Chapter 48.

Chapter 48.

Head Constable Liang led Xiao Yu and Chef Yu away.

Zhang Wu quickly returned to the kitchen to find out what dishes Chefs Xu and Wang could prepare, then explained to each table about the signature dishes that were unavailable today.

Guests who came specifically for the signature dishes hesitated upon hearing this and chose to leave.

"Uncle Zhang, why are they leaving?" Minghe asked, puzzled.

"They haven’t eaten yet!" Danzi observed as the guests gradually left.

"Right, they haven’t eaten. Why are they leaving?" Yu Tongtong echoed.

Following Xiao Yu's instructions, Zhang Wu explained, "Your Uncle and Grandpa are busy. Chefs Xu and Wang can't make the signature dishes, so the guests can't have them right now and decided to leave."

"Then, then we won’t earn any small money," Minghe frowned.

"When your Uncle returns, we'll earn again," Zhang Wu reassured.

"Right, Uncle is incredibly amazing!" Danzi expressed his unwavering confidence in his uncle.

Yu Tongtong nodded in agreement.

Minghe's frown smoothed out.

Zhang Wu breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that the three children didn’t start a fuss.

Watching this from the staircase, Lu Ming whispered, "So the constables were here for Boss Xiao and them."

Pei Yan Li nodded.

Lu Ming suddenly touched his chin curiously, "This Boss Xiao doesn’t seem like someone who would violate the Dajing business laws. Do you think someone might be framing him? I'm telling you, some businessmen are really wicked."

"Mind your own business," Pei Yan Li said as he started walking, "Let's go."

"Where to?" Lu Ming asked.

"Across the street."

Lu Ming looked up and saw the Shuiqing Inn, "You mean that Shuiqing Inn?"

"Yes."

Lu Ming immediately protested, "That place isn't comfortable at all. I, Lu Er Gongzi, am used to more delicate accommodations. Yan Li, let's change to a different inn. I'll pay."

"You don’t have to go."

"That would be quite inappropriate."

The two walked off, one after the other.

Back at the restaurant, Zhang Wu was still busy. When the restaurant closed at noon, he planned to take Yu Tongtong home.

Yu Tongtong disagreed.

Minghe and Danzi were also unwilling to leave.

Zhang Wu, not good at communicating with children, couldn't persuade them. He came up with an idea, "Chef Yu might already be home."

"Then why hasn't Uncle returned yet?" Danzi smartly retorted.

Caught off guard, Zhang Wu explained, "Your Uncle's cooking and Chef Yu's are different. So Chef Yu might have gone home already, or maybe not. Let's go and see."

Minghe asked, "How do you know?"

"It's a guess. Let's go and check," Zhang Wu suggested.

The curiosity of the three children was piqued.

Zhang Wu then successfully led the three children back to the Yu family home.

Naturally, Chef Yu had not returned.

The children looked disappointed.

Granny Yu inquired about the reason for their visit.

Knowing Granny Yu's health wasn't great and that she was older than Chef Yu by seven years, and with no other family around, Zhang Wu worried the truth might upset her. So he told her that Chef Yu and Xiao Yu were working on a new dish and might return late or might not return at all.

Granny Yu believed him, saying, "He always loved cooking!"

"How else could he become a great chef?" Zhang Wu added.

Granny Yu humbly responded, "What great chef, he's just muddling through."

"You're too modest. Well, Granny, I'll leave you to it. I must go," said Zhang Wu, anxious about Xiao Yu and Chef Yu, and quickly left with Minghe and Danzi back to Little River Restaurant.

Steward Liao had already prepared the ingredients needed for dinner.

As the sun began to set and there was still no sign of Xiao Yu and Chef Yu, Zhang Wu realized they must have encountered trouble. He told Steward Liao, "Steward Liao, please look after Minghe and Danzi for a bit. I need to step out."

Steward Liao readily agreed, "Sure, go ahead."

Zhang Wu hurried out of the restaurant and ran all the way to the Jin residence, showing the token at the door and asking to see Lady Jin.

"Lady Jin is not in Qingshi Town," the doorman said.

Zhang Wu was startled, "Not here? What about Young Master Jin?"

"They're all not here. They went boating yesterday for an outing."

"When will they return?" Zhang Wu asked.

The doorman replied, "I'm just the gatekeeper; how would I know the master's business?"

Zhang Wu was suddenly at a loss, wondering why no one was at the Jin residence at such a crucial time. He then asked, "Is there anyone else at the residence?"

The doorman replied, "The steward is here, but he can't handle matters concerning Lady Jin." In other words, even with the token, finding the steward wouldn't solve anything.

Zhang Wu left the Jin residence with heavy steps, feeling dejected. Then it struck him - Song Sanwu!

