Chapter Eighty I'll be fine

  "Alright, I'll have Deng Nai go and verify a copy with everyone soon, then have someone personally deliver it to you. Deng Shoucai nodded slightly, thinking to himself that the dishes from his own wine shop had been circulating all the way to Xing Yue Lou, how come he hadn't thought of investigating like this before?"

  "Ah, thank you." Su Xiaofan smiled and nodded slightly. This task of verification still had to be left to Xiao Yuanfeng to handle, but previously it was said that his older brother was the one who verified things. Now that Xiao Yuanchun was not in Mocheng, no one knew when he would return again.

  "As for that..."

  Deng Shoucai had not finished speaking, when Su Xiaofan leaned in close to him and said in a low voice: "Boss Deng, don't be impatient, first investigate the people in the wine house thoroughly before making a move, otherwise it will be like beating the grass to scare the snake."

  Deng Shoucai nodded in agreement, indeed he had overlooked this aspect, and she was so young, yet her thoughts were extremely cautious.

  Afterwards, Su Xiaofan returned to the wine tower and went straight to sleep.

  "How does she plan to deal with Xing Yue Building?" Xiao Yuanfeng was very curious, what would she do next. The recent business of Xing Yue Building was quite good, it wasn't something that could be easily overthrown.

  "I also want to know." Xiao Yimeng handed the account book he had recorded to Xiao Fu: "Uncle Fu, help me put it away. From now on, every time I bring something back, you'll be in charge of putting it away."

  "Good." Xiao Fu carefully accepted it, and this young lady had mentioned before that she wanted to open a second wine house after a few days. Now, cooperating with Mingyue Tower, does it count as the second wine house?

  Su Xiaofan got up when the sky had already darkened, tidied herself and went to the Fragrant Wine House.

  Xiao Yi Mo also followed closely behind him and left.

  At this moment they seemed not very busy, as soon as the two walked into the Fragrant Wine House, Su Bing and Meng Jie came forward with a serious expression.

  Su Xiaofan's eyes lightly swept over the two of them, and she immediately understood that they might have already heard about the Star Moon Building incident, after all, it had been quite sensational for the past two days.

  "Xiao Fan, sit." Meng Ping poured tea and invited the two to take a seat.

  "Do you have a plan?" Su Xiaofan asked directly after taking her seat.

  He lowered his voice and looked to the other side of the wine shop, saying: "It should be one of the two people who were newly recruited a few days ago. Although there are suspicions, no evidence has been found yet, and it is not clear how to deal with it for the time being."

  Su Xiaofan casually swept a glance, then withdrew her gaze: "You have your own plans, no need to be too anxious, I'm sure you don't know about my collaboration with Ming Yue yet?"

  "Collaborate with Mingyuelou?" Su Bing was shocked, previously when he heard news related to Xingyuelou, he also heard about the current situation of Mingyuelou from several old acquaintances. It is said that recently, the business mixed by Xingyuelou has become extremely bleak. At this critical juncture, why did Xiaofan collaborate with Mingyuelou?

  "Hmm, that spy in the tavern, you don't need to bother with him for now. As for my collaboration with Mingyue, you'll understand the meaning behind it in a few days." Su Xiaofan stood up and stretched his waist, although he had slept for several hours, he was still a bit tired.

  "Xiao Fan, are you going home today?" Yu Xiao Xi carried a plate of fruit out of the kitchen and had just gone upstairs to rest for a while when Xiao Fan arrived.

  Su Xiaofan smiled at her, peeled a grape and fed it into Xiao Yimeng's mouth: "It's just that I want to go back, so I came here at this time. After you close the shop, we'll go home together."

  Yu Xiaoxi glanced at the few guests in the wine shop and asked Meng Ping, "Can we leave first today?"

  "Leave the rest to us." said Meng Ping.

  "On the way home, Yu Xiaoxi sighed with emotion: 'It's been a long time since we've gone home together like this.'"

  "Yes." Su Xiao Fan sat on the cart, leaning slightly against her body.

  "Xiao Fan, are you planning to deal with Xing Yue Lou?" Su Bing hesitated for a moment before asking the doubt in his mind. Apart from this, he couldn't think of any other reason why Xiao Fan would cooperate with Ming Yue at this critical juncture.

