The day of the move was bright and sunny, a perfect day.
Pots and bowls, clothes and quilts, books and various belongings filled two horse-drawn carriages.
The moment Gu Jing’an locked the door, Luo Qingqing suddenly felt a wave of emotion. The Gu family courtyard was the first home she had arrived in after coming here. When she first came, seeing Gu Jing’an made her feel like a mouse seeing a cat. Yet now, she could calmly call him A’Jing. Time truly was something mysterious.
“A’Jing, when we have free time in the future, let’s come back and stay here for a while, alright?”
“Alright, everything is up to Qingqing.”
Wherever she wanted to go, he would accompany her. Wherever she was, was the place his heart belonged, and the destination of his entire life.
The courtyard in Tongzhi Alley had been previously occupied. The former residents were clean people, so there was no dust or filth. Luo Qingqing simply wiped it down and quickly settled in.
They had discussed it the night before. Gu Jing’an would stay in the main room. Luo Qingqing would have one room in the west wing, Gu Xuanning would have another, and Gu Qiran would stay in the east wing. One side room would be used as a study, and the other as her workshop.
At noon, the two children came back home for lunch. Luo Qingqing prepared boiled spicy pork slices, garlic eggplant, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, braised pork, and old duck soup. This became their first meal in the new home.
In the afternoon, the two of them went to the restaurant to inform Manager Li that he should come over for dinner. After all, he was her first business partner and had also helped her find the house.
“Boss Luo, you are finally here,” Manager Li said with a worried expression.
“What has happened?” Luo Qingqing noticed on the way that people looked uneasy. The number of customers seemed to have decreased as well. Something was wrong.
“We do not know which damned person leaked our recipes. The sour plum soup, pickled vegetables, and egg fried rice at Fuman Residence are seven or eight parts similar to ours. Even the hot pot is five or six parts similar. The worst part is that their prices are lower, so many customers have gone there.”
So this was industrial espionage in the food industry?
Interesting. Although she had many recipes in her head, it did not mean she was foolish enough to give them away for free. Anyone who dared to take them would have to pay the price.
“Manager Li, do not panic. Tonight, stay and act in a play with me. We will naturally catch the thief. As for the dinner I promised you, we will have to postpone it.”
“Very well, very well.” Manager Li sighed. At this moment, he had no appetite at all.
Manager Li handed her a list of staff members.
“What does Qingqing plan to do?” Gu Jing’an asked. He wanted to observe her approach first. If it was not appropriate, he would secretly assist and pass the evidence to Manager Li.
“Manager Li, send someone to ask the beggars in town,” she said, circling the names of the kitchen helpers and cooks.
Gu Jing’an nodded, giving her an approving glance, signaling her to continue.
“Greed drives people to death, just as birds die for food. Either someone in the family is sick and urgently needs money, or there is a gambling addict at home with debts. Fuman Residence must have been watching them and simply waiting for the right opportunity. Now that customers have been drawn away, it means they have found it.”
“What can I do to help Qingqing?” he asked.
“Tonight, when all the customers have left, I will call everyone to the main hall. You do not need to do anything. Just sit there with the authority of a scholar and look stern.”
“Alright.” He was glad there was still something she needed him for. He needed to work harder and rise higher so his little wife could have the power to “bully others with borrowed authority.”
Luo Qingqing marked the names of the kitchen helpers and cooks, then asked Manager Li to send people to gather information from the beggars in town.
Because they were the ones who knew the most and had the widest network of information. After all, who would bother guarding against a beggar?