Chapter 53

Cheng Duo stood menacingly at the door. The customers who originally wanted to cause trouble and quietly slip away after ordering their food obediently sat back down.

Of course, they didn't think that the Xie Family Restaurant was taking advantage of its customers because there were many such groups of foreigners who frequently caused trouble at the border of Da Xia. Some of them came with merchant caravans, while others were simply unemployed, relying on extortion for a living.

At this moment, seeing these troublemakers get what they deserved, everyone had a delighted expression on their faces, and some even cheered loudly.

Cheng Duo was a bit speechless. He wasn't an entertainer, so why were these people cheering?

But that didn't stop him from demanding compensation from the leader of the burly men. Those foreign men, unable to win in a fight or with their insults, couldn't even incite the surrounding customers and could only accept their fate.

A group of bruised and battered men scraped together the money, almost taking off their belts. With the employees holding the silver, Cheng Duo turned to the restaurant manager and asked, "Is this enough?"

The manager nodded repeatedly, "It's enough, it's enough."

"Alright, you can leave now." Cheng Duo waved his hand and let them go.

The leader of the foreigners hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't dare to make any threatening remarks before leaving. He was afraid of provoking this star of disaster, who might come back and beat them up again.

That guy's fists were too painful, and he seemed to target the less fleshy parts!

The group of foreigners left dejectedly. Xie Yuan looked at Cheng Duo and suddenly felt fortunate that he had been polite during their first meeting. Otherwise, he might have experienced the taste of Cheng Duo's iron fists as well.

In fact, Xie's family had been in business for generations, and Xie Yuan had been influenced by it since he was young. Coupled with a bit of intuition like a small animal… otherwise, he wouldn't have been so free, inviting someone he just met on the street for a meal.

The restaurant manager was also very surprised. Where did their young master find such an extraordinary person? If they kept him as a retainer in the house, perhaps no one would dare to cause trouble for the Xie Family Restaurant anymore.

Xie Yuan: That's what I want!

If it hadn't been for the previous transaction involving the glass bottles, Xie Yuan felt that he still had a chance, but now he didn't dare to rashly ask. Cheng Duo's background was obviously not simple, and it would be best not to offend him.

Xie Yuan clapped the restaurant manager on the shoulder and said, "What are you standing there for? Have someone clean up a private room to entertain our distinguished guest. Bring out the good wine and food. Brother Cheng is my esteemed guest, and we must treat him well!"

"Yes, yes, Young Master. I'll do that right away…"

Xie Yuan then turned to Cheng Duo and said, "Thank you for what happened earlier. Shall we go inside and talk?"

After saying that, he gestured with a "please" hand motion, showing a much warmer attitude than before. Xie Yuan was a businessman, and speaking and acting in a friendly and amiable manner came naturally to him. At this moment, it had a hint of genuine friendship.

Cheng Duo nodded and didn't insist on who should go first. He walked in without hesitation.

Of course, Xie Yuan didn't forget shopkeeper Sun. He politely said, "Mr. Sun, please."

"Please, please." shopkeeper Sun, wasn't as enthusiastic as Cheng Duo. He kept trying to decline, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He never expected that the hunter he thought had a promising future was actually so formidable. Not only did he effortlessly earn over a thousand taels of silver, but he also took down a group of burly foreigners in the time it takes to finish a cup of tea. This person was probably not just a hunter but a reclusive expert?

In the private room, as the young master personally entertained his guest, the restaurant manager didn't waste any time and urged the kitchen to bring out the restaurant's signature dishes.

The three of them ate and chatted, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

While they were eating, Xie Yuan's father arrived at the restaurant with a group of people. The leader was a middle-aged scholar with a beard, accompanied by the owners of several other restaurants and a group of followers who appeared to be scholars.

Everyone was vying to please the middle-aged scholar, and Xie Yuan's father was no exception. As soon as he arrived, he asked the restaurant manager to prepare the best private room and wanted to entertain his distinguished guest.

