Lu Yanlai's eyes were brimming with smiles as she stepped in first.
Ye Zhinan followed behind, looking like a junior attendant as she watched the two exchange greetings.
"Our stall opened today. We've brought some marinated snacks for you to try as a token of our gratitude for your previous support."
Saying so, Lu Yanlai gave Ye Zhinan a look, and she immediately placed the marinated snacks on the table.
Su Daqiang's eyes casually swept over Ye Zhinan. The inquisitive look in his eyes quickly turned into a smile.
"Thank you, young man. If you don't mind, come in and have a cup of tea!"
Su Daqiang poured out the tea in the teapot and brewed a new one. His movements were smooth and practiced. One could easily believe he was a tea connoisseur.
Ye Zhinan took a sip of the tea handed to her and was shocked.
This wasn't tea from the Northern Border, nor was it from the Liang Kingdom.
She tried to observe Su Daqiang subtly, but to her surprise, he was staring at her and smiling as he asked,
"Young man, how do you like this tea?"
Ye Zhinan quickly concealed the look in her eyes and pretended to be clueless.
"I'm a rough person and don't understand much about tea. But it does taste quite sweet."
"Boss Su, my young friend is straightforward and not good with words. Please don't mind."
Lu Yanlai quickly flashed a charming smile, trying to cover up Ye Zhinan's awkward comment about the tea being sweet.
Su Daqiang was quite forthright. He burst out laughing and drank the tea in one gulp.
"This young man truly knows how to appreciate tea. This tea does leave a sweet aftertaste in the mouth. Here, take this packet of tea. Consider it a gift for making your acquaintance."
Ye Zhinan suddenly found a large packet of tea leaves in her hand. Before she could react, Su Daqiang spoke again.
"How's your rabbit head business going?"
"Ah, well~"
Lu Yanlai looked embarrassed and said sheepishly,
"To be honest, not very well. People seem to have a hard time accepting eating animal heads."
Su Daqiang didn't seem to mind. He picked up a rabbit head and took a bite, not caring about his image in front of outsiders.
"The taste is great. The brains and eyes are soft and melt in your mouth. It would be even better with a pot of strong liquor."
Ye Zhinan and Lu Yanlai looked at each other in disbelief.
"I'll bring more next time if you like it."
Ye Zhinan pointed at the packet of marinated snacks. "Could you give us some suggestions? We'd like to hear what customers think."
Su Daqiang took a final bite, wiped the red oil from his mouth, and waved his hand.
"No suggestions!"
The two looked at each other again.
"Look at the shops on this street. They're either butchers or taverns. The only thing that keeps them going in this cold Northern Border is one thing."
"Taste!"
Ye Zhinan couldn't help but blurt out.
Su Daqiang's eyes flashed with appreciation.
"Exactly! Food is the paramount necessity of the people. No matter how tough life is, people still need to eat. So as long as it tastes good, there will be customers."
Ye Zhinan looked at Su Daqiang with her clear eyes. "May I make an impertinent request?"
"Speak."
As he spoke, Su Daqiang had already finished all the marinated snacks and still seemed to want more.
"Could we put some of our rabbit heads in your shop? They can be whole or shredded for people to try."
After Ye Zhinan finished speaking, Su Daqiang didn't reply immediately. Just when Lu Yanlai and Ye Zhinan thought he would refuse, he slapped the table.
"Great idea!"
The two looked at each other again.
This Boss Su was truly a "generous" person.
"I can also introduce you to the owners of the taverns on this street. Who wouldn't want something for free? Hahaha!"
After Su Daqiang finished laughing, his expression suddenly turned serious. "But I'll have to raise the price for the rabbit heads you supply me."
"Naturally! We can also keep sending you new products for a trial."
The agreement was reached, and Ye Zhinan and Lu Yanlai walked towards the town gate with ease.
"Boss Su is really an interesting person. He doesn't seem like a butcher at all. Do you think he noticed you're a girl?"
"I don't know if he noticed I'm a girl, but he definitely didn't treat me like a mere junior clerk."
Ye Zhinan waved at Sister Hong in the distance. Before running over, she whispered to Lu Yanlai, "Be careful of Boss Su."
Lu Yanlai stared blankly at Ye Zhinan's retreating back. She didn't even notice Li Feilong approaching.
"How did the negotiation go?"
Lu Yanlai was startled, but as soon as she saw Li Feilong, she immediately flashed a charming smile.
"As long as my sister is around, you can rest assured!"
Saying so, her expression turned solemn.
"How's your business with Constable Qin going?"
A confident look flashed in Li Feilong's eyes.
"As long as Constable Qin is around, you can rest assured!"
Saying so, the two looked at each other and smiled.
The next day, the rabbit heads were successfully placed in other taverns.
As more people learned about them, more and more brave souls tried them. The business of the marinated snack stall got better and better, gradually returning to its former glory.
When Lu Yanlai came to report the accounts, she was extremely excited. She pointed at a bunch of numbers and rambled on.
Which tavern had restocked, which butcher had recommended customers, and which shop's business had improved because of their marinated snacks.
As time went by, not only did their marinated snacks sell well, but they also helped some shops with poor business.
"I never knew doing business could be so fulfilling!"
Lu Yanlai's eyes sparkled. Even the little tiger in her arms seemed to have gained two pounds of weight.
Ye Zhinan stroked the little tiger's head and stuffed a peeled sweet potato into the child's hand.
"When the soybeans and corn I planted are harvested, we can make soy milk and corn juice. Selling them together will be even better."
Hearing this, Lu Yanlai's eyes lit up. Just as she was about to ask, the little tiger beat her to it.
"Xiaohu wants to drink soy milk. Xiaohu wants to drink corn juice."
Seeing the child's excited expression, the two looked at each other and smiled.
"Sister, you always have so many new ideas. If we have soybeans, we can also make tofu. I miss the bean curd jelly from my hometown so much!"
Ye Zhinan had never heard Lu Yanlai talk about her hometown before. This was the first time.
A ray of sunlight shone in, and Lu Yanlai's eyes glistened. Ye Zhinan felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
"Then we'll make bean curd jelly. I'll definitely make it taste like the one from your hometown."
"Really? You can make it?"
A look of surprise flashed in Lu Yanlai's eyes. "The bean curd jelly from my hometown is sweet!"
Ye Zhinan was from the capital, in the opposite direction from Lu Yanlai's hometown. Naturally, their tastes were quite different.
But seeing Ye Zhinan nod firmly, Lu Yanlai was overjoyed.
"All that's left now is a plot of land."
Just as she finished speaking, Ye Yingfeng walked in with a worried look on his face.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
Ye Yingfeng saw the two beaming with joy. He hid his worries and waved his hand.
"It's okay. I'm just tired."
"Brother!"
Ye Zhinan stood up and blocked his way.