books44 Chapter 264: The Mastermind
Chapter 264: The Mastermind
Chapter 264: The Mastermind
Seeing that he was still sitting, Ji Meiqing quickly helped him lie down and scolded him, "Why are you still sitting? Your injury is on your waist, lie down quickly."
Seeing her worried expression, Lu Yu thought she was overreacting and said, "I'm fine. It's not like I haven't been injured before." Although he said that, he still obediently lay down.
Seeing that he had lay down, Ji Meiqing stopped talking about anything else and changed the subject, saying, "Brother Lu, what do you think Qingyuan is trying to do with all this? Apart from the fact that you are injured and need to recuperate, nothing else has changed."
Lu Yu shook his head and said, "Things aren't as simple as you think. The National Day is coming soon, but I'm injured. If I don't recover before the National Day, you, as a woman, won't be able to handle the situation. The royal family might replace you. Even if you can make it in time, we haven't been managing the restaurant and wine cellar these past few days, so the quality will be much lower. I think that's his ultimate goal."
Upon hearing Lu Yu's comment, Ji Meiqing seemed to have a sudden realization and said, "Yes, but Xiang Qingyuan has no benefit whatsoever in dealing with us. He must have someone behind him."
Lu Yu held up one finger and said, "You mean!"
The two members of the "Ji family" spoke in unison, as if on cue.
"That's right. No wonder the Ji family hasn't made a move this time. Turns out they were planning to use someone else to do their dirty work," Ji Meiqing said with a face full of resentment. "So what do we do now?"
Lu Yu said nonchalantly, "They think we've suffered a major blow this time and won't make any big moves in the future, but we haven't been severely weakened, so our current situation is still relatively optimistic. We can just continue with our progress and strive to demonstrate our true abilities at the National Day celebration."
Ji Meiqing nodded, said "Wait a moment," and went out. When she returned, she had a bowl of medicine in her hand. Granny Liu had heated up the food and brought it up. Because Lu Yu had difficulty moving around, Ji Meiqing had served him a small bowl. After Lu Yu finished eating, Ji Meiqing gave him the medicine to drink.
After Lu Yu obediently finished drinking the medicine, he said, "Don't you know that medicine is more effective when drunk while it's hot?" Ji Meiqing replied with a blank look, "Huh? I forgot. I thought it was too hot, so I let it cool down before giving it to you."
Seeing her flustered expression, Lu Yu laughed and said, "Just kidding." Ji Meiqing punched him, "You still have the mood to tease me? As punishment, you can stay at home by yourself. I'm going to the restaurant. I haven't seen Yan Jin in a long time, I miss him."
Lu Yu said with a pained expression, "No way! I still need someone to take care of me. How can you just leave me like this? Can you bear it? Besides, you haven't had a proper rest these past few days, and you're going to go to a restaurant?"
Ji Meiqing dashed his hopes, saying, "With so many people taking care of you at home, you don't need me. As for me, we can't fall behind. You can't do anything in bed right now, so I can't manage things, but I'm still the owner of the restaurant. I have to take care of the business, and I'm full of fighting spirit, just a little weak. I have to go to the peach orchard today; there's a lot to do, so I'll be back late. Take care of yourself. Call Granny Liu if you need anything." After saying all that, she left without giving Lu Yu a chance to speak, calling out as she was about to go out, "Oh, right, don't forget to take your medicine."
As soon as Ji Meiqing entered the restaurant, she asked for Yan Jin's location. After receiving the information, she went to the courtyard, where Yan Jin was playing on a swing with a little girl. The girl was probably the child of one of the customers. Ji Meiqing noticed that since Yan Jin had been with them, he finally seemed like a child again. Perhaps it was because she and Lu Yu were quite hands-off with their child. But that was fine; children should be carefree and jumping around.
Ji Meiqing walked over, and Yan Jin immediately jumped off the swing when he saw her, hugged Ji Meiqing's leg, and said, "Sister, you're finally back! I missed you so much!" Ji Meiqing squatted down and looked at her, saying, "Sister missed you too." Then she asked with a gossipy look, "Xiao Jin, who is that girl?"
The girl had already left. Without any worries, Yan Jin answered calmly, "A new friend. Her parents often come to the restaurant, and we got to know each other over time. After all, my brother has left me here for many days." Ji Meiqing seized on the loophole in his words, "Is it really over time? But I seem to have heard that Brother Lu only left you at the restaurant yesterday, because you didn't want Granny Liu to take care of you."
Seeing that his words had been exposed, Lu Yu remained calm and told the truth, "That's right, I only met her today. I think she's not bad, so I made friends with her. There's really nothing else. I only said that because I was afraid you would misunderstand."
Ji Meiqing smiled and pointed to herself, "Afraid I'd misunderstand? Ha, you really are a little adult!" Ji Meiqing stood up and pulled Yan Jin into the house.
Yan Jin looked up at Ji Meiqing, who was much taller than him, and asked, "What do you mean, little adult?"
Ji Meiqing was too lazy to explain and just said, "You'll understand when you study hard in the future."
Once upstairs, Ji Meiqing hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Xiao Jin, things have happened quite unexpectedly lately, and with the birthday celebration just around the corner, we're probably going to be very busy. So, your brother's matter has to be put on hold for now. There are a lot of people coming and going at the restaurant, and Brother Lu is injured, so you won't have the energy to take care of him if you go back. So, you should stay at the restaurant; everyone here will take care of you. Keep an eye out for the people coming and going; you might get news about your brother."
Yan Jin thought Ji Meiqing was right, and considering the girl he'd met today had readily agreed, he was quite pleased. Ji Meiqing looked at Yan Jin apologetically and said, "Don't worry, as long as your brother is alive, we'll definitely help you find him. Then you and your brother can live with us, okay?"
Yan Jin was still just a child, and after imagining the life Ji Meiqing had described, he said "okay." However, he didn't think about whether his brother was still alive, because he dared to think about it, and he repeatedly told himself in his heart that his brother must still be alive.
After talking with Yan Jin, Ji Meiqing let him go and have fun, while she herself busied herself with the work she had missed over the past few days. She only took a break for lunch, and it was almost evening when she finally finished. She stretched, opened the window, and looked out to relieve her tired eyes. Watching the bustling street below, Ji Meiqing suddenly felt a pang of envy. But she knew that life in this society was far more complex than it appeared. She had no choice but to forge ahead; there was no turning back. She needed to become stronger, and therefore, she needed to work even harder to earn money.