After unloading two cartloads of eggplants, Lan Ya Mei realized the sheer volume of ingredients she had purchased. Next came dried steamed buns and free-range eggs. Er Gou's mother, carrying Gou Dan, made two trips with her son and daughter-in-law to deliver them all, leaving the ground covered in a pile of food.

Aside from her own excited enthusiasm, everyone else thought this woman was crazy! Everyone in Longyang Town knew that there were so many eggplants this year that they were being fed to pigs. Who would eat this stuff for barbecue?

Lan Ya Mei was full of confidence about how to process the eggplant, and kept urging everyone to get to their positions.

Qiu Zeyu was assigned to skewer lotus roots. The future head of the Qiu family wanted to slip away, but Lan Yamei caught him and dragged him along. In the end, Qiu Zeyu didn't know what possessed him, but he willingly sat on the small stool and obediently skewered the lotus roots.

With skillful fingertips, it was easier than stringing cotton. In the end, he even threw darts, sending the lotus root slices that Aunt Guan had cut flying onto the sticks stuck in the wall.

Aunt Guan's cutting speed couldn't keep up with the skewering speed. She was convinced that this person must be Qiu Zeyu, the notorious murderer in the martial arts world. Her hands trembled, and she knew she had to tell Lan Yatou.

Qiu Zeyu, a handsome scholar, is rumored to kill people entirely according to his mood. Children? Kill them! Old people? Kill them! Women? Kill them! In short, he kills whoever he wants! Simply offending him is certain death.

Without breadcrumbs, Lan Yamei rubbed dry steamed bun crumbs. Not having any magical abilities to manipulate objects, she had to find a substitute. Luckily, she had tried dry steamed bun crumbs before, and they worked perfectly. Not having a high-speed blender, she had to crush them with a stick and push them bit by bit with a millstone.

Qiu Zeyu skewered lotus roots so fast that Aunt Guan, whether from exhaustion or fright, found her back soaked with sweat.

Qiu Zeyu, with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head, lay on the bench, glancing sideways at the silly girl struggling to work. He jumped off the bench, startling Aunt Guan so much that she fell to the ground and covered her head. Butterfly looked completely bewildered.

To this, Qiu Zeyu simply shrugged, picked up the dried steamed buns from the sack, slapped them down, and put them down.

When everyone opened the bag, good heavens! The dry steamed buns, which would have taken a millstone to push, were smashed into dust! This man was not to be trifled with; he was turned into mincemeat without lifting a finger.

Aunt Guan had made up her mind: if she couldn't afford to offend him, she would try to please him! She was determined to get along well with this young man.

Lan Ya Mei became a complete fangirl. This woman in her thirties suddenly felt a stirring of spring in her heart, unable to contain her emotions. For years, she had wanted to find a man better than herself, and now it had come true! She was filled with a thousand thanks to God! Heaven had arranged for her to be a matchmaker in this pure and simple world!

He grabbed Qiu Zeyu's face and gave him a big kiss, exclaiming, "Amazing! Was ten taels of silver too little? No, I'll give you five more. I'm rooting for you!"

Qiu Zeyu blushed instantly and pretended to drink tea as he stepped away. In his 24 years of life, this was the first time a woman had kissed him in public; he was utterly humiliated!

Such a bold and unrestrained manner completely astonished Aunt Guan and Butterfly! However, since one was the boss and the other was a master, the two could only pretend to be blind.

The butterfly, despite being ill, went to work and did its best to assist.

Good times always pass quickly. An hour later, Lan Yamei finally spoke, "Alright! I'll show you what I've got first. Everyone can taste it and then we can set a price."

Heat oil in a wok. Remove the stem from the eggplant and cut it into chrysanthemum shapes. Dip the eggplant in an egg batter. When the oil reaches 80% of its maximum temperature, coat it with dry breadcrumbs and immediately drop it into the oil. Fry until set, then flip the eggplant and fry the other side. The whole process takes about 3 minutes. Remove from the oil, plate it, sprinkle evenly with the secret seasoning and sesame seeds, and serve.

Qiu Zeyu waved his fan, unwilling to take the first bite. However, Aunt Guan plucked a strand of eggplant, chewed it a couple of times, and stood up in surprise, asking, "What's this called? How come it's so delicious?"

"Split-leg eggplant! This is our Lan family's secret recipe. How much do you think is appropriate to sell it for?" Lan Yamei had no idea about the price.

Qiu Zeyu and Butterfly each took a bite, and hey! There was no eggplant flavor at all; instead, it had a meaty aroma. This crispy preparation method was a local innovation—it was novel and delicious!

"Let's sell it for thirty coins!" Qiu Zeyu said.

"Alright! The cost is about 5 coins on average, and we'll make 25 coins. 200 eggplants will be 5,000 coins. If we sell them all tonight, we'll make 50 taels. This doesn't even include the income from drinks and other dishes. Conservatively speaking, we'll make at least 60 taels of silver tonight. How about that, everyone? Aren't I amazing?" Thinking of all the silver, Lan Yamei grinned slyly. She was practically a future business tycoon.

The pricing was unanimously approved, so they quickly prepared some food, and after everyone had eaten their fill and rested for a while, they set off for the ghost market.

The butterfly stayed home to rest and recuperate.

Perhaps it was because there was a handsome man on the carriage today, or perhaps it was because the business was so good that it aroused jealousy, but in the bustling ghost market, only Old Master Ouyang greeted them.

Qiu Zeyu tilted his head and said to Lan Yamei, "Looks like you're not very popular!" before jumping out of the car.

Lan Ya Mei was completely bewildered. She herself was puzzled as to what was going on and why the atmosphere was so strange.

It was still early, and the diners hadn't come out yet.

With limited stock of liquor, Aunt Guan went to the distillery alone to buy some. When she returned, she saw that her stall was surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

Qiu Zeyu was in charge of frying, while Lan Yamei served the dishes, collected money, and wiped the tables. Seeing Aunt Guan return, she hurriedly called out, "Hurry up, hurry up! We can't keep up! Is the wine back yet? Fill the guests' glasses; those tables are waiting!"

Aunt Guan struggled to carry the wine, and Uncle Ouyang quickly lent a hand, so that each guest could fill up their glass of baijiu.

Grandpa Ouyang said cheerfully, "Your business is doing well today, congratulations!"

The once bustling wonton stall was nearly deserted tonight; the tables and chairs had all been borrowed by the barbecue customers. Aunt Guan was feeling a little embarrassed when Lan Yamei called out, "Uncle Ouyang, why don't you consider joining me? You're all alone anyway, it'll be more interesting if we all live together." As she spoke, she gestured towards Aunt Guan with her lips.

Embarrassed, Grandpa Ouyang blushed and turned away to greet the guests, not daring to look at Grandma Guan.

Aunt Guan, however, generously said, "You little brat, you're always talking nonsense. Go sell your barbecue!" She then smiled as she poured and served wine, not forgetting to help Uncle Ouyang promote his wontons.

In the past, the number of customers at the barbecue stall could be counted on one hand, as everyone sympathized with the orphaned mother and her child, who struggled to make ends meet.

These days, the barbecue stalls are raking in the cash, but both new and old customers have all left. Some are envious and uncomfortable, which is why they're unwilling to talk to the others, even though the place is a chaotic mess with nowhere to sit. The other stall owners haven't offered to lend them their space either; they've all gathered in small groups to play cards, watching the spectacle like spectators.

Qiu Zeyu has no business experience, but he already has the idea of ​​finding a big stage for Lan Yamei tomorrow.