Chapter 173: Making Trouble
Xiao Han had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of all the textbooks from his high school years; his brain could conjure up the entirety of any given subject. His brain, akin to a computer with unlimited capacity, had recorded all the content and everything else. Therefore, facing the college entrance exam should have been effortless for Xiao Han.
Even if he couldn't achieve a perfect score, he was definitely able to secure a high one. Of course, it all depended on Xiao Han's mood.
Every day, Xiao Han took his lesson preparation very seriously, as he needed to teach students from Hanmen.
The last half month leading up to the college entrance exam was arguably the most stressful. Classes at Hanmen started at nine in the morning and went until ten, then resumed from two-thirty until five-thirty in the afternoon. Six hours of lessons each day covered a multitude of content, and the time was quite tight.
Xiao Han, along with Li Yunpeng, had long since devised a study plan, covering content from freshman to senior year. By revisiting all the subjects in the form of practice questions and focusing on each student's weaknesses—emphasizing these aspects in teaching, with repeated testing and questioning—they aimed to leave a lasting impression on the students.
In the final half-month push, Xiao Han lost about five pounds. He was busy until late every day, and it was only then he realized that being a teacher wasn't easy at all. It required not only daily lesson preparation but also constant attention to the students' emotional states, knowledge of their weak points, and an understanding of where they had deficiencies.
Moreover, he had to address these weaknesses in his teaching to achieve any improvement in them.
The students with scores over four hundred had a solid foundation. They just needed to enhance their basic knowledge and receive targeted explanations to understand more.
Xiao Han alone was responsible for three classes, totaling one hundred and seventy students, which was incredibly stressful and exhausting, making the task seem daunting.
"Xiao Han, you have your own college entrance exams coming up; you need to take care of yourself and rest," Li Yunpeng, having noticed the gradual weight loss and as if Xiao Han had been through a serious illness, said with concern.
"I'm fine!" Xiao Han assured, his spirits still high despite the weight loss. He smiled and said, "Three days before the exams, when everyone is off, I'll be able to rest a bit. Besides, doesn't teaching them also reinforce my own knowledge?"
"But you're wearing yourself out. If you fall sick, that would be troublesome," insisted Li Yunpeng, sounding worried.
"Don't worry, I know my own body," Xiao Han replied with a smile.
Xiao Han was physically strong; having practiced martial arts for several years with an old man at the factory, his physical and mental health had greatly improved. The old man had taught him the Art of Breathing Technique, and when lying in bed in the deep silence of the night, Xiao Han could cast off the day's fatigue quite quickly through breath control.
Years of consistent practice made him feel stronger and more robust than ever before.
Although he hadn't maintained a regular physical training routine or practiced specific moves, after his awakening, Xiao Han remembered every move with crystal clarity. When it came to fighting, he had no problem handling five or six ordinary people on his own.
It was precisely thanks to this spell of the Breathing Technique that Xiao Han's body remained in such good condition and he remained so healthy. For years, he hadn't been sick, not even a minor cold. Whenever flu season hit, and many classmates came down with it, he was always in perfect health. He had even forgotten what it felt like to be sick.
"Alright then," Li Yunpeng said, shaking his head reluctantly. "Recently, a few of us old guys have really been worn out. We've never had to work this intensely before."
"Elder Mr. Li, you all need to rest well!" Xiao Han said with a smile: "Don't wear yourselves out."
"How can we dare to rest when you, the boss, are not?" Li Yunpeng joked.
"Haha..." Xiao Han laughed in response: "Don't say that. I'm not your boss; I'm the junior here. It's only right for a junior to respect his elders, isn't it?"
"That's true, but we are receiving your salary!" Li Yunpeng said with a smile, then continued, "In a sense, that makes us your employees. As the saying goes, 'He who takes the king's coin is the king's man.' We have our principles too!"
"Alright then, Elder Mr. Li, make sure you take some time to rest!" Xiao Han instructed.
"Hmm!" Li Yunpeng nodded.
After finishing a day's work, Xiao Han was indeed exhausted and just wanted to get home and rest.
But no sooner had he prepared to leave than the phone rang.
"Xiao Han, something's gone wrong!" Yang Lu said urgently over the phone.
"What happened?" Xiao Han asked quickly.
"At Hanmen Catering, some people are causing trouble!" Yang Lu nodded and said, "You better come over quickly!"
"What exactly is the problem?" While walking, Xiao Han asked for details.
"They're saying someone got food poisoning." Yang Lu's voice was filled with panic, "Their family has brought a crowd to make a scene, and they've surrounded Store No. 1. What do we do now?"
"Don't panic, listen to me," Xiao Han instructed urgently: "You call the police right now, get the poisoned person to the hospital, and calm down the family members. Investigate the cause of the poisoning immediately!"
