Chapter 12
The big man looked shocked, and then angrily spun around in place, scratching his head and yelling, looking quite helpless.
"You little girl, you're ruthless!"
He could only find a stool to sit down and wait for the matter to be over before taking the money and leaving.
The men from Fumanju warmly greeted us, "Brothers, we don't usually come here. It's fate that we're meeting today. How about we sit down and have something to eat together?"
The burly man was furious and had no appetite left. He huffed and puffed, "..."
"I'm not eating. You can help yourselves."
Seeing that he had stopped causing trouble, Yu Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief. In her previous life, she had encountered people causing trouble while drunk at a barbecue restaurant. Later, she called the police and checked the surveillance footage, which clarified everything. Unfortunately, there were no surveillance cameras in ancient times.
It's okay, there's always a solution.
Yu Cheng looked worried, gently tugged at her sleeve, and said in a weak voice:
"Sister, I'm sorry, I've gotten myself into trouble."
Yu Wan rubbed his fluffy head. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Your older sister knows you did nothing wrong. Go see if Mother has woken up. If she has, try to keep her occupied and prevent her from coming down and worrying. Her health isn't good, and getting emotional can affect her condition."
Yu Cheng nodded, then asked, "Will Brother A-Su find that person? What if he can't?"
Yu Wan patted his thin, frail shoulders: "Don't worry about it, go upstairs first, your older sister will take care of it."
The two siblings and their mother have been malnourished for a long time, and they are so thin that they have no flesh on their bodies, and their hair is dry and dull. They will need to take good care of themselves in the future.
Yu Wan watched her younger brother go upstairs, then called to the people at Fu Man Ju to wait a moment while she went to make noodles.
There were still some raw wide noodles left in the kitchen, which could be cooked quickly, but there wasn't much sauce left, so I made a big bowl of Northwest-style fried sauce.
Once the noodles are cooked, they can be served.
The people at Fu Man Ju had been smelling the aroma for a long time, and when she was making the sauce, they couldn't resist and almost rushed into the kitchen to watch, but they held back because they were customers.
After waiting and looking forward, they finally saw the young lady come out carrying a tray of food, and they quickly got up and went forward to greet her.
These people didn't stand idly by during the farce; they kept trying to mediate. Yu Wan developed a good impression of them and learned their names after chatting for a while.
Chen Lie was tall and thin with dark skin. He nimbly picked up half a bowl of noodles with his chopsticks and ate it in a few bites, wolfing it down very quickly.
"Delicious! Delicious! So delicious! Is there any more? I'd like another bowl later."
Zhang Tianfu had a prosperous-looking face, but he wasn't in a hurry to eat, repeatedly smelling the aroma of the fried sauce.
"How do you make this fried sauce?"
Li Wu was the youngest among them, in his early twenties. He silently finished half a bowl before praising it.
"This is the best Zhajiangmian I've ever eaten in my life!"
Sun Dajiang, the oldest of the five, was in his early forties, but he also looked very satisfied with his meal.
"Madam Yu, your cooking skills are so good, why do you only sell grilled skewers in your shop? That's such a waste! With your noodles alone, you could open your own noodle shop, and it would definitely be a huge success!"
Yu Wan smiled and said, "If you like it, come back next time and I'll give you different flavors."
Selling noodles was indeed part of her plan, but expanding the business would require more costs, capital, personnel, and management, all of which would be very time-consuming.
The restaurant business is just starting out, so we need to take it one step at a time, be steady and pragmatic, and not rush things.
Zhao Bao, a lively person, joked, "Madam Yu, do you need anyone? If I ever leave Fumanju, can I work for you?"
Yu Wan laughed and said, "Come over and chat then. I'm just afraid you'll complain that I'm not paying you enough and won't come even if you beg me."
The tavern owner next to them silently watched the noodles in their bowls, swallowing hard with longing.
Seeing this, Yu Wan politely asked, "Would you like a bowl too? It's free, just to make friends. May I ask your surname?"
"Okay..." The tavern owner was about to excitedly agree, but then, remembering the possibility of ending up in court, he snorted coldly:
"No need! It's just a bowl of noodles; you can eat it anywhere."
Yu Wan didn't insist and walked away with a smile.
Before long, the tavern owner couldn't sit still any longer. The aroma of fried sauce filling the room made him very hungry, and with the others around him slurping their food, he simply couldn't resist.
He shouted awkwardly:
"Little girl, I can't just sit here and wait, can I? It's almost lunchtime. Give me a bowl of noodles. I won't eat for free. Just deduct the amount you owe me. After all, you have my thirty coins."
Yu Wan came out with a bowl of noodles, smiling, and placed it in front of him. "It's free, this bowl is for you. These days, none of us have it easy, and besides, it's the New Year, nobody wants to run into bad luck. Let's try to understand each other. Although I didn't go to your shop or witness everything that happened, I can guarantee that there's more to this story."
Perhaps it all started because of her, so she felt somewhat apologetic.
