CHAPTER 113: CHAPTER 112: A COMPLETE VICTORY IN THIS ROUND

Zheng Yuanfeng’s newly opened restaurant called Mountain Moon Residence has been packed with diners since its opening day, with not a single empty seat.

This has sparked a hot pot craze in Yangcheng.

In the middle of winter, eating a warm hot pot is truly delightful.

Moreover, Mountain Moon Residence has somehow procured a drink called beer, and pairing beer with hot pot is a perfect match!

Mountain Moon Residence’s booming business has naturally made some of its competitors envious.

Especially Pan Shopkeeper from what used to be Yangcheng’s top restaurant, Zuixiang Building. He’s gone through great lengths, inquiring from various sources, and even had someone follow Mountain Moon Residence’s waiter for months, finally discovering that their supply channel comes from an inconspicuous house in Market Alley.

Mountain Moon Residence was able to become Yangcheng’s top restaurant in such a short time by relying on its mysterious hot pot soup base and the beer.

If he can get the recipe for the hot pot soup base and the beer, then his Zuixiang Building could certainly regain its former glory.

Pan Shopkeeper purposely went to Mountain Moon Building to try the hot pot and beer.

The lamb slices were cut as thin as possible; after being dipped a few times in boiling water, they could be eaten. Before eating, they were coated with a secret dipping sauce from Mountain Moon Building, and the taste was indescribably aromatic.

Thinking of this, Pan Shopkeeper unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

His family owned a grand restaurant, yet he spent lavishly eating at someone else’s. Just thinking of it was frustrating.

If he could get the recipe, not only would he eat to his heart’s content, but his heart would be content too.

Pan Shopkeeper became even more eager to obtain the secret recipe.

After receiving her bonus from Mountain Moon Residence this month, Yu Xiaolian happily ducked into a jewelry store.

She thought about how Sun didn’t have a single piece of jewelry to her name; even the hairpin in her hair was carved by Yu Changhe from peachwood many years ago.

Yu Xiaolian decided to buy Sun a set of jewelry, but was dazzled by the selection of jade bangles, gold bangles, jade hairpins, and gold hairpins.

"Three years to cultivate jade, a lifetime for jade to nurture people."

Jade is good.

Gold, whenever, is the jewelry with the highest value retention.

Gold is also nice.

Only children make choices; she wanted both.

She picked a pair of white jade bangles and a pair of red gold weaving bracelets for Sun.

She chose one each of a gold hairpin, silver hairpin, and jade hairpin.

Sun had pierced ears, although she had been wearing thin grass sticks all these years.

So Yu Xiaolian picked out two pairs of earrings, one gold, and one silver.

When she checked out, she had spent more than half of her bonus for the month.

Sun was naturally happy to see her daughter buying her jewelry, but as she took out one item and then another, she became unhappy and accused Yu Xiaolian of spending money recklessly and buying too much.

Yu Changhe, however, thought Yu Xiaolian did the right thing and did well.

Recently, when he occasionally met the woman from the Gao Family across the alley, she wasn’t as good-looking as Sun, but every time he saw her, the jewelry she wore was never the same.

With Yu Changhe persuading by her side, Sun stopped nagging Yu Xiaolian.

Yu Xiaolian cast a grateful look at Yu Changhe.

Yu Changhe smiled and nodded, indicating he received it.

Under Sun’s guidance in the past few months, Zhao Erya’s cooking skills improved, and the meals she prepared were already very delicious.

Just as the Yu family was about to happily dig into their meal, a rhythmic knock sounded at the door outside.

Zhao Erya put down her chopsticks, "I’ll take a look."

Except for the ones sent by Mingxiang Pavilion and Mountain Moon Residence to pick up goods every morning, few other people came by, so Yu Xiaolian also got up and followed her out.

"My family doesn’t have the secret recipe you’re looking for, you’ve got the wrong house!" Zhao Erya said, about to close the door.

But the visitor forcefully held the doorframe open and craned their neck to peer into the courtyard.

This doesn’t look like a food workshop at all, merely a regular residence. Could it be the follower got it wrong?

Zhao Erya forcefully pushed Pan Shopkeeper outside and slammed the door shut with a bang.

However, the person outside did not leave, and knocked on the door opposite at the Gao family’s, inquiring about what the Yu family does for a living.

