Siheyuan: Selling antiques? Only making 28,000 RMB from 30,000 RMB

Zhou Dong nodded: "Yes, we must be careful and not make any more mistakes."

From that day on, Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing became more cautious and careful in their actions, not letting anyone catch them. The restaurant's business is still booming, and Zhou Dong's cooking skills are becoming more and more popular. Although life is full of uncertainties, they always believe that as long as they work hard, there will always be a bright day.

However, life is always full of surprises. One morning, Zhou Dong was selecting food in the market when he heard a commotion behind him. He looked back and saw several people who looked like Red Guards walking towards him.

"Are you Zhou Dong?" asked the leading Red Guard.

Zhou Dong's heart tightened, but his face remained calm: "Yes, I am Zhou Dong, what's the matter?"

The Red Guards said coldly: "We have received a report that you have reactionary thoughts. Please come with us."

The Red Guards interrupted Zhou Dong coldly: "Stop talking nonsense, come with us and you will know." After that, they grabbed Zhou Dong's arm without saying anything and took him away.

Zhou Dong was nervous, but he knew he had to stay calm. When he was taken to the street office, he saw many people gathered in the yard, and the atmosphere was extremely tense. Several elderly neighborhood uncles were standing in front of the stage, and one of them, called the "Uncle", was presiding over the "conference".

An old man cleared his throat and said in a loud voice: "We are holding this meeting today to clarify some problems and maintain the harmony and stability of our community. Zhou Dong, stand up." Zhou Dong was taken to the front of the crowd, feeling increasingly uneasy.

The second uncle took over the conversation and glanced at Zhou Dong sharply: "Yuzhu, everyone has some questions about you, you must explain it clearly."

The third uncle then added: "Yes, we know you are a good person, but there are some things that must be made clear so that everyone can rest assured."

Zhou Dong felt extremely oppressed, but he knew that he had to stay calm. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "My dear uncles, I have been working as a chef here, working honestly, and have never done anything to let you down. I really don't understand the sudden accusation today."

The uncle nodded: "Well, tell me first, have there been any unusual situations or unusual people coming and going recently?"

Zhou Dong shook his head: "No, the restaurant has been doing good business recently, and the people who come to eat are all regular customers. There is nothing unusual."

The second uncle frowned: "Some people say that you have contacts with reactionaries. How do you explain this?"

Zhou Dong answered firmly: "I don't know any reactionaries at all, and I have never associated with them. This must be a misunderstanding."

The crowd began to whisper, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. At this moment, a young man squeezed to the front and said loudly: "I can prove that Zhou Dong is an honest man. He is busy in the restaurant every day and has no time to do those things!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Seeing this, the uncle thought for a moment and said, "Since everyone says so, we can't wrongly accuse a good person. However, this matter still needs to be investigated. Yuzhu, you go back for the time being, but you must cooperate with the investigation at any time."

Zhou Dong breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully: "Thank you, uncle. I will definitely cooperate."

When Liu Guoqing returned to the restaurant, he was already waiting anxiously at the door. Seeing that Zhou Dong was safe and sound, he hurried forward to ask, "Yuzhu, how are you? Are you okay?"

Zhou Dong smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's okay for now, but they said they still need to investigate, so we have to be more careful."

In the days that followed, Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing became more cautious and did things more carefully. The restaurant's business was still booming, but they were still worried, not knowing when the storm would subside.

A month later, the uncle convened another meeting of the street office. This time, the atmosphere was more tense than last time, and there was a sense of uneasiness among the crowd. The uncle stood on the stage and announced with a serious face: "After this period of investigation, we have discovered some new situations. Today, we will continue to investigate Zhou Dong."

Zhou Dong stood in front of the stage, feeling uneasy again. He knew that it would be difficult to escape this time.

The second uncle took over the conversation: "Yuzhu, we found out that you received some strangers in the restaurant, and their identities were very suspicious. How do you explain it?"

Zhou Dong was stunned and secretly complained in his heart. He tried to recall the situation of those strangers and said calmly: "Uncle, the restaurant is a public place. I can't know everyone who comes to eat. Their identities are suspicious, I really don't know."

The third uncle questioned, "But why did these strangers only come to you? What did they say to you?"

Zhou Dong felt that the situation was becoming more and more complicated. He knew that he had to stay calm and not let the other party catch any handle. He replied in a deep voice: "Uncles, those people are just ordinary diners. They came to me because I work in the kitchen and am responsible for cooking. I really don't know their identities, and I haven't had any special conversations with them."

