Chapter 6: Soft Persuasion and Hard Pressure

On the second floor, there is a small hall where a middle-aged man in a black shirt, in his forties, is wearing a distressed expression, looking haggard. Beside him, a woman in her thirties is quietly sobbing.

The two burly men were skeptical, but seeing Xue Poyue exuding confidence, they hesitated a bit.

Upon hearing these words, the man in the black shirt, Boss Song, relaxed his tense expression, sat down softly, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and said lightly: "Shao Ji Rice Shop? I remember, it seems I owe you forty taels of silver."

"What are you doing, you brat?" Before getting close to the main gate, two burly men approached aggressively, shouting: "No business is conducted here, hurry up and leave!"

Next to the counter is the staircase. The two individuals slowly ascend, but upon reaching the halfway point, they hear sighs and moans coming from above, along with the sorrowful cries of a woman.

Xue Poya and Xiao Pinshi walked past the counter, yet the attendant remained completely oblivious, still snoring loudly, with a lewd smile on his face, seemingly lost in some dream.

Xue Poyue smiled faintly, not taking it to heart, and calmly said: "I know that this boss owes everyone money, so I came to resolve this matter for everyone."

The first-floor lobby is exceedingly spacious. There are more than ten tables arranged, and the tables and chairs appear new, indicating they have not been used for long. In the eastern corner, there is a counter where a clerk is sleeping with his head down, and his snoring is quite robust.

No need to think any further! Boss Song's face turned slightly pale as he suddenly stood up and directly issued an eviction order to the two: "If you have no other matters, it would be best for you to leave!"

"Please take a seat, both of you!" At this moment, Boss Song felt quite helpless. Although he still harbored doubts about Xue Poye, his attitude had improved significantly: "Madam, please bring the tea!"

The two individuals hurriedly arrived in front of the restaurant, only to find that the signboard had already been taken down, leaving the hanging place empty and rather unsightly

However, this area is indeed somewhat remote; although there is a wide, flat road in front of the tavern, there are few pedestrians.

Xue Poyue chuckled and said, "You two brothers need not worry, just let me in. With so many of you here, are you afraid I could take him away? I will have a word with the boss inside, and it will naturally benefit you. You are surrounding him, but he cannot conjure up any silver. However, if I go in, I might just be able to produce some silver."

Boss Song was already drenched in sweat, looking listless

Boss Song's body went limp, and he slumped down again

"See the boss?" The tall man frowned and said, "Brother, there is nothing urgent. I advise you not to meet him; it would be better for you to leave early. That rascal has accumulated a mountain of debt, and everyone is waiting for their money. If it comes to that, we may have to force him to face the authorities."

Xue Poya followed the direction of his finger and saw not far away a tall restaurant standing proudly. It had three stories and appeared quite imposing. Xue Poya thought to himself: "My goodness, a restaurant like this, if it were in my time, would probably cost several million."

Boss Song also sighed deeply and shook his head, saying: "I spent all my savings to lease this restaurant, intending to make it my livelihood, but I never expected things would turn out this way." He looked around, revealing a sense of nostalgia.

Oh? The two burly men found it somewhat strange and scrutinized Xue Poye carefully. He appeared to be an ordinary person, seemingly without much money to speak of. How could he resolve the matter? The shorter of the two men expressed some disbelief and probed, "Resolve? How do you intend to resolve it? Do you have any money?"

Before approaching, I could see from a distance the towering Goose Pagoda, a multi-storied pagoda with a total of eight levels. Each level is intricately stacked, complemented by the protruding corridors. The pagoda stands majestically amidst the lush green trees, exuding an air of dignity and solemnity

Two burly men exchanged a glance, and finally gestured with their lips, indicating for them to enter

Xue Poya touched his nose, a strange smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and sighed: "Indeed, this is a good building, the place is also quiet, I have truly found a treasure"

As far as I know, although Boss Song has only been running this restaurant for half a year, he has incurred considerable losses. Preliminary estimates suggest that he owes approximately four to five hundred taels of silver, which is a significant amount. " Xue Poye seemed quite interested in his own palm, gently stroking it while not looking at Boss Song but rather at his palm: " The silver you initially invested was merely for acquiring the premises. Subsequently, the costs for tables and chairs, decoration, utensils, as well as the wages for the staff and the taxes to the government, all of these combined are enough to consume a pot of your resources.

Boss Song's face turned pale, clearly frightened by Xue Poyue's words, sweating profusely, and involuntarily asked: "What should I do?"

