Chapter 94 Olive Oil
"How could that be? Xiaoyou is very cute, in any form." Annina said with a smile.
Jiang You started to like her a little bit. Of course, it wasn't because Annina praised her cuteness and gave her money, but because she felt that Annina's attitude towards Andre always reminded her of the relationship between her mother and her eldest brother.
In general, there was a touch of disdain amidst the affection. He would miss me terribly if he wasn't there for a while, but if he stayed home all day, it would somehow irritate his mother. It was as if in her eyes, nothing he did was right, and she wished she could sweep him out.
When my eldest brother was away at university, the same cycle would repeat itself every winter and summer: before he came home, my mother would start nagging him a week in advance, preparing all his favorite foods. But a mother's love only lasts three days, after which she'd start nagging him: "Why aren't you getting up yet?!" "What are you doing up so early?" "You stay home all day!" "Why are you running outside all day?" Such seemingly inappropriate nagging.
Until my eldest brother leaves home to go to school again, the longing and reluctance will come like a tide.
Therefore, Jiangyou always believes that distance creates beauty, and even family members and adults need necessary solitude.
Annina's undisguised love and equal dislike for Andre made Jiang You feel completely real. She suddenly felt a little homesick, missing her family in the other world, her father, mother, brother and cousin...
——Alas, although traveling through time is a good thing, why didn't the protagonists of those time-traveling novels miss their families? She really missed home!
Jiang You sniffed his "non-existent" nose, took out a soul fire called longing from his chest, stored it silently, and his mood suddenly became much brighter.
The conversation at the table had turned to Heidi van Lothar, whom they had met on their way here, and to a possible collaboration with Baron Lothar.
As the high priestess of the Moon Worship Cult and a countess, Annina herself was a celebrity in the social scene. She immediately grasped the strategic significance behind this cooperation and enthusiastically offered Andrei some advice.
"We can go to that restaurant tonight and have a meal there to find out more." Annina acted decisively. She snapped her fingers and summoned the butler. "Please make a reservation for us."
The white-haired butler left like a ghost. Annina said, "Xiaoyou is good at cooking, and the other party has a restaurant business. If you can use this as an opportunity to cooperate and consolidate your alliance and friendship with the Losar family, that would be a good thing indeed."
Treating illnesses and saving lives is a good start, but it doesn't necessarily mean you can control someone forever. People's hearts are very complicated. Some people, when seriously ill, seek medical treatment everywhere, saying all the good words and giving all the gifts, but after the doctor has gone through so much trouble to bring them back from the brink of death, they can turn their backs on them.
They may feel their medical fees were too expensive, or that the doctor's treatment was simple, just a few pills or a few doses of medicine... Once they're back to life, the memory of their near-death experience vanishes in an instant. They may consider the past a dark history, eager to forget it all or find various excuses to blame the victim, hoping to get back the money they paid for their lives, with interest.
As the high priestess of the Moon Worship Cult, in this magical medieval era where medicine and religion were not completely separated, Annina had seen too much of this. All she could say was that not everyone in the world was worth saving, and some people's illnesses were simply karma, the manifestation of the goddess.
Although the noble lady named Heidi should not be such a person, the people present only regarded the treatment as an opportunity for the two parties to get to know each other and cooperate, rather than a favor that could be used forever.
Jiang You felt that cooking a few meals for someone to save a life was simply a matter of course, and it would be nice to get some benefits in return; even if she got nothing, it didn't matter, she could just treat it as making a friend, and she was not the kind of person who would repay a favor.
Andrei and Annina's views are more realistic and gloomy. They do not believe in kindness and humanity, but prefer to believe in the benefits of cooperation itself.
"If her restaurant's business was already mediocre, cooperation would be a good option," Annina judged. "Xiaoyou could bring real benefits to her family, making their restaurant prosperous and gaining a firm foothold in the capital. Then the two sides could have a long-term cooperation. But if the business was already booming, then this would become a matter of repaying a favor. The Lothar family may not have a high title, but they are well-off. A restaurant is just a gift, and that's meaningless."
Andre nodded, he meant the same thing.
"Having said that, if it's just Xiaoyou who wants to open a restaurant in the royal capital, that's also simple. I can just ask the housekeeper to buy a store. Although I don't have much cash on hand, this is a long-term investment. I can always make it by scraping together some money, using some connections, and some favors I've done in the past." Annina said generously.
"Ah, that's not necessary." Jiang You waved his hand quickly. "My store in Eston West City is still expanding, and there's also a branch in Witch's Forest. If I open another branch in the capital that I have to manage completely, I won't be able to handle it at all!
"I wanted to work with Heidi because her family already had a chef and a restaurant. I wanted to be a hands-off boss... ah, no, to be an anonymous partner, teach them a few dishes and then stay home and collect the money."
It was only when Heidi suggested giving her a restaurant that she started to think about cooperation. She felt that this would be beneficial to all parties involved, so she might as well try to discuss it. But if she wanted to set up a restaurant from scratch, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?
——There’s no need, really no need.
"Oh," Annina said a little disappointedly, finally understanding. "So that's how it is. I understand."
Jiang You: ...Why does she feel depressed after losing the opportunity to spend money?
She coughed lightly, turned her gaze to the almost-eaten dishes on the table, and changed the subject, "Speaking of which, many of the dishes in today's lunch used delicious olive oil... Where is this olive oil produced?"
Annina's eyes lit up again. "You like this olive oil? That's easy! It's made from the olives we grow on our land! It tastes amazing! When you're ready to return to Eston West City, I'll have the housekeeper prepare a car for you!"
"Hey, there's a place in Huntington where olives are grown in abundance?"
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