Chapter 7 The Delicacy Pavilion

Xu Mo’s shouting did not make the carriage stop immediately.

It wasn’t until he called out twice more that Ning Yongqiang finally shouted, “Stop! Stop!”

Before the carriage had even come to a halt, Xu Mo jumped down, following the direction of the voice that had caught his attention.

Ning Yongqiang, full of curiosity, got down as well and asked, “Xu Mo, what are you up to?”

Pointing at the man who was shouting, Xu Mo said, “Young Master Ning, isn’t that one of your men from Delicacies Pavilion? You’d better have him stop yelling!”

“Why?” Ning Yongqiang inquired.

“What on earth is ‘selling off cheap’ supposed to mean?” Xu Mo frowned. “Don’t you think, to onlookers, it sounds as if your Delicacies Pavilion is about to go under, that the owner’s desperate to get his money back and is ready to pack up and run?”

Ning Yongqiang’s face fell at once.

But as he pondered Xu Mo’s words, he realized there was some truth to them, and the more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

“It’s inauspicious, Young Master Ning!” Xu Mo added gravely.

Ning Yongqiang hesitated no longer. He immediately turned to his servant and said, “Go, tell him to stop, right now!”

The servant nodded and hurried off, quickly putting an end to the shouting. The street grew noticeably quieter.

Ning Yongqiang said, “Xu Mo, I just wanted everyone to know that the prices at Delicacies Pavilion have been lowered. That way, maybe we’ll attract more customers.”

“How many days have you had these lower prices? Has it helped?” Xu Mo asked.

Ning Yongqiang shook his head in disappointment, saying nothing.

Xu Mo went on, “That’s the thing, Young Master Ning. Whether customers come or not doesn’t hinge on lowering prices.”

“Then what does it hinge on?” Ning Yongqiang asked.

Xu Mo only smiled and did not reply. Instead, he strode towards the Delicacies Pavilion ahead.

Soon, Xu Mo stopped in front of the two-story restaurant and began to study it.

It had to be said, Ning Yongqiang had put considerable effort into its renovation. The facade was grand and tasteful, leaving little to criticize.

Seeing Xu Mo hesitate at the entrance, Ning Yongqiang asked, “Why aren’t you going in?”

“No rush,” Xu Mo replied, and stood at the door, watching the flow of people.

This was one of the busiest streets in Xinzhou City. Even on ordinary days, the foot traffic was substantial; on market days or festivals, it would be even greater.

To Xu Mo’s eye, the location of Delicacies Pavilion was flawless.

After observing for a while, Xu Mo gestured for Ning Yongqiang to join him inside.

“Good morning, Master.”

“Good morning, Master!”

As soon as they entered, the staff greeted Ning Yongqiang with bows and salutations.

Ning Yongqiang carried himself with an air of arrogance, ignoring his attendants entirely. He simply called out in a loud voice, “Where’s Manager Luo? Has Manager Luo arrived?”

While Ning Yongqiang called for the manager, Xu Mo wandered through the restaurant.

With a single circuit, he could see that the interior—from its furnishings and arrangement to the decorative touches—was all refined and of high quality.

His gaze soon landed on the menu board on the wall.

“Roast lamb, one hundred and fifty copper coins…”

“Fresh river fish, seventy copper coins…”

“Scallion and vinegar chicken, one hundred copper coins…”

As he was reading, Ning Yongqiang’s voice sounded behind him, “Xu Mo, this is Manager Luo Wannian…”

Xu Mo turned to see a man of about fifty, medium height with a roundish face, standing beside Ning Yongqiang.

“Manager Luo, this is the Xu Mo I spoke to you about,” Ning Yongqiang introduced.

Luo Wannian gave Xu Mo a cursory once-over, then cupped his hands in a half-hearted salute, saying, “I didn’t expect Mr. Xu to be so young. Impressive, impressive!”

Though his words were polite, his tone carried no hint of admiration—on the contrary, he seemed rather dismissive.

Xu Mo smiled faintly and returned the gesture. “You’re too kind, Manager Luo.”

