Xu Dalang was annoyed that his younger brother would say such a thing and slapped Xu Erlang on the back of the head, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting! How has Mother taught you all this time!"
Xu Erlang felt wronged, stubbornly refusing to speak, but his eyes were a little red.
Seeing this, Gu Yaoniang felt something was strange. Xu Erlang's request was rather odd, and the atmosphere between the two brothers was also somewhat strange.
She slowly said, "I can give you two. But you have to tell me why you want a two-month package?"
Xu Erlang hesitated for a moment, but Xu Dalang glared at him. As if provoked, he made up his mind and said, "I want my mother and sister to try it!"
His face was flushed as he said, "The ham pastry is delicious. Mother and my sister will be so happy if they get to eat it tomorrow."
Xu Dalang was very flustered and somewhat annoyed. He reached out to slap Xu Erlang, but Xu Erlang skillfully dodged him: "Brother, all you know is how to save face! You don't know about our family's affairs, do you think Gu Niangzi doesn't know?"
Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. If you don't buy mooncakes for Mom and my sister, I will! Why are you stopping me?!
Xu Dalang was clearly not a quick-witted person, and he always acted like an elder brother when disciplining his younger brother.
If it were a verbal dispute, he would be completely helpless against Xu Erlang.
Fearing that the two brothers would quarrel again, Gu Yaoniang hurriedly asked Bitao to go to the kitchen to get mooncakes, bringing back two of each of the three flavors.
Xu Erlang was also a little nervous at this moment: "Madam Gu, I... I only want the Golden Ham Pastry Mooncake".
Actually, the five-nut mooncake and the red bean and jujube paste mooncake also look very delicious.
The pastry was glossy and golden, looking incredibly soft and delicious, making one's mouth water. It was also imprinted with a jade rabbit and auspicious symbols, which further appealed to him.
However, the Jin Yu Lou mooncakes were quite expensive, and their family was not well-off. Buying two Jin Yu Lou mooncakes was already the limit they could manage after gritting their teeth, and they couldn't bear to spend another penny.
Gu Yaoniang blinked in feigned surprise: "This is a gift for you, I don't want any money!"
Xu Dalang panicked: "This won't do! We can't accept this!"
Gu Yaoniang knew that the two brothers had extremely high self-esteem.
Xu Dalang was also tempted, but being honest and upright, he didn't want his younger brother to be so "procrastinating" in asking for favors, which was why he didn't want Xu Erlang to ask. However, he didn't show excessive resistance if it came to paying for it.
Xu Erlang asked if he could pull some strings and buy ham pastries today for his mother and younger sister. Yao Niang was naturally happy to oblige.
If Shi insisted on giving it to them, it would only hurt the brothers' pride.
She said, "Who said I don't want money? If you want to buy ham pastries, I'll sell you ham pastries. But no one has tried the five-nut mooncakes and red bean and jujube paste mooncakes yet. I'll give them to your family to try. If you need them in the future, you can help me spread the word. It's not free!"
Having said that, the Xu brothers no longer refused. They simply kept Gu Yaoniang's kindness in their hearts.
The food and wine were served, and Gu Yaoniang was worried that the Xu brothers would feel uncomfortable and not enjoy their meal in the private room, so she was about to leave when Xu Erlang spoke up again.
"Madam Gu..."
"Um?"
Gu Yaoniang paused, waiting for him to continue.
"Are the ham from the Min family in Southwest Dao and the honey from Xianyu Manor the absolute best?"
Xu Erlang was very curious—how come they had never heard of such a good thing while living in the city?
He thought that if it really was good, he would save up money and buy some for his mother and sister to try! Ham was fine, but he'd heard that honey was incredibly nourishing, especially for women. He believed that if a woman drank a cup of honey water every day, she could have skin as smooth as jade and stay young forever.
Gu Yaoniang was taken aback.
In business, it's all about creating a buzz. Regardless of the quality of the product, if you mention its origin first, the raw materials seem more precious.
The words spoken by the two brothers in the crowd were certainly not false.
The honey and ham used by Jin Yu Lou are naturally of the highest quality.
As for why it was the Min family of Southwest Road, it was simply because the merchant who delivered the ham happened to be surnamed Min. And as for why it was Xianyuzhuang... it was because he saw that the honey from that shop was good, so he bought it and gave it a new name, Xianyuzhuang.
That's all.
Gu Yaoniang smiled and said, "Of course it's good."
Xu Erlang inquired further, "Where is Xianyu Manor?"
Having learned from his previous experience, Xu Dalang tensed up as soon as Xu Erlang opened his mouth. He understood his brother's intention and didn't say anything.
Gu Yaoniang maintained her smile: "I'm sorry. It's a trade secret, I can't tell you. Please understand."
It's not fair to say that Xianyu Manor is actually a Gu family business, and that they even came up with the name themselves.
Gu Yaoniang couldn't bear to look into the eyes of this honest child.
Although Gu Yaoniang believed that everything the Xu brothers said was true, she was certain that Xu Erlang would not be too happy to know the ownership of Xianyu Manor.
Before Xu Erlang could speak, Xu Dalang had already apologized to Gu Yaoniang.
Gu Yaoniang said guiltily that it was alright, and hurriedly came out with three maids, looking rather flustered.
The three maids also had mixed feelings.
They were well aware of the situation involving the Min family and Xianyu Manor in the Southwest.
Well... a restaurant needs some secrets to open its doors to customers. To say these two things are trade secrets wouldn't be entirely untrue.
Gu Yaoniang then went to the main hall and other private rooms, appearing as the new owner of Jinyulou, and expressed her concern and care to the diners of Jinyulou one by one.
Therefore, although Gu Yaoniang came out of the private room where the loud-voiced brothers were, and many people saw her, no one suspected anything.
After all, the loud-voiced brother was the first among them to join, so it's only natural that the new employer would take care of him first.
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