Compared to the lively atmosphere outside, one of the private rooms on the second floor was unusually quiet.
If Gu Yanxi were here, he would have been greatly startled—the person seated calmly inside was none other than the Emperor. Accompanying him wasn't Lai Fu, but a man of ordinary appearance, average height, and utterly unremarkable in every way—he was An Yi.
At that moment, the Emperor was eyeing the fried yellow croaker that had been served. The fragrant aroma was quite enticing. He picked up his chopsticks, poked at the fish, then tore off a small piece from the belly where there were the fewest bones, about to put it in his mouth.
An Yi was alarmed and, in his urgency, directly reached out to stop the Emperor's hand. "Your... My Lord, allow your subordinate to test it first before you..."
The Emperor didn't mind the offense; in fact, he was rather touched. The more he felt he couldn't trust those around him, the more he valued even the slightest show of concern, even if it was merely out of duty. "They're running an open business. If she were up to something, would she be doing business or courting death?"
With that, the Emperor put the piece of fish into his mouth. It was savory, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—quite good. His chopsticks unconsciously moved again, aiming for the belly meat of another yellow croaker. An Yi had no choice but to clumsily pick up a fish to serve him.
Seeing the fish he had clumsily torn apart, An Yi felt ashamed and set down his chopsticks, about to ask for punishment, when he saw the Emperor slowly pick up the pieces and eat them. Startled, he couldn't help but look at the Emperor.
"Not bad."
An Yi didn't dare to ponder what "not bad" referred to and lowered his head, not daring to look further.
Just then, the curtain of the private room was lifted, and a waiter in a blue shirt and small hat, with an apron tied around his waist, entered carrying a tray. He wore a smile that was neither fawning nor overly enthusiastic. "Our shop is newly opened. Thank you for your patronage. This is fish soup, a small token of our appreciation."
Seeing the bowl of milky-white fish soup, the Emperor knew it had taken considerable effort to prepare. He smiled, teasing like an ordinary elderly man. "Giving away fish and soup—your owner isn't afraid of losing money on this opening day."
"Our eldest young lady says that success depends on one's own efforts. If our food is delicious, customers will naturally return. If it isn't, even giving it away half-price won't bring anyone in." The waiter grinned, revealing two small dimples, his eyes curving like crescent moons—a very pleasing appearance that made people feel at ease.
"That does make sense."
"Exactly. Our eldest young lady succeeds in every business she runs." The waiter bowed with the tray. "It's busy today, so if the dishes are slow, please forgive us. Oh, and our eldest young lady just announced that everything is half-price today. Please enjoy your meal."
The curtain lifted and fell again. The Emperor looked down at the milky-white fish soup and suddenly chuckled. Succeeds in every business she runs, does she?
Completely unaware that a great Buddha had arrived on the second floor, Hua Zhi went to the back kitchen. On the first day, the kitchen was inevitably chaotic, but things had improved after everyone adapted. Hua Zhi walked around, frowning at the overpowering fishy smell. "Go and summon Chen Momo."
Chen Momo was helping in the kitchen and hurried over upon hearing the call. "Eldest Young Lady, is something wrong?"
"Take a whiff. Isn't this smell a bit too pungent?"
Chen Momo sniffed hard. "It is a bit fishy...""It's not just a little, it's a very strong fishy smell. Customers would rather come here to see and choose than sit outside to order. With such a strong smell, don't scare people away."
"It was this old servant's oversight. I will go deal with it right away."
"Rinse it thoroughly multiple times. What needs to be gathered should be gathered, and what needs to be disposed of should be handled promptly."
"Yes."
Hua Zhi was still not very satisfied, thinking she would have to find Cao Cao later and ask her to make some kind of medicine to get rid of the smell.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Hua Zhi had an idea of what was happening and wasn't in a hurry. She made a few more arrangements before walking out.
As she got closer, she could hear someone shouting, "The food in this shop is poisonous! If it weren't, why would I have broken out in these rashes?"
Another voice retorted mockingly, "How interesting. Does the young lady have a grudge against you, poisoning only you specifically? We've ordered quite a few things—why haven't we had this reaction?"
"Who knows if you've received some kind of benefit? I won't argue with you. The facts are right before our eyes—I've broken out in these red bumps. Wait, why is my head hurting again?" The speaker, dressed as a scholar, clutched his head and scolded Xu Biao, "Quickly tell me what you gave me to eat? Take me to a doctor immediately!"
"Sir, please look here." Xu Biao calmly pointed to a notice posted conspicuously behind the counter. It clearly stated: If symptoms such as headache, red bumps on the face or body accompanied by itching occur, it is an allergic reaction. Do not panic. If you trust the shop, you may obtain medicine from the counter to alleviate the symptoms. If you wish to see a doctor, the Chu Clinic is not far away, and all expenses will be covered by the shop.
Estimating that everyone had finished reading, Xu Biao spoke before the scholar could erupt, "Just as some people cannot eat mushrooms, some cannot eat taro, there are also those who are allergic to seafood. But there's no need to worry, sir. If treated promptly, it will not harm your body. Other customers with similar concerns may also take a dose of medicine as a precaution—if an allergic reaction occurs later, it can be alleviated."
"Hah, you knowingly sell something that causes allergies—what are your intentions?"
Hua Zhi was relatively satisfied with Xu Biao's handling of the situation, but it was clear this scholar had come prepared. Further entanglement would only damage the reputation of the seafood shop. She stepped forward from the back and was about to speak when another scholar bowed to her, "This humble scholar pays respects to the young lady."
It was Yu Xiasheng. She hadn't expected him to be here too. Hua Zhi returned the greeting, and the others, realizing who she was, also bowed one by one. Their gazes, whether overt or subtle, fell upon this young lady whom they had wished to see last time but couldn't, and now had encountered so easily.
She was indeed as outstanding as the rumors said—not only in beauty but even more so in demeanor.
Hua Zhi returned each greeting and turned to the scholar whose face was covered in red bumps, making him look somewhat frightening. "The clinic is right next door. Please condescend to go there, sir, and don't delay lest it harm your health."
"Since you know it can harm people's health, how dare you still sell it? What are your intentions?"
The corners of Hua Zhi's lips lifted slightly. "Everyone does business to make money, not to get involved in lawsuits over human lives. Or do you, sir, believe that my Hua family would target the many pillars of Daqing? Why don't you tell me what I would gain from doing such a thing?"
"Hmph, you know very well in your heart."
"It seems you know better than I do." Hua Zhi gently smoothed her sleeves. "How about we make a bet?"
The scholar looked at her suspiciously. "What kind of bet?""This young lady first requests the physician to cure the guest's allergy, then invites the guest to the vegetarian restaurant for a mushroom banquet and taro banquet. As for the wager..." Hua Zhi smiled, "we'll bet on whether the guest is allergic to both dishes."
"Nonsense! What does this have to do with the seafood I ate today?"
"You'll understand the connection after tasting them."
The scholar pointed at her angrily, "You're simply twisting logic!"
"Indeed, I'm twisting logic. So does the guest wish to make this wager or not?"
Someone nearby couldn't help but chuckle. The young lady truly was... indescribable, yet somehow one couldn't bring themselves to dislike her.
PS: Thank you all for your blessings. Happy birthday to those who share Kongkong's birthday, as well as those celebrating around this date! Off to have fun now, la-la-la!
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