Seeing that the waiter was indeed foolishly asking her questions, Jian Xiu answered without hesitation:

“A resentful woman, that’s what you are called. Oh no, you don’t even deserve that title! A true resentful woman would at least voice her grievances openly, but you? You don’t even dare! And why don’t you dare? Because you’re afraid of losing this job! A real resentful woman speaks her mind without hesitation, never stabbing people in the back. So tell me, aren’t you even worse than a resentful woman?”

As she spoke, Jian Xiu deliberately glanced inside the shop.

A well-dressed young man, exuding an air of wealth, was stepping out from the backyard.

Guessing his identity, Jian Xiu immediately devised a plan.

“If a customer walked in and saw your attitude, who would still buy pastries from your shop? And the way you spoke just now—someone who didn’t know better might think you were the owner! Even the real owner doesn’t act as arrogantly as you do!”

“You… what nonsense are you talking about? I’m telling you, if you’re not buying, then get out of here and stop interfering with our busin—”

“Ahem… ahem…”

Before the waiter could finish speaking, two deliberate coughs came from behind him.

That sound—after working here for several months, how could the waiter not recognize it?

Turning around, sure enough, the owner was standing right behind him.

Another waiter stood off to the side, head lowered, not daring to make a sound.

“Boss, I…”

“Pack your things and go settle your wages with the shopkeeper. Tomorrow—no, forget tomorrow—pack your bags and get out right now!”

“Boss, boss… I…”

“What? Do you want me to throw you out myself?” the owner interrupted coldly.

Jian Xiu, satisfied with the outcome, smirked inwardly. This was exactly what she had wanted.

She was never one to show kindness to those who did not deserve it. If people treated her well, she would repay them tenfold.

If not, she had no qualms about making them taste their own medicine.

As the saying goes: If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. But if they do, I will strike back.

Noticing the owner’s gaze on her, Jian Xiu simply gave a cold smile before raising her head and meeting his stare directly.

Rong Zhihe was momentarily taken aback—he hadn’t expected such a bold reaction from this young woman.

Just as he was about to greet her, she gave him a chilling smile and turned away, leaving with a confident stride.

Her departing figure exuded an air of effortless grace.

Rong Zhihe frowned slightly but didn’t dwell on it.

What caught his attention, however, was the peculiar scent lingering on her.

It wasn’t quite the smell of ordinary pastries, yet it seemed to come from making pastries.

For some reason, the aroma was exceptionally pleasant.

As Jian Xiu left, the shopkeeper, Fu Heng Tian, approached with an account book.

“Boss, here’s this month’s ledger. Since we haven’t introduced any new pastries recently, our sales have dropped significantly. Compared to last month, our earnings have been cut by half!”

“By that much?” Rong Zhihe asked in disbelief.

He had expected lower profits this month but hadn’t anticipated such a drastic drop.

“What about the pastry chefs? Have they come up with anything new? Are they not capable of creating something fresh?” he pressed.

“Boss, it’s not that they don’t want to—it’s that they simply can’t think of anything,” Fu Heng Tian said helplessly.

Rong Zhihe sighed. “Think harder. Find a way!”

Fu Heng Tian seemed to recall something and suggested, “Boss, have you heard? Yue Xiang Lou’s business has been booming recently!”

“And what does that have to do with us? They run a restaurant; we sell pastries. There’s no connection!”

Rong Zhihe was puzzled.

Why should he care about a restaurant’s success?

Had Fu Heng Tian not been such a savvy businessman, Rong Zhihe would have questioned his judgment.

“Boss, you misunderstand. Do you know why Yue Xiang Lou’s business is flourishing?”

“Why?”

“Because they recently introduced new dishes with excellent flavors.”

“Isn’t that obvious? Without new dishes, how would their business improve?”

“But do you know where those recipes came from?”

At this, Rong Zhihe finally grasped Fu Heng Tian’s point.

Excitedly, he asked, “Where? Tell me quickly!”

“I heard from others that a rural woman provided the recipes.”

“A rural woman? That’s impossible! Old Wu has run that restaurant for years—how could he be outdone by some countryside woman?”

“Boss, you never know. Sometimes, surprises come from the most unexpected places.”

“Even if she provided the recipes, what does that have to do with Cai Fang Zhai?” Rong Zhihe asked again.

“Boss, do you think she only created one dish for Yue Xiang Lou?”

“Even if she created multiple dishes, what does it matter? They serve meals; we sell pastries!”

“Boss, you might not realize this, but she may be more valuable than you think.”

Rong Zhihe was still skeptical about visiting Yue Xiang Lou.

However, he found himself more intrigued by that woman from earlier.

Ever since catching that unique scent from her, he’d been curious about what kind of pastries she had made that day.

Why did her scent carry such an unusual yet enticing pastry fragrance?

He had loved pastries since childhood, which was why he opened Cai Fang Zhai in the first place.

With that thought, he started walking in the direction Jian Xiu had left.

He had overheard the waiters mention that she was heading to Yue Xiang Lou.

That settled it—he had to make a trip there himself.

Watching his boss head toward Yue Xiang Lou, Fu Heng Tian finally felt relieved.

He thought to himself: My boss keeps saying Yue Xiang Lou isn’t important, but his feet sure seem to think otherwise.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Fu Heng Tian sighed.

….

Wu Mingtang hadn’t expected Jian Xiu to visit today.

Seeing her arrival, he was visibly surprised.

After all, every time Jian Xiu came, she always brought an unexpected surprise to Yue Xiang Lou.