Right!

He could try finding Song Sanwu!

Rushing to the Zhongyi Escort Agency, he learned that Song Sanwu had already gone home. Zhang Wu hurried to Song Sanwu's house, where he didn't find Song Sanwu but saw Mother Yue comforting Minghe and Danzi. Surprised, he called out, "Minghe, Danzi, what are you doing here?"

Minghe and Danzi looked over with red eyes.

"What happened?" Zhang Wu asked.

"Uncle Zhang, my uncle was taken away," Minghe said.

"He's been put in jail," Danzi added.

Shocked, Zhang Wu exclaimed, "Who said that?"

"It was just the restaurant guests gossiping. The two kids overheard and believed it, which is why they were crying so much," Mother Yue explained. She had also heard that Head Constable Liang had taken Xiao Yu and Chef Yu. Worried sick, she hurried to Little River Restaurant, only to see Minghe and Danzi crying and running outside. She hugged them, asked Steward Liao for details, and, not knowing what else to do, brought the children back to her house for care, anxiously asking, "How are Xiao Yu and Chef Yu?"

"I don't know. I can't get into the county yamen. Lord Yuan is away, and Lady Jin's family isn't in Qingshi Town, so I came to see if Brother Sanwu could help," Zhang Wu replied, out of options.

"Sanwu has just taken my mother home; he should be back soon."

"I'm back!" As if on cue, Song Sanwu's voice rang out.

Without waiting for Song Sanwu to greet, Zhang Wu rapidly recounted the events.

Shocked, Song Sanwu asked, "When did this happen?"

"Around lunchtime."

"Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

"Xiao Yu told me to seek out Lady Jin in the evening, but who knew..." Zhang Wu regretted not acting sooner.

"Don't worry, I'll go to the county yamen right now to check the situation." Although Song Sanwu was just an escort, his straightforward and righteous nature meant he knew many people and could inquire at the county yamen.

"Thank you so much, Brother Sanwu," Zhang Wu said gratefully.

"We're brothers, no need for formalities," Song Sanwu replied.

Mother Yue directly said, "You'd better bring back Xiao Yu and Chef Yu."

"That might be difficult," Song Sanwu responded.

"Why is that?"

"Didn't I tell you before? Our Qingshi Town’s County Magistrate Shi managed the town so well that he was promoted and transferred last year. The current Deputy Magistrate Fu is new here, and we don't know much about him or how he's connected to Manager Yao..." Song Sanwu looked at Mother Yue, "I'll try my best."

"Alright, go quickly and come back soon. We'll wait for you at home."

Song Sanwu nodded and turned to leave the house.

Mother Yue comforted the two children, "Don’t worry, Uncle Sanwu is going to check on your Uncle."

"And Grandpa Yu too," Minghe added.

"Right," Mother Yue nodded.

"Then let's go back and wait," Zhang Wu didn't want to impose on Mother Yue.

Mother Yue didn’t mind, "Just wait here."

"What about Ya Ya?"

"Ya Ya is sleeping. When she wakes up, I'll hold her. You don’t need to worry about Minghe and Danzi. If you're busy, go ahead. The kids can stay here; they're quite close to me," Mother Yue offered, knowing Zhang Wu might struggle to look after the children.

Zhang Wu also felt the children were better off with Mother Yue, "Minghe, Danzi, you wait here. Uncle Zhang will go and take care of the restaurant and then come back."

The two children nodded.

Zhang Wu left.

Mother Yue led the two children inside the house.

The children were reluctant to enter.

At that moment, Ya Ya's cries came from the bedroom. Mother Yue hurriedly said, "Minghe, Danzi, stay here while Auntie goes to pick up the baby. Don’t run off anywhere."

"Okay!" the two children responded in unison.

Mother Yue hurried into the bedroom.

Minghe and Danzi leaned against the door frame, looking forlornly in the direction Song Sanwu had left, witnessing the sunset nearing the horizon. The dimming surroundings evoked a sense of desolation and abandonment.

Minghe pursed his lips tightly.

Soon, Danzi's head drooped, his little fingers fiddling with the buttons on his cotton jacket as tears started to roll down his cheeks.

"Brother, are you crying?" Minghe turned towards Danzi upon hearing the sound.

"Brother, I miss Uncle," Danzi sobbed uncontrollably.

Minghe wrapped his arms around Danzi. Although they were the same age, he knew he was the 'big brother' and thus felt a greater sense of responsibility. He consoled, "Don't cry, brother. Uncle Sanwu has gone to find Uncle. Uncle will be back soon."

"But Uncle is in jail. There are rats in jail, and they might bite Uncle. It must hurt," Danzi's worries grew.

