"No wonder it's so lively today, it turns out it's because Miss DouDou has arrived." Li Cai, wearing peephole glasses and carrying a birdcage in his left hand, swaggered in.
Yuan Doudou couldn't help but give a thumbs up. Li Cai's outfit was so trendy, he looked just like a typical Beijing grandpa.
The steward greeted Li Cai with utmost respect, “Master Li, you’ve finally arrived. This girl said you sent her; I thought she was trying to trick me.”
Yuan Doudou rolled her eyes inwardly. Did she look like a fraudster?
Li Cai sneered, "Don't worry, it's my idea. I won't make things difficult for you. Has the shopkeeper come today?"
The manager shook his head; the innkeeper's mind wasn't on the restaurant, and it was rare to see her.
Li Cai's face darkened, disappointed in his son.
"Master Li, what do you need the manager for? Whether she's here or not is entirely up to you." The steward fawned, his lips practically twitching to the back of his head.
"Stop talking nonsense," Li Cai said sternly.
The steward lowered his head, looking like a little bird.
Yuan Doudou sighed inwardly, "You can't judge a book by its cover. This Li Cai seems to be more than just a procurement agent."
"Miss DouDou, may I try one?" Li Cai asked, pointing to the fried oyster mushrooms on the table.
Yuan Doudou readily agreed: "Of course."
Li Caigang picked up the food to eat, but the steward stopped him, saying, "Master Li, be careful, it might be poisoned."
Even though someone had tested the poison, the manager was still uneasy, wondering if the poison in Wang Qiqiang's body had simply not yet taken effect.
"Don't worry, I'm not afraid even if it's poisonous." Li Cai said impatiently. The manager was old and always hesitant, afraid of everything he did, and would never amount to anything.
Li Cai savored it carefully; it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fresh and delicious.
"Not bad." No wonder so many people buy it.
Yuan Doudou noticed that Li Cai liked it and added, "Frying it again will make it taste even better."
"Oh? May I give it a try?" Li Cai raised an eyebrow, looking expectant.
Yuan Doudou nodded. She had a feeling this would be a big order, and the trouble would be worth it.
She asked the steward to bring oil, poured in about half a pot, which scared the steward so much that his legs went weak.
"Young lady, oil is very expensive. Do you know that this half-pot of oil is enough for our shop to use for half a month?" the manager complained.
Yuan Doudou remained silent, saying that if a restaurant wanted to do good business, it couldn't skimp on oil.
"Shut up!" Li Cai snapped.
The surroundings finally quieted down, and the only sound was the sizzling of oyster mushrooms being added to the oil.
A moment later, Yuan Doudou scooped out the oyster mushrooms; they were golden in color and had a wonderful aroma.
"Try it." Yuan Doudou gestured with her hand.
Li Cai tried one, his eyebrows shot up, "It's even better!"
The manager tried it too, and on the first bite, he didn't taste anything. On the second bite, he mustered up his courage and tasted it carefully. The taste was special and the texture was amazing.
"Manager Wang, the restaurant's featured dish for next month will be fried oyster mushrooms," Li Cai said firmly.
The manager nodded in agreement.
Yuan Doudou had an idea. "Master Li, it would be better to change the name."
Oyster mushrooms are a name that makes people hesitant to buy them.
Li Cai thought the idea was good and after thinking for a moment, said, "Let's call it 'Blooming Flowers of Wealth and Prosperity'."
"Good name." The manager led the applause.
Yuan Doudou couldn't help but laugh out loud; the name was so corny that it was impossible to refuse.
"Hey girl, I'll take all your oyster mushrooms from now on, one tael per kilogram, how about that?"
"One ounce?" Yuan Doudou asked in surprise.
Li Cai nodded, "If you think it's too little, we can discuss it."
Yuan Doudou waved her hand and said, "Not a small amount, an ounce is very good."
After Li Cai finished speaking, he picked up the birdcage and walked out, asking the manager to calculate the cost for Yuan Doudou before leaving.
