Chapter 538 The Xiao Family of Yunhe County
"How should I put it... in Yunhe County, this restaurant is quite powerful and influential, and is well-liked by everyone."
Qi Yang explained to Wan Qiqi earnestly.
Actually, Chun Changzai's reputation only rose in the last few years; before that, Bafanglaike was relatively stable.
Chun Changzai's business has been booming ever since they hired a chef who returned from Yuzhou, bringing new dishes and flavors.
Chun Changzai's employer was quite capable and had excellent relationships with the government and prominent families, which helped stabilize the business.
"The reason why Chun Chang Jae is truly stable is because they have an owner behind them. It is because of that owner and the chef that Chun Chang Jae's reputation is getting better and better."
"New employer?" Wan Qiqi seemed a little puzzled.
Qi Yang nodded and asked, "Did you hear about the Xiao family in the east of the city while you were out today, sister-in-law?"
Wan Qiqi thought for a moment and shook her head.
“Old Master Xiao of the Xiao family in the east of the city was once a senior official in the court. After he got old, he asked the emperor for permission to retire and return to his hometown, which is why he came to Yunhe County. This new employer is none other than Xiao Han, the eldest son of the Xiao family,” Qi Yang explained.
Although Wan Qiqi didn't know much about the Xiao family, she could roughly sense from Qi Yang's introduction that the Xiao family had a great deal of influence in Yunhe County.
Furthermore, Fang Ziming and Xie Xing probably can't afford to offend retired elders like this; they have to consider the other party's feelings no matter what they do.
Such an existence both secured Yunhe County and made the government wary.
Wan Qiqi guessed that this family must still have relatives serving as officials in the capital to maintain their power; otherwise, they would also fall into poverty.
With the eldest son of such a family as the owner, Chun Changzai would inevitably gain the support of many people, thus securing the restaurant's position.
She originally thought Ke Lai An was more powerful, but now it seems that neither should be underestimated.
Therefore, it will be even more difficult for Xinglong Restaurant to gain a foothold in Yunhe County.
After introducing Chun Chang to his employer, Qi Yang did not end the conversation but continued to say, "Xiao Han is a man who doesn't care about anything but making money. He likes any business that can make money, so he can be found in all the shops, big and small, in Yunhe County that have a little bit of fame."
A glint suddenly flashed in Wan Qiqi's eyes. She never expected that there would be someone in ancient times who shared her interests.
If I had that much money, I would definitely invest in whatever I saw that was profitable. Who would complain about having too much money?
"Xiao Han is a very interesting person," she said with a smile, picking up some food from her bowl and tasting it.
Xiao Fan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Wan Qiqi.
My sister-in-law, how dare you say such things? Saying other men are interesting in front of your husband, is that really okay?
Won't Brother Yongnian get angry?
He looked at Chen Yongnian cautiously, trying to discern the other's emotions.
However, Chen Yongnian remained calm and unaffected, as if he hadn't heard his wife praising someone else.
After Wan Qiqi said Xiao Han was interesting, she added, "Such a person is also dangerous; he's a formidable competitor!"
"The Xiao family is powerful and should not be easily provoked," Chen Yongnian said, which was also his warning to Wan Qiqi.
Wan Qiqi would naturally not provoke such a person herself, but she couldn't guarantee that the other party wouldn't come looking for trouble.
However, people like the Xiao family, who had returned from the capital, would probably look down on her, a country bumpkin.
Thinking about it, she took another bite of the food in her bowl. "This food tastes alright, the chef's skills are not bad."
Qi Yang also took a bite, without frowning slightly, and said, "This dish today should not have been made by that chef, but probably by that fat cook."
"The chubby cook?" Wan Qiqi's interest was piqued, and she seemed quite curious.
"Yes, there's a plump cook who occasionally helps out in Chun Chang's kitchen. Because she can cook a few dishes, Chun Chang would ask her to help cook when he was busy. The taste is similar to what that cook makes."
Qi Yang put down his chopsticks and sighed, "I wanted you to try Chef Chun's cooking, but I didn't expect to be fobbed off by the restaurant staff!"
Wan Qiqi didn't feel like she was being treated perfunctorily; on the contrary, she developed a strong interest in the plump cook.
As a helper, being able to cook dishes that are not much different from those of the head chef is actually not bad.
If this plump cook were a man, he would probably be very popular.
However, in her eyes, chefs are not divided into men and women; anyone who can cook well can be a head chef.
Wan Qiqi wanted to find an opportunity to meet this plump cook and see how good her cooking skills were.
"Brother Qi, it's alright. Chun Changzai's things aren't cheap, you've gone to so much trouble!" Chen Yongnian immediately smoothed things over and eased Qi Yang's mood.
At this moment, Xiao Fan suddenly asked, "You guys keep talking about the chef, it's making my head spin. Are we still moving the furniture we ordered?"
He came to help, but ended up sitting down to eat, which seemed a bit different from what he had expected.
"Move! Eat your fill before you move." Wan Qiqi said, picking up the serving chopsticks and putting a few bites of food on Xiao Fan's plate. She added, "I'm new here too, and I don't know the rules. When the restaurant opens, I'll treat you to a meal there!"
The group sat and talked about the restaurant for a while before setting off to move furniture.
Of course, if you have money, the furniture store owner will have something delivered to your door and even installed for you.
Xiao Fan had originally called a few of his brothers, intending to work together to save the money.
But the shop owner could tell that they were all dressed in official robes, and two of them even had name tags on their bodies indicating their positions.
One was in charge of the criminal investigation department, and the other was in charge of the military affairs department; both were people you couldn't afford to offend.
In the end, the shop owner didn't ask for a penny, moved the things to the yard, and made sure the people settled in; he even asked if they wanted help cleaning up, acting all ingratiating.
Chen Yongnian certainly wouldn't let the furniture store staff do these things, and he even gave them a sum of money as a reward for their hard work.
He didn't want to accept favors from others because he felt he would have to repay them.
After everything was settled, Xiao Fan glanced at the sun and hurriedly said, "No! No! I have to go back, or I'll get scolded!"
He was in such a hurry that he seemed to have forgotten that his boss was sitting right there.
Seeing him leave, Chen Yongnian didn't stop him, but turned back and asked, "Brother Qi, are you staying for dinner? The kitchen can be used after a little cleaning."
Qi Yang glanced at Chen Yongnian, then at Wan Qiqi who was tidying up inside, and said, "I won't disturb you two resting. I have things to do in the prison, so I have to go back."
He then walked out.
Chen Yongnian followed and said, "Okay, then I'll treat you to dinner at Xinglong Restaurant next time."
Qi Yang waved casually, indicating to Chen Yongnian that he didn't need to see him off.
The door had just closed when Chen Yongnian took a few steps back and there was a knock on the door.
Faintly, one could hear the snarling of some animal at the doorway.
Chen Yongnian frowned, walked to the door, opened it a crack, and looked out.
At the entrance, a young man dressed in fine clothes stood with his hands behind his back, and a boy of about eight or nine years old stood beside him.
The boy was holding a rope of unknown material. Looking down the rope, he saw a large, dog-like animal standing there.
It had been baring its teeth at the door, looking like it was about to bite someone, but after seeing who was standing behind the door, it calmed down and started wagging its tail at the person inside.
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