Chapter 129 Disdain

Xu Qingyan had come to seek cooperation with Song Yushu, so he naturally agreed and led Ning Shi to a window seat.

Ning had never been to such an ordinary restaurant before, and she was somewhat dissatisfied, but she didn't say much. She only asked the servants to wipe the tables and chairs carefully before she sat down.

"Please have your meal here first, Madam. After I've settled the business, I'll take you somewhere else for a stroll, shall I?" Xu Qingyan coaxed softly.

"This restaurant doesn't seem to have anything special about it. Is there anything we can do to cooperate?" Ning Shi clearly didn't think Song Yushu was anything special. On the contrary, she felt that Xu Qingyan's association with Song Yushu was lowering his status.

Xu Qingyan knew that Ning Shi was always proud and extremely particular, so it was normal that she didn't understand his actions. For her, being able to sit here was already a great act of patience, so she didn't insist too much.

"Madam, please try her cooking later. I owe a great deal to her in revitalizing Taixing Restaurant. I thought there would be no more opportunities for cooperation after returning to the prefectural city, but I didn't expect her to come here as well. The Xu family has three restaurants in the prefectural city. If we can continue to cooperate, it will bring us a lot of profits."

No matter how much Xu Qingyan said, Ning Shi didn't take it to heart, but she didn't show any displeasure out of respect for Xu Qingyan.

Song Yushu was unaware that Ning Shi was getting impatient. At this moment, she personally prepared several signature dishes in the kitchen and asked the kitchen staff to prepare the other side dishes before having them served.

"Madam Wei's cooking skills are as good as ever."

Xu Qingyan was as supportive as ever, but Ning Shi, standing to the side, looked subtly impatient, which Song Yushu couldn't ignore.

“Abi, Madam isn’t feeling well. Why don’t you take her out for some fresh air?” Xu Qingyan had already reached Ning Shi’s limit. To avoid her making a scene later, it was best to send her away first. At this moment, he also regretted bringing Ning Shi out.

Ning Shi didn't say anything, pretending not to see Song Yushu. She left only a servant to guard Xu Qingyan before leaving with the group of maids and servants behind her.

Xu Qingyan remained good-natured, and said with a wry smile, "Please forgive me, Mr. Wei. My wife has a rather picky palate and doesn't like the food outside the manor. It seems I'm the one who's lucky today."

“It’s normal that you’re not used to the food because of your different status, Madam. May I ask what business Young Master Xu has come to discuss with me today?” Song Yushu didn’t mind Ning’s attitude. They were people who would have no further contact in the future, so there was no need to make a fuss about it.

"Of course I'm looking forward to Mr. Wei's skills. If Mr. Wei is willing, we can cooperate as we did back in Fucheng. However, the Xu family owns three restaurants in Fucheng. I wonder if Mr. Wei can afford to supply them?" Xu Qingyan seemed very sincere.

“I still need to run my own restaurant, and with so many famous chefs that Young Master Xu can hire, copying the recipes would be a piece of cake, wouldn’t it? Why do you need to cooperate with me again?” Song Yushu never thought that her dishes were unique. The city was so big, there were plenty of people with good cooking skills, and she didn’t want to have any more involvement with the Xu family.

“The chefs at the restaurant can indeed replicate your dishes, but even with the same ingredients, none of them taste as good as what Boss Wei makes. Boss Wei, there’s no need to be modest. Besides, I heard that my second brother has a grudge against you.” Xu Qingyan saw her refusal but did not give up.

“I know him best. He’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. If you, Boss Wei, cooperate with me, I can guarantee he won’t lay a finger on you in the city. What do you say?”

Xu Qingyan, certain that Song Yushu would not refuse, waited patiently for her reply.

Upon hearing this, Song Yushu cursed Xu Qingyan several times in his heart. Even if he was in trouble, it was the Xu family who brought it. Xu Qingyan was also a member of the Xu family, so how could he be any better than Xu Mingchuan?

However, she didn't show anything on her face and simply nodded at Xu Qingyan's words.

"Here's what I'll do. I'll give Mr. Wei three days to consider. If Mr. Wei makes up his mind, please have someone inform me at the Xu residence. How about that?"

Fortunately, Xu Qingyan wanted to cooperate with her for a longer period of time and did not have the intention of forcing Song Yushu to cooperate as she had done before.

“Alright, I’ll send someone to deliver the message in three days,” Song Yushu said with a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry to bother you any longer today, Mr. Wei," Xu Qingyan said, and then left the silver and departed.

"Twenty taels, that's quite generous. I never expected that the third young master of the Xu family would be afraid of his wife. How could he dare to play such a frivolous game outside? You really can't judge a book by its cover." Song Yushu saw the table of dishes that hadn't been touched much. She thought she was going to waste her money today, but she ended up making a profit. It's truly something to celebrate.

"Erni! Chengzhu! And those guys in the kitchen, come out and eat!" Song Yushu, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, planned to have this table of dishes as their lunch today.

After Xu Qingyan left, he did go to find Ning Shi. Ning Shi didn't say anything when she saw him coming. She focused on picking out a few fashionable pieces of jewelry, and Xu Qingyan took out his silver notes.

"Has an agreement been reached?" Ning asked.

"No, I will reply in three days."

Upon hearing this, Ning's face showed displeasure: "The Xu family is one of the top families in the prefectural city, how dare she, a mere restaurant owner, act so arrogantly!"

“Madam, in business, harmony is paramount. If she is truly unyielding, we should try persuasion first, then force. Besides, you should have faith in your husband,” Xu Qingyan said without denying her words, and then smiled as he selected a few more pieces of jewelry for her.

"I really don't know anything about business. You can decide for yourself, but please don't take me to do business in the future."

Ning disliked such occasions. In her noble family, she had only attended banquets hosted by various housekeepers and the daughters of officials. Now that she had married into the Xu family, she always felt out of place. The only advantage was that Xu Qingyan was willing to spend money on her, and she didn't have to be made difficult by her husband's family.

"Alright, as long as Madam is happy," Xu Qingyan married her only to take advantage of the situation. As long as the two families have this marriage relationship, it will bring benefits, so there is no need to be too demanding of Ning Shi.

The couple soon returned home together.

"Where did Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law come from? Oh! Is this the new jewelry from Yunshuang Pavilion? Third Brother is so generous to his wife," Liu Yue had just returned from causing a scene at the Liu family and was still in a bad mood, but her attitude changed completely when she saw Xu Qingyan and his wife.

"I'm just browsing around. If you like these jewelry pieces, Second Sister-in-law, please pick one out," Ning said. Although she didn't think much of Liu Yue, she was very good at putting on a show.

"No way! That was chosen for you by your third brother, so I don't want it. By the way, I heard your second brother mention the other day that you've been too busy lately and haven't had time to have a proper chat with him! When will your third brother have time to come over for a visit?"

Although Liu Yue disapproved of the Xu family's favoritism, she also knew that Xu Qingyan had the greatest chance of becoming the head of the Xu family in the future, so she thought about getting closer to him.