Chapter 131: The Culinary Tycoon

Caught Red-Handed

With the plan settled, they split up and took action.

Brother Chang and Tiezhu went back to the snack shop and informed Brother Chang’s mother and Er Niu about the situation. They all lived at the shop now, so they weren’t worried during the day, but they needed to be more vigilant at night.

Brother Chang, Uncle Mo, and Er Niu were also very angry after hearing it. The three of them immediately decided to have one person stay awake every night, keeping an eye on the snack shop. Anyway, they all woke up early the next day, and if those thieves wanted to cause trouble, they would definitely come in the dead of night. They only needed to watch for two or three hours in total.

On the other hand, Yu Qingze arranged for someone to rent a carriage and then brewed medicine for Chang Le. During mealtime, he made Chang Le eat lunch and take the medicine, and then continue resting.

During the break time in the afternoon restaurant, he had Xiaoshu bring people to get two large stones from outside the city, the kind that required two people to lift and move. One stone was placed at the snack shop, and the other at the restaurant. Before going to sleep, they would cover the well with a door panel and place a large stone on top to prevent the thieves from drugging the well. The well was in the backyard, so they could only take these protective measures. Even if the thieves came, if they wanted to remove the large stone, it would definitely alarm the people inside the shop, so they would be safe.

In the late afternoon, Chang Le woke up and saw the large stones in the courtyard. He was puzzled and asked Yu Qingze why they brought back such big stones.

“How are you feeling? Is your body better now? Still sore?” Yu Qingze asked Chang Le with concern when he saw him come out.

Chang Le shook his head and gestured that he was much better. He asked, “What are the stones for?”

Yu Qingze took him to the room and then told him about Madam Luo’s letter.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Chang Le frowned and angrily gestured, “Why is this guy Jia so persistent! Did you tell Brother Chang and the others?”

“I’ve made arrangements, don’t worry. Madam Luo also mentioned that they will inform us when the time comes. We just need to be more vigilant during this period,” Yu Qingze reassured him.

Upon hearing this, Chang Le finally felt relieved.

After the restaurant closed in the evening, the staff filled two large barrels and two big buckets with water in the kitchen. Then they covered the well in the backyard with the door panel and stones before going home.

When Jiabao was about to leave, he asked with concern, “Big brother, should I stay and guard the shop tonight? I can sleep on the floor in the hall.”

Yu Qingze patted his shoulder and said, “No need, it’s cold outside, and you might catch a cold. Don’t worry, your brother and I will handle it. Go home and rest well. Your brother won’t be able to cook at noon during this period, so I need you to take charge of the kitchen.”

“But your health isn’t good, and I’m a bit worried.” Chang Le returned from treatment in the morning, looking tired and not in the best spirits, although he seemed better in the afternoon. However, Jiabao was still concerned.

Chang Le smiled and gestured, “I’m fine, you go back and rest.”

Yu Qingze said, “Your brother-in-law said he’s fine, so listen to him and go back.”

Jiabao, feeling helpless, followed Xiaoshu and the others who were waiting outside and went back.

After all the staff had left, Yu Qingze poured the pre-soaked medicinal herbs into a large pot that he had bought specifically for this purpose. He added water and boiled a pot of medicinal soup. He scooped out half of it, filtered out the herbs, and poured it into a bathtub. When the temperature cooled down a bit, he had Chang Le soak in the medicinal bath.

After bathing, Chang Le began to soak in the tub.

According to the instructions from Dr. Ye, Yu Qingze had to stay by Chang Le’s side while he soaked in the medicinal bath to prevent him from fainting. Yu Qingze massaged Chang Le to help the absorption of the medicinal essence and occasionally added warm medicinal soup to the bath to avoid the water temperature becoming too cold.

After soaking for about half an hour, Chang Le’s face was covered in sweat, his complexion was red, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

Seeing this, Yu Qingze quickly asked, “How are you feeling? Dizzy?”

Chang Le nodded and gestured, “A little.”

“Would you like to have some sweet water? Do you want to take a break before continuing to soak?” Yu Qingze fed Chang Le some warm sweet water and asked.

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, “Continue soaking for a while.”

They soaked for a bit longer, and then Chang Le asked Yu Qingze to help him out of the tub. He wrapped himself in a robe, covered with a small blanket, and rested against Yu Qingze for a while. After feeling better, they proceeded with the second half of the treatment.

