Su Youran then asked, "Our menu doesn't have any live fish dishes, so how did you manage to prepare them, Sister Xiu'er?"
Old Xu said, "First it was steamed, then braised, and now we're preparing to cook sauerkraut fish... It's just that the fish meat isn't thick enough, so it's not easy to slice..."
No wonder Wen Yuanbai said, "Just burn it."
Su Youran nodded, stroking her chin, and said, "It is the traditional way of cooking..."
She asked, "Do you have any Sichuan peppercorns?"
Old Xu shook his head, "But I don't know what this Sichuan peppercorn is?"
Wen Yuanbai interrupted her thoughts, "This mercury white fish has thin flesh and few bones; its appeal lies in its freshness. If you were to pair it with strong-flavored condiments, it would be a waste."
"How is this a waste?" Su Youran asked. "Could it be that this fish is extremely expensive?"
Wen Yuanbai said calmly, "It's not that expensive, only five or six taels of silver per barrel, but... most of the dozens of barrels that were transported here died, and only these are left..."
Su Youran and Lao Xu both gasped in shock.
Five or six taels each?!
More than half of them died? At least twice the original number, right?
Old Xu said hurriedly, "I'll go change the prices on the menu right away!"
Su Youran's mind worked extremely fast. "Wait a minute, spread the word that Fuxi Restaurant is only supplying twenty fish a day, at one hundred taels each!"
He just gave away that nine-section whip, and now he's bringing over so many fish. He should at least be able to make some money back, right?
Old Xu gasped again. This owner... is too daring to sell!
Wen Yuanbai smiled slightly, "Let's go eat first!"
A moment later, in Su Youran's private room on the third floor, Su Youran exclaimed loudly, "Delicious! So delicious! One hundred taels a piece is still too cheap! It should cost at least three hundred taels!"
Wen Yuanbai:......
Old Xu and Xiu'er, who were waiting to receive suggestions for improvement: ...
Old Xu's heart trembled violently. If the big boss said it was delicious, then it really was delicious!
One hundred taels each, they can be sold!
Xiuer then asked, "Miss, is it better steamed or braised?"
Su Youran said, "They're both delicious! Steamed meat is fresh and tender, and braised meat is tender. Just these two flavors are enough; anything more would just mask their natural deliciousness."
Xiuer nodded happily and said, "Yes."
After saying that, the two of them left with big smiles on their faces.
Wen Yuanbai watched with a smile as Su Youran slowly ate the fish.
Su Youran remembered what had just happened and asked, "How did the Nan Yue people get to the capital? What about your earlier statement that they feigned surrender first and then launched a sneak attack?"
Wen Yuanbai said, "Last year, when I... returned to the capital with the Crown Prince, we also received a letter of surrender from the Southern Yue people. We thought the Southern Yue people had truly stopped fighting, so we returned. Who would have thought that while they were delivering the letter of surrender, they were also launching a sneak attack on the southern border city. Fortunately, my father's injuries had healed, and before we returned, he had taken full control of the military in the southern border, thwarting the Southern Yue people's conspiracy. The two sides were locked in a stalemate for several months before finally making peace last month. The Southern Yue prince and the fifth princess arrived in the capital a few days ago to negotiate."
He briefly explained the relationship between the two countries.
Su Youran gave an "Oh," indicating that she wasn't interested in the relationship between the two countries. Instead, she asked in surprise about his recent situation, "Senior brother, it's been months since we last met. So you've been busy with all this?"
“Well, but…” Wen Yuanbai said, “In a couple of days, the Emperor will hold a palace banquet, and the wives of officials of the third rank and above can enter the palace to attend.”
"Oh." Su Youran still looked uninterested.
“However, I have important business to attend to that day, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to enter the palace,” Wen Yuanbai said.
Su Youran nodded, "Well, I might not go either."
Wen Yuanbai breathed a sigh of relief. "I've been busy with state affairs these past few months. What about you, Junior Sister? I heard your young master is quite busy, isn't he?"
Speaking of this, Su Youran became interested, "Haha, you've heard about it, haven't you? My older brother is not worthy of the money I give him! I really don't know if he's been cursed or just had bad luck!"
Wen Yuanbai nodded in agreement, "Whether he was cursed by a jinx or had bad luck, he naturally couldn't enjoy it. All that you've given is here."
He slowly pulled a package out of his pocket.
Upon opening the door, Su Youran's eyes widened. Suddenly realizing what had happened, she screamed, "Senior brother, so the jinx he suffered from was you!"
He immediately gave her a sharp rap on the forehead with his chopsticks, saying, "How dare you talk like that?"
As Su Youran took the packet of silver notes back, she laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Senior Brother, you really know me inside and out! I never expected... never expected it! Hahaha!"
Looking at her expression, Wen Yuanbai felt a sense of relief.
Ever since he overheard her telling Shi Wenxia outside the door about dreaming that she married Yun Tianbai as her cousin, he had felt uneasy.
Then she heard that she had given Yun Tianbai a lot of money, which made her even angrier.
When Yun Tianbai went out to treat his colleagues to a meal for the first time, he secretly had someone sabotage the event and extorted all the money from Yun Tianbai.
Unexpectedly, my junior sister gave me even more the second time.
But he felt that his junior sister wasn't the type to casually hand over her hard-earned money to a spoiled brat to squander, so he felt even more justified in extorting money from her the second time.
After this happened several times, he had a general idea of what Su Youran was going to do.
So they cooperated fully, not only extorting all the money from Yun Tianbai, but also looting all the goods from his caravan.
Wen Yuanbai asked, "Junior sister, can you tell me why you did this?"
Yun Tianbai is, after all, her stepbrother in reality. Since there is no marital affection like in her dream, where does the hatred come from?
Su Youran rolled her eyes. "Well, actually, I just wanted to test my older brother. Who told him to have two wives? It's like he's carrying the weight of two families!"
Wen Yuanbai clearly didn't believe it. "Testing him requires spending a fortune? No, you've spent hundreds of thousands!"
Su Youran chuckled and said, "Well, senior brother, I have my own plans. It's my little secret, so please don't ask!"
Wen Yuanbai nodded, "Alright, senior brother doesn't have to ask, but if you need senior brother's help, don't keep it to yourself."
"That's a must!" Su Youran felt that having her senior brother as a divine help was wonderful, so she asked, "Big brother seems to be getting closer to the Third Prince these days. Wait, so many silver notes have all returned... Could it be... the fire in the Third Prince's treasury...?"
Her eyes widened suddenly, and she grinned mischievously. "Senior brother... oh... so you're the one who's... hehehe... senior brother, I love how you resolve things so quietly and perfectly!"
Wen Yuanbai felt his heart skip a beat, and then slapped her forehead. "Alright, hurry up and eat your fish!"
Su Youran hurriedly stuffed the silver notes into her pocket before starting to eat the fish. Then she asked, "Senior brother, do you know why he went to curry favor with the Third Prince?"
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