The tavern owner clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute. "You don't seem like an unreasonable young lady, so I'll trust you this once. My name is Du Jikang, and my tavern is two streets away from yours. I know your place, but I never knew anyone was running a business here. Why did you choose this location?"
Yu Wan immediately knew the location of the other party's tavern; it was in the most bustling area of town.
Originally, Mr. Yu wanted his family to have a better life, so he moved the whole family to town. However, they didn't have much money and couldn't afford a restaurant in a good location, so they could only buy one in a more remote area. Even so, the money to buy this restaurant was not something that ordinary people could easily save up; Mr. and Mrs. Yu had been saving for more than ten years.
This restaurant was also sold off at a low price by its previous owner because he disliked its poor location.
"My shop just opened before the Lunar New Year, Mr. Du, come over for some barbecue sometime."
Du Jikang took a bite of noodles, paused, his eyes lit up, and then he was so attracted by the delicious taste that he forgot everything else.
He put down his chopsticks contentedly after the bowl was empty, and let out a satisfied burp.
"I thought they were exaggerating, but this noodle dish is really good. The noodles are chewy, and you put more than one kind of sauce in this sauce, right? What else is there besides soybean paste? The aroma of these sauces blends perfectly with the minced meat, creating a rich and layered aftertaste. It's truly a delicacy!"
Yu Wan answered honestly, "That's right, there are three or four kinds of sauces in total. The reason you feel that the aftertaste is strong is because pepper, soy sauce and other seasonings are added."
Du Jikang understood: "I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Not bad, not bad."
As they were talking, a short, stout middle-aged man appeared at the shop entrance. He was wearing a wool coat and had a mole on his neck. This man was Chef Chen.
He dragged his feet and reluctantly stepped across the threshold, looking back every step of the way.
The person following behind him was He Jing, who had returned.
Everyone followed Chef Chen's gaze and looked over. The young man had walked away in such a hurry that no one had had a chance to examine him closely. Only now did they realize that he had the appearance of a nobleman and was very dignified.
Those sharp, eagle-like eyes were deep and bright, and a hint of disdain always lingered between his brows.
The group snapped out of their daze, looking embarrassed. Who would have thought that their casual guess would actually come true—it was their restaurant's head chef?
The usually arrogant Chef Chen was now timid and hesitant, his eyes darting around, his face showing a mixture of resentment and fear.
He didn't seem surprised to see Chen Lie and the others, and even snorted disdainfully.
"You lot are having a good time."
All five of them could hear the sarcasm in his words, but given their status and position, they dared not say anything and could only greet him with a forced smile.
"Brother Chen, you've come to this small town too? Oh, I remember now, you used to live here too, but you moved to the county seat later. Are you here to visit relatives for the New Year?"
At this point, they were still unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
Upon hearing this, Chef Chen's face turned pale and then red. He glanced at Yu Wan, then huffed and refused to respond.
At this moment, He Jing clenched his fist, coughed twice, covered his mouth, swayed weakly, and sat down on a nearby chair. His thin lips were bloodless, and a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead despite the cold winter.
Yu Wan knew that his health was failing again. He had already suffered a serious injury, and every time he felt a little better, he would exert himself too much, causing his injury to keep recurring. It was really tough for him.
Now that the person has been found, the rest is easy.
She felt grateful and poured herself a glass of water. "You've worked hard. Go upstairs and rest."
He Jing didn't get up. He pointed his long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles at Chef Chen, and his thin lips parted slightly, his voice icy cold.
"You tell me yourself."
Chef Chen, who had been holding his chin high and looking arrogant and unconvinced, immediately trembled as if he had been given a death warning by a demon.
Everyone looked puzzled, especially the five people from Fu Man Ju. They knew Chef Chen was usually arrogant, relying on his superb culinary skills and status as one of Fu Man Ju's cash cows. So he always acted arrogantly in front of them, and no one dared to offend him. Why was he acting like a quail today, shrinking his neck and looking so cowardly?
Du Jikang looked at everyone present; each person's expression was complicated and strange.
Chef Chen was still unwilling to cooperate, looking at He Jing with fear. It was clear that He Jing seemed to have suddenly become weaker and bolder.
“Young master, I wonder why you have come all this way to catch up with my carriage and invite me here? If you admire my name and wish to ask me for guidance, then there is no need. I have other important matters to attend to, so I will not keep you company.”
He Jing's eyes darkened, and a faint sneer curled at the corner of his lips. "I'm giving you one last chance, or I'll keep my word and throw you into the wolf's den."
The crowd looked them up and down. The young man looked weak and helpless, like a sickly old man, yet he dared to threaten to throw Chef Chen into a wolf's den?
They couldn't understand why Madam Yu would hire such a laborer. Could someone like that even do the work? Madam Yu had just told him to go and rest. Wasn't this like keeping a pampered prince?
And why was Chef Chen scared? He didn't dare to say a word back.
He Jing was too lazy to speak, so he pointed at Yu Wan and said, "You tell her."
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