That's right, people from Luoyang pass by the restaurant as if they've seen a swarm of flies, quickening their pace, and occasionally a group of out-of-town merchants, not knowing the situation, will take a look inside—only to run away.

At high noon, not a single customer is present. How could those outsiders dare to eat here? Even though Brian Carter puts on an innocent, harmless look—almost making a peace sign on his face, acting cute and silly—people still avoid him like the plague.

“This can’t go on.”

Brian Carter narrowed his eyes. Having lived two lifetimes, he didn’t believe he couldn’t solve this problem.

But by evening, someone finally arrived.

The visitor’s face was dark with anger. According to his memory, Brian Carter vaguely recalled that this man was the steward of the Zhou family. In fact, when his father was still alive, since they were in the same business, the Zhou family had a good relationship with his father. But as soon as his father died, the other side immediately turned hostile. The steward entered, shot a sideways glance at Brian Carter, and, in an official tone, said coldly, “Young Master Carter…”

Brian Carter could tell he wasn’t here with good intentions, but he still maintained proper manners, bowing and saying, “So it’s Uncle Foster.”

Uncle Foster’s real name was John Foster. He was said to be a failed scholar who later managed accounts for the Zhou family. As the Zhou family’s business grew, he became Master Zhou’s trusted aide. His attitude remained cold as he said, “I’m only here to deliver a message. You’ve racked up quite a bit of debt outside—over ninety taels of silver. Now all those accounts have been transferred to my master. Since you’re not good at running the business, you might as well hand over the shop to my master. My master was an old acquaintance of your father’s; he’ll make sure you have a place to stay.”

So, here it was—the true motive revealed.

Brian Carter said, “Paying back debts is only right. When I earn the money, I’ll naturally repay it.”

John Foster stroked his goatee and sneered, “Your Ruchun Restaurant’s business has long since plummeted. Just look—are there any customers here? You’re not cut out for business, nor can you support this family enterprise. Why insist on going down a dead end? Master Zhou wants you to repay the debt tomorrow. If you can’t, the shop will have to be taken.”

Brian Carter thought to himself, they really are calculating. Now, with the written accounts in hand, they’ve come to collect in no time—clearly, they can’t wait any longer.

Seeing John Foster pressing hard, Brian Carter deliberately put on a foolish act, saying, half on purpose, “You want to take over my family’s business—just for that plaque, isn’t it?”

“What… Nonsense!” John Foster couldn’t help but shout angrily.

In fact, that line was just a test from Brian Carter, but John Foster’s overreaction immediately confirmed his suspicion: all their tactics were aimed at that plaque. The crown prince… sudden death… the inscription… the Zhou family… This string of clues made Brian Carter feel he was onto something, though he hadn’t yet figured out exactly what.

Brian Carter straightened his expression and said, “Whether it’s nonsense, you know in your heart. You want to collect the debt? I can sell the restaurant to pay it off, but that plaque belongs to the Qin family. If you go to the authorities tomorrow, at worst I’ll just take the plaque and leave. In the end, you’ll get nothing. If you don’t believe me, feel free to try. Tomorrow, we’ll meet at the yamen.”

This guy’s confidence left John Foster momentarily at a loss.

He’d thought this fool would be easy to bully, but who knew he was so shrewd? One misstep, and he’d revealed his hand, putting himself at a disadvantage.

The Zhou family’s real target was indeed the plaque. The so-called acquisition of the restaurant was just a pretext; the true goal was that plaque.

Now that Brian Carter had said it outright—threatening to take the plaque and leave—wouldn’t all the Zhou family’s scheming come to nothing?

John Foster’s face was clouded with uncertainty, masking his panic with a cold sneer.

But at that moment, Brian Carter smiled and said, “However, since you’ve set your sights on that plaque, and I still want to give it another try, how about this: if you give me one more month, and in that month I manage to earn the money and pay off the debt, then it’s just your master’s bad luck. But if I’m still unable to pay, not only will I sell you the restaurant, but the plaque can count as interest. How about it?”

John Foster’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected this bookworm to be so formidable, putting him on the defensive at every turn. Still, the terms Brian Carter offered were reasonable, so he couldn’t help but nod and say, “Fine, I’ll go back and report to the master. Don’t you go back on your word.”

John Foster had no desire to stay any longer and left in a huff.

Watching John Foster leave, a question surfaced in Brian Carter’s mind: since the Zhou family’s real target was the plaque, what use did it have?

With that thought, Brian Carter resolved to get to the bottom of it.

But for now, the biggest problem was still making money to pay off the debt. If the business didn’t pick up, the plaque would be gone anyway—so what was the point of worrying about its use?

The restaurant’s biggest issue was that it had fallen into a vicious cycle: the fewer customers there were, the less anyone dared to eat there, and with no one dining, others were even less likely to come.

So, Brian Carter decided to try something special.

…