Then Xu Mo pointed at the menu. “Young Master Ning, are these the reduced prices?”

“Yes,” Ning Yongqiang replied.

“Restore the original prices,” Xu Mo said.

“Restore the original prices?” Ning Yongqiang was taken aback.

Manager Luo immediately protested, “But… We just lowered them three days ago!”

“No matter when you lowered them. Starting now, restore the original prices.”

With that, Xu Mo added, “The first floor looks fine. I’ll take a look upstairs.”

He didn’t wait for a response and headed for the stairs.

Ning Yongqiang started to follow, but Manager Luo pulled him back.

“Master!”

He dragged Ning Yongqiang aside.

“What is it?” Ning Yongqiang asked, puzzled.

Manager Luo glanced at Xu Mo, who was already halfway up the stairs, then whispered urgently, “Master, why did you really invite that notorious gambler here?”

Before Ning Yongqiang could reply, Luo Wannian pressed on, his tone anxious, “Master, how can you trust anything he says? A man like that would do anything for money!”

Ning Yongqiang frowned and stared at Luo Wannian, his tone sharp. “Manager Luo, if not for the fact that you’re my mother’s relation, do you think you’d still be here?”

“Master, I…”

Ning Yongqiang cut him off, “Manager Luo, do you remember the guarantee you gave me back then?”

“If I, Luo Wannian, take charge, I promise within a month to make Delicacies Pavilion flourish, and that Wang brat will surely lose!” Ning Yongqiang mimicked Luo Wannian’s boast in a mocking tone, making the manager’s face flush with embarrassment.

“Manager Luo, it’s been two months. You’re not blind—you know what business is like at Elegant Wines Restaurant, and you know what business is like here. Don’t tell me you don’t.”

Ning Yongqiang was now angry, jabbing Luo Wannian in the chest for emphasis.

Rubbing his chest, Luo Wannian complained, “But Master, this man is a hopeless gambler! He even gambled away his own wife—how can you possibly think…”

“Enough, I know what you’re going to say!” Ning Yongqiang cut him off again, frowning and lowering his voice. “But I must win. I cannot lose!”

He exhaled heavily, then continued, “Manager Luo, there’s only one month left in my wager with Wang Shunyang. By now, I can’t count on you anymore—can’t you let me place my hopes elsewhere?”

“But Master…” Luo Wannian was still unwilling to give up.

Ning Yongqiang had lost all patience. “If you say one more word, pack your things and get out, immediately!”

Hearing this, Luo Wannian had no choice but to fall silent.

He seethed inwardly, thinking, I’ll see just what tricks this brat can pull—he actually thinks he can turn around a lost cause!

After a while, footsteps thundered down the stairs—Xu Mo came down quickly.

Ning Yongqiang hurried to greet him.

Before he could speak, Xu Mo said, “Young Master Ning, where’s your kitchen? I need to take a look.”

Ning Yongqiang pointed behind the stairs. “Right through there.”

Before long, Xu Mo, Ning Yongqiang, and Luo Wannian entered the kitchen.

There were eight people in the kitchen, but only three were working; the other five were idling in a corner, gossiping and chatting.

The moment Luo Wannian saw this, he roared, “Hey! What are you all doing? Get to work!”

The five were startled and immediately scattered, each hurrying to look busy.

Ning Yongqiang was displeased and shot Luo Wannian a glare.

All five of those idlers had been hired on Luo Wannian’s recommendation—Ning Yongqiang’s look made it clear he blamed him for not managing his own people.

Luo Wannian hastened to explain, “Master, they’re not slacking off. You know there’s only so much work to do each day. Once the work is done, they chat a bit—it doesn’t delay anything…”

“Only so much work?” Ning Yongqiang’s face darkened.

Business at Delicacies Pavilion was already poor, and his anxiety over the wager left him sleepless and unsettled.

Now Luo Wannian had to touch a sore spot—how could Ning Yongqiang not be angry?

Enraged, he raised his hand and pointed. “You, you, you, and you… All of you who were just slacking off—pack your things and get out, now!”