Chapter 193 Unexpected Visitor
Feng Lan briefly talked about the canal, and Li Desheng nodded repeatedly.
"So that's how it is. Governor Qian is indeed not easy to deal with. But don't worry, ma'am. We'll sort things out when the time comes."
After chatting for a while, Li Desheng suddenly asked, "I heard that Miss San Ya is very skilled in cooking and opened a restaurant in her hometown?"
Sanya smiled modestly, "It's just to make a living."
"The girl is too modest."
Li Desheng's eyes were filled with anticipation. "I wonder if you've ever thought about opening a restaurant in Jinzhou? Business is booming here, as there are so many merchants."
San Ya shook her head. "We don't have any plans for now. We're unfamiliar with this place, and opening a restaurant is too risky."
A flash of disappointment crossed Li Desheng's face, but he quickly concealed it.
"Yes, it's not easy to operate in a different place."
San Ya was so smart that she immediately noticed something was wrong.
She pretended to ask casually, "Brother Li, do you know a lot about the restaurant business?"
"No, no, I'm just asking casually." Li Desheng smiled a little unnaturally.
San Ya knew what was going on, but she didn't point it out.
She continued to probe: "Actually, I've thought about this. If I really want to open a restaurant in Jinzhou, the location is very important. Brother Li is familiar with this place. Does he have any good suggestions?"
Li Desheng's eyes lit up. "There are many good places! The bustling streets in the east of the city and the docks in the west are both good choices."
"sounds good."
San Ya nodded, "But opening a restaurant requires a lot of money, and our family can't afford that much."
"That's easy!"
Li Desheng blurted out, "I know a few wealthy bosses, and they're looking for a reliable partner in business!"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Li Desheng knew that he had let the cat out of the bag. His face changed slightly and he wanted to make amends.
San Ya smiled, "Brother Li, it seems you are not just here to take care of us, right?"
Li Desheng felt relieved when he was exposed.
"To be honest, someone did ask me to ask the girl what she meant."
"Who?"
"Several businessmen in the city have heard that you are a good cook and have good business sense, so they want to invite you to open a restaurant with them."
Li Desheng confessed honestly, "I wanted to test it out slowly, but I didn't expect the girl to see through me."
Feng Lan was a little curious, "How do they know about us?"
"The girl's reputation has long spread to Jinzhou."
Li Desheng explained, "Some time ago, some merchants came from your area and talked about Miss San Ya's restaurant. Business is booming and the dishes are unique. These owners have long wanted to meet the girl, but never had the chance."
San Ya thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then I can meet them. But I have to make it clear first that I really don't have any plans to open a restaurant in Jinzhou right now."
“It’s okay, it’s okay!”
Li Desheng was delighted. "It would be great if we could meet. Maybe we could come up with some ideas after chatting."
Chen Kangbo was listening at the side and suddenly remembered something.
"Lan'er, if we really open a restaurant here, will it be helpful for us to discuss the canal?"
Feng Lan's eyes lit up.
Indeed, if you have roots in Jinzhou, your words will carry weight.
Those businessmen must have connections in the local area and may be able to help.
"Okay, let's meet then."
Feng Lan nodded. "But let me be frank. We are mainly concerned about the canal. Opening a restaurant is just a side consideration."
Li Desheng nodded repeatedly, "I understand! I'll arrange it right away. We'll have a banquet at Zuixianlou tomorrow night, and all the hosts will be there."
After seeing Li Desheng off, San Ya seemed to be lost in thought.
"Mom, this is a little strange."
She said, "We've only been in Jinzhou for a few days, and they already know about it? And what a coincidence, Wenbin's cousin just happens to know these people?"
Feng Lan also felt something was wrong. "What do you mean?"
"Perhaps it was arranged by that Governor Qian."
Sanya analyzed, "He doesn't want to talk about the canal directly, so he wants to use other methods to delay us."
Chen Kangbo shook his head. "That shouldn't be the case, right? Governor Qian is eager for us to leave."
"It could also be some other force."
San Ya continued to speculate, "Jinzhou is such a large place, there must be various interest groups. Our interference with the canal might have affected someone's interests."
Feng Lan felt a headache after hearing this. "Who cares who arranged this? We'll know when we meet tomorrow."
It was late at night and the three of them went to rest.
San Ya was lying on the bed, with all kinds of thoughts running through her mind.
The water in Jinzhou was much deeper than she had imagined.
The next morning, San Ya paced back and forth in the room with a frown on her face.
"Mom, I want to discuss something with you."
San Ya stopped and said, "We have opened more and more restaurants, and I always feel that I am unable to cope with them."
Feng Lan put down the teacup in her hand and asked, "What's wrong? Is business bad?"
"No, business is good."
San Ya sat down on the chair and said, "I just found that I have no time to go into the kitchen. When I was in town, I could cook by myself and think of new dishes. Now I am busy running around to various stores every day, and the dishes have not been updated at all."
Feng Lan thought for a moment, "What do you mean?"
"I'm worried that after a while, customers will get tired of our food and business will decline."
San Ya held her chin in her hand and said, "But I'm too busy to handle everything. I don't know what to do."
"What's so difficult about this?"
Feng Lan smiled. "Why don't you just find a few reliable managers? You set the rules for each store and have them follow them. You just need to check the ledger regularly, and you don't have to worry about anything else."
Sanya's eyes lit up, "Yes! Why didn't I think of that?"
"You're just being stubborn."
Feng Lan shook her head. "You want to do everything yourself. You'll be exhausted and unable to manage everything."
"Then I'll go back and look for some suitable candidates."
Sanya became excited, "This way I can concentrate on researching new dishes."
As he was speaking, there was a hurried knock on the door.
Chen Kangbo went to open the door, and a dusty young man was standing outside.
"Wenbin?"
Feng Lan recognized him immediately and asked, "Why are you here?"
Su Wenbin bowed to Feng Lan as he entered the room, "Mom, I came all the way to see you."
Feng Lan's heart skipped a beat. "Did something happen to Ya'er?"
“No, no!”
Su Wenbin quickly waved his hands, "Ya'er is fine, and the child is also healthy."
Feng Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest, "Child, don't breathe so hard when you speak. I thought something serious had happened."
Sanya poured tea for Wenbin and said, "Brother-in-law, why did you come all this way here?"
Su Wenbin looked around and asked, "Mom, can we talk to each other for a few words?"
Feng Lan nodded and walked to the next room with Wen Bin.
"What's so mysterious?" Feng Lan closed the door.
Su Wenbin lowered his voice, "The results of this year's scientific expedition are out."
"oh?"
Feng Lan became interested and asked, "How did you do in the exam?"
"Shitou won the first place in the imperial examination."
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