“Hey! You little beggar! Take your ragged bundles and filthy belongings with you! Don’t dirty the entrance of our Zuixian Restaurant!”
Song Wu had spent his entire life farming in the village and had never visited the county town before. Afraid of offending important townspeople and causing trouble, he actually listened to the worker’s insults and prepared to gather their belongings and leave.
Before he could move, however, Song Xiaoyu picked up the bundles first.
“You’re nothing more than a watchdog standing at the gate, yet you act as though you’re some great figure.”
She grabbed Song Wu’s arm and turned to leave.
“Brother Wu, let’s go.”
As she walked away, she glanced back and gave the worker a cold smile.
“This restaurant judges people by their appearance. They’re not worthy of doing business with us.”
The worker had never expected a young village girl to openly curse him to his face.
“Oh? Just one look tells me you’re nothing but country bumpkins from some rundown village. Is this your first time entering the city?
“And you think you can do business with Zuixian Restaurant? What a joke! Whatever garbage you’re carrying isn’t even worth a glance from our restaurant!”
In his eyes, farmers who came into town only sold wild vegetables and coarse grain flatbreads.
Song Wu was young and hot-blooded. Unable to endure the ridicule, he turned around and replied,
“My father is a hunter! We’re here to sell wild-meat!”
The worker sneered.
“So what if you’re hunters? Do you know how many hunters there are in all of Dazhu County?
“Every day, hunters line up trying to curry favor with Zuixian Restaurant. Not just anyone gets the opportunity to do business with us.
“What a ridiculous joke.”
In truth, Song Beichen had indeed spent years building a relationship with Zuixian Restaurant. To secure a steady buyer, one had to gradually establish connections with everyone, from ordinary workers to the restaurant manager.
Leaning on his crutches, Song Beichen stepped forward and forced a polite smile.
“Young brother, half a year ago I sold wild rabbits to Zuixian Restaurant. I even gifted Manager Wu a pheasant in private. Could you help me call him out?”
The worker waved his hand impatiently.
“Get lost! Manager Wu is busy. Stop blocking the entrance and affecting our business.
“If you don’t leave right now, I’ll drive you away with a broom!”
Seeing that further conversation was pointless, Song Xiaoyu immediately pulled her father away.
“Father, if this restaurant doesn’t want our business, we’ll simply find another one.”
If one place refused to keep them, another surely would.
Not far away on the same street stood another large establishment, Fulai Restaurant.
The moment the family approached, a young attendant stationed outside immediately greeted them warmly.
“Honored guests, please come in.”
Song Xiaoyu remained calm and composed.
“We aren’t here to dine. Please invite your manager out. We have a major business deal to discuss.”
Although the request came from a young girl, the attendant showed no trace of contempt.
He respectfully led them upstairs to a private seating area and quickly served hot tea.
“Please wait a moment. Our manager went out to purchase supplies and should return shortly.”
Song Xiaoyu’s first impression of Fulai Restaurant was excellent.
From the moment she entered, she had been quietly observing everything around her.
The restaurant was organized and orderly from top to bottom. Anyone capable of managing such an establishment so efficiently was clearly no ordinary person.
Meanwhile, the worker from Zuixian Restaurant watched from afar and nearly laughed himself silly.
A group dressed like beggars had actually been treated as honored guests and invited upstairs.
The people of Fulai Restaurant truly had no eye for talent.
No wonder they could never surpass Zuixian Restaurant.
He eagerly waited outside, anticipating an entertaining spectacle.
…
“Father, Mother, when the manager arrives, let me handle the negotiation.”
Song Xiaoyu calmly held her teacup.
“Fulai Restaurant is one of the two largest restaurants in Dazhu County. I’m confident I can secure a favorable deal.”
Zhou Rong immediately nodded.
“Alright. Mother trusts you.
“After all, you were the one who hunted the black bear. You should make the decisions.”
Song Beichen, Song Wen, and Song Wu had no objections either.
The family leisurely drank tea while waiting.
