klisemfg Chapter 480 Egg Yolk Pastry
Chapter 480 Egg Yolk Pastry
If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have made a promise to her husband to sell the building next door to Xu Yiyi.
She felt a little embarrassed to come over for dinner since the matter hadn't been resolved.
“That day here, I boasted that I would persuade my husband to sell you the building next door.” Fu Wanying sat down cautiously.
Si Hai noticed that her hands were a little red, and he assumed it was from being frozen.
I quickly poured a cup of tea for them.
Fu Wanying's fingertips caressed the teacup, not drinking, but just warming her hands. "Now... I've broken my promise."
Xu Yiyi lowered her eyes: "The lease hasn't expired yet, so it's naturally not appropriate to break the contract and kick you out. I understand."
Moreover, she didn't think Wen Shichen would be willing to sell that building to her.
Fu Wanying shook her head. "I'm not here today just to apologize. I had Manager Li check the lease, and Ruyi Residence still has two years left on the lease. During these two years, I will have my husband help you look for a better shop. Of course, if you are willing to wait, the building will still be available for you when the lease expires in two years."
Xu Yiyi was about to decline when Fu Wanying stopped her.
"It's settled then."
With that, she got up and left.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to bring along the egg yolk pastries that Xu Yiyi had made for the children at home.
"Big sister!" Sihai looked at her with a resentful expression.
Lao Lu and Xu Anyang exchanged a glance, finding it all quite strange.
"Is she a reincarnated starving ghost? How come she even takes children's food?" Old Lu said disdainfully.
Xu Anyang nodded indignantly, looking at the empty counter and then at the aggrieved Sihai, and suddenly felt that Fu Wanying wasn't so great after all.
"However, it's not impossible for her to look for other shops. If this restaurant can't expand, then we can open a branch."
When Lao Lu heard what Xu Anyang said, his eyes suddenly lit up.
“That’s right! Since we can’t take over the shop next door for the time being, let’s just open a branch.”
The more he talked about it, the more brilliant he felt the idea was, and his face lit up. The reputation of Wufu Restaurant is now well-known in the town, thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations from merchants from other places.
Many out-of-town diners came here for no apparent reason.
"Or we could just open a branch in the county town."
Old Lu leaned closer to Xu Yiyi and said, "What this kid said makes sense. With our skills and reputation, we'll be a hit wherever we open a shop. This is a great idea!"
He looked at Xu Yiyi expectantly.
However, Xu Yiyi slowly shook her head, her face not showing the excitement they expected.
Her gaze swept across the front of the store, her tone calm and steady: "Opening a branch store is not as simple as just talking it out."
She looked at Xu Anyang and Lao Lu, and began to analyze the situation clearly and logically.
"Right now, the money we have at our disposal is barely enough to buy a decent new shop, plus all the previous investments. Our foundation is not solid."
She paused, then continued, "Besides me, Anyang is far from being able to manage the business independently. Who will oversee it when the new store opens? If the skills are compromised, wouldn't that ruin the reputation of Wufu Restaurant?"
Xu Yiyi looked at the two of them and said, "Taking too big a step can easily lead to a fall. Even if you want to open a branch, it's not the right time."
Her words were like cold water, instantly extinguishing their enthusiasm.
Xu Anyang let out a long sigh.
"Take it slow! One step at a time," Xu Yiyi comforted her.
Meanwhile, Hong Gang is making intensive preparations for today's reopening.
She was still standing behind the counter, heavily pregnant, directing the servants.
"Hurry up, all of you. Not only do you need to wipe the tables and chairs clean, but you also need to wipe the floor twice."
As he watched the dust in the front hall being wiped clean, Hong Gang's confidence seemed to return.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the new chef was using the secret ingredients that Hong Gang and his team had figured out to prepare new dishes.
They not only replicated Xu Yiyi's signature dishes, the secret-recipe pickled fish and the braised roast duck, but even made the style of the serving bowls exactly the same.
Hong Gang looked at the dishes that looked and smelled delicious, and a sneer of confidence appeared on his face.
"go,"
He instructed the waiter standing nearby, "Hang up my new menu. As for the prices, set them at 80% of what Wufu Restaurant charges!"
"This..." The servant hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.
"Stop dawdling! Let me tell you, from today onwards, no matter how expensive the price next door is, mine has to be cheaper. I refuse to believe I can't bankrupt them!" Hong Gang said angrily.
Upon hearing this, the servant no longer hesitated and hung up the new menu.
