24. All five people in the small shop are demons.
◎Grandma Chen noticed the clues about farming◎
"Boss Yan, are they sold out already? It's not even noon yet!"
An old man waited in line for a long time at the temple gate, but when it was finally his turn, the items were sold out. He was so angry that he angrily flicked his sleeves.
"I'm so sorry, sir. Our shop just opened today, and we're not fully prepared yet. We apologize for keeping you waiting. How about this: come back tomorrow, and we'll give you a free hamburger."
Yan Yunzhao hurriedly carried a stack of plates higher than his head past the temple gate, not forgetting to shout to the person at the gate with a smile.
"Hmph, not prepared to open a shop at all." He glanced resentfully at the few people busy in the courtyard, then flicked his sleeves and left.
Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu were busy all morning, lighting fires to bake bread crusts, stir-frying ingredients, washing dishes and knives, and packing food. They were so busy that their feet were practically smoking.
The three men slumped on chairs in the courtyard, half-dead, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans.
"Boss, what are we going to do with the little shop on Cuiliang Mountain? The business at the Dragon King Temple is so good that we can't keep up with it," Jingming said weakly.
As soon as the takeout business was launched, orders piled up like mountains, and the number of diners was twice as many as before.
Yan Yunzhao put down the rag in his hand, lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment: "This is indeed a big problem. We don't have enough manpower, and the labor market... oh, hiring workers in West Alley is expensive, and we can't afford them right now."
Shuyu thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't we skip looking for workers in West Alley? Most of them there have families, so their prices will naturally be higher. Now that our shop has gained some reputation, we can just post a job advertisement and see if anyone is willing to come. We can then discuss the salary."
Qingxi chewed on her pancake, watching them chat curiously without saying a word, just eating in one go.
"That's a great idea! It has to be Qingxi."
Yan Yunzhao immediately got to work, sketching out a striking job posting and posting it at the temple entrance. The Dragon King Temple shop ran out of ingredients, so they hung up the "Closed" sign and the group returned to Cuiliang Mountain.
"Jingming is right by accident. This tree in our backyard really is a divine tree."
Yan Yunzhao told Jingming and the others everything he knew, and the three of them sighed repeatedly as they circled the sacred tree.
"But this sacred tree doesn't look anything special, it's just a bit taller and thicker than other trees," Qingxi muttered as she walked around the tree with her hands behind her back.
Yan Yunzhao took out a pot from a small square box buried behind the tree, opened the lid, and gestured for the three people to look over.
The three grass demons peered at the small opening of the pot lid from left to right, but couldn't figure it out after a long while. Yan Yunzhao reminded them, "Smell carefully and see if there are any changes in your body."
"This thing has a refreshing fragrance that goes straight to the lungs, and it seems to make one's mind much clearer," Shu Yu said after a moment of contemplation.
"Indeed. This substance is the sap of the divine tree. Not only does it have a lingering fragrance, but it also has healing properties. It's a pity that cutting down the divine tree would cause too much damage. We should nurture the divine tree and let it bear fruit slowly."
"But... how should we care for this divine tree?" Jingming couldn't help but ask.
“The field is filled with spiritual energy, which should be able to nourish the divine tree. However, spiritual energy in the mortal realm is already scarce, so it’s hard to say whether it can be successfully grown.” Yan Yunzhao pursed his lips and sighed, putting his hands on his hips as he examined the divine tree, looking distressed.
This enormous thing not only occupies the land, but we don't even know when it will bear fruit. According to the knowledge I learned in the immortal sect, it's not unusual for a divine tree to take a hundred or eighty years to bear fruit.
"Boss, the potatoes are cooked!"
The three looked over at the sound and saw Qingxi, covered in dust, holding up a large potato and laughing at them.
Yan Yunzhao was overjoyed. He stepped into the field, squatted down, and carefully examined the potatoes. This time, the potatoes were firm and round, indicating that they were indeed ripe and of much better quality than before.
"Jingming, go to Biyuefang and call Granny Chen. Shuyu, go to Guiyuelou."
After giving instructions to Jingming and Shuyu, Yan Yunzhao led Qingxi to the ground to dig potatoes, carrying shovels.
Qingxi is kind-hearted. Although she is not as capable as Jingming and Shuyu, she is strong. With Qingxi's help, the potatoes on the ground were piled up into six or seven heaps in no time.
When Jingming and his companion arrived with Granny Chen and Miss Luo, the potatoes had already been bundled up and loaded into the oxcart. After carefully inspecting them and confirming that everything was in order, Granny Chen and Miss Luo handed over two thick stacks of coins, totaling sixty strings of cash, not a penny more than required.
Potatoes are quite scarce in Lixi Town, so their price is naturally high, especially the large potatoes newly cultivated by Yan Yunzhao, which have attracted a lot of attention. After the last sale, they became famous in the town, and many villagers drove their oxcarts to come and learn about them. If it weren't for the two owners offering such high prices, they probably would have sold out long ago.
"Miss Luo." Seeing that Miss Luo did not want to stay any longer and was about to leave, Yan Yunzhao quickly called out to her.
"Including today's sixty strings of cash, the shop's current profit has exceeded one hundred strings of cash. I hope Miss Luo will put in a good word with Master Bai about joining the Seventeen Trades of Restaurants."
Yan Yunzhao handed a heavy bag of money to Miss Luo. She weighed it in her hand before smiling and saying, "Boss Yan is very kind. However... the matter of joining the guild still needs to be decided by Master Bai. This amount of money is not enough. As for what to give as a gift, you can prepare it yourself and come to the brothel to find Master Bai the day after tomorrow." After saying that, he turned around and called a few servants to drive the oxcart away.
