His mind was a mess, yet Xue Fenglin suddenly spoke, "Since you've decided to open a shop, you're planning to stay in the capital long-term. In that case, there's no need to rush the annulment of the engagement."
"Ah?" Shen Xuan was startled, looking at Xue Fenglin. He even forgot to cough, unsure how to respond for a moment.
After coming to the capital this time, Shen Xuan's state of mind was different from when he was in Lezhou.
Originally, he was fed up with being entangled in the political struggles between these aristocratic families and intended to flee the capital and go far away as soon as he found an opportunity.
But after he discovered that the Marquis's Young Master was Xue Fenglin, Shen Xuan felt that his situation was difficult.
If he simply left, he would be free, but what about Xue Fenglin? If his fiancé disappeared right after arriving in the capital, would Lady Bai use it as an excuse to attack him? Would it put him in an unjust position?
Thinking of this, Shen Xuan felt that he couldn't leave yet. That's why, after moving out of the Marquis's residence, he didn't escape overnight and instead began to ponder doing business in the capital.
He thought for a moment, then organized his words and said, "Lady Ye came to me last time and told me about your situation. I know that you are not in control of your own circumstances within the Marquis's residence. Either way, it's just helping you put on a show. Anyway, I don't want to marry, so there's certainly no rush for the time being."
Xue Fenglin listened, gave Shen Xuan a deep look, and then said, "Accompanying me to put on this act in the capital isn't that easy. The capital isn't like Yunshui Village. Everyone here has ulterior motives. I thought you were the one who hated pretending the most."
"I really do dislike it," Shen Xuan sighed helplessly. "But what can I do? You're The Shizi. Since I know you're in a difficult situation, I can't just leave you to fend for yourself, can I?"
These words immediately touched Xue Fenglin's heart, warming him and bringing an irrepressible hint of joy to his lips and brows.
His gaze lingered fondly on Shen Xuan's face for a few turns, then suddenly changed the topic, "What if I truly can't resolve the engagement? You wouldn't blame me, would you?"
Shen Xuan only felt that Xue Fenglin's gaze made his scalp tingle, and even his ears turned red. He quickly lowered his eyes.
He secretly thought to himself, Xue Fenglin said last time that I didn't need to worry and just wait for him to solve it. So, he was just giving empty promises!
However, he didn't blame the other party for this. He just thought for a moment and then said, "The boat will naturally straighten when it reaches the bridge. Even if things unsolvable now doesn't mean no solutions later. I believe there will always be a solution."
Xue Fenglin didn't say anything more this time, just smiled and served Shen Xuan another bowl of soup, his mood seeming to improve further.
This time, due to restrictions, the two did not drink alcohol, and the meal was eaten quickly.
In the afternoon, Xue Fenglin still had to attend classes at the Imperial Academy, so he bid farewell to Shen Xuan after the meal.
He also took the piece of paper he had written on, saying that he would find someone to make the signboard and send it to Shen Xuan, telling him not to worry.
After Xue Fenglin left, Shen Xuan breathed a long sigh of relief.
Compared to when they were in Yunshui Village, Xue Fenglin seemed to treat him somewhat differently, being excessively attentive.
Subtly, Shen Xuan felt that Xue Fenglin treated him in an unusual way. As for the life-saving grace, it could be repaid with money and land; there was no need to be so meticulous.
But Shen Xuan didn't dare to ask proactively, and Xue Fenglin never made it clear. Their interactions thus became a somewhat sticky, ambiguous state...
On the way home, Shen Xuan sat in the carriage, still recalling the details of his time with Xue Fenglin in the private room at noon.
Suddenly, he heard Jin Gui say, "Shen Ger, do you like The Shizi very much? Your smile hasn't left your face since you met The Shizi."
Shen Xuan was startled and quickly reached up to touch the corners of his mouth. Only then did he realize that he had been smiling the whole way from Guiyun Tower, and a chill immediately ran down his spine.
"Beauty truly leads one astray!" He was almost led astray! Shen Xuan exclaimed in his heart, "Xue family's Marquis residence is not a good place, let alone with the Ye family behind them! Shen Xuan, don't lose your head!"
