Chapter 175 City Streets 75

Chapter 175: City Life 75

“There’s a bug in your soup! Pay up!”

“That’s right! Pay up!”

The three troublemakers in the eatery were scrawny men, quite tall but exceptionally thin, making their sharp, monkey-like faces even more pronounced. It was summer, and they wore thin clothing, clearly revealing their lean and frail chests.

Standing together, they looked like a row of withered bamboo stalks come to life.

Even Liu Guyu in the kitchen was startled. Tying on his apron, he stepped out and first inspected the porcelain bowl where the bug was found, discovering a green caterpillar inside.

Indeed, a green caterpillar had been found in a bowl of fruit ice jelly.

Liu Guyu nearly laughed in frustration.

“It seems you gentlemen aren’t familiar with farming and don’t recognize this thing. This caterpillar is commonly known as a ‘soil looper’ and is most commonly found on leafy greens like rapeseed and lettuce.”

“Regular customers know that this is a dessert shop—we’ve never sold leafy greens. So how could a bug that lives on vegetables end up in your bowl?”

Zhang Yun and his husband also chimed in:

“That’s right, I wash all the ingredients thoroughly—there’s no way there could be a bug... Sir, there must be some misunderstanding.”

“This bowl of ice jelly only contains fruits and osmanthus flowers—how could there possibly be a caterpillar? Besides, we’ve never even stocked leafy greens here, so there’s no way it could’ve gotten mixed in.”

Liu Guyu suspected these men were here to cause trouble, likely sent by a competitor. Last year, he had partnered with the proprietor of Xichun Restaurant, helping their business thrive while earning a considerable share of the profits.

This had inevitably stirred envy, and now, once again, troublemakers had come knocking.

One of the scrawny men widened his eyes. With his sallow, gaunt face barely holding onto an ounce of flesh, his bulging eyes looked as though they might pop out of their sockets.

To be honest? It was rather frightening.

He slammed the table and shouted, “What are you implying? Are you saying we’re trying to scam you? I don’t care where this bug came from—the fact is, we found it in your soup! Who knows if you just didn’t clean properly and brought it in from somewhere else!”

Following their leader’s outburst, the other two scrawny men stepped forward. One put his hands on his hips, putting on a fierce expression, while the other spat on the ground and began cursing.

“Pah! You black-hearted fellow! Talking all high and mighty—just admit it, this bug came from your soup! Are you going to take responsibility or not?”

“Ah, everyone, look, look at this plump bug! Finding something like this in your food—who wouldn’t be disgusted? Who wouldn’t be repulsed?” As he spoke, he handed the half-eaten bowl to the surrounding customers, raising his voice even louder. “You tell me, you tell me! I came here specifically because I heard this eatery served good food! And then I find this thing in my bowl—tell me, shouldn’t they pay up?”

The discovery of a bug in the food caused an uproar among the customers. Several leaned in to look and indeed saw a greenish-brown dead insect in the bowl, clicking their tongues in disgust.

“It really is…”

“Ah, look, they really found a bug!”

But there were also regular customers who didn’t believe it and spoke up in defense:

“Impossible! I often eat at Liu's Eatery—their food is always clean! Nothing like this has ever happened before!”

“Exactly, I don’t believe it either! Once I stayed late and saw them disposing of unsold ingredients, saying they never serve food from the previous day!”

There were also those who recognized the caterpillar and nodded in agreement after hearing Liu Guyu’s words:

“Boss Liu is right—this is a soil looper, a bug that specifically lives in vegetable patches! This place only sells sweet soups and pastries—how could such a bug end up here?”

At that moment, many regular customers in the eatery trusted Liu Guyu.

But there were also those who egged them on, shouting:

“Even if it is a vegetable bug, it still came from your soup! Are you just going to deny it with a few words?”

“No matter what, you have to pay up!”

“You people actually trust him! When it comes to food, cleanliness is the top priority—aren’t you afraid you’ll end up eating something dirty next time?”

…

The instigators included both men and women, young and old, but all were unfamiliar faces. Liu Guyu suspected they were all in cahoots—one group causing trouble, the other stirring up the customers’ emotions.

Sure enough, under their influence, a few customers were visibly swayed. Even if they didn’t speak up, they would likely never return.

One thing was true: “When it comes to food, cleanliness is the top priority.” If he admitted to this, there would be endless trouble in the future.

“Everyone…”

Liu Guyu took a moment to calm himself and was about to speak again when, after just two words, a loud, joyous commotion of gongs, drums, and suona horns erupted outside the eatery, as if some grand celebration was underway.

