“I can earn almost one hundred taels of silver every month in Huibinlou. If you want to poach me to Fuyunlou, you have to give me at least two hundred taels of silver this month.”

Su Yujin couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“And then?”

“When Shopkeeper Qian heard the price, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He just said that if I didn’t want to go to Fuyunlou, then I wouldn’t go. Why did I say these things to humiliate him? He also said that a very good cook could earn at most ten or twenty taels a month, and I asked for two hundred taels, so why don’t I rob him?”

“I was unhappy at the time and said, ‘If you want a twenty-tael cook, then go find a twenty-tael one. Why come looking for me, a two-hundred-tael one? If you don’t have the skills, don’t take on such a difficult task. Just go back and tend to your own ‘Immortal Chicken’ and live your life. Why come and provoke my ‘Pearl Glutinous Rice Chicken’?”

“Shopkeeper Qian was embarrassed and left on the spot without even paying for the pearl glutinous rice chicken…”

“Shopkeeper Qian, since he has lost face to poach people, he can’t lose face after being rejected?” Su Yujin frowned, “He is really not broad-minded.”

“Not only is he narrow-minded, he’s also stingy!” Zheng Mingyuan curled his lips, “You want to find a good chef with only twenty taels of silver? You’re really calculating. I’m afraid the sound of him using an abacus can be heard in the capital!”

“Besides, it’s true that I can make so much money this month. You haven’t seen a chef who can make so much money, so you think there is no such thing in the world. Your eyes are really shorter than plates…”

Comparing him with a chef who got paid twenty taels was really a humiliation to him!

If you wanted to compare, you should compare him with the imperial chef in the palace!

“Uncle Zheng is right.” Su Yujin nodded repeatedly, “It seems I have to go find this shopkeeper Qian.”

“Is the boss going to scold him for poaching?”

“To ask for the money for the pearl glutinous rice chicken.”

Zheng Mingyuan, “…”

After Su Yujin led Ai Cao away, Zheng Mingyuan scratched his head and pulled Zeng Dayong over again, “Don’t you ever say that I’m obsessed with money again in the future.”

“Why?”

Zeng Dayong was puzzled.

In this world, people were not allowed to tell the truth?

“Look at our boss. She even obsesses over the cost of a single dish and insists on getting it back. Isn’t that much more miserly than I am?” Zheng Mingyuan said.

“That’s right.” Zeng Dayong nodded, paused, and then said, “Master, what do you think of this piece of charcoal? Is it black?”

“Black.” Zheng Mingyuan replied.

“What about this one?”

“It’s also black.”

“Which of the two pieces is darker?”

“This one.” Zheng Mingyuan was a little impatient, “Just say what you want to say, why are you beating around the bush?”

“Master, don’t be anxious, I just want to tell you that this piece of charcoal is darker, but that piece of charcoal can’t be white, it can only be black.”¹

Zeng Dayong threw the two pieces of charcoal in his hand and went to the side to get some water to wash his hands, “Master, do you understand?”

No!

Zheng Mingyuan scratched his head for a long time, and his scalp was almost scratched bald.

A guy who was washing and picking vegetables in the kitchen couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “Uncle Zheng, Brother Dayong is talking about you. He means that even if our boss is obsessed with money, it won’t stop you from being obsessed with money.”

Zheng Mingyuan, “…”

“You bastard!”

Zheng Mingyuan took a piece of steamed cake and smashed it on Zeng Dayong’s head.

Su Yujin led Ai Cao to Su Ji and brought Qingkui, and the three of them went to Fuyunlou.

It was mid-morning, not yet noon, and the restaurant had not started to serve customers. The waiters were cleaning at the door and inside.

Shopkeeper Qian was watching the waiter wiping the plaque at the door, “Hey, be quicker, don’t be so clumsy, you’ve messed up the plaque!”

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m talking to you, work faster, don’t be lazy here, I don’t pay you to be a boss, and rest!”

