Chapter 180

Previously, Anshui Prefecture's little Second Brother had boasted about how magnificent and spacious You Ran House in Fengjing was, claiming it could accommodate over a thousand people dining simultaneously. Jiang Sheng had doubted his words back then.

But now they were witnessing it firsthand - there really existed such a massive building and extravagant restaurant of such luxury in this world.

Saying it could fit over a thousand was Second Brother understating it; Jiang Sheng felt like it could squeeze in all the people from a ten li village.

And that wasn't even considering the fact that this restaurant had a full three stories!

In Anshui Prefecture, most commoners built just single story homes, with the occasional two story buildings being restaurants, brothels, and such establishments. There were no three story buildings at all.

Jiang Sheng had never built a home before, but she had heard the uncles who did build homes complain about it. Just two stories was already difficult; three was simply too daunting to contemplate.

Jiang Sheng craned her neck back, gazing at You Ran House's massive form, eyes filled with novelty.

Zheng Ruqian was also curious, but he knew better than to reveal any intimidation.

Although his clothes were worth less than a few dozen copper coins and his entire family had just three hundred taels of silver, Zheng Ruqian held his head high and strode confidently, forcibly exuding the air of someone with thousands in gold on his person.

The attendant responsible for receiving them frowned as he looked them over.

You Ran House's position in this city was that of a high class restaurant, with patrons who were either wealthy or noble, possessing status or fortune or both in the city.

Such people usually wore priceless robes, strode confidently, and could casually take out ten taels of silver to tip, making them easy to identify.

But this was Fengjing.

This was the capital under the Emperor's feet, concentrating over half the wealth in the kingdom, giving rise to all sorts of eccentric customers.

They might be dressed ordinarily, even in tattered clothes, yet be wealthy or noble.

Or they could be covered head to toe in gold, yet unable to take out even two taels of silver in reality.

Having learned from past mistakes, the attendant was at a loss on how to gauge Zheng Ruqian's status for a time.

After much hesitation, he finally stepped forward and gently asked, "Young Master looks unfamiliar to me. At You Ran House, would you like to book a room? On the second floor, or the third floor?"

This was a loaded question.

The reason You Ran House in Fengjing had second and third floors was to differentiate between patrons.

For example, commoners who just wanted a meal were in the first floor hall, those with a bit more status went to the second floor private rooms, and extremely important personages usually had regular rooms on the third floor that wouldn't be given to others even when vacant. The attendant stared at them intently. For a moment, Zheng Ruqian was at a loss.

Should he say second floor or third floor? Or tell the truth that he was just here to make a sale?

Zheng Ruqian had a premonition that if he told the blunt truth, they'd surely be driven out.

But lying would only cause trouble later when they were cooperating.

"I'm here to find your Head Shopkeeper," Zheng Ruqian said after much deliberation, telling half the truth in the end.

The attendant was taken aback. "Our Head Shopkeeper...what business do you have with our Head Shopkeeper?"

I'm here to sell things.

But I can't tell you that.

The corner of Zheng Ruqian's mouth twitched. His brain was racing to find an appropriate response.

Jiang Sheng, having satisfied her curiosity for now, piped up in her clear voice, "We can only tell the Head Shopkeeper why we've come."

The attendant's frown deepened, suspecting these two brats were just fooling around.

He waved a hand, about to call someone to drive them away, when his gaze happened to fall upon Jiang Sheng's brow and eyes. He paused in astonishment once more.

Truth be told, Jiang Sheng's appearance had changed tremendously these past few years.

In the beginning, she had been a scrawny little monkey of ambiguous gender. Her wrists were so slender they seemed liable to snap at any moment. She was short, with barely any meat on her bones.

Later, as she finally ate her fill, she began shooting up rapidly in height, surpassing both Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan.

Even later, her face grew increasingly rounded, her features gradually becoming elegant, taking on the shape of a budding beauty.

But it wasn't whether she was beautiful or not that caught the attendant's notice - rather, it was the shape of her brows and eyes that bore a surprising resemblance to the mistress he had glimpsed before.

