Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Why did Manager Chen appear in Datian Village? Actually, he came here to recruit lotus flowers.

It's been more than ten days since I last saw her when Zhaolian sold the rabbits, and the spices are almost gone.

Since using that spice, Lefu Restaurant's business has improved several times over, and even many of Zuichunlou's old customers have come to visit.

The owner of Lefu Restaurant not only didn't scold Manager Chen for buying the sesame seeds and spices, but also praised him for his decisiveness.

In addition, the owner said to see what other recipes the young girl had, and buy a few more, as Lefu Restaurant's signature dishes would need to be updated with a few new ones.

The key to competition among restaurants is to develop new dishes. Only by constantly coming up with new ideas, and by offering dishes that others don't have, and dishes that others have but don't do as well as the best, can you retain customers.

The employer not only increased his wages by half, but also gave him a year-end bonus, which made Manager Chen extremely happy.

But these past few days he's stopped smiling. People have been bringing wild game to Lefu Restaurant to sell, but the spices are becoming increasingly scarce.

The spices are almost gone, what should we do!

Suddenly, Manager Chen remembered that Hunter Yang and Zhao Lian were from the same village, and he immediately had an idea to go to Zhao Lian's house.

For a while, Zhaolian was picking star anise every day and didn't go into the mountains to look for wild game. Then it rained, so she hasn't gone out these past few days.

She got off to a good start with the spices, but she didn't want them to be delivered so quickly, as that would make the spices seem worthless.

In addition, I don't have much on hand right now, only a few pounds, and star anise can't be harvested until around October.

It's only July now, and by the time we run out, the supply will be insufficient, so I'm thinking of extending the supply a bit.

So Zhao Lian wanted to make Manager Chen anxious. Anyway, this was the only place like this, so if he really wanted it, he would naturally find a way.

Moreover, if Hunter Yang has prey, he goes to Lefu Restaurant almost every day. If Manager Chen really wants to find him, he won't have trouble finding him.

Hunter Yang pointed to the mud-brick house at the foot of the mountain and said, "Manager Chen, look, that's Zhao Lian's house."

On the way here, Hunter Yang told him about Zhao Lian, and that she had broken off her family and was making a living on her own.

He was immediately impressed; no wonder Zhao Lian seemed more capable than other children at such a young age.

Unexpectedly, that girl lived at the very end of the village, far from any other village or shop, with only her family living there.

Manager Chen sighed inwardly. Zhao Lian's background was truly pitiful. Fortunately, she had a house to live in, though it was a bit remote. At least she had a roof over her head.

They soon arrived at the front of the house and, looking through the fence, found the gate locked.

Hunter Yang shouted loudly, "Zhao Lian, Zhao Lian, are you home?"

At this moment, Zhao Lian was at home picking star anise. A few days ago it was humid, and she was afraid that the star anise would spoil, so she took it out and put it on the roof of the woodshed to dry in the sun.

Hearing someone calling her, Zhao Lian peeked through the crack in the door and saw that it was Hunter Yang, followed by Manager Chen.

Seeing Manager Chen, Zhao Lian wasn't surprised. She had sold him less than two jin of star anise last time, and she figured she was almost done with it.

Anyway, she knew that Manager Chen was either here for the recipe or for star anise.

Zhao Lian quickly put the star anise away. Luckily, she had taken it out to dry in the sun these past two days, and after drying it, the star anise smelled even stronger.

"Could she not be home?" Manager Chen muttered.

"I don't know about that!" Hunter Yang replied.

Hunter Yang looked up at the sky and said, "Hey, Manager Chen, it's getting late. I won't wait with you any longer. I have to go home and then I have to go up the mountain. Otherwise, where will I get any game for you tomorrow?"

Shopkeeper Chen, worried that Hunter Yang wouldn't have any game tomorrow, quickly waved his hand at him: "Alright, alright, go ahead!"

Hunter Yang left in a hurry.

The villagers who followed behind were even more surprised to discover that the middle-aged man had come to find Zhao Lian.

This Zhao Lian is really capable. Last time she was arrested and sent home, and this time a man dressed like a gentleman actually came to her door.

When Mei saw Hunter Yang turn around, she quickly asked, "Hunter Yang, who is that person? Could he be here to see Zhao Lian?"

The woman standing nearby rolled her eyes: "Look at what you're saying! They're standing right in front of Zhao Lian's house; it's obvious they're here to see her!"

"That's the manager of the restaurant in the county town!" Zhang the hunter hurriedly said, and walked home quickly.

"What! What could the restaurant manager want with Zhao Lian?" Everyone started chattering again.

Just then, Manager Chen was getting anxious when the door creaked open, and Zhao Lian saw Manager Chen with a delighted expression.

"Who am I? It's Manager Chen. Please come in and have a seat."

Upon hearing Zhao Lian's words, Manager Chen's face immediately fell: "Zhao Lian, do I look that old?"

"Haha~"

Zhao Lian chuckled to herself, "Then how about I call you uncle?"

"Then just call me Uncle Chen," Manager Chen said with a smile.

It's unbelievable that men these days are afraid of being called old. Zhao Lian found it amusing.

As soon as Manager Chen entered the door, he smelled a fragrance of spices, and his face lit up with joy. It seemed that he had come to the right place this time.

He carefully examined the house and saw that the main room contained only a dilapidated eight-immortal table and two stools.

"Uncle Chen, please have a seat!"

Then Zhaolian brewed a cup of honeysuckle tea for Manager Chen.

Manager Chen thought Zhao Lian was serving him boiled water, but to his surprise, the earthenware bowl had a unique fragrance that made him feel refreshed as soon as it was served.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this was no ordinary water; the tea was golden in color, with a dozen or so small golden flowers floating inside.

Some flower buds have already opened, while others are still waiting to bloom.

Manager Chen picked up the ceramic bowl and examined it carefully. He saw that the tea was clear and bright with a golden hue. He smelled it and found a rich floral fragrance.

On this sweltering day, Manager Chen was thirsty. He took a sip of tea, which was refreshing and left a sweet aftertaste in his throat.

I had a sore throat from internal heat for the past two days, but after drinking this tea, the pain immediately subsided. It's truly amazing.

Manager Chen savored the tea carefully, nodding in admiration: "Zhaolian, what kind of tea is this?"

This is called honeysuckle tea. Its vines can be used as medicine or to make tea. If you are making tea, the flowers are the best.

"Honeysuckle clears heat and detoxifies, it's even better than some medicines, and it has quite a few health benefits!" Zhao Lian said, shaking her head.

It was unexpected that Zhao Lian, at such a young age, knew so much, and she spoke eloquently, which greatly surprised Manager Chen once again.

"Zhao Lian, do you still have any left to sell?"

Zhao Lian blinked her big eyes: "Yes, but not much, probably only about half a pound. But my price is not cheap. My honeysuckle costs one tael of silver per pound."

Then Zhao Lian took out all the honeysuckle, keeping some for herself.

It's a bit pricey, but it's effective. Manager Chen knows that the owner's gums have been hurting these past few days.

After drinking this tea, it seemed to be effective. He thought he should send some to his employer, so Manager Zheng asked Zhao Lian to pack them all up.