Chapter 66: I shouldn't have brought you to my house

Such a young girl is impossible to ignore; everyone can't help but turn their attention to her.

Through Jin's father's introduction, Yu Wan learned that Jin Yifei's cousin was named Jin Yizhuang.

Jin Yizhuang also chimed in politely, "Madam Yu, I heard you built a food court in Sui County. Could you tell us about it?"

Yu Wan then smiled and gave a brief introduction, inviting everyone to visit if they had the chance.

Mr. Jin became more and more interested as he listened, but in the end he raised a question.

"This food court is nice, but the location isn't good. The situation is dire right now, aren't you afraid that everything you have will be ruined?"

For Yu Wan, this topic was old news, so she answered it without any difficulty.

She never expected that three generations of the other party would stare at her with such surprise.

After a long while, Mr. Jin let out a long sigh, looked at his mother with teary eyes, his expression filled with nostalgia for the past.

“Mother, what Madam Yu just said reminded me of something Father once said. He strongly advocated developing the commercial territory in the north, but Grandfather did not agree at the time, and in the end, the northernmost point of our Jin family’s business was only the capital.”

The old lady nodded heavily. "Yes, this was your father's biggest regret in his life. Your grandfather considered that there were many unforeseen risks in the remote location and thought that the possibility of failure was greater, so he rejected his proposal several times. Your grandfather also thought that he was being unrealistic and did not understand business, and he scolded him a lot for this."

Mr. Jin exclaimed, "I never thought someone would actually do it."

Jin Yizhuang was naturally unaware of this past event, as he wasn't even born then. However, witnessing the girl's eloquent speech and extraordinary courage still impressed him.

"Madam Yu, what are your thoughts on the current predicament of the Jin family?" He was still more concerned about the trouble at hand.

From the moment the old lady began discussing this matter with Yu Wan, she had already revealed the Jin family's secret to her. Apart from their competitors, no one outside the family had yet realized what the Jin family was facing.

The restaurant's development stagnated, and it could only maintain operations with no long-term prospects in sight. Everyone in the Jin family had become accustomed to this stable and peaceful situation, and almost no one wanted to change this comfortable state.

The courage of our ancestors who fled from the southwest to the south is rarely seen in the younger generation.

Today, however, they see this spirit in a girl from a small town on the northern border.

The distinguished guests from Beijing have a high appreciation for fine food. They were very satisfied with the dishes at Jinjia Restaurant when they visited two years ago. However, the lack of new dishes this time will surely disappoint them and ruin the relationship. I'm afraid they won't come back in the future.

Both reasons boil down to one problem.

The Kim family needs a breakthrough, both internally and externally.

Yu Wan smiled faintly: "Since you say that our distinguished guest loves food, he must have been to many places and tasted many different kinds of food. Ordinary food can no longer satisfy him, so I suggest we try something new."

“That’s right.” Jin Yizhuang was not surprised by the suggestion, nor did he show any particular delight, because the Jin family had already tried it before.

“We’ve been researching new products for three months, but they’re all the same. It’s not that they don’t taste good, but they certainly won’t offer our valued guests anything new. That’s our biggest headache right now. Madam Yu, your braised noodles are very unique. Could you please teach us how to make them? Don’t worry, the Jin family will certainly offer our sincere hospitality.”

Mr. Jin chimed in, "That's right. A thousand taels of gold and precious jewels—the Jin family will absolutely not treat you unfairly. As long as you help us solve this problem, our Jin family will never forget your kindness."

They are in dire need of help.

Yu Wan didn't know who the distinguished guest was, but he must be a very influential person.

With such people helping to spread positive word-of-mouth, the Jin family's business will not be bad. However, if the valued customers are not satisfied, they will not become the Jin family's living advertisement in the future.

The old lady asked, "Young lady, you now hold the future of the Jin family in your hands. I beg you, you must help us."

Yu Wan was confident that she could help them turn things around, and she wanted to repay the kindness Jin Yifei and Zhu Zhifeng had shown her.

“How much time do we have left?” she asked.

The three men were overjoyed; since she hadn't refused, it was highly likely she had accepted.

"I just received the news today, it should arrive in ten days."

For someone with an extreme pursuit of delicious food, it's probably hard to expect much more surprise.

To impress that distinguished guest, we'll have to put a lot of thought into both creativity and taste.

"I think we shouldn't just talk about it, Madam Yu. Tomorrow I'll take you to the restaurant's kitchen. You can do whatever you want, and the people in the kitchen will be at your beck and call."

Yu Wan was willing to visit, but she didn't want to be there to study the dishes.

"Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Jin, to take me there tomorrow." She only wanted to tour the place; as for the restaurant's signature dishes, she had already tasted most of them at the banquet on the day she arrived. Later, she also confirmed with Jin Yifei that the restaurant's kitchen was in charge of that banquet.

The three members of the Jin family were very happy and chatted with her for a while longer.

After the detailed discussion, Jin Yizhuang personally escorted her to the courtyard. He saw his younger brother waiting outside and shook his head helplessly.

Jin Yifei lost his usual composure, even avoiding his cousin's gaze, and couldn't wait to leave with Yu Wan.