He got angry with Zheng Mingyuan last night, and now he was just taking it out on the waiters.

“Shopkeeper Qian.” Su Yujin walked forward and called out.

When Shopkeeper Qian saw that it was Su Yujin who came, he was shocked at first, thinking that Su Yujin was here to trouble him to dig up information about Zheng Mingyuan, but soon his eyes rolled around, he shook his sleeves and bowed to Su Yujin.

“Hey, isn’t this Miss Su, the owner of Huibinlou? Why did you come to my Fuyunlou? Did you think the dishes in Huibinlou are not tasty and want to try some delicious dishes in our Fuyunlou?”

“Spread the word, just say that the owner of Huibinlou came to our Fuyunlou for dinner, and ask the kitchen to prepare some signature dishes.”

“Shopkeeper Qian no need to get busy, I’m not here to eat.” Su Yujin said loudly.

“Oh? Then what is Miss Su doing in Fuyunlou?” Shopkeeper Qian asked.

“I heard from Chef Zheng that Shopkeeper Qian came to our Fuyun Building to talk to him last night and ordered a dish of pearl glutinous rice chicken, but he didn’t pay after he finished talking.”

Su Yujin said, “I didn’t think it was the case that he didn’t pay for the food. I also felt that Shopkeeper Qian is not a stingy person. He must not have deliberately not paid but just forgot in a hurry. So I came here to ask for the money for the food.”

Sure enough, he went to poach people, but she was here to ask for the money for the food.

And she only said that he was stingy.

This was exactly the same as when Zheng Mingyuan pointed at him and scolded him last night for not being able to pay the two hundred taels of silver.

Shopkeeper Qian’s face turned pale, “It’s just the cost of one dish. Logically speaking, we are all in the same business, and it’s normal for us to treat each other to food and drinks. Why is it that when it comes to Miss Su, she is so stingy that she even comes to ask for money for a dish?”

“Shopkeeper Qian is wrong. This is the way of the world. If the host asks for money, you can choose not to pay, but if the host doesn’t say anything, you take the initiative to refuse to pay, which is impolite. Now you are saying that I am stingy.”

Su Yujin smiled, “If we talk about stinginess, then compared with Shopkeeper Qian, I really have to admit defeat. At least I am very generous to the chef in this restaurant when it comes to wages.”

“Well, since Shopkeeper Qian is unwilling to give it, I will only treat Shopkeeper Qian for this dish at that time. If Shopkeeper Qian is not used to the dishes in your own restaurant in the future, you can go to Huibinlou. I will definitely give you a discount on the price.”

After being told this by the young girl Su Yujin, Shopkeeper Qian’s face turned the color of liver. He pulled down the purse from his waist and gave Su Yujin some change. “It’s just a dish. It’s not that I can’t afford it. Is it worth it for you to treat me?”

“Since Miss Su is here to collect the debt and the money has been paid, you should leave quickly and don’t delay my business!”

“The money is here, so I won’t stay anymore.” Su Yujin weighed the silver and felt that it was not a loss, so she took it. “But…”

Su Yujin: Thinking about money all the time
He Yanxiu: Let’s just say, have you heard of Wei Wei saving Zhao, saving the country in a roundabout way?²

(End of this chapter)

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Footnote

1. He is fast becoming one of my favorite characters.
2. “Wei Wei saving Zhao” refers to a famous Chinese idiom “围魏救赵” (wéi wèi jiù zhào), which translates to “besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.” The idiom originates from a historical event during the Warring States period, where the state of Qi devised a strategy to save their ally, the state of Zhao, from the state of Wei by attacking Wei’s capital. This forced Wei to withdraw its troops from Zhao to defend its own territory. In essence, the phrase means to achieve an objective indirectly by targeting something else. It’s often used to describe a strategy where one resolves a problem or achieves a goal by taking an indirect approach, addressing a related issue, or applying pressure in a different area to bring about the desired outcome.