Chapter 248 No Work Without Reward
Chapter 248 No Work Without Reward
"Uncle Village Chief, as you can see, the fire came too suddenly." Zhao Lanhua suddenly raised her arm and wiped the corners of her eyes. Her tone became even more aggrieved. "Two days ago, Eldest Brother returned to the county city to work on the pastry shop. Second Brother accompanied his wife back to the Yue family… If my father hadn't suddenly asked Dashan and me to accompany him yesterday, we might have… Boohoo…"
"Don't be afraid, Lanhua!" Shen Dashan's heart ached when he saw his wife crying from fear. He quickly grabbed her hand and comforted her gently, "Although I don't know which bastard set our home on fire, our family is blessed!"
"As long as our family is safe, the house can be built again."
"Yes!" Zhao Lanhua nodded vigorously and raised her hand to wipe her tears. "Fortunately, the Earth God protected our family!"
Shen Menghu, who was sitting on the rattan chair, frowned slightly when he saw the couple echoing each other.
Could he have seen wrongly just now?
Dashan's wife wasn't overly calm, but rather, she was scared silly?
"Cough, cough." Shen Menghu coughed lightly. "The courtyard won't be able to be repaired in a short period of time. Have you two thought of a place to go?"
"Village Chief, I want to go back to my father's house for a period of time." Zhao Lanhua sighed softly, her voice filled with disappointment. "I believe you've heard about what happened to my father, right?"
After all, good things don't go out and bad things spread for thousands of miles. Tian Xiu'e's matter should be known by everyone in the surrounding villages.
Now, the villagers of Tian Family Village looked at Tian Guangsheng with sympathy and pity.
They even looked down on him.
Zhao Lanhua was worried that her father would let his imagination run wild, so she wanted to take this opportunity to stay in Tian Family Village for a few more days.
"That's fine." Shen Menghu nodded. "The Tian Family Village isn't too far from Shanghe Village, but this isn't a long-term plan. Dashan, didn't you want to expand the courtyard before the new year? Now that more than half of this house has been burned down, why don't you find some craftsmen to start working in the near future?"
"After all, it will be the spring plow in a few days. At that time, it will be even harder to find craftsmen."
"Uncle Huzi, you're right." Shen Dashan nodded silently in agreement. "After Master Jiang completes the construction of the Earth Temple, I'll pick a date for them to start work."
"Okay." Shen Menghu nodded and instructed in a deep voice, "The two of you wait for me for a while."
Shen Menghu walked out of his central room with his walking stick. A moment later, he returned.
"Uncle Huzi, what are you doing?" Shen Dashan looked at the heavy pouch that he had stuffed into his hands. His gaze was very blank.
"Such a big fire probably burned a lot of things." Shen Menghu sighed faintly. "Previously, it was all thanks to your Ah Tao who helped me rent out the discontinued oil extraction workshop. I made a small profit. Therefore, these ten taels of silver can be considered a personal token of my appreciation."
"How can I do that?" Shen Dashan quickly shook his head and refused. He said in a serious tone, "Uncle Huzi, I can't accept this silver!"
"I've already said that this is a small token of my appreciation!" Shen Menghu glared at him angrily. "I don't know how much money it will cost to build such a huge house according to your original plan! Moreover, the fire is really big. I'm afraid you two won't be able to keep your capital, right?"
"Lanhua, she…"
"Thank you, Uncle Village Chief!" Zhao Lanhua hurriedly interrupted Shen Dashan and said, "However, my third son once said that you shouldn't receive a reward without doing anything! However, since you said that this silver is a small token of your appreciation, we won't decline. However, I have a request."
Zhao Lanhua calmed herself down and said with a smile, "Dashan borrowed this silver from me, so we have to write you an IOU. After our courtyard is built, we must return this silver! If you agree to my suggestion, I'll put this money away now."
"Of course, if you don't agree, we can't accept this silver."
Shen Menghu did not expect her request to be this. For a moment, he could not think of a way to refuse.
"Dashan." Shen Menghu suddenly turned around and looked at Shen Dashan. He smiled lovingly. "Your Lanhua is still as eloquent as ever!"
In the end, the three of them laughed.
At the end of the day, Shen Yao had already accompanied Ji Zhao to the county city.
Hongxing Restaurant.
Second Shopkeeper You, who was fiddling with his abacus, heard a familiar voice. He hurriedly looked up and smiled brightly. "Ah Tao? Shen Yao? Why are you here? Quick, please come upstairs!"
Fifteen minutes later.
Second Manager You slammed the table angrily. "This group of vicious people is simply lawless. How dare they set fire and commit murder?"
"Second Brother You, calm down first." Shen Yao hurriedly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Second Manager You. "Fortunately, only some things were burned, the people are all fine."
"That's right!" Second Manager You could not help but sigh. "Fortunately, your family is fine. It's really fortunate!"
"Second Brother You, we actually came to look for you for two things." After eating two pastries in a row, Ji Zhao felt less nervous. "Firstly, I want to reopen the fried snack shop and add the clay pot rice to the menu. Secondly, I hope you can help us."
"Ah Tao, just tell me!" Second Manager You quickly patted his chest and said, "As long as it's something I can help with, I'll definitely help!"
"I want to ask if anyone has bought a lot of kerosene recently?" Ji Zhao lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "Second Brother You, you have a wide network. Can I trouble you to help me find out?"
"…Okay." Second Manager You instantly understood Ji Zhao's intentions and immediately nodded. "Ah Tao, don't worry. I'll definitely think of a way to find out."
"By the way, why don't the two of you stay in the restaurant?" Second Manager You quickly suggested.
Ji Zhao subconsciously looked at Shen Yao beside him. Shen Yao nodded slightly at her.
In the end, the two of them decided to stay in the restaurant for a while.
"Ah Tao, you don't look too good." Second Manager You looked at Ji Zhao and said with concern, "Why don't you and Shen Yao go back to the guest room to rest first? For lunch today, I'll get the waiter to send it to your room?"
"Yesterday, you must have been quite frightened, right?"
"Yes." Ji Zhao forced a smile. "That soaring fire was really scary. Fortunately, it was a close call."
"That's why I said that you're a lucky girl, Ah Tao!" Second Manager You stroked his mustache and said with a smile.
Half an hour later, Shen Yao brought over a basin of hot water. He wrung out the handkerchief and handed it to Ji Zhao, who was sitting in front of the window in a daze. "Ah Tao, wipe your face?"
"Thank you." After washing her face, Ji Zhao felt much more awake.
"Why don't you come and have some noodles?"
Shen Yao gently brushed away the hair on her forehead and caressed her cheek as he spoke softly.