The scholar, with a fan tucked at his waist, wasn't angry. Instead, he asked, "You're in business, and you don't welcome customers? Then I'll go spend my money elsewhere." With that, he pretended to leave.
How could she turn down money? Lan Yamei quickly called out, "Wait, wait, handsome! I have the best barbecue here, I guarantee you won't find another place like it in the entire Longyang Town, it's a family heirloom recipe!"
"What did you call me?" The scholar was speechless. Why was this girl acting so strangely, spouting things he couldn't understand?
"Handsome guy!" Lan Yamei exclaimed, grabbing the scholar's sleeve and forcibly pressing him onto the bench. She then poured him a full bowl of baijiu and said, "Handsome guy means a good-looking young man. I don't use this word lightly; only a generous and charming gentleman like you deserves it. You are undoubtedly a handsome guy! You captivate everyone!"
The scholar blushed with embarrassment after just a few words. It was the first time he had ever been teased by a woman in broad daylight.
"Handsome, I've invented a new dish tonight, would you like to try it?" Seeing that the time was right, Lan Yamei hurriedly recommended some items.
"Okay, try your new dish."
Lan Yamei quickly stoked the fire until it was blazing, and while the oil was still hot, she tossed in a few skewers of lotus root slices. The hot oil sizzled and bubbled, and they quickly turned golden brown on both sides. For the best taste, they needed to be fried a little longer until the outer skin was crispy.
While waiting for the skewers, Lan Yamei asked, "Handsome, have you found your brother yet?"
"It's hard to find. I searched all day in Longyang Town but didn't find anything. It's probably gone somewhere else." The scholar sipped his wine and looked at the strange barbecue master in front of him.
"Why is your brother always running around?" Lan Yamei asked, puzzled, as she scooped up lotus root cakes and sprinkled them with sesame seeds, chili peppers, and spices. She sighed at how inconvenient it was to live in ancient times; searching the whole world like this, when would she ever find him? In her own time, a single phone call would have brought him back.
"It's a long story. We are brothers, but we have different personalities. He always resented the discipline at home and hadn't been in contact with us for many years. Now that our father is in poor health, I need to find him as soon as possible and go home to see him."
As the two were talking, the lotus root skewers were served.
The scholar picked it up and took a bite. It was crispy yet soft and chewy, absolutely delicious. He gave it a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Truly the best in Longyang Town! Delicious!" He took another bite and said, "You little rascal, you've got a lot of tricks up your sleeve. I, Qiu Zeyu, have traveled all over the country for so many years and eaten countless delicacies, but your dishes are truly unique! This is the first time I've ever eaten lotus root like this! Delicious! Give me ten more skewers!"
"Thank you, handsome! Thank you, handsome!" Lan Yamei said, expressing her gratitude, but in her heart she was thinking, "Are you kidding me?!" These lotus root boxes would have always sold out in her own time. If she hadn't been best friends with the shop owner, the owner wouldn't have taught her the trick. She never expected to use them so soon after transmigrating.
Hearing the scholar's praise, several diners nearby ordered a few skewers to try.
For a moment, Lan Yamei was in a flurry of activity.
Last night, the diners were mostly there to support the stall owners because Lan Yamei had fought off Tie Tou. After all, no one who comes to the Ghost Market to make a living is rich, so tonight's diners are the real foodies.
By the time Lan Ya Mei had fried all the skewers and brought them over, the scholar had already finished eating. Wiping his mouth, he said with satisfaction, "You little girl have a knack for business. Keep up the good work, and you'll definitely become a big boss someday."
"Okay, thank you for your kind words! Handsome guy!" Lan Yamei found that this person was quite easy to get along with. He was polite yet interesting, and ordinary yet aloof. She actually got along quite well with him.
The scholar placed a tael or two of silver on the table and got up to leave.
After Lan Yamei took the money, she quickly said, "You gave me too much, here's your change!"
"Consider the extra as a tip!" The scholar disappeared into the night without turning his head.