The restaurant manager was in a dilemma and took the opportunity to come over and whisper, "Sir, the young master just arrived and is using the private room to entertain guests."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yuan's father immediately wore a relieved expression. "What guests? Are they more important than Mr. Guo?"

Mr. Guo is the legitimate youngest son of former Grand Tutor Guo. Although he currently holds no official position, he is renowned for his literary talent and has even published several collections of poetry and travelogues. If Xie's Restaurant could be mentioned in Mr. Guo's writings, it would be a great honor that would be remembered for generations!

Didn't you see that the owners of the neighboring Piaoxiang Restaurant and Yipinju are here too? It wasn't easy to bring Mr. Guo here, and they couldn't let him be disturbed by their own son.

"Sir, it's like this…" The restaurant manager quickly explained the situation to Xie's father, including the trouble that occurred earlier and how the young master's guest helped resolve it. Xie's father thought Cheng Duo was just a formidable thug and expressed some displeasure, saying, "Go and inform Xie Yuan about Mr. Guo's arrival. If they're almost done eating, quickly prepare a private room. If they haven't finished… let Xie Yuan find a reason, but try not to offend anyone."

Xie's father gave his instructions, unknowingly heard by Huang, the owner of Piaoxiang Restaurant, who immediately shouted, "So, Xie's private room is already occupied, huh? I'm curious to see who is so important that Xie Yuan personally invited them!"

He knew that Mr. Guo despised uncouth warriors, and to avoid tarnishing the impression of Xie's father and son in Mr. Guo's eyes, he walked past the employees and headed straight to the private room.

The other restaurant owners also encouraged Xie Yizhi, and the group of people marched up the stairs. Xie's father, unable to stop them and unable to go ahead to warn his son, could only follow behind with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"Huang, what are you doing here?" Xie Yuan frowned involuntarily when someone barged in without knocking, and it turned out to be Huang, the owner of their neighboring restaurant. He couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"So, this is the esteemed guest you invited, Xie Yuan? May I know who this person is and what his name is?" Huang approached with a false smile, asking directly. If he had a bad temper, he would have already grabbed him by the collar and thrown him out.

But Cheng Duo hadn't finished eating yet, and since it wasn't his territory, he just glanced at Huang and left Xie Yuan to handle it himself.

"Huang, what do you mean? Why do I need your approval for the guests I invite…" Xie Yuan had just stood up when a group of people entered through the door, followed by his father. He was immediately taken aback. "Father?"

The owner of Yipinju said, "We heard that Young Master Xie is hosting guests, so we came out of curiosity to see who can make Young Master Xie turn down Mr. Guo and personally extend an invitation."

Xie's private room was spacious, but having so many people crammed into the same room made Cheng Duo a bit uncomfortable. He lost his appetite and quickly put down his chopsticks.

Xie Yuan hurriedly explained to his father, "Brother Cheng is my friend."

Xie Yuan also sensed that the situation was not good. No matter who they asked to leave, they would inevitably offend one side. He genuinely wanted to befriend Cheng Duo, but his father invited Mr. Guo… Xie Yuan was in a dilemma.

On the other hand, Mr. Guo seemed oblivious to the tension among the group of people. As soon as he entered, he glanced at the wine cups on the table and remarked, "Is this Xie's Pickled Flower Brew?"

He took an empty wine cup, poured some himself, and then held it up, examining and sniffing the wine before taking a sip to taste. In the end, he seemed somewhat disappointed, saying, "Sweet at the beginning, bitter at the end. It's indeed a good wine. However, compared to Huang Ye and Qiu Shuang Bai Lu, it falls short…"

He had heard about Xie's renowned Pickled Flower Brew in the local area, which was the reason he was willing to accompany Xie's father. The persuasion of the others was irrelevant.

"The gentleman speaks rightly. Xie's Pickled Flower Brew is just overhyped and can't compare to our Yuhuan Wine at Yipinju."

"Our Piaoxiang Restaurant's Bamboo Leaf Green is not bad either. Why don't you come over and give it a try, sir?"

As soon as Cheng Duo saw Mr. Guo's connoisseur-like appearance, he had a plan in mind. "I do have a bottle of excellent wine, but I'm afraid this… sir may not be able to afford it."