The noise was so loud it drowned out his voice.

What was going on?

Was there a wedding procession nearby?

Or was a new shop opening?

Liu Guyu was puzzled for a moment but quickly refocused on the situation at hand, raising his voice to continue.

“Ev…”

This time, he had only managed one syllable when the sound of gongs, drums, and suonas grew even louder and closer. A bailiff dressed in red, wearing a red hat, strode spiritedly into the eatery.

“Is Boss Liu of Liu's Eatery here?! The Prefect has sent a reward!”

His clear, booming voice startled the noisy eatery into silence. The three scrawny men turned their heads in unison, their eyes bulging out—a perfectly synchronized reaction.

In his previous life, Liu Guyu would have thought this moment worthy of being captured as a meme.

But with several cheerful, red-faced bailiffs now inside, Liu Guyu had no time for distractions. He had to attend to the officials before him.

“I am the owner of Liu's Eatery. May I ask what brings you gentlemen here?”

Yesterday, Qin Rongshi had mentioned something upon returning home, so Liu Guyu had an inkling, but he still asked anyway.

The bailiff, dressed neatly in red with a red hat and a sword at his waist, radiated joy and treated Liu Guyu with utmost courtesy.

He clasped his hands and said with a smile, “Congratulations, Boss Liu! I am here to deliver a reward!”

At these words, the crowd of onlookers grew even larger, erupting in exclamations of surprise.

With this interruption, who still remembered anything about a bug?

“A reward?!”

“What kind of reward is this?!”

“Yeah? What’s going on?!”

The onlookers bombarded the bailiff with questions, but he good-naturedly raised a hand to quiet them, chuckling as he explained:

"Everyone, settle down, settle down. Let me explain slowly."

"You all should know! The first half of the year saw continuous rain, leading to poor harvests and tough times. Jiangning Prefecture was relatively fortunate, but other places suffered from outbreaks of disease—Qingzhou and Gongzhou were even forced to seal their cities. Several large counties saw many deaths!"

"Thankfully, we were prepared early on, and our Prefect, who cares for the people like his own children, taught us preventive measures in advance!"

This was true, and looking back, it was indeed fortunate—but what did it have to do with the boss of Liu's Eatery?

Some found it strange and asked directly.

The bailiff continued, "I haven’t finished yet! Why the rush?"

"Many of the methods on the epidemic prevention notice were proposed by this Boss Liu, and Doctor Fang from Huichun Clinic on Xinglin Street also contributed greatly. I have fellow officers delivering rewards to Huichun Clinic as well!"

"He managed to alert the Prefect to take early preventive measures and offered life-saving ideas. Tell me, doesn’t he deserve a reward?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd finally understood and broke into an uproar.

"There’s actually such a thing?!"

"He deserves it! Of course, he deserves it!"

"Oh, I heard that a village of a thousand people in Yuhe County, Gongzhou, was struck by the epidemic, and nearly half died!"

"He should be rewarded! He should be rewarded! If anyone says 'no,' I’ll be the first to disagree!"

"Boss Liu, this is a great act of merit! Why did you keep it from us?"

...

The place was buzzing with conversation, and many passersby gathered, blocking the small eatery completely. The three troublemakers, sensing the situation turning against them, tried to slip away quietly.

Though thin, they were tall and stood out in the crowd. The slightest movement, and Liu Guyu spotted them.

"Accountant Zhang, stop them!"

Liu Guyu shouted sharply, and Zhang Yun immediately moved to block their path. With the crowd packed tightly around them, there was no way to escape.

Hearing Liu Guyu’s command, the bailiffs stepped in and restrained the men.

"Boss Liu, what’s going on?" the bailiff asked.

Liu Guyu recounted the entire incident in detail.

"Everyone, since the officials are here, let me say something."

As Liu Guyu began speaking, the crowd gradually quieted down, all eyes on him.

In fact, after what had just happened, the customers who had witnessed the whole scene were already on Liu Guyu’s side and didn’t believe the three men’s claims at all.

But since Liu Guyu was in the food business, if this matter wasn’t cleared up on the spot, it could be brought up again later to cause trouble.

"The ingredients in my shop are absolutely clean, and I, Liu Guyu, am not afraid of inspection. Since the officials are here, I can ask them to check right now, and all of you can see for yourselves. If any filth is found, I’ll accept any punishment or closure!"

After speaking, he turned to the lead bailiff and bowed slightly. "Sorry to trouble you, sir."

