Looking at Zhao Ping's expectant face, the leader made a face as if he were ready to die and said, "Alright, young man, I believe in you. I'll give it a try."
He put the piece of meat in his mouth, closed his eyes, chewed it a couple of times, then suddenly opened his eyes and stammered, "I...I...it...it...it..."
After saying that, he pointed at the crayfish.
Everyone else was dumbfounded, wondering what was wrong with him.
Zhao Ping naturally knew what was going on, and quickly peeled another one and put it into the man's mouth.
He quickly ate it again, smacked his lips a few times, and then said with satisfaction, "By the Moon Goddess, this is so delicious!"
Zhao Ping said smugly, "Of course, would I make things up? The food our manager makes is the best in the whole of Chang'an! Enjoy your meal, and call me if you need anything."
The man muttered, "Sure, sure," and then continued to wolf down his food.
In the kitchen, Zhao Ping was excitedly telling Xu Yuehuai and the others about the reactions of those people when they ate crayfish, making everyone laugh.
After laughing for a while, Zhao Ping said to Xu Yuehuai, "Manager Xu, you still haven't told us why we invited these people in for dinner. Our two countries are at war, and I think the people outside are looking at us a little strangely."
“Yes, yes, Yue, please tell us quickly, we don’t understand either,” Third Sister asked hurriedly.
Xu Yuehuai put her index finger to her lips to make a shushing gesture, then tiptoed to the kitchen door, lifted the curtain and glanced into the hall. Seeing that the group hadn't noticed them and were still engrossed in their food, she turned back, put on a mysterious expression, and said, "Do you really want to know?"
"Let me think about it, Manager Xu. Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly," Zhao Ping replied anxiously.
Xu Yuehuai laughed heartily and said, "Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Let me ask you, are our two countries at war right now?"
"Even a three-year-old knows that, Manager Xu, aren't you just keeping me in suspense?" Zhao Ping replied with a sneer.
Xu Yuehuai immediately widened her eyes and stared at Zhao Ping, saying, "Do you still want to hear it? Do you still want to hear it!"
Zhao Ping stuck out his tongue, not daring to say anything more, and only nodded slightly.
Xu Yuehuai then continued, "The two countries are at war, yet they were able to pass through all those checkpoints and arrive in Chang'an, the capital city right under the emperor's nose. Don't you think that's unreasonable?"
Zhao Ping suddenly realized and slapped his thigh, saying, "I know, Manager Xu! Something is definitely amiss. You mean they are monsters, and we should trap them here like turtles in a jar, or rather, catch them like monsters."
"Catch you my foot!" Xu Yuehuai swore, a rare occurrence for him.
Zhao Ping immediately shrank back into the corner, not daring to move or speak.
Xu Yuehuai patted her face, telling herself that she shouldn't get angry or she would grow old. Then she glared at Zhao Ping and said, "As the saying goes, when two countries are at war, they don't kill the envoys. They must have come to see His Majesty, which is why they were able to come here without any obstacles."
Everyone else gaped in astonishment upon hearing Xu Yuehuai's analysis.
Zhao Ping wanted to say something, but after being glared at by Huai, he swallowed it back.
Xu Yuehuai was very satisfied with everyone's reaction, and then said, "As for inviting them in for dinner, I definitely have my reasons."
"Based on my analysis, I estimate that they came here to negotiate peace. Once the peace talks are successful, exchanges between the two countries will gradually resume. As the first restaurant to invite them to dinner, we will naturally win their praise."
"Then we're going to ruin the reputation of the local people? Manager Xu, did you see the way the surrounding vendors are looking at us? They're looking at us like we're traitors," Zhao Ping muttered under his breath.
Xu Yuehuai stared at Zhao Ping, making Zhao Ping feel extremely uncomfortable.
Then she chuckled and said, "As for our reputation here, someone will vouch for us."
"Reciting?" Zhao Ping asked doubtfully. "Aren't people inherently good at birth?"
Xu Yuehuai shook her head and replied, "It's not that recitation, it's that recitation."
"Which one?" Zhao Ping became interested. "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei. The cake should be dipped in white sugar."
Xu Yuehuai glared at Zhao Ping again and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's not about reciting a book, it's just that..." She racked her brains for a long time before finally saying, "Just think of it as a guarantee."
"That gentleman?" Zhao Ping nodded knowingly and muttered.
Xu Yuehuai, however, did not hear Zhao Ping's words. She clapped her hands and said, "Alright, the people outside should have finished eating. Let's clean up and prepare to see them off."
Everyone got busy, and as the leader was about to leave, he burped and said to Zhao Ping, who was supporting him, "Brother, burp... my name is Maimaiti, the crayfish here are so delicious, I wonder if I can have a recipe, burp... I want to try it myself when I get back."
Zhao Ping rolled his eyes and replied, "My name is Zhao Ping. I can't make this decision myself. I have to ask our manager later. If she agrees, I can give it to you. You can come back and inquire again later."
Maimaiti nodded and said, "Hiccup, thank you, brother. Mingyue, hiccup... You're such a good person."
After escorting the group to the inn to rest, Zhao Ping hurriedly returned to the restaurant and told Xu Yuehuai about Maimaiti's request for the menu.
Xu Yuehuai, who was doing some calculations and fiddling with the abacus beads, replied, "Okay, I'll think about it some more. You go and rest first."
"Yes, Manager Xu." Zhao Ping replied but remained standing still.
"What? Is there something else?" Xu Yuehuai did another calculation, looked up and noticed that Zhao Ping was still there, so she raised an eyebrow and asked.
Zhao Ping hesitated before speaking, "Manager Xu, have you forgotten something?"
After saying that, he rubbed his right thumb and forefinger together.
"Yes, yes, look at my memory! I still have some sunflower seeds here, you can take them and share them with everyone." As she spoke, Xu Yuehuai took out a large bag of sunflower seeds from the drawer and handed it to Zhao Ping.
Zhao Ping initially thought Xu Yuehuai had remembered the 'five qian of silver' he had mentioned before, but after receiving the melon seeds, he was dumbfounded and speechless as he stared at them in his hand.
Xu Yuehuai pretended to do the accounting, secretly glanced at the distraught Zhao Ping, covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Here, this is the five qian of silver, take it."
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