Yu Wan was puzzled by his unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong? The Jin family is in trouble now. Don't you want my help?"

Jin Yifei didn't answer the question, but instead asked, "Awan, did you agree to their request?"

Yu Wan smiled and said, "Of course, this is a good opportunity. It may seem like I'm helping the Jin family, but it's also providing me with an opportunity."

Jin Yifei was on the verge of collapse, grabbing his head haphazardly, looking at him helplessly as if he was about to faint at any moment.

"I shouldn't have brought you to my house."

Yu Wan felt that he was going crazy. Although she couldn't understand it, she still patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

"I think this decision was the right one, and you don't need to regret it."

Jin Yifei still looked like he couldn't forgive himself. "No, you have no idea what it means to agree to help."

"What do you mean?" Yu Wan was still confused, and the other party's continued cryptic remarks made her a little unhappy.

Can't you just say what you want to say?

She was fine with it herself, but she was worried that he might get sick from being cooped up, since he had been acting very strangely these past few days.

With her encouraging gaze, Jin Yifei finally voiced his concerns.

It turns out that the distinguished guest from the capital was no ordinary person. Although Jin Yifei didn't know his identity, every time that person came to Jiangnan, he would definitely visit the Jin family's restaurant to enjoy the food.

He was a person who loved food very much and had an extreme demand for it, even to a terrifying degree.

It is said that if someone insults that important person to their face, the important person can just laugh it off and not hold it against them. They will even feel that the other person is in trouble and be willing to help.

The nobleman enjoys punishing the cooks; he might even kill them if he's not satisfied with the taste.

Jin Yifei was worried about Yu Wan's safety, which is why he didn't want her to agree to help this time.

He said regretfully, "If I had known they would come looking for you, I shouldn't have brought you back, and I certainly shouldn't have praised your cooking in front of them. I believed you could have done a great job, but that important person is unpredictable, and I was really afraid something would happen to you."

This was the first time Yu Wan had seen him lose his composure, and she knew that he was worried about her. After understanding the whole story, she did not back down.

How could she not know that the powerful figures in the Jin family were all cunning old foxes, each with their own backup plans?

If she fails, and none of the new dishes she prepares satisfy the distinguished guests, then she will be sacrificed.

Otherwise, how could she have won over these people just by making braised noodles once?

She didn't think these people were innocent; they were all quite shrewd.

However, she didn't care; she had enough confidence.

After the deal was done, she certainly wouldn't refuse the gold and jewelry they mentioned.

That's what she deserves.

"Don't overthink it. I've already promised, and I'll do my best. If things don't turn out well, that's my own choice, and it has nothing to do with you."

Jin Yifei's eyes were almost pleading, but he didn't try to persuade her to give up. He just asked tentatively,

"Awan, are you really sure? Can you think about it again? If you're willing to give up, I have other ways to help you."

Yu Wan sensed that his words contained other meanings, as if her answer would change the course of a very important matter.

However, she had already decided that she must cherish this opportunity for the sake of the restaurant. Besides, there was no reason to hesitate. If that distinguished guest was satisfied with her cooking, he might be willing to come to Sui County in the future. That would be a good opportunity for the development of Sui County, and she could also become a living advertisement for the Yu Family Restaurant.

"They gave me three days, and I've thought it through."

Jin Yifei didn't say anything more, but he looked dejected, like a wilted eggplant. He listlessly escorted her back to the courtyard and then left.

Zhu Zhifeng and the others waited anxiously for Yu Wan, and only breathed a sigh of relief when they finally saw her.

How did your talk with my grandmother go?

He Jing and Xue Xiujun both looked at Yu Wan nervously, waiting for her answer.

"It seems we'll be staying here for a while longer," Yu Wan said with a smile.

Zhu Zhifeng looked disappointed. "Ah? I thought you would refuse."

He Jing had mixed feelings and didn't say anything.

Xue Xiujun asked curiously, "Then what about our other matter?"

He was referring to two other people waiting in the capital, who also needed to be dealt with, but a solution had not yet been devised.

Yu Wan wasn't in a hurry at all. She was most anxious when she didn't have money to support her family, but now it was nothing.

"You're injured, so you should rest and recuperate. It's best not to go out for the next few days. Ah Feng and I are going shopping later."

Xue Xiujun asked, "Jin Yifei isn't going to keep you company anymore? Wasn't he the one who was always keeping you company? Without him, who will pay for your things?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a maidservant came and presented him with a thousand taels of silver.

Everyone thought it was given by Jin Yifei, but it turned out to be from Jin Yizhuang.

Xue Xiujun was dumbfounded. He glanced at He Jing and asked, "Why is Jin Yizhuang suddenly appearing to curry favor? Isn't one Jin Yifei enough?"

Zhu Zhifeng explained, "Jin Yizhuang is my second cousin, the son of my eldest uncle. He's about four or five years older than my cousin, but I remember they used to fight all the time when they were little. I don't know how their relationship is now. I've rarely seen him these days, let alone chat with him. Speaking of which, when I came to visit relatives with my parents when I was little, the elders even joked about me getting engaged to my second cousin."

Xue Xiujun clicked his tongue and said, "You have quite a few cousins."