Li Ying didn't press Lu Xunguang on what he had done. Instead, she served him rice and dishes with a beaming smile. Mianmian was swinging her little feet, with a small piece of tender steamed egg stuck to the corner of her mouth. Her cute and innocent look made everyone's hearts melt.
While Li Ying was enjoying this tender and harmonious moment with Lu Xunguang, the Yunlai Restaurant was in a completely different situation.
Li Yun had only fainted from a sudden rush of anger. After being carried back to his courtyard, he regained consciousness soon.
Furious, he scrubbed his body vigorously with bath beans, wishing he could scrub off a layer of his skin. But he still felt an indescribable strange smell on his body.
Those lackeys who followed him didn't fare any better.
It was said that when they returned, some accidentally stepped into a mud pit and broke a few ribs, while others were attacked by their rivals in the gambling house and were beaten black and blue, unable to get out of bed for months and having no chance to stir up trouble.
Li Yun originally wanted to carefully question them about what had happened to the so - called "mysteriously disappeared" fish sauce. But unexpectedly, before he could detain them for interrogation, the servants had all suffered misfortunes and were too scared to answer.
He knew very well that Li Ying, a newly - arrived woman, couldn't have done such a thing.
In the capital, there was only one person who was so decisive and ruthless - Lu Xunguang.
This unassuming new owner of the Ping'an Bank seemed to be more difficult to deal with than he had expected.
Li Yun gritted his teeth in hatred. But he couldn't find any evidence to convict Li Ying and Lu Xunguang. He felt so frustrated that it was like having a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Just then, a servant came to report that the red oil stored in the Yunlai Restaurant's warehouse had run out. Without this seasoning, the chefs in the kitchen couldn't cook the spicy dishes that the customers were longing for. The customers were making a fuss, and some even left the Yunlai Restaurant and went straight to the Zizai Workshop.
"Boss, please come up with a solution quickly. What should we do?" The servant looked embarrassed and carefully observed Li Yun.
Li Yun angrily pounded the mahogany table. After a long while, he finally made up his mind.
This little slut surnamed Li clearly intended to ruin the business of the Yunlai Restaurant. Now, many people in the capital were talking about his stealing of the red - oil seasoning, and they all looked down on him. The time - honored brand of the Yunlai Restaurant that had been painstakingly built over the years was about to be ruined in his hands. Since that was the case, he might as well fight to the bitter end!
He lowered his voice and whispered his instructions to the servant. The servant was stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"Boss, are we really going to do this?"
"Although we don't have the spicy red oil now, our chefs are already developing a new flavor, using the spiciness of dogwood and pepper as a substitute. We'll be able to launch a new - style cold - cooked chicken feet soon. Boss, why do we have to give away our ready - made recipe to others!"
No wonder the servant was so shocked. After much consideration, Li Yun's decision was to make the recipe for the cold - cooked chicken feet of the Yunlai Restaurant public without reservation!
Li Yun sighed, "If it weren't for the current situation, how could I be willing to do something that benefits others? The reputation of the Yunlai Restaurant is already on the verge of collapse. The matter of plagiarism can be a big deal. If we admit our mistake in time and hand over the recipe, allowing others to learn it and make money, we might still be able to save some face."
This was just one of his calculations. Another consideration was to use retreat as an advance to deal with Li Ying.
Recently, many merchants in the city were envious of Li Ying's booming street - stall business. Now, if they got the chicken - feet recipe from the Yunlai Restaurant, they would surely rush to start this profitable food business!
As the saying goes, rarity makes things valuable. When cold - cooked chicken feet and grilled chicken tails are everywhere in the capital, he wanted to see how many customers Li Ying could still attract!
Seeing that Li Yun had made up his mind, the servant had no choice but to bow obediently and go to publicize the recipe.
Grandma Sun heard that several new grilled - chicken stalls had opened in the market. She was so worried that she didn't even have the mood to bask in the sun anymore. She rushed home in a hurry.
"Aying, Aying, something terrible has happened!"
She said angrily with a straight face. She told Li Ying all the details about those stalls and complained, "I never thought that people in the capital could be so shameless! Stealing our skills so openly. It's really disgraceful!"
Li Ying was busy wrapping slices of streaky pork around fresh cherry tomatoes and skewering them on bamboo sticks. Hearing Grandma Sun's complaint, she just waved her hand indifferently.
"Auntie, you're back?"
"People in the capital have a hard time making a living. They have so many expenses, much more than in our fishing village. Now that they've finally found a way to support their families, they naturally don't care about things like human relationships. They just want to live a comfortable life first. It's only human nature. We can't stop them."
Li Ying said it lightly. Grandma Sun knew she was right. When you opened a business, it was inevitable that others would steal your skills. There was nothing they could do about it, but she still felt a bit indignant.
Li Ying saw her expression and knew that the old woman meant well. She couldn't help but smile. Just then, two skewers of freshly grilled meat on the fire were sizzling with oil and were already cooked. She quickly took them off and stuffed them into Grandma Sun's mouth without hesitation.
The old woman was about to scold to relieve her anger, but suddenly there was a skewer of greasy barbecue in her mouth. The sweet and sour cherry tomatoes burst out warm juice in her mouth, diluting the greasiness of the meat. The fresh fruit aroma and the rich meat flavor were surprisingly harmonious under the barbecue of the charcoal fire. Although only a pinch of sea salt and a little ground pepper were sprinkled, it was so delicious that one couldn't stop eating.
Pork was a common food, and cherry tomatoes were no longer a rarity. But Grandma Sun never dreamed that these two ordinary foods, when wrapped together and grilled, would taste so wonderful and tempting!
After Grandma Sun had eaten the skewers clean, Li Ying looked at her with a smile and said softly, "Auntie, do you finally understand why I'm not worried at all?"
Grandma Sun was still a bit dazed. Looking at the neatly arranged new - style meat skewers in the bamboo basket beside Li Ying, she finally began to understand a little.