Chapter 349 Zhang Xingchang was blackmailed
On the other side of the elementary school, the dilapidated Taoist temple would open its gates at six in the morning as usual. An old Taoist priest in a whitened Taoist robe would walk slowly to the kitchen with a cane to make a simple breakfast, and then stroll back to his room.

They lived in a small cement room with two simple wooden beds, an old cabinet and a table - that was all they had.

The old Taoist priest walked tremblingly to another small bed, pushed the person who was still sleeping on the bed, and asked him to get up and have breakfast.

In the past, he could wake up the person with just a gentle push, but today, no matter how he called, he couldn't wake up. His wrinkled face was abnormally pale.

The old Taoist priest was stunned for a few seconds before he understood what was going on. Looking at the man on the bed with a smile that seemed to be a bit relieved, he also smiled, "It seems that you have completed what you wanted to do. Have a safe journey, old friend."

The old Taoist priest walked out of the Taoist temple slowly with his crutches to look for people around to help deal with his old friend's funeral.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the old Taoist priest looked up in the direction of the elementary school, watching the sun slowly rising from there. The sun's rays were dazzling, and he murmured, "The sun is so bright today, it's a pity that the old friend can't see it."

……

Yang Fan and his team returned in the afternoon. Before leaving, Fu Cancan secretly found Zhang Xingchang and Feng Lan and asked them about her doubts.

"Uncle, aunt, what's wrong with our restaurant? Why haven't so many people come to eat here recently?"

Her uncle's cooking skills are so good. When she came here before, she saw many people in the restaurant. Why are there so few people coming to eat in the past two days?

Zhang Xingchang looked at her, sighed, and sat on a stool beside him. "Cancan, this is a long story."

Fu Cancan: "Then please keep it short."

Zhang Xingchang: “…”

"Let me tell you something," Feng Lan couldn't stand it any longer and said bluntly, "Your uncle was blackmailed before."

"Being blackmailed?"

"Ah."

Zhang Xingchang's restaurant business has always been pretty good because he has good cooking skills and is a warm, kind and honest person, and he has many regular customers.

Until four or five months ago, an old customer who lived on another street and often came to the store to eat, a man in his sixties, fell down on the road.

At that time, Zhang Xingchang was just coming back from picking up a parcel. When he saw the old man, he kindly helped him and sent him to the hospital.

As a result, the old man turned black into white and said that it was Zhang Xingchang who pushed him down and demanded compensation from him.

Zhang Xingchang cried out that he was wronged. He was just trying to help someone with good intentions, so why was he being blackmailed?

But the old man insisted that he was the one who pushed the car. No one was around at the time and there was no surveillance. The old man's daughter and son came to the restaurant every day to make trouble, and the case was taken to court. In the end, he was ordered to pay 20,000 yuan in compensation.

Not only did Zhang Xingchang suffer a loss for helping someone out of kindness, but the old man also spread rumors about him everywhere. The county was so small, and the old man was usually seen as a good person by everyone, so naturally they believed what he said.

Moreover, not long after the accident, the old man's son opened a small restaurant on another street. The dishes were similar to his and the taste was similar.

Those who wanted to eat went to the old man's son's house, and few people came to eat at Zhang Xingchang's place.

What made the couple most angry was that the old man's son used to be a kitchen helper in their restaurant and learned the skills from them.

He turns around and harms others. He has absolutely no conscience!
If the shop wasn't their own and they didn't have to pay rent, the couple would have closed it long ago and found another way out.

Feng Lan was so angry that she cursed, "The Xia family is full of rotten people. I curse them to give birth to children without anus, and the children they give birth to will be mentally retarded!"

"Uncle, why didn't you tell us about such a big thing?" Fu Cancan was angry and sad.

They had no idea that such a big thing had happened. If they had known, they would never let that family bully them like that.

Zhang Xingchang scratched the back of his head and said, "Your parents are very busy too. There's no need to talk about such a small matter and make you all upset." They are all ordinary farmers with no power or influence at home. How can they fight against those scoundrels?

Saying it out loud would do nothing but make them anxious, and he knew his sister was having a hard time, so he didn't want to cause them any more trouble.

Fu Cancan knew what he was thinking, and the more he thought about it, the angrier and sadder she felt.

Her grandparents had four children in total, two sons and two daughters, but the eldest son died of illness shortly after he was born. Her mother was the second child, her uncle was the third child, and she also had an aunt.

"Do my grandparents and aunt know about this?"

After the New Year, her grandparents were taken to Hainan by her aunt and are no longer here.

"No, your grandparents are old and I don't want them to worry too much."

Zhang Xingchang said: "Don't tell them. If they knew, they would definitely fly back from Hainan."

"I didn't even tell your brother and sister about this."

He was referring to their two children, both of whom were working away from home, and he didn't want them to know about these things.

When Fu Yonghui and his wife came back to their hometown for the last Dragon Boat Festival, the store had little business.

In order to prevent them from noticing anything wrong, Zhang Xingchang and his wife did not entertain them in the restaurant. Instead, they closed the shop and went back to their hometown to play.

At that time, Aunt Zhang complained that he didn't open the store to do business during his prime years, which delayed his ability to make money.

Zhang Xingchang replied to her with a smile, saying that he was old and needed to rest.

Fu Cancan: "If my mother knew you were hiding this from her, she would definitely be even angrier."

He didn't even say a word when such a big thing happened. It's like he doesn't treat them as family.

"I think we should say it," Feng Lan looked at Zhang Xingchang angrily and helplessly, "but your uncle won't let us. He feels embarrassed."

They say they don't want to worry their family, but it's more about men's damn self-esteem and face.

When Fu Cancan's aunt was not married yet, Zhang Xingchang was considered the best-off among the three siblings. He had a house and a car in the county and ran a small restaurant that did pretty good business. His two children were also very hardworking and were admitted to good universities and had good jobs.

Later, Fu Cancan's aunt got married, and she married into a wealthy family because her family members were doing well, so she would not embarrass herself in front of her in-laws.

Now that his family has suddenly become like this, Zhang Xingchang can't accept it and doesn't want anyone to know.

Feng Lan has lived with him for most of her life, so how could she not know what he was thinking? He said it was some kind of sympathy, but it was more that he didn't want others to see him in such a state, for the sake of that damn face.

Zhang Xingchang was embarrassed when the truth was revealed. He said stubbornly, "It's nothing. We are old now and it's time for us to take a break. If the restaurant can't be run, then it can't be run. We can rent out the store and go home to collect rent while lying down."

Anyway, his family is not that short of money.

Fu Cancan was also a little helpless. Her uncle was very proactive when it came to other people's affairs, just like helping her to scold the scumbag's family, but when it came to his own affairs, he was only willing to take responsibility himself.

"Your son and daughter are not married yet," Feng Lan scolded him, "If you don't open a shop to make money, I wonder how you will get the money to pay for your son's betrothal gift and your daughter's dowry in the future!"

“I can make money even if I don’t own a restaurant!”

Zhang Xingchang still insisted, "Cancan, you have to help your uncle keep this secret and not tell anyone else."

"Sorry, we all heard it." Yang Fan's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

(End of this chapter)