Circling the wild boar, the shopkeeper noticed no external injuries and looked at Xue Ning in surprise, asking how the boar had died.
Xue Ning pointed at the wild boar’s neck and said, “Snapped its neck.”
The shopkeeper: “…”
Just how powerful would a person have to be to snap its neck?
To the shopkeeper’s surprise, when he bent down to check, he found that the wild boar’s neck was indeed broken.
“You snapped this?”
Xue Ning spoke impatiently, “What do you care who snapped it? Do you check the origins when you buy wild boar? As long as it’s not poisonous, it’s fine! Are you buying or not? If not, I’m going to Ronghua Restaurant.”
Ronghua Restaurant and Fugui Restaurant were rivals, the kind that wanted to see the other dead.
As soon as the shopkeeper heard Xue Ning mention Ronghua Restaurant, he lost all interest in finding out who killed the boar.
Many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital enjoyed eating wild game. His restaurant had long-term partnerships with several hunters to collect wild game; while they usually didn’t lack wild chickens or rabbits, they were short on large wild animals like wild boars and deer.
He would absolutely not let Xue Ning take the wild boar to Ronghua Restaurant to sell.
With this in mind, the shopkeeper asked Xue Ning directly how much she was selling the wild boar for.
Xue Ning gave a fixed price: “Fifty taels.”
The shopkeeper: “Fifty taels? The price of pork at the market is between ten to forty wen per catty. Wild boar is a bit more expensive, so I’ll calculate it for you at the highest price of forty wen per catty. This wild boar weighs seven hundred catties at most, which comes out to only twenty-eight taels of silver. How about I give you a round number, thirty taels?”
Xue Ning: “You sell a single pig trotter for twenty taels, yet you have the nerve to haggle with me when I’m selling you a whole boar weighing hundreds of catties for only fifty taels?”
“This is a wild boar; it’s a rarity. If you think it’s too expensive, I’ll go to Ronghua Restaurant.”
The shopkeeper: “Wait, wait, wait…”
This girl, why did she keep mentioning Ronghua Restaurant?
Who in the capital didn’t know that Ronghua Restaurant was the arch-nemesis of his Fugui Restaurant?
She definitely knew and was saying it on purpose.
But how did she know he sold a single pig trotter for twenty taels?
Could she have eaten here before?
If she had eaten here, she probably wouldn’t have ended up in a position where she had to sell wild boars.
Perhaps she had heard it from others.
Regardless, he absolutely had to buy this wild boar.
Thinking of this, the shopkeeper nodded in agreement, his heart aching at the cost.
Xue Ning looked at the shopkeeper speechlessly: “As the shopkeeper of such a large restaurant, to be this distressed over a mere fifty taels… you really lack class.”
The shopkeeper gave her a dead-fish stare: “I’m not the owner of the restaurant, I’m just an employee. Besides, we have regulations for purchasing things. I’m buying this wild boar from you at nearly double the price; I’ll have to report to the boss later, and I don’t know if he’ll skin me for it.”
Xue Ning: “If your boss skins you, then I won’t come back next time…”
Before Xue Ning could finish, the shopkeeper’s face instantly changed: “As the manager of a restaurant, I can still make decisions on such small matters. Our Fugui Restaurant buys all kinds of wild game long-term. Young lady, next time you have goods—no matter what they are—come straight to Fugui Restaurant. We can negotiate a good price.”
Xue Ning: “…”
Why hadn’t she noticed this shopkeeper was so amusing before?
No wonder he could hold the top position at Fugui Restaurant; this ability to be flexible was truly something ordinary people lacked.
After taking the fifty taels of silver, Xue Ning rolled her eyes and looked at the shopkeeper, asking:
“Do you have two hundred taels of silver right now?”
Although the shopkeeper didn’t understand what Xue Ning meant, he nodded and said he did.
Xue Ning told the shopkeeper to wait a moment. She went outside, took four wild boars out of her Space, and then dragged them into the restaurant, one in each hand, in two trips. She then held out her hand to the shopkeeper:
“Money. Two hundred taels. Thank you for your patronage.”
The shopkeeper: “!!”
In all his years running a restaurant, this was the first time he had seen someone bring five wild boars to sell at once.
The key was that all five were adult wild boars.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that a little girl who only reached his shoulder had the strength to drag a wild boar with one hand.
Although he couldn’t see her face clearly because she was wearing a mask, the shopkeeper absolutely did not dare to look down on her just because she seemed like a child.
If these wild boars had been killed by someone else, it meant she had someone behind her; he didn’t dare provoke someone who could snap a wild boar’s neck.
If these wild boars had been killed by Xue Ning herself, then he dared provoke her even less.
Respectfully handing over the two hundred taels of silver, the shopkeeper once again asked Xue Ning to prioritize selling to him next time she had goods, and stated without any stinginess that the price could be negotiated.
By acquiring five wild boars at once, he could send invitations to the regular patrons of Fugui Restaurant and host a wild boar banquet; he would definitely make a huge profit.
Thinking of this, the shopkeeper’s eyes grew fervent.
Xue Ning was very satisfied with the shopkeeper’s tact. She took the silver and turned to leave without another word.
After leaving Fugui Restaurant, Xue Ning walked for a while to ensure she wasn’t being followed, then ducked into a small alley to change back into her own clothes.
By now, the sky was starting to grow light with the first rays of dawn.
After changing her clothes and coming out of the alley, Xue Ning walked along until she saw a breakfast stall.
An old couple was preparing to sell breakfast.
Curious, Xue Ning walked over to see what kind of breakfast the old couple was selling.
The lady owner spoke up proactively upon seeing Xue Ning: “Would the young lady like some breakfast?”
Xue Ning asked: “What are you selling?”
The lady replied: “Noodles, wontons, pancakes, and fried eggs are all available.”
Xue Ning: “Then bring me one of everything to try.”
The lady was a bit surprised: “One of everything? A young lady like you probably can’t eat that much. How about just a bowl of wontons?”
“Our wontons are our best seller; you’ll surely like them.”
Xue Ning: “Are you afraid I can’t afford it?”
The lady shook her head quickly: “No, no. I’m just afraid you won’t be able to finish it all and it will go to waste.”
The customer is king.
Even though Xue Ning was young, the lady’s attitude toward her remained respectful.
From the first moment she saw Xue Ning, the lady never doubted her ability to pay.
After all, the fabric she wore was not something an ordinary person could afford.
Xue Ning looked at the lady: “Just make them. I won’t waste it.”
Since Xue Ning had put it that way, the lady didn’t say anything more. She gave a response and began to prepare.
The first thing served was a bowl of small wontons.
Xue Ning first tasted the broth—it was fresh and delicious—then took a bite of a small wonton. It was tasty.
Following that, a bowl of noodles was served.
The noodle broth wasn’t as fresh as the wonton broth, but it had its own unique flavor.
Finally, a scallion pancake and a fried egg were served at the same time.
Both the pancake and the egg were fried until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; they were truly delicious.
Xue Ning looked at the lady and asked if the scallion pancakes and fried eggs could be packed to go.
The lady said the scallion pancakes could be packed, but the fried eggs were difficult to pack.
Xue Ning: “Do you sell breakfast here every day?”
The lady nodded: “We’ve been setting up our stall here for over ten years.”
Xue Ning: “Having been here for over ten years, have you never considered buying or renting a storefront?”
The lady smiled: “We can’t afford to buy one, and renting isn’t very cost-effective because we only do the morning market.”
To each their own.
Everyone has their own way of living.
Hearing this, Xue Ning said no more, only asking the lady to help her pack twenty scallion pancakes.