Adorable Food Goddess

Chapter 95

The next day, Ye Jiayao went to Heavenly Residence with prominent dark circles under her eyes . Luckily, everyone was equally lethargic .

Ye Jiayao clapped her hands to get their attention . “Everyone, keep your spirits up . As long as the restaurant is open, we’ll do our job and serve well . Let’s welcome our customers in our best condition, our best service, and our best dishes . Besides, things might not be as bad as we thought . It might just get better so don’t act as if the restaurant’s already gone . If we are absent-minded, we’d offend all our customers . ”

Deng Haichuan seconded, “Brother Yao is right . The restaurant has yet to close down, so we must be confident . Even if today is the last day, we have to end it off beautifully . ”

“Everyone, get back to work!” Zhong Xiang chirped in and he took the lead by cleaning up .

Not long later, Shopkeeper Li came in with his head hung low, gathering everyone for a meeting .

“You guys stay here first, I’ll take a look,” Ye Jiayao said .

Shopkeeper Li looked as though he was gathering everyone to talk about a funeral . The three days grace period was not over yet, it was too early to give up .

“Shopkeeper…” Ye Jiayao and Manager Qian entered .

Shopkeeper Li looked up, he looked wan and sallow and his eyes were bloodshot . “Where’s the rest?”

“Shopkeeper Li, do you intend to give up?” Ye Jiayao asked .

Shopkeeper Li sighed heavily . “I even kneeled in front of Boss Sun yesterday and it still didn’t work . This restaurant could not be saved . Seven years . . . I have poured everything into this restaurant to get it to where it was now and it’s just going to end like this . ”

Manager Qian said, “Shopkeeper, while you were gone yesterday, Li Yao invited Young Royal Highness Jing over and he agreed to help . ”

Shopkeeper Li’s shocked eyes swung to his blessed chef . “Li Yao, is this true?”

Ye Jiayao nodded . “Young Royal Highness agreed to help and had started investigating the situation . If we find out the reason behind this, I believe we can find the appropriate steps to solve the problem . ”

Shopkeeper Li couldn’t control the tears of relief that started pouring out of his eyes . He choked out, “Li Yao, thank you . If not for you, my years of hard work would go down the drain . Everyone who has followed me all these years would end up with nothing . I’d let everyone down . . . ”

Ye Jiayao smiled bitterly . She couldn’t accept his gratitude because she might just very well be the cause of this whole mess .

“Brother Yao, the Young Royal Highness Jing has sent someone over,” Deng Haichuan reported .

Ye Jiayao’s spirits jolted up .

Shopkeeper Li said anxiously, “Li Yao, quick, get going . ”

“What about the lunch?”

“Why are you still thinking of lunch?The most important matter is at stake! Go take a look at what is the situation . If you need me to show up or spend money, just tell me,” Shopkeeper Li said impatiently .

Ye Jiayao headed out and found Little Jing’s attendant, Ping An .

“Where is the Young Royal Highness?”

Ping An replied, “He is in the teahouse up ahead . Young Royal Highness said that it is inconvenient to speak here so he invited you over there to talk . ”

Ye Jiayao’s heart skipped a beat . If Little Jing was being that careful, it could only mean that this predicament has something to do with her .

She followed Ping An to the teahouse and she found Xia Chunfeng there as well . Seeing him made Ye Jiayao feel awkward . If not for him being so touchy yesterday, Dumb Donkey wouldn’t have flipped out . Ah! Forget it! He’d already said his piece, it’s time for her to move on .

“Yaoyao, take a seat,” Helian Jing started .

“What did you find?” Ye Jiayao asked .

Helian Jing and Xia Chunfeng glanced at each other . Helian Jing answered, “We got it out from Boss Sun that someone from the palace sent a word out to get him to take the building back . His son is working in the palace and seemed to have been threatened . ”

Palace… Ye Jiayao immediately thought of Liu Li .

“We probed around and guessed that it might be Liu Li trying to find trouble with you,” Xia Chunyu added .

Ye Jiayao laughed coldly . “She is one stubborn mule! For a stately princess to use such underhanded means to deal with a commoner . . . ha! How honorable!”

“Stately princess?” Xia Chunfeng smirked . “Confucius once said that only women and vile characters are difficult to raise . Liu Li is the perfect combination of the two . She never does ‘just’ or ‘honorable’ things . She can be as despicable and treacherous as she wants . Many have already suffered under her . ”

Helian Jing continued, “And precisely why this matter is troublesome . Liu Li will not stop until she achieved her goal . Even with Empress Dowager controlling her, she would think of other ways and means to achieve her motive . ”

“All her life, it has always been people giving in to her . She has never been rejected or beaten . You’re the first, and she won’t stop until she has taken revenge on you,” Xia Chunyu told her seriously .

Ye Jiayao shuddered . “Okay, you can stop scaring me now . ”

The two of them looked at her somberly .