At that moment, the backyard of Wufu Restaurant was quiet. Old Lu was dozing off in the room when his nostrils twitched a few times. A very familiar, appetizing spicy aroma wafted in.
He woke up with a start, all sleepiness gone, and poked his head out the window, shouting towards the kitchen.
"Fatty! What delicious food are you secretly planning now? This smell is really strong!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the curtain of the room next door was suddenly flung open.
Xu Anyang rubbed his sleepy eyes and came out, looking bewildered: "Old Lu, what are you shouting for? Fatty Wang went home at noon, and Yunniang and Huiniang are resting in the house. There's no one in the kitchen right now."
"Nobody's here? That can't be right."
Old Lu was taken aback at first, then took a deep sniff of the increasingly strong smell in the air, and his expression gradually changed.
He recognized the aroma all too well; it was clearly the smell of Xu Yiyi's secret-recipe chili sauce bursting in hot oil.
He suddenly looked at Xu Anyang, his eyes sharp: "Kid, smell this carefully! This fragrance... isn't it a little too familiar?"
Xu Anyang was inexplicably made nervous by his serious tone and sniffed hard.
After a moment of contemplation, his face turned deathly pale.
"This...this really tastes like Sister Yi's unique chili sauce, how could it be?"
Old Lu suddenly remembered the chili sauce he had thrown away earlier.
There were two cans in total. He first retrieved half a can, and then Xu Yiyi retrieved the other half from the brokerage.
Another can is missing.
Their gazes simultaneously and slowly turned to the low wall separating the two families' backyards.
A strong, overpowering fragrance filled the air, wafting in wisps from the other side of the wall.
Old Lu cursed under his breath, "Damn it, could it be that bastard Hong Gang bought it?"
As he spoke, his face turned ashen, and he gave Xu Anyang a wink.
Without saying a word, the two rushed to the base of the wall.
Xu Anyang didn't care about getting dirty. He used both his hands and feet to climb onto the stool and lean over the wall. He cautiously peeked out half of his head and looked towards the next room.
Old Lu frowned and said, "The closer you get to this scent, the more similar it seems, but after smelling it carefully, there are some differences."
Immediately afterwards, Xu Anyang took another deep sniff.
“That’s right, this Sichuan peppercorn has a stronger flavor,” he said confidently.
The two of them clung to the wall, sniffing intently to try and distinguish the objects.
"That's right, the Sichuan peppercorn flavor in his sauce is too strong, suppressing the other aromas and making it a bit dry. Sister Yi's chili sauce, although it has various flavors, blends them together and is both spicy and mellow. This one... is still a bit lacking."
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze fell on the dishes that the cook had brought out.
The shape and color are exactly the same as the vegetables they sell.
"Old Lu, look!" Xu Anyang exclaimed.
Old Lu looked in the direction he was pointing and saw with his own eyes that the other party not only stole the taste, but also copied the dishes exactly. A surge of anger rushed to his head.
"Damn it! This is outrageous!"
Old Lu roared, unable to contain himself any longer. He didn't even bother looking for the gate anymore. He braced himself against the wall with one hand and jumped down from it.
The commotion startled the cook next door.
With a tremor, he dropped the porcelain basin, and with a bang, shards of porcelain scattered everywhere.
Hearing the commotion, Hong Gang ran over from the front of the house and saw Lao Lu, who was furious and pointing at the chef while cursing loudly, along with the dishes that had fallen to the ground.
What are you doing here?
When Hong Gang heard the commotion in the backyard, a nameless anger immediately welled up inside him.
No one can stop his grand plan to reopen the business.
But as soon as he stepped into the backyard, he saw Lao Lu's face, which was flushed red with rage. His anger dissipated instantly, replaced by a cat-and-mouse-like mockery and smugness.
He leisurely dusted off non-existent dust from his sleeves and looked Lao Lu up and down with great interest.
His tone was blatantly sarcastic.
Hong Gang's gaze swept over the door leading from the front hall to the backyard, then looked at the wall beside it: "What? Why not use the main gate and instead climb over the wall into my backyard? Are you trying to be a thief?"
He paused deliberately, his gaze falling back on Lao Lu, and chuckled, "Or... are you so tempted by the aroma of the dishes I'm about to open that you can't wait to try them out?"
As he spoke, Hong Gang took a step forward, his smile instantly turning stern.