  Su Xiaofan didn't intend to hide it either: "Yes, he's come up with the idea of opening a floating wine pavilion again and again. The Xing Yue Tower is doomed, won't we counterattack?"

  Su Bing felt ashamed in his heart, and this was actually his own responsibility: "Xiao Fan, you don't need to clash with Xing Yue Lou over the wine shop's affairs anymore. I heard that not only are they cunning, but they also have someone backing them up."

  "Oh?" Su Xiaofan raised an eyebrow, implying a connection with corrupt officials?

  It's said that the boss of Xingyuelou has a brother-in-law who is a yamen runner in the county government, and this yamen runner is a sinister person. Anyone who offends him will be framed by him and thrown into prison. Su Bing had some concerns for her, as although Qili Xiang's business was doing well recently, it was still just starting out, and going head-to-head with Xingyuelou, which had backing, wouldn't be easy.

  "Got it, I'll be careful. And that's not the problem with Fragrant Wine House, that's my formula! If someone steals it and I can't even get angry and fight back? He dares to use despicable means to snatch it, he should be prepared for others to counterattack." Su Xiaofan said lightly, but in his heart, he was planning how to deal with the backstage of Xingyue Building.

  Although this official position is not great, if the relationship with the county magistrate is good and the person is a bit more cunning, it's easy to frame someone.

  Su Hande felt even more guilty, Xiao Fan had kindly handed over the formula to him for use, but it was still spread out: "Xiao Fan doesn't need to tell us about new formulas in the future, the previous ones are enough to sustain the business in the wine shop."

  "Hmm, I won't be telling you guys anytime soon. Let's talk about it after we take down Xing Yue Tower." Su Xiao Fan's face was shrouded in deep thought.

  Xiao Yimeng listened quietly beside him, a sharp glint flashing in his ink-colored eyes.

  Two days later, after a thorough investigation, five or six people were cleared out of Mingyuelou, three of whom were from the kitchen and the other three were small attendants in the building. Although it was unclear which one of them was the informant for Xingyuelou, they could finally put their minds at ease, as the remaining people were all trustworthy.

  Su Xiaofan furrowed her brow, entangled in thought. If they did that, would the opponent be driven to desperation and come up with even more extreme measures to deal with Mingyuelou?

  "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it for you." Xiao Yimeng said firmly, having already arranged for Fu Shu to handle it these past two days. People are all fond of wealth; in the face of money, familial relationships don't count for anything.

  "Alright." Su Xiaofan hesitated for a moment, smiled slightly, and handed over the new ingredients she had just prepared to Ji Yun: "The roasting method for roasted chicken and duck is the same as what I taught you last time. This is the seasoning. For safety reasons, I won't reveal the formula to you for now. After all, even though these people in the kitchen have passed the investigation, I still can't fully trust them."

  "Hmm, it's better to be more thoughtful." Ji Yun opened the ingredients, used his fingers to take a little, put it on the tip of his nose and sniffed, then excitedly nodded his head, as if he could already imagine how delicious it would be after baking.

  "Alright, just leave it for now, you don't need to start baking yet. I'll take care of the first few days myself." Su Xiaofan said after scanning the kitchen where a group of people seemed particularly excited, then took Xiao Yimeng's hand and followed Deng Shoucai out of the kitchen and upstairs.

  Deng Shoucai stood in front of the window, casting a slanted glance outside. Not far away, the Xingyue Tower was bustling with people, and it wasn't even noon yet. The number of guests was already so numerous that even during the peak hours, Mingyuelou had never reached such a level.

  "Mr. Deng, let's talk about the specifics." Su Xiaofan sat in front of the desk, calmly looking at him.

  "Alright, go ahead and say it. I'm all ears." Deng Shoucai let out a silent sigh, then turned around and walked over.

  Su Xiaofan took out several sheets of paper that she had prepared in advance and spread them out in front of her: "I've set up a new menu, I hope you can get the waiters at the wine shop to memorize all the dishes on it as quickly as possible, including prices and flavors. It would be best if they could recite it fluently, so that when customers come, they can introduce it to them once, and if there are any literate people, they can just hand over a copy of this menu for them to look at."

