CH 44

“Eating vinegar (Jealous).”

On the way home, Cheng Yun was still upset, thinking about what Li Fengjiao had said. Even though he knew it was just something she said in anger and Yang Hongjin would never marry the daughter of a butcher. But he couldn’t help feeling angry.

Sensing that his wife was in a bad mood, Yang Hongjin didn’t keep talking as he used to. He carefully squeezed his wife’s hand and gently shook it, observing Cheng Yun’s facial expression, feeling at a loss about what to do.

Although he knew it was wrong to vent his anger on him, Cheng Yun couldn’t help but think of the butcher’s daughter when he saw Yang Hongjin.

He suddenly stopped walking, and seeing that his wife wasn’t moving, Yang Hongjin stood there too, refusing to move.

Cheng Yun suddenly said, “Squat.”

Yang Hongjin didn’t dare to disobey, so he crouched down. After waiting for a while, he suddenly felt a weight on his back, and Cheng Yun’s voice came from his ear, “Carry me on your back.”

“Oh.” Yang Hongjin obediently lifted Cheng Yun onto his back. He was used to doing manual labor, and Cheng Yun was light, so it was easy for him to carry him.

They walked a short distance in the dark like this, and Cheng Yun’s anger gradually subsided. He belatedly felt a bit embarrassed. He patted Yang Hongjin’s shoulder and whispered, “Okay, put me down.”

“Wife, I’m carrying you, not heavy!” Yang Hongjin proudly carried Cheng Yun.

Looking around and seeing that there was no one nearby, unable to see each other in the pitch blackness, Cheng Yun decided to take advantage of the fact that this idiot wasn’t tired and was happy to stop walking.

He thought for a moment, but still couldn’t let go of the butcher’s daughter. With half of his face buried in Yang Hongjin’s shoulder, his voice sounded soft as he asked, “Do you know Butcher Wang in the village?”

Yang Hongjin never lied and honestly replied, “Know!”

Cheng Yun pursed his lips at his response, and after a while, he asked, “Then do you know his daughter?”

“I know.” Yang Hongjin nodded, but was lightly thumped on the shoulder by Cheng Yun, a little puzzled, “Wife?”

Cheng Yun hmphed softly, his tone sour, “So do you like his daughter?”

Upon hearing this, Yang Hongjin’s face wrinkled, and he vigorously shook his head, resolute in his reply, “I don’t like her.”

Cheng Yun felt relieved upon hearing that.

In his heart, he secretly rejoiced, and he continued to ask, “Why don’t you like her?”

Yang Hongjin didn’t know why his wife suddenly brought this up, but he was happy listening to him speak ill of others. He answered honestly, “She always bullies me.”

Upon hearing these words, Cheng Yun became a little unhappy. It was one thing to be a bit jealous, but he couldn’t tolerate his husband being bullied. If he bullied his own husband, it was acceptable, but it was a different matter when others joined in!

He asked Yang Hongjin to tell him in detail. The idiot was now much better at speaking, and Cheng Yun found it not difficult to understand his intermittent words. The gist of it was that when they were young, the people in the village used to bully Yang Hongjin for being a fool, and Butcher Wang’s daughter, Wang Cui, was a tough one. She was a little tyrant in the village and once led a group of kids to tease and push Yang Hongjin into the river.

Cheng Yun felt distressed listening to this. He didn’t care about Li Fengjiao’s suggestion of marrying Wang Cui to Yang Hongjin anymore. He leaned his head against Yang Hongjin’s face, thought for a moment, and then leaned in to give him a kiss, his voice full of tenderness, “From now on, your wife will protect you, and no one will bully you again.”

Yang Hongjin didn’t know why his wife suddenly said this, but it made him happy. He was so delighted that he even forgot about his wife being angry just now. All he could think about was that his face should be very clean, and his wife wouldn’t have a stomachache.

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

While Cheng Yun calmly prepared Sauerkraut, Yueqiong Tower, upon receiving the first batch of Sauerkraut, intensified its efforts to process and jar it. Two days later, just before the beginning of autumn, a heavy rain washed away the sweltering heat of the entire Nanming City. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yueqiong Tower unveiled two new dishes: Sauerkraut Fish and Sauerkraut Jar.

