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墨書 Inktalez
Due to the extensive promotion by Fu Jun, the entire capital was abuzz with news of the event, leaving Qing Luan speechless. She had seen flamboyant people before, but never someone so ostentatious. It wasn't as if he was cooking himself; was it really necessary to be that exaggerated? If it were her, she would feel embarrassed.
"Miss, what are you planning to do?" Little Luo asked, noticing that her mistress was completely unfazed despite only having two days left. Qing Luan was leisurely inquiring about Fu Jun's actions, which made Little Luo a bit anxious.
"No rush," Qing Luan replied with an enigmatic smile. Upon hearing that Fu Jun had sent someone to buy a large quantity of vegetables, meat, and noodles, a mischievous grin spread across her face as her fingers intertwined and spun rapidly.
Her mystery piqued the curiosity of Yun Nishang and Yun Yiqing, who insisted on getting an answer from her, leaving Qing Luan feeling exasperated.
With them following her around all day and chattering in her ear, Qing Luan finally surrendered. She revealed that she planned to make handmade noodles and had already found the most famous noodle master in the capital. There was no need for concern; as for the ingredients, that was something she would handle herself.
In her previous life, she had embraced the saying that to win a man's heart, one must first capture his stomach. This had honed her culinary skills, especially since the exceptional man she admired loved noodles. Thus, noodles became her specialty. If time hadn't been so tight, she would have truly considered making them herself.
"Wow, there are so many ingredients!" Yun Nishang and Yun Yiqing were taken aback by the preparations in the kitchen. They had thought Qing Luan wasn't ready but were surprised to find out she had already begun preparations under the guise of Ruyi Tower. "Do you really need that many things just to make noodles?"
"Didn't you say there should be a variety?" Qing Luan teased with a smirk as she looked at them. "Fu Jun will regret adding this detail!" With five thousand years of noodle history behind her, how could he possibly compete? It seemed he was only inviting trouble; hopefully, Fu Jun wouldn't regret it later.
She wasn't worried about any tricks because most of those who came were common folk, and Fu Jun's bribery could only go so far.
In fact, Qing Luan had misjudged this time; Fu Jun felt confident with the support of the Prime Minister's Residence and deemed such antics beneath him. He feared being exposed for using inferior flour and didn't want to be driven out of the capital over something trivial. Moreover, he was confident enough not to feel the need for such underhanded tactics; thus, this competition turned out to be quite fair.
Time flew by quickly, and soon it was time for the competition. The venue was packed with people—children jumping around, elderly folks chasing after them, lovers holding hands—turning the entire capital into a vibrant scene.
On two platforms stood stoves and other tools. Fu Jun had already arrived with his chefs from the palace while Ruyi Tower's team had yet to show up, leading to murmurs among the crowd speculating that Ruyi Tower might be backing out. When Fu Jun first arrived, he introduced several chefs he brought along—Imperial Chefs from the palace—so it was understandable why people thought this way.
"Ruyi Tower's people are here!" someone shouted from within the crowd as Qing Luan walked forward with Yun Yiqing and Yun Nishang leading the way while others followed behind them onto the platform.
"Miss Zhu," Fu Tianlin greeted her upon seeing her.
"The Fu family arrived quite early," Qing Luan replied with a knowing smile before taking her place and instructing others to set down their items as she began to get busy.
"Miss Zhu," Fu Jun said, noticing the busy young girl at the counter. A hint of pride and confidence flashed across his face as he suggested with a smile, "Look, everyone is so happy. Why not raise the stakes a bit?"
"How do we bet?" Qing Luan asked coolly, glancing at him sideways.
"We can let them place bets on who will win. What do you think?" His tone was filled with excitement, as if victory was already assured.
"I have Ruyi Tower and Jade Pavilion. What do you have?" She wasn't foolish; sometimes she just pretended to be clueless.
Fu Jun's expression changed, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "Someone is backing me. If I lose, they'll give you a shop of equal value to Jade Pavilion and Ruyi Tower. How about that?" This was promised by Su Yuanhang, which gave him confidence.
"Lord Bai, did you hear that?" Qing Luan turned to look at the enigmatic Bai Song, asking with a cheerful smile.
"Yes!" Bai Song nodded and after thinking for a moment added, "It's better to have it in writing; otherwise, things can get unclear!"
At Bai Song's request, some additional terms were added, which favored Qing Luan. Once this was settled, Fu Jun announced publicly that bets could be placed… With one statement from Qing Luan, the competition became even more thrilling. She declared that Ruyi Tower would pay five times the bet if it lost… and thus, chaos ensued.
"This woman... truly leaves one speechless," Bai Feiyang said after hesitating for a long time without finding an appropriate adjective, ending with frustration.
"She's clever; she knows how to control the situation," Fu Tianlin remarked coldly with a smirk. "Fu Jun is going to suffer greatly." He was relieved that the Fu Family had not gotten involved in this farce because anyone with sense knew that Fu Jun was being used. Only that fool believed he was on the verge of greatness; even his tone had changed.
Being used as a pawn comes with the understanding that pawns rarely end well.
"Are you going to place a bet?" Seeing the crowd below getting restless made him feel a bit tempted.
"Of course," Fu Tianlin nodded matter-of-factly and then instructed those around him to place a bet of ten thousand taels in support of Zhu Qingluan. The servant looked strange but said nothing further.
Bai Feiyang glanced at him with a mischievous smile. He knew the secret of Tianxiang Restaurant, so he understood why Fu Tianlin was doing this. He feared that if the Fu Family found out, they would be furious enough to spit blood.
"Make sure to place my bet too; your young master will cover it," Bai Feiyang called out to the person turning to leave, smiling as he instructed. After all, it was all about winning; he was just borrowing for now.
"Go ahead," Fu Tianlin nodded without changing his expression.
Qing Luan's one-to-five odds had garnered a lot of support for Fu Jun, and he couldn't help but smile broadly.
The competition was still ongoing, and since the soup took a long time to simmer, no one was in a hurry...
"Come, come, come, have a seat and enjoy some tea," suddenly, someone from Ruyi Tower brought out stools, chairs, and cups, loudly promoting their business, leaving everyone stunned.
"Can she be any more arrogant?" Bai Feiyang was thoroughly conflicted. What was Zhu Qingluan thinking? In such a serious situation, she could still think about making money. Didn't she realize what would happen if she actually lost? (Fu Tianlin hadn't mentioned anything about the Merchant Alliance, so he was unaware.)
"That's quite bold!" Fu Tianlin looked at her with a different expression.
"Fu Jun is going to be furious," Bai Feiyang mocked as he watched Fu Jun hopping around in frustration. "He's regretting missing out on such an opportunity to make money!"
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