My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Chapter 110 Action

The younger sister dragged him out, and when they were far away from the Si Family Food Shop, she explained, "Something happened at home yesterday, and my eldest sister was very busy, so I didn't tell her about Manager Hu. But I felt that even if I told my eldest sister, it would be useless. After all, Fu Man Lou is a big restaurant, and our food shop is so small, how can we compete with them? They haven't made a move yet, and my eldest sister doesn't have any way to deal with it."

Fourth Master Xu nodded in agreement: "You are right. The only way for us now is to counter the opponent's moves as they arise."

"Countering their moves won't work either. You told me before that Fu Man Lou has no problem dealing with those snack shops. If we just keep waiting for them to make a move, aren't we just sitting there waiting to be killed?"

Fourth Master Xu asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

The younger sister was silent for a moment. "I deal with customers every day. Most of them are ordinary people, but there are also some wealthy families. They usually go to restaurants to eat when they go out, and come to our shop just to try something new. They always ask if our ingredients are fresh and if the kitchen is clean."

"This is normal. Large restaurants are generally supervised by the Chamber of Commerce, and the ingredients used are clean and hygienic. So when people dine at snack shops, they worry about these issues."

"But we're a small food stall, so we're more careful about these things. We absolutely can't make any mistakes that would make our customers sick," the younger sister explained. "My eldest sister, in particular, always emphasizes cleanliness and hygiene. Even the water used for washing dishes can't be reused. In comparison, in a big restaurant, there are so many people and so many opinions, so it's harder to be thorough."

Fourth Master Xu nodded and asked, "That's true. So what do you want to do?"

"If we strike first, Fu Man Lou will be too busy to bother with us, right?"

“Starting with cleanliness and hygiene?”

My younger sister told him about her plan. The more she spoke, the brighter Mr. Xu's eyes became. At the end, he patted his chest and said.

"That's feasible. You don't have to come forward yourself. I'll handle it. It will be resolved for you in two days at most."

The younger sister smiled embarrassedly, and finally went back to the teahouse where she had been last time. She insisted on buying two kinds of snacks for Mr. Xu Si as a thank you.

The freshly baked dim sum is fragrant and delicious. One of them is made with tea, which is not only delicious but also refreshing. It is especially suitable for eating after a greasy meal at Sijia Food Store.

The younger sister smelled the rich aroma of tea and thought that she could sell it in the shop after her elder sister made it.

She handed the snacks to Fourth Master Xu and said, "Old Madam and Fourth Brother Xu have done us a great favor. However, the Si family currently has nothing to repay them. These snacks are just a token of our appreciation. Please accept them."

“I dare not, I dare not…” Fourth Master Xu originally wanted to refuse, but he was not as eloquent as his younger sister, so he reached out and took the snack.

Perhaps because both of them were in a hurry, their hands touched each other unconsciously, and both of them were startled.

Especially Mr. Xu Si, his face turned red all of a sudden.

The younger sister was more frank. She stuffed the snack into his hand and said, "I'll leave this matter to Fourth Brother. I... I have something else to do, so I'll go back first..."

After saying that, she ran away.

However, Mr. Xu Si had no idea where to put his hands holding the snacks. He looked up at his younger sister's back and couldn't help but smile.

There was no need for his entourage to pick up the snacks. Mr. Xu Si went home by himself. As soon as he got home, he met Old Lady Xu leading her granddaughter towards him.

"Grandma, Fourth Uncle is back."

Fourth Master Xu hurriedly bowed: "Grandmother, Ah Ying, where are you going?"

"The magistrate's wife invited me over to talk today, so I went to sit down. I just got back. You've been going out after lunch these past few days. What are you doing?"

"No...nothing."

Mr. Xu Si felt a little guilty and was about to say that he had something else to do when his niece Aying pointed at the snacks in his hand.

"Grandma, Fourth Uncle has gone out to buy some snacks. Oh, Grandma, Ah Ying can already smell it. It's your favorite Longjing mung bean cake."

Ah Ying came over happily and wanted to take the snacks from Mr. Xu Siye's hand. Mr. Xu Siye's face drooped. He didn't want to give it to her, but he didn't know how to refuse.

Old Mrs. Xu laughed: "Ah Feng still remembers my favorite food. Is it the one on East Street?"

"um, yes."

Fourth Master Xu watched Ah Ying take the snack away, his face wrinkled like a bitter melon. After thinking for a moment, he said hurriedly, "Well, mother, I remembered that this snack can't be eaten cold. It must be eaten hot from the oven. Your son will go buy you another one now. This..."

Old Lady Xu's eyes flashed, and she stopped him from reaching for the snacks and said, "That's okay. Longjing mung bean cake tastes better when it's cold. I like it."

"No, mother, it's cold, how can we eat cold food?"

He snatched the paper bag, turned around and ran out to buy more things.

Ah Ying tilted her head in confusion: "Grandma, what's wrong with Fourth Uncle today? Who eats hot mung bean cakes? Aren't they always cold?"

Old Lady Xu ignored Fourth Master Xu and instead called to his servant, who hadn't had time to leave yet, "Come here and tell me, who bought those two packages of snacks?"

The servant's face flushed, but he didn't dare to lie in front of the old lady. He just said honestly, "It's...it's the young lady from the Si family..."

When Old Lady Xu heard this, she immediately asked, "Where has he been these past few days?"

The servant explained, "The Fourth Master sometimes goes to the shop in the morning, and sometimes he meets up with friends. After lunch, he usually goes to the Si Family Restaurant, and in the afternoon he goes to the bookstore..."

Ah Ying asked, "Why did Fourth Uncle go to the food store at noon? He usually eats lunch at home. Could it be that the food at home doesn't suit his taste, so he has to go out for another meal?"

Without the servant saying anything, Old Lady Xu smiled and touched Aying's head.

"Silly girl, you don't understand. You're going to have a fourth aunt soon."

At noon the next day, three of the private rooms originally booked at Fumanlou were canceled, and the number of diners seemed to be less than before.

Shopkeeper Hu frowned as he listened to the waiter's words and asked in confusion, "We've had cancellations before, but never three times in a row. One of them is a regular customer of ours. Can you go and see what's going on?"

"Yes."

Shopkeeper Hu looked at the hall, which was only half full, and said with some displeasure, "Business seems particularly bleak today."

The guy said, "It's normal to be miserable occasionally."

Shopkeeper Hu pondered for a moment, but didn't hesitate too much. Instead, he went to the backyard and discussed with a few people: "Are you all ready?"

"Reporting to the shopkeeper, the oilcloth and flint are ready. When no one is in the food store tonight, put them there quietly. The weather has been bad these past two days, so I'm afraid the fire won't be big. Once the weather clears up, we'll be able to burn it cleanly."

Shopkeeper Hu showed a contemptuous look and said, "Then let them enjoy themselves for two more days, and then give them a small punishment or a big warning. They don't even have a foundation anymore, and they still want to open a shop?"