September 15th was the day Jin Yu Lou announced to its customers that it would be launching new products, and many customers came.
Jin Yu Lou has already introduced a new dish once, which is crispy red bean curd, jointly developed by Gu Yaoniang and the head chef of Jin Yu Lou.
Red kidney beans are boiled in cold water until soft, then coated in flour and fried until golden brown and crispy. They are then stir-fried with chili peppers from Gu Family Trading Company and chopped pickled cabbage made from large leafy greens. The result is a fragrant, crispy, sour, and spicy dish that is very popular with customers.
The waiter at the door said that Jin Yu Lou's current rule is to introduce new dishes on the first day of the lunar month and new dim sum on the fifteenth.
If it sells well, Jin Yu Lou will continue to sell it until the next new dim sum is introduced. If it doesn't sell well... it's uncertain how long it will last before it's handed over to Zui Yue Lou.
The guests naturally all came to support them.
That makes perfect sense! If the owner of Jin Yu Lou thinks it's selling well, he'll sell it for a few more days, and then people can enjoy cheap snacks for a few more days.
I have to support them!
Not only did diners come to Jin Yu Lou, but Lu Zhao'an, the owner of Zui Yue Lou, also came to Jin Yu Lou on the fifteenth day.
Accompanying them were Zhao Yao and her brother Zhao Yang, along with Lu Jing'an, who kept muttering to himself.
Princess Ruining and the eldest prince both arrived, and Gu Yaoniang naturally went to the private room to sit with them.
Gu Yaoniang sat next to Princess Ruining.
Recently, the sage's foot paralysis has been flaring up quite frequently. Each time it flares up, his toes swell and become unbearably painful, making it difficult to even walk.
Princess Ruining and the eldest prince served her at all times. Before the court session, the two of them would review and categorize the documents and then present them to the emperor.
Zhao Yao has been busy lately and hasn't been to Jin Yu Lou for a long time. Usually, Yao Niang delivers the newly made food to the princess's residence.
If it weren't for Lu Zhaoan's insistent invitation, the Emperor would not have wanted to keep his two children by his side and let them leave the palace at will, and they would not have come to the Golden Jade Pavilion.
Zhao Yao sat in Jin Yu Lou, her sorrow undiminished. Zhao Yang listened with great interest as Lu Zhao'an introduced the new dishes at Jin Yu Lou.
Lu Jing'an peeked at the pastries on the table, his eyes glued to them, but he said, "They don't look very good."
Gu Yaoniang was speaking quietly with Princess Ruining when she heard this and suddenly looked up, glaring at Lu Jing'an.
Lu Jing'an shrank back. This woman was so cautious when she first arrived in the capital, but now she's getting fiercer and fiercer!
"If the young master doesn't like it, I'll tell the manager not to serve his portion."
Gu Yaoniang gave a forced smile. Lu Jing'an glanced at the dazzling array of food on the table, feeling somewhat reluctant, but he said defiantly, "I still have my second brother!"
Lu Zhaoan replied in a detached voice, "You have to pay to go to Zuiyue Tower."
Lu Jing'an was so anxious he almost jumped up, but Lu Zhao'an hadn't finished speaking yet: "Zuiyuelou, expensive, five times more expensive."
There wasn't a single word of nonsense, yet the meaning was perfectly clear.
Lu Jing'an took a deep breath and decided that it would be better to eat more since his second brother was treating him today.
It wasn't that he thought the food at Jin Yu Lou was delicious; he just wanted to try it to see if it was good or not. Wouldn't it be a waste if he paid for it himself and it turned out bad?
Watching the interaction between the two brothers, and seeing that Lu Jing'an had given up, Zhao Yang's eyes flashed with a hint of displeasure.
He chuckled softly, as if casually remarking, "Well done! Lu Erlang, now you and Gu Niangzi, one selling her pastries and the other selling his wine, make Zuiyuelou and Jinyulou seem like one family."
These words were rather harsh. He made it sound as if Lu Zhaoan and Gu Yaoniang had something unspeakable going on between Jin Yu Lou and Zui Yue Lou.
Zhao Yang spoke casually, but Lu Zhao'an seemed oblivious, his expression remaining unchanged. Zhao Yao, however, frowned slightly, glancing at Gu Yaoniang's reaction with some concern.
Zhao Yang also looked at Gu Yaoniang.
Gu Yaoniang sat upright beside Princess Ruining, seemingly oblivious to the malice in Zhao Yang's words, and said with a smile, "That's all thanks to Boss Lu's generosity in taking care of my business. He was willing to pay three times the amount of silver for my pastries, and to prevent me from selling them to others, he even took away the best wine from Zuiyue Tower."
Gu Yaoniang was already prepared for Zhao Yang's attempt to steer her relationship with Lu Zhaoan towards something more erotic.
Women doing business is always a hassle; the hardships and difficulties are no different from those of men, and they may even need to put in more effort. Yet, they are always gossiped about behind their backs, with people believing that their success is due to romantic affairs and has nothing to do with their own abilities.
Gu Yaoniang's words implied that the cooperation between Jinyulou and Zuiyuelou was entirely based on money and profit.
As for whether to believe it or not... well, she didn't expect the gossip to stop anyway. As long as she did a good job of appearances and didn't let anyone find fault, that was enough.
Zhao Yang smiled at Lu Zhaoan: "Now you can be considered a major customer of Jin Yu Lou!"
He looked at Yao Niang with a hint of admiration in his eyes and said, "It seems that Jin Yu Lou's business has improved a lot under Madam Gu's management."
When I arrived today, I noticed that there seemed to be many more guests in the lobby than before.
Judging from the appearance, there are now more ordinary people among the visitors.
Gu Yaoniang nodded in agreement. Unlike Zhao Yang and Zhao Yao, she and Zhao Yao had passed the initial testing phase and could now get along like friends.
However, no matter how courteous and respectful the eldest prince was, he could not hide his arrogance, making it impossible for people to ignore his status as a member of the royal family.
Seeing Gu Yaoniang bowing her head, looking completely submissive, Zhao Yang's smile became even more genuine.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Madam Gu? If so, please feel free to ask."
Zhao Yang was usually arrogant, but after his words today, the people in the private room noticed the change in his tone.
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