Free Web NovelChapter 164: Chapter 164: Little Brother and Big Niece
Hearing what Manager Shang and Sun Jiaming said, Xiao Li was seething with hatred. He never expected Sun Jiaming to be so articulate. Aren’t country bumpkins supposed to be unsophisticated? How was this one such an exception?
’No, the blame can’t fall on me,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, even if the manager lets it slide for my brother’s sake, I’ll still be in for a rough time.’
"I just said one thing, it’s not like it was going to kill someone! Everyone knows it was a joke. Don’t use that as an excuse! Besides, if she hadn’t insisted on selling for eighty cents, and spouted all that nonsense about teaching our head chef how to cook... if she hadn’t been talking so big, would I have cursed at her?!"
Xiao Li pointed at Gu’er. It was all because of this woman. If it weren’t for her, the manager never would have come over. People like him never admit they’re wrong; they always find fault in others.
"Was I talking big?"
Gu’er took a step forward, positioning herself in front of Sun Jiaming.
"She only said that if you bought our wild boar meat for eighty cents, we could give you a few recipes to get rid of the gamy taste and make it more delicious. How is that ’talking big’? We never said we were going to instruct your head chef, yet you insulted her. When we asked you to apologize, you looked down on us because we’re from the countryside. Not only did you refuse to apologize, you just kept insulting us. If everyone from the city has morals like yours... hmph."
Sun Jiaming didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone present understood his meaning. And once they understood, they all felt their faces burn with shame.
The manager’s face darkened, but the dignified middle-aged man just smiled.
"Manager! Look at them! And they’re pointing fingers at me? They don’t look like they’re here to sell pork; they’re acting like they’re the ones in charge."
Xiao Li shouted, unwilling to concede.
"They did nothing wrong. Eighty cents is a fair price. Besides, they kindly offered recipes. Even if we didn’t need them, you shouldn’t have cursed at them. You were in the wrong here. Apologize to them."
Things had come to this point. The manager couldn’t defend him even if he wanted to. The situation was crystal clear: his employee tried to lowball them, they refused, his employee cursed at them, and they demanded an apology and got physical. His side was in the wrong.
"I already apologized just now! But... even if I cursed at her, he can’t just hit people!"
Xiao Li was defiant.
"Where did he hit you?"
Gu’er looked at him.
"Look at my neck! He choked me."
Xiao Li pointed to his neck. The red marks were rather alarming.
"Is that ’hitting’?"
Gu’er asked.
Xiao Li was at a loss for words. Everyone else was, too. She was splitting hairs.
"Even if it wasn’t hitting, it was still choking!"
Xiao Li said, indignant.
"My friend, even if our employee was wrong to curse at you, you shouldn’t have resorted to violence. You have to give us an explanation for that."
The manager felt he was losing face, especially in front of an honored guest. He was demanding an explanation from Sun Jiaming. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"Would he have apologized if I hadn’t gotten physical? If he’d listened to reason, we wouldn’t be in this situation."
Sun Jiaming let out a cold laugh. freewebnoveℓ.com
The manager was speechless; he knew Sun Jiaming was telling the truth. ’But if things end like this, what face will the hotel have left? But if I try to bully them in front of the honored guest, I’m afraid I’ll anger him. What should I do?’
"And you think you’re in the right? Hitting someone is wrong! You’re not leaving today. This isn’t over between us!"
Xiao Li shouted, pointing at Sun Jiaming.
The dignified middle-aged man frowned. They were still standing right there, yet this Xiao Li was being so arrogant. It seemed he must have been the one who went too far earlier. From what he could see, the other party didn’t seem like unreasonable people.
"And how do you propose this ’isn’t over’?"
Sun Jiaming stared at him.
"That’s enough."
The manager snapped. This Xiao Li was truly clueless. He couldn’t read the situation at all.
"We were in the wrong first. Since he has already apologized, young man, do you think we can let this matter go?"
The manager just wanted to smooth things over now. He had no choice. There was a big shot standing right there, and he could already see signs of dissatisfaction. He couldn’t let this drag on. He had to resolve this quickly so he could attend to his honored guest.
Sun Jiaming looked at Gu’er, and she nodded.
Sun Jiaming nodded as well.
"Let’s go."
Sun Jiaming said. Uncle Zhao finally snapped out of his daze and hurried to get the cart.
"W-wait, my friend! We can’t let you come all this way for nothing. We’ll buy the wild boar. It’s not easy for you folks. This will save you the trouble of selling it elsewhere in this cold weather. If you can’t sell it, the whole trip would be a waste. The New Year is almost here; we can’t let you go into it empty-handed."
The manager hurriedly called out. By stepping in to buy the wild boar and roe deer now, he could salvage some face. Furthermore, by phrasing it this way, he made it seem like he was doing it for the sake of these people from the countryside. He figured they would be grateful, and he could even earn a good reputation.
Unfortunately, his calculations were wrong.
"No, thank you. We’re not selling anymore."
Sun Jiaming replied coolly. Gu’er nodded. It wasn’t like they were begging someone to buy it. In fact, now they didn’t want to sell at all.
The manager was a bit speechless, but he also knew that these country folk were stubborn and set in their ways. If they decided not to sell, they wouldn’t sell no matter what he said.
’But the guest wants to eat it!’ he fretted. ’If they don’t sell, where am I supposed to buy it on such short notice? I can’t just make him wait... Fine, I’ll just buy it at a high price.’ Thinking this, the manager shot another fierce glare at Xiao Li.
But before he could speak, the dignified middle-aged man on the side smiled and said, "Young man, young lady, please wait a moment."
Sun Jiaming and Gu’er were taken aback and stopped in their tracks. ’What kind of address is that?’ Gu’er mused. ’How did Sun Jiaming and I end up in different generations?’
"Eighty cents a catty. I wonder, could I buy this wild boar meat and roe deer meat?"
The middle-aged man asked Gu’er and Sun Jiaming.
Sun Jiaming and Gu’er remained silent. They could tell this man was a person of status. Since he had personally offered to buy it, they really should sell and get on his good side. But after the incident with Xiao Li and the manager’s attitude, they still felt a bit resentful.
"You know, it’s been many years since I’ve had wild boar," the man said with a hint of nostalgia. "Back in the day, when I was in the countryside with Uncle Shan, I could still get some. I haven’t been back to the village in years, and I find myself missing the taste. I wonder if you, young man and young lady, would be willing to indulge me."
The middle-aged man seemed wistful.
Gu’er glanced at him. ’This man has spent time in the countryside?’ His words didn’t seem like a lie; his sighs and reminiscences were filled with genuine emotion.
"Alright. We’ll sell it to you, sir."
Gu’er nodded. She agreed not for any other reason, but for the sake of this man’s nostalgia.
Since Gu’er agreed, Sun Jiaming naturally wouldn’t object.
The manager’s eyes went wide. ’This girl actually called him ’sir’?’ he thought. ’She’s truly audacious. Then again, she doesn’t know who he is. If she did, she’d probably be too scared to even speak.’
"Excellent. Thank you, young lady. By the way, I have one more request. I was wondering if you could prepare a few dishes? To be honest, I’ve only ever had wild boar stewed. I’ve never tried it any other way."
The middle-aged man had a very affable air about him.
————————————
Thank you to sea·breeze for the peace charm, and thank you all for your support. Off to bed, my eyes feel like they won’t stay open.