Xue Poya smiled while touching his nose: "I didn't come here to drink, I would like to go in and meet the boss"

Xue Poyue and Xiao Pinshi sat down at the table and got straight to the point: "Is Boss Song selling this restaurant?"

Xue Poya cast a sidelong glance, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and continued: "Nowadays, you can be considered to be on the brink of ruin. Those fellows outside, which one of them is not eyeing you like a tiger watching its prey? Once their deadline arrives, those people will come charging in like wolves, crazily tearing your tavern to shreds"

The man in black trembled, startled to the point of losing his composure. He had not expected someone to suddenly approach. Upon seeing that it was Xue Poyue and another person, he finally stood up and, with caution, asked: "Who are you? Which shop do you belong to? I have already said that I have no money on me right now; even if you beat me, I cannot produce any."

The room is quiet, with stairs at the back, made of nanmu wood, sturdy and reliable

The two men were momentarily taken aback, noticing that Xue Poyue was quite polite, and their voices lowered. The tall, burly man said: "Brother, this tavern is closed for business. If you wish to drink, please go elsewhere."

Boss Song! Xiao Pingshi had previously delivered rice and knew the boss's name, so he called out: "My elder brother has come to see you!"

Xue Poya smiled and said, "Boss Song, please do not misunderstand. We are not here to collect a debt from you; we are here to repay a debt on your behalf."

The two individuals were clearly immersed in their distress, and Xue Poyue and Xiao Pinshi approached without either of them noticing.

This place is indeed sparsely populated, with only a few people scattered about, which is in stark contrast to the bustling noise of the city.

Boss Song, I assure you that I come here this time with no ill intentions, nor would I dare to mock you. I genuinely wish to help you alleviate your troubles!" Xue Poye put away his smile and said seriously, "I heard that in two days, if you cannot repay the money, those creditors will come to smash your shop and take your belongings. Wouldn't it be a pity to see such a magnificent restaurant destroyed in an instant?

The next day, after breakfast, Xue Poyue left ten taels of silver for Yue Zhu, instructing her to buy a few new clothes for the children. Then, under the guidance of Xiao Pinshi, they headed to the south of the city

Xue Poyue chuckled lightly and said, "What should we do? It's simple. Just leave all these troubles to me, and I will bear them for you"

Xiao Pingshi stepped forward and said: "I am a clerk from Shao Ji Rice Shop, and this is my elder brother. He has a plan, so please let us in quickly"

When the woman saw someone approaching, she had already withdrawn.

Boss Song was taken aback, looked at Xue Poyue, and frowned, saying: "What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that you will pay off my debts?" With a bitter smile, he added: "Are you here to mock me?" Xue Poyue, unfazed, glanced around and sighed: "Such a fine restaurant, suddenly closing down, what a pity!" He seemed genuinely saddened as he shook his head.

The large restaurant appeared quite desolate, despite the presence of many people moving around it. Whenever someone approached, others would come up aggressively, scaring them away; they were clearly debt collectors.

Xue Poyue was in no hurry, touched his nose, and calmly said: "Boss Song, you should think about this before speaking."

Xiao Pingshi stepped forward and chuckled, "I am a clerk from Shao Ji Rice Shop. I used to deliver rice to you frequently. Have you forgotten?"

"Selling the tavern?" Boss Song was somewhat taken aback, his expression slightly unpleasant: "Are you here this time with the intention of taking over this tavern?"

Xue Poya nodded and smiled at the two men, clasping his fists together: "Thank you for your hard work, brothers!"

Xue Poyue remained calm and said lightly, "Boss Song, I find it a bit strange. There are quite a few people gathered outside; what are they all doing?"

Elder brother, look, that is the restaurant!" Xiao Pingshi pointed into the distance and said, "Those debt collectors haven't left yet.

Xiao Pingshi whispered: "These are the guards hired by the creditors, fearing that the restaurant owner might run away"

The two individuals became vigilant, and the others scattered around also took notice of the commotion here

Xue Poya knew that the owner of the tavern was feeling down. Upon reaching the staircase, he saw that the second floor was comprised of individual private rooms, a total of eight, all elegantly decorated. At the foot of the stairs, several plates of flowers and plants were arranged, creating a refreshing atmosphere.

Xue Poya clasped his fists and was the first to enter the tavern

Xue Poyue nodded and said, "That is exactly what I mean."

"Not for sale!" Boss Song flatly refused