He composed himself, no longer thinking about Xue Fenglin. He returned home with a stern face all the way.
Jin Gui didn't know why Shen Xuan's expression suddenly changed. He thought he had said something wrong and didn't dare to make another sound afterward. Fortunately, Shen Xuan didn't say anything more until they returned home.
Jin Gui felt that it shouldn't be a big deal and that he wouldn't be held accountable by Shen Xuan, which finally made him breathe a sigh of relief...
***
Three days later, Xue Fenglin indeed sent Wuxin with the finished signboard.
The signboard had black characters on a gold background and was very impressive. Shen Xuan liked it and quickly took it to the shop entrance to hang it up. He then chose the nearest auspicious day to open.
During these days, with nothing much to do, he had already purchased all the necessary items for the shop.
He first taught Qing Kang and Qing Ping how to use the prepared batter for fried chicken and how to make spicy skewers. Seeing them quickly pick it up, he then trained Sheng Fu and Sheng Cai to be responsible for purchasing, collecting money, and selling goods.
Shen Xuan bought a mule cart for getting supplies and specially made two sets of identical uniforms for his four employees to change into.
Uniform attire was not only clean and neat but also had the four large characters "戏园仙味" (Xiyuan Xianwei) embroidered on the back, serving as a live advertisement for the shop.
On the first day of the shop's opening, Shen Xuan hired an agent to arrange for a band to play at the entrance and lit a string of a thousand firecrackers, attracting many passersby to watch.
As soon as the auspicious hour arrived, the shop officially opened. Qing Kang and Qing Ping put the first batch of fried chicken and spicy skewers into the pot, while Sheng Fu and Sheng Cai were responsible for calling out sales at the counter.
In less than half an incense stick's time, a rich aroma wafted from the shop, making the mouths of the onlookers water.
"What is this smell? It's too fragrant!"
"I've never smelled such a rich aroma before. I wonder what this food tastes like?"
"Xiyuan Xianwei? The name is unique. I wonder what exactly the shop sells?"
...
At this point, Sheng Fu and Sheng Cai began to loudly call out, "Crispy fried chicken, crispy fried chicken with tender meat! Eighty wen each!"
"Spicy skewers~ Fragrant and spicy skewers. Meat skewers are ten wen each, and vegetable skewers are ten wen for two!"
"New shop opening, spend over one hundred wen today and get a free cup of sour plum juice!"
Prices on Zhijin Street were higher, so Shen Xuan naturally wouldn't sell for less than others.
A roasted chicken in the capital cost eighty wen, and Shen Xuan sold his for the same price. As for the spicy skewers, at a price of ten wen for a meat skewer and five wen for a vegetable skewer, it was about right.
The first batch of fried chicken and skewers quickly came out of the pot. Qing Ping and Qing Kang placed the items in the draining basket in front of the counter.
Shen Xuan had Qing Ping wrap one fried chicken and over ten skewers in a food box and sent it with Jin Zhi to the Imperial Academy.
On the first day of the new shop's opening, he definitely wanted Xue Fenglin to have a taste.
At this moment, he looked at the shop entrance and saw that a long queue of people had already formed to buy things.
One fried chicken cost eighty wen. Most customers, after buying one chicken, would then spend an additional twenty wen on spicy skewers for the free cup of sour plum juice.
Qing Kang and Qing Ping were busy, one putting the second batch of ingredients into the pot, and the other chopping chicken for guests who needed it cut.
Sheng Cai collected the money, and Sheng Fu would wrap the chopped fried chicken and skewers in oil paper and hand them to the customers.
The opera house on Zhijin Street usually opened at noon because it operated until night.
Today, it was only chenshi (7-9 AM), and Boss Qin of the opera house was awakened by an enticing aroma.
The aroma was truly dominant, wafting from the street all the way to the back room of the opera house.
Boss Qin had just woken up and hadn't had breakfast yet. The rich scent of oil made his mouth water.
