshan Fengyu Tower has strange rules and is full of troubles, Baili Jing still values ​​it.

If this restaurant is managed properly, the money, food, and resources needed for my future cultivation will be secured. My younger brother will also have no worries about money if he continues his studies and becomes an official. The two brothers will have a safety net for the rest of their lives.

No matter how prestigious the reputation of the Fourth Master of the Canal Gang is, it's not as tangible as cash, so having a business is essential.

Therefore, upon hearing that there was trouble at the restaurant, Baili Jing no longer cared about toasting and drinking, apologized, and prepared to leave.

Although he was the main character today, no one dared to say a word to Zhiyao and let him leave.

Soon, Baili Jing led Baili Jie and Zhi Yao away from the headquarters of the Canal Gang, boarded a carriage, and hurriedly headed towards Jiangshan Fengyu Tower.

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, a commotion arose from the front.

The gates of Jiangshan Fengyu Tower were tightly closed, but the steps and streets outside were already packed with countless people.

At the front of the blockade were a group of opera troupe members, heavily made up and dressed in costumes, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Open the door! What's going on?! We agreed that after today's last performance, we'd get paid, so why is the restaurant not even open today?!"

"Yeah, right! Are you planning to renege on your debt?!"

Behind the opera troupe, many peddlers and laborers who had come specifically for the performance sighed helplessly, "What bad luck! I didn't come the other day because I heard the opera was absolutely wonderful. I even canceled all my other work today, hoping to see it on the last day, but now the Wind and Rain Pavilion has even locked up its main gate!"

"Who says otherwise? We've been waiting for almost half an hour—this is a long-established restaurant, they shouldn't have stood us up. Could it be that there's a thief inside?"

As for the restaurant's manager, waiters, and other staff, not a single one could be seen; they had all disappeared without a trace.

Inside the carriage, Baili Jie lowered the curtain, his brows furrowed slightly, and turned to suggest, "Brother, there are too many people at the main entrance. It's not convenient for us to show ourselves now. Why don't we go in through the back door first, open the main door once we're inside, and let these people in?"

Just as Baili Jing was about to nod in agreement, Zhi Yao shook her head: "Easy for you to say. Once the door opens, what are you going to offer them?"

Baili Jing didn't take it seriously: "According to the rules of a three-day opera, isn't it just free melon seeds and cold water?"

Zhiyao looked at him calmly: "The audience is easy to handle, but what about the opera troupe? Zhou Lao Er paid us to organize these three days of opera. According to the rules, we are supposed to cover all the troupe's food and water needs. Besides, even the roasted melon seeds for the audience—"

The expenses incurred in a single day are by no means insignificant.

Baili Jing crossed his arms and said, "Don't give me that. When Second Brother booked the whole place, he definitely gave you the money long ago. You guys must have already prepared everything for these three days. Just give it to them, and that's it, isn't it?"

Zhiyao said in a flat tone, "No."

Baili Jing was taken aback: "Huh? What do you mean by 'no'?"

Zhiyao shifted her body, leaning against the carriage wall, and looked at him with a hint of amusement: "What you mean is, there isn't a single grain of rice or a single tael of silver in the restaurant."

"The owner has changed, but the restaurant itself is still here, the pots and pans are still here, the chef, the accountant and the waiter are still here, but not a single penny of the deposit will be left, and all the ingredients in the storeroom must be taken away and cleared out."

Bai Lijing felt a chill run down his spine.

He suddenly recalled what Zhou Erquan had said at the banquet last night when he specifically asked for this Wind and Rain Pavilion: "Whoever wants it, the restaurant will provide it. Moreover, all the managers, waiters, and chefs in this building, along with every table, chair, pot, and pan in the building, will be given away for free, without costing you a single penny—"

Damn it! That's a double entendre!

He said he'd give away a table, a chair, pots and pans for free, but he didn't mention at all that the funds and ingredients in the building would be moved away!

"Second Brother paid for three days, but today the employer changed hands, and there's no money or food for the third day?!" He was unwilling to give up.

Zhiyao shook her head: "Anyway, there aren't any now. If you want to ask for them, go ask your former employer yourself."

Baili Jing suddenly felt a toothache.

He thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, quite a few people gave me gifts just now, and it adds up to a considerable amount of gold and silver. Let's send someone to collect them and use the cash to buy ingredients. Is that alright?"

Zhiyao smiled slightly and said calmly, "Since the boss is willing to pay out of his own pocket, then of course it's fine."

Baili Jie, however, was somewhat worried and said softly, "Brother, doing this might fool you for today, but—it will be troublesome afterward."

"Let's deal with the immediate problem first."

Bai Lijing's face darkened: "Let's get out of the car, go in through the back door of the restaurant first, explain things clearly, and then open the door."

Zhiyao gave him a meaningful look, then nodded gently: "Okay, I'll listen to you, Master."

The three of them got off the carriage.

Led by Zhiyao, Baili Jing and his brother bypassed the group of people at the main entrance and circled around to the back door.

Zhiyao took out her key, locked the door, pushed it open, and went in first.

Upon entering the backyard, one sees a large group of people waiting inside.

The kitchen helpers, waiters, and general laborers—a large group of people—were carrying small stools and sitting in a big circle.

In the very center, there was a black wooden square table.

Behind the square table was a middle-aged man who looked like an accountant. He had a mustache, wore a melon-shaped hat, and was waving a tattered folding fan. He was telling a story.

"—Our great-aunt handed over a bowl of wine, and Baili Jing took it and drank it. Hey, guess what?"

The people sitting around, each holding sunflower seeds, listened with shining eyes, craning their necks and urging, "What's up, Old Zheng?"

"Tell me quickly!"

Old Zheng, the accountant, grinned and used his folding fan as a gavel, slapping it down and shouting, "Baili Jing tilted his head back and gulped down that bowl of wine. In an instant, his eyes widened and bulged like a dead toad; his face turned purple and swollen, like a rotten monkey's buttocks!"

His whole body was trembling violently!

"Right before the eyes of thousands of canal gang members, there was a loud 'plop'! Good heavens! That bowl of Sichuan pepper soup, soup and wine alike, sprayed three feet away, not a drop was wasted, it all landed on the ground!"

"The new owner choked on his food, his face turning ashen, looking exactly like a mangy dog ​​dying of thirst!"

"Hey! Fourth Master, your first fire didn't burn anyone else, it just burned you up first!"

Snapped!

The accountant slammed his hand on the table again, shook his head, and sang, "This is it—"

"His ambitions were thwarted before he even realized them; the strong liquor only made him lose face. From then on, the canal gang became a laughingstock, and the title of Fourth Master was no better than that of a monkey!"

The entire backyard erupted in laughter.

"Hahahaha!!"

"Hahaha, not even as good as a monkey! Not even as good as a monkey!!"

"Our great-aunt is really something else! She gave the new boss a good beating, let's see if he dares to boss us around again!"

A group of waiters beat their chests and stamped their feet, overjoyed.

Standing at the back door, Baili Jing's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Baili Jie covered his mouth with his hand, trembling as he tried to suppress his laughter.

Only Zhiyao remained calm and coughed lightly.

Her cough immediately drew everyone's attention to her.

As soon as Old Zheng, the accountant, saw her, he was overjoyed: "Oh my! Grandma, you're back! Oh my, why did you change your clothes? You must be happy!"

As he spoke, he chuckled mischievously, "Grandma, did you have a good time at the Grand Canal Gang today? Has Baili Jing been completely subdued by you?"

I'm telling you, I went there too, and I was secretly watching from a corner. I've already made a book about it, and we'll tell everyone about it later. You—”

He was halfway through his sentence when his gaze finally bypassed Zhiyao and made out the person behind her.

belch!

Old Zheng forced himself to swallow his words, and then let out a burp.

A few seconds later, his lips trembled, and he stammered, "New...new...new employer?!"

The other waiters and kitchen helpers didn't recognize Baili Jing at all. They were still shouting, "What's wrong, Lao Zheng?! Keep going! What's wrong with the new boss?"

Old Zheng, the accountant, didn't dare to say a word.

Zhiyao remained completely calm. She turned her body slightly to the side, revealing Baili Jing's figure.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is our new owner of Jiangshan Fengyulou, Baili Jing."

Baili Jing forced a smile with all his might: "Hello everyone."

This smile was even more like a vengeful ghost than Zhiyao's previous smile.