Chapter 34:
“Hah! You fat woman, do you think this shopkeeper is that easy to fool?”
“No, Shopkeeper Wang, I didn’t deceive you. The things in this jar are indeed pretty good… They might even take your noble restaurant’s reputation to the next level!”
Shopkeeper Wang saw her serious expression, but she was too shabby…
“Hilarious!”
Young Master Huang stood by the side and ridiculed…
“Not to mention the things in that jar, just her appearance is scary enough. The people who come to the restaurant to eat are all nobles. If they knew the food was bought from someone like her, how much bad luck would that bring? Who would dare to eat it?”
“Exactly.”
People around Hongyun Tower echoed in agreement!
“This stuff is probably the food she eats all the time. Look how fat she is. We don’t want to end up like her…”
Shopkeeper Wang heard Young Master Huang and the people around him, and looking at her, he felt secretly sorry in his heart.
Recently, the restaurant’s master indeed had intentions to find more new dishes or new ingredients to expand influence…
As well as acquiring more promising recipes that posed a threat to the restaurant to solidify its dominant position in Taoyuan Town.
However, with their poor looks, what good things could they sell?
“Do you think the restaurant is just any place? Hongyun Tower has so many good dishes that people like you can only dream of. What could your stuff possibly have that’s precious?”
“Shopkeeper Wang, if I really leave, you mustn’t regret it…”
Shopkeeper Wang was stunned. “Regret?”
He sneered. “What a joke. Wang has never regretted anything. Get out before I lose my temper!”
“Waiter… See them out!”
That Young Master Huang’s eyes darted around, and he spoke up instead.
“Sigh, Shopkeeper Wang, forget it. Since they’ve come, let’s take a look. Maybe it’ll be a pleasant surprise. Right?”
Shopkeeper Wang had just been forced into it and felt awkward backing down. Deep down, he was actually afraid of missing out… He had experience before and feared getting scolded by the master!
“Since Young Master Huang suggests it, I suppose I’ll reluctantly take a look…”
He snorted through his nose.
“Take out the things.”
Luo Zhi’er glanced at Li Sanmao and quickly signaled him to put down the bamboo basket first.
“Shopkeeper Wang, how about looking at the things in our bamboo basket first…”
“Open it first! Stop dawdling!”
He uncovered the cloth piece.
“This meat is smoked dried wild game chunks from the mountain. The texture is excellent.”
“Look at the color—red and full. The lean meat is chewy, and the fatty meat is rich but not greasy! Stir-fried with green chili pepper, toon buds, and fermented black beans, it’s delicious…”
Shopkeeper Wang’s face darkened. He felt like he was being played…
“Hahaha!”
“Isn’t it just smoked dried wild game? Look at you, fat woman, hyping it up to the skies! Do you think Shopkeeper Wang has nothing better to do?”
That nasty Young Master Huang burst into loud laughter!
A crowd of onlookers coming in and out of the restaurant gathered around, pointing and commenting…
“Our restaurant makes piles of gold every day, with guests coming and going, and even more repeat customers. We use fresh high-end ingredients specially procured by our restaurant’s servants from the market!”
His gloomy gaze locked on her face.
“Hah! Our restaurant’s back kitchen has plenty of this stuff.”
“Shopkeeper Wang, we have other things…”
“Oh?”
“Look at this—it’s mountain wild shredded bamboo shoots. Great for stir-frying, can be used to stir-fry cured meat or stew in soup. Very fresh tasting!”
The air fell quiet for a moment, then suddenly bursts of ridicule from the crowd.
“I’ll give you half a minute to disappear…”
“Shopkeeper Wang, we still have…”
Luo Zhi’er hurriedly went to open the jar of termite mushroom oil.
“Enough! Someone, make them leave now!”
He turned and bowed.
“Young Master Huang, take care. Welcome to come again! Wang will surely serve you the finest wine and delicacies. We won’t see you out today!”
“Waiter, before I lose my temper, make them scram!”
“Wait! Shopkeeper Wang, this will be a loss for your Hongyun Tower. Are you sure you want to do this?”
He looked at him coldly…
“Joke! Scram now. Don’t ever appear in front of this Wang again in your life!”
He flicked his sleeve and went inside the restaurant!!!
What he didn’t know was that this would indeed make him regret it endlessly. In the future, it wouldn’t be that they wouldn’t appear before him—it would be that even if he begged, they wouldn’t spare him a glance…
Several people came over to drive them away, shoving them off!
