Chapter 448 - 347: Smear Jiang Liu? That’s Too Easy.

Chapter 448: Chapter 347: Smear Jiang Liu? That’s Too Easy.

He even made the last bit rhyme on purpose.

’He felt a secret thrill of delight.’

’Boss Jiang really was his secret weapon.’

???

Share... the taste?

The middle-aged women, who had just gotten their hopes up, suddenly looked frosty.

"You old coot! Can’t you act like a decent human being for once?"

"Just ignore him. All he does is flaunt the fact that Boss Jiang feels indebted to him, showing off every single day."

"I bet it won’t be long before Xiao Jiang gets tired of him."

"Exactly. Look at that smug face of his. Who’d want anything to do with that?"

The women sniped at him passive-aggressively.

Xia Changzhi let out a sound of mock surprise. "My, what’s that sour smell? Are you all green with envy?"

"Get lost!"

"You old bastard!"

"Go to hell!"...

"Haha!"

Xia Changzhi let out a hearty laugh. With his hands clasped behind his back and his head held high, he walked straight into the restaurant under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

"Brother Xia, wait a moment!" Uncle Liu called out to him.

"Oh? Is there something you need, Young Brother Liu?" Xia Changzhi asked, feigning confusion.

That "Young Brother Liu" made Uncle Liu’s cheek twitch.

But for the sake of tasting Boss Jiang’s "once-in-a-century" pop-up private dish,

he swallowed his pride and said, "Brother, when you’re done, could you leave a little for me?"

"Why?" Xia Changzhi continued to feign ignorance. "Are we that close?"

Uncle Liu forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Of course we are! I’m your humble junior, Brother Xia. Our relationship is... hehehe..."

He couldn’t continue.

’He wanted to slap himself. What was he so damn greedy for!’

’He knew exactly what kind of person Xia Changzhi was, didn’t he?’

Xia Changzhi was thoroughly enjoying this. He waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. I’ll leave a few for you. *Sigh*. It seems my connection to Boss Jiang has been discovered again. You’d better not go spreading it around to outsiders!"

"Hehe, don’t worry, Brother... Xia. I won’t say a word."

"It’s fine. It’s your mouth, I can’t stop you from talking if you want to. Anyway, enough chatting. The green beans will be gone if I don’t hurry!"

Xia Changzhi swaggered into the restaurant as if he owned the place.

*

Yu Guoguang picked up one of the alluring, emerald-green dry-fried green beans topped with sesame seeds. He took a bite and fell silent.

Crisp yet tender, savory, salty, and spicy...

All in all,

they were somehow even a cut above the dry-fried green beans he made himself!

"Ahem, Elder Yu, I think compared to your dry-fried green beans, these are still lacking a little something,"

Fang Hongbo said, his words not matching his thoughts after eating several pieces.

But in his heart, he was roaring with praise.

’Delicious!’

’So damn delicious!’

’Boss Jiang is a culinary god!’

Elder Yu sighed and shook his head.

"I’m getting old. You don’t have to console me. When your skills are inferior, they’re inferior. I admit it—Boss Jiang’s boiled fish and dry-fried green beans are truly something special."

Fang Hongbo fought to hold back a smile and gave Elder Yu a graceful way out:

"Well, I think Boss Jiang is the type of master who focuses on perfecting a single dish. But you’re different, Elder Yu. Your breadth of Sichuan cuisine is undeniable. I mean, it’s not like Boss Jiang could make three hundred different dishes all taste this good, right?"

"Forget three hundred! If he can make more than ten dishes this well, I, Fang Hongbo, will eat this table!"

Fang Hongbo declared confidently, pointing at the table.

The surrounding customers shot him sympathetic glances.

It was the first time they’d seen someone dare to challenge the quality of Boss Jiang’s food. All they could think was, ’How naive. So, so naive!’

Yu Guoguang’s expression softened.

"Let’s just eat. I can certainly learn something from these two Sichuan dishes by Boss Jiang. And naturally, when it comes to other Sichuan dishes, he has things he could learn from me, hehe."