The oyster mushrooms weighed out; they weren't even a kilogram, so I could only give them 800 coins.
The fried oyster mushrooms were also collected, costing two hundred coins, which came to a total of one tael of silver.
As the two left the restaurant, Wang Qiqiang couldn't understand why a pheasant cost him only 500 coins, which was less than the price of a bag of oyster mushrooms.
"DouDou, those oyster mushrooms looked very familiar to me, but what's that thing growing all over the mountain?" Wang Qiqiang belatedly realized, and now, recalling it, he felt a lingering fear.
"Yes, but don't worry, these mushrooms are delicious and non-toxic. You tried them just now." Yuan Doudou started to think about what to buy to take back.
The land is still empty; we might as well buy some seeds.
"What do you and your aunt think about the land I mentioned last time?" Yuan Doudou began to worry when she thought of the five acres of land.
Wang Qiqiang nodded, "Mother agrees."
With the father gone, the mother made all the decisions, big and small, at home.
"That's great news!" Yuan Doudou's face lit up with a smile. "Come on, let me treat you to wontons."
Wang Qiqiang was stunned. The girl, like a butterfly, fluttered to the wonton stall.
"Boss, two bowls of wontons, please," Butterfly said.
The butterfly sat down, and he sat down as well.
Yuan Doudou held up her chopsticks and waved them in front of him, "Hey, soul, come back."
Wang Qiqiang blushed and looked away.
A ragged little boy, holding a broken bowl, was accompanied by a little girl with a dirty face.
They walked to Yuan Doudou's table, stopped, stared intently, and soon their mouths started watering.
Yuan Doudou looked at the wontons that had just been served while also glancing at the child next to her.
"It's my treat," Yuan Doudou said helplessly, offering the wontons to the others.
"Thank you, sister." The boy, about eight or nine years old, bowed to Yuan Doudou along with his younger sister.
Yuan Doudou smiled and said, "You're welcome, sit down and eat."
Wang Qiqiang picked up the empty wontons in front of him and placed them in front of Yuan Doudou, saying, "I'm not hungry, you eat them."
Yuan Doudou was stunned. "How can that be? I promised to treat you to a meal."
Turning her head, she ordered another bowl of wontons.
Before the boy had finished his wontons, several constables rushed over, grabbed him, and carefully compared him to the portrait. They shouted, "Found him! That's him!"
"Let go of me." The little boy struggled, tightening his grip on his sister's hand. "Don't touch my sister."
Yuan Doudou didn't understand, so she immediately stood up and blocked the children's way, calmly saying, "Sirs, what crime have they committed that you want to arrest them?"
The bearded constable glanced at Yuan Doudou and said in a gruff voice, "What's it to you? Don't ask me anything."
"Sister, they are bad people, save me!" The boy cried out to Yuan Doudou for help as the officers carried him away.
In a moment of impulsiveness, Yuan Doudou rushed forward and grabbed the constable, saying, "In broad daylight, you're arresting children without any reason. Does the magistrate know about this?"
The head constable looked at Yuan Doudou as if she were an idiot, "Girl, I advise you to mind your own business."
"Otherwise, I'll take you with me." The constable's eyes were as cold as ice.
Wang Qiqiang grabbed Yuan Doudou's hand and carefully apologized, "I'm sorry, sir. My sister was being presumptuous. We'll leave now and won't bother you."
After saying that, Wang Qiqiang pulled Yuan Doudou forward and stopped when they turned the corner.
"Brother Wang, what else can we do?" Yuan Doudou clung to the corner of the wall, watching the constables disappear into the distance.
Wang Qiqiang thought for a while, "Let's go to the yamen first and see what's going on."
Yuan Doudou nodded and followed Wang Qiqiang toward the yamen.
Before even reaching the yamen, Yuan Doudou ran into an acquaintance, "Auntie."
"DouDou! Where are you going?" Wang Zhou asked with a look of surprise.
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