"However, even if you're here to eat, you're not welcome here. While I'm in a relatively good mood today, if you know what's good for you, turn it back exactly as you turned it. If you keep lingering, I'll call the police and accuse you of trespassing and having malicious intent! Then we'll see if you and that little wench Xu Yiyi can handle the lawsuit."
Such blatant distortion of the truth and attempts to shift blame are like adding fuel to the fire.
Old Lu has a bad temper to begin with, how could he stand this?
Veins bulged on his forehead as he roared, "Fuck your ancestors!"
He then rushed forward and grabbed Hong Gang's shirt tightly.
His other fist was already raised high, about to smash down.
"Grandpa Lu! Don't do it."
Xu Anyang, watching from the top of the wall, was terrified and hurriedly shouted, "Come back quickly! Don't fall for his trick! If we hit someone, we'll be in the wrong!"
Old Lu's fist froze in mid-air as he panted heavily.
Hong Gang remained unperturbed even as his clothes were being pulled, his eyes mocking and his face bearing a provocative smile.
"Go ahead and fight! If you don't dare to fight, it proves you're a coward," Hong Gang said softly.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Xu Anyang quickly jumped down from the wall.
"Let's go! If we really hit him, he'll have a reason to report us to the authorities, and then we'll be the ones in the wrong." Xu Anyang pried his hands open and advised in a low voice.
Old Lu, with an air of nonchalance and a disdainful tone, said, "Report to the authorities? Hmph, do you think I'm afraid of them? You think I'm afraid of the government? Do you think those useless government officials can beat me?"
"Yes! You are highly skilled in martial arts, and you are not afraid."
Xu Anyang grabbed his arm tightly: "But you're not alone now. Everyone knows you're from our Wufu Restaurant. If you get arrested today for assaulting someone, what will people outside say? It might even damage the restaurant's reputation. I can't let you ruin the reputation that Sister Yi worked so hard to build."
Old Lu was still full of resentment, but when he heard that it might implicate Xu Yiyi and the restaurant, his reckless brute force finally subsided a bit.
He spat out a curse: "Damn it, this bastard got off easy."
Having said that, he turned around dejectedly, took two running steps, and nimbly vaulted over the wall again.
Xu Anyang was left standing there, dumbfounded, staring at the wall that was taller than him.
He climbed up by clinging to the top of the wall, but now that there's no stool to stand on, he can't climb back up.
He looked around awkwardly, trying to find something to stand on.
Hong Gang, however, calmly straightened his clothes, then crossed his arms and looked at him leisurely. Suddenly, he chuckled and pointed to the door leading to the front hall, his meaning all too clear.
Xu Anyang's face flushed red and then turned pale. Just as he was about to steel himself and walk towards the front hall, he heard Lao Lu's impatient roar from the other side of the wall: "Xu Anyang! Where the hell have you been? What are you dawdling for!"
Immediately afterwards, Lao Lu's dry, straw-like hair came into view, and his head popped out from the top of the wall, staring at Xu Anyang, who was still spinning in place.
Xu Anyang, with a long face, pointed to the top of the wall: "Grandpa Lu, this...this wall is too high, I can't climb over it by myself!"
Looking at his cowardly appearance, Lao Lu rolled his eyes in anger, took a deep breath, and muttered "useless thing" under his breath.
Then, with agility, he flipped back over.
Without saying a word, he walked behind Xu Anyang, grabbed his waist and buttocks with both hands, and growled, "Get up!"
They actually lifted Xu Anyang up and carried him to the top of the wall.
Xu Anyang frantically clung to the top of the wall and finally managed to climb up.
Seeing that he had regained his footing, Lao Lu retreated again, took a running start, pushed off the wall, and cleanly flipped over.
……
"Master Dong..."
The cook spoke timidly, and the smile on Hong Gang's face vanished instantly.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and clean up. If you delay my business tonight, I'll hold you responsible."
Hong Gang said fiercely.
The cook quickly called over a servant to help clean up the mess on the ground.
Returning to the old road in the backyard of his own restaurant, he became increasingly angry.
"Why hasn't Xu Yiyi come back yet? This is an extremely urgent matter, and she's not even at the restaurant. It's really unacceptable."
Old Lu was cursing and swearing, looking like he was about to explode with anger.
Just as Xu Anyang was about to speak, Afu rushed in.
"What are you doing now? How many times have I told you to be more careful?" Old Lu was so angry he had nowhere to vent, so he started attacking indiscriminately.
“You guys should go check it out, the neighbors next door…they’re so sneaky, they have a sign outside saying all their vegetables are cheaper than ours…”