A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

This attitude carried a hint of disdain, which was easily discernible to everyone at Nie Qianqian's table. Nie Qianqian had her own plans in mind, so she chose to hold back for the time being.

Nie Qianqian looked at the menu and found that it was exactly the same as when she came a few months ago, without any changes. It seems that Guangjuxuan does not introduce new dishes and always has the same fixed menu.

Last time she came, although she had some money, it was nowhere near as good as this time. This time, she wanted to thank Old Qiao for saving her life, and also wanted to see what Guangjuxuan's signature dishes were like. Nie Qianqian ordered several signature dishes, which were not cheap, and none of them were dishes she had tried last time.

"Roasted mutton, steamed mandarin fish, candied fruit platter, crystal pork knuckle, stir-fried river shrimp, braised fish slices... plus two baskets of crab roe soup dumplings."

As Nie Qianqian recited the names of the dishes, the waiter casually wrote them down, but the more he wrote, the more surprised he became. This group of people didn't seem to be able to afford such things, so why were they ordering expensive dishes?

The waiter asked instinctively, "A basket of crab roe dumplings costs 800 copper coins. Are you sure you want to order them, sir?"

Nie Qianqian was utterly speechless at the waiter's clueless service attitude. She gave him a cold look and said, "Is that a question a waiter should ask?"

Nie Qianqian is a martial arts practitioner, so her gaze is naturally sharper than that of an ordinary person.

The waiter was momentarily stunned by Nie Qianqian's gaze, and then said somewhat awkwardly, "No, sir, you've misunderstood. I was just afraid you might have misread the price, so I'll place your order right away."

The waiter calculated the cost of the dishes Nie Qianqian had ordered. The dishes Nie Qianqian had ordered cost 5 taels of silver. Although it was not comparable to the expenses of a truly distinguished guest at Guangjuxuan, it was still not a small amount. The waiter couldn't help but straighten his attitude a bit, realizing that he had misjudged the situation.

However, he had some doubts in his mind. Were they trying to freeload? This thought flashed through his mind, but he rejected it. Guangjuxuan was not a place where people could easily freeload.

After ordering, Huang Zhenzhu said sullenly, "I haven't even eaten yet, and I'm already full of anger."

Liu Xiong curled his lip, his idealized image shattered. "How come Guangjuxuan's service isn't even as good as our Liu Family Restaurant? And they call themselves a grand restaurant."

Every customer at Liu's Restaurant eats to their heart's content and leaves happily.

Grandma Ma had gotten into Guangjuxuan by virtue of her connections, and she already had some reservations. The attitude of the shop made her even more uncomfortable. She sighed and said, "People always say that big shops bully their customers. Now I've seen it for myself."

Old Qiao sat with his legs crossed, seemingly unaffected by the waiter's attitude.

Liu Yan was puzzled. "Qianqian, why are all the waiters like this? We're customers, and we even paid for our meal. Why are they treating us like we're freeloaders and giving us attitude?"

Nie Qianqian poured tea for everyone, saying, "Calm down, everyone. Don't let someone irrelevant ruin your good mood today."

"Mother, Guangjuxuan has a great location and luxurious decor. We ate there last time, and the food was really good. You can't find another place like it in Qinghe County."

Liu Yan nodded, "That's true..."

“If high-ranking officials want to show off their status and satisfy their appetites, they come here; if ordinary people want to have a good meal and broaden their horizons during festivals, they come here. Guangjuxuan is doing business that is unique in Qinghe County. There are no competitors. Over time, naturally, there are serious problems with the level of service.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yan understood why the waiters all had this attitude. She took it as a warning, thinking, "Our Liu Family Restaurant will not do that, nor can it do that. The villagers are paying money, and we can't let them feel unhappy."

Why are they so arrogant? It's because the shopkeeper here knows that no matter what kind of service they provide, they won't lack business, so why bother with service attitude?

