CH 124

Manager Liang stretched out his hand, “Return my investment to me, you can do this money-haemorrhaging business yourself!”

Mo Zenian said with a bitter face, “Didn’t we agree to crush their business first before earning money together?”

How could Manager Liang bear to do an unprofitable business? “If you want to do it, do it yourself. I’m backing out of this, return my investment to me!”

Mo Zenian stopped smiling and said sternly, “This was your idea. It’s too late for you to back out now, all of your investment money has already been spent!”

“You’re just robbing me in broad daylight!”

“We agreed to be partners in business, how am I robbing you? Are you being unreasonable?”

Manager Liang snorted coldly and said, “Being unreasonable? You’re the one who kidnapped your own daughter, and you’re saying I’m unreasonable?”

“You also had a part in that. If word spreads, you won’t be able to get away scot-free!”

So Manager Liang participated in Mo Ling’s kidnapping. Chuzi went back to the storefront and told Mo Yan and the others what he had heard.

Mo Ling recalled her kidnapping occurred after Manager Liang bought something from her. She didn’t know the two people who took her away, but remembered they were two young men in their twenties. But in hindsight, they both smelled of cooking fumes. They might have been people from Shunlai Restaurant.

Mo Yan asked Chuzi, “Manager Liang doesn’t know about your relationship with us. Can you try to go to the kitchen and see if there’s anyone who matches the description of Mo Ling’s kidnapper?”

He went to the back and found the kitchen. It should be busy right now. He looked in through the crack of the door, and saw two chefs cooking on the stoves. Two young men were picking and washing vegetables on the side.

The young men matched Mo Ling’s descriptions of her kidnappers.

Chuzi was looking in when he saw the two young men put down their work and come towards the door. He hurriedly turned and left, but they came out and saw him, and asked what he was doing.

Chuzi said he was looking for a toilet, and they pointed to the corner, “Over there.”

As he walked towards the latrine, the two men stood there talking. One of them said, “Brother, this job is dirty, tiring and pays poorly, why don’t we quit?”

The other one replied, “It’s still a job, why should we quit?”

“We can get the shopkeeper to give us a clean and decent job.”

“He definitely won’t agree,”

“If he doesn’t agree, I’ll publicise what he asked us to do that day, and say he kidnapped a woman. Let’s see if he can still do business here.”

“Didn’t her father kidnap her? Even if you told the governing official, the accounts are still muddled and they can’t be convicted.”

The chefs in the kitchen were calling for them, and they had to return to the kitchen.

So Manager Liang had actually helped Mo Zenian kidnap Mo Ling!

That day, Lin Xian’er came up with the idea to kidnap Mo Ling. Seeing Mo Zenian was hesitant, she took care of everything, including finding help and finding a car. The kidnappers and carriage were all from the Shunlai Restaurant.

In fact, she had known Manager Liang for a long time. He had used Lin Xianer’s services many times, and was a patron of hers!

It wasn’t a market day, so Mo Zenian set up a stall at the entrance of Shunlai Restaurant, and still talked smack about Yanling Storefront.

He’s losing more money with each transaction. She initially thought about clearing out the rest of the goods and not restock, but who would’ve thought Mo Zenian would act in such a despicable manner?

She heard from Chuzi that Mo Zenian and Manager Liang had a dispute over money, so Mo Zenian didn’t have much left. If he dared to fight a price war, he must’ve thought they weren’t very well-off either.

When Mo Yan went home and talked to Ms. Liang, she was so angry she slapped the table and scolded, “That shameless bastard won’t even give us a way out!”

She tried to persuade her, “Mother, he’s just driving himself to bankruptcy. I had planned to stop operating this business anyways, I just don’t want him to be able to brag that he drove our store to bankruptcy.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Buy his goods and save the travel expenses to the Upper Valley! But I’d need some money for investments first…”

Before she finished speaking, Ms. Liang immediately agreed, “No problem, use the money we’ve saved up.”

In the past, she would never have agreed to invest money in this, but she couldn’t swallow it anymore and decided to take a risk.

In the afternoon, when Zhong Cheng came to deliver white flour, Mo Yan told him everything. “Brother Cheng, find a few people to buy Mo Zenian’s goods at a low price, and buy as much as you can. Then ship it to Yi City when you’re done, or any of the surrounding towns. Don’t be too greedy, it’s fine as long as we’re earning profit.”

They had to make it seem convincing. Mo Yan and Mo Ling set up a stall next to Mo Zenian, and called Ms. Liang and Mu Feng to help. They called out lower prices than his, but always pretended to be reluctantly beaten so all of the customers bought from Mo Zenian.

For realism, Ms. Liang raised her voice and cursed at Mo Zenian’s stall. People who bought things from him were greedy and didn’t have any morals.

Zhong Cheng found a few good friends to take turns to buy Mo Zenian’s goods.

Seeing the goods go like running water, who would believe that he wasn’t making money? Only Mo Zenian knew that he hadn’t made a single cent of profit.

After three days, he didn’t have many goods left. He was contemplating whether to buy more, and how to answer if Manager Liang asked him about the profits.

His nephew Chen Jicai stood in front of the stall, “Third uncle, your business is so booming, you must be earning more than in Yi City!”

Mo Zenian smiled bitterly, “I’m not even breaking even.”

“Everyone makes money in business. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you for money.”

Seeing him standing still, Mu Zenian picked up a burlap bag, randomly grabbed some candied fruit, and put it in and handed it to him, “Children love these, take it back and give it to them.”

Chen Jicai pursed his lips, and looked at Mo Zenian. He couldn’t believe that his own uncle was even stingier than that little girl Mo Yan. After staring at the bag for a while, he still reached out to take the candy without a word of thanks, then left.

Post-translation notes: Mo Zenian receiving comeuppance. It’s so satisfying.