The woman from the Gao family snorted, "The Yu family’s head is a cripple and can’t do anything. The family lives off the pastries made by the woman, poor Sun is heavily pregnant and still works herself to death making pastries to feed the family..."

After hearing this, Pan Shopkeeper concluded that the follower was definitely wrong.

He thought there was something wrong; if the Yu family had a secret recipe that could make a fortune, why wouldn’t they use it themselves, and instead let Mountain Moon Building benefit?

After Pan Shopkeeper left, Yu Xiaolian, who had listened to the entire conversation through the door, felt a bit uneasy.

Wherever there are people, there is competition, and wherever there is competition, there is the Jianghu.

The Jianghu is never a place of warmth and tenderness.

It seems that the rise of Mountain Moon Residence has already made some people restless.

She had originally planned to quietly earn money until autumn, then escape to Jie City with Sun and Yu Changhe, but it seems they’ve been noticed.

After much deliberation, Yu Xiaolian decided to store the warehouse items into the space.

She also made marks at the warehouse door and the backyard, spending an anxious night, ready to check her marks the next morning.

Yu Xiaolian frowned as she looked at the red ink footprints at the warehouse door; someone indeed came last night.

The footprints in the front yard led up to the window of the eastern room, and upon closer inspection, the parchment on the window had been poked through.

The footprint in the backyard was smaller than those in the front yard; it seemed there were two people who came.

It must have been someone sent by yesterday’s visitor, Pan Shopkeeper, without a doubt.

The only question is, after finding nothing, will they continue to focus on their family?

If Pan Shopkeeper oversteps his bounds and continues to disrupt their lives, she won’t hesitate to ask that cold Chief Envoy to feed Pan Shopkeeper a few worms.

Yu Xiaolian told this to Zheng Yuanfeng and asked him to safeguard the two books she copied, making sure not to let Pan Shopkeeper send someone to steal them.

These two books contain hundreds of recipes, and even if she left for Jie City in the future, Zheng Yuanfeng’s Mountain Moon Residence could dominate the culinary world with these recipes.

Compared to Yu Xiaolian’s anxiety, Zheng Yuanfeng remained calm throughout, "Don’t worry, in a few days Pan Jingui won’t have the leisure to think about the secret recipe."

Yu Xiaolian raised an eyebrow, "Pan Jingui?"

Could Zuixiang Building be related to the Pan Family of River Bend Town?

Under Yu Xiaolian’s questioning, Zheng Yuanfeng confirmed it.

Pan Jingui is the elder brother of Pan Jinrong, the notorious bully of River Bend Town.

Pan Jinrong broke Yu Changhe’s leg trying to seize the Moonlight Jade Pendant.

Also, because Dr. Zheng failed to cure Madam Pan’s illness, they extorted the Zheng Family’s medicine shop.

Now, Pan Jingui shamelessly covets their secret recipe; truly, birds of a feather flock together.

Recalling the Pan Family, Yu Xiaolian’s eyes burned with anger and she couldn’t help but feel a murderous intent.

If it were anyone else, she might have been lenient. But for people like the Pan Family, cutting them a thousand times wouldn’t be excessive.

Zheng Yuanfeng, holding a scroll, didn’t even look up at Yu Xiaolian, "I have already arranged matters with the Pan Family, don’t get involved unnecessarily."

Yu Xiaolian’s eyes widened.

Hey, who’s looking down on whom?

"I still need to prepare for the provincial exam." Before Yu Xiaolian could react, Zheng Yuanfeng waved the book in his hand as if to dismiss her.

Yu Xiaolian barely managed to suppress her curiosity and the urge to punch Zheng Yuanfeng, leaving Mingxiang Pavilion.

As they say, a good snow promises a bumper harvest. Last winter’s several heavy snows fell heavily.

After the beginning of spring, the ice began to melt, the grass sprouted, and spring was in full swing, everything was orderly and vibrant.

The streets were bustling with peddlers and foot-soldiers, lively and bustling, showing no signs of disaster.

Pan Shopkeeper sat behind the counter sighing.

In the past, by lunchtime, his restaurant was always packed with people, with Silver flowing in like water.

Now there are only a few old customers occasionally stopping by to keep up appearances for him.

Currently, the income has plummeted, so how could he not be disheartened?