Chapter 101: Making Arrangements

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiulan immediately felt that her son's career had already brought improvements to her life.

At least in the past, her sister Liu Xiulian would never have called to share such news.

“Ah, sister, where are you going with this? Our two families are really one family. What wouldn’t I do to help you all?” Liu Xiulan, a woman who cherished family ties, spoke sincerely.

She still held deep respect for her elder sister.

“Sister, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease,” Liu Xiulian replied.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Liu Xiulian continued, “Xiulan, to be honest, I have an unusual favor to ask you.”

“See if you can help get my nephew a position...”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiulan nodded. “Go ahead, what is it?”

Liu Xiulian explained, “Xiulan, it’s like this— I have a distant nephew, he’s twenty-two. He wants to work around here and asked me to help arrange something for him.”

“I thought and thought but couldn’t find a suitable role, and then I thought of you.”

“Your son just opened a restaurant recently, right? I want to get my nephew a job there.”

Hearing this, Liu Xiulan nodded again. “That’s simple. Whether the restaurant has one more or one less person doesn’t really matter.”

“So, what kind of work does he want to do?”

Liu Xiulian chuckled softly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “Well... this kid is proud and ambitious. He’s unwilling to do ordinary work, which is probably why he’s unemployed now.”

“Could you arrange for him to be a front-of-house manager? You know, the kind who manages the staff.”

“If it works out, I’ll definitely give you a big red envelope as a thank-you.”

At these words, Liu Xiulan’s expression changed sharply.

Front-of-house manager?

Starting off aiming for a managerial position? Even as a rural woman, she sensed something was not quite right.

After all, she didn’t know the young man’s capabilities or character. Putting him straight into a managerial role could easily cause trouble.

Liu Xiulan hesitated to immediately agree and said, “Sister, hold on a moment. I’ll ask my son and see if it’s possible.”

“To be honest, I can’t decide on this myself.”

“All right, sister, please talk it over with your son. After all, as his mother, he’ll listen to you,” Liu Xiulian said.

“Well then, I’m counting on you.”

After saying this, Liu Xiulian hung up.

Watching the phone beep the disconnection tone, Liu Xiulan’s gaze dimmed inexplicably for a moment.

“Oh, my dear elder sister, aren’t you making things difficult for me? If you had just asked me to have him help in the kitchen or work as a waiter, I probably would have helped.”

“But wanting him to be a manager right away—what’s that about?”

After speaking, Liu Xiulan felt deeply troubled.

Yet, her second sister was always the decisive authority at home. Not only her younger sisters but even the eldest sister and Lu Hao’s grandmother dared not easily oppose her.

One, because she was quite capable; two, because she had a strong personality and was quick to anger.

Moreover, she was petty and held grudges, always keeping mental accounts to settle later. How could Liu Xiulan dare offend her?

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Lu Hao walked in, looking at his mother with concern.

“Son, there’s something... I’m not sure if I should tell you. Your second aunt called,” Liu Xiulan said, her eyes showing worry.

“Second aunt called? What does it have to do with me?” Lu Hao asked.

“Well... the gist is...” Liu Xiulan briefly explained Liu Xiulian’s request.

Immediately, Lu Hao gave a helpless smile. “Mom, you really should tell second aunt that the restaurant has just been taken over, and things aren’t going well yet.”

“There’s no manager position available right now. I’m afraid I can’t arrange that.”

“Ah, how do I tell your second aunt?” Liu Xiulan said, feeling helpless.

“Yes,” Lu Hao thought for a moment. He knew his mother didn’t want to offend relatives, much less her own sister.

“Alright, Mom, I’ll go to second aunt’s house myself and explain things clearly. I’ll bring some gifts too.”

“Sigh, our family’s reputation among relatives is getting worse. Son, you...” Liu Xiulan hesitated to say more.

She wanted to suggest that through this position, her son could win favor and at least have second aunt speak up for them in the future.

But the words caught in her throat—she knew her son’s situation wasn’t ideal, and she didn’t want to make things harder for him.

“Mom, don’t worry. As long as we make our business bigger and stronger, no one will dare say much,” Lu Hao said, rubbing his nose.

“You and Dad should rest early and finish harvesting the lychee fruit soon. I’ll sell them while they’re fresh,” Lu Hao added.

“All right.” Liu Xiulan nodded, her mind heavy with worries, and went back to help Lu Weiguo with household chores.

That night, Lu Hao chose to return to the clinic to sleep and rest.

He knew that his running a clinic and taking over the village restaurant had already spread among relatives and friends.

But before that, his family had been caught in scandal—ten thousand yuan lost in a bride price scam, and his fiancée taken away—which had thrown his family into the center of a public storm.

The countryside was different from the city; even trivial matters could become the talk of the entire village.

So now, all he needed was to persevere.

He couldn’t afford for the clinic to fail after just a few days or the restaurant to be taken back quickly. Otherwise, his reputation in Taohua Village would be ruined, and who knew what nasty things the village women would say.

After all, he planned to continue living the life of a rural doctor-farmer.

If his reputation was destroyed, many things would become impossible.

No matter how difficult, he had to keep pushing forward. As long as he persisted, no one could talk badly.

There was also the matter of the Sun Wenguo Group.

Lu Hao had practically offended every level of this village tyrant’s group—from top to bottom, even down to a dog. That dog, Chang Wei, had been killed by Lu Hao, though unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to cook and eat him.

Sun Wenguo’s hands were crippled and powerless; the two sides were locked in a deadly standoff.

Lu Hao had a feeling that since they hadn’t acted for a long time, they were likely planning a major move against him.

He might not be able to fend off everything. After all, it’s easier to evade an open attack than a hidden one.

Moreover, the enemy might not only target him but also his family and could bring in outside help for a sneak attack.

Protection and countermeasures for these threats could only come from himself.

The Shang Group and Song Group wouldn’t offer much help—they were rooted in the big city, not the village.

Therefore, Lu Hao needed to strengthen himself quickly to safeguard his family’s safety.

“Azure Dragon Fuxi Sacred Technique, activate!” he took a deep breath and began his training.