The carriage was indeed fast; it took about half an hour to reach the county town.
“We need to buy goods here. We’ll meet at the city gate when the sun sets,” Wang Fugui said to Song Ning.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Fugui."
The group pulled the carriage into the courtyard and tied it up, and Song Ning turned and headed into the city.
She hadn't noticed it when she was in town, but now that she was in the county, she realized that her clothes didn't fit in at all.
The county seat is, after all, a county seat. The drought, water shortage, and food shortage in the villages below did not have a significant impact on the county seat.
Song Ning carried a basket as he walked through the streets. The city was paved with bluestone slabs, and shops lined both sides. Even though it was almost noon, there were still many vendors on the street.
At this time of day, most people in town have gone home, and apart from those eating, there aren't many people on the streets.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians.
Song Ning was only curious for a short while and didn't have time to wander around. She came with a mission today.
She encountered many restaurants along the way, but they were either not good establishments or looked down on her. Each time, before she could even speak, they would kick her out as if she were a beggar.
Finally, after finding out which was the largest restaurant in the county, they headed straight for their destination.
Yuelai Restaurant is located in the most prosperous part of the county town, and the people who come here to dine are all rich and noble.
Song Ning looked up at the three-story restaurant in front of him and the gilded plaque above his head, took a deep breath, and went inside.
It's lunchtime now, and they're busy inside.
As soon as the waiter saw someone come in, he immediately went up to greet them, but when he saw Song Ning's appearance, the smile on his face instantly disappeared.
"Go away, we're busy here!"
"Brother, I'm here to discuss business," Song Ning said with a smile.
The waiter glanced at her disdainfully: "You? We don't accept junk here, hurry up and get out of here."
"Hey, I really am here to talk business. Aren't you a restaurant owner? I have a dish I can sell to you."
Upon hearing this, the waiter laughed: "Young lady, have you come to the wrong place? This is a restaurant, we sell food, who cares about your little bit of stuff?"
After saying that, he pushed Song Ning out the door.
"Waiter, could I see your boss?"
"Our boss is busy. Do you think anyone can just see him whenever they want?" He snorted and turned back.
Anyway, there are plenty of restaurants along this road. She'll ask at each one; she refuses to believe there won't be any willing ones.
She went to the next place, but before she could even finish a sentence, she was kicked out.
She was dressed in tattered clothes, but surely that wouldn't make her look like a beggar?
She sighed and was about to go to the next store when someone called out to her from behind: "Young lady, wait a minute."
The man walked up to her and asked with a smile, "Little girl, I heard you sell food?"
Song Ning sized up the newcomer, a middle-aged man about 1.7 meters tall, and asked, "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm the owner of a restaurant. I overheard what you said and I'm very interested in your things. How much do you charge for them?"
As he spoke, he pointed to a restaurant not far away. Although it wasn't as grand as the Yuelai Restaurant, it was still quite large from the outside.
Song Ning was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly took out a bowl from the basket and poured the soup over it.
"Try it first. If you like it, we can talk about the price."
The man took the bowl, took a long sip, a flash of surprise in his eyes, and then quickly fell into a deep thought.
"Your stuff tastes good, but it's not anything special. No wonder it's not selling."
Upon hearing this, Song Ning's heart sank.
She used to sell it only in town, and she was the only one there. I didn't ask her before I came here. Could it be that someone in the county town is already selling liangpi (cold skin noodles)?
After all, these are the wisdom of the working people, so it's not surprising that the people here could come up with them.
Song Ning sighed. She had thought there would be a bigger market in the county town, but now it seemed that her business was not going to succeed.
“However…” the man spoke again, “our restaurant is willing to take it.”
"real?"
"Look, you can't sell this stuff now, it's just a waste to keep it. How about this, I'll pay three taels of silver for your formula!"
Song Ning finally understood; what about her feelings?
They even said her food lacked any unique features, but it turns out they just wanted to steal her recipe!
However, Song Ning also breathed a sigh of relief, as there should still be hope for her business.
She put the bowl away without saying much, picked up her basket, and was about to leave.
When the man saw that Song Ning was about to leave, he quickly stopped her.
"Young lady, have you thought this through? This thing of yours isn't anything special; there are plenty of them in the county town. Nobody but me wants it! I'm only helping you because I feel sorry for you!" The man's face darkened.
They probably thought she was too young to be easily fooled.
Song Ning smiled and said, "Since it's available everywhere in the county town, this boss should just buy it from there. I don't sell my recipe."
The man stepped forward and whispered his trump card, "I'll offer five taels of silver, no more."
In those days, five taels of silver was an enormous temptation for ordinary families, and few could resist it.
Song Ning maintained her polite smile: "This is our family recipe passed down through generations. I'm sorry, we really don't sell it."
Seeing that Song Ning wouldn't budge no matter what, the man's expression changed: "I'm trying to help you out of kindness, and you don't even know what's good for you. If you step out of this street today, I might not be able to accept you back later."
He wanted to see how many people on this street were willing to do business with her.
In the end, I'll have no choice but to come back to him, and then he won't be so easy to talk to.
Song Ning said calmly, "Don't worry, I won't come again."
This person isn't a legitimate businessperson; I wonder if they've used this trick to cheat others before.
The man snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left.
With the sun high in the sky, Song Ning decided to take a break.
I found a shady spot, took out a bowl, and made myself a bowl of cold noodles.
On such a hot day, a bowl of cold noodles instantly cools you down.
She was so engrossed in eating that she didn't notice someone watching her from a short distance away.
Two people were talking at the entrance of a restaurant across the alley.
"Shopkeeper, the food that little girl is eating looks delicious." The waiter swallowed hard.
They had overheard the conversation between the young girl and the owner of the restaurant next door. They thought the girl was going to be tricked, but to their surprise, she was clever and didn't fall for it.
If it were a child from an ordinary family, they would have already handed over the prescription through a combination of coaxing and deception.
However, they didn't take it seriously. What good could a little girl from a village have?
But when the shopkeeper saw Song Ning squatting down at the alley entrance and eating, and the food in his bowl looked quite delicious, he became tempted.
Song Ning finished the last drop of soup in her bowl, and when she looked up, she saw a person standing in front of her, smiling at her: "Young lady, our manager would like to meet you."
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