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

Chapter 167 The Game

Upon hearing Liu Xiong's words, Chen Feng's expression darkened further, and he remained defiant, saying, "What you mean by the reception experience is truly subjective. I can only say that perhaps the guest's mindset is the problem, which is why they feel the restaurant's hospitality is inadequate."

Huang Zhenzhu muttered to herself, "That's really shameless of them, implying that we have a bad attitude..."

Grandma Ma added, "The richer and more powerful they are, the more kind-faced they are and the more ruthless they are."

Huang Zhenzhu whispered in Liu Yan's ear, "This shopkeeper isn't easy to deal with. Qianqian has entered his territory since coming to this inner room. Won't she suffer a loss...?"

Liu Yan's heart pounded with anxiety. She gripped her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white. She was worried too; the shopkeeper looked all smiles, but he was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Sigh, she shouldn't have talked so much and caused trouble for Qianqian.

Liu Xiong had an inexplicable trust in Qianqian, saying, "Don't worry, Qianqian dared to come in because she had a plan for her escape."

Liu Xiong is now Nie Qianqian's number one fan, thinking that his niece is amazing at everything.

Grandma Ma is older, and she has seen more of the world than Liu Xiong and Liu Yan. She has also suffered a lot and met many seemingly respectable but actually wicked people in the county town.

When she was young, she also encountered injustices and tried to appeal and resist, but in the end, nothing changed, and she lost even more because of her resistance.

This lesson was repeated more than once, and Grandma Ma began to become numb to injustice. She would no longer stubbornly demand fairness because she knew that there was no absolute fairness in this world, and whoever had money and power held the power of discourse.

In her view, Tan'er and her daughter's behavior just now was too impulsive and like throwing an egg against a rock.

As for Nie Qianqian, Grandma Ma knew she was capable. Many people in Qinghe County knew that Nie Qianqian had built Liu's Restaurant from scratch into a thriving business, which proved her considerable talent.

Moreover, Qianqian has her own connections and knows the powerful figures in Qinghe County.

With such strength, it's certainly not a case of throwing an egg against a rock. However, this shopkeeper is a tough nut to crack, and I'm afraid that Nie Qianqian might hurt herself in a head-on confrontation.

Seeing that he was still being stubborn, Nie Qianqian snorted coldly, "Fine, you say that the matter of hospitality varies from person to person and you don't think it's a problem. Since you don't want to talk about this, then I'll talk about something else..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng assumed that Nie Qianqian had given up arguing, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. However, before the smile could expand, he heard Nie Qianqian say:

"Then tell me why your crab roe dumplings aren't made with crab roe at all, but with other ingredients instead! Do you know that just based on this, I can report you to the authorities!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the waiter who had spoken earlier, and seeing the waiter nod slightly, he immediately flew into a rage.

He was utterly exasperated! How could these subordinates be so brainless? He had told them countless times that the new owner might come at any time and not to cause trouble, yet they still recklessly raised prices or changed dishes at will. They were a bunch of idiots.

Chen Feng suppressed the urge to slap the waiter to death. This was not the time to pursue the matter, nor could he afford to lose his composure. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Oh? Is what you say true, madam? Could it be that the waiter accidentally served the wrong dish or the chef used the wrong ingredients? Don't worry, madam. Guangjuxuan has been open for many years and would never do such a thing as using inferior ingredients. It's probably a mistake by someone below. Please forgive such a petty person."

Chen Feng's attitude towards Nie Qianqian subtly changed, and even the way he spoke to her changed.

Old Qiao leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, and hadn't said a word until he heard Chen Feng's words. He then said leisurely, "This fake crab roe requires first grinding soybeans into a fine paste, then stir-frying it over low heat, stirring constantly until the paste emits a slightly caramelized aroma. Then, you mix mashed potatoes into the stir-fried soybean paste in a certain proportion, add specific spices to enhance the flavor, and collect amaranth juice to add color to the mixture. With such deliberate preparation, you still claim it's a misuse of ingredients?"

After finishing speaking, Old Qiao fell silent. Nie Qianqian thought to herself, "Old Qiao is truly a glutton..."

She had eaten plenty of crab roe steamed buns in her past life, so she naturally knew what authentic crab roe tasted like. Because she had studied various medicinal herbs since childhood, she could tell at a glance that the fake crab roe was mixed with some medicinal herbs. However, if she were to explain how the fake crab roe was made, she wouldn't be as knowledgeable as Old Qiao.

Old Qiao explained the process of making fake crab meat in great detail, leaving Chen Feng and the waiters dumbfounded and shocked.

Chen Feng sized up Old Qiao. The man was dressed simply, and Chen Feng hadn't paid him any attention before, assuming he was just an ordinary old man. He never expected that Old Qiao would know so much about these things.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to figure out such a trick. Either they run their own restaurants and are knowledgeable, or they come from wealthy families, are used to eating delicacies, and have discerning palates, so they can tell the difference with just one taste.

But looking at Old Qiao again, his trouser legs were covered in dust, and he had a lazy demeanor. He didn't seem like either of the two types of people mentioned above at all. Chen Feng wondered to himself, could this old man have been a cook before?

Chen Feng would never have guessed that Old Qiao wasn't a chef at all, but a seasoned gourmet connoisseur and a regular customer at Guangjuxuan Restaurant on the roof. He had eaten plenty of authentic crab roe steamed buns at Guangjuxuan Restaurant on the roof, and to be honest, even the authentic ones could only be described as so-so by Old Qiao, let alone the fake ones, which were utterly tasteless.

Chen Feng, seeing that the matter had been made clear, felt extremely uneasy, his mind racing. He pondered deeply, but he simply couldn't figure out where these people came from or what their purpose was.

Was it a genuine act of chivalry, or was it a meticulously planned scheme? Could it be that someone in the shop, disgusted by his usual embezzlement and rampant corruption, deliberately hired this family to put on this act? If so, it would explain why their behavior, mannerisms, and attire exuded an inexplicable strangeness.

At this critical moment, the first priority is to appease this person. He immediately changed his attitude: "My lady is a wise and knowledgeable woman, adept at weighing the pros and cons. This matter could be a big or small matter. If we report it to the authorities, it will mean a complete falling out with Chen, a fight to the death. What benefit would that bring you? Regardless of your reasons for coming here, who is behind you, or what benefits you've been promised, I will offer you double the price. It won't be in vain that you've made this arduous journey. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Nie Qianqian sighed inwardly. This person truly embodied the profit-driven nature of a businessman to the fullest extent. All he could see was money. He was calculating so rapidly that the beads were practically bouncing off his face.

Seeing that Nie Qianqian remained silent, Chen Feng assumed his words had worked and continued, "Guangjuxuan has been in business for so many years, and its success has attracted a lot of attention. Countless people have been envious and tried every means to cause trouble for me. But after all these years, what has been the result? None of them have succeeded, and I am still sitting here steadily and unharmed. I'm sure you understand why. Going against me will not end well. You should carefully consider who to choose. I'm sure you know the answer perfectly well."

Hearing these words, Nie Qianqian found them utterly absurd and could no longer hold back. She interrupted him with a cold laugh: "The reason we didn't succeed before was because I didn't come."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of dominance, as if declaring that Chen Feng's good days were over...