Farm Tough Girl-Chapter 14 - 0 Shrewd Businessman_1

Chapter 14: Chapter 014: Shrewd Businessman_1

Chapter 14 -014: Shrewd Businessman_1

The County Chief was sweating bullets, he, a small official like a sesame seed, how could he dare to offend the Royal Envoy? How was he to explain such a scandal in the presence of the Royal Envoy?

“Sir, the subordinate is also a victim, the main cause was the horse being startled. If not for that, even if you loaned me ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare to disturb the common people so easily.”

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But Sir Xu remained unmoved, “You, a heartless official, bringing disaster to the people, using your power to oppress them, are unfit to be a Local County Official.”

The County Chief was clearly terrified, having been an official for many years, he thought himself to be as slick as they come, yet he never imagined that he would fall from grace today! The County Chief quickly started to wail, “Royal Envoy, please spare me, it was a momentary lapse, Sir! I will surely treat the commoners well in the future!”

Sir Xu merely said to a disguised guard beside him, “Qingxuan, take him back to the government office first. I will return later to interrogate him and decide on his punishment, so as not to make a spectacle of ourselves in public.”

“Yes.”

Muniang observed Sir Xu, with a hint of admiration emerging in her eyes. If it weren’t for his intervention today, things would have definitely spiraled out of control. For the first time, Muniang felt a deep loathing for this feudal society, and a hint of fear. When you are just an ordinary village girl akin to a mere blade of grass, anyone could easily snuff you out.

For the first time, a strong desire surfaced in her mind, she needed to become powerful.

“Wife?” Er Liang’s voice rang in her ear, and only then did Muniang snap back to reality, “Hmm? What is it?”

“Should we perhaps thank him?”

Muniang was about to speak when she noticed Sir Xu heading their way.

Muniang quickly smiled, “We were almost wronged just now, but fortunately, the timely arrival of the Royal Envoy in Chatu Town saved us, sparing us from disaster…”

Muniang said a lot of pleasing words. Although she didn’t feel his appearance was significant enough to change their fate, knowing that everyone appreciates being thanked she generously expressed her gratitude. But as she spoke, Muniang noticed that Sir Xu’s gaze didn’t seem to be focused on her but kept peeking at Er Liang with a strange look.

Muniang’s heart skipped a beat, hoping they hadn’t run into an enemy right away. Er Liang tugged at Muniang’s sleeve, “Wife, let’s go. I’m hungry, and we still have to earn some Silver.”

Sir Xu’s gaze became even stranger at those words, judging from the tone and demeanor, he was really a fool! But his appearance, Sir Xu felt like he had seen him somewhere before, but who could it be?

“This is my husband, somewhat simple-minded. And we live in the countryside, this is his first time in the city, so he is not used to seeing the world, my apologies,” Muniang said with a smile.

Sir Xu hurriedly nodded, “I see.” It must have been his overthinking, just a simple-minded country man, how could he have met him before.

Er Liang found the Royal Envoy rather odd, always staring at him. These looks made him feel especially uncomfortable and he no longer wanted to stay there.

As they watched Sir Xu walk away and the crowd disperse, Muniang checked the ox cart for any damage, relieved that everything was okay, and most importantly, the basket of candied haw still intact.

“Wife, where shall we go now?”

“Let’s just find a random restaurant first.”

The two rushed to a restaurant named “Dongxing Building” on their ox cart. Muniang let Er Liang stay outside to watch the ox cart and hawthorns while she herself went in first, carrying the basket to negotiate. The waiter greeted warmly, “What can I do for you, sir?”

Muniang smiled, “Could you tell me if the shopkeeper is in? I’d like to sell some new dishes.”

The waiter’s expression became immediately strange, but obviously, he was well-trained and didn’t show any disrespect, “Our restaurant’s dishes are the latest in Chatu Town, with specialized chefs developing new items, hence we don’t accept new dishes from outside.”

Muniang knew that the waiter had judged her based on her attire, thinking that her new dishes wouldn’t be worth the time. She was not annoyed and continued, “I have not one new dish, but a series, perhaps even more, and fresher. If possible, I would like to ask the shopkeeper to take a look. If he doesn’t like them, I will leave.”

The waiter was slightly surprised. This woman was clearly from a poor rural household, but her demeanor and poise were that of a well-bred lady, lacking the rudeness of rural women, which caused the waiter to hesitate.

At that moment, the shopkeeper came over: “What’s going on?”

This time, Muniang had learned her lesson and swiftly uncovered the floral cloth on her basket, presenting it to the shopkeeper, “This is some candy I made myself. Please taste a piece or two, shopkeeper, and see if this new product catches your eye.”

The shopkeeper looked at Muniang skeptically, then peered into the basket. He brightened up, his voice filled with surprise, “What is this? The color is so rosy and translucent, it looks like sugar?”

Muniang nodded, closed the floral cloth, and smiled, “Shopkeeper, let’s talk somewhere else.”

It was then that the shopkeeper realized they were at the entrance of the restaurant, where people were coming and going—it was no place for a conversation. He admired the woman’s intellect; had she not presented such a novel item to catch his interest, he wouldn’t have paid her any attention.

“Please,” said the shopkeeper, amiably leading Muniang to a private room inside.

Once they were seated, Muniang took out the candied haw sticks from her basket and handed them to the shopkeeper, “The outside is indeed coated with melted sugar, while the inside contains hawthorn. It’s sweet and sour, neither astringent nor greasy, with just the right texture, especially popular with children. If we could add this to our restaurant’s desserts, it would surely be a hit.”

The shopkeeper tasted one, nodding repeatedly, “Indeed, it’s quite good. Although it’s not a refined delicacy, it’s novel. I’ve truly never tried this sweet and sour flavor before.”

“However,” the shopkeeper’s tone shifted, fixing his gaze on Muniang, “It seems you do not understand the ways of business. You’ve already revealed how to make this, I could simply not buy your idea and make it myself.”

Muniang’s expression remained calm, “And what does the shopkeeper imply by that?”

The shopkeeper suddenly laughed, “I am not a person without integrity, rest assured. I’ll buy your idea. I was merely reminding you, young lady, that in the future when you’re away from home, it’s better to be cautious.”

Muniang smiled as well, “I admire the shopkeeper’s integrity, which is why I’ve decided to partner with you.”

The shopkeeper was momentarily confused. Wasn’t that obvious? Now that he knew how to make the dessert, who else could she partner with but him?

Muniang’s lips curved slightly, “When I speak of partnership, I’m not just talking about this candied haw. It’s merely one small dish. Even if the shopkeeper took it, it wouldn’t matter much. The real partnership I’m proposing includes an entire series of dishes that could revolutionize traditional cuisine!”

Only then did the shopkeeper understand. Muniang had deliberately revealed how to make the candied haw to test his character. If he had greedily taken advantage of the situation to steal the method, she naturally would not want to cooperate with someone dishonest. He had underestimated this rural woman after all.