Pastoral Splendor

The streets were bustling with people, a lively and vibrant scene.

Behind Ruyi Restaurant, a row of sedan chairs were parked in the courtyard, indicating good business. Yan Ying strolled around the back courtyard first before turning to the front. Outside the restaurant, there was a sign listing the manager's recommended dishes for the day.

Yan Ying rubbed her eyes, but she didn't see the stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots.

How could the people of Yuzhou City have gotten tired of this dish so quickly? That shouldn't be the case. Yan Ying stood under the signboard, her brows furrowed tightly. There must be something fishy going on here.

Qian Xiaosi escorted a guest out of the restaurant, bowing and scraping, "Master Liu, come again next time!" His eyes caught sight of Yan Ying, and he felt a little guilty. He stepped forward and shouted, "What are you looking at? Get out of here! This is no place for you!"

Seeing Qian Xiaosi's tense expression, Yan Ying understood even more clearly that Qian Xiaosi was probably the one causing trouble! The butcher's wife's words about one tael of silver per jar flashed through her mind—could it be that Qian Xiaosi got the price of three taels of silver per jar from the shopkeeper, but then sold it to the villagers for only one tael of silver per jar? If that weren't the case, how could the rumor of one tael of silver per jar have spread?

She smiled at Qian Xiaosi: "What, can't I come to this restaurant?"

Qian Xiaosi's legs trembled slightly, and he inwardly groaned. How could this Miss Xiao be so bold as to come to a restaurant? He glanced at the counter; the manager wasn't there, perhaps he had gone to relieve himself. This emboldened him slightly, and he called out to Yan Ying, "This is a place to eat, not a poor country girl like you!"

A crowd gathered around the restaurant, and upon seeing Yan Ying's clothes, they shook their heads repeatedly: "Yes, judging from this girl's attire, she doesn't seem like someone who can afford to eat at Ruyi Restaurant."

Someone kindly came over to Yan Ying and said, "Girl, the food here is really expensive. If you go to the places near the city gate, you can eat your fill for only thirty or so coins."

Yan Ying smiled and nodded at the man: "Thank you, Uncle, but I just happen to want to eat at Ruyi Restaurant today." She glared at Qian Xiaosi: "What's wrong? Since your restaurant is open, everyone who comes in is a customer. Are you going to block me from going outside?"

Qian Xiaosi was so anxious that beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead: "No, you just can't come in."

Yan Ying ignored him and stepped past him. Qian Xiaosi quickly reached out to stop her, but saw Yan Ying's ambiguous smile: "Brother, you can stop me for a while, but not forever." After saying this with a smile, Yan Ying shouted: "Get out of the way."

The voice was very forceful, and Qian Xiaosi was startled and trembled. Before he could react, Yan Ying pushed his hand away and strode into the restaurant. Qian Xiaosi quickly reached out to grab her hand, but Yan Ying shouted loudly, "Indecent assault! Indecent assault! Manager, come and see your employee! He's a complete scoundrel!"

The diners in the restaurant's main hall stopped eating and all looked towards the entrance. Qian Xiaosi had no choice but to awkwardly let go of her chopsticks and watch Yan Ying walk towards the counter.

This guy is a bully who preys on the weak. Yan Ying glanced contemptuously at Qian Xiaosi standing at the door. She was no ordinary country person who would shrink back and hide to the side after being yelled at by him. If he was playing tricks, she would definitely expose his schemes!

The shopkeeper happened to walk in from behind and was taken aback when he saw Yan Ying standing in front of the counter: "Miss Xiao, what brings you here?"

Yan Ying smiled at the shopkeeper: "Uncle shopkeeper, why isn't this stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots selling well? You haven't come to my shop for pickled bamboo shoots for several days, so I came to town today specifically to see what's going on."

The shopkeeper stared wide-eyed at Yan Ying, seemingly incredulous: "Miss Xiao, it's only been three days, how come you say you haven't been here for several days?" He shook his head and sighed: "Besides, these past few days, customers have been saying that the stir-fried pork with pickled bamboo shoots doesn't taste as good as before, so it's not selling well. We haven't sold out yet."

