"Shopkeeper, our business..."
Smelling the spicy and tempting aroma filling the air, the tavern's shopkeeper slammed his hand on the counter: "This is outrageous! I want to see how long she can stay so arrogant!"
After selling sour and spicy noodles for a few days, Chen Muxue had some extra money on hand and started a new venture selling mala tang.
All the vegetables and meats were visibly fresh, placed on a rack embedded with a large ice-blue Spirit Stone, which kept the rack cooler like a fridge, maintaining the freshness of the ingredients.
Moreover, these ingredients were meticulously cleaned by Chen Muxue and the children, so even when sold on the street, people still found them very clean.
This led to customers dining at the tavern becoming increasingly particular about hygiene.
Complaints such as how the tables on the street are wiped cleaner than theirs, and how the bowls over there are spotless to the touch, while theirs leave greasy hands, began to frequently echo through the tavern.
Additionally, people started being picky about the greasy cook in the tavern, as on the street they had meals prepared by a beautiful cultivator. In contrast, upon entering the tavern, they were greeted by a greasy, unkempt man with an unpleasant smell, which made anyone uncomfortable.
What does it mean when they say comparison brings hurt?
Clad in coarse hemp clothing, Cen Lizhui finally stood before Chen Muxue's stall.
"Here, Lady Boss, I'd like it mildly spicy. And also a bowl of sour and spicy noodles," Cen Lizhui handed the basket of selected ingredients to Chen Muxue.
"Alright, that's forty wen for one. Can you finish it, sir?" Chen Muxue couldn't help but ask after Da Gui weighed the portions.
Now that the stall was running well, she brought the children along to help, broadening their horizons along the way.
Little Hu was responsible for cooking, Da Fu for serving. Unexpectedly, Da Gui had some skill in accounting and became the only one in the Qian Ding Sect who could use a scale, so he was in charge of weighing the mala tang, while Chen Muxue handled the money to guard against scams, dine-and-dash, and rascals.
As for Little Hua, four-year-old Little Hua naturally sat beside them, swinging her legs as a cute little mascot.
Fearing the customer might not finish, she looked up, aligning her gaze with a pair of captivating fox-like eyes, causing Chen Muxue to be taken aback.
Those eyes curved into crescents, and their owner's voice was clear and pleasant, with a gentle tone: "I've always heard the Sect Leader of the Qian Ding Sect ventured into cuisine, and it's quite tasty. Today I had the time, so I came to try it."
Darn, if it weren't for needing to report back about that Soul-locking Pearl, how could he have gone without tasting the sour and spicy noodles until now!
Upon returning, he even found something new! He observed for a while before figuring out how the mala tang worked, otherwise, wouldn't he have made a fool of himself if he had gone up recklessly?
Not knowing what important figure this was, Chen Muxue scrutinized him, feeling he looked somewhat familiar.
"May I ask who you are..."
The level can be concealed, but the identity of being a cultivator can hardly be hidden.
Cen Lizhui cupped his hands and said, "I am Zhui Li, merely a loose cultivator."
"Then you must really like pears," Chen Muxue nodded, "since you're always chasing pears to munch on."
A chilly breeze blew by, perhaps due to the Ice Spirit Stone on the rack nearby. How could it be so...refreshingly cool on the day of summer solstice?
Cen Lizhui awkwardly laughed twice: "Zhui Li is meant to imply a pursuit of the dawn light."
Chen Muxue suddenly understood: "Oh~ sorry about that..."
"Lady Boss, whatever you have here, serve it all to me."
Suddenly, a person dressed in a Taoist robe, with a sword strapped on his back, sat down beside them, almost as if he wanted to have the word "cultivator" written on his face, and shouted.