"No, Uncle isn't in jail. Uncle and Chef Yu are arguing with the magistrate. They'll win soon and come back," Minghe comforted his brother, albeit uncertainly.

"Will Uncle really come back?"

"Definitely. Don't cry, or Uncle will be sad too when he sees us. Uncle loves us very much."

Danzi was reassured by Minghe's words, "Then I won't cry."

"Yes, no more crying," Minghe gently wiped away Danzi's tears with his chubby hands.

Mother Yue came out holding Ya Ya and saw this scene. Since becoming a mother, she found it increasingly hard to see children so mature yet so heartbroken. She took a moment to compose herself before approaching, "Exactly, don’t cry. Your Uncle will be back soon."

Minghe and Danzi felt somewhat comforted hearing an adult say this.

Mother Yue handed some snacks to the children, "It's almost time for dinner. Have some of these to tide you over."

"Isn't Ya Ya eating?" Danzi asked.

"Ya Ya is still too young for these. You two go ahead and eat," Mother Yue replied.

The two children ate the snacks, which helped stabilize their emotions.

But as night fell, Song Sanwu still hadn't returned.

Zhang Wu, extremely worried about Xiao Yu, arranged everything at the restaurant and came back to wait.

After two quarters of an hour, there was still no sign of anyone.

Even Mother Yue became anxious and stepped out of the house with the children to wait at the entrance of the alley.

Zhang Wu and the two children followed.

They paced back and forth, eventually standing at the entrance of the Little River Breakfast Shop.

Finally, Song Sanwu appeared.

"Uncle Sanwu!" Minghe and Danzi called out together.

Song Sanwu walked over quickly.

Mother Yue looked behind Song Sanwu, "Where are Xiao Yu and Chef Yu?"

Song Sanwu shook his head.

"Did you see them?" Mother Yue asked again.

Song Sanwu still shook his head, "No."

"Then what did you go there for?" Mother Yue raised her voice.

"Brother Sanwu, what exactly happened?" Zhang Wu asked urgently.

"This matter seems difficult to handle," Song Sanwu furrowed his brows deeply.

"What do you mean? Can you just explain everything at once? You're making us anxious," Mother Yue, usually gentle, was more impatient than Song Sanwu.

Song Sanwu explained, "I spoke with Deputy Magistrate Fu. He said Manager Yao accused Chef Yu of violating his contract with Moonwatch Restaurant by working at Little River Restaurant, and Xiao Yu for maliciously employing him. Hence, both are accused of violating the Dajing business laws."

"Have they been convicted?" Mother Yue inquired.

"Not yet, it's under investigation."

"This is strange. First, if it's an accusation, both Xiao Yu and Chef Yu could hire lawyers to defend themselves. Second, if it’s about a contract, there should be clear terms. Why haven't they been convicted? Third, if there's no conviction and it's under investigation, why can't you see Xiao Yu and Chef Yu? Fourth, why can't they return if nothing's been settled? Everything is suspicious," Mother Yue analyzed calmly.

"Hmm, Deputy Magistrate Fu and Manager Yao might have... some collusion," Song Sanwu whispered.

Mother Yue was taken aback.

Zhang Wu understood, "You mean they're doing this on purpose?"

Mother Yue muttered, "Moonwatch Restaurant can't compete with Little River Restaurant, so Manager Yao wants to bully people. Knowing Xiao Yu has no family and Chef Yu is an ordinary person, they deliberately detained them to see the reaction. If there's no backlash, they’ll proceed with their plans to take down Little River Restaurant and exploit Xiao Yu and Chef Yu, right?"

Song Sanwu nodded.

Mother Yue couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, what kind of people are running our county—"

Song Sanwu quickly covered her mouth, "You can't talk recklessly."

Mother Yue swiftly removed Song Sanwu's hand, "Don’t your escort agency have wide connections? Ask them for help. I don't believe these villains can do whatever they want!"

Song Sanwu nodded, "I'll go right now," and left immediately.

Zhang Wu, overwhelmed, looked at Mother Yue, "Sister-in-law, is this really...?"

He didn’t finish his sentence, and Mother Yue was also visibly angry.

Minghe and Danzi vaguely understood some of it but also seemed confused.

Suddenly, Minghe started running forward: “I’m going to the county yamen to find Uncle.”

“Minghe!” Zhang Wu quickly grabbed Minghe.

Danzi stood still, then noticed a very bright light out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a tall man coming out of the Little River Restaurant, bathed in the same kind of light as Uncle.

Grandma had said that those with light are good people, protectors, helpers.

He immediately ran towards the man, grabbed the hem of his coat, looked up with his chubby face, his eyes red, “Big brother, my Uncle hasn’t come home for a long time. Can you help me, please? Can you bring my Uncle back home?”