Ye Zi’an knew about the situation in the third branch of the family. Yang Dachuan could deliver goods on normal days, but when it came to matters of money, Dachuan’s honest nature wasn’t suitable.
"Let me go with you to town tomorrow, and bring your mini crossbows and sleeve arrows with you," Ye Zi’an suggested after thinking for a moment.
"Alright, I’ll wait for you at home tomorrow morning. My father has something to do, so he probably won’t be able to join us. Let’s call Uncle Dayong then."
After agreeing with Ye Zi’an, Yang Chuxia got up early the next day to find Yang Dayong and borrowed an ox cart from Land Officer Yang’s family.
As expected, when they arrived in town, they noticed many young women were missing. Although there were some women still around, they were usually older.
As a result, they didn’t stop the ox cart, and went straight to the restaurant. At the Refulgence Pavilion, Shopkeeper Li was thrilled to see Yang Chuxia.
"Oh, Miss Yang, I’ve been waiting for you! Lately, people have been clamoring for drunken crabs at my restaurant, and it’s almost been torn down!" Shopkeeper Li wasn’t exaggerating. In fact, he had just sent away a request for more half an hour ago.
"Congratulations, Shopkeeper Li. I suppose business has been great these days."
Shopkeeper Li laughed heartily at her words, "Haha, thanks to you, Miss Yang! I’ve been preselling the drunken crab, and now reservations have been scheduled out for half a month. You mustn’t disappoint me. You have to sell me more, or else I won’t be able to keep my restaurant running."
He had already collected the money, and if the customers didn’t get the food they requested on time, he would be forced to pack up and leave. Some of the people booking reservations were the town’s wealthiest families.
"Don’t worry, Shopkeeper Li. I brought a lot this time, including two jars of the largest crabs, specifically for those wealthy families."
"Really?" Shopkeeper Li laughed cheerfully. "That’s great news! Many customers have complained that the crab’s flavor is amazing, but there isn’t enough meat, so it isn’t satisfying. I thought about asking Zi’an to send you a letter, requesting you to prepare more large crabs."
"Shopkeeper Li, I’ve been considering it as well. However, big crabs are more expensive, and not everyone can afford them. Smaller crabs should suffice for the average customer. The bigger ones can be used for special guests. In the end, they aren’t staple food, so people shouldn’t be eating them all the time."
At that moment, Yang Chuxia remembered that she had recently made drunken shrimp, bean paste, and numbing and spicy shrimp sauce. "Shopkeeper Li, I also made some drunken shrimp out of very large shrimp. There are two other condiments I guarantee will elevate your dishes to a whole new level, definitely surpassing the restaurant across the street."
"Oh?" Shopkeeper Li immediately became excited upon hearing there were new items. "May I know if you brought them today?"
Seeing how eager Shopkeeper Li was, Yang Chuxia smiled. "Don’t be impatient, Shopkeeper Li. The drunken shrimp still needs more time and will be ready alongside the next batch of crabs. As for the two condiments I mentioned, they’ll need even more time, as they won’t develop the right flavor yet. I’m telling you this today to see if you’re still interested in collaborating."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Li nodded eagerly. "Of course, we must continue our collaboration!"