Who would dare to expect someone who would betray even their own relatives to genuinely help them?
The owner's idea was to get rid of the woman once they had the recipe. The woman had just offended her relatives and wouldn't dare cause any trouble, while the Ten Miles Fragrance would be the biggest beneficiary.
Thinking of this, Manager Zhang put on a sincere smile and patted his chest to assure her, "Of course, this is all thanks to you, sister. Our Ten Miles of Fragrance always rewards and punishes fairly. You have made a great contribution, and the boss will definitely reward you handsomely when we get back! Besides, who else here, besides you, sister, has the ability to obtain the formula in such a short time?"
These flattering words hit Zhou's sweet spot, and she instantly beamed with joy, then proudly handed over the cloth bag.
Shopkeeper Zhang took it, brought it close to his nose and smelled it carefully. It really smelled like spices, and the smile on his face instantly became more genuine.
"Go get a pair of scissors!"
He's going to open it now and see what's inside.
The waiter responded and went to fetch the scissors. The shopkeeper swung the scissors once, and the three of them rushed over to see what happened—
Shopkeeper Zhang's eyes widened. He threw the thing in his hand on the table and, suppressing his anger, asked, "Tell me, what the hell is this?"
Zhou hadn't noticed anything amiss and simply said, "Isn't this just a condiment?"
She reached out and picked up something that looked like a small twig, brought it to her nose and smelled it: "It definitely has a scent, this is spice!"
Zhou insisted that there was absolutely no way she was wrong; those bags were taken from the storeroom, and He Jiuniang had just grabbed one and given it to her.
More importantly, it really does smell good!
"Then how do you explain this stone? Don't tell me this isn't an ordinary stone; I've never seen anyone use a stone as a seasoning!"
Shopkeeper Zhang looked at the pile of tree branches, stones, and dirt on the table and was so angry that he didn't know what to say.
I thought I was finally going to get the formula, but I never expected to be tricked by this woman!
If you're going to mess with him, why put on all that act before? Isn't that exhausting?
"But this aroma isn't deceptive! Maybe it's some kind of seasoning from the Hu people?"
Zhou was also anxious. She was sure she hadn't taken the wrong one; the maids in the workshop really did use this spice packet to cook.
"Why don't we sew the cloth bag together and try using it for cooking? Maybe it'll work! These things might be unique to Alakazam!"
The more Zhou talked, the more likely it seemed. They didn't know what the Hu land was like, and who knew if their branches and stones could be used as seasonings?
He Jiuniang was so friendly and kind to her, she definitely wouldn't lie to her!
Even Manager Zhang believed what he said.
Although it seems impossible, the fragrance is definitely there, so why not give it a try?
Manager Zhang looked up and met Mrs. Zhou's expectant gaze, then said to the waiter, "Go to the kitchen and cook a pot of soup."
The waiter swallowed hard, clearly not optimistic, but since the shopkeeper had said so, he obediently did as he was told.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou, who had been beaten, was thrown out of the restaurant.
After cooking, I found that what I had cooked were just ordinary stones, mud, and rotten tree branches. Not only did I not cook anything, but I also wasted a pot of water.
Manager Zhang was furious and had her beaten up.
"Someone like you wants to be a manager? Dream on! Get out, and don't let me see you again!"
Manager Zhang stood at the entrance of the restaurant, looking down at her with disgust on his face.
I thought this woman would at least be of some use, and she kept saying that the Lu family trusted her, but in the end she was still fooled.
Thinking back to the time when that female doctor taught Dong the rich man a lesson, she was clearly a ruthless character. Now even the Dong family doesn't dare to offend her, let alone that fool Zhou!
"No, Manager Zhang, please give me another chance. I will definitely get to the bottom of this!"
Zhou was beaten black and blue, and her previous proud expression was gone.
Ignoring the gossip of the onlookers, she crawled on her knees to hug Manager Zhang's leg. Although she didn't know what had gone wrong, she knew she had to cling to Manager Zhang, otherwise her job with the boss would be ruined.
The owner had previously said that if things were done well, she should go to Manager Zhang, who would then contact the owner. She was not allowed to go to the prefectural city on her own, otherwise she wouldn't have come to Manager Zhang as soon as she got the cloth bag.
She wanted to ask Manager Zhang to put in a good word for her in front of the boss, so that things wouldn't fall out like this.
"Opportunity? Ha, with your stupidity, even if you were given ten more chances, you still wouldn't be able to handle it properly! Get out!"
After saying that, Manager Zhang turned and went back, but the waiter who was standing next to her took the opportunity to kick her in the stomach and cursed, "What a waste of my good tea, what bad luck!"
The onlookers naturally didn't know what had happened. They only knew that the woman must have done something wrong. It was quite common for people to be kicked out for doing something wrong, so there was nothing unusual about it. They just watched the commotion for a moment and then left.
Zhou sat on the ground, stunned, unable to understand why things had turned out this way.
Logically speaking, she should be sitting in the restaurant now, enjoying the admiration of those people. Then, when she returns to the prefectural city, her employer will make her a head steward, earning her several taels of silver a month. After that, she can find a pleasing man to marry and live a comfortable life.
But all these changes happened so fast that she didn't have time to think about the cause and effect before she was kicked out.
She sat for a while, then realized she couldn't just sit and wait to die. She got up and was about to rush into the restaurant. She wanted to talk to Manager Zhang and ask for another chance. She promised to steal a few more cloth bags next time and check them one by one.
There were two waiters standing at the door. Before she could get close, she was kicked again, lost her balance, and fell down the stone steps.
The fall made her dizzy and grimacing, and she didn't come to her senses for a long time.
"You wretched woman, our boss said if you dare to come back, we'll beat you to death. Get out of here and stop interfering with our business!"
The waiter also disliked her. If there weren't other people passing by, and they were worried that going too far would affect the restaurant's business, they would have gone up and beaten her up again.
Zhou gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet. It didn't matter if Manager Zhang didn't believe her. She would go back to the Lu family first, and once she got the goods, she would go directly to the prefectural city to find her employer. Then she would complain to her employer and have him teach Manager Zhang a lesson.
The employer doesn't allow her to actively seek out opportunities, but that doesn't mean she's afraid to fight back when she's being bullied!
She remembers everyone who has bullied her and will find a chance to get revenge!
Just as she was struggling to stand up, a pair of pink embroidered shoes suddenly appeared in front of her, and a playful voice came from above: "Sister-in-law Zhou, how come you look so miserable after only a short while?"
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