Zheng Ruqian suddenly let out a silly laugh.
His four elder and younger brothers and sisters were all frightened and shuddered.
Chang Yan stretched out her hand and gingerly poked his cheek, just about to open her mouth to speak, when Ergou hugged her up.
"I'm fine, Xiaowu." Zheng Ruqian put Chang Yan down, and hugged each of his other siblings in turn, finally embracing Jiang Sheng, "I'm really okay."
After letting go of Jiang Sheng, he said in a deep voice, "Eldest brother is right, we've only just started on this journey, it's normal to encounter setbacks. If I get knocked down by a mere workshop business, how can I become Master Zheng in the future?"
Xu Mo heaved a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
Fang Heng lifted his arm-thick stick, "Second brother, I can't help you with anything, but whoever leaked your sausage recipe, I can get revenge for you and break their legs."
Seeing this, Zhang Qiquan's eyes lit up. He hurried back to the workshop, presumably to fetch Third Master Fang's stick to threaten people.
"Who leaked the recipe is unimportant," Xu Mo tapped the table, "What's important is that the Wang family no longer focuses solely on dealing with third brother, but has included all of us as adversaries."
It takes more than twenty days from brining, drying, and smoking to sell sausages.
Twenty days ago, the Wangs were still wholeheartedly helping Young Master Sun vie for the position of the next county magistrate.
At that time, the Xu siblings all thought they wouldn't act rashly again, but the sausage recipe leak proved that although the Wangs were plotting to seize the Anshui county magistrate position, they had not relaxed their efforts against them, and even wanted to take them all down at once.
Just now, Sun died, and Zheng Ruqian's sausage recipe was leaked out.
Who would be next?
Wen Zhiyun who helps fetch medicine? Or the only girl Jiang Sheng?
Or perhaps it would be Xu Mo, the county teacher of Xieyang county.
No matter who it was, they didn’t have the energy to deal with such continuous dirty tricks, nor the energy to be anxious every day.
Only thieves can steal for a thousand days, not guards defending for a thousand days.
Since the Wangs didn't want to let them off easily, they could only make sure the Wangs didn't have it easy either.
Xu Mo threw the package he had just packed onto the table, and said in a deep voice, "Let's not leave for now, contact Wang Fufeng."
The people present were all surprised.
Only Jiang Sheng's eyes were bright, and she happily said, "It's great we're not leaving. Just now I was telling Fifth Brother that I wanted to see Sister Qin."
Qin was the daughter of Qiao Yuhe and half a year older than Jiang Sheng.
After Qiao Yuhe died, the Sun family brought back both children, and didn't seem to mistreat them.
But Jiang Sheng was still worried and felt that she had to see with her own eyes to do justice to that gentle and kind auntie.
"Okay, I'll take you to see her when I have time," Xu Mo said, patting his sister's little head.
Turning to look at Zheng Ruqian, he added, "Second brother, I don't understand business matters and won't interfere, but I believe you will handle it well and won't be defeated by these petty conspiracies and tricks, right?"
Zheng Ruqian nodded vigorously.
It was easy to give up business in the city, but if they shrank back when faced with difficulties, their enterprising spirit would dissipate.
No matter what, he had to hold on to the workshop at Hairpin Courtyard, and expose the spy in the workshop.
The six siblings began to work separately again.
Zheng Ruqian worked with Zhang Qiquan to try to uncover the spy who leaked the sausage recipe, but they couldn't find anything no matter what.
Everyone's micro expressions were flawless, and everyone could vouch for each other that they did not leak the sausage recipe.
Could it be ghosts at work?
Did the sausage recipe grow legs and run away?
Or was it Zhang Qiquan and his wife, as well as Auntie Zhang Xianglian who helped with the work?
Zheng Ruqian hadn't lost his mind yet. If he really suspected Uncle Zhang, Auntie Zhang and Auntie Zhang Xianglian, it would be ungrateful.
But he couldn't stand letting the spy remain in the workshop either.
So Master Zheng decided to be ruthless and directly said, "Since this is the case, you are all fired. Don't come to Hairpin Courtyard anymore. I'll hire all new people for the workshop."
In fact, his words were quite nonsense. Yuanran Residence couldn't even sell sausages now. Other than Anyang County which was far away and could still sell a little, they didn't need people at other times.
With that little amount, Liu Cui and Zhang Xianglian could complete it, without needing to hire new people.
But the temporary workers at the workshop didn't think of that! They were mostly farmers facing the earth with their backs to the sky. They only knew how to work and feed their whole family with a couple pennies earned each day.
Hearing Zheng Ruqian's words, nine out of the ten workers were anxious and pleaded for mercy, just short of kneeling and kowtowing.
No need to mention the pleas.
The only one who remained indifferent caught Zheng Ruqian's attention.
He called Zhang Qiquan over and asked while pointing at the gaunt woman in the corner, "Uncle Zhang, who is she?"
Zhang Qiquan frowned, trying to remember, "She should be from Dafu Village. She said her parents and in-laws had all died, with only her husband paralyzed in bed, and she was the only one busy working inside and outside the home. I felt she had a bitter life so made an exception to hire her."
The village allocated land based on the number of people. Although the gaunt woman was capable, with only two mouths but just one mu of land, after finishing the farm work there was nothing else to do. The grain produced after paying taxes was not enough to eat either. Working at the workshop to earn a few pennies a day was already heavenly.
Yet now, she was completely unafraid of losing this good job, clearly relying on something.
Zheng Ruqian nodded at Zhang Qiquan.
Zhang Qiquan walked over to the gaunt woman with a darkened face and opened his mouth, "When you worked at the workshop you signed a contract, no matter whether you leave the workshop in the future or not, you cannot divulge workshop recipes. Divulging them is punishable by beheading."
In fact it wasn't that serious, at most paying some money.
But the gaunt woman didn't know. Beheading had the greatest impact on her and could frighten her the most.
Sure enough, the previously cold woman turned to shock and hoarsely asked, "This, is this true? Don't spout nonsense!"
"Nonsense?" Zhang Qiquan laughed. "Not to mention there really are such provisions in the contract, with our Eldest Young Master's and the county magistrate's relationships, beheading a commoner like you is easy as waving a hand!"
Everyone at Hairpin Courtyard knew that Xu Mo had quite a close relationship with the Anshui county magistrate.
Although Teacher Xu was fair and upright, and would never bully others by relying on power.
But the gaunt woman didn't know!
She was flustered and out of control.
Zhang Qiquan's wicked heart made him add, "Not only you, even your family won't escape!"
The gaunt woman finally collapsed, kneeling on the ground telling everything about selling the sausage recipe.
Indeed it was the Wangs who found her and gave her ten taels of silver, asking her to divulge the sausage recipe.
Ten taels of silver was enough for her livelihood for the rest of her life, and enough to treat her husband's illness.
So the gaunt woman felt no remorse at all for selling out Zheng Ruqian.
Of course now she regretted it, with tears and snot covering her face, kowtowing repeatedly, "I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please don't behead me, don't behead my husband."
But it was too late.
Zheng Ruqian couldn't take her life, but could make her get lost from the workshop, and even make her pay until she was destitute.
But before he could say this,
Xu Mo hurriedly ran over, pressed his arm, and whispered to his ear, "Don't deal with this spy yet, I can't contact Wang Fufeng..."