The bailiffs, sharp and experienced, immediately understood Liu Guyu’s intention. They took two men into the kitchen, leaving the door wide open. Liu Guyu indeed invited the onlookers to come closer and watch.

The bailiffs did not show any favoritism and inspected meticulously—checking corners, cracks, every cabinet, drawer, and even every bowl and plate.

The fruits were fresh, the rice and flour were stored properly, and the cutting boards and stoves were spotless, without a trace of grease.

Everyone present saw it clearly. Some even remarked that their own kitchens might not be this clean.

The three men, realizing the situation was turning against them, tried to argue, but seeing Liu Guyu had the bailiffs’ support and had even gained the Prefect’s favor, they didn’t dare say another word.

Ugh, if only we hadn’t taken the money to do this!

The three of them thought regretfully.

Yes, they had been paid to cause trouble.

A jealous restaurant, unable to deal with Xichun Restaurant for the time being, had turned its attention to Liu's Eatery, hoping to ruin its business with underhanded tricks.

The eatery had many regulars, so one or two incidents might not be enough—they planned to stage more: finding bugs today, hair tomorrow, and causing stomachaches the day after… They didn’t believe customers would tolerate it for long.

Who would have thought that on their very first attempt, such a turn of events would occur? They had truly kicked an iron plate!

"I—I saw it just now… It was him! He threw the bug in himself!"

A timid voice suddenly came from the crowd.

Everyone turned to look and saw a seven- or eight-year-old boy who had come with his parents.

The child, frightened by the earlier commotion and the men’s menacing looks, had been too scared to speak.

But now, with the officials present, the boy mustered his courage. Though his voice was still timid, he spoke up.

"You brat! What are you talking about!"

The first thin man roared, only to be kicked hard the next moment.

The bailiff retracted his foot and glared at the man fiercely before turning to the child, crouching down and speaking gently, "Don’t be afraid, little one. Uncle is here. Tell us what you saw."

The child pouted, turned, and buried his face in his mother’s arms. After a moment, he spoke timidly.

"I saw it… I saw everything."

"He was sitting at that table over there. He took something out of his sleeve and threw it into the bowl himself. After he threw it in, he even stirred it with a spoon twice. I saw it all."

The first thin man, though kicked, was too guilty and scared to retaliate. He cried out in protest, "Sir, this… this kid must be lying! How can you believe a child’s words?"

The bailiff glared at him and scolded, "You know he’s just a child! How old is he? Would he lie?"

With that, he ordered his subordinates to tie up the three men and drag them away.

"There’s definitely someone behind this. We’ll take them away for a thorough interrogation!"

Liu Guyu breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of the trouble. The onlookers chimed in:

"No wonder! So it was intentional—the thief crying 'stop thief'!"

"I knew it! Boss Liu keeps his shop so clean; how could something like this happen?"

"Someone must be jealous of Boss Liu’s thriving business!"

With the matter cleared up, the yamen runner also delivered the gifts—five bolts of silk and one hundred taels of silver—which stirred another round of discussion among the onlookers.

Before leaving, firecrackers were set off at the entrance, making things really festive.

This incident came to a close, and Liu Guyu returned home overjoyed as he carried his gifts.

Among the five bolts of silk was one in a vibrant autumn maple hue, so bright that he remarked it was a pity it wasn’t a true scarlet—otherwise, Banban could have used it to embroider her wedding dress.

Today, Huichun Clinic also sent gifts, and Qin Banban had watched the entire event unfold.

Hearing Liu Guyu’s words, she smiled and said, "No need. Sanxi said he’ll handle the preparations on his end. He doesn’t want me embroidering a wedding dress, saying I’m already busy enough at the clinic during the day. It would be too tiring to come home and make clothes—just embroidering the bridal veil would be enough to get the point across."

Liu Guyu chuckled at this and teased Qin Banban a bit more.

Even so, the bolt of autumn maple fabric was still set aside for Banban and added to her trousseau.

Speaking of which, Liu Guyu was also about to get married. Cui Lanfang advised him to keep the silk for himself, but the autumn maple was too bright for his taste.

He had already had his eye on one bolt of pea-green silk with scrolling grass patterns and another of jade-colored silk with interlocking branch motifs. The other two bolts were to be given to Cui Lanfang and Qin Rongshi—one in eggplant purple and the other in raven blue, both suited to them.

He had everything figured out.

After that, two peaceful months passed, and by the end of October, the weather gradually turned cooler. The examination date was now clearly in sight.