Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 640 - 061 Watching the Drama, The Treacherous Person_3

Chapter 640: 061 Watching the Drama, The Treacherous Person_3

Loudspeaker was furious, placing hands on her hips as she bellowed, "I am a guest invited by your Drunken Immortal Residence, not a prisoner here! How can you just stop me from leaving? Let me tell you, if you push me too far, believe it or not, I’ll take my special goods to another tavern! Hmmph, with tofu being such a cash cow, I dare say any tavern would fight to have me!"

The young servant, who had initially been all smiles, now had a slight change in his expression. He said something with a stern face, and Loudspeaker instantly went from a proud peacock to a plucked old hen, hanging her head low and retorting stubbornly as she turned to leave, "If it wasn’t for the sake of your boss, I wouldn’t bother listening to you!"

The two young servants glanced at her with disdain and pursed their lips, whispering something to each other. But from their expression, it was clear they were commenting on Loudspeaker’s inflated self-importance.

Having watched the drama unfold, Lin Yuan silently lowered the curtain. The two younger sisters didn’t know what their eldest sister was thinking and exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.

However, Lin Wei did remember the loud woman somewhat, as she had first met Xiao Linzi on the day that woman was present. Although Lin Wei had never spoken directly to Loudspeaker, she had seen her when she went to settle her wages at Shopkeeper Zhou’s place. At the time, Lin Wei felt rather displeased with the woman who was cursing and fussing, and only later did she learn from inquiries that it was her elder sister who had fired her.

Although he couldn’t see the situation outside, Xia Zheng, sitting in the carriage, heard the woman’s words clearly, and understood what was happening.

"Yuanyuan, now that we know who it is, there’s no need to be anxious. Let’s leave the next steps to Shopkeeper Wu," he said.

Lin Yuan nodded, she had already made up her mind on what to do. Sooner rather than later, she planned to return to Zhuma Town after settling the matters in Yecheng.

Upon arriving at the Fragrant Full Building, Lin Yuan had Lin Yi quickly return to Zhuma Town on horseback and bring back the confidentiality agreement that Loudspeaker had signed with Shopkeeper Zhou. Afterwards, Lin Yuan instructed Shopkeeper Wu to prepare the hot pot for launch ahead of schedule, emphasizing that none of the tofu skin or dried tofu could be omitted.

Before coming to Yecheng, Lin Yuan had already come up with a solution in her mind, so although other branches had not yet launched hot pot, the Fragrant Full Building was fully prepared. Hence, the Fragrant Full Building would become the second tavern after Fuman Building to serve hot pot. This alone gave Fragrant Full Building an early advantage in this culinary competition.

While Lin Yuan was making preparations, Xia Zheng was not idle either. He personally paid a visit to the Prefecture Yamen and filed a complaint claiming that a woman previously dismissed from his tavern was betraying her former employer, not abiding by the agreement, and providing their confidential recipes to another place.

Xia Zheng did not specify which tavern was involved, but Prefect Tang was a smart man. Upon recognizing Xia Zheng’s status, he naturally guessed that the other tavern was Drunken Immortal Residence.

The Drunken Immortal Residence was a property connected to the mother’s family of the Second Prince of the current dynasty. On one hand was the son of the Great General, and on the other the Second Prince’s mother’s family—neither side was something a mere Magistrate like him could afford to offend. This troubled Prefect Tang greatly.

Seeing his dejected look, Xia Zheng smirked and beckoned him with a finger. Prefect Tang hurried over immediately.

Xia Zheng whispered something in his ear, and Tang’s eyes lit up, though he still asked with some uncertainty, "This, can it really be done?"

Xia Zheng waved his hand indifferently, "If it cannot be done, then I’m afraid Prefect Tang will have to take the burden. No worries, the Xia Family Barracks are always welcoming to you!"

Prefect Tang wiped the sweat from his forehead, terrified by Xia Zheng’s words. The thought of going to that Devil Battalion scared him; people said that even a cook coming from that place was tougher than soldiers from other camps. Citizens of the Capital city didn’t call it the Xia Family Barracks, but rather the Devil Battalion, for the training there was comparable to hell itself.

