Lowering her voice, âYou want me to ask everyone whether they agree that Manager Duan begged me for the stir-fried fern recipe, and now that youâve made a profit, Drunken Immortal Pavilionâs chef has found a way to remove the astringency from ferns, and Manager Duan reneges on our agreement. Should I ask everyone if youâre a dishonest merchant? Should I ask if youâre too merciless?â
âAi! Youâ¦â Upon hearing this, Manager Duanâs face darkened, âDonât spout nonsense.â
âIâm speaking about the well-known facts in town.â She squinted her eyes, âYouâd better not mess with me.â
âFine, Iâm scared of you.â Manager Duan waved his hand. Originally, because the Drunken Immortal Pavilion started selling stir-fried fern today, many customers went there instead, causing a decline in his restaurantâs business. He felt unhappy and intended to give Su Qingyue a hard time, but he never expected that this womanâs tongue could be so sharp; she was like a little ancestor whom he couldnât afford to offend.
Su Qingyue picked up the carrying pole and was about to leave, but the sharp-nosed Manager Duan asked, âWhatâs that fragrant-smelling thing in your basket?â
âPig offal.â
âYouâre lying. It clearly smells like delicious meatâ¦â Manager Duan obviously didnât believe her, âHow could it be that stinky offal?â
Qingyue chatted with him, actually seeking for business opportunities. She put down the basket and directly scooped a small portion of braised pigâs large intestine onto a tree leaf and handed it to him, âTry it.â
Manager Duan looked at the color of the dish and couldnât help but salivate. As soon as he took a bite, his eyebrows shot up in delight. However, as a businessman, his brain started churning immediately. Pig offal was really cheap, and it was a meat dish; its profit margin was far greater than stir-fried fern. Even though it was extremely delicious, he just casually commented, âThe taste is decent.â
âJust decent?â She stared at him, wondering how long he could keep up the act, âThen make way. I still need to sell some offal.â
âItâs delicious, very delicious.â Manager Duan quickly said, âBoss Su, can I have a word with youâ¦â
âOh, now youâre calling me Boss Su. Not bad, not bad!â Su Qingyue laughed, knowing there was a deal to discuss. So, she said to Xiao Qinghe, âFourth brother, hold on a moment.â
He nodded.
She was about to follow Manager Duan into the backyard when a young man dressed as a servant hurried over, panting, and said to Su Qingyue, âAre you Miss Su Qingyue?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She replied suspiciously, âThatâs me.â
âI am Attendant Aji from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, serving Boss Jin.â Aji said respectfully, âOur Boss Jin invites you to come to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.â
An idea struck Su Qingyue. Although she didnât know Jin Xun, Jin Xun was the mastermind behind the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and had a reputation in town. No matter what this man with the surname Jin wanted her for, his attendantâs timing was perfect!
She said calmly to Aji, âWait a moment.â
Then she pulled Manager Duan aside and smoothly lied, âManager Duan, you want to buy the recipe for preparing pig offal, right? Look, Big Boss Jin has also made an appointment with me to discuss the same matter. The Drunken Immortal Pavilion is the worldâs number one building, with branches all over the country. Although your restaurant is a big one in this town, when it comes to making an offer, the Drunken Immortal Pavilionâs boss is definitely more generous. Iâll go firstâ¦â
Manager Duan quickly grabbed her, âWait a momentâ¦â
She waved off his hand, âManager Duan, there are gender restrictions!â
The middle-aged Manager Duan immediately let go of her hand, âIâm just in a hurry. Alright. Sell me the prescription for cooking pig offal; name your price.â
She slowly held up three fingers.
âThirty taels?â He widened his eyes, âSo expensiveâ¦â