Jiang Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief after selling the dried green beans transported from Anshui County to Youranju.
She did not let her second brother down, nor did she ruin his business.
What's even more surprising is that ever since the head chef learned that Jiuzhenfang was owned by them, he has been visiting from time to time, often bringing back a couple of pounds of pastries. He also occasionally goes to the kitchen to take a look around.
At first, Aunt Zhang thought he wanted to steal the recipe, so she became quite wary, and even Wang Xiaosong became hostile towards him.
Until five days before the New Year.
After observing for a long time, the master chef finally said, "You Ran Ju also has chefs who make pastries, but their energy is limited, and they can only make three to five kinds a day at most. I think your pastries are excellent. Would you be willing to supply some to You Ran Ju?"
Aunt Zhang was utterly astonished.
This sudden surprise almost overwhelmed her. She had thought that opening a shop would be good enough to make some money, but she never expected that You Ran Ju would take notice of her.
That's the best restaurant in Fengjing, where every dish is priced by weight. How could they possibly look down on her mere pastries?
"Master Kong is joking." After calming down, Zhang Xianglian said cautiously, "Jiuzhenfang's pastries are too cheap and probably won't catch the eye of a distinguished person."
The most expensive item in the shop is the jujube cake, because the raw material glutinous rice flour is quite expensive, so the price is also quite high. However, it costs 300 coins to buy one pound and get half a pound free, which is equivalent to 100 coins for half a pound.
Just imagining the young noblemen of Fengjing strolling into Youranju, sitting down, and ordering half a jin of jujube cake to eat their fill for only 100 coins, Aunt Zhang felt ashamed.
The kind of expensive pastries that You Ran Ju He sells, costing one or two taels of silver for half a piece, are gone after just a couple of bites.
"No, no, no, your pastries are truly unique." The master chef tends to wave his hands when he gets anxious. "I genuinely wanted to work with you after tasting them. I'm not joking, I mean it."
He was tall and burly, and because he often tasted dishes while cooking, he was quite fleshy.
This sudden excitement startled Aunt Zhang.
Although the woman in her thirties had experienced many hardships, she ate well and was in a good mood after being with her six children. Gradually, she regained her fair and tender complexion and looked like she was in her twenties at first glance.
In addition, she had a gentle temperament and a timid nature. Whenever she was frightened, her eyes would always well up with tears, which would be set in her fair and timid face, making her look just like an easy-to-bully little white rabbit.
The master chef's waving hand suddenly froze.
He had a premonition that if he said another word, the woman in front of him would cry.
Out of pity and guilt, he put his hands behind his back, preparing to offer a sincere apology and then discuss the pastries properly.
Suddenly, Wang Xiaosong, who was serving pastries in the kitchen, came out and saw this scene. Remembering Aunt Zhang's warning to be wary, he immediately felt his hair stand on end and was filled with unease.
In the blink of an eye, the young man put down the pastries he was holding, rushed over like a shooting star, and bumped headfirst into the master chef's waist.
All that could be heard was a cry of "Ouch!"
Jiang Sheng and Chang Yan were stunned when they arrived at the entrance of Jiuzhenfang. They thought something had happened to Aunt Zhang.
But the voice clearly belonged to a rough man.
Is someone coming to cause trouble?
The brother and sister were terrified and rushed in, only to see the kind and amiable master lying on the ground, with a stunned Aunt Zhang standing beside him, and Wang Xiaosong lying on the ground.
"Master Chef!" Jiang Sheng exclaimed, rushing over to help him up.
But the master chef was twice as heavy as her, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift her up.
Chang Yan was quick-witted and turned to go into the Wen family's medical clinic.
The advantages of being close to the clinic were fully demonstrated at this moment.
When Wen Zhiyun appeared with the small medicine box, the master chef had already been helped up by Jiang Sheng and Aunt Zhang, who explained the whole story.
"It's all my fault. I thought I was going to get beaten again," Zhang Xianglian said timidly. "Xiaosong misunderstood, which is why this misunderstanding happened."
Even after living independently for three years, the deep-seated fears still remain. Every time she sees a man raise his hand, she instinctively shrinks back in panic.
Jiang Sheng understood, Wen Zhiyun understood, and even Wang Xiaosong was so embarrassed that he lay on the ground, too ashamed to stand up.
Only the head chef uttered a question in confusion, "Beating?"
No one explained anything.
After taking his pulse, Wen Zhiyun massaged his lower back and said softly, "It's just a sprain, nothing serious. Rest for a few days and take two more doses of medicine."
He carried his small medicine box back to the clinic to continue seeing patients and getting medicine, and before leaving, he patted Jiang Sheng's head.
A short while later, Wang Xiaozhu brought over two doses of medicine and, on the way, kicked her brother.
She clearly harbored resentment towards his recklessness.
"It's all my fault." Wang Xiaosong said with a face full of shame, "When I saw my aunt crying, I... I got angry."
“It’s my fault, I was just too cowardly,” Zhang Xianglian shook her head.
The two men were vying to admit their mistakes, which amused the head chef watching from the side.
Although he didn't know what had happened to Zhang Xianglian, the woman's kindness and fragility made him unable to bring himself to question her about responsibility. "I'm fine. It's normal for my back to be bad at my age. If I were twenty years younger, I might not be the one lying on the ground."
Wang Xiaosong said awkwardly, "It's true. If the master chef hadn't had his hands behind his back, he probably wouldn't have been knocked down."
What a coincidence!
"Alright, that's enough for today. You can think about the pastries some more. I'm taking the medicine with me." The head chef stood up, supporting his back, and casually tied the two doses of medicine to his belt.
Zhang Xianglian watched from afar, her face filled with guilt.
Once the head chef had walked away, Jiang Sheng asked curiously, "Auntie, what about the pastries?"
“You Ran Ju wants pastries from Jiu Zhen Fang.” Zhang Xianglian said with a worried look. “They all look down on our red dates, chestnuts and hawthorns, how could they possibly look at our pastries?”
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