Chapter 66: A sudden fall. (First update)...

Passersby who witnessed Manager Xie being taken away stood on the road, talking about what they had just seen.

"Why is Shopkeeper Xie so embarrassed?"

"The person who took him away seems to be the inspector of the catering business!" A sharp-eyed officer noticed the men's attire and frowned sternly, "Why is the inspector here?"

"Oh! Is there something wrong with the food?" The people nearby were startled when they heard this, and subconsciously raised their voices to shout. Last time, an inspector from the catering guild showed up and took the owner and chef away. It was said that the food was spoiled and caused several people to suffer from diarrhea.

As soon as this was said, the discussion around them intensified, with some even making the connection to themselves: "I had their roast duck two days ago and my stomach ached and I had diarrhea three times!"

"No, no," the waiter, who had just come out to close the shop, was shocked upon hearing the commotion. Being taken away for investigation due to malicious competition and being taken away for food quality issues were two completely different levels of severity.

The former would at best have a worse reputation, but the latter would literally close down! The waiter trotted forward and explained, "Listen everyone, this is just malicious competition being investigated. It's nothing serious."

"Just? Malicious competition?"

"It's not... a big deal."

But as soon as the waiter's explanation came out, the expressions of those around him became even more awkward, and they started whispering, "What? They've been taken away for investigation, and they're still acting like nothing happened."

"That's right."

"If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked..."

Another person shook his head and said, "I know about malicious competition! I heard before that Linzhiji switched to roast goose and roast chicken because of supply constraints!"

"Ah...it seems like that's the case!"

"Tsk, a lot of people were skeptical at the time. After all, just as Linzhiji was experiencing supply disruptions and couldn't make its own roast duck, Xie Da Mutton Restaurant started selling roast duck right after."

"Luckily, Lin Zhi Ji's skills are superb, and their business remains brisk even after switching to roast goose and chicken. Otherwise, they would have been forced out of business by Xie Da Mutton Restaurant!"

"And yet you're still here playing the victim..."

"Tsk tsk, how shameless!" The passers-by nearby shook their heads and glanced at the waiter and Xie Da Mutton Restaurant with contempt in their eyes.

Just as the chatter outside was raging and the people inside Xie Da Mutton Restaurant were in chaos, Lin Sen cheerfully told his wife and daughter, "Didn't you see the gloomy look on his face just now? He had the guts to do it but not the guts to admit it, and he's still crying foul!"

"Serves you right!" Song Jiaoniang gloated.

"That's right." Lin Zhi smiled and agreed, "Let's teach Manager Xie a lesson, so that others won't think we're soft persimmons that anyone can pinch."

At first, seeing that the business was not affected after the change to roast goose and roast chicken, Lin Sen gave up the idea of ​​revenge. Thinking that harmony is the most important thing in business, he persuaded the mother and daughter to stop there.

Song Jiaoniang hesitated, and finally Linzhi pointed out the crux of the matter. They wanted to give Shopkeeper Xie a break, but did Shopkeeper Xie want to give them a break?

If it were an ordinary family who had just arrived in Bian Jing and had invested almost all their money in buying a house, and relied solely on this to support their family, what would they do if they encountered such a situation?

The lack of supply alone is enough to block people's livelihood.

They need to find a new source of goods and readjust the baking process, which will take at least 70 to 80 days even if they are quick.

Not to mention that by then most of the business had already been taken over by Xie Da Lamb Restaurant, and how difficult it would be for them to make a comeback. I'm afraid their wallets would have been emptied.

"In addition, there is the braised food order we signed. If we fail to complete the contract and are sued for damages—"

Lin Zhi briefly discussed the possible fate of the family, which only frightened Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang into breaking out in cold sweats. "Besides, if someone steals our roast duck and we don't say anything, what will we do next time another shop comes and steals the roast goose or roast chicken? Should we switch to roast pigeon or quail?"

"By then, not only will Xie Da Mutton Restaurant, but even the local hooligans will know that we are from outside the area, without any roots or foundation, and will be easy to bully. Who knows, they might come to our house every day."

Not only do they have to strike hard, but they also want everyone around them to see and know that their family is not easy to bully.

Lin Sen was startled, but eventually came to his senses and joined in without a word. They first hired someone to go to Xie Da Mutton Restaurant to buy roast duck. After carefully considering and trying out the recipe, they asked Mother Zhang to spread the word and sell the recipe to three newly opened roast duck shops.

