Yuan Doudou was oblivious to his playful demeanor. Lu Chaoyang was unaware that Yuan Doudou already considered him a male best friend, not just a man.
"How about I treat you to some red wine and a black pepper pork chop?"
Western restaurants typically serve steak with red wine, but in this era, beef isn't readily available, so pork or chicken cutlets are the only alternatives.
Lu Chaoyang was hearing the name of this dish for the first time and was very excited. "Dou Dou, I just love your generosity."
“You should learn from her. Last time I wanted an extra serving of your braised pig's trotters, but she wouldn’t give me one,” Lu Chaoyang complained to Yuan Doudou, pointing at An Rong beside him.
An Rong's face darkened. If it weren't for the fact that he had helped her before, she would have kicked him out of the tavern long ago. He immediately started chatting and laughing with Dou Dou, acting as if her husband didn't exist.
"DouDou, look at him! His face is as dark as Bao Gong's. Does he not welcome me?" Lu Chaoyang complained, feeling wronged.
Yuan Doudou really couldn't do anything with the two of them. Every time they met, they couldn't stand each other, as if they owed each other money.
Huang Rong was very perceptive and quickly brought over red wine and pork chops, which Lu Xi had personally fried.
"Please enjoy your meal, Lord Lu." Huang Rong put down the food and gestured for Lu Chaoyang to sit down.
Lu Chaoyang was immediately drawn to the golden pork chop. As a gourmet, this was the first time he had ever seen pork prepared in this way.
"Looks good."
Upon seeing his favorite food, Lu Chaoyang immediately forgot about the stern-faced Bao Gong and picked up the knife and fork on either side of the plate. Just as he was about to eat, he realized he didn't know how to use them.
He looked at Yuan Doudou pitifully, "How do I use this?"
An Rong pulled Yuan Doudou, stepped forward, and said coldly, "I'll do it. Hold the fork in your right hand and the knife in your left. First, use the fork to hold the pork chop, then use the knife to cut it. It's that simple."
An Rong taught him like a master craftsman, but little did he know that it had taken Dou Dou a full hour to teach him.
Seeing how simple it was, Lu Chaoyang said dismissively, "I know, I don't need you to teach me." He was planning to have Dou Dou teach him, and he didn't know why An Rong was so enthusiastic.
An Rong's face darkened. How could this person be so ungrateful? He was being taught how to use a knife and fork and didn't even say thank you, acting as if someone wanted to teach him.
"Oh dear, this is so difficult."
Lu Chaoyang tried several times but couldn't cut off a piece of pork. He could only smell the aroma, but it was too frustrating not being able to eat it.
"Never mind, I'll just use chopsticks. Rongrong, get me a pair of chopsticks." Lu Chaoyang said to Huang Rong, who was walking over.
An Rong walked to Lu Chaoyang's table, and it was as if a cold air rushed towards Lu Chaoyang. He picked up a knife and fork and cut a whole pork chop into many small pieces in a few quick strokes. Then he put down the knife and fork and looked at Lu Chaoyang with disdain.
"DouDou, your service is getting better and better, you're practically feeding me!" Lu Chaoyang forked a piece and put it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious, and with a sip of red wine, it was absolutely amazing.
"No wonder Song Taiqing came to cause trouble. Red wine pork chops, I don't think there's another one like it in Ping'an Town. You're monopolizing the market, which has aroused public anger."
Lu Chaoyang was adept at getting along with his colleagues, but when it came to Yuan Doudou, he spoke the truth without any beating around the bush.
He was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and had the power to supervise shops of all sizes. However, he could only supervise and would not give any substantial punishment or reward. At most, he was just an insignificant figurehead.
The reason Song Taiqing would take him seriously was mostly because of his connections. After all, which commoner in the world wouldn't be wary of the prime minister, who was second only to the emperor?
He wanted to help DouDou and wouldn't allow anyone to bully her or interfere with her business.
Besides using his position, he also had to leverage his family connections, which was not what he wanted, but he had no better options.
“Lord Lu, this is really no big deal. If they want to sell, let them. I won’t stop them.” Yuan Doudou spread her hands, indicating that she didn’t care.
Yuan Doudou's carefree attitude made Lu Chaoyang admire her even more; she really was no ordinary person.
"Do you really think that way? What if I asked you to reveal the recipe for red wine to the public?" Lu Chaoyang asked with a half-smile.
Yuan Doudou didn't take it seriously: "What recipe? I learned it by watching how others do it. It's not some secret recipe."
Ancient winemaking techniques have a long history and are quite advanced; her rudimentary skills would be laughable if told to others.
"DouDou, look at you, you still can't bear to part with it." Lu Chaoyang completely understood. As a businessman, no one wants others to take away their business and make them earn less money.
Yuan Doudou was unsettled. Why didn't this person believe her? There was indeed no secret recipe, but there were still steps involved.
"Okay, I'll write down the steps for making wine, and you'll see."
Yuan Doudou took paper and pen from the counter and began to write in a flourish.
Lu Chaoyang frowned more and more as he looked at her. Yuan Doudou's talent was also used on her facial features. She was clearly beautiful enough to make the moon hide its face and flowers blush, but her handwriting was so ugly that it was unbearable to look at.
"Your handwriting looks no better than a turtle crawling." Lu Chaoyang covered his eyes, afraid that the ugly writing would hurt his eyes.
"Lord Lu, I kindly wrote down the recipe for you, why are you resorting to personal attacks?" Yuan Doudou was furious and embarrassed, so angry that she tried to rub the recipe away.
Lu Chaoyang quickly and gently dissuaded her: "Dou Dou, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I was just teasing you. You look very good right now, even better than a monkey's butt."
What the heck? Monkeys have bright red butts, they're so ugly. What's there to be proud of if someone's butt is prettier?
"Sorry, I misspoke. It looks even better than shrimp."
Well, it would have been better if we hadn't done it at all. Can a shrimp write like a human?
Lu Chaoyang ate and drank his fill, then left satisfied with the recipe.
An Rong walked over, somewhat worried: "Should we see him off?"
Yuan Doudou looked at him in surprise. Wasn't he just looking down on Lu Chaoyang? Why was he starting to worry about him now that he was slightly drunk?
"If something happens to him, who will protect our tavern?" An Rong seemed to be convincing himself that he had to treat Lu Chaoyang well for the sake of the tavern.
Yuan Doudou nodded in agreement. Lu Chaoyang was their protector, so of course they had to ensure his safety. "Okay, then you can put him on the carriage and come back."
An Rong helped Lu Chaoyang walk out, but Lu Chaoyang pushed him as they walked, saying, "I can walk by myself."
If a grown man drinks a little and then needs someone to help him walk, people will laugh at him.
"An Rong, what kind of incredible luck did you have to marry such a wonderful wife like Dou Dou?"
Lu Chaoyang became more and more indignant. He was clearly the one who was more outstanding, with a better family background, a better position, and better looks.
Okay, aside from looks, he's more than three heads taller than An Rong in every way, a height An Rong can never catch up to in his lifetime.
An Rong was too lazy to pay attention to him; every time he had a little wine, he would start rambling on about the same thing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
