Chapter 35: Smashing the Scene

Shopkeeper Fang stood at the door for a while, and watched many people heading into Zuixiang Pavilion. He called over a waiter and pointed to the red paper posted at the entrance of Zuixiang Pavilion and said: “Go and see what exactly is going on.”

“Alright! I’ll go right away.” The waiter ran to the entrance of Zuixiang Pavilion, read the notice clearly, and smelled the enticing aroma wafting out, which made him want to rush in and order a dish to try.

He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and ran back to the Fengwei Pavilion.

“How is it?” Shopkeeper Fang asked anxiously.

The waiter rubbed his nose, the lingering scent still tantalizing his senses, glanced at the opposite restaurant, and said: “Shopkeeper Fang, Zuixiang Pavilion has hired a formidable chef. Even just standing outside, I was tempted by the delicious smell of the dishes coming from inside. They are also very shrewd; if you order a certain amount of money, they give away the cheapest dish on the order for free.”

“Our restaurant’s business won’t be taken away by Zuixiang Pavilion, right?” The waiter couldn’t help but worry: “Should we do the same?”

Shopkeeper Fang snorted coldly, full of disdain: “Nonsense! We attract business with our skills. Just wait and see, in a few days, they will have no customers and be as quiet as a sparrow’s door!”

The waiter uttered an “oh” and left with a worried heart.

Shopkeeper Fang stood at the door, staring at Zuixiang Pavilion, and recalled that before their restaurant opened, Zuixiang Pavilion had the best business. He had poached all the chefs from the Zuixiang Pavilion, except for Jiang Baiwei, who refused to come over.

He didn’t insist, as Jiang Baiwei’s culinary skills alone couldn’t support an entire restaurant.

Just a few days after Fengwei Pavilion opened, it had already snatched all the business from Zuixiang Pavilion.

Shopkeeper Fang felt uneasy in his heart. Remembering the waiter’s words, he decided to crush them into the mud before Zuixiang Pavilion could turn things around.

He called his nephew to go and smash up Zuixiang Pavilion.

——

Zuixiang Pavilion had eight stoves: one for soup, one for stewing marinades, one for steaming rice, and the other five each had a chef. Now, only Jiang Baiwei was left, and the rest were idle.

Today, the customers filled every seat, and Su Wan made use of all the other stoves.

Jiang Baiwei, knowing his place, was cutting vegetables on the side.

Gu Jingyun, Gu Baozhu, and Gu Huaizhi helped wash the vegetables.

Shopkeeper Xu stood at the door of the kitchen and felt relieved when he saw Su Wan cooking all the dishes by herself, with the spatula flying like flying blades and sweating profusely.

“All the dishes are out of the pot; you can take a break now.”

Shopkeeper Xu poured a cup of tea for Su Wan.

Su Wan finished cooking the dishes, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a hand, and drank the tea in one gulp: “No more orders from customers?”

“I didn’t take any more; the restaurant needs to hire a few more chefs, you’re too tired by yourself.” Shopkeeper Xu was very conscientious. He watched as the waiter carried all the dishes out, then invited Su Wan to sit down inside the counter, and handed her the contract with a smile, “I’ve prepared the contract, take a look, and if there’s no problem, you can sign.”

Su Wan opened the contract, and to her surprise, the agreed 30% profit share had changed to 40%. She looked at the shopkeeper in astonishment.

“This is what you deserve; the restaurant has revived because of you. If it weren’t for you, I would have planned to close next month.” Shopkeeper Xu looked towards Fengwei Pavilion across the street and said with a bitter smile: “Competitors are enemies and Fengwei Pavilion doesn’t plan to give me a way out.”

He felt especially grateful in his heart for meeting Su Wan!

Su Wan was about to speak when someone entered from outside with a bang, placing a wooden basin on the counter. Inside it, a fish was flopping around, splashing water everywhere.

Fang Wuqiong tossed one tael of silver on the table, and said, “You make this fish into a plate of ‘West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy’ for me.”

---

‘West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy’