Chapter 146 Madam Liu

Song Yushu hadn't been able to rest properly for three days because of this meal, but now that he had signed the cooperation agreement, he could finally get a good night's sleep.

With the two recipes in his pocket, Xu Chunming's heart suddenly began to pound uncontrollably. He used to be cautious and careful, always trying to survive under the watchful eyes of the Xu family. He had only accepted Song Yushu's invitation to her restaurant to make it clear that he would not take any risks with her. Who knew that he would end up signing a cooperation agreement after just one visit?

However, he did not regret it. He accepted that he had gotten his hands on these recipes, even if it meant going against the Xu family.

After returning from Song Yushu's restaurant, he handed over all the affairs of Bichunlou to the manager and went into seclusion to study the recipes. Whether Bichunlou can change its situation now depends on whether it can turn things around with these two recipes.

After handing the recipe to Xu Chunming, Song Yushu began to think about how to help Bichunlou gain fame.

For a high-end restaurant like Bichunlou to attract customers, it's natural to need to invite some prominent figures to patronize the establishment.

“This is easy to handle. Isn’t the Bai family cooperating with you now? He’s helping the government produce cheap paper and is quite a prominent figure in the city. Let him find an excuse to host a banquet. There will probably be plenty of people in the city who want to come. Xu Chunming can then be in charge of the banquet.”

"However, there is another candidate. If you can persuade the prefect to host the banquet, the effect will be the best. After all, wealthy families have always liked to follow the example of these court officials. It all depends on how you persuade Prefect Liu." Since Doctor Wu himself was involved in this matter, he naturally had to come up with some ideas.

Upon hearing this, Song Yushu thought he should try his luck with Prefect Liu first.

Having learned that Prefect Liu was at home and had not gone out that day, Song Yushu brought generous gifts to his door.

“Madam, there is a woman who calls herself Wei Fang outside the mansion requesting an audience with the Prefect. Would you please let her in?”

The maid in the mansion asked the mistress of the mansion.

"Wei Fang? Is that the person who provided the low-priced prescription?" Madam Liu remembered the name; she had heard her husband mention it when Wei Fang and Bai Jingyu were commended.

Moreover, she came from a scholarly family and loved reading. Although she was a woman, she was no less talented than men. Naturally, she could see how much benefit the low-priced paper would bring. As a scholar, she had a good impression of Wei Fang and Bai Jingyu.

"Go and ask her. If it really is her, then invite her in," Madam Liu instructed the maid.

"yes."

Song Yushu waited outside the mansion for a while, and then a maid dressed in light green came out and asked her if she was the Lady Wei who had offered the low-priced prescription.

She readily agreed and was then led by the maid to Madam Liu.

"Please sit down. I had heard that the person who offered the prescription was a woman. I didn't expect to meet her today. She is indeed a clever person." Madam Liu was a few years older than Song Yushu. She had a delicate face and a scholarly air about her. She was an extremely elegant woman.

This was the first time Song Yushu had encountered a woman with such a scholarly air, which reminded her of the female poet surnamed Li from a previous book.

"What? Is there something dirty on my face?" Madam Liu asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"No! It's just that I couldn't help but take a few more glances at the lady because of her refined and elegant demeanor, which suggests she is a person of great learning and cultivation," Song Yushu replied truthfully.

"This is the first time I've heard such a direct compliment, and I'm a little unaccustomed to it," Madam Liu said, finding Song Yushu's words much more pleasant than the flattery she was used to.

"This is the first time I've met a woman like you, Madam. I was rude for a moment, please forgive me," Song Yushu said, relieved to see that she did not show any displeasure.

"I'm overjoyed by your praise, how could I blame you? What brings you here today? Please tell me, otherwise I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while," Madam Liu inquired.

"It's like this..."

Song Yushu knew that Prefect Liu had no dealings with the Xu family, so he wasn't afraid to let Madam Liu know the purpose of their banquet. He then gave a brief overview of their plan.

"This is quite an interesting matter. I wonder if I could join in?" Madam Liu found it intriguing and decided to get involved.

Song Yushu had anticipated that Madam Liu might refuse, but he was surprised that she also wanted to join.

"What? Did my words put you in a difficult position?"

"No problem! With Madam joining us, we have a strong backer. We're overjoyed!" Song Yushu hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise and agreed to Madam Liu's joining without hesitation.

Song Yushu had originally thought that it would be quite difficult to get a clean and honest official like Prefect Liu to host a banquet, but he was so lucky that he ended up getting the Prefect's wife on board with him. It was a truly unexpected and delightful surprise.

“We rarely hold banquets in the city, but our elder’s 60th birthday is in half a month, so we should definitely have a celebration,” Madam Liu said, setting the date for the banquet and asking Song Yushu to bring her the menu so they could discuss their cooperation in detail.

Song Yushu was still a little lightheaded when she came out of the mansion. This trip had been so worthwhile. Not only had she been able to cooperate with Madam Liu, but she had also received a lot of gifts. She couldn't refuse their hospitality, so she accepted them all.

"What incredible luck! There are so many ladies and young women in this prefecture trying to curry favor with Madam Liu, but she hasn't taken a liking to any of them. She rarely even meets with outsiders. You've managed to drag them onto this pirate ship. You really can't judge a book by its cover!" Doctor Wu was so shocked when he heard that Prefect Liu was also going to cooperate that he almost dropped his cup.

"Actually, this was a lucky break. Because of the low-priced paper, Mrs. Liu had a good impression of me. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have even been able to meet her, let alone cooperate with her."

Song Yushu was self-aware; a woman like Madam Liu must have come from an extraordinary background, and the temperament she possessed could not be cultivated in an ordinary wealthy family.

"Originally, we were only 60% sure of success, but with Madam Liu joining us, we're at least 90% sure now. As for the remaining 10%, the Xu family might use some underhanded tricks behind our backs, so we should be careful," Doctor Wu said, excitedly pulling Old Master Liu, this terrible chess player, into a game of chess, thinking about the steady stream of money coming in.

"Everyone says that doctors are people who save lives and have a benevolent heart, but you've only got money in your eyes," Old Master Liu said irritably.

"What's wrong with being a doctor? Doctors are human too. Humans need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Besides, all my money is earned honestly and I spend it on buying medicine and treating people. That's a great way to accumulate merit. What do you know, you old fool!" Doctor Wu retorted without any politeness.

Grandpa Liu didn't argue anymore, and the two of them focused on playing chess.