Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Having received a bribe from Wang Zhiqiang, Lu Qian's smile stretched almost to his ears. He was plotting something wicked, preparing to cause trouble for Zhao Tianming. He led a group of oddballs, each walking with their arms splayed out, carrying manuscripts, and swaggered towards Zhao Tianming's restaurant.

The group made a lot of noise along the way, attracting the attention of passersby. Someone whispered, "What kind of trouble is Lu Qian up to now?"

Upon arriving at the restaurant entrance, Lu Qian kicked open the door with a loud bang, startling all the customers inside.

Zhao Tianming was doing accounts behind the counter when he heard the commotion. He frowned and thought to himself, "Who's the fool causing trouble?" He looked up and saw that it was Lu Qian.

Seeing that Lu Qian's arrival was ill-intentioned, Zhao Tianming still managed a smile and said, "Oh, isn't this Uncle Lu Qian? What brings you here today?"

Lu Qian glanced coldly at Zhao Tianming, then cleared his throat, tilted his head back, and said to Zhao Tianming with his nostrils flared, "Are you the manager of this restaurant?"

Zhao Tianming smiled ingratiatingly and said, "That's right, that's right, Uncle Lu, what brings you here?"

Lu Qian snorted, slammed the manuscript in his hand on the table, and said, "Hmph, someone reported that there are problems with your restaurant, so I'm here today to investigate!"

Zhao Tianming's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface: "Uncle Lu, you must be joking. My restaurant has always been a law-abiding business. What problems could there be?"

Lu Qian glanced at him sideways and said, "Whether there's a problem or not isn't up to you to decide! Come on, brothers, let's search properly!"

The group of people behind him wandered around the restaurant like headless flies, knocking over tables and chairs. A fat man accidentally bumped into a pillar, clutching his head and yelling, "Ouch, that hurts so much!"

Another skinny guy slipped on a piece of watermelon rind, fell flat on his face, and his manuscript flew everywhere.

Looking at the scene, Zhao Tianming was both annoyed and amused: "Uncle Lu, are you searching the house or demolishing it?"

Lu Qian was a little embarrassed and yelled, "You all better watch out!"

Just then, a short man ran out of the kitchen, holding a bone in his hand. He said while gnawing on it, "Boss, there's nothing else in the kitchen, but this bone smells pretty good."

Enraged, Lu Qian kicked him: "All you do is eat! Get back to work!"

Zhao Tianming couldn't help but laugh: "Uncle Lu, what kind of people have you brought along?"

Lu Qian, enraged and embarrassed, retorted: "What are you laughing at! Just wait until I find out the problem, you'll be sorry!"

Just then, a man with a pockmarked face came downstairs, holding a woman's undergarment in his hand, and stammered, "Boss... I... I found this."

Lu Qian's face turned green when he saw it: "You idiot, this was left behind by a guest, put it back right now!"

The customers in the restaurant burst into laughter at the sight.

Zhao Tianming said, "Uncle Lu, I think you're just here to cause trouble. Tell me, what exactly did I do wrong?"

Lu Qian's eyes darted around: "Hmph, some people say the food at your restaurant isn't clean, and that eating it gives you diarrhea!"

Zhao Tianming was both amused and exasperated: "Uncle Lu, you can't wrong me like this. All the dishes in our restaurant are fresh and clean. Why don't you try them?"

Lu Qian waved his hand: "Don't give me that. I'm going to find something wrong with you today!"

Li Kui finally understood the implication. His eyes widened in anger, and he grabbed his axe, saying to Lu Qian, "Are you going to find something wrong with me today? Looks like you're here to deliberately cause trouble?"

Lu Qian'er was startled by Li Kui's imposing manner, but she still tried to remain calm. She glared at Li Kui and said, "You black-haired bastard, what's wrong with carrying an axe? Do you want to attack an official of the imperial court? Let me tell you, if you dare to hurt a single hair on my head, you'll spend the rest of your life in jail!"

Seeing this, Zhao Tianming feared that Li Kui's fiery temper might cause trouble, and getting him out of jail again wouldn't be so easy. So he quickly said to him, "Brother Li Kui, step aside for now, I'll take care of things!"

Li Kui gritted his teeth and said fiercely to Lu Qian'er, "You'd better not cause trouble. We are all law-abiding citizens!"

Hearing this, Lu Qian felt a little intimidated, but remembering the benefits Wang Zhiqiang had given him, he forced himself to say, "Obey the law? Hmph, I doubt it! Today I'm going to thoroughly investigate whether there's anything wrong with your restaurant!"

Enraged, Li Kui gripped his axe tightly and was about to charge forward again when Zhao Tianming quickly pulled him back, saying, "Li Kui, don't be impulsive. We're in the right, so we're not afraid to argue our way out."

Seeing that Li Kui had been restrained, Lu Qian became even more arrogant and shouted to the group behind him, "Search carefully, don't miss a single spot!"

The group ransacked the restaurant, overturning tables and chairs, and the customers fled in terror. Li Kui watched from the side, panting heavily with anger.

Zhao Tianming walked up to Lu Qian and said, "Lu Qian, we have no past grudges or present enmity, why are you pressing me so hard?"

Lu Qian sneered, "Enough with the nonsense. Wait until I find the evidence, and you'll all be in for a beating!"

Just then, a regular customer in the restaurant stepped forward and said, "Lu Qian, don't go too far! This restaurant has always run its business honestly, and we are all witnesses to that!"

Lu Qian glanced at the old customer and said, "Who do you think you are? Mind your own business!"

The regular customers retorted, "Everyone, please be the judge! Lu Qian is clearly deliberately making things difficult for us!"