"I've done that," Yang Lu reported shakily, "The poisoned person has been taken to the hospital, the police have made a record, and Liu Xiaolei has been taken away. The family members are still not yielding and are making a scene at the entrance, demanding compensation."
"Okay, I'm on my way!" Xiao Han ended the call in a rush.
At the entrance of Hanmen Catering, there seemed to be about fifty or sixty people blocking the entrance, allowing no one to enter, only to leave. This had completely affected Hanmen Catering's business. When Xiao Han arrived at the scene, it was still chaotic. Li Dapang led a few male employees in argument with the other side but took a beating.
Li Dapang had been about to gather some people to fight back but was stopped by Yang Lu.
Had they really started fighting, the situation could have turned uncontrollable. Yang Lu had no choice but to call Xiao Han for help.
"How's it going?" Xiao Han hurried around the back of the house and squeezed in, then came out through the front door.
"Xiao Han, you finally made it!" Yang Lu was desperate, pulling on Xiao Han's arm and speaking in panic, "They... they're making an outlandish demand, saying we should compensate them with one million or else Hanmen Catering's doors will remain closed."
"This is an outlandish demand indeed." Xiao Han's face changed dramatically upon hearing this.
"Damn it, they're asking for it!" Li Dapang cursed angrily, "Freaking hell, Xiao Han, let me round up some people and take them on."
"Hold on!" Xiao Han quickly shook his head, saying, "Right now, we need to figure out the reason. If I remember correctly, all our vegetables are sourced from nearby farms, and all our ingredients are without issue. Why the poisoning?"
"Are you saying... they did it on purpose?" Yang Lu had an epiphany.
Initially panicked, she always thought something was wrong with her restaurant. Hence, she was terrified at that moment, but now it occurred to her that perhaps the other party was deliberately picking a fight.
"Yes, check the surveillance first!" Xiao Han quickly instructed.
"Right!" Yang Lu immediately stabilized her emotions and nodded hurriedly, "I'll check the surveillance right away. We must find evidence that they're slandering us!"
"Yeah!" Xiao Han nodded.
"Damn it, if I find out they did this deliberately, I'll not let them off the hook!" Li Dapang grumbled, annoyingly gritting his teeth around a cigarette. His neck flushed red as he gripped a kitchen knife, presenting a formidable stance as if one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.
Many employees were stunned and chefs in the kitchen had ceased cooking, while the waitstaff huddled up. Only a few male employees and Li Dapang stood by the door. Some minor scuffles had occurred not long ago, sustaining minor disadvantages, but overall it remained relatively peaceful.
It wasn't long before Yang Lu rushed out, breathless, "Xiao Han, there's definitely something wrong."
"What is it?" Xiao Han asked curiously. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
"Before foaming at the mouth, the person who was poisoned went to the restroom. Once he returned, he started foaming!" Yang Lu quickly explained.
"The restroom?" Xiao Han was taken aback and immediately rushed inside.
The restroom was spotlessly clean. Xiao Han searched stall by stall.
"What are you looking for?" Li Dapang hurried in after him.
"Looking for evidence!" Xiao Han responded with a cold laugh, "They can't have covered their tracks completely."
"You can find it?" Li Dapang said, puzzled.
"We'll see," Xiao Han replied.
In the corner of the last stall, there was a water bottle. Though the bottle was empty, what was puzzling was the white foam clinging to the sides of the bottle. Xiao Han's face lit up with delight, "This is it."
Just as Li Dapang was about to reach for it, Xiao Han stopped him.
"Don't touch it!" Xiao Han quickly held him back. Wrapping the bottle with a paper towel, he gently unscrewed it and sniffed. Xiao Han was nearly certain, "Call the police immediately, say we've found evidence!"
"Yes!" Upon hearing this, Li Dapang hastened to make the call.
Soon after, police officers from the local station arrived at the scene.
The leader was a middle-aged man, the deputy head of the police station, named Huo Jianguo, a senior police officer. Huo Jianguo asked, "What's the matter?"
"We've found evidence!" Xiao Han spoke urgently, "This is the soapy water they drank on purpose to create the false impression of foaming at the mouth. The person wasn't poisoned at all!"
"What!" The 'relative' of the accused paled upon hearing this, "Damn it, we've sent the person to the hospital, and you still say there's no poisoning."
"Heh, don't panic, we have surveillance footage," Xiao Han said with a cold laugh.
"Damn, whether you have surveillance footage or not, you must compensate us today!" The leader's face darkened.
At this moment, Li Dapang furrowed his brows and said, "Strange, why do I feel like I know this guy from somewhere."