The discussion in the crowd was getting louder and louder. The uncle waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said: "Yuzhu, we don't want to wrongly accuse you, we just hope that you can cooperate with the investigation and explain everything clearly."

At this moment, a familiar figure appeared in the crowd. Zhou Dong looked closely and found it was Liu Dahai. He strode to the front of the stage and said in a deep voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, I can testify that Zhou Dong is an honest man. He works hard every day and has never done anything to let you down. These so-called suspicious identities are all made up!"

The uncle frowned: "Liu Dahai, can you also tell me what is going on with these suspicious identities?"

Liu Dahai answered firmly: "Those so-called strangers are actually just guests who come to eat. Some of them are my old friends, and some are strangers passing by. Zhou Dong is only responsible for cooking and doesn't know them at all. Those rumors are completely nonsense."

Zhou Dong was grateful, knowing that Liu Dahai stood up and testified for him at the critical moment. The discussion in the crowd gradually subsided. The old man thought for a moment and said, "In this case, we can't wrongly accuse a good person. Today's review ends here, but we will continue to pay attention to this matter to ensure everyone's safety."

Zhou Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the storm had temporarily subsided. After returning to the restaurant, Liu Guoqing patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Yuzhu, don't worry, Uncle Dahai is here, we will be fine."

Zhou Dong nodded: "Yes, with Uncle Liu here, I feel more at ease."

Despite this, Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing remained highly vigilant. They knew that any negligence could lead to greater trouble. They acted more carefully to prevent anyone from catching them.

A few months later, the restaurant's business was getting better and better, and Zhou Dong's cooking skills were recognized by more people. One afternoon, a well-dressed middle-aged man walked into the restaurant, sat in a corner, and ordered a table of dishes.

After Zhou Dong finished his work, he walked up to the man and asked with a smile, "Sir, do you like the food?"

The middle-aged man nodded and said with satisfaction: "It tastes great. I heard that you are the chef here, so I came here specially to try it."

Zhou Dong smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment. It is my honor to receive your recognition."

The man smiled and said, "My name is Li Wenbo, and I'm the manager of a food company. I admire your cooking skills, and I wonder if you are interested in working in my company?"

Zhou Dong was stunned. He didn't expect such an opportunity. He thought for a moment and said, "Thank you for your invitation, but I am very happy working here now and have not considered changing jobs."

Li Wenbo nodded: "It's okay, this is my business card, if you are interested, you can contact me at any time."

Zhou Dong took the business card and thought to himself. He knew that this might be an opportunity to change his fate, but he didn't want to leave this familiar environment for the time being. He decided to keep the business card and contact Li Wenbo again when needed.

As the days passed, Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing were still busy and fulfilled. They continued their ordinary and happy life in Liu Dahai's restaurant. However, the turning point of fate often came inadvertently.

One night, the restaurant had just closed, and Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing were cleaning up the kitchen. Suddenly, there was a hurried knock on the door. Zhou Dong opened the door and saw a young woman with an anxious face standing at the door.

"Is this Liu Dahai's restaurant?" the woman asked anxiously.

Zhou Dong nodded: "Yes, what can I do for you?"

The woman said anxiously: "My name is Zhao Yalan, and I'm Liu Dahai's friend. He's in trouble, and I need your help!"

Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing looked at each other, and suddenly they felt uneasy. They hurriedly followed Zhao Yalan to a hospital. In the hospital ward, Liu Dahai was lying on the bed, looking pale and very weak.

Zhou Dong stood in front of the bed, looking at the unconscious Liu Dahai, with mixed feelings in his heart. He knew that Liu Dahai had always been their umbrella of protection, and now that he had fallen, they had to shoulder this burden.

Zhao Yalan whispered, "The doctor said that Uncle Liu Dahai's condition is not optimistic and he needs long-term treatment. I'm afraid you will need to take care of the restaurant now."

Zhou Dong nodded and said in a deep voice: "Sister Zhao, don't worry, we will definitely keep the restaurant going and will not let Uncle Liu's hard work go to waste."

Liu Guoqing also said solemnly: "Yes, Sister Yalan, we will definitely work hard and live up to Uncle Liu's expectations."

After returning to the restaurant, Zhou Dong and Liu Guoqing discussed the next arrangements. Liu Dahai's sudden collapse made them realize the impermanence of life and the importance of responsibility.

The next morning, Zhou Dong got up early as usual and went to the market to pick fresh ingredients.