For a while, Yueqiong Tower once again became the center of attention. From Nanming City to the villagers of Tie Village, everyone was talking about the fresh items of Yueqiong Tower.

One of them was Lu Wenwu from the east of the city. He was a frequent visitor to Yueqiong Tower. In the past, he rarely came to Yueqiong Tower for meals because he lived in the eastern part of the city. However, ever since Yueqiong Tower gained great fame over a month ago and subsequently introduced several new and exciting dishes, Lu Wenwu made it a habit to visit Yueqiong Tower for a good meal every week.

A few days ago, he heard that Yueqiong Tower was about to launch a new dish. As a result, Lu Wenwu had his house servant come over every day to inquire about it. Today, he happened to catch the release of the new dish. Early in the morning, Lu Wenwu and his family arrived at the restaurant and found a long line outside Yueqiong Tower. Many familiar faces were waiting to get in.

Standing in line with Lu Wenwu were regular customers of Yueqiong Tower. During the wait, they couldn’t help but speculate about the new dish that Yueqiong Tower was about to introduce. They also discussed the previous Five Cup Duck’ dish that had garnered attention.

Lu Wenwu said, ‘I’ve been in Tengyun Town for many years. Before coming here, I used to do business elsewhere and have eaten at numerous restaurants across the country. I have never tasted such delicious food before!’

Another person agreed, ‘Yes, that dish ‘Five Cup Duck’ was truly amazing. It was sweet but not overwhelming, and very delicious. Our whole family loves it.’

“Even the previous Pine Nut Fish was delicious,” another person said, “Yueqiong Tower had similar dishes in the past, like fried fish or something like that. But compared to Pine Nut Fish, they were worlds apart!”

Lu Wenwu added, ‘I asked someone from Yueqiong Tower before, and they said they didn’t change their head chef. Chef Ye is still in charge. However, recently, Boss Liu, the owner, seems to have found someone who gave a lot of suggestions, making the food at Yueqiong Tower much better.’

The others suddenly realized and said, ‘No wonder!’ Some of them had noticed that Yueqiong Tower had placed some clay pots neatly outside the entrance. Many people who finished their meals at the restaurant would buy one or two jars to take home. But there was no sign indicating what was inside, so everyone speculated that Yueqiong Tower had come up with another fresh novelty, just like the sour plum soup from before.

Finally, it was their turn after a long wait. The shopkeeper greeted them at the entrance with a smiling face and warmly welcomed Lu Wenwu and his family into the restaurant.

“Shopkeeper, do you have new dishes today? Can you recommend something to me?”

Lu Wenwu, being a regular customer, received a very enthusiastic response from the shopkeeper. “Brother Lu, you’ve come at the right time! Yueqiong Tower has introduced a new dish called ‘Sauerkraut Fish,’” he gestured as if fanning the aroma, “Can you smell it? It’s our new dish! Since you’ve come today with your family, how about ordering the Sauerkraut Fish, Five Cup Duck, and Garlic Stir-Fried Vegetables?”

“Sounds good, you can arrange that!”

“Alright!” the shopkeeper said to the waiter, “Start with Smashed Cucumber for Brother Lu to enjoy while waiting.” Then, he whispered to Lu Wenwu, “Consider this Smashed Cucumber on the house. Please enjoy.”

Lu Wenwu was delighted and nodded at the shopkeeper. He was treated like an esteemed guest, which made him feel proud in front of his wife and children. He grew even fonder of Yueqiong Tower.

The cost of Smashed Cucumber was not high, and when Cheng Yun suggested offering it for free to regular customers, Liu Wen initially hesitated. After all, every dish, no matter how small, could be sold for money. He had opened the restaurant to make more profits. Giving away food for no reason seemed like a loss-making deal.

However, Cheng Yun convinced Liu Wen and delegated this decision to the staff. They were the ones who interacted with customers the most and could decide when and to whom to offer complimentary dishes.

