Jiao Sanlang, unconvinced, puffed out his cheeks and huffed, "The seafood my sister makes is delicious, I'm not lying to you!"
Jiang Shan was not discouraged and switched to another restaurant to promote his products.
The waiter wouldn't even let her in, saying sarcastically, "Don't you even know where you are? You dare to send this kind of junk in here!"
After noon, there weren't many customers left in the restaurant. At this time, even if Jiangshan shouted all over the street, not many people would come.
She took two steps back in frustration and accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized.
A plump woman wearing an apron bumped into Jiang Shan but didn't say a word. Instead, she peeked into Jiang Shan's carrying pole and sniffed, "What's that smell? It smells pretty good!"
Jiang Shan hurriedly put down his load, carefully picked a bowl of seafood out of the basin, poured broth over it, and said with a smile, "Try my seafood in broth, consider it my apology to my aunt!"
The plump auntie didn't stand on ceremony. She wiped her hands on her greasy apron, took the bowl, and started grabbing the food directly.
She didn't seem to react much, and her movements were incredibly fast. The bowl of seafood was empty in no time, and she even drank all the broth.
"Leave twenty catties! Come on, let's go to the backyard to settle the bill."
The shop assistant stared in disbelief as the plump aunt led Jiang Shan and his brother into the backyard. He hurried after her, saying, "Aunt Hong, this thing probably won't meet our boss's standards. What are you doing...?"
Jiang Shan emerged from the restaurant with his burden much lighter.
She glanced back at the three large characters "Xianyun Pavilion" above the restaurant's entrance and smiled.
"Sister, shall we go home?" Jiao Sanlang asked.
"No, let's go to Linfu Restaurant again!"
Jiao Sanlang didn't understand. He had already been kicked out, so why did he have to go back?
Jiang Shan didn't wait for the waiter to tell her to leave. She picked out a bowl of seafood, handed it to the waiter, and said with a smile, "Young man, as the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains. This is for the shopkeeper, please let him try it."
As the saying goes, one shouldn't hit a smiling face; those who run businesses should especially strive for harmony to make money.
The waiter hesitated for a moment, but still delivered the seafood to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper didn't want to eat it at first, but after hearing from the waiter that most of Jiangshan's seafood had already been sold, he thought for a moment and reluctantly took a bite.
After tasting it, the expression on his face changed somewhat.
I finished the meal in one go, then thought about it and decided to leave.
He immediately spotted the brother and sister selling seafood, who were smiling at him.
It seemed they had anticipated he would come out.
He immediately felt embarrassed.
"Hope you're alright, shopkeeper. If you don't let me in soon, these two jars of seafood in broth will go to waste! I won't lose much money, but you'll miss out on a profitable deal!"
Shopkeeper Qi was surprised by how articulate the young girl was.
He's a businessman; he wouldn't feel embarrassed by a few words from a young girl.
"You've got some nerve, young lady. Come in and let's talk!"
After a few brief words, Manager Qi began to look at this young girl with new respect.
"This stuff is delicious, but it makes you drink too much! It's five coins a pound, but you can sell it for ten or eight coins, whichever you like. The key is that if you sell more alcohol, you can make a profit even if you just add these seafood as an extra!"
Jiang Shan's big, bright eyes darted around, and his expressions while speaking were exceptionally rich and lifelike.
Manager Qi was amused by her and waved his hand, saying, "Stop being so glib. We both know the value of this seafood. Aren't you afraid I'll just make my own soup using your recipe and sell it myself?"
Jiang Shan spread his hands, shrugged, and made a helpless expression. He said with a sigh, "I'm not worried about you learning it, I'm just afraid you'll overwork yourself! Cleaning these seafood is a huge undertaking. You need to be meticulous and patient. Every step of the preparation process has to be done carefully. This is a big restaurant of yours. If you make a lot, you might easily make a mistake in the rush. If you make too little, it won't even cover the workers' wages. Why make yourself go through all that trouble?"
"Hahaha!" Manager Qi laughed heartily. He had to admit, this young girl was quite amusing and knew her stuff.
He chuckled as he looked at the little girl's troubled expression, then paused to look at the little boy nestled beside her, his cheeks bulging as he ate a piece of cake.
"This is... Jiao Erlang's younger brother from Huaigu Village?"
Jiang Shan was also stunned. "That's right. Do you know Sanlang?"
Shopkeeper Qi nodded: "Jiao Erlang was the top scorer in the provincial examination back then. The county magistrate once hosted a banquet for Jiao Erlang at a restaurant. Everyone in Guxian Town knows the name of Jiao Erlang, Jiao Yan, and knows that he has a sickly younger brother. But I've never heard of him having a younger sister!"
Jiang Shan awkwardly touched his nose. "I... I am Erlang's fiancée. After all, there is a difference between us, as uncle and sister-in-law, so we address each other as brother and sister."
Shopkeeper Qi suddenly realized, "That's it! I heard that Jiao Erlang is already married, and he even declined the matchmaker arranged by the county magistrate! Speaking of which, when Jiao Erlang's mother brought this child to town for medical treatment before the New Year, the child was very thin and small. It's only been a few months, but now he looks completely different!"
Jiang Shan smiled shyly and said, "These days I've made some medicinal meals and lung-nourishing and qi-tonifying pastries for Sanlang to help him recover. He's much better now, and he should be fully recovered in a few more days."
"You can even make medicinal cuisine?"
I know a little bit about it.
Manager Qi took a deep breath. He could tell that this young girl, though young, was quite shrewd. Judging from her confident demeanor, she was just waiting for him to speak!
"Send some pastries over tomorrow. If you have time, try making a few medicinal dishes as well."
Jiang Shan tensed up immediately and said seriously, "Please rest assured, shopkeeper, I will definitely satisfy you!"
When Jiang Shan took Jiao Jiasanlang back to Huaigu Village, he also brought back a carload of daily necessities, including food, clothing, and other necessities.
This time, half the village came out, pointing and whispering about the siblings, saying the most nasty things they could.
Even though Jiao Sanlang was still young, he could hear the malice in his voice.
He looked at his sister with worry, the little child filled with unease.
Jiang Shan patted his head and said exaggeratedly, "Mom, all the seafood in broth is sold out. We still need to make some steamed cakes. I'll deliver them to the restaurant tomorrow morning."
Seeing the villagers gather around, Jiao's mother instinctively dared not go out. She clutched her sleeves helplessly, stammering, unsure of what to say.
"Mom, quickly help me move all these ingredients inside. This truck still needs to pick up seafood later!"
Jiao's mother then quickly stepped forward to help Jiang Shan move the things from the car into the house.
The surrounding chatter grew louder.
After Jiao's mother and Sanlang entered the house, Jiang Shan calmly picked up a stick of firewood and walked step by step toward the villagers watching, slowly pointing at the crowd.
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