Liang Er instinctively shrank his neck. As someone who loved petty theft and mischief, he feared the word “yamen” the most.
His wife, Zhu Mei, quickly pulled him away. “We agreed to earn money through business, not cause trouble! We still have so much debt at home!”
Slap! Liang Er casually gave Zhu Mei a slap, cursing angrily, “Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me? What about the debt? If I can’t pay it back, I’ll sell you and the kid!”
Zhu Mei trembled and hurriedly spoke sweet words to placate him.
Liang Er sprawled on the ground, ordering his wife to pack up the stall, gleefully weighing the heavy money pouch in his hand. “Damn! Just a few pots of porridge can earn this much money. I’ve got the capital to turn things around again!”
He narrowed his eyes, watching Su Zhen and her sister packing up their stall, and sneered, “Once I’ve squeezed out your business, I’ll raise the price to twenty wen. Hmph!”
Zhu Mei, afraid of being beaten, still whispered a warning, “Husband, that girl has it tough too. Besides, what if she really reports to the authorities…”
“Damn it! Whose wife are you?” Liang Er kicked her again. “Report to the authorities? Look at her—she’s just a filthy country girl. Does she even know which way the yamen gate opens? She’s all talk. Let her try reporting to the authorities! Just watch—even if I flip her stall, she won’t dare make a peep!”
What could two sisters running a street stall possibly do? Maybe their parents are already dead!
Liang Er didn’t take Su Zhen seriously at all. However, he’d heard that her family’s porridge was truly delicious, making people crave more. Could she have added something she shouldn’t? If he could catch her red-handed, wouldn’t that completely ruin her?
As he pondered, Liang Er suddenly noticed Su Zhen leaving the stall to her brother and hurrying off alone.
Something’s fishy!
Liang Er jumped up, ignoring Zhu Mei’s attempts to hold him back, and quickly followed Su Zhen.
In another hour, Yingkelai would get busy. Su Zhen needed to prepare the digestive tea before Master Cai and the others started cooking, so she quickened her pace.
Suddenly, she realized a big tail was following closely behind.
Su Zhen’s eyes darted around. She sped up, ducking into an alleyway ahead.
Seeing this, Liang Er grew even more certain she was up to something and ran after her. But when he entered the alley, he found no one ahead!
“Damn it! She got away!”
Just as he muttered this, a broken basket suddenly dropped from above, covering his head.
“Who is it? Damn it, who’s there? Let me go! Ouch, ouch, stop hitting! Stop hitting!”
As soon as the basket covered him, Liang Er was kicked in the back of the knee, sending him crashing to the ground. A rain of fists pounded his entire body. The attacker struck with immense force, each blow landing squarely, no less brutal than the debt collectors from the gambling den.
After a while, the beating finally stopped.
Liang Er lay on the ground, his body aching so much he couldn’t move, especially his back and legs. Every twinge felt like needles pricking him, as if countless ants were gnawing at his bones.
When the pain subsided slightly, Liang Er hurriedly sat up, immediately reaching for the money pouch at his waist.
Thank goodness, thank goodness—the attacker hadn’t stolen his money!
Who was the one who struck from the shadows? And with such force! Liang Er grimaced in pain, his first thought being that Su Zhen was the culprit, but he quickly dismissed it—that girl was delicate and frail, how could she have such strength?
“Just my luck. Might as well go play a few rounds of cards to turn my fortune around!” Having failed to catch Su Zhen red-handed and inexplicably taken a beating, Liang Er clutched his money pouch tightly and dragged his aching body, limping toward the gambling den.
Meanwhile, Su Zhen had already arrived at Yingkelai feeling refreshed and got straight to work. That scoundrel Liang Er had long been a thorn in her side—disrespectful toward food, abusive toward his wife, and even secretly following her. She had been itching for a chance to teach him a lesson!
Fortunately, fate had a way of delivering justice, sending the man right to her doorstep.
Though she was just a girl, she actually possessed considerable strength. Coupled with her medical knowledge, she knew exactly where to strike a person to inflict the most pain. The beating she had just delivered would be enough to keep Liang Er in agony for a good seven or eight days.
Just as she finished preparing the digestive tea, Manager Qian personally invited Su Zhen to sit down and rest with a cup of tea.
Knowing he must have something to discuss, Su Zhen didn’t beat around the bush and asked him to speak directly.
Manager Qian chuckled, his tone growing even more familiar: “A-Zhen, you really are clever. Well, as the weather gets hotter, many people have lost their appetite and are ordering fewer dishes. I was wondering if you have any good ideas for cooling off and stimulating the appetite?”
As it turned out, she did!
But Su Zhen didn’t answer him right away, pretending to ponder for a moment. “Give me a couple of days to prepare something, and I’ll bring it for you to try another day.”
Manager Qian nodded eagerly. “Great! I knew A-Zhen was the smartest. Well, at the end of the year, I’ll give you a big red envelope to thank you properly!”
With the promise of a bonus, Su Zhen worked with even more enthusiasm.
Reassured by Su Zhen’s commitment, Manager Qian was overjoyed. He even personally packed a freshly roasted chicken for Su Zhen to take home and enjoy.
The food at Yingkelai was undeniably excellent. The roasted chicken was tender and juicy, neither tough nor dry, with each bite bursting with flavor. The family of four ate to their hearts’ content.
After the satisfying meal, Mrs. Song took A-Qiao, whose little belly was round and who was burping contentedly, for a stroll in the yard to aid digestion. Su Anyu, meanwhile, sat beside his sister, watching her silently for a while before squinting his eyes. “Sis, why aren’t you worried at all? Have you been up to something behind my back?”
Su Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. She knew she couldn’t escape her brother’s sharp eyes.
She beckoned him closer and whispered about how she had beaten up Liang Er. Su Anyu was so delighted he clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably, and even forgot the frustration of having their business snatched away.
But laughter aside, it was time to fight back.
Su Zhen had already planned it out. After leaving Yingkelai, she went to the pharmacy to buy some lily bulbs and ophiopogon root, and then to the grain shop for mung beans. Mung bean and lily porridge could clear heat and reduce internal fire, making it extremely effective for bitter taste and bad breath.
As for the ophiopogon root, it could be boiled into a drink, which was very beneficial for those suffering from yin deficiency, excessive internal heat, dry mouth, and bad breath.
These two items were originally intended for Gao Qinglian to try, but now they could be launched as new products. By promoting their breath-freshening benefits, they were sure to attract a wave of enthusiastic customers.
“Sis, should we lower the price?” Su Anyu still remembered how many people had complained about their prices being too high.
Su Zhen shook her head firmly. “We can’t lower the price! Our porridge emphasizes quality, taste, and efficacy. Not only will I not lower the price for the mung bean and lily porridge, I’ll even raise it—selling it for fifteen wen per bowl.”
The quality of goods cannot be defined by their price. As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush. If Liang Er lowers prices today, what if Liang San or Re Si come along tomorrow? If prices keep fluctuating, won’t they be the ones who suffer in the end?
Su Anyu pondered this and found it profoundly reasonable.
Early the next morning, the aroma of pig trotter soup and the sweet scent of various porridges wafted from the Su family’s courtyard, making neighbors sniff the air and drool.
Su Zhen paid no mind to others’ comments, busily ladling porridge into jars in preparation for today’s showdown!