Liu Wen didn’t know what Cheng Yun had in mind, but he had witnessed Cheng Yun’s abilities during this period. Since Cheng Yun was so insistent, Liu Wen chose to trust him.

Surprisingly, this small gesture had a tremendous impact on Liu Wen!

Just like Lu Wenwu, many regular customers who came to Yueqiong Tower discovered that they were receiving extra food. Moreover, this act was loudly announced by the staff. Compared to other customers, they felt like honored guests, privileged in front of their families and friends, and symbols of prosperity in the eyes of strangers.

After all, he was a loyal customer of Yueqiong Tower who visited almost every week, so he managed to enjoy such benefits!

From then on, they directly recognized the reputation of Yueqiong Tower. They would never go to any other restaurant if they can go to Yueqiong Tower, while those customers who didn’t receive complimentary dishes hoped to familiarize themselves with the restaurant and eventually receive the same treatment.

Besides the customers, even the waitstaff at the restaurant felt a sense of “privilege.” This made them more united with Yueqiong Tower, and their service attitude improved. They worked as if they were building their own business.

This virtuous cycle made Yueqiong Tower better day by day, and its reputation continued to improve. People who had dined at Yueqiong Tower were amazed by the food and service it offered, and those who hadn’t been there heard praise from others. They hoped to one day visit Yueqiong Tower and experience firsthand if it was as good as everyone said.

Lu Wenwu hadn’t even started eating, but he was already in a great mood. The whole family was laughing and chatting, eagerly anticipating the new dish.

When the Sauerkraut Fish was served, Lu Wenwu and his family stared intently. As soon as the waiter placed the dish on the table, they couldn’t wait to pick up their chopsticks and start eating.

The freshly cooked Sauerkraut Fish emitted a delightful aroma. The boneless fish fillets were tender and white, paired with crispy and delicious Sauerkraut. The long-cooked soup had a golden hue, and even before tasting it, it made one’s appetite soar.

Lu Wenwu used his chopsticks to remove the peppercorns from the fish fillet and took a piece into his mouth.

“So… delicious!” His eyes widened in surprise, and his face showed an astonished expression.

The flavor of the Sauerkraut and rich broth infused into the fish meat. The slowly simmered soup was sour, refreshing, and appetizing, with a rich and aromatic taste. The spiciness of the peppercorns stimulated the taste buds, leaving one craving for more.

Lu Wenwu couldn’t help but eat several pieces in succession. Unable to resist, he asked the waiter to bring two bowls of steamed rice. Both the Sauerkraut and the fish were incredibly flavorful and delicious. It was so good that Lu Wenwu felt like he could swallow his tongue. He even scooped a couple of spoonfuls of the soup to mix with his rice. He then saw his son holding his bowl and drinking the soup directly!

It had been a while since Lu Wenwu had eaten with such enthusiasm, and seeing his son devouring the food like a hungry child who hadn’t eaten for days, he was slightly embarrassed.

However, when he looked around, he realized that the people around him were no better off. Some were even more ravenous than his son!

Every customer who came to Yueqiong Tower was amazed by this Sauerkraut Fish dish. Each table was served a large pot, and it was returned empty. Almost every table finished the dish and even drank every drop of the soup. If there were leftovers, they would pack them to take home.

The fish was the same fish, but after being cooked with various spices, it turned out to be this incredibly delicious. The flavor of the Sauerkraut blended into the soup and permeated the fish without any particular taste being overwhelming.

After eating and drinking to their heart’s content, Lu Wenwu smacked his lips and savored the dishes they had just enjoyed. Even Lu Wenwu’s wife, who usually complained that he spent too much money on restaurants, couldn’t help but suggest coming back next time.

Lu Wenwu felt that this meal was particularly satisfying, as if the treasured thing he had always cherished had finally been recognized by others. And when the owner informed them that they could purchase the Sauerkraut they just had, Lu Wenwu finally understood why every person leaving Yueqiong Tower would inevitably take a jar or two.

On that day, the revenue of Yueqiong Tower doubled compared to previous days, and more than half of the Sauerkraut jars prepared by Cheng Yun were sold directly!”