Chapter 53: Acting on Orders

An hour later, in a teahouse outside the magistrate's office.

Xu Mo and Xiong Youli sat across from each other, sipping tea. At this moment, Xiong Youli wore a friendly smile and chatted amiably with Xu Mo, as if the two were old friends reunited after many years.

Xu Mo raised his hands in a gesture of respect and said with a smile, “Chief Xiong, I must thank you for your help today. Without you, I don’t know how long I would have waited to get the land deed sorted.”

Just a while ago, Xiong Youli had not only locked Zhang Black Dog and his gang in the county jail but had also enthusiastically helped Xu Mo by running errands with the clerks, smoothing the way for the land deed of the Gushan Village forest.

Xiong Youli waved his hand modestly, “It was nothing, just a small matter. Young Master Xu, please don’t mention it again!”

Xu Mo lifted his teacup and declared, “Chief Xiong, today I toast you with tea instead of wine! Another day, I’ll visit you and we’ll drink until we’re satisfied!”

Xiong Youli hurriedly raised his own cup, “You’re too kind, Young Master Xu. I toast you as well!”

They laughed together and drank their tea in unison.

Afterwards, Xu Mo took a piece of broken silver from his pocket and pushed it across the table to Xiong Youli.

“Chief Xiong, I’d like to ask you to invite a few clerks for tea on my behalf later, to thank them properly.”

Though that was what he said, in truth, the silver was for Xiong Youli himself.

Xiong Youli immediately set down his cup and accepted the silver without hesitation, his smile becoming even warmer.

Moments later, Xiong Youli glanced around, leaned forward, and spoke in a low voice, “Young Master Xu, there’s something I’ve been thinking about, and I believe you should know.”

“What is it? Please, go ahead, Chief Xiong,” Xu Mo asked.

Xiong Youli frowned slightly and whispered, “Actually, Zhang Black Dog was acting under someone else's orders.”

“Oh?” Xu Mo was surprised. “Who was giving him orders?”

Xiong Youli checked his surroundings again, then dipped his finger in tea and quickly wrote two characters on the table.

Xu Mo took a look and immediately clasped his hands in thanks.

Xiong Youli said nothing, swiftly wiped away the tea-written characters, then stood up, cupped his fists, and took his leave.

What Xiong Youli had written was “Fenghua.” Xu Mo understood at once—it was Wang Shunyang who had instigated Zhang Black Dog to cause him trouble.

Xu Mo could understand Wang Shunyang’s motives; after all, without Xu Mo’s involvement, Wang's wager with Ning Yongqiang would have been a sure win.

But now, the outcome had completely reversed.

Though Xu Mo understood, in his heart he could not approve of Wang Shunyang’s methods of revenge.

Xu Mo sneered inwardly, thinking: Wait and see, Wang Shunyang. I’ll remember this!

At that moment, Qin Mutou walked over, perplexed, and asked, “Master, he already took ten taels of silver from you earlier. Why give him more?”

Xu Mo gestured for Qin Mutou to sit, poured him a cup of tea, and replied calmly, “Mutou, although our workshop will be in Gushan Village, business must still be conducted in Xincheng. It’s always wise to maintain good relations with the people at the magistrate’s office—it can only benefit us in the future.”

Qin Mutou fretted about the money. “But Master, you gave away more than ten taels in one go—almost as much as the magistrate’s half-year salary!”

Xu Mo asked curiously, “Mutou, how do you know what the magistrate makes in a year?”

Qin Mutou replied, “Huimei told me. He said our county is poor; the magistrate’s annual salary plus miscellaneous earnings is less than thirty strings of cash!”

“And in those wealthier counties, the magistrate’s salary plus other income is at least fifty strings, maybe more—almost half again as much as ours!”

“Really? Huimei knows even this?” Xu Mo was surprised.

Qin Mutou nodded emphatically, “Of course! Huimei knows a lot!”

Xu Mo saw through Qin Mutou’s intentions at a glance. “Mutou, you like Huimei, don’t you?”

