Chapter 19: How Could This Be the Same?

After settling the cooperation with his uncle, Xu Mo returned to the Delicacy Pavilion.

It was already past the hour of Shen—after three in the afternoon. Strangely, the Delicacy Pavilion remained bustling with guests; more than half the tables were occupied. At such an hour, this was truly extraordinary. On the same street, the other taverns had long since emptied.

Xu Mo walked up to the counter for a look. Luo Wannian was behind it, absorbed in his accounts, oblivious to Xu Mo’s arrival.

“Busy, Shopkeeper Luo?” Xu Mo greeted him.

Luo Wannian looked up and, seeing Xu Mo, immediately broke into a smile. “Oh, Mr. Xu! You’ve returned!”

Just yesterday, Luo Wannian had regarded Xu Mo with disdain, but now his attitude had entirely changed.

Xu Mo glanced at the abacus before Luo Wannian and asked with a smile, “How’s business today, Shopkeeper Luo?”

“Mr. Xu, what you said was more than right—it’s excellent!” Luo Wannian replied, his face alight with excitement. “Mr. Xu, your suggestions were simply brilliant! Let me tell you, ever since the Delicacy Pavilion opened, none of us have ever been this busy…”

Xu Mo laughed. “Shopkeeper Luo, you’d best prepare yourself mentally. If all goes well, we’ll be busy like this for the whole next month.”

Luo Wannian nodded eagerly. “Busy is good! Busy is good!”

Xu Mo asked, “By the way, Shopkeeper Luo, where is Young Master Ning?”

Just as Luo Wannian was about to point upstairs, Ning Yongqiang appeared on the staircase, descending.

“Mr. Xu, you’re back!” Ning Yongqiang called out, raising a hand to greet him.

Xu Mo went up to meet him, immediately inquiring about the business during his absence, as well as whether there were enough hands in the kitchen and if the storeroom’s supplies were adequate.

Once he was certain all was in order, Xu Mo nodded. “For the next few days, let’s stick to today’s model. When the flow of customers obviously drops, we’ll switch our marketing strategy at once!”

“Mr. Xu, I’ll follow your lead!” Ning Yongqiang nodded vigorously, his tone full of certainty.

Today’s fiery opening had filled Ning Yongqiang with confidence. He now firmly believed that, as long as he continued to follow Xu Mo’s advice, even though he’d already lost two months to Wang Shunyang’s Splendor Pavilion, he could still turn the tide!

“Mr. Xu, why not come to my room for some tea?” Ning Yongqiang invited.

Xu Mo was a bit thirsty after his walk, so he followed Ning Yongqiang upstairs.

As they ascended, a thought struck Xu Mo. “Young Master Ning, your wager with Wang Shunyang is about which tavern earns more in three months. But how are the accounts handled? Surely it can’t just be each side declaring their own earnings?”

---

Ning Yongqiang explained at once, “Oh, that’s simple. We’ve asked the eldest son of the Li family to arbitrate. Every evening after closing, his people come to both taverns to check the accounts. They record the daily takings and profits, and after three months, they’ll tally everything up and announce the result!”

He continued, “Of course, if anyone is caught falsifying accounts during this time, they’ll be declared the loser and forfeit the wager immediately!”

Xu Mo nodded in understanding, then asked, “Young Master Ning, who is this eldest son of the Li family?”

Ning Yongqiang was surprised. “Mr. Xu, you don’t know him? He’s the eldest grandson of the late Lord Li—Li Changsi.”

Xu Mo shook his head blankly; he had no impression of this man at all.

Seeing this, Ning Yongqiang hurried to introduce him.

The late Lord Li had been a fourth-rank official of the imperial court, and Li Changsi was the grandchild he valued most. Ning Yongqiang told Xu Mo that Li Changsi was upright but not rigid, diligent, and learned, earning the respect and trust of all the young gentlemen in town, including Ning Yongqiang and Wang Shunyang.