This recipe may not be as good as Linzhi's, but it is worse than the roast duck recipe in the market. In addition, Linzhi also trained several chefs privately. To be honest, the roasted duck looks three times better than the one at Xie Da Mutton Restaurant!

When Xie Da Mutton Restaurant first opened, it didn't attract much attention. But as time went on, and as several other restaurants spread the word, more people tried it, and its reputation gradually spread.

Then Song Jiaoniang and Yu Niangzi and others also mentioned the roast duck restaurant in the market to the guests and spread some rumors that seemed to be true.

The roast duck at Xie Da Mutton Restaurant tastes the same as the roast duck sold in the market, but the price is slightly more expensive!

The roast duck at Xie Da Mutton Restaurant doesn't taste as good as the roast duck sold in the market, and it's even more expensive!

The only thing that surprised the Linzhi family was that Dongji Restaurant and Furongzhuang also intervened one after another. Not only did they place orders for roast goose with their own family, but they also further intensified the rumors, targeting the foundation of Xie Da Mutton Restaurant.

Xie Da Mutton Restaurant, which suffered blows from many sides, did not disappoint everyone's expectations and its business took a sharp turn for the worse.

Lin Zhi's final move was to report the matter, but she did not do so to force Manager Xie to pay a large fine, but simply wanted to escalate the matter.

Lin Zhi narrowed her eyes and smiled, "I wonder how he's going to fulfill the contracts he signed with those three duck shops?"

Sure enough, as the news that Shopkeeper Xie was taken away by the catering industry inspector spread, even though Shopkeeper Xie was released quickly, the reputation of Xie Da Lamb Restaurant plummeted, and the reputation of the roast duck fell to the bottom.

Officials prefer the slightly higher-priced but better-quality Linzhiji roast goose and roast chicken, while ordinary people prefer the cheaper roast duck sold in the market. The roast duck is medium to high-priced and tastes mediocre, so no one is interested in it.

As for those banquets in the past? They had vanished without a trace. For several nights in a row, when Lin Sen looked out, he could see the packed Dongji Restaurant and Furongzhuang, as well as the empty Xieda Mutton Restaurant.

On the eve of the beginning of winter, Lin Sen had just returned with the purchased vegetables, fruits, etc., when he saw several people standing at the door of Xie Da Mutton Restaurant, some of whom looked very familiar.

He chuckled, went back inside and said to his wife and daughter, "There's a good show to watch outside."

Song Jiaoniang was very curious and hurried out to take a look. Seeing the situation opposite, she was shocked and said, "Who are these people?"

Lin Sen chuckled and pointed at a few of them: "I don't know the rest of them, but this one, this one, and those over there, I know!"

After a pause, Lin Sen said, "These people are the shopkeepers and employees of Zhao's Duck Shop, Feigan Poultry Shop, and Minggaofang."

"So it's them!" Song Jiaoniang's brows sank, her voice dripping with disgust. These three duck shops were the ones that had initially refused to supply her, without even offering a reason.

Even though the Linzhi family has now found a duck shop with good quality, and even though they are not using the ducks for the time being and at most ordering some salted duck eggs, they still remember the original three duck shops.

The couple was enjoying the melon, but after a while, they found Linzhi was still working and no one was around. They lifted the curtain to check and found out, "Dad, Mom, why are you still slacking off?"

"Hey, Sister Zhi, come and take a look." Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang couldn't help themselves. Upon hearing the sound, they simply reached out and scooped their daughter into their arms, telling her to look outside. "Look quickly! People from Zhao's Duck Shop, Feigan Poultry Restaurant, and Minggaofang are here to cause trouble for Xie's Lamb Restaurant!"

Lin Zhi's interest piqued upon hearing this. She quickly wiped her hands and squeezed in beside her parents to look out. The noise on the other side was getting louder and louder. Shopkeeper Xie was being pushed around, and his smile was barely holding up.

Seeing that the situation outside was not right, the accountants in the shop ran out one after another. Dozens of people on both sides pushed each other, and the conflict intensified at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Is the situation over there a bit bad?"

"I think if we go any further, there's going to be a fight!"

"Should we report it to the police?"

"No, no, someone over there is running to find the police." Lin Zhi saw several figures running towards the yamen and reminded quietly.