  Deng Shoucai took it with a serious expression, looked at it for a moment, and then handed it to Deng Neng beside him: "You go and handle this matter quickly."

  After Deng was able to leave, Su Xiaofan continued to say: "I also hope that you can post a notice at the entrance of the wine tower, and all guests who come to the wine tower for a month will drink free of charge. The new flavor roasted duck is sold at half price."

  "Isn't that a loss?" Deng Shoucai also looked at her previous pricing for the roasted chicken and duck, if it was half price, it would be even cheaper than the discounted roasted chicken and duck currently being sold at Xingyuelou.

  "This is just a promotional tactic, it's impossible for every customer who comes to the restaurant to only order one serving of roast duck. There are many profitable items on the menu, and once we bankrupt Xing Yue Lou, our roast chicken and duck can go back to their original prices, and we'll make even more money then." Su Xiaofan said after finishing speaking, got up and pulled Xiao Yimeng out of the room: "If Old Deng thinks it's feasible, go let the shopkeeper arrange it, I'm going to the kitchen to take care of things now."

  Deng Shoucai gazed at her back for a moment, then quickly got up and followed her, telling Deng Nai everything Su Xiaofan had said.

  It was the busiest time, around noon, when the strong fragrance wafting out of Mingyuelou attracted passersby to stop and gather. At the same time, Deng Nai stood at the entrance of the wine tower with a drum in hand, beating it loudly while pointing at the signboard above the door and shouting: "From today on, for one month, all guests who come to our Mingyuelou will enjoy free drinks! The unique flavor roasted chicken and duck, available only here under the sky, are now half price! You old and young gentlemen, wives, and daughters, if you miss this opportunity, you'll regret it for life! Come on in and give it a try!"

  "The smell seems pretty good, shall we go in and try it?"

  "Yes, and wine is free, and half price, go try it."

  "The flavor is really tempting..."

  “……”

  After shouting, Deng Nai handed the cymbals to a shopkeeper and let him continue shouting. He himself went into the wine building to help, because there were already customers walking in threes and twos into the wine building.

  "Little Miss Fan wants two roasted ducks."

  "Little Miss Wang. One roasted chicken."

  Ji Yun stood by in stunned silence, watching her every move with utmost precision, each step handled flawlessly, every knife cut accurate and effortless. Before he could even memorize her steps, a plate after plate of perfectly prepared chicken and duck was already placed on the counter.

  In the afternoon, although the lunch hour had passed, customers continued to pour in, and Xiao Yimiao was also helping at the counter, occasionally glancing towards the kitchen, where the waiters were rushing back and forth with dishes, looking exceptionally busy, wondering if that woman would be too tired.

  "Little master, if you're worried, go take a look? I'm busy enough with just one person." Deng Nai said while putting away the accounts in his hand. It seemed that what Xiaofan had said was true, although most customers only ordered a roasted duck with wine, there were also many customers who ordered many other dishes at the same time. Moreover, several of Xiaofan's dishes, in his opinion, were extremely profitable.

  "Hmm." Xiao Yimò furrowed his brow and got up to walk in.

  In the kitchen, Su Xiaofan stopped her actions as Xiao Yimiao walked in and handed him a plate of roasted duck that was originally meant for the guests: "Little treasure, are you hungry? Sit down and eat something first, I'll make some more food for you later."

  "I didn't come here to eat..." Xiao Yimeng glanced at the several waiters waiting on the side, then swallowed back the rest of her words. She honestly took over the plate and accepted a pair of chopsticks handed over by a chef, standing beside her, slowly starting to eat.

  In the evening, after the guests gradually dispersed, Su Xiaofan wiped the sweat from his forehead and went to rest on one side.

  Ji Yun handed over some things: "You haven't eaten anything since noon, Little Fan, you should eat something first. Tomorrow, I'll come and help you with the chores again."

  Su Xiaofan filled a bowl with soup and drank it first: "No need, your cooking skills in this kitchen are the best, tomorrow I'll take a look, maybe I'll bring someone from my side to help me."