He couldn't help but quickly get dressed, wanting to go out and see what was so fragrant outside.
Opening the side door next to the opera house and stepping out, Boss Qin discovered that a new shop had opened diagonally opposite the opera house at some point.
The three-meters-wide shop front was clean and tidy, and a long queue had formed outside. And that enticing aroma was coming from inside the shop!
"Shunzi, go see what they're selling?" Boss Qin called out, and a young errand boy from the opera house quickly scurried over to investigate.
After a short while, Shunzi returned and said to Boss Qin, "Boss, it's fried chicken and something called 'spicy skewers.' It's a hundred wen and comes with free sour plum juice. It smells really good."
Chicken could be fried and eaten? And what were those spicy skewers? Boss Qin found it a bit novel.
Roasted chicken was what was usually sold in the capital. This fried chicken used a lot of oil, no wonder it smelled so fragrant.
He gave Shunzi a hundred copper coins and asked him to buy him a portion. Shunzi immediately ran to the end of the line to queue up.
Today was just the opening, and the queue had already stretched over ten feet long.
Mainly, the items sold in Shen Xuan's shop were too fragrant and something everyone hadn't tasted before. Whether it was people joining in for the excitement or those with cravings, there were many, so the business was booming right from the start.
After a good while, Shunzi finally returned to the opera house carrying a paper bag.
Boss Qin opened the oil-paper package containing the fried chicken. Inside was a pork skewer, a winter melon skewer, and a potato skewer. There was also a cup of sour plum juice served in a bamboo tube.
Shunzi said the bamboo tube was given by the shop and didn't need to be returned after drinking. The shop assistants said each cup was used only once, making it more clean and hygienic.
"The things in this shop are fresh and clean," Shunzi began to chatter excitedly. "When I went to buy something just now, I could see the kitchen inside from outside the counter."
"The chicken and vegetables on the chopping board are fresh, not spoiled or rotten. The assistant said the oil in the pot is changed twice a day and won't be used after it's old."
"This owner is certainly generous," Boss Qin couldn't help but remark.
Although he ran an opera house, living on Zhijin Street meant he was well aware of the hygiene conditions in the kitchens of these restaurants.
Aside from the most expensive few restaurants, which common eatery wouldn't skimp on ingredients to save costs?
This was also why he usually only went to high-end restaurants. He had always been a bit distrustful of those street-side eateries.
He grabbed a fried chicken leg and took a bite. A crispy sensation immediately burst in his mouth. With another bite, the chicken meat inside was tender and juicy.
Boss Qin's eyes widened. He looked at the chicken leg in his hand and finished the rest of the meat in a few bites.
This chicken was really well made! He couldn't help but grab another chicken leg and eat it.
In a short while, he had eaten more than half of one fried chicken. Seeing that only the neck and a few pieces of meat from the back were left, he threw it to Shunzi, telling him to eat the rest.
Shunzi had already been drooling from craving on the side and devoured the remaining fried chicken in a whirlwind.
Then Boss Qin picked up the pork skewer from the oil paper package, brought it to his nose, and sniffed, "This skewer seems spicy?"
Boss Qin wasn't very good with spicy food, but the spicy skewers smelled really fragrant. After thinking for a moment, he decided to try one first and then share the remaining two vegetable skewers with Shunzi.
Unexpectedly, after Boss Qin took one bite of the meat skewer, he couldn't stop. He directly ate the skewers while gulping down the sour plum juice next to him to relieve the spiciness.
In a short while, that meat skewer was completely gone, and two vegetable skewers remained. Boss Qin thought for a moment and finally gave up the idea of leaving two skewers for Shunzi, grabbing them and eating them directly.
Shunzi finished off the fried chicken and sat nearby, watching Boss Qin eat skewers, his eyes filled with envy.
He still didn't know what the spicy skewers tasted like, and they were already all gone!
However, he was a servant bought by Boss Qin; he dared not comment on his master's actions and could only sit silently.
He thought to himself that later, when he had nothing to do, he would go buy two spicy skewers to eat on his own. He absolutely had to know what this thing tasted like today!
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