With the "brilliant idea" that Xia Zheng provided, Prefect Tang had no choice but to agree, and he promptly made arrangements for someone to be on standby.

The first day in Yecheng was spent in such a busy flurry of arrangements.

That evening, Xiao Linshuang and Lin Wei had rested for half the day and finally regained their energy. As soon as it got dark, they clamored to have Lin Yuan take them out to play.

Lin Yuan had already taken care of everything, and naturally, a big weight was lifted off her heart. Seeing her little sisters’ carefree smiles, all the clouds of worry in her heart dissipated without a trace.

Xia Zheng had intended to take Lin Yuan out for a good stroll around the town, and before she even had a chance to express her opinion, he had already slapped the table and settled the matter.

Lin Yi had not yet returned from Zhuma Town; if he was fast, he wouldn’t be back until the next morning. So, Xia Zheng picked two men with decent martial arts skills from the Fragrant Full Building to specifically protect Xiao Linshuang and Lin Wei. After all, these guards were personally selected by Shopkeeper Wu and had stayed in the Fragrant Full Building for many years, their character was unquestionably trustworthy.

The prosperity of Yecheng indeed was beyond comparison to Zhuma Town, even at night, there were still many people setting up stalls to sell goods. Moreover, apart from the ones seen during the day, Yecheng at night had a different flavor altogether.

All the shops hung big red lanterns at their doorways, which, even in winter, gave off a warm and cheerful feeling. Also, those selling small lanterns along the streets were especially adorable. As the New Year was approaching, more lantern vendors had appeared, something that was quite rare in Zhuma Town.

Xiao Linshuang’s bright eyes sparkled as she looked here and there, now peering at one stall, then gazing at another. If it weren’t for Lin Wei holding onto her little hand tightly, this young girl might have already vanished without a trace.

Lin Wei, while accompanying her little sister around, frowned with a headache: This naughty girl, she has completely forgotten what mother told us! And look behind us, big sister and Brother Xia are walking so slowly.

Compared to Xiao Linshuang’s curiosity and playfulness, Lin Yuan was naturally much calmer. After all, in her previous life, she had seen all sorts of grand scenes. Although such bustle was rare, in her eyes, it didn’t amount to much significance.

Xia Zheng was so excited that he nearly tripped over himself, "Hahaha! Since coming out of Zhuma Town until now, he finally had time to spend alone with Lin Yuan!

Looking ahead at Xiao Linshuang, who was as excited as a little rabbit, Xia Zheng squinted his eyes, a voice shouting in his heart, "Go on, run faster! Hurry up and stay far away from us!"

"What’s wrong with you?" Lin Yuan suddenly felt that the emotions of the person beside her were off, and as she turned her head, she saw Xia Zheng’s particularly excited expression.

Caught red-handed by Lin Yuan, Xia Zheng coughed awkwardly with a fist to his mouth, his eyes rolling, he said, "Ah look, it’s good that I found two guards to follow us when we left the house earlier. Otherwise, we’d have lost track of the little sisters by now."

Lin Yuan, concerned about her little sisters, was easily distracted by his change of topic. Looking at her sisters’ figures flickering in and out of sight up ahead, Lin Yuan asked with some worry, "Are these two guards reliable?"

Feeling Lin Yuan unconsciously quicken her pace, Xia Zheng hurriedly patted his chest and assured, "Reliable, reliable! Absolutely reliable! These two, they’re even more reliable than Lin Yi!"

Lin Yi, galloping along the main road against the cold wind, sneezed and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Has he become so unfit after only a few months of comfortable living that a mere cold wind can defeat him now?

Sighing, Lin Yi whipped his horse, secretly swearing to himself: From now on, I must eat less, less, even if Lin Yuan cooks herself, I can’t eat that much anymore! Right, I’ll eat two less bowls, no, just one bowl less, if I eat too little my resistance will be weaker!