It's around nine o'clock in the morning now, and there aren't many customers in the restaurant, so it seems quite relaxed.
Leading her donkey, she stopped in front of a restaurant. Looking up, she saw that the second floor was divided into two sides, corresponding to the main entrance below, with a pair of inverted triangular wine flags hanging on either side. The long tassels of the flags swayed in the wind, as if they were beckoning customers to the restaurant.
A jade fan-shaped plaque hangs above the door frame, bearing four elegant characters: "Tongfu Restaurant." The combination of dark green and black gives it a luxurious and comfortable feel.
"This is the place," she decided, taking the kimchi she had prepared beforehand from the car. She had even bought a special food container for this purpose.
She reassured the donkey to wait for her there, then carried the food box into Tongfu Restaurant.
The waiter, who was cleaning the paper windows, saw a young girl come in, so he dropped his cloth and came over to ask her something.
"Young lady, are you here to stay or to eat?"
"Respect the clothes first, then the person." The waiter sized her up, pondering in his mind that her attire didn't suggest wealth, and concluded that she wasn't there to eat or stay.
Tian Sangui was naturally also sizing up Xiao Er; his thoughts were written all over his face, so how could she not know?
Tian Sangui smiled politely and said, "Excuse me, I'm not here to eat or stay. I'm here to see your manager!"
"Looking for the shopkeeper? What's up?"
She noticed that the waiter's face had darkened considerably, and his tone was no longer as calm as before, showing impatience and a desire to drive him away.
Tian Sangui wasn't annoyed and replied with a smile, "I have a delicious dish here that I'd like him to try!"
"Tch, you're from the countryside, aren't you? What good food could you possibly have from that poor, remote place?"
The waiter immediately revealed his contemptuous attitude, completely disregarding Tian Sangui.
"Go away, go beg for food elsewhere, don't affect our shop's business."
The waiter shoved her and tried to shoo her out.
Tian Sangui tripped over the threshold and almost lost his balance and fell, but fortunately he reacted quickly and grabbed the door panel in time to regain his footing.
Seeing that she hadn't fallen, the waiter increased the force in his hands, as if he wouldn't be happy unless he pushed her to the ground.
Tian Sangui was not someone to be trifled with.
Taking advantage of the moment when he was concentrating his strength on his hand, she seized the opportunity to squat down suddenly. When he missed, Tian Sangui stretched out his leg and swept it horizontally. The unsuspecting waiter was tripped and his body was pulled backward by the inertia.
The quiet lobby was suddenly filled with the sound of tables and chairs clattering, followed by the waiter's pig-like screams of agony. He collapsed to the ground, frantically clutching his aching body with both hands, as there were too many places to cover with his hands alone.
"What happened?"
The commotion attracted people's attention. The middle-aged man, dressed in a pure blue cotton robe, appeared tall and elegant.
When he arrived, his expression was serious. He first looked at Tian Sangui, who was calmly tidying his clothes, and then saw Xiao Er lying on the ground crying in pain. His thick eyebrows furrowed deeply, and he asked the two of them in a deep voice.
The waiter grabbed the man's clothes from under his legs and cried to him.
"Manager Yan, this beggar said he wanted to see you, but I refused. Then she attacked me and hurt me. Look, he's bleeding."
As he spoke, he pressed two fingertips against the blood at the corner of his mouth, then showed it to Manager Yan, revealing that he had suffered a severe beating.
Manager Yan took a look and saw that the injury was indeed quite serious. He then looked at Tian Sangui again and was surprised that an eight or nine-year-old girl would be so vicious as to hurt someone. She was truly a wicked person.
He felt no goodwill towards her whatsoever, and even felt disgust towards her.
What do you want with me?
When Tian Sangui heard him ask, he brushed the dust off his clothes, then picked up the food box and opened it in front of everyone.
When it's cooked, the aroma of sour and spicy food wafts out. Looking into the food box, you see a curved, translucent piece of white jade, topped with a layer of tempting red chili powder. Just looking at it makes your mouth water and makes you want to take a bite.
Seeing that it was almost ready, Tian Sangui quickly sealed the food box tightly to block out the aroma.
The people felt an indescribable, agonizing pain in their hearts.
"I was thinking of letting you try the dishes I had, but your dog can't tell good from bad and bites anyone it sees. Afterwards, when it didn't work out, it turned around and blamed me. He even acted aggrieved first. Hehe, since that's the case, I'll give up on letting you taste them. Anyway, there are plenty of restaurants in town, and there's no shortage of discerning shopkeepers."