After finishing the medicinal bath, Chang Le sat wrapped in a blanket and rested for a while. When he stopped sweating, he dried himself off and changed into clothes. At this point, Yu Qingze had also finished tidying up and freshening up.

“Are you going to rest?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le shook his head. He felt energized after the medicinal bath and gestured, “You go ahead, I’ll work on the clothes.”

“Alright, if you feel sleepy later, go to sleep.” Yu Qingze took the day’s ledger and started looking through it, while Chang Le brought his sewing basket and began working on the clothes.

Because he had something on his mind, Yu Qingze was very alert during the night. Chang Le, on the other hand, had expended a lot of physical energy due to acupuncture and the medicinal bath, so after his initial excitement subsided, he slept quite deeply.

And so, several days passed peacefully.

At noon that day, when Luo Mansion’s Yuan Bao came to buy lunch, he said to Yu Qingze, “Boss Yu, my young master informed me that our chef will cook for us tomorrow, so we won’t be coming to buy food.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze understood that it was a message from Madam Luo. It seemed that the thieves would likely make their move tonight or tomorrow during the day. He nodded and smiled, saying, “Alright, I got it.”

After Yuan Bao left with the lunch, Yu Qingze had Jiabao call Brother Chang and Tie Zhu over. He also called Da Song and Da Zhi, and made various arrangements.

The weather was gloomy that day, and there was no moon in the evening. It was pitch black and windy, with only a faint glimmer of light.

In the latter half of the night, when it was deep into the night, the whole city was quiet and peaceful, with everyone sound asleep.

A shadow crept over the walls of House of Prosperity’s backyard, tiptoeing silently through the courtyard until it reached the edge of the well. The figure glanced around cautiously, then bent down and embraced the large stone on top of the well, attempting to lift it off.

Unfortunately, the large stone was incredibly heavy, and no matter how much effort he exerted, he couldn’t lift it. Afraid of making noise and waking up the people inside the house, he gave up on the well and quietly made his way to a window beneath the eaves.

It was the kitchen window of House of Prosperity. He had observed and investigated beforehand, knowing that the owner and his wife lived in the room on the other side, making this the most convenient entry point.

He pulled out a thin and sharp blade, a small knife, and inserted it into the gap of the window, prying it open. The window, having aged, creaked.

The shadow paused for a moment, waited for a while, and upon hearing no movement, slowly opened the window completely.

Then, holding the small knife with his mouth, he carefully climbed in.

Once inside, he didn’t immediately move. He first listened for any sounds, finding it safe. From his pocket, he took out a match and struck it, blowing on it gently. By the faint light, he surveyed the layout of the kitchen, and then carefully maneuvered around the stove to the other side where the water barrel was located.

With one hand holding the match, he opened the lid of the water barrel, and from his pocket, he pulled out a large bag of powdered medicine. Just as he was about to open it, suddenly, a figure darted out from behind a nearby table, wielding a long rod-like object and swung it towards him.

The shadow was startled and immediately dodged, attempting to run towards the window.

“Help! Someone!” The figure that had lunged at him shouted when the surprise attack failed, and swiftly approached, wielding the stick to strike.

Although the shadow was hit from behind with a blow, he had no time for revenge. He already realized that he had fallen into an ambush and disregarded everything else as he ran towards the window.

The person behind him wouldn’t let him escape. They pounced from behind and struck him with another blow!

The shadow had no choice but to counterattack. Swinging the small knife in his hand, he blocked one blow, kicked the person back with a step, and quickly fled.

He reached the window, with one leg already over the windowsill, preparing to jump out, when suddenly a tremendously thick rod crashed straight into his abdomen.

The shadow was struck back into the kitchen, falling to the ground while clutching his stomach and whimpering in pain.

By this time, two more people had appeared in the kitchen. Seeing the shadow being struck back, they quickly approached and held him down.

“Jiabao, light the lamp!” shouted Yu Qingze from outside the window, and then he climbed in through the window.

“Yes, big brother.” Jiabao took out a matchstick and lit two oil lamps, instantly brightening up the kitchen.

On the floor, Dasong and Dazhi were restraining a masked thief, and a large package of medicine powder had fallen near the water barrel.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I wonder who Jia Xiaodumb sent.