allonlinenovel Chapter 418 Gathering at Mingcui Tower
Chapter 418 Gathering at Mingcui Tower
Lin Xiaotang understood Uncle Huo's doubts. She smiled and said, "I wasn't born into a wealthy family. When I was a child, my family was dirt poor. I started doing business when I was six or seven years old. At first, I did simple things and earned little. Gradually, I accumulated capital and expanded the business."
Huo Qi then understood, thinking to himself that it was no wonder that the business had grown so big. The young girl was calm and composed in the face of adversity, showing no trace of the spoiled young lady's temperament.
Life on the mountain was tough, but she found joy in the hardship and never complained. She even led everyone to pick mushrooms and dig for wild vegetables, and occasionally she could dig up some valuable medicinal herbs to sell in town.
She handed over all the money from the sale to her elder brother without complaint.
How could such a calm, resourceful, and courageous young girl be content to be confined to one place?
Her future is sure to be limitless!
Lin Xiaotang couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Huo Qi standing there dumbfounded.
“Uncle Huo, you don’t need to be too surprised. My parents are from the countryside. They are honest and easy to get along with. You and my father met them a few months ago. Just treat this place as a mountain and don’t be shy. Once we’ve settled in, we’ll find someone to inquire about your mother’s grave.”
Huo Qi nodded in agreement, handed the carriage to the waiter at the entrance of the restaurant, and asked the waiter to park the carriage properly before the two of them entered the restaurant.
Lin Qingchuan had just sent a letter to his fourth brother in Dushui County, summoning him to the capital to do business. When he turned around, he saw his daughter enter the restaurant. He thought he was just seeing things because he missed his eldest daughter so much.
He rubbed his eyes hard, and when he saw his daughter standing alive and well in front of him, the grown man's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Xiao Tang, it really is you! When did you come back? Why didn't you tell your father beforehand so he could come up the mountain to pick you up?"
He couldn't resist reaching out to hug his daughter, but then he felt that she was not young anymore, and although they were father and daughter, it was still inappropriate, so he restrained himself and lowered his arms.
“Father, it was a sudden decision. Uncle Huo had some business to attend to in the capital, and we were going the same way, so we came back together.”
Lin Qingchuan looked Huo Qi up and down before suddenly remembering that he had seen this refined and cultured young man on the mountain before.
Because of his scholarly demeanor and lack of any banditry, he couldn't help but glance at him a few more times that day.
This restaurant is bustling with people from all walks of life every day. It's inevitable that there will be some risks involved when a daughter brings back bandits from the mountains.
He frowned, feeling uneasy. He pulled his daughter aside and whispered, "When you and he entered the capital together, did you encounter any trouble being checked by the soldiers at the city gates?"
It went smoothly naturally. He had already asked Uncle Xue to get Huo Qi a new identity and travel permit. How could it not go smoothly?
But it's best not to tell Dad about this, lest he find out and worry about it.
"Father, the journey to the capital was smooth, so don't worry. Our restaurant is located in a bustling area and is always full of customers. No one will notice him."
Lin Qingchuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, his expression softening considerably. He instructed the waiter to arrange a superior guest room for Huo Qi, and as for Xiao Tang, he suggested that she share a room with Xiao Yu, since the two sisters hadn't seen each other for several months and would surely have a lot to talk about.
Huo Qi followed the waiter up to the fourth floor. He looked around at himself in the luxurious restaurant, feeling as if he were in a dream.
He grew up in poverty and lived with his mother for many years. He had never been to a restaurant before. His family's house was dilapidated and even leaked when it rained. During his years studying at the academy, although many of his classmates shared a room, it was still the best place he lived. The magnificent restaurant in front of him was something he never dared to dream of.
The guests who came to the restaurant were all dressed in the finest clothes, and they all looked wealthy and noble.
The fact that Xiaotang's family can open such a large restaurant shows their extraordinary capabilities.
The eldest brother has a good eye; he actually kidnapped a golden phoenix who knows how to do business and brought her up the mountain. At first, she convinced the eldest brother to lead everyone to plant medicinal herbs, but no one believed in her abilities. Now, he is completely convinced.
Perhaps, Xiao Tang really can change everyone's fate, so that they don't have to be bandits or fugitives hiding in the shadows, afraid to see the light of day.
After following the waiter into the guest room, the waiter politely asked Huo Qi if he needed hot water. Huo Qi thought that the two of them had come all this way and should indeed wash up properly, so he asked the waiter to arrange it.
Looking at the fully equipped guest room, which was so much better than the conditions on the mountain, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Thanks to the little girl, I am fortunate to be able to stay in such a nice room in my lifetime. It is truly a rare opportunity."
He stood in the clinic, gazing at the scenery outside the window, his aloof and refined demeanor suggesting a detachment from the world.
Lin Xiaotang went to the backyard to meet her mother, Liu Shi, who hugged her and cried her eyes out.
"Xiao Tang, you've suffered. If it weren't for your parents and Xiao Yu Zi Heng, you wouldn't have been kidnapped. Have they made things difficult for you these past few days?"
She smiled and wiped away Liu's tears. "Mother, Father went to the mountain to see me, and I'm doing well there. Because I'm teaching them how to grow medicinal herbs, they treat me very politely. The bandit leader trusts me a lot, which is why he sent me back to the capital to see you, Father and Mother."
Liu thought her daughter had stayed in the capital after returning, but she realized something was wrong after hearing the rest and immediately asked anxiously.
"Xiao Tang, what do you mean by that? They want you to come back to see your parents, and then you have to go back to the mountain?"
My daughter has finally come back, how can she go back to the mountain? When will this ever end?
Now that Xiaotang is about to pass the imperial examination, she can find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage. If people in the capital knew that the daughter of the owner of Mingcui Tower had been staying in a bandit's den for some time, not only would she be talked about, but who would dare to arrange a marriage for her daughter?
Although Xiaotang is exceptionally capable and has a natural talent for business, she is still a young woman and will eventually have to get married.
She looked worried, glanced around, and whispered, "Xiao Tang, you absolutely must not go back to that bandit's den. Now that you've returned safely, as long as you don't go back, they definitely can't do anything to you."
"The capital is not like the county; the city gates are heavily guarded. Most of them are fugitives, they definitely won't be able to get in. Your parents will definitely protect you from now on."
As she descended the mountain, she swore an oath to Scarface that she would return. She couldn't break her promise; Scarface trusted her and had already made changes to the people on the mountain based on her advice. The medicinal herbs were almost ready for harvest, and she couldn't abandon them or give up halfway.
She patiently comforted Liu, saying, "Mother, Father must have told you about my situation on the mountain when he came back. These past few months, I've been picking mushrooms and digging for medicinal herbs with those people. They hunt and catch fish, and we've been taking care of the medicinal herb fields together. It's been a very easy and carefree time."
Don't worry, they treat me very well. Those bad-behaved bandits have long been tied up and handed over to the government. The rest are people who can abandon evil and do good.
Since they have high hopes for me, and I intend to lead them to wealth, I can't give up halfway. Mother, don't you think this is a very fulfilling thing?
"It's perfect that Dad and Manager Su opened this restaurant together. Business is booming now. I'll come back in a while to help develop new dishes."
Mrs. Liu strongly disagreed, but she couldn't go against her daughter's stubbornness, so she could only stay angry and ignore it.