After saying this, Tian Sangui turned and left. His resolute manner made Manager Yan feel uneasy, as if he were about to lose something important.
"slow!"
“Please wait, young lady. My servant has been disrespectful. I apologize to you. I hope you will stay a while. I will offer you some fine tea as an apology.”
After a few words, Manager Yan understood the whole story and the misunderstanding that had occurred with Tian Sangui. He was very interested in the dishes in her hands, and his intuition told him that letting her go would be a major loss.
Upon hearing this, Tian Sangui was overjoyed, as it was exactly what he wanted. The situation had changed from her asking for help to him asking for help, which would make things much easier.
Stopping in his tracks and looking back, Manager Yan immediately knew that there was still a chance for things to turn around. A rare smile appeared on his face, and his attitude changed to respect.
"please!"
Manager Yan gestured to her, indicating that they should talk on the second floor.
Tian Sangui raised an eyebrow, straightened his back, and stepped onto the second floor, carrying the food box.
With his smile gone, he tossed two small silver fruits to the waiter on the ground and said coldly, "Go back and recover from your injuries. You don't need to come back again."
Then they went upstairs, leaving Xiao Er alone to suffer the devastating blow. His livelihood of several years had been wiped out by a country girl he looked down upon...
"please!"
Manager Yan opened a side room and politely welcomed her inside.
This is a reception room. There is no bed inside. The room is more than 30 square meters. Under the paper window, there is a kneeling table and chairs with soft, thick cushions on them. Kneeling on them feels soft and comfortable.
Behind each of them is a silk screen embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, giving it a refined and elegant feel.
"Miss, could you please set out the dishes so that I, Yan, may have a taste?"
After finishing a cup of fragrant tea, Manager Yan became somewhat impatient.
Stop teasing him, put down the tea set, and directly pushed the dish next to him: "Please enjoy!"
With permission granted, Manager Yan's deep black eyes lit up as he gently opened the food box, releasing an enticing aroma that filled the air once more.
He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and held it in front of his eyes, clearly seeing the juice dripping down the cracks onto the table.
As you chew it to the last bite, you'll experience a perfect balance of sour, savory, and slightly spicy flavors. Each bite is crisp and juicy, making it an absolutely delicious experience.
"May I ask your surname, young lady?"
"My surname is Tian, and my given name is San Gui!"
Tian Sangui realized that he intended to keep the dish, so he directly told him his full name.
"A good name conveys a sense of both strength and gentleness!"
"Miss Tian must already know its value. Now, let's be frank. If the price is reasonable, Tongfu Restaurant will buy it outright!"
Manager Yan crossed his left leg over his right and leaned back, implying that he wanted to buy the formula from her.
Tian Sangui glanced up, then smiled and finished his tea.
"Manager Yan, I think you've misunderstood. I'm only responsible for supplying the ingredients; the recipe will never be revealed to outsiders."
Many of the items are only available in the Space Mall, so selling the recipes isn't appropriate, and besides, she doesn't want to share them at all.
"oh?"
"Tell me more?"
Seeing that Manager Yan was in high spirits, she began to talk on and on.
"This dish is called Spicy and Sour Jade Green. It can be served as an appetizer before a meal or as a great dish to accompany rice. You know how delicious it is without me having to describe it. The secret recipe is unique to us and cannot be imitated by others."
As for the price, we'll split it 50/50!
Upon hearing this, Manager Yan's eyes widened suddenly, clearly finding the price unacceptable to him.
"So, if I calculate it this way, am I not making any money?"
Upon hearing this, Tian Sangui knew that he had not understood the reasoning behind it.
"Let me put it this way, once this dish is on the table, customers will definitely not just order one plate. Secondly, the outstanding quality of the dish will bring you more customers to spend money here. Furthermore, with this appetizer, the value of all the dishes in your shop can double, and a huge amount of money will beckon you. How can you say you're not making money?"
After Tian Sangui's thorough analysis, Manager Yan instantly understood.
"Haha, I was just slow-witted. Alright, this hot and sour white jade dish is on the menu at Tongfu Restaurant."
"Okay, let's sign the contract now, so we can build trust between us."
Manager Yan immediately looked at her with even greater respect. He hadn't expected this country girl to know so much. Despite her young age, she was more experienced than him. This woman was not to be underestimated.
"Someone, bring me brush and ink!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com