Seeing this scene, with the patrons all speaking up for Zhao Tianming, Lu Qian was furious. But he forced himself to remain calm, cleared his throat, and said to them, "You must have received bribes from Zhao Tianming to stand up for him! Humph, don't think I don't know your little schemes!"

The other drinkers were outraged. One of them, a chubby man, shouted, "Lu Qian, don't make false accusations! We just can't stand your bullying attitude!"

Another tall, thin patron chimed in, "Exactly! You think everyone's as greedy as you, arbitrarily framing innocent people!"

Lu Qian's face turned red and white as he was being talked to, and he shouted loudly, "Zhao Tianming, let me tell you, you've committed a serious crime of inciting a crowd to cause trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Lu Yuhou, it was you who came to my restaurant. I didn't lead any people to besiege the government office, nor did I attack any officials appointed by the court. I'm just doing business honestly. It's you who brought this bunch of scoundrels to cause trouble here. Where did this accusation of 'gathering a crowd to cause trouble' come from? I can't bear that charge."

Lu Qian's eyes widened as he pointed at Zhao Tianming and said, "You, you still dare to argue! Look at this chaotic scene, what is it if not a mob rioting?"

Zhao Tianming spread his hands and said helplessly, "Lord Lu, the source of this chaos is not me. It was you who led your men to ransack my restaurant, causing chaos and disorder. You ruined my perfectly good business, and I haven't even settled accounts with you yet!"

At this moment, one of the drinkers said sarcastically, "Lord Lu, are you blind? Can't you tell who's causing trouble?"

The people around burst into laughter.

Lu Qian stomped his feet in anger and said, "You, you bunch of troublemakers!"

Zhao Tianming said with a smile, "Lord Lu, please don't be angry. It's not good for your health to get angry. Why don't you sit down first, and I'll bring you a pot of good wine to calm you down?"

Lu Qian flicked his sleeve and said, "Don't give me that! Today I'm going to find something on you!"

Zhao Tianming crossed his arms and said, "Then take your time looking. Don't tire yourself out."

Lu Qian wandered around the restaurant but found nothing. Instead, he accidentally bumped into a pillar, yelping in pain.

The patrons laughed even louder, and someone said, "Lord Lu, are you putting on a juggling act?"

Lu Qian blushed from the laughter, which elicited another round of uproarious laughter. He was now completely speechless and didn't know how to end the situation.

Lu Qian and his group thoroughly inspected the kitchen and the entire restaurant, hoping to find something wrong, but the result greatly disappointed him.

In the kitchen, the ingredients were all categorized and arranged. Vegetables were neatly stacked in baskets, meats hung on hooks in an orderly fashion, and various seasonings were placed on shelves in an organized manner. Moreover, the entire kitchen was very tidy, the knives were polished to a shine, the stove was spotless, and even the corners of the walls were free of dirt.

Undeterred, Lu Qian carefully inspected the restaurant again, going upstairs and downstairs. The tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the floor was so clean you could see your reflection in it. As he looked around, he muttered to himself, "Zhao Tianming is really a meticulous person; he's managed to keep this restaurant so clean and tidy."

Unable to find any fault with Zhao Tianming's hygiene, Lu Qian's expression grew increasingly grim. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly remembered another task Wang Zhiqiang had entrusted to him. He took out a prepared document, waved it in front of Zhao Tianming, and then asked sarcastically, "Zhao Tianming, I'm asking you, do you have a fishing permit issued by the government?"

Zhao Tianming shook his head and said, "Lord Lu, the fish in my restaurant are all bought from legitimate fishmongers, and they should have fishing permits."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qian's eyes lit up immediately, like a hungry wolf spotting its prey. He said smugly, "Hmph, that's just sophistry! Without an official fishing permit, it's illegal fishing! Today I've finally caught you red-handed!"

Zhao Tianming frowned and explained, "Lord Lu, I have always operated in accordance with the law. I really didn't know there were such rules. When I bought the fish, the fishmonger didn't mention this to me."

Lu Qian refused to listen and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! The evidence is conclusive, what else do you have to say?"

At this moment, Li Kui, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, saying, "Lu Qian, don't bully others by taking advantage of your power! Manager Zhao has always been an honest businessman; you're clearly making things difficult for him on purpose!"

Lu Qian glared at Li Kui and said, "You have no right to speak here! Zhao Tianming, you can't escape this time!"

Zhao Tianming took a deep breath and said, "Lord Lu, please investigate thoroughly. I am willing to cooperate with the investigation, but if you are deliberately framing me, I will not let it go."

Lu Qian sneered: "Frame-up? You'll be punished soon!"

The other people in the restaurant also gathered around, all expressing their indignation on Zhao Tianming's behalf.

"Lu Qian, you can't bully people like this!"

"Manager Zhao has always been an honest man; you can't wrong him!"

Lu Qian felt a little guilty after being talked about by everyone, but he still pretended to be calm, holding the proclamation and putting on an arrogant look.

Lu Qian pointed arrogantly at Zhao Tianming and said, "Zhao Tianming, you have three days to provide proof of the legal source of your fresh vegetables. If you dare to disobey, your restaurant will be shut down!" His fierce eyes seemed to want to devour Zhao Tianming alive.

Zhao Tianming's expression was solemn, but he still stood up straight and replied, "Lord Lu, I will find a way, but I ask that you handle this fairly."

Lu Qian sneered, "Hmph, fairness? In my eyes, I'm the one who calls the shots!" After saying that, he swaggered towards the restaurant entrance with his men.

As he reached the door, Lu Qian turned back and warned Zhao Tianming fiercely, "You just wait, this isn't over. I'll have more tricks up my sleeve to show you what happens when you go against me!" Then he strode away.