Grandpa Ouyang came over and said, "This young man is a good match for you! Dress up a bit and you should find him a wife."
"You're joking with me again. I'm so short, I'm penniless. I should just focus on making money honestly." Lan Yamei never intended to live and multiply here after transmigrating; she probably would have to go back sooner or later.
"By the way, why didn't Aunt Guan come today?" Grandpa Ouyang asked casually.
Lan Yamei had noticed that Grandpa Ouyang had a crush on Grandma Guan. He'd offer her ginger soup in winter, mung bean soup in summer—always showing her his affection. With a quick glint in her eye, she teased, "You keep urging me to settle down, are you thinking of settling down with Grandma Guan? If I can help you, just say so! The sunset is beautiful, but it's almost dusk, so hurry up, Grandpa!"
Grandpa Ouyang blushed, a rare sight for him, but he wouldn't admit it and went back to collect the bowls to avoid the situation.
This discovery delighted Lan Ya Mei; it seemed certain that Grandpa Ouyang liked Grandma Guan. Grandma Guan was all alone; no confidant could offer the warmth of a lover's embrace. She had to keep this in mind and take care of it.
Several diners who tried Lan Ya Mei's lotus root sandwiches all praised them highly!
One person saying it's good isn't enough! A group of people saying it's good is what truly matters! In no time, customers from the surrounding stalls flocked to buy fried lotus root cakes, crowding around in layers, making it impossible to move.
Some people asked if we still had the pork belly with garlic from yesterday. Others liked peanuts and edamame and wanted to try it!
While busy, Lan Yamei explained, "The stall will have new products every day. Based on everyone's requests, we will customize a new menu. Please come and try the new products tomorrow."
New products? New styles? Everyone's getting incredibly curious.
They worked non-stop until the early hours of the morning, boiling down the two large jugs of oil they had brought, and the sake brought in the carriage was almost empty. Finally, they sold out. Lan Yamei packed up her stall, smiling and greeting the people around her, "I'm going home, I'm going home."
But she found that everyone wasn't as enthusiastic as when they arrived, only nodding with forced smiles. Lan Yamei didn't think much of it, packed up some wontons from Uncle Ouyang's house to take to Aunt Guan, and then took the carriage home.
As a result, two miles outside the Ghost Market, under the old locust tree by the canal mouth, Lan Ya Mei was robbed by a group of people!
A group of boys carrying torches suddenly rushed out from nowhere, surrounding the carriage in a circle, startling the horses into neighing and stamping their hooves, trying to run away.
Lan Yamei thought to herself, "Oh no! Is this because I'm making money and someone's jealous?" She cursed inwardly, "The security in ancient times was really bad. No wonder people had to travel the world with swords."
Before Lan Yamei could recover from her panic, Tie Tou, carrying the Nine-Ring Moon Banquet Scimitar, walked out from outside the crowd into the circle with a cunning look on his face. He was bald, had big eyes, a fat belly, and a smug expression.
Seeing this guy, she understood a bit. "What do you want? You defeated opponent!" Lan Ya Mei stood on the carriage, trying to scare him away. A wise man doesn't fight when he's at a disadvantage. After all, she was too tired to fight.
"What? What do you think I look like? Brothers, rob all the money in her car!" Tie Tou roared angrily, clearly still harboring resentment.
A group of people rushed up shouting and yelling, which terrified Lan Ya Mei. She tightened her grip on the reins, trying to spur her horse out of the encirclement.
It was clear that she was no match for the pack of wolves with her bare hands; the carriage roof was already on fire. The weapons were indiscriminate, and even the short-legged horse, seeing blood, reared up on its hind legs, neighing and screaming as it threw the unsteady Lan Ya Mei off the carriage and galloped away.
Although a gap had been created in the encirclement, Lan Ya Mei was now completely trapped within the bandits' circle, unarmed. She thought to herself, "This is it, I'm done for. Even if I don't die, I'll be badly injured. This is a serious mess!"
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