The family watched nervously, completely unaware of the carriage approaching from the other side of the street.

Chen Yanshang was sitting in the car when he heard bursts of noise. He lifted the curtain and looked, and happened to see the three members of the Linzhi family all sticking their heads out from the crack of the door, looking towards the opposite side like a stack of Arhats, and occasionally shrinking back.

Chen Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Tao Yingce couldn't help but lean over to see the laughter when he heard it. What he saw made him laugh and cry: "Uncle Lin, what are they doing?"

"It looks to me like we're watching the excitement at Xie Da's Lamb Restaurant again." Chen Yan followed the three people's gaze and immediately spotted a group of people pushing and shouting.

Suddenly, he frowned.

Chen Yan shouted, "Stop!" and immediately jumped off the carriage. He was extremely swift, rushing into the arguing crowd and placing his hand firmly on one of them: "Stop."

The arguing stopped abruptly.

Xie Ping looked at Chen Yan who suddenly appeared in surprise and doubt, and the moment his eyes moved down, he noticed a dazzling cold light.

He shuddered all over and immediately stepped back, sitting down on the ground: "Knife, knife!"

The field was quiet for a moment, then exploded.

The people who had been pushing and shoving each other quickly dispersed and looked in horror at the man who had a knife hidden in his waist and was even about to draw it.

"Shopkeeper Zhao..."

"Shopkeeper Zhao, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"

"We are here to ask for money, but there is no need to do this..." The shopkeepers of Feiganqinsi and Minggaofang looked at Shopkeeper Zhao with disbelief in their eyes and fear in their hearts.

Shopkeeper Zhao's grip loosened, and the blade landed steadily in Shen Yan's palm. He looked at the two men expressionlessly, sneering, "You're a big shop, selling other poultry besides ducks. Losing a business means a bit of cash, but it shouldn't be a problem for turnover."

"But my family only does duck business."

"For this order, I mortgaged my house and my shop... More than ten years of my hard work, more than ten years of hard work are all gone!" When Manager Zhao said this, he couldn't help but roared.

Chen Yan listened expressionlessly until the police arrived, then he handed Manager Zhao over to the police and left.

Tao Yingce stood at the door of Linzhiji and waved to Chen Yan when he saw this: "Come quickly, Sister Zhi said today's breakfast is fried buns!"

Chen Yan was speechless. When he got closer, he bumped into him. "I'm busy over there, and you didn't even come up to help." He even asked what breakfast was.

"I believe you." Tao Yingce was initially nervous when he saw the knife flash, but he calmed down when he saw Chen Yan knock the man down in a few moves. "Besides, I carefully observed the surroundings and made sure that the others were really here to collect debts, so I came here just now."

After a pause, Tao Yingce changed the subject: "Besides, I came here for a reason. You don't know that scene scared Uncle Lin, Aunt Song, and Sister Zhi. If I hadn't stopped them quickly, the three of them would have rushed over."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's face suddenly turned stern. He turned around and muttered to Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang, "Uncle Lin, Aunt Song, you should pay attention to your own safety when encountering dangerous situations. You should quickly go into the shop and close the door. Why are you still rushing out?"

Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang: "..."

They looked at Tao Yingce who was following behind, only to see him with his hands behind his head. Seeing this, he turned his head away and whistled.

Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang: “…” Damn it!

They first expressed their concern for Chen Yan, but were then choked by Chen Yan's counter-question, "I'm a professional, what about you?", and could only accept a lecture from Chen Yan.

Finally, it was Linzhi who came out of the kitchen with fried buns, and the mumbling came to an end.

"Here, soy milk and fried buns."

"Do you have soy milk at home?" Tao Yingce took a bowl and took a sip. The soy milk was mellow and rich, and very delicious.

"I made the fried buns that I bought this morning," Linzhi explained.

As the saying goes, there are three kinds of suffering in the world. Rowing a boat, forging iron, and making tofu are among the top three, which shows how difficult it is to make tofu.

Linzhi does pay attention to the quality of ingredients, and she makes what she can make herself, but she is not stupid either, so when she has free time, she goes to the market to buy soy milk and tofu a few times and picks out the best quality one.

After talking about soy milk, everyone's eyes fell on the fried buns. Each of the fried buns was round and plump, with the center of the upward part being brown, exuding an enticing aroma.