Li Ying spoke casually, but the manager of the salt shop standing aside was immediately stunned.
"Madam-to-be, this is absolutely out of the question!"
Although the Lu family had received some praise from the emperor and had the support of Lord Su, a rising star in the court, at present, with Mrs. Hu leading the crowd in such a tense situation and no one from the Lu family showing up for a long time, the common people in the market were still unsure about the situation and dared not take sides rashly.
"Madam-to-be, our Lu family's salt shop doesn't have a solid foundation in the capital. All the customers we have today are because of the brand of bamboo salt. If we were to make the secret of bamboo salt public and let others learn it, or let the common people notice..."
Seeing Lu Xunguang's displeased expression, the manager of the salt shop understood immediately and quickly shut his mouth.
Li Ying didn't seem to care. She just smiled confidently.
"Manager, there's no need to worry. Just post the notice as I said. It should say that our Lu family's salt shop cordially invites distinguished guests to experience the ancient salt-making and salt-sculpting techniques in person. As long as they make a reservation in advance, all guests can bake bamboo salt by themselves and take the bamboo salt they make home for free."
The manager of the salt shop never expected Li Ying to say such a thing. It was obvious that she intended to make the technique of nine-time roasted bamboo salt public without reservation. He quickly cast a hesitant look at the major shareholder.
The major shareholder had taken his medicine and was already squinting slightly, looking a bit tired.
"The Lu family has always obeyed the head of the family," he said calmly.
Realizing his gaffe, the manager quickly turned to look at Lu Xunguang.
Lu Xunguang nodded.
His deep, dark eyes were fixed on Li Ying, filled with love and trust.
"The head of the family has ordered that every word the madam-to-be said must be followed without exception."
Hearing this, the manager's face immediately turned ugly.
It was simply absurd!
Normally, the head of the family was quite steady, but why was he so confused when it came to matters of the heart?
The major shareholder didn't say a word and just nodded slightly.
With the support of the Lu father and son, the manager had no choice but to obediently follow the order.
After Li Ying and Lu Xunguang bid farewell to the major shareholder, they walked hand in hand in the warm sun. Suddenly, Li Ying stopped and turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.
"Lu Lang, the business of the salt shop is extremely important. Are you really so confident that you don't even ask and just let me do as I please?"
Lu Xunguang's figure was bathed in a dazzling golden light. He smiled calmly and with just one glance, blocked all the shadows behind him.
"A Ying, the Lu family in the capital is originally a betrothal gift I want to give you. You can just let your imagination run wild and let the fireworks in your mind bloom freely."
"I have full confidence in my sweetheart. I'm sure she has everything well planned. Even if something unexpected happens, I'll be there to support you."
He waved his hand, and his long, slender fingers caught the sunlight. He warmly held Li Ying's porcelain-like hand, passing his pulse and body temperature to her.
Li Ying beamed.
This man always silently took care of everything for her, leaving her without any worries.
How could she let him lose his bet?
The manager of the salt shop was very efficient. Before long, he had spread the news as Li Ying had ordered.
On the day when the salt shop opened for business, there was a huge crowd in front of the door.
Among the bustling guests, there were many ordinary people who just came to watch the fun or hoped to take advantage.
There were also some wealthy families who had witnessed the wonders of nine-time roasted bamboo salt. They were attracted by the slogan "experience the warm moment of doing it yourself" in the brochure and really brought their children and relatives, waiting eagerly.
Li Ying changed into a simple and elegant dress. She walked through the crowd with a smile, and her eyes scanned every face with different intentions without a trace. Then she said loudly, "Welcome all of you for taking the time to come. Our salt shop is truly honored."
She greeted the guests personally, and the shop assistants had already prepared the lake salt and placed it generously in front of the shop.
The white salt crystals, like fresh snow, were piled up into small hills, very eye-catching.
Li Ying cleared her throat, rolled up her sleeves, and calmly explained the precautions for baking bamboo salt one by one.
At first, everyone looked a bit dismissive, thinking that it was just a matter of filling the bamboo tubes with salt crystals and burning them for an hour or so.
It was still a bit cold in the capital at this time. Even so, standing by the charcoal stove for a long time could make people feel impatient.
A young master from a merchant family just dozed off for a moment, and then could only watch helplessly as the bamboo tube he took out was burned to charcoal. He was very annoyed.
After this lesson, the others didn't dare to be careless and had to concentrate.
Li Ying walked gracefully through the crowd, whispering casually about the complicated process of nine-time roasted bamboo salt.
Everyone's foreheads were already sweating. After hearing her words, they naturally didn't have any doubts and nodded in agreement.
Li Ying was very satisfied, but still observed everyone calmly.
The guests who were making salt sculptures were okay, but in just an hour or so, several bamboo salt tubes had been burned beyond recognition.
How could these pampered aristocrats have the perseverance to keep going?
Several people had already become impatient and threw down the fans in their hands. They stood up resentfully and secretly made up their minds that in the future, they would just ignore the gossips and buy the ready-made nine-time roasted bamboo salt honestly.
The shop assistants were busy packing the bamboo salt. When they were short of hands, even the manager of the salt shop rolled up his sleeves and joined in.
Although he was so busy that he wished he could grow wings, he couldn't stop smiling. He finally understood why even a talented man like the major shareholder was willing to indulge this young, unmarried madam-to-be.
What a brilliant move to show the world!
At first, the Lu family's bamboo salt quickly entered the lives of the people in the capital because of its novelty.
But if it only relied on this superficial novelty, how long could the nine-time roasted bamboo salt last?
Li Ying's action today really made everyone see how difficult it was to make every grain of bamboo salt. From then on, bamboo salt would truly have its own loyal supporters.
He was convinced. Just as he was about to apologize to Li Ying when he finally found a free moment, he saw that the madam-to-be's eyes calmly passed over the sweating guests and landed steadily on two inconspicuous gray-clothed servants in the corner.
"Your salt-making skills seem quite proficient?"
She stood in front of them, speaking in a low voice but just loud enough for all the guests present to hear clearly.
The two gray-clothed servants looked a bit uncomfortable and were about to defend themselves when a sharp-eyed onlooker recognized them.
"Hey? Aren't they the assistants from the Hu family's salt shop?"