"Take care, Miss Luo." Watching her departing figure, Yan Yunzhao breathed a sigh of relief.
After observing for so many days, she realized that Miss Luo seemed to be the one in charge of Guiyue Tower. She handled all the miscellaneous matters such as purchasing, and even the appointment with the owner was decided by her alone. The money was just a small gift prepared for her. It would be easier to talk to her if she took the money.
"Boss Yan," Granny Chen hesitated before leaving, but Yan Yunzhao understood. He took out another bag of money from his pocket, smiled, and handed it to her, saying, "Thank you so much for your help, Granny Chen. This is for you."
Granny Chen stuffed the money back and waved her hand, "Boss Yan, I don't want the money. The people at Guiyuelou are only after profit, but I'm not. I just want to ask one question: where did these potatoes come from?" Granny Chen raised her eyes, her calm and unwavering gaze fixed on her.
Yan Yunzhao's heart skipped a beat, thinking: What's meant to happen will happen.
She maintained her composure, still smiling, and asked, "What makes you say that, Granny Chen?"
"These potatoes are thin-skinned and fresh today, and the soil around them is still damp, so they must have been dug up recently. But the last time Boss Yan sold potatoes on the street was only half a month ago."
Grandma Chen spoke slowly and deliberately, while bending down to look at the potato stalks lying haphazardly in the field.
"I was suspicious when I first saw it. The soil in Lixi Town is similar, and it takes time to cultivate new varieties. But Boss Yan's potatoes are getting better and better, and he can harvest them every few days. Why is that?"
Yan Yunzhao's eyelids twitched. She picked up a root that had just been cut down from the ground, examined it for a moment, and then carefully chose her words: "Grandma Chen, come and see."
“My potato stems are reddish at the base and much thicker than usual, but the flowers are small and dense, and the branches and leaves are large. The reason why they are different from other potatoes in Lixi Town is simply because the seeds are different.”
"My potato seeds come from a distant ancient country in the East. They are called potatoes. They grow quickly and have a high yield. Several can mature in a month. In addition, I am good at cultivating the soil, and my younger sisters take good care of them, so the quality is naturally better."
Yan Yunzhao calmly spouted a string of nonsense, which softened Granny Chen's serious expression somewhat.
"So that's how it is. I misunderstood Boss Yan. It's all my fault for believing the rumors in town, which almost ruined Boss Yan's business."
Granny Chen felt a little guilty, and Yan Yunzhao kindly took her hand: "Granny Chen is meticulous and rigorous, so it's only right that you examine things carefully. But I'm curious, what are the rumors going around in town?"
Granny Chen sighed softly and gave Yan Yunzhao a comforting look: "Don't believe what people in town say, Mr. Yan, you don't need to worry about it."
Seeing that Granny Chen did not want to say anything more, Yan Yunzhao did not force her. After seeing Granny Chen off, he was still curious.
She went back to her room, changed into a nice outfit, put on a few hairpins, and skillfully did her makeup, transforming herself into a completely different person. She then went out into the street wearing a veil.
The familiar market was as bustling as ever. Yan Yunzhao pretended to be a young woman buying vegetables and picked out some at a stall belonging to a clever-looking young man. She casually asked, "Brother, are there any good restaurants around here? My husband and I are new here and don't know much about it."
Seeing such a beautiful young lady patronizing his stall, the young man's smile warmed up: "Yes, yes, you've come to the right person. Has this young lady ever tried Guiyuelou and Biyuefang? Yan Guilou in the east corner is also quite good."
"I've tried all of these, and they all taste pretty much the same. Are there any newer ones?"
Yan Yunzhao placed a cabbage into the bamboo basket, her delicate hand sweeping over the vegetables, but she couldn't find a satisfactory one after a long while.
"If you're looking for something fresh, there's a newly opened Cuiliang Wild Game restaurant halfway up the mountain. It's very lively, but it's a bit far. Every day, there's a constant stream of people coming up the mountain. If you want to go, you'd better set off early, or you won't get a seat."
"Oh." Yan Yunzhao nodded meaningfully, then said, "But... lately there have been some rumors circulating about that boss, is it true or false?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, and was about to respond when an old woman picking vegetables nearby chimed in, "That little shop is something else!"
"How is it so remarkable?"
"There are five people in this little shop: a proprietress and four waiters. They're all so handsome they look like they were sculpted! And I've heard that none of them were originally from this town. They didn't even have any ultimatums; they just appeared out of thin air. Now everyone's saying that no ordinary person would dare open a shop on Cuiliang Mountain. These people must be mountain monsters in disguise! The young master Lou, one of the waiters, is incredibly handsome, but he's impotent at such a young age..."
"cough……"
The old woman spoke with great enthusiasm and seriousness, and Yan Yunzhao's eyes widened. When he heard the last sentence, he coughed lightly, covering his face with his sleeve, feeling uneasy.
She wanted to retort, but the words caught in her throat: They did appear out of thin air, there was no ultimatum, and they were monsters... but Lou Su's impotence was a misunderstanding.
This matter might affect the small shop's business, and Yan Yunzhao was somewhat troubled as to where these rumors came from.
“Madam, such absurd rumors cannot be believed. The Bai family of Guiyue Tower has openly broken the county magistrate’s agreement, and now the children of the Dragon King Temple are being taken care of by Boss Yan.”
A clear voice came from behind her. She turned around and saw that it was the landlord of Biyuefang.
He stood behind Yan Yunzhao, waving a folding fan, his light yellow silk robe highlighting his bright and cheerful smile.
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