"No matter what happens, I’m here to face it head-on. I won’t let you encounter any danger, trust , Shuangshuang."
Lu Yuanfeng spoke sincerely, and Mu Shuangshuang believed him.
In Shuangshuang’s eyes, Lu Yuanfeng had never boasted; if he said sothing wouldn’t happen, it wouldn’t.
However, this matter was indeed handled foolishly by Mu Dade, not only did he provoke people he shouldn’t have, but also brought trouble back to the Old Mu Family.
This hot potato, if the County Magistrate suspects, doesn’t even need evidence, he can just co to the village and ask.
On the other hand, Mu Dade’s mistake was now a bargaining chip in Mu Shuangshuang’s hand; if he wants to act against the third branch, he’d have to think it over.
Mu Shuangshuang decided not to think about these things anymore.
She followed Lu Yuanfeng to imrse herself in the festive atmosphere of the Small New Year.
Lu Yuanfeng put the tied-up firecrackers in the courtyard of the third branch and used flint to light them.
The sound of firecrackers exploding mixed with sparks unfolded in the courtyard of the Third Branch of the Old Mu Family.
The kids who heard the sound ca over, pointing at the firecrackers in the third branch’s courtyard and laughing loudly, feeling extrely happy.
The gloom in Mu Shuangshuang’s heart vanished instantly.
She spent so ti setting off the firecrackers with Lu Yuanfeng, roasting so food, and almost at midnight, she waved goodbye to Lu Yuanfeng and Yuanbao who returned to their own ho.
...
The next day, Lu Yuanfeng ca early to Shuangshuang’s house to call her, to together go to Shigou Town to look for the person he thought could be a capable restaurant chef.
Walking to Shigou Town would take a whole day, so Lu Yuanfeng borrowed a horse as usual from Wang Fugui’s house.
Horses are always faster than walking.
But first, they had to head to the town to find the restaurant steward Yu Dahai.
The three agreed to go to Shigou Town together.
Mu Shuangshuang estimated that the three of them, in a hurry, wouldn’t have the ti to stop specifically for a al.
Besides, Shigou Town was a place where none of them had been before; keeping stops to a minimum on the way was the safest approach.
Therefore, early in the morning, she was baking pancakes, preparing dry food and water, to eat on the road.
Since it was the first ti going on a long trip, Mu Dashan and Yu Si Niang were a bit worried, they accompanied Mu Shuangshuang and Yuan Feng all the way to the village entrance.
Only when they saw the two walking away did they turn back to the village.
Upon reaching the town, Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng hailed Yu Dahai and without staying long, headed to Shigou Town.
By around noon, the three reached Shigou Town, much earlier than anticipated.
Though Shigou Town was adjacent to Qingshan Town, its size and bustlingness were still nowhere near Qingshan Town’s.
Scattered along the streets, there were just a few people, and not many buying and selling things.
There was not a hint of festive atmosphere.
Unlike Qingshan Town, where these past few days were crowded with people bustling to buy things for the New Year.
To put it in one sentence, you had to stand on tiptoe to find a place to step.
"None of us is familiar with this place, so let’s just ask for directions!" said Mu Shuangshuang.
Lu Yuanfeng and Yu Dahai both nodded in agreent.
Then, Lu Yuanfeng turned to ask an older-looking man the exact location of the restaurant they were looking for.
Luckily, the man knew where the restaurant was and kindly told Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng’s group how to get there.
The restaurant Lu Yuanfeng wanted to find was called Good Taste Restaurant, which sounded a bit intriguing.
As Mu Shuangshuang predicted, Good Taste Restaurant wasn’t a large establishnt; compared to Fulin Restaurant, which Mu Shuangshuang acquired, it was much smaller.
It was called a restaurant but was actually sized like a small noodle shop, with only a single floor and about five or six tables.
In general, such a restaurant only needed two people in the kitchen: a main chef and a sous chef, who took on tasks much like a general assistant.
Good Taste Restaurant’s business was even worse than Fulin Restaurant’s, as the three looked on from outside for quite so ti, but didn’t see a single custor go in for a al.
Mu Shuangshuang thought: With such a restaurant and such business, it should barely make any money.
She felt reassured about hiring soone.
Just as Yu Dahai ntioned, many people are reluctant to leave their hotown, but if relocating ans a better life, people are still willing to move.
Upon entering the restaurant, Lu Yuanfeng and Mu Shuangshuang didn’t imdiately look for soone, instead, they ordered so dishes.
The three of them acted like regular custors, carefully tasting the food.
Three people, four dishes, two ats, a vegetable, and a soup.
These were the simplest dishes at the restaurant, but they were also the ones that could best reflect a restaurant’s quality.
When the waiter brought the dishes, Mu Shuangshuang realized just how good the now-closed Fulin Restaurant really was!
No idea where they found this chef, but the dishes tasted far from what Mu Shuangshuang had expected. She always believed that even a sparrow has all its internals.
Even small eateries can still serve food that tastes especially good.
Patiently, Mu Shuangshuang finished the al, then took the opportunity while drinking tea to chat with the waiter.
Mu Shuangshuang asked, "Little brother waiter, how many chefs do you have in your kitchen here?"
The waiter was slightly startled, not expecting Mu Shuangshuang to ask such a question, and for a mont felt a bit awkward.
Mu Shuangshuang took out a string of cash and handed it to the waiter, then said, "Don’t worry, we’re just asking casually."
After taking Mu Shuangshuang’s money, the waiter grinned wider, even letting go of his guard.
"We have two chefs in the kitchen, but there’s only one main chef, and the dishes you ate were all prepared by him.
He’s a relative of our shopkeeper; the food is decent, though not as good as great chefs’, the portions are plenty, keeping you full."
Mu Shuangshuang agreed with the waiter on this point.
Good Taste Restaurant’s portions were indeed the largest Mu Shuangshuang had seen among these restaurants.
But often, people don’t go to a restaurant solely for the quantity; it’s whether the chef cooks well that ultimately matters.
Good taste brings returning custors.
"Waiter, I’m asking about soone; do you have soone nad Sun Dawu working here, who’s been a kitchen helper for about half a year?"
"Are you talking about Brother Wu? He’s no longer working at the restaurant, I think he’s now selling baked pancakes at the street corner."
Seeing the three of them surprised, the waiter simply explained the whole story to them.
Initially, Sun Dawu did work in the kitchen of the restaurant. But since he was never given an important role, and the main chef was the shopkeeper’s relative.
Sun Dawu had no choice but to work as an assistant, not even able to support his family, so he left the restaurant.
Selling baked pancakes, though hard work, requiring walking all over the town, earned him more than just helping out in the kitchen.
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