Chapter 777 - 779: Rumor
Chapter 777: Chapter 779: Rumor
In the past, he had been full of ambition, thinking that once his business grew large and successful, he would offer Governor Liang a hefty sum to buy the storefront outright. After all, that was exactly what he had done with his other restaurants.
He just hadn’t expected Mrs. Gu, a mere woman, to have the audacity and capability to elevate a restaurant to such heights.
Old Sir Wu still wanted to persuade his son to walk away. "Now is not the time to dwell on the past. Since we can still cut our losses in time, let’s pull out quickly.
"The rest of the family has been complaining lately. You should consider your old man’s feelings as well.
"Since you’re busy at the restaurant all day, they naturally come to me with their grievances. Just listen to me this once."
Old Sir Wu’s tone had grown quite stern towards the end. Wu Kun knew this was his father’s absolute bottom line. Nodding with difficulty, he said, "I’ll have someone handle it later."
"To be honest, I’d say this is entirely your problem." Seeing his son agree, Old Sir Wu felt inclined to say a few more words. "Don’t you find it strange? It’s the exact same area, yet every single shop Mrs. Gu opens becomes a booming success, while Governor Liang’s side fails.
"It’s not just your Tianle Restaurant. The few shops Lady Liang opened are also seeing dismal business. If you ask me, the feng shui on this side is simply terrible.
"You leased the storefront too early back then. If you had held off a bit, things might have turned out entirely different."
"Perhaps feng shui has some impact," Wu Kun replied, "but the real issue is simply that my skills are inferior.
"Mrs. Gu’s restaurant management style is highly innovative. It’s just a pity that I can’t study under her."
Old Sir Wu said, "Everyone has their own path to success. Didn’t our ancestors build everything from scratch, step by step?
"Don’t be too discouraged. You’re still young, after all. There’s nothing pressing at home right now, so go and sort out the matters at hand."
Wu Kun fell silent.
Jin Qianqian found it all rather baffling. She had no idea when the rumors had started, but people were claiming that she had occupied a feng shui treasure trove in the East City, which explained why every business she touched thrived.
Today, she had merely attended a baby shower, yet she had been subjected to an earful of sour remarks.
"I’ve already sent someone to investigate," Gu Wenheng said, holding her hand as they strolled through the courtyard to digest their meal. As for their two children, they had long since run off to play.
"We definitely need to find out who is spreading these rumors," Jin Qianqian said with a hint of worry, fearing someone might use this as an excuse to stir up trouble. "We were the ones who marked out that land first. Now the other noble estates will think we had ulterior motives."
"Let them talk. A clear conscience fears no false accusations. We’ll first find out where the rumors originated." Gu Wenheng gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Besides, when we marked out that plot of land, we never hired a feng shui master to survey it. Anyone with a clear head can tell the difference."
"I’m just afraid we won’t be able to wake up those who are pretending to be asleep." Sometimes, human nature was just that complicated.
"I’ve already sent men out to handle it," Gu Wenheng said. "Let’s wait and see how things unfold."
"Wait," Jin Qianqian said, her curiosity piqued. "You sent people out to control public opinion?"
"Aren’t these just the tired old PR tricks from the modern world? If someone released such a rumor, they definitely have an ulterior motive. They wouldn’t do this for no reason.
"Until we find the main culprit, all we can do is try our best to suppress it.
"I’ve had my men mingle with the crowds. As long as someone brings up the topic, my people will join the conversation."
Jin Qianqian gave him a thumbs up. "Then I need to tell my subordinates to investigate faster. We must find the culprit as soon as possible. We can’t just swallow this loss for nothing."
`「At the East Market of Yongchang County.」`
A group of people sat under a tea awning, sipping tea and chatting about the recent gossip.
Needless to say, the topic of the East City was currently the center of attention.
"Have you all heard? Mr. Gu marked out all the feng shui treasure troves in the East City under his own name. I used to think he was a good official, but it turns out he’s cut from the same corrupt cloth as the rest."
"I thought it was a bit strange," another person agreed. "They’re all newly built streets in the East City, so why is it that only Mrs. Gu’s shops are doing so well? So this is the reason! They’re far too greedy.
"I heard that after they claimed the best land, they sold the remaining, inferior plots to the officials of the various estates. Isn’t that just scamming his own colleagues?"
"People are inherently selfish. How could they possibly think of others?" a third man sneered. "Only fools like you would believe there are any good people among government officials."
"You can’t say that. Hasn’t Mr. Gu done real, practical things for the people of our Yi Province?" a fourth man retorted. "Shouldn’t you show a little gratitude before discussing these unconfirmed, baseless rumors?
"Besides, if there really was a so-called feng shui treasure trove in the East City, it wouldn’t have been left deserted for so long."
"Exactly," someone else echoed. "If you ask me, some people are just jealous of their booming business and deliberately spreading rumors.
"Think about it. As an Imperial Merchant, Mrs. Gu naturally has a knack for business. It’s one thing for these people to fall short in comparison, but resorting to such underhanded tricks to smear someone is just low."
"Now that you mention it, that makes a lot of sense," the second man admitted. "Before Mr. Gu arrived, the East City was nothing but barren hills and wastelands. Moreover, I’ve been to a few of her shops. Whenever customers walk in, the waiters always greet them with a smile. It’s a much more pleasant experience than at other stores.
"To be honest, sometimes I’m willing to go out of my way to buy the same item there, just because the waiters will chat with you when they’re not busy. Their attitude is fantastic."
"Exactly! I went to Tianfu Restaurant for a meal the other day and found a dish that perfectly suited my elderly parents’ tastes," another patron shared. "I went to the kitchen to ask about it, and they didn’t hide a thing. They wrote down the whole recipe for me!
"At the time, I curiously asked the steward if they weren’t afraid of losing business by giving away recipes. Who knew he’d just dismiss the concern, saying they didn’t rely on just one dish as their signature anyway.
"Besides, he said, anyone who could afford to eat at a restaurant wasn’t lacking Silver Taels. They were just looking for a change of scenery and a change of taste to fill their bellies.
"Just listen to how pleasant that sounds! If this were any other shop, they would’ve chased me out with a broom!"
"Now that you put it that way, it really is true..."
The two men who had steered the conversation back on track exchanged a knowing smile. They sat there calmly, sipping their tea and occasionally tossing in a few more remarks.
In other places across the city, the exact same scene was playing out. In less than a day’s time, the tone of the rumors had drastically shifted.
For the next several days, all of Yongchang County was buzzing with discussions about the immense changes Yi Province had undergone since Mr. Gu’s arrival.
In the past, the city residents hadn’t really noticed it, but when they actually sat down and talked about it, they realized that many people had benefited.
A truly good official had finally arrived. Perhaps Yi Province would undergo earth-shattering changes in the future, no longer relegated to being just a poverty-stricken region.
Jin Qianqian hadn’t expected the winds of public opinion to shift so quickly. At the same time, her people had discovered that the rumors had actually originated from Governor Liang’s camp.
"Since when did Lady Liang become so brainless?" Jin Qianqian’s first reaction was sheer disbelief. Having known her for nearly a year, Jin Qianqian knew that no matter how much Lady Liang disliked her, she still had to be mindful of the relationship between Governor Liang and Gu Wenheng.