In Nie Qianqian's previous life, service experience was already highly valued in the catering industry, even becoming a specialized field. Some chain restaurants had standardized service systems and procedures to build a reputation for service excellence. Wasn't Laojiao (a popular hot pot chain) precisely because of its high-quality service that it carved out a niche for itself among numerous hot pot brands?

As Liu Yan spoke, a group of three people happened to pass by. Upon hearing this, they paused slightly, and one of them looked over.

Nie Qianqian's senses were sharp, and when she looked over, she saw a familiar face—Lord Tang.

However, Lord Tang looked different today. He had a beard on his face and seemed to be darker than usual, clearly disguised and not wanting anyone to know his identity.

He gently shook his head at Nie Qianqian, signaling her not to reveal his identity. Nie Qianqian understood immediately and nodded gently.

Nie Qianqian shifted her gaze to the people beside Lord Tang. One of them, an older man, wore a dark blue brocade robe with cloud patterns, the hem of which was embroidered with exquisite designs. A white jade belt, made of warm and delicate jade, was tied around his waist, clearly indicating its high value. He appeared refined, yet exuded an air of authority. From his position, it was clear that his official rank was only higher than Lord Tang's.

The other was younger, probably close to 30 years old, wearing a moon-white brocade robe with delicate silver thread embroidery on the collar and cuffs. Every accessory was exquisite. He was serious and had a cold demeanor, clearly not an ordinary person. Moreover, he seemed to hold a high official position, at least no lower than Lord Tang, and came from a noble family.

These two are definitely not locals; they may be officials from the provincial capital who have come secretly. Therefore, Lord Tang also needs to conceal his identity and does not want people to pay attention to him and these two.

Nie Qianqian had guessed most of it: the older of the two people came from the provincial capital, and the younger one came from Beijing.

The three went upstairs and sat in a private room. The eldest man, surnamed Zhang Mingtuo, was in the middle seat. He was the director of the Ever-Normal Granary in the provincial capital and held the rank of fifth grade.

Zhang Tuo asked, "Jincheng, it seems you ran into someone you know?"

Tang Jincheng had just sat down when he heard the question. He wanted to stand up, but Zhang Tuo waved his hand, indicating that Tang Jincheng could remain seated.

"Teacher, it's someone I know, named Nie Qianqian. Her mother's name is Liu Yan. The two of them had a lawsuit that went to the yamen, and the verdict cleared their names. Afterwards, they divorced their husbands' families and moved out to live independently. They opened a small business in the West Market, which is doing quite well, very prosperous, and their family's life is getting better and better. This Liu Yan is an excellent cook, her skills are truly remarkable. She's honest and kind, and although she's been bullied for many years, she hasn't lost her integrity. Just now..."

Tang Jincheng became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. Zhang Tuo had only asked casually, but Tang Jincheng's answer was unexpectedly detailed... He seemed to know this family very well, not just the kind of knowledge that comes from judging a case.

Zhang Tuo chuckled, "It seems Jincheng knows this family very well."

Tang Jincheng smiled as well, "To be honest, after Nie Qianqian and her son divorced, they were reborn and their lives got better and better. Seeing this, I felt proud to be a local official, so I paid more attention to them."

Zhang Tuo nodded in agreement. The most important thing for an official is how the people in his jurisdiction are doing. If the people live in peace and prosperity, it is naturally a blessing for the official.

Tang Jincheng continued, "This family is indeed attracting attention. Nie Qianqian's ex-husband, Gu Xiao, is a promising student. Breaking Qinghe County's record in the imperial examinations depends on him..."

Zhang Tuo raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

This piqued Zhang Tuo's interest. Both Tang Jincheng and he had taken the imperial examinations in their youth. He was only a few years older than Tang Jincheng. Back then, he had only valued Tang Jincheng's talent and had given him some guidance and assistance. Tang Jincheng still remembered this and always called him his teacher.

Tang Jincheng naturally knew how difficult the imperial examinations were. Very few students from Qinghe County could make it all the way to the capital. However, he was convinced that this Gu Xiao could break through the entire history of Qinghe County, so he was indeed worth paying attention to.