His humility and wide circle of friends made him the unanimous choice as arbiter for this wager.

As Ning Yongqiang finished introducing Li Changsi, he ushered Xu Mo into his room.

“Mr. Xu, when the chance comes, I’ll be sure to introduce you to Master Li. I’m sure you’ll get along well!” Ning Yongqiang said with a smile.

Xu Mo smiled back. “Is that so? Then I’ll thank you in advance, Young Master Ning.”

Ning Yongqiang laughed. “Oh, don’t be so polite with me!”

In this moment, Ning Yongqiang seemed like Xu Mo’s old friend, loyal and true.

---

Shortly after nightfall, inside the Splendor Pavilion.

In a private room upstairs, a handsome young man in white frowned, his face unusually grave.

This was Wang Shunyang, the eldest son of the famous merchant Master Wang of Xinzhu City.

He was not alone; a middle-aged man in steward’s attire stood before him.

The steward bowed, head lowered, reporting the Delicacy Pavilion’s overwhelming crowd.

Wang Shunyang had thought his own Splendor Pavilion had done well today, but hearing the Delicacy Pavilion had been packed to the brim unsettled him.

“How could this happen?” Wang Shunyang demanded.

The steward replied, “Young master, the Delicacy Pavilion held a dart-throwing challenge for discounts. Each guest could throw three darts, and the lowest discount hit counted…”

He quickly explained the rules and described the guests’ enthusiastic response.

---

Wang Shunyang was astonished. “How strange! I never knew that Ning Yongqiang had such clever ideas!”

The steward pondered, then couldn’t help but say, “Young master, I think their dart game is quite ingenious. Should we try something similar…?”

“What are you talking about?” Wang Shunyang cut him off, shouting. “Are you out of your mind? Me, copying Ning Yongqiang? Is that even possible?”

The steward, seeing the young master’s anger, dared not speak further.

Wang Shunyang drank some tea to calm himself. “Anything else? Go on…”

The steward nodded quickly and continued, “Young master, I’ve also heard the Delicacy Pavilion invented a cooking method called ‘stir-fry’. The dishes made this way are especially fragrant and delicious—all who’ve tasted them praise them highly!”

“Stir-fry?” Wang Shunyang frowned, puzzled. “What is stir-fry?”

The steward replied, “They say they use a big iron wok, and dishes cooked in it are all called stir-fried.”

“Iron wok? Is food cooked in an iron wok really that tasty?” Wang Shunyang was utterly perplexed.

The steward thought for a moment, then nodded. “It must be delicious. Our staff asked departing guests, and the universal favorites are chive and egg stir-fry, cucumber and egg stir-fry, and mushroom and egg stir-fry…”

Wang Shunyang was baffled. “That’s odd… Why are they all egg stir-fries?”

The steward thought quickly and replied, “Young master, I believe the Delicacy Pavilion is doing this on purpose!”

“Oh? How so?” Wang Shunyang asked.

The steward spoke as if it were a great secret. “Think about it—all the guests have only tasted something-or-other stir-fried with egg, so they’ll quickly remember the word ‘stir-fry’. They want to leave a deep impression of stir-fried dishes!”

Wang Shunyang pondered this and nodded slowly. “Hmm! Now that you mention it, that does make some sense!”

Neither Wang Shunyang nor the steward could have guessed that only egg stir-fries were served because Xu Mo hadn’t taught any other stir-fry recipes.

Wang Shunyang paced back and forth for a while, then suddenly turned to the steward. “Find out at once which blacksmith made their iron wok…”

“If Ning Yongqiang can use an iron wok for stir-fry, then so can we!” Wang Shunyang was determined not to be outdone.

The steward, bewildered, blurted, “Young master, didn’t you just say we shouldn’t copy them? Why…”

“Fool!” Wang Shunyang roared in anger. “The dart game is out in the open, watched by hundreds of eyes; the wok is inside the kitchen, known only to us. How can they be the same?”