“Get lost! You dare to fool our shopkeeper?” The bamboo basket was kicked over… Li Sanmao hurriedly picked up the things…
Luo Zhi’er hugged the things in her arms. When the servant swung a palm at her, she stepped back, missed her footing on the steps, and fell down!
“Hey, stop it! How can you treat people like this?”
Li Sanmao quickly dropped the things in his hands to pull Luo Zhi’er!
“Wife, are you okay?”
“What? You’re blocking the doorway. It’s good we didn’t report you. And you have the nerve? Get going!”
That servant menacingly brandished the club in his hand!
Luo Zhi’er sneered.
“I never imagined that the renowned Hongyun Tower treats people like this. Truly, like master, like servant.”
“Hmph! You fat hag are overthinking it. It’s just for ruleless people like you. You have one second to disappear, or else, hmph!”
That man menacingly raised the club again and barked.
Young Master Huang smugly looked at Luo Zhi’er, who was sprawled dizzy on the ground, and the meat chunks rolled to the side. “Now do you know the difference between you and this young master?”
He lifted his foot and stomped on the meat chunks. “Hahaha! These dried meat chunks are pretty tough! Too bad, you all…”
He shook his head and swaggered off, fanning himself leisurely!
“You!”
Li Sanmao’s fists clenched tight, his face full of frustration.
“Husband, it’s fine. Get up. A man of integrity can bend and stretch! It’s no big deal!”
She was also comforting herself. As bottom-tier small fry, this was how it was—trampled by others. When you had to play the fool, you did, and when bullied, you learned to laugh it off…
What mattered most was to keep pushing forward, work hard to change and improve their standard of living!
“Zhi’er, I just feel a bit sorry toward you…”
“Husband, what are you saying? It’s not your fault! Let’s hurry to other restaurants instead!”
They got up and picked up the scattered things on the ground, vaguely hearing someone behind them reporting to that shopkeeper just now.
“Hmph!”
“If any more blind nobodies like this loiter at the doorway in the future, just drive them off directly!”
“Yes!”
After leaving Hongyun Tower, the two went to several other restaurants and some small eateries.
Some had too many customers; they waited at the door forever, but no one had time for them.
Some had no relation to the food they sold; some lowballed on the smoked meat, or the shopkeeper wasn’t there and refused!
Most didn’t get to see the steward and were dismissed by the waiter with various excuses!
They probably figured these things weren’t anything rare, not worth the effort to negotiate!
Busy until the afternoon, around three o’clock, Luo Zhi’er looked at the swarthy, sweat-drenched Li Sanmao with a blank face. She heard his stomach growling loudly.
She felt a bit guilty. It was all her fault for not holding back and eating up all the meat buns and such. His private stash probably didn’t have much money left either.
Poor big man— he’d only eaten a corn flour cake in the morning. When he came to town before, did he return home before dark without eating much too?
No wonder he wolfed down whatever dinner there was the moment he got home!
That Old Li Tou was pretty shrewd too. He must know this stuff wasn’t easy to sell, so he deliberately sent Li Sanmao and her to run their legs off!
Her passion had been badly hit too. She never thought earning some silver would be this hard!
She couldn’t help sighing. Whether ancient times or modern era, the bottom-level common folk had it tough!
“Wife, are your feet tired? If not, rest under this tree. I’ll go run around some more?”
Li Sanmao saw his wife constantly rubbing her knees and bending to touch her heels…
“No need. Let’s go together. This termite mushroom oil is made by me. If the restaurant wants to buy, let me make some fresh to taste. You selling definitely won’t taste as good as my adjusted version!”
“True!”
They mustered their spirits and went to another restaurant called Yumian Tower. As soon as they entered, they knew this restaurant didn’t have as many diners as Hongyun Tower!
The waiter at the counter was almost dozing off.
Seeing someone come in, his eyes lit up, and he immediately greeted: “Customer, what would you like to eat? Please come inside!”
“Waiter, we’re here to sell some things. Could we see your shopkeeper?”
“Oh?”
A flash of disappointment in the waiter’s eyes, but his attitude was still good: “Alright then, please wait a moment. I’ll go inform our shopkeeper!”
“Hey, thanks for the trouble!”
Li Sanmao said gratefully. He hadn’t expected this waiter’s attitude to be so good, giving him a glimmer of hope.
The waiter trotted upstairs. Soon, a middle-aged man with a mustache, sallow-faced, slightly plump, dressed like a shopkeeper came down.
He looked very amiable.
“Shopkeeper Zhu, it’s them!”
“Mm, you go get busy!”