Could it be the master had brought a distant relative here to secretly test You Ran House?

The attendant was shocked by this notion. Not daring to drive them away rudely anymore, he instead bowed and scraped, "Young Master, Young Lady, please have a seat first. I'll go fetch the Head Shopkeeper right away."

Zheng Ruqian was taken aback, not understanding what had gone wrong to make the other's attitude change so drastically.

Only Jiang Sheng thought they had met a nice person, smiling brightly until her eyes curved into crescents.

That smile enhanced her resemblance to the mistress even more.

Not daring to hesitate, the attendant rushed to the #1 room on the second floor as if he'd sprouted wings on his back, finding the Head Shopkeeper going over the account books. "Head Shopkeeper, Head Shopkeeper, there are people asking for you outside!"

To become the Head Shopkeeper of a large restaurant in Fengjing, one had to be the cream of the crop amongst the core members of the Jiang Household.

Sizing up the panting attendant, the Head Shopkeeper didn't hesitate at all. He closed the account books and abacus then rushed downstairs on the attendant's heels. Only upon seeing Jiang Sheng and Zheng Ruqian did his eyes widen in shock.

"These are the esteemed guests you spoke of?" Although baffled, the Head Shopkeeper remained polite.

The attendant kowtowed repeatedly. "Yes, Head Shopkeeper. The Young Lady said she had important business to discuss with you, and could only tell you about it."

The Head Shopkeeper, "..."

Thankfully such people were rare. Otherwise, he'd spend all day entertaining "esteemed guests" instead of doing any actual work.

As the Head Shopkeeper of a large restaurant, he had no time to humor children's games, nor the desire to punish the attendant over such a trivial matter. He just waved a hand dismissively. "Don't bother calling me so lightly next time."

Having said his piece, he turned to leave.

Zheng Ruqian panicked.

He had finally met with You Ran House's Head Shopkeeper, and the opportunity was right before him. If he let it slip away, who knew when he'd get another chance?

In a flash, the thirteen year old boy put down his sister's hand and hefted up the bag behind him with one arm. With his other hand, he tugged out the fragrant preserved sausage and blocked the Head Shopkeeper's path. Speaking extremely swiftly and concisely, he said, "I can make You Ran House's customers increase by fifty percent. Head Shopkeeper, dare you believe it?"

Jiang Sheng's eyes widened.

The attendant's eyes widened.

The Head Shopkeeper was silent as still water.

After a long pause, Zheng Ruqian added hoarsely, "Head Shopkeeper, you can choose to believe me or not, but believing means potentially gaining fifty percent more customers for you, while not believing has no downside either."

It had to be said, this line of reasoning made sense.

The Head Shopkeeper put aside his disdain for the child, sizing up Zheng Ruqian seriously for a couple moments. "What will get me fifty percent more customers - that sausage of yours?"

Zheng Ruqian shook his head. "Not just sausage, but also meat, fish too."

He opened his package and held it out neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The attendant moved to take it but was waved aside by the Head Shopkeeper, who took it himself. He squeezed and sniffed it, a trace of interest appearing in his eyes.

"Just these things can get me fifty percent more customers?" The Head Shopkeeper still didn't believe it.

Zheng Ruqian calmly and steadily said, "Head Shopkeeper, if you can trust me, have someone steam these right now and send them out. If patrons like them, we can discuss cooperating. If no one likes them, I'll roll right out of You Ran House and never set foot here again."

What great confidence he had to dare utter such words!

But the attendant scoffed disdainfully, "Whether you set foot in You Ran House again has nothing to do with us. Bad tasting things will only damage You Ran House's reputation."

He regretted it immediately after - he had blindly called the Head Shopkeeper just because of a similar looking face. What if these two brats had been sent by a rival family to stir up trouble?

But the Head Shopkeeper had already made his decision. "Fine, take these to the kitchen and steam them thoroughly, quick."

The large kitchen worked swiftly.

In just the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the sliced preserved sausage, translucent preserved meat, and preserved fish glistening with oil were presented.