dkrc Chapter 36 Old Master Lu's Decision
Chapter 36 Old Master Lu's Decision
Today was already a bit of a delay, and with the whole store on sale, I only sold 2063 yuan worth.
However, Lu Yuan wasn't worried about the turnover; what he wanted most was the leverage the Wang family had handed him.
After Lu Yuan and Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter calmed down, they took them and the two brothers, Lu Fa and Lu Qiang, to the old man's courtyard.
In the courtyard, Sha Xiaojuan recounted the whole story, not daring to hide anything.
Lu Fa and Lu Qiang belonged to the second son's branch of the family. They lived very close to the old man's courtyard and grew up under his watchful eye.
The two brothers were inexperienced and almost got framed today.
Upon seeing the old man, she felt aggrieved and wanted to cry, which angered the old man so much that he slammed his cane down with a loud thud.
Then they put a cane on each of the two brothers' butts, to tell them that as men, they shouldn't be crying all the time.
In fact, Wang Facai was also afraid that if he contacted someone from the Wang family, he would be recognized, so he wanted to find a distant relative to cause trouble.
After searching high and low, no one was willing to do this kind of thing, since being discovered would lead to being gossiped about and criticized.
But Sha Xiaojuan had no choice; she needed money to treat her child's illness, so she had to take the risk.
After a moment of silence, the old man said to Lu Wen:
"Go and fetch your father and Old Master Wang."
Lu Wen's father, Lu Changguo, is the village chief of Luwangtan Village. Village chiefs are usually respected elders in the village.
As the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Changguo is a deserving candidate for village chief.
Lu Changguo arrived at the courtyard quickly, and upon seeing Lu Yuan, patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Xiao Yuan, Lu Wen told me that you've made money from your restaurant and you haven't forgotten your brothers. You're a good kid. If you have any difficulties, just tell your grandpa."
Lu Yuan gave a reserved smile, like a junior, and pointed at Sha Xiaojuan, saying:
"Sir, there are no immediate difficulties, but there is one problem."
Then Lu Yuan explained the whole story to Lu Changguo, who clenched his fist after listening.
"Dad, the contract with the Wang family should have been terminated long ago. Their repeated bad practices are getting out of hand."
After hearing this, Old Master Lu sighed:
"That's why I called you here. The younger generation doesn't earn money easily, so we need to pave the way for them. Old Master Wang will be here soon, and we'll get this done today."
Old Master Lu was born before the fall of the Qing Dynasty and lived through war, famine, banditry, and other hardships throughout his life.
He straightened his hunched back, his expression serious, and an aura of authority as a family leader arose spontaneously.
When the old man of the Wang family walked in, he couldn't help but shudder.
In recent years, the younger generation of the Wang family has become increasingly unruly and often clashes with the Lu family, which has given him a lot of headaches.
The old man of the Wang family had gray hair and walked with a shaky gait.
After Old Master Wang was seated, Old Master Lu spoke:
"Old brother, time flies! When you fled here, it wasn't even liberated yet!"
The old man from the Wang family also sighed:
"Yes, thanks to the Lu family's help, we finally had a place to stay. Fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Old Master Wang was not a conservative man; he sensed that something was amiss and spoke frankly to Old Master Lu:
"Old brother, just say what you need. If you can help this old man, I'll remember the favor you did me by sharing a steamed bun with him back then!"
Grandpa Lu nodded and said, "Good! Our Luwangtan Village is a place that values rules. If someone breaks the rules, then it can't be forgiven."
Sha Xiaojuan had met Old Master Wang before, and she recounted the whole story in detail, which made Old Master Wang stomp his feet in disbelief.
After pondering for a moment, Old Master Wang solemnly said:
"Brother, I understand. Just let Changguo handle this matter according to the rules, and the Wang family will have no objections."
Old Master Lu stared at Old Master Wang with his deep, eagle-like eyes and said:
"Old brother, the newspaper says that we live in a market economy now, and whether a business is successful or not depends entirely on the abilities of the younger generation."
"My Lu family has been here for hundreds of years. Although we changed the name from Lujia Village to Luwangtan Village, this is still the root of my Lu family. We have to save face."
"Doing business is about ability, but it's also about integrity. The reputation that your Wang family's younger generation has ruined by the national highway is partly the responsibility of my Lu family."
"But this ruined reputation can't be restored in a year or two. It will take the Lu family ten or twenty years of effort to regain our dignity."
"From now on, the Wang family shouldn't do any business in the village. And when you go out to do business, don't drag the Lu family into it."
Old Master Wang's eyes darted around, making him a little uneasy under his gaze. He sighed and nodded, saying:
"Big brother, I'll do whatever you say!"
With the support of his younger relatives, the old patriarch of the Wang family walked away unsteadily.
This was the first time Lu Yuan had felt the majesty of Old Master Lu. He had only seen him scold people during ancestral worship ceremonies before, but he was always kind and gentle to them, the younger generation.
He never expected him to be so decisive. He didn't even think that once his business became successful, the Wang family would misuse his name.
He had the utmost respect for the old man.
The Lu family has been well-behaved all these years, thanks in no small part to his discipline.
Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter were allowed to stay overnight by Lu Yuan.
He also asked Lu Hua to take them to the provincial hospital for a check-up early the next morning.
After the surgery, Sha Xiaojuan was even allowed to work at the restaurant.
It wasn't that Lu Yuan was a saint; on the contrary, he felt he was being somewhat cruel. He was keeping Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter alive because he wanted to use them against the Wang family.
If the younger generation of the Wang family gets envious of his making money and tries to act shamelessly, Sha Xiaojuan can set an example for them.
Even if they want to completely transform Luwangtan Village in the future, Sha Xiaojuan can be used as a breakthrough to win over the Wang family.
He felt that it would be better if he were a little more saintly, so that he could feel more at ease.
In the evening, Lu Changguo found Lu Yuan with several contracts and a set of keys.
"Xiao Yuan, the contract with the Wang family has been completely terminated. You can arrange what to do with these four shops from now on."
Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised. He had originally intended for Old Master Lu to allocate the shops, and he would simply help set them up and open them.
Unexpectedly, Lu Changguo handed over the power of life and death to him directly.
Lu Yuan asked, "Sir, is this appropriate?"
Lu Changguo smiled and said, "This is what the old master ordered. From now on, whatever happens to this row of houses, the Lu family will listen to you. Anyone who has an opinion will have their legs broken!"
Then Lu Changguo whispered, "I heard that when Grandpa Wang went back, he had Wang Facai hung up and beaten. For now, we don't have to worry about them causing trouble."
Lu Yuan took the contract, feeling a heavy responsibility. After thinking for a moment, he replied:
"Sir, I'll keep the contract with me for now, and I'll think about it before deciding what to do."
Lu Changguo didn't say anything more, patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, put his hands behind his back, and strolled away slowly.
The next day, Lu Hua took Sha Xiaojuan and her daughter away early in the morning.
After closing for lunch, Lu Yuan went to town first.
He first contacted Zhao Tong and ordered a new batch of signs.
Since a row of shops can operate simultaneously, we should make the most of GG's capabilities.
A consistent style and a huge, eye-catching signboard are the best GG (good quality).
Then he borrowed Zhao Tong's car, intending to go to the county town to buy some things.
In two days, we will be hosting the banquet that Xu Jianjun has booked. However, we have been delayed by various things these past two days, and we haven't even finalized the menu yet.
He needs to catch up today and finalize the menu based on the ingredients he can find.