  "Alright, with someone helping out, you won't be so tired." Ji Yun thought that even when she had some free time, just looking at her busy hands made her feel tired. She had been non-stop for half a day, and tomorrow her hands would surely ache.

  Seeing his gaze lingering on her hands, Su Xiaofan smiled and waved her arm: "Master Ji Yun doesn't need to worry, I've gotten used to it and won't get too tired."

  "That's good." Ji Yun finally felt relieved.

  He had just finished eating when Deng Neng took him upstairs to Deng Shucai's room.

  Deng Shoucai held today's account details in his hand, laughing with a wide smile: "Xiao Fan, it seems that your method is not bad, today although there was no profit, but also no loss."

  "This is only temporary, tomorrow that Star Moon Building will definitely come up with a corresponding countermeasure, so we need to prepare for a long-term struggle with him. If they continue to lower prices, we also have to continue to cut prices." Su Xiaofan also scanned the accounts in his hand, this was just the first day, and later he would gradually add more profitable dishes to turn losses into profits.

  "Uh, I made up my mind last night that even if it means losing money for a month, I'll see this through. Deng Shoucai looked over firmly, and judging from the current situation, even if there are losses, they won't be too great."

  "Well, we'll take our leave first." Su Xiaofan stood up and pulled Xiao Yimeng away together.

  Fragrant for miles.

  The two had just gone back when they were surrounded by a crowd of people.

  "What's going on?" Xiao Yimò furrowed his brow as he looked at the crowd in front of him.

  "What's the situation? Is there a chance of winning?" Xiao Yuanfeng asked first.

  "It's not certain, you go back home with your master for now, and let mother bring out all the big chickens and ducks for me." Su Xiaofan swept a glance at everyone, seemingly they were all excited, what were they excited about?

  Xiao Yuanfeng nodded and said: "Okay, anyway, it's just idle. Are you going to take it over there to sell?"

  Su Xiaofan shook her head: "Don't take it over there for the time being, after all, the number of chickens and ducks is not enough to guarantee long-term supply. I remember that we don't have many left here, let's use ours as a backup."

  Speaking of this, Su Xiaofan suddenly remembered something: "Recently, you don't play the piano for them to listen every day, do you?"

  "Xiao Fan, didn't you know? Since I stopped going, it's been your mother playing the piano every morning and evening by herself. And those villagers who can't play the piano will also whistle some rhythmic tunes."

  "Can my mother play the piano?" Su Xiaofan wondered, originally guessing that Zi Yun's sister had a very good life because her aunt married into a wealthy family, but now it seems that her mother's birth was also very good? Then why did she end up in this poor and remote place and marry her father?

  "Hmm, I heard it once before, and it was much more beautiful than my playing. It's truly heavenly music, ordinary people can't play at that level, must have been trained since childhood. You should know how to play it too, Xiao Fan?" Xiao Yuanfeng recalled the piano sound he had unintentionally heard that time, and even now, he still felt unsatisfied.

  Su Xiaofan silently shook her head.

  Xiao Yuanfeng suddenly realized that her mother's identity was similar to that of Zi Yun, like a puzzle, and perhaps even Xiao Fan, as her daughter, did not know her previous life.

  "Hey, I'm not good at playing the piano or doing needlework, let alone reciting poetry or painting. Little treasure, are you sure you won't be disappointed in me when we grow up?" Su Xiaofan decided to put her doubts aside for now, figuring she would find out eventually anyway.

  "What are you going to do with those things? I can handle it myself." Xiao Yimeng gave Xiao Yuanfeng a white eye, this thing about her mother being able to play the piano, she originally wanted to keep it from her for a while, after all, she must not know, if she knew about Jia's identity, how could she be so curious about Ziyun's identity.

  "Hmm... right, what's with all the excitement?" Su Xiaofan smiled and scanned the crowd in the store, by now most of the customers had left, and almost everyone in the wine house had gathered around, each face filled with an irrepressible look of excitement.

  Digression

  Cough cough, due to the anti-pornography campaign, I was revising old texts until very late last night, so today there are only 5,000 words. Sorry, babies, I'll try my best to make up for it tomorrow!