latelenovela Chapter 187: A Fortunate Event
Chapter 187: A Fortunate Event
Chapter 187: A Fortunate Event
The restaurant owner sized Ji Meiqing up and down. "Young lady, you probably don't know, but our restaurant has hired one of the most outstanding imperial chefs in the capital. He once..."
"The emperor's chef must be very rich, right?" Ji Meiqing interrupted him with a smile, leaving the small business owner unsure how to respond.
"The imperial chef must be very rich, after all, which official doesn't give tips?" The people around laughed. Ji Meiqing was not in a hurry to expose him. She looked at the table full of dishes and then looked up at Lu Yu.
"What do you think of this place?" she asked.
Lu Yu shook his head. "The wine is alright, but the food is not good."
"The best lamb and beef are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Yours is already burnt, which means the heat wasn't controlled properly. How could a chef who cooks for the emperor make such a simple and basic mistake as controlling the heat?"
“That’s right, this was indeed not made by the imperial chefs.” He admitted this, but did not admit to anything else, and retorted, “You think you can taste the same delicacies as the Emperor? Dream on. If you want to taste the dishes made by the imperial chefs, you must first pay a thousand taels of silver.”
"You're quite adept at extorting money." Lu Yu walked to the table and pulled Ji Meiqing behind him. "I'll handle this."
"Oh, so the pretty boy's showing off? Come on, let everyone have a look..." The young boss clapped his hands.
Lu Yu glanced at the meat on the table and said calmly, "Give me a knife."
The shopkeeper gave him a wink, and someone handed him a knife. Lu Yu skillfully sliced all the meat on the table, each piece so even it looked as if it had been carefully weighed.
The meat had natural patterns on its surface, and it wasn't the golden yellow color of legends; it was just a dark reddish-black. Lu Yu took the meat to the kitchen for a while, and when he came back, he was carrying a plate with neatly arranged pieces of roasted meat.
Lu Yu's own technique, combined with some methods that Ji Meiqing had taught him, made it much simpler.
"Want to try some?" Ji Meiqing took a piece of meat without any hesitation and wolfed it down. He knew his own taste well and piled plenty of seasoning on top.
"Come on, everyone, have a taste." She took the meat and placed it on the table, then invited them to eat.
Looking at the shop owner's extremely unpleasant expression, Ji Meiqing smiled and said, "I'll consider this meal money as feeding the dog. The food here is really beneath the chef's dignity, and we don't even want to stay here anymore."
She was quite straightforward; she pulled Lu Yu along and left.
The shopkeeper slammed his hand on the table, his anger rising at the sight of the scrambling crowd. "Men, go and find out who that young lady is. I'm going to treat them well!"
“That man looks familiar. I heard that a few days ago, a concubine’s daughter from the Ji family got married. Do you think it could be them?”
The young boss frowned. "Could it be them? Go and take a look."
"Yes."
The two returned home, and as soon as they entered the door, the scholar seemed to know they were coming back and immediately ran over.
"I've finished what you asked for. Would you like to go and take a look?"
The scholar completely ignored Lu Yu, who was standing next to him, and got very close to Ji Meiqing. Lu Yu felt a little uncomfortable, so he reached out and pushed her away.
The scholar was physically weak and was pushed away in one go.
"Sorry, my hands are a little itchy."
He appeared upright and honest, so no one could detect anything amiss. The scholar, bewildered and not understanding what he meant, ignored him completely.
"As you said, the wine vessels are ready. Now you can go and take a look."
“Okay, let’s go together then.” Ji Meiqing looked at Lu Yu beside her and asked for his opinion.
Lu Yu agreed without hesitation, and the three of them went to the winery with them. The machine was still in the warehouse, and when the black cloth was lifted, a huge, integrated machine was revealed.
"As you said, we'll use gears for power transmission and steam for power. That's all we'll do. It's a bit simple, but I'll make improvements later."
"Can it be put into use now?" This was what she cared about most. If it could be put into use, it would increase production and make things easier.
The scholar nodded. "It can be used anytime you wish."
"Okay, after the first trial run, we'll move it into production. Then you can make another one exactly the same."
She was quite excited and couldn't wait to find out what would happen.
The results wouldn't be available for a few days, but she wasn't in a hurry. The Ji family, however, seemed anxious; after a few days of relative peace, they came knocking on her door.
Ji Meiqing was sitting in the courtyard sunbathing when someone suddenly knocked on the door. He didn't pay any attention until a group of people stood in front of him.
"This girl doesn't act like a proper young lady!" the newcomer sneered.
Ji Meiqing was somewhat surprised, but seeing that it was someone from the Ji family, she held back for the time being. "It is an honor for Master Ji to come here. Granny Mei, please serve tea."
Master Ji's expression was rather unpleasant as he looked around at the furnishings, only to be disappointed.
"I'm here for no other reason than to tell you to divorce that brat surnamed Lu as soon as possible. Then, when you return to the Ji family, don't cause any more trouble. I'll arrange a better person for you!"
After finishing his speech hastily, Master Ji seemed unwilling to stay any longer. Ji Meiqing was taken aback, looking at Master Ji with great confusion, wondering where he got the confidence to separate them.
"What, didn't you hear me clearly?"
Master Ji glanced at her and repeated himself.
Ji Meiqing then confirmed that she hadn't misheard, and then sneered twice, "Who do you think you are? The patriarch of the Ji family or Boss Ji? I don't remember being your subordinate."
“I’m doing this for your own good! That brat has nothing. Coming back with me will be better than staying here.”
“Go back? Go back to that place where you can’t get enough to eat or wear. Do you think I’m crazy? If you’re here to take a look, I don’t mind. But if you’re here to meddle, you’d better leave now. This isn’t a place for you.”
She was too lazy to give them a nice look anymore. They didn't touch the tea that Granny Mei brought out. Ji Meiqing simply cleaned it up and took it to the kitchen, leaving a large group of people in the yard standing there.
Lu Yu came out of the room and ignored them completely. This made Master Ji even angrier; no one in the courtyard took them seriously.
If it weren't for the industries here, who would be willing to take that good-for-nothing back? Just thinking about them going back in the future makes my face turn pale.