Chapter 264: Much Thunder, Little Rain
Hearing Song Liyun say that her husband now earns more than one or two taels of silver every month, Lin Tao's wife glanced at Lin Tao who was surrounded by people, her eyes full of love and joy.
But she couldn't praise her man, so she could only shyly say, "I've heard from Lin Tao that he has this opportunity thanks to Miss Song's help."
Song Liyun smiled: "Sister-in-law, you are so polite. Although I am the manager, the one who works really hard is Brother Lin, the shopkeeper. He has to look after the shop every day and doesn't even have time to take you out to play!"
Lin Tao's wife hurriedly shook her head: "There's no need for him to accompany us. It's more important to do business. Luo'er and I can just take a look!"
This time she came to Suijin Town, she was just trying it out.
Lin Tao used to serve in the army in other places and had not been home for five years. This time, he not only asked someone to send back five taels of silver, but also said in the letter that he would come to visit his relatives after the autumn harvest.
The last time Lin Tao went home, his son was only three years old. Now Luo'er is eight years old and can't even remember what his father looks like.
Her parents-in-law also felt that Lin Tao only had one child and the family was not large enough, so after receiving the letter, they urged her to come and live with them for a while. No matter what, she had to wait until she got pregnant before going back.
Who knew that as soon as he arrived here, Lin Tao said he would be transferred to a military household and would not leave.
Lin Tao’s wife is also excited to be with her husband!
Lin Tao is the second son in the family. He has an older uncle and a younger brother-in-law. All his sisters-in-law are at home, so he doesn't need to go back to serve his parents-in-law.
Besides, Luo'er has grown up and can learn a few words with his father. He can no longer run around the village like a wild boy every day.
Lin Tao's wife touched her belly, and her face, which was already sunburned from doing farm work, became even redder.
Maybe I have already gotten pregnant in these two nights.
As the crowd moved, Song Liyun suddenly saw a stall that surprised her.
This is where they sell alcohol.
Liao Fu from Furui Winery was hiding next to the wine vat behind the long table with his head tucked in, his eyes flickering with excitement and nervousness.
He secretly asked someone to write his name on the list that had been submitted to the county government for filing at the last minute without the knowledge of Shen Leyan and the others.
He has been living in fear these days, fearing that he would be eliminated or that the news would leak to Chairman Shen.
On the long table, a few bowls were placed directly, and the waiter was holding a wine jug and shouting loudly:
“Try it, taste it, the century-old wine from Furui Distillery!”
"Three bowls can kill a tiger, five bowls can make you a king!"
When someone wanted to taste it, the waiter would scoop a sip from a bowl and hand it to them. But as if his hands were unsteady, some of the wine would always spill out, getting all over clothes, the floor, and the tablecloth.
The strong smell of alcohol mixed with the crowd and was then taken to other places, attracting wine lovers.
This is also a sales tactic.
After the clerk of Furui Winery happily finished a business deal, Song Liyun and Lin Tao's wife stopped in front of the stall.
Just as the waiter was about to ask the young lady if she wanted to buy some wine, he heard a panicked cry from behind him: "Song... Manager Song!"
Liao Fu, with a blushing face, walked out from behind a half-man-high wine jar, bowing to Song Liyun and saying, "Hello, Manager Song! This, this is..."
"Manager Liao's business is booming! I am very grateful that you can come to support Tianxianglou!" Song Liyun said with a smile.
"Ah! This... Hahahaha! Thank you, Manager Song, for your magnanimity!"
Liao Fu didn't expect any ridicule, but instead received Song Liyun's friendly words, which immediately made him smile. "Manager Song, are you free to come to the teahouse next door?"
Is there something you want to say?
Song Liyun looked at Lin Tao's wife and the child who was eating candied haws beside her, and said with a smile: "I want to go shopping with my sister-in-law. Shopkeeper Liao might as well come to Tianxianglou this afternoon!"
Liao Fu's face was bitter. Looking at Song Liyun who was about to turn around and leave, he could only nod and agree.
Oh! Why is it so difficult to have it both ways?
Yaqian Street was bustling with activity. In Zuichunlou, Ho Tung, Shen Leyan, Huang Changsheng and others gathered together again.
He Dong's face was filled with anger: "Liao Fu, that old fellow betrayed us and is now setting up a stall. Shen Huishou, his drinks this year..."
"From now on, you are not allowed to order even a jar of alcohol from Furui Winery! And all the shops selling rice, noodles, and seasonings will be checked one by one." Shen Leyan said with a gloomy face.
He Dong was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but shudder.
Shen Leyan is the head of the Chefs' Guild, a position that ordinary people generally don't take seriously.
But each guild has its own rules.
Any restaurant or food shop that wants to open a store needs a chef, and the chef's skills and dishes need to be judged by people in the guild.
In other words, whether a store survives or dies really depends on just one sentence.
There is no way to refute them when they say that there is something wrong with someone’s food or someone’s grain and oil.
They blocked the grain and oil supply for the opening of the business, drove away the chef, bribed the waiters to do something sneaky, hired people to smash the store and extort money, and then replaced it with another store. Any one of them was enough to make a lot of trouble, and they would not stop until they lost money and hurt people.
Only Tianxianglou is an anomaly, or rather, Song Liyun is an anomaly.
The guys inside asked for their families as collateral right after they signed the contract, so they were afraid to accept the money that was delivered to their doorstep.
You can open a business without a chef, grains, oils or seasonings. You don't sell any other dishes, only barbecues that are so rustic that they are not presentable.
This thing... really doesn't require a chef!
As for those people who extort money and cause trouble, they are even more useless.
A ruffian meets a gangster, a small boss meets a big boss.
They pour manure into your mouth before you even open it, and throw it out when you cause trouble. Who can withstand this?
Originally, Shen Leyan used hundreds of moves, but now, they were like thunder with much noise but little rain, a night rain with strong winds blowing away the grass... They were weak and powerless, and did not damage Tianxiang Tower at all.
Song Liyun was so weird that she even asked Mr. Lin to ruin her reputation, but he was chased to her door and scolded, which scared him away.
Now, is Chen Leyan going to take action against merchants who have dealings with Tianxianglou?
At this moment, the waiter of Zuichunlou rushed into the room in panic: "Boss, Master Shen, something bad has happened! Something bad has happened!"
"Let's talk it over nicely. What's wrong with that? It's just that those bitches are here again. Go buy another cart of vegetables!" Huang Changsheng said gritting his teeth.
They had just discussed that the trade fair would last for three days, so they would hold on for another three days. Once this storm passed, those hungry wolves would never be able to enter their store again.
"No, it's... yes" the guy stuttered.
Huang Changsheng was furious and kicked him: "If you don't say anything, get out!"
The waiter was kicked and immediately spoke fluently: "People outside are saying that it was us, uh! Gao Li from Jinxilou was jealous of Tianxianglou's good business, so he said that!"
"What?" Huang Changsheng had a bad feeling.
"They said we were stealing the craftsmanship of Tianxianglou."
"Bullshit!" Shen Leyan stood up suddenly. "Who dares to say that? Who?"
The words were out, and the guy was now bolder.
Seeing his boss's strange expression and no objection, he said without hesitation, "People all over the street are saying this now. They say Jinxilou is trying to steal our business and is relying on their position as the head of the chefs' guild to deliberately distort the facts."
(End of this chapter)
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