Before long, hurried footsteps sounded from the staircase.
“My apologies for keeping everyone waiting.”
A middle-aged man entered the room.
“I am Zhou, the manager of Fulai Restaurant. I heard from my employee that you wish to discuss a major business deal?”
The man was slightly plump, with a round and friendly face that naturally inspired goodwill.
Without any trace of arrogance, he politely greeted the family and sat across from them.
“Manager Zhou, my name is Song Xiaoyu. We come from Tianshui Village. These are my parents and my two older brothers.”
Although her cotton jacket was old and patched, Song Xiaoyu showed not the slightest sign of inferiority.
The private booth wasn’t completely enclosed, and customers occasionally passed outside.
Rather than immediately revealing her purpose, she offered a hint.
“Today we’ve brought a batch of premium goods.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Goods so impressive that they’ll definitely catch your attention. The only question is whether your restaurant can afford to purchase them.”
She gestured toward her brothers.
Song Wen and Song Wu immediately brought over the bundles and placed them on the table.
Manager Zhou’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
Rolling back his sleeves, he carefully unwrapped the oilcloth.
The moment the first bundle opened and revealed the enormous black bear head inside, his eyes widened dramatically.
Even someone as experienced as him was stunned.
“Remarkable!”
He couldn’t help exclaiming.
“Every year, countless hunters bring wild-meat to this restaurant, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a massive black bear.”
His eyes shone with excitement.
“Miss Song truly wasn’t exaggerating.
“You’ve given me quite the surprise.”
He looked directly at Song Xiaoyu.
“Name your price.
“Fulai Restaurant will purchase everything.”
Song Xiaoyu didn’t rush to quote a number.
A black bear was vastly different from ordinary pheasants and rabbits.
Its value was several times greater.
The two largest restaurants in the county had always been fierce competitors. To attract wealthy customers, they constantly needed rare and exotic ingredients.
Even in the capital, bear meat was considered a valuable delicacy and nourishing tonic.
Beside her, Song Beichen felt nervous.
If they demanded too much, they might offend Manager Zhou.
If they asked for too little, their family would suffer a loss.
After a brief moment of thought, Song Xiaoyu smiled.
“Manager Zhou, this is my first time doing business with your restaurant.
“I believe you’re an honest and straightforward person.
“How about this, you give your price first, and I’ll consider it.”
Manager Zhou’s eyes brightened.
As he stroked his beard, his appreciation for the young girl deepened.
She was clever.
Very clever.
More importantly, she came from a hunter’s family.
If he could establish a long-term relationship with her, Fulai Restaurant would never lack high-quality wild-meat in the future.
Perhaps one day they could even surpass Zuixian Restaurant.
He immediately ordered an employee to bring over a large scale.
After weighing everything, he announced the results.
“The bear meat and bones together weigh one hundred and eighty-five catties.
“According to our standard rates, I’ll value them at one tael of silver per catty.
“As for the remaining amount, I’ll contribute an additional fifteen taels as a gift for meeting Miss Song and her family.
“The total comes to two hundred taels of silver.”
Manager Zhou smiled warmly.
“Miss Song, are you satisfied with this price?”
Since Song Xiaoyu was still unfamiliar with current market values, she quietly consulted her father.
To their surprise, the offer was extremely generous.
Without hesitation, she slapped the table.
“Manager Zhou is truly straightforward.
“Two hundred taels it is.”
Soon, several gleaming silver ingots were brought over.
Song Xiaoyu picked one up and examined it closely.
Then she bit down on it.
The result nearly cracked her tooth.
It was genuine silver.
Real silver!
Across both her current life and her previous one, this was the first time she had ever held an actual silver ingot in her hands.
She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself.
Just as the family finished collecting the silver and prepared to leave, Manager Zhou suddenly frowned.
His gaze fell on the basket.
There were still two unopened bundles inside.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Something was missing.
The black bear he had purchased seemed incomplete.
He immediately stood up and called after them.
“Wait a moment!”