Qin Mutou panicked instantly, shaking his head vigorously, “N-no! I don’t… Master, please don’t say such things…”

Xu Mo teased him, “Oh, so you don’t like Huimei? Well, then I’ll let my uncle know so he won’t have any concerns…”

“Master, what do you mean? What concerns?” Qin Mutou asked.

Xu Mo replied solemnly, “You know, Huimei is of the age to find a husband. Since you don’t like her, I’ll tell my uncle not to consider you.”

“Wait, Master!” Qin Mutou grew anxious, jumping to his feet and knocking over the bench beneath him.

Xu Mo said, “Why are you so agitated? Didn’t you say you don’t like Huimei?”

Qin Mutou scratched his head awkwardly, hesitated, and finally confessed, “Master, how could I not like her? I’m just worried… worried Huimei won’t look twice at me.”

Xu Mo shook his head with a smile, “Why wouldn’t she? You’re skilled in martial arts and honest—surely Huimei isn’t blind.”

“But I’m too poor… People say you can’t marry without money,” Qin Mutou said, feeling inferior.

Xu Mo was surprised. “Poor? I pay you five strings a month; that’s sixty a year—double the magistrate’s income! And you say you’re poor?”

Qin Mutou was stunned, then realized, “That’s right! How could I forget?”

He had only just started working for Xu Mo and was still getting used to earning a wage, so he still felt poor.

Xu Mo smiled, “Mutou, as long as you stick with me and work hard, you’ll surely be able to marry Huimei.”

“Really, Master?” Qin Mutou was immediately excited.

Xu Mo nodded, “Truer than gold!”

Suddenly Qin Mutou felt he had a purpose, nodding vigorously with determination, “Master, don’t worry, I’ll work hard for you!”

When they left the teahouse, Xu Mo took Qin Mutou to the Delicacies Pavilion.

It was already late afternoon, but the Delicacies Pavilion was still bustling with guests.

As soon as they entered, Xu Mo saw someone telling stories in the main hall.

He paused to listen for a while, finding the tale surprisingly engrossing.

While he listened, Luo Wannian came over from inside, smiling and greeting Xu Mo from afar.

Since the business at the Delicacies Pavilion had improved, Luo Wannian no longer underestimated Xu Mo and treated him with utmost respect, even admiring him secretly.

Xu Mo returned the greeting, pointed to the storyteller, and asked, “Manager Luo, this person tells stories quite well. When did you hire him?”

Luo Wannian replied, “Three days ago. It was the young lady’s idea. She said having a storyteller would entertain guests during breakfast and afternoon tea, and might help sell more pastries and drinks.”

Xu Mo nodded in agreement and asked, “So afternoon tea was her idea as well?”

“That’s right!” Luo Wannian said. “The young lady said, since we have breakfast, why not add afternoon tea? That way, the Delicacies Pavilion stays lively all day.”

Xu Mo quickly inquired further, discovering that the revenue from breakfast and afternoon tea in the past few days had become quite impressive.

He also learned from Luo Wannian that lately, whenever Lu Bingding had free time, he would experiment with stir-frying dishes. Through trial and error, he had created two new dishes.

One was stir-fried river shrimp with chives, the other stir-fried winter mushrooms with shepherd’s purse. The guests' response was very positive, with more people ordering them each day.

Speaking of new dishes, Luo Wannian said, “Mr. Xu, you’re here at the perfect time. I’ll have Lu Bingding cook these two dishes for you to taste.”

“No need. I know Chef Lu’s skill well. If he has time, he should rest a bit more,” Xu Mo replied.

Luo Wannian smiled and dropped the subject.

“Manager Luo, is Young Master Ning upstairs?” Xu Mo asked.

Luo Wannian shook his head, “Unfortunately, Mr. Xu, he went out this morning and said he’d be back later, but I’m not sure exactly when.”

“No matter. Since Young Master Ning isn’t here, I’ll come back another day,” Xu Mo said, preparing to leave.

Just as he turned, he saw two familiar figures approaching—Ning Yaxin and Ling’er.