Chapter 418: Benefactor

The next day, the construction site was back to work, and the small restaurant opened for business.

At lunchtime, the dining hall was packed. Everyone was wolfing down their food when suddenly, a man’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed onto the floor.

He was foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently, startling everyone.

’Is he having an epileptic seizure? Quick, call 911!’

But when the paramedics arrived, they took one look and said, "It’s food poisoning. What did he just eat?"

Food poisoning?

Everyone looked down at their own bowls. ’That’s impossible. We all ate the same thing. We’re fine, so how could he be the only one poisoned?’

They would have to wait for the test results from the hospital to know the full story. The man was whisked away.

Linden’s father was scared to death.

’He’d been running this restaurant for so many years, and this was the first time something like this had happened. It’s the worst nightmare for anyone in the food service industry! If even one person has an issue, all his years of savings wouldn’t be enough to cover the damages.’

He could only plead with the workers, "None of you are sick, so it’s definitely not a problem with our food. He must have eaten something bad somewhere else. When the police come, you have to back me up. We’ve known each other for over two years. If I’m forced to close, it won’t just be inconvenient for you—you won’t be able to get such cheap meals anywhere else. I’m begging you, please help me out."

He had a point.

His restaurant served large, filling portions. A grown man could eat his fill for just five or six bucks. That amount of money wouldn’t even buy you two vegetable dishes elsewhere, so none of them wanted to see him go out of business.

They waited anxiously alongside him. After what felt like forever, the hospital’s test results came back, confirming it was food poisoning.

As was routine, the police came to investigate. Linden’s family kept the restaurant spotless and tidy. All the workers said they ate the exact same thing as the sick man and felt fine, insisting it couldn’t be the restaurant’s fault. Ultimately, due to insufficient evidence, Linden’s family was not charged.

However, the investigation did uncover other problems: illegal construction and unlawful business operation.

This type of structure wasn’t permitted in the area, and illegally hooking up water and electricity was even more forbidden, especially for a for-profit enterprise. The matter was handed over to the city’s code enforcement department.

The code enforcement department fined them 5,000 and ordered them to dismantle the structure and vacate the premises immediately. The entire family was stunned.

Their desperate pleas were completely useless.

Though resentful, they didn’t dare challenge the authorities and could only begin to pack up.

’But where could they go after leaving?’

’Go back to their old hometown? Absolutely not.’

’They had gotten used to living in the big city. They had no desire to return to that poor, run-down little town where you couldn’t make any money.’

’Move to the city center? With their level of cooking, could they really attract business there?’

’Besides, the rent in the city center was sky-high. Could they even afford it?’

A once happy and harmonious family was suddenly plunged into bleak despair.

But then, unexpectedly, Zeke Walton arrived.

"Hey, can I get a bottle of water? Whoa, what’s going on? Everything was fine when I was here yesterday. How come it’s all empty today? Are you guys moving out?"

Linden remembered him well. Thinking he was there about the incident with the worker from yesterday and just buying water as an excuse, Linden recounted the day’s events to him.

Zeke Walton looked the part of a good Samaritan.

"You’ve been in the food business for so many years. It would be a shame to just quit now, wouldn’t it? Not every place in the city center has sky-high rent. As it happens, I work in real estate and have a lot of connections. If you need, I can introduce you to a few available storefronts."

’No wonder Linden felt such a connection to him yesterday. He was a savior!’

He hurriedly grabbed Zeke Walton’s hand. "Oh, that would be amazing! Thank you so much!"