Fang Tianze glanced at Yang Ruxin and then at Yu Qingge. He couldnât shake the feeling that the two of them had a strange sense of mutual understanding during certain moments. It was unsettling.
The fat ones hesitated, their nerves betraying them, yet they werenât sure if they should confess or not. In the end, they remained silent and let Xie Zhanfei take them away.
Yang Ruxin turned to the crowd around her and made a respectful gesture. "Although todayâs incident wasnât our fault, it has disturbed everyone. Thus, all of your lunches today will be free of charge. If youâve had enough to eat, please take your leave. If not, feel free to continue."
The crowd immediately erupted in cheers.
Cheng Qian, though feeling the sting of financial loss, understood that this was the only way to appease everyone. He promptly began directing the staff to serve the customers enthusiastically.
Though there were many attempting to take advantage of the situation, he wouldnât expose them. As long as they came in to eat, their meals would be on the house. While it appeared to be a significant loss for the day, it turned out to be a large-scale promotion. Simply claiming the food was delicious wouldnât sufficeâonly after tasting it could people truly understand what made it so great.
Thus, blessings came from misfortune. Instead of business declining, the hotpot restaurant became even more popular, with customers queueing daily.
On the outskirts of the county, there was a street named Willow Street. Within its premises, the courtyard of #1 had once been gifted to Yang Ruxin by Fatty Hao.
It had been used as a warehouse ever since.
At that moment, in the woodshed of this courtyardâs backyard, two men were tied up, bound hand and foot, and thrown to the ground. They were the same two individuals who had incited trouble amidst the crowd earlier.
"Will you speak willingly, or shall I ask?" Yang Ruxin sat down in front of the two men. "If you speak willingly, you wonât suffer. But if I have to ask, I might have to resort to something... unpleasant."
The two men shook their heads vigorously.
Yang Ruxin gestured slightly.
Du Juan stepped forward and removed the gag from one of the menâs mouths.
"What right do you have to detain me? Iâm just an ordinary citizen..." The man looked at Yang Ruxin with an innocent expression. "I was merely watching the commotion..."
The other man, still gagged, frantically nodded in agreement.
Yang Ruxin chuckled. "Watching the commotion? Are you certain?"
The man nodded earnestly. "Really, truly! Even if youâre related to the county magistrate, you canât just arrest people in broad daylight, can you? Is there no law anymore?"
Yang Ruxin nodded. "Admittedly, thatâs not quite proper. However, tell me this... Who instructed you to cooperate with those four individuals in framing the hotpot restaurant and inciting public discontent?"
"I..." The man stared at Yang Ruxin. At first glance, he had thought this woman was merely beautiful. But now, being so close to her gaze, he found himself overwhelmed, unable to breathe or think. An inexplicable feeling aroseâif he didnât tell the truth, it might upset her. And he absolutely didnât want to see her upset.
Yang Ruxin slightly raised an eyebrow, her eyes flickering faintly.
"I... Iâll talk..." The man finally nodded his head. "Iâll answer whatever you ask..."
The other man froze in shock, staring at his companion in disbelief. He urgently glanced at him, only to find that his companion showed no reaction, instead gazing at Yang Ruxin with infatuation. His heart sank instantly.
Yang Ruxin smiled and made a hand gesture.
Miao Jian entered and grabbed the gagged man. "Heâs about to confess everything. Youâre useless now..." With that, he dragged him outside.