Chapter 187: If Things Aren’t Done Right, It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault
Chapter 187: Chapter 187: If Things Aren’t Done Right, It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault
Shen Lu didn’t have any strong feelings about it.
Regarding collecting materials, she’d never said it was an exclusive job for anyone. She just wanted to give a little perk to people she knew and got along with.
She had too many headaches to deal with right now and was stretched thin. Besides, upgrading her cookware wasn’t something that could be done quickly, so she’d put it on the back burner and hadn’t advertised it widely.
"I can do that, but my prices won’t be very high. And I only want high-quality stuff. I won’t take anything subpar."
She laid out the harsh terms upfront to avoid any ugly disputes later.
"No problem! I’ll be sure to pick them carefully." Fang Ming was thrilled. He bowed deeply to Shen Lu. "Thank you, Boss Shen! Thank you for giving me this chance!"
After returning from outside the city, Fang Ming had been constantly looking for a suitable job.
But he was only ten years old. Practically no one would hire him, or they’d only take him on as an unpaid apprentice.
Besides, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving his mother at home alone.
For him, being able to go to the junkyard and make money collecting scrap metal was the best and most suitable job possible.
Fang Ming walked out of the shop, overjoyed. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps before he was grabbed by Brother Chicken’s men and dragged into an alley.
Brother Chicken snatched the takeout food from his hand and stared Fang Ming up and down.
"What did you say to that little wench? Did you tell her we were the ones who sent you to buy food?"
When you were in the game, you had to have some face.
Although Brother Chicken was just an insignificant lackey under Boss Jin, he still cared a lot about his pride in front of outsiders.
He had just caused a scene at Little Deer Cuisine, lost an argument with that wench Shen Lu, and even gotten kicked out.
Now, he was sending someone to her shop for takeout right after. No matter how you looked at it, the act was completely spineless.
The thought of his utter loss of face made Brother Chicken’s temper flare.
"No, I didn’t say anything," Fang Ming explained at just the right moment. "She doesn’t know you sent me to buy the food."
Brother Chicken’s raised palm still came down on the back of Fang Ming’s head. "Can’t you answer a little faster, kid? Dilly-dallying like a girl. Go on, get lost!"
Fang Ming clenched his fists but ultimately left without a word.
Brother Chicken and his men returned to Boss Jin’s villa with the takeout. Jin San had long since grown impatient and was pacing back and forth in the courtyard. When he saw Brother Chicken, he strode over and started yelling right in his face.
"What took you so long to get food? What, did you have to go plant the rice first?"
"Third Brother, don’t be angry! It’s not like we were deliberately slacking off. It was that wench, Shen Lu! She was looking for trouble!"
’When things go wrong, it’s always someone else’s fault.’
With practiced ease, Brother Chicken blamed their delay on Shen Lu. Since Jin San hated Shen Lu anyway and wouldn’t go confront her, couldn’t he just make up whatever he wanted?
Brother Chicken embellished the story, painting himself as an upstanding and righteous man, while Shen Lu was a sharp-tongued, treacherous merchant, and the fickle onlookers were just a bunch of brainless idiots.
"It’s true! She used subpar ingredients. Just lowering the price isn’t enough. Giving it away for free would be the only sincere thing to do."
"That damn wench is too quick-witted, and I’m a clumsy speaker. I couldn’t win an argument against her."
Jin San sat down at the small round table in the courtyard and opened the food container. He glanced at the dishes; they certainly weren’t as exquisite or appealing as before.
"Hah. ’Mutant beasts attacking the planting base’... that’s just an excuse to fool these clueless idiots."
Jin San took a bite of the food, and his expression instantly froze.
He frowned and took several more bites, finally confirming that what he felt was not a mistake.
"FUCK!" Jin San flipped the food container. "That bitch Shen Lu tampered with the food!"
"Huh?!" Brother Chicken and the others were stunned. They scrambled to surround Jin San. "Third Brother, don’t scare us! Come on, let’s go to the hospital right now! The doctors can definitely save you!"
Jin San impatiently shoved them away. "What are you doing? Why go to the hospital?"
"Didn’t you say the food was tampered with?"
"Idiots!" Jin San cursed, spraying spittle all over Brother Chicken’s face. "Shen Lu changed the ingredients! This food doesn’t have the effect of soothing the Spiritual Sea anymore!"
Realization dawned on Jin San. "So that’s why she changed ingredients for no reason. That wench is cunning! She used good stuff to attract customers first, and now that her customer base is stable, she’s secretly swapping them out."
"Huh?!" Brother Chicken and the others looked at each other in confusion. They weren’t Superpower Users, so they couldn’t feel any effect on their Spiritual Sea, whether the ingredients were changed or not.
But they could still understand Jin San’s logic. After all, Boss Jin did this kind of thing all the time.
When a business first opened, he’d use the best of everything.
Good food, the most beautiful hostesses, service so attentive you’d think they were serving their own parents.
Once the business was established, the quality of the food would be downgraded, the hostesses would be swapped for a different batch, and the service would lose its respectful edge.
Of course, this was only for regular customers. As long as you paid enough, you could still enjoy the same level of service as before.
Jin San couldn’t sit still. He asked for Boss Jin’s location and immediately headed over.
Boss Jin was inspecting one of his clubs. Two new girls were sitting on either side of him, their demeanor green and their movements stiff.
"Boss, the girls just arrived. They don’t really know the rules yet. Don’t you worry, I’ll train them for a couple of days, and they’ll be sensible for sure," said the madam sitting nearby, smiling as she fanned herself with a small scented fan.
"No rush." Boss Jin leaned back on the sofa, his hand brazenly wandering over a girl’s leg. "Some clients like this type. Don’t let them make an appearance just yet. I’ll have an arrangement for them in a couple of days."
"Alright, I understand."
Jin San shoved the private room door open and barged in recklessly.
"Third Brother, what brings you here?"
Boss Jin didn’t get angry at his younger brother’s brashness. He just smiled, beckoned him over, and gestured for him to sit down and have some fun.
Jin San had never been interested in women, and especially now that he had important business to discuss with Boss Jin, he wasn’t even in the mood to pretend.
"Brother, tell them to get out. I have something to tell you."
Seeing his brother’s serious expression, Boss Jin sensed something was up. He waved his hand, signaling the madam to lead all the irrelevant people out.
Only Boss Jin, Jin San, and Brother Chicken’s group were left in the private room.
"What is it? Go ahead."
Jin San recounted the day’s events. "Brother, didn’t you arrange for someone to successfully infiltrate Little Deer Cuisine? How come we haven’t heard a single thing?"
Boss Jin lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and glanced at Brother Chicken. "You guys make a trip. Go bring over the one surnamed Luo."
Brother Chicken bowed and scraped his way out. Twenty minutes later, he returned, having dragged a bloodshot-eyed Master Luo out of their own casino.
Once away from the casino, Master Luo’s feverish head began to clear. He couldn’t help but shudder when he saw Boss Jin.