Lu Xunguang knew that since the matter was related to his biological father, it would be extremely difficult for him to stay calm. He didn't want to scare Li Ying. Just then, Bao Guiyou came in a hurry, eager to see Li Ying. So he took the opportunity to hide the thin booklet in his bosom and put the matter aside for the time being.
"Boss Li! I have something urgent to discuss with you!"
Seeing the panicked look on Bao Guiyou's face, Li Ying thought he had come to ask for another recipe and didn't pay much attention.
Bao Guiyou didn't even have time to drink a cup of green tea. He lowered his voice and said seriously, "Boss Li, you may not know this yet. The town is in an uproar. Lady Lianji's dessert shop launched a brand - new sweet soup today!"
Sweet soup?
Li Ying nodded indifferently.
When it came to making desserts, she believed she wouldn't lose to Lianji.
It was just that she didn't like to be restricted. The recipe for desserts required strict adherence to the amount of each ingredient, leaving little room for her to freely express her creativity.
So, her enthusiasm for making desserts was somewhat lacking. The types of desserts sold in her pastry shop were mainly few but refined.
Lianji had spotted this weakness and intended to severely defeat her in the dessert business. It wasn't a stupid move on her part.
Seeing her calm demeanor, Bao Guiyou became even more restless.
"Oh, my dear lady! The emperor is not worried, but the eunuch is dying of anxiety! You don't know that the young ladies and married women in the town are almost breaking their necks to grab a bowl of Lianji's sweet soup! The scene is even more intense than when you first appeared in the town!"
Bao Guiyou originally thought that cooperating with Li Ying was just a temporary measure, something he had to do under the circumstances.
But now, after experiencing her unique insights into the pastry business several times, he had come to admire this young female shopkeeper more and more. He had long put aside his doubts and was now sincerely worried for her. That was why he had rushed over to deliver the news.
"Oh?"
Li Ying became a bit curious. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "In just a few days, how did Lianji suddenly get the inspiration? What kind of food did she make?"
A look of hesitation flashed across Bao Guiyou's face. Then, he still honestly said, "It's bird's nest!"
Lianji was in her thirties. Most of the village women of the same age in the town had already given birth to children, taken care of the family, and been worn out by the years, becoming middle - aged women.
But Lianji, standing beside the big boss, still had a rosy complexion, bright and charming eyes, fair skin, and still retained her charm.
This surprised all the women. They openly and secretly discussed it as a rare thing, and Li Ying had heard a bit about it.
"Boss Li, you may not know that the other day, Lianji sent someone to deliver a message to me, trying to win me over. I heard that she also sent people to the other three restaurants... I didn't want to gossip in front of you, so I held back and didn't mention it."
"But if I remember correctly... this bird's nest... Boss Feng specifically sent a lot of it to Lady Lianji..."
Li Ying didn't need Bao Guiyou's reminder to remember that stewed bird's nest with pigeon eggs was the signature dish of Dingtailou. It was precisely with this bird's nest dish that Feng Yuan had managed to gain a firm foothold in just three months and compete with Tianxianglou back then.
Li Ying smacked her lips. She had long suspected that Feng Yuan was not a simple person. His betrayal had come a bit earlier than expected.
"Boss Li, go and take a look quickly. Lady Lianji is using her own beauty as a guarantee, saying that if you eat this Grade - One Imperial Bird's Nest, you can be as good at maintaining your youth as she is. The women in the town are going crazy over it, as if money is of no consequence. It's really scary!"
As Bao Guiyou was speaking, a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.
If bird's nest really had such an anti - aging effect, why didn't old man Feng Yuan eat it himself? To be disrespectful, the big boss had eaten all kinds of delicacies, but he was still old!
These women's money was really easy to deceive!
Just as they were discussing, Mrs. Li and Mrs. Zhang also ran over out of breath. As soon as they saw her, they impatiently took out a white porcelain bowl from their bosoms and stuffed it into her arms without a word.
"A Ying, taste it quickly! Lady Lianji's Grade - One Imperial Bird's Nest! I lost a shoe while trying to grab this! A Ying, you have to reimburse me!"
Li Ying didn't expect these two to act so quickly. She took the porcelain bowl, opened the lid, sniffed, and couldn't help but frown.
In the thin soup, there was a red date, some hawthorn, and lotus seeds. Although it was still warm, the impurities in the bird's nest hadn't been picked clean, and it smelled extremely fishy.
"How did you get the news so quickly?" Li Ying pinched her nose, hesitantly took a sip, and then quickly changed the subject.
Mrs. Zhang said softly, "The other day, Lady Lianji sent someone to our canning factory to recruit workers. She even offered a high salary and asked our female workers to find a better job and go to pick the impurities from the bird's nest."
"However, you are the backbone of our village. Everyone only respects you. No one went. So I didn't mention this to you."
However, money makes the mare go. Only the villagers from the fishing village who knew her well were loyal to her. Many of the long - term workers in the town switched sides without hesitation when they heard about the higher salary.
Li Ying didn't really care about those fickle people. They could leave if they wanted to.
"A Ying, how is it? I heard that this Grade - One Imperial Bird's Nest is made of high - quality bird's nests and is good for beauty and health. Lady Lianji is doing good deeds and only sells one bowl for ten wen! The whole town is going crazy over it! What should we do?"
Hearing the price from Mrs. Li, Li Ying couldn't help but sneer.
Ten wen? It probably couldn't even buy the lowest - quality bird's nest scraps! No wonder she had come to the canning factory to poach workers. Otherwise, she really wouldn't have been able to find enough female workers to pick the impurities!
This Lianji was really crazy about trying to outdo her.
Mrs. Li thought she had already come up with a countermeasure. She let out a sigh of relief and immediately became eager.
"A Ying, whatever you want to do, just give the order. We'll definitely follow your lead!"
Mrs. Zhang was more steady. Now she was a bit embarrassed.
She had asked her husband, Zhang Lu, and only then knew that bird's nest grew on the cliffs by the sea. It was a rare thing that was hard to come by.
Even the most skillful housewife couldn't cook a meal without rice. Although they knew that once A Ying made a move, she would definitely be able to make the bird's nest dish even better, they simply couldn't get their hands on the ingredients.
Mrs. Li frowned when she heard Mrs. Zhang's concerns.
"Boss Li, I've delivered the message. You'd better think of a countermeasure quickly. I won't disturb you anymore!"
Bao Guiyou also knew that this matter was tricky and didn't want to stay for long. He bowed and was about to leave.
But Li Ying smiled and stopped him.
"Boss Bao, don't be in a hurry to leave. Thanks to Lady Lianji's reminder, I have a good business opportunity to tell you. Are you interested?"
Bao Guiyou naturally nodded repeatedly. Li Ying leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Although he was puzzled, he still did as she said. Soon, he brought over a few pieces of pigskin that had been piled up in his own kitchen according to her instructions.
Pigskin was tough to chew, had a strong odor, and there were many fine pig hairs on it, which were difficult to clean. In the past, when people were in poverty, being able to eat a piece of pigskin was considered a meat dish.
But now, people's lives had improved. They could afford to buy some pork from time to time. So, fewer people ate this kind of smelly thing.
"Boss Li, what do you need this pigskin for?"