Chapter 40: Save The Boys 1
After we left the Lu family home, Mo Ying immediately took hold of my hand. "Lin Xu... I have a plan, and if she does it right it just might work out."
He said as I immediately felt this sudden relief in my heart. "What’s the plan? Can we really save the boys?"
"Yes... but it will have to be tomorrow. We have to be very careful so nothing happens to them. I’m sure the Bai Chief just has sent someone to keep an eye on all of us, so I want us to be careful with our words from now; do not let them be suspicious."
Later that night,
Fuhan returned, but by the time he came, Lin Xu was already asleep.
She didn’t sleep easily; Mo Ying had to stay with her until she finally closed her eyes and slept.
Quietly slipping out of the room, he immediately went to meet Fuhan. "Did you find them?"
"Yes, Young Master... you were right; following the old woman was the right choice. I know where they are. But they are being guarded by a bunch of gangsters. I couldn’t fight them by myself!"
Mo Ying had earlier instructed Fuhan to follow and keep an eye on Aunt Lu, and when it became dark, she had left her home and carried food to give the boys, thereby revealing where they were.
"It’s all right. I don’t just want to save the boys... I want to ruin the entire Bai family. I want them to think twice before ever laying hands on my family or any other villager at all."
"Quickly head back and get the ’Dous.’ I’ll handle the rest," Mo Ying instructed, and Fuhan nodded and left immediately.
The next morning came, and Lin Xu did as Aunt Lu had instructed. Yan Mei came very early to help her.
Carefully mixing the ingredients, it took less than two hours for the food to be ready, and Aunt Lu came along with her son to see if she really made it.
"Good... why weren’t you this obedient when you were living with me? You wouldn’t have been in this position if you had just stayed in your place."
"Are you done talking rubbish, or are you still going to keep wasting my time!" Lin Xu said; her presence completely irritated her.
"Hmph!" Frowning, she turned around to leave. "Make sure you get it all done... don’t you dare try to act smart. I have eyes and ears everywhere, Lin Xu. I’ll make sure your boys never get a glimpse of you ever again."
With that, she left, and Lin Xu just sighed. "Mo Ying... I’m done now. Should I go deliver it to Chief Yun?"
"Hmm." Mo Ying nodded. "Let me help you load it into the wagon."
He said as they both then carried the meat and placed it in the wagon, making their way straight to the Yun restaurant.
Upon arriving, Mo Ying could already spot that some people were watching them closely in the restaurant.
"Ah! You, Miss Lin, you and your husband are here. Quite early... here is your pay," the head servant in charge handed Lin Xu the pouch of money, but her mind was only focused on the food as they carried it away.
"Goodbye, see you tomorrow," the servant said as he then turned around and left.
"Lin Xu, let’s go. If we keep standing, they will suspect something," Mo Ying said as he took hold of Lin Xu’s hand and led her out.
"Will it really work, Mo Ying? What if they don’t comply with us?" she was scared.
"The Yun family won’t be the second richest if they weren’t smart... just have hope. Even if they don’t cooperate, I’ll still get Mo Yuen and Mo Bao out of their captors... I promise you."
He said as he stared at her, his eyes lingering longer than usual.
"You better keep your promise," Lin Xu said as she then turned and left.
Back in the Yun restaurant,
After the big pot of soup was taken into the kitchen the servants and cooks got ready to serve it, but upon opening it they were shocked to find a bottle inside the pot of braised meat.
"Huh... what is this doing in here?" some cooks said as they immediately rushed to call the head servant.
Yoon entered, took hold of the bottle, opened it, and to his surprise he saw a better written in it; it was for his Chief.
Immediately leaving the kitchen, he went straight to Chief Yun’s study and delivered the letter to him.
"Master, we found this letter in the food Miss Lin had delivered today; it seemed to be for you." "Huh? For me?"
Chief Yun was taken aback as he then opened the letter and, to his surprise, he read.
"Dear Chief Yun, I apologize for the way this letter was delivered, but I had to warn you as discreetly as I could of the immediate threat."
Lin Xu wrote in the letter all that had currently conspired with the Bai family and her—how Aunt Lu was helping the Bai Chief and how her sons were now in their hands.
Seeing all this, Chief Yun felt bad for her and followed her instructions immediately.
"You, serve the dish... even though customers complain, let them be. Try to compensate them later, but make sure rumors of the bad braised meat reach all around the village."
"What?" the head servant was taken aback, but he immediately nodded and did as instructed.
In less than a day, the whole village heard the news. Words began to spread so fast; everyone was aware of the bad meal served by the Yun family, and soon it even reached the ears of the Bai Chief and Aunt Lu.
Inside a private room, Chief Bai was seated as Aunt Lu sat in front of him.
"How is everything going?" he asked.
"Don’t worry, everything is going just as planned... Lin Xu listened, and now the Yun restaurant is losing customers and sales as we speak."
"Muahahaha... I’m sure that old geezer didn’t see that coming. He thought he could be better than my family. This is just the beginning; I’ll ruin his entire restaurant."
He said as Aunt Lu smiled satisfied. "Tonight I’ll be sure to get the other thing from Lin Xu. She will inform you where she gets her meat from, and also she will deliver her braised meat recipe... she won’t be able to cook for the Yun family ever again."
"Good, good... once she delivers it then our deal is over... as for those two children of hers, you can decide what to do with them... I don’t care."
He said as Aunt Lu smiled, standing up as she bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help, Chief Bai. I will take my leave now."
She said as she turned around and made her way out.
..
That night, when the moon had just risen, Aunt Lu came quietly to Lin Xu’s house. She wasn’t alone—her son and three strong men followed closely behind. Their footsteps echoed in the still night as they stopped in front of the small wooden gate.
Aunt Lu knocked hard. Bang! Bang! "Lin Xu, come out! I need to speak with you."
Inside, Lin Xu froze. She had been tidying up after dinner, and Yan Mei was still there helping her. The sudden knocking made her heart race. Yan Mei frowned, whispering, "She brought people with her. This doesn’t feel right."
Lin Xu opened the door slowly. Aunt Lu stood there with a sharp smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Lin Xu," she said coldly, "hand me your braised meat recipe, and tell me where you buy your meat. Do this, and everything will be fine."
Her son stepped forward, his voice rough. "Stop wasting time, old woman. Give us the recipe before things turn ugly; don’t forget your sons are in my custody... one wrong move and they will both perish, and there’s nothing you would be able to do by then."
Yan Mei quickly moved in front of Lin Xu, blocking them. Her voice trembled, but she stood firm. "This is wrong, Aunt Lu! You’re forcing her. Recipes are not stolen in the middle of the night. What you’re doing is shameful."
Aunt Lu’s smile vanished. Her eyes narrowed. "Shameful? Don’t preach to me, Yan Mei. Do you know who I serve? The Bai Chief himself! If Lin Xu refuses me, her two sons will never see the light of day again."
At those words, Lin Xu’s body shook. Her hands clenched into fists. "If you dare harm my children, Aunt Lu," she said, voice breaking but strong, "I will fight you with everything I have!" Lin Xu was ready to give her the beating of her life.
The men behind Aunt Lu stepped forward threateningly, but before they could act, a calm voice cut through the night.
"That’s enough."
It was Mo Ying.