Only three days have passed? It doesn't taste the same as before? Everything is clear now—Qian Xiaosi must have been up to something. He bought the pickled bamboo shoots from a family next to Xiaojia Village and pocketed two taels of silver. Yan Ying gently tapped the counter: "Uncle shopkeeper, do you know why the pickled bamboo shoots don't taste as good as before?"

The shopkeeper sighed listlessly, "Oh, how should I know? Anyway, the chef hasn't changed, and the ingredients are the same..."

"No, Uncle, it's not those materials anymore!" Yan Ying said firmly, "I came to the city today specifically to catch that imposter!" She turned to look at the entrance of the restaurant, but Qian Xiaosi was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but feel both amused and annoyed. For just two taels of silver, he was willing to lose this job? And if word got out, his reputation would be ruined. What employer would still hire him?

"Catch the imposter?" The innkeeper was somewhat confused, blinking his eyes. "Miss Xiao, who is this imposter? Is he eating at the restaurant right now?"

Yan Ying smiled slightly: "Uncle, there was once a story. Someone impersonated Li Kui and robbed people on the road. Later, he met the real Li Kui. When Li Kui asked him his name, he said his name was Li Gui."

"Oh, I see!" The shopkeeper suddenly realized. "Does Miss Xiao mean that the pickled bamboo shoots weren't made by you, but that Qian Xiaosi took pickled bamboo shoots from someone else?"

"Exactly." Yan Ying nodded. "Thank you for taking me to the kitchen, Uncle."

In the corner of the kitchen sat a black earthenware jar. Yan Ying walked over, took out a handful of pickled bamboo shoots, smelled them, and gave them a disdainful look: "Uncle, didn't you ask the chefs if they thought these pickled bamboo shoots tasted wrong?"

The innkeeper looked a little embarrassed and scratched his head: "Our restaurant has quite a few customers every day. I thought everyone was probably tired of this stir-fried minced pork with pickled bamboo shoots, so I didn't think much of it. Could it really be that Qian Xiaosi is courting death?"

Yan Ying smiled and took a small jar from her bundle, uncorked it, and placed it on the table: "Chef, please take a sniff. Which smells better, this or the pickled bamboo shoots?"

The chef picked up the jar, smelled it, and his eyes lit up: "This smells much better than the pickled bamboo shoots! I was wondering why the pickled bamboo shoots didn't taste as good as before. Maybe there was a leak when making them, but I didn't expect that they were made by two different people. Naturally, the flavors are different. The ones this young lady brought are obviously much more fragrant and taste just right."

The innkeeper, his face pale with anger, turned and stormed out, gritting his teeth and cursing, "That Qian Xiaosi, is he trying to get himself killed?" He ran outside, but Qian Xiaosi was nowhere to be seen. The other waiters in the restaurant were busy at work. The innkeeper patted his abacus: "Has anyone seen Qian Xiaosi?"

A waiter ran over with the money to settle the bill: "He was just here, but I think I saw him leave through the door."

The shopkeeper was seething with anger, unable to vent it for a long time. They say you get what you pay for, no wonder the customers had been saying the stir-fried bamboo shoots with minced pork wasn't as good as before—they'd bought cheap stuff to fool him! He really had to be careful who he trusted! He'd thought a few taels of silver wasn't a big deal, seeing him go so many times without any problems, but unexpectedly, this had caused an issue.

"Miss Xiao, I'm so sorry, I never expected that Qian Xiaosi would do such a thing." The shopkeeper said apologetically, "I will have someone come to your house tomorrow to buy a few more jars."

Hearing this, Yan Ying felt relieved and nodded to the shopkeeper with a smile: "It's alright, Uncle, just sell those pickled bamboo shoots first, I'm not in a hurry."

“This isn’t a matter of whether Miss Xiao is in a hurry or not; it’s that our Ruyi Restaurant can’t ruin its reputation.” The manager looked at Yan Ying sincerely and said, “Our customers have been complaining these past few days, so naturally I have to replace it as soon as possible. We can’t let this signature dish be ruined.”