Previously, he thought that he shouldn't pluck all the wool from a sheep; after all, Xie Yuan had a hard time buying the glass jars. If he pushed the wine out now, it wouldn't fetch a good price.

Now, an opportunity presented itself. Seeing that the other party seemed knowledgeable and a nobleman, he must be wealthy, right?

"Ridiculous! How can Mr. Guo not afford any wine?"

"Don't spout nonsense here, you ignorant fool. This is not the place for you to speak. Offending Mr. Guo, Xie Yuan won't be able to protect you!"

The group of scholars also became excited. "Absurd! Do you think that by provoking, Mr. Guo will drink your wine? Everyone knows that Mr. Guo only drinks locally famous good wines. You casually bring out a bottle of unknown origin; don't tarnish Mr. Guo's reputation!"

"That's right, shameless…"

But as soon as they saw Cheng Duo take out the wine bottle, the people who had been mocking him before couldn't say a word. These scholars never expected that this seemingly ordinary warrior would produce an invaluable white jade wine bottle!

The bottle was lustrous, smooth, and perfectly carved. Using this bottle to contain good wine would indeed not tarnish Mr. Guo's reputation.

Cheng Duo placed the wine bottle on the table with a loud thud. "This bottle of wine is worth two thousand taels, and the Shao Guang Wine inside is priceless. If Mr. Guo doesn't believe it, I can let you taste it for one hundred taels per cup."

"One hundred taels per cup? Isn't that a rip-off!" A poor scholar who appeared to be financially strained jumped up.

Indeed, Cheng Duo was trying to deceive, and seeing Mr. Guo hesitate, he took back the wine bottle. "If you don't have the money, forget it."

Mr. Guo became angry when he heard this. "Fine, one hundred taels it is. If it's not good…"

"If it's not good, I won't take your money." Cheng Duo regained the upper hand. He didn't want Mr. Guo to accuse him of fraud. After all, whether it was good or not was a subjective concept. Although Mr. Guo appeared discerning, who knew if he would be unwilling to pay?

Xie's wine cups were not large, and Cheng Duo was stingy in pouring. He only filled them about eighty percent full. He understood that scarcity increases value. Even if the wine was good, it would leave a lesser impression if he poured it carelessly and filled the cups to the brim.

"Is… is this wine?" Huang, the restaurant owner, trembled when he saw Cheng Duo pour the wine, which was clear as water with no impurities. He suddenly felt his hands shaking.

Because he could smell the rich aroma of fermented wine in the air, indicating that it was a strong liquor, yet the liquid in the cup was even cleaner than spring water. What did this mean? It meant that they had all lost to the winemaking craftsmanship!

Mr. Guo couldn't wait and lifted the wine cup, savoring the aroma of the liquor. After a while, he took a gentle sip and then froze.

"Sir, how is it?"

"Is it a good wine?"

With just one sip, this one cup is worth thirty to forty taels! If calculated seriously, this one bottle of wine is more expensive than gold!

Once the tingling sensation from the strong liquor subsided, Mr. Guo reluctantly swallowed and sighed with satisfaction. "Indeed, it's a good wine! With just this one cup, it has surpassed countless worldly wines. Truly, only those who can afford the hundred-tael exorbitant price have the qualification to taste this sip!"

Xie's father and the other restaurant owners were extremely curious, but with Mr. Guo present, they couldn't bring themselves to say that they also wanted to spend money to buy a cup.

After all, they also realized that two thousand taels was indeed worth it. After all, the white jade bottle itself was already invaluable, not to mention the excellent wine that Mr. Guo praised.

In fact, one hundred taels per cup, plus the white jade wine bottle, Cheng Duo could have sold a lot. If they rushed to buy it, the only one offended would be Mr. Guo.

Of course, if Mr. Guo was unwilling to buy, then they would have an opportunity!

For a while, several restaurant owners stared at the white jade wine bottle in Cheng Duo's hand, their breathing becoming heavy.

They really wanted to know the taste of this exceptionally clear Shao Guang Wine!