"Of course, of course!"

Fang Hongbo stuffed his mouth with beef. Scalding juices burst from the tender fibers of the meat, filling his mouth with the rich, oily aroma of beef!

Rich, but not greasy!

*

7:50 PM.

The renovation and construction team from Huaxia Pharmaceutical entered the first storefront, the one on Zhongyin Road.

The renovation permits had already been fast-tracked,

and the relevant government departments had been notified.

A truck loaded with materials rumbled to a stop in front of the store.

They arrived with imposing momentum.

Supervisors in white shirts and workers in jeans and hard hats milled about, circling the building.

The owner of the pharmacy next door felt his eyelid twitching.

’Isn’t this broad daylight? And on a bustling commercial street, no less?’

’How the hell did they drive that thing in here?’

’Couldn’t they be a little more discreet?’

The neighboring shop owners discussed it in hushed tones.

"Well, I’ve figured it out. The owner of this place is definitely some mysterious big shot!"

"What else could it be? Who else would be so brazen? Look at those construction materials—good heavens, none of that stuff is cheap. The lives of the rich are truly beyond imagination."

"We’d better not get on the wrong side of this shop in the future."...

In the shop across the street.

Li Xiaoyan was cursing up a storm.

"Damn it, a bunch of animals! Are these people insane? Starting construction in broad daylight—how is that not going to affect our business?"

Yang Yixue said helplessly, "That’s enough, Mom. Keep your voice down. What if someone hears you and word gets out?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? I hope they spread it around! I’ll curse that bastard in charge of the construction to death!"

Yang Yixue shook her head.

She stood behind the glass door, holding a cup of coffee, watching the large group of leaders in white shirts across the street.

’She was filled with awe.’

A few days ago, thinking her own shop’s foot traffic was pretty good, she had hired someone to design a renovation plan in a trendy, influencer style.

But who would have known?

Just getting the approval for nighttime construction had been delayed for days,

and there was a mountain of paperwork to follow!

Now, she had the construction team lined up and the materials purchased, but she still couldn’t get the green light to start work.

The official word was: wait your turn!

Therefore,

Yang Yixue understood perfectly well how much power it must have taken for the owner of the shop across the street to start renovations so quickly after buying the place—even being able to work during the day, seemingly at will.

The thought alone made her tremble.

"Mom, we really shouldn’t antagonize the shop across the street. It’s probably not a restaurant."

"Why not? You think I’m afraid of them?"

Li Xiaoyan glanced across the street with disdain, her eyes narrowed.

"You don’t understand." Yang Yixue shook her head. "The owner of that place must be a big shot. Even if he isn’t, he definitely has some terrifyingly powerful connections supporting him."

"In short, we can’t afford to offend them. People like that could casually make a single move against us, and we’d go bankrupt."

Li Xiaoyan’s eyes darted around, and she fell silent, intimidated.

She wasn’t stupid; she understood the situation perfectly.

She could bully nobodies all she wanted, but when faced with a truly powerful person with far-reaching connections, the rule was to either curry favor or steer clear.

Yang Yixue’s thoughts drifted to Jiang Liu again. ’If only he were here.’

’She wouldn’t have to be so exhausted.’

But a moment later, she pushed aside what she considered a worthless thought.

’What good would he be?’

’As if he could possibly stand up to the mysterious owner across the street.’

Just then, a glamorous woman in sunglasses walked in.

She swayed her hips with an exaggerated, theatrical motion, exuding a trashy, provocative air.

Yang Yixue’s face lit up in a pleasant surprise, and she quickly invited the woman to have a seat.

"So, about what we discussed. All you have to do is drop a few nasty rumors about Jiang Liu’s restaurant, and this one hundred thousand is all yours!"

"Just drop a few nasty rumors?"

Feng Jingjing pulled down her sunglasses, asking in astonishment, "That’s it? That sounds too easy. You... don’t have any other requirements?"

...