"Uncle is truly wise." Yan Ying quickly praised the manager, offering him a high compliment: "No wonder Ruyi Restaurant is so successful. It's all thanks to Uncle's skillful management. The owner is truly fortunate to have such a manager."

This Miss Xiao is truly eloquent; her words are so soothing to the ear. The steward, smiling, saw Yan Ying out: "Miss Xiao, go home safely. Don't worry, just wait at home." He was joking, of course. How could he dare offend this Miss Xiao? If she didn't have some special relationship with the Prince of Yu's heir, would the Prince Xu have personally come to Ruyi Restaurant to cause trouble, even going so far as to dump a dish on Young Master Lin's head? It was just a few taels of silver for a jar of pickled bamboo shoots; he could handle this matter.

Satisfied with the innkeeper's promise, Yan Ying stepped outside. Just as she looked up, she saw a man even rounder and fatter than the innkeeper rolling towards her. Judging from his face, he wasn't very old, probably in his early twenties, dressed in silk robes, his belly protruding so high it looked like he was carrying a watermelon. Seeing him reach the restaurant entrance, Yan Ying quickly stepped aside to let him in. Unexpectedly, the man suddenly reached out and grabbed her: "Miss, you smell so good."

Seeing the fat paw about to reach her, Yan Ying quickly took a big step forward and dodged past the man. The man was surprised by Yan Ying's agility and stood there staring blankly at her slender back, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Miss, Miss!"

The innkeeper, wiping his sweat, squeezed through from behind: "Young Master, why don't you go and have your meal first? It's getting late."

Lin Qinxun turned around unhappily, muttering, "Hey, tell me, why won't she stop and look at me a few more times when I'm so handsome?"

"That young lady surely knows that looking any longer is pointless. How could she possibly be worthy of such a dashing and charming man as the eldest young master?" The shopkeeper could only lie against his conscience. His eldest young master was a womanizer; he couldn't take his eyes off any pretty girl. Although he had only been married for a year, he already had two concubines. Miss Xiao had some dealings with the Prince of Yu's heir, and she was someone the eldest young master couldn't afford to offend. It was better to praise the eldest young master like this so that he wouldn't have any improper ideas about Miss Xiao.

"You're right." Lin Qinxun was delighted to hear this, and with her big belly, she slowly made her way upstairs.

Chapter Fifty: Fool

Wu Hua and Liu Hua sat at the door, their eyes gazing longingly at the path leading to their house, hoping that Yan Ying would return soon.

"Fifth Sister, do you think Eldest Sister can sell the remaining pickled bamboo shoots?" Liu Hua asked worriedly, her little fingers constantly tugging at her trouser leg. "I think if they can sell them for one or two taels of silver a jar, Third Sister should sell them too. It's better than keeping them at home."

“Isn’t that right?” Wu Hua frowned. “I’m really starting to panic.”

The two sisters sat at the doorway talking, as peach blossoms fell one by one, carpeting the ground in pink. Against their straw sandals, which revealed tiny toes, the sisters did not look shabby at all, but rather rather charming and lively.

The sound of horses' hooves approached, and the two looked up to see several horses stopping in front of their house. Liu Ya jumped up happily: "Brother Prince, Brother Jian!"

Xu Yixuan dismounted and walked over with a cheerful smile on his face: "Liuhua, where's your third sister? Is she home?"

Liu Hua shook her head: "No, he went out." Her bright eyes looked at Xu Yixuan, and a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in her mind. These pickled bamboo shoots, as long as her young master goes to the restaurant and says a word, they will definitely sell! Thinking that those pickled bamboo shoots will soon turn into piles of silver, Liu Hua's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.

"Your third sister went to work again?" Jian Yifei walked up and craned her neck to look into the yard. It was empty except for a few hens with their chicks strolling leisurely.

Xu Yixuan, standing beside him, suddenly felt a chill. Last time, in his competitive spirit, he had helped Miss Xiao with farm work, carrying a load of manure. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it, but back at the manor, the maids were gossiping about his foul odor, which made him feel uneasy, and he had all his clothes thrown away. Now, hearing Jian Yifei mention the word "work," he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.