The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

He spread out the rice paper, picked up the brush and started writing, letting the emotions and thoughts in his heart flow on the paper.

After finishing, he would recite it over and over again, striving to achieve the best performance.

He knew that a good article required repeated scrutiny, and even he was no exception.

Whenever inspiration strikes, he works hard, followed by countless revisions and polishings. This is one of the reasons why Xie Tianyi's works are so popular with readers.

Just as he was immersed in the world of words, a hurried female voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Xiao Xi, it's bad, something happened!"

That was the anxious voice of my second sister-in-law.

Chen Xi was sorting medicinal herbs in the courtyard, and he knew it was his second sister-in-law as soon as he heard her.

She stood up hurriedly and saw her second sister-in-law had rushed into the yard, holding her knees with her hands and breathing heavily, obviously having run all the way here.

Chen Xi quickly handed over a glass of water and said with concern: "Second sister-in-law, don't be anxious, tell me slowly, what happened? Drink some water first to calm down."

The second sister-in-law took the bowl of water and drank it all in one breath, and then she calmed down a little.

"Xiao Xi, there's a problem with the restaurant in the county. The landlord suddenly doesn't want to renew the lease and wants to refund the rent. He refuses to rent it out no matter what." Her voice was full of anxiety and confusion.

Chen Xi frowned upon hearing this, obviously not expecting such a change.

It seemed that she had to go to the county town in person to deal with the matter.

Although Fang Wenfu had been here for some time, he just wanted to take a look at the appearance of the county town.

So the three of them took the ox cart rented by my second sister-in-law and set off for the county town on a bumpy journey.

When we arrived at the Fugui Restaurant, the lobby and private rooms, which had been bustling with activity, were now empty and unusually deserted.

It turned out that the landlord had already dispersed all the guests in advance in order to force the restaurant to close.

Chen Ping'an was arguing fiercely with the landlord in the lobby over the issue of the restaurant's non-renewal of lease, and the situation was very tense.

Chen Xi and Fang Wenfu hurried over with the second sister-in-law, and the quarrel continued.

The landlord's sharp voice cut through the air: "I said I won't rent it, and that means I won't rent it. The restaurant is mine, and I have the right to make the decision."

Chen Pingan was not willing to be outdone and asked, "But we have already paid a year's rent and have been operating normally for several days. Why do we suddenly stop renting?"

The landlord replied with a tough attitude and disdain: "What does it have to do with you whether I rent it or not? It's my restaurant, why should I tell you the reason? If it doesn't work, I will refund you all the rent and we'll be even!"

Chen Ping'an was so angry that his fingers were shaking, and he almost pointed them at the landlord's nose, but was stopped by someone who seemed to be trying to stop the fight.

The man was dressed casually, with a piece of cloth around his waist that looked like a kitchen apron. There was no sincerity in his words, and it seemed more like he was just watching the fun.

"Hey, hey, hey, forget it. After all, we are on someone else's territory, so just go with what they say!" His tone was full of perfunctory, which made people even more upset.

"Alright, alright, it's all in vain to say more. I have made up my mind not to rent out this restaurant anymore. You'd better pack up and prepare to leave as soon as possible." The boss' tone was rude, and there was a sense of impatience between his brows.

"The contract is clear, in black and white, and clearly states the terms of the lease. How can you change your mind just like that? Boss, this is not fair!" Chen Xi's voice was cold as he slowly floated in from the door.

Ever since the last confrontation, the boss knew in his heart that Chen Xi was by no means an easy person to deal with, and was not a woman who could be easily treated perfunctorily.

Seeing Chen Xi approaching step by step, the boss had to restrain his attitude a little, and his expression became more cautious.

"Mrs. Chen, you are right. We were indeed wrong. We do not plan to rent out the restaurant any longer. I am willing to refund all the rent, and even waive the usage fee for these few days. I only hope that you can pack up and leave as soon as possible." The boss' tone was helpless, trying to retreat in order to advance.

Chen Xi sneered and responded bluntly: "The terms in the contract are not that simple. It clearly stipulates that the annual rent is 120 taels of silver. Now you want to regret it. According to the agreement, you have to compensate us three times, which is 360 taels of silver."

Looking back, the boss arbitrarily raised the annual rent from one hundred taels to one hundred and twenty taels for the sake of a little profit. He never thought that this decision would become a shackle that he could hardly get rid of.

"This doesn't seem to be a proper way to deal with it, does it? Although I proposed to terminate the contract, I have already clearly given up the rent for these days. Is this not okay?"

The boss tried to solve the problem by smoothing things over with a fake smile.

"You're dreaming! We will follow the contract as written. Since you choose to breach the contract, you must bear the corresponding consequences and return the rent with interest, otherwise we will not leave easily."

After Chen Xi finished speaking, he swaggered and sat down on the carved wooden chair in the center of the lobby.

As Chen Xi sat down, Chen Pingan also straightened his back, stood firmly beside his sister, and sat down together.

"Brother Chen, your sister is going too far. The boss is willing to refund the rent, which is already the most kind thing he can do. But he actually wants an extra 200 taels of silver. I wonder if your sister is obsessed with money."

A person nearby made rude remarks and tried to sow discord.

Upon hearing this, the boss's mouth curled up into an imperceptible smile, which was fleeting, but could not escape Chen Xi's sharp eyes.

She glanced sharply between the two of them, already having made up her mind, and was certain that there must be some unspeakable secret between them.

"Shut up! My sister is not a greedy person at all. It is obvious that the boss was in the wrong first." Chen Ping'an's eyes were wide open and he shouted loudly to clear his sister's name.

"Second brother, who is this..." Chen Xi asked doubtfully.

"Sister, this is Chef Li Qiang specially invited by your second sister-in-law and I. Because the restaurant business is getting increasingly busy, the two of us are too busy to handle it, so we asked him to help." Chen Pingan explained.

Chen Xi nodded gently and gave Li Qiang a smile, but in Li Qiang's eyes, the smile seemed a little subtle, which made him shudder involuntarily and he dared not meet Chen Xi's eyes again.

"It's best for outsiders not to interfere in your own family affairs." Although Chen Xi's words were light, they were obviously a warning to Li Qiang.

"You——" Li Qiang was enraged by these words, and his finger was almost pointing at Chen Xi. Just as he was about to explode, he was stopped by a subtle look from his boss.

Li Qiang had no choice but to shake his sleeves angrily, sit aside unwillingly, and say nothing more.

"Mrs. Chen, please give her a way out so that we can meet again in the future." The boss tried to ease the atmosphere with an old saying, intending to remind Chen Xi to forgive others when possible to avoid a difficult ending.

"I'm sorry, I think we don't need to see each other again in the future. It's best to end it here. Let this so-called 'line' end here." Chen Xi's answer made the restaurant owner's face turn pale in an instant.