“Alright!” Ye Jiayao exclaimed in despair . “I take it that I have provoked a demoness, according to what you two just said . Her goal is not just to close down Heavenly Residence, right? I don’t own the restaurant . ”

Xia Chunfeng held his fan, tapping it against his palm . “Perhaps Heavenly Residence would only be the first restaurant that would close down because of you . Perhaps she would spread the word that whichever restaurant hires you would end up just like Heavenly Residence . ”

“She wants to cut my livelihood?” Ye Jiayao laughed . “The world is so big! I can still survive even if I leave Jin Ling . She doesn’t have power everywhere . ”

“That’s right! Yaoyao could even come to the Helian Mansion to work, I’ll hire him as my personal chef,” Helian Jing added, his worry decreasing .

“Just wait . ” Xia Chunfeng looked deep in thought . “This is probably not her ultimate goal . ”

Helian Jing turned to Yaoyao and said, “I came up with an idea last night . Yaoyao, why don’t I just buy the building? No matter how overbearing Liu Li is, she would not dare to touch the Helian Mansion . ”

“That’s a great idea!” Xia Chunfeng agreed exuberantly .

Ye Jiayao hesitated before asking, “How much does a building cost?”

“Money is not a problem . The building is like a hot potato in the hands of Boss Sun, and if someone wants to take over, I bet he would be more than willing . I will use this chance to slash the price down,” Helian Jing said with a smile .

Ye Jiayao figured that a building would cost at least tens of thousands taels . No matter how wealthy the Helian Mansion was, it was still a significant amount of money . The idea of Little Jing spending so much money just to help her was too much for her to bear .

“Little Jing, you don’t need to do that . Just help me arrange a meeting with Liu Li . Whoever started the trouble should end it, so we have to talk this out face to face . No matter what I do, she’ll still be after me so it’s better that we just settle it at one go,” Ye Jiayao said . This started with her and it’s her responsibility to fix it .

“Yaoyao, it is impossible to reason with her . I think my idea is better . Besides, if I buy this building, it would mean that I bought Heavenly Residence . Yaoyao, you can be the shopkeeper! With my influence and your culinary skills, Heavenly Residence would be the top restaurant in Jin Ling!” Helian Jing relayed excitedly . This was shaping to be more and more of a good plan as he thought it through .

Xia Chunfeng’s spirits were up as well . “Great! I want to have a share, too! I still have some savings with me, and I can get some from my brother . Little Jing, let’s just settle it this way . ”

“If it is not enough, let’s add Zhao Qixuan in . That fellow has tons of money and he is the wealthiest nobleman in Jin Ling . He has lots of friends so the next time he treats them, he can just come to Heavenly Residence!” Helian Jing reasoned, smiling widely . “With the power of Helian Mansion, Jing An Marquis Mansion, and the Yong An Marquis Mansion behind you, Liu Li could not touch you anymore!”

“This is a wonderful business plan! I know that Zhao Qixuan would definitely agree to this,” Xia Chunfeng said, rubbing his palms together .

These fellows were talking about buying a restaurant like it was just a dumpling! Shopkeeper Li has struggled for a lifetime to open a restaurant and managing it painstakingly for so many years . He would not just let them buy it .

“Calm down, you two . If you want to open a restaurant, go somewhere else . Heavenly Residence is Shopkeeper Li’s life, he would never sell it,” Ye Jiayao said .

Xia Chunfeng and Helian Jing looked at each other . They did not think of that .

“But if we don’t buy it, then there would never be an end to Liu Li! What should we do?” Helian Jing vented angrily .

“Just help me arrange a meeting with Liu Li . I will talk to her . ”

“No, no! Liu Li would definitely make things difficult for you . I am not going to let you get bullied,” Helian Jing disagreed firmly .

After some thought, Xia Chunfeng said, “You can talk to her, but we have to be with you . If worse comes to worst, then we will all fall out . When she marries into our house, I will never call her my sister-in-law . Ay, whichever house gets her would be unlucky . ”

Ye Jiayao heard a strange buzzing in her ears .  Sister-in-law? Who was Liu Li marrying? Chunyu?

Helian Jing turned to Xia Chunfeng . “Is the marriage already settled?”

Xia Chunfeng shook his head . “Almost . But it’s not like Empress Dowager would change her mind about the match . ”

“That’s true . I heard from my mother that Empress Dowager has taken her fancy on Brother Chunyu . ”

“That’s why the misfortune is befalling on my family . ”

Ye Jiayao asked meekly, “What does your brother think about the arrangement?”

“I’m not sure,” Xia Chunfeng replied with a shrug . “I have never really asked him . ”

“Well . . . there are benefits and loss in that marriage . Whoever marries Liu Li would be able to inherit the seventh prince’s inheritance and that is not small,” Helian Jing told her earnestly .

Ye Jiayao was having mixed emotions .

No wonder Chunyu never liked her . Why would he even bother when there was such an important princess waiting for him? Marrying Liu Li would guarantee him a bright future .

She felt herself shrink as she made the comparison between her and Liu Li . She was a mere ant compared to her .

“Yaoyao, what are you thinking?” Helian Jing noticed that she seemed out of sorts .

“Oh, nothing . ” Ye Jiayao forced out a smile .

“Ay . If my brother were to handle this, this matter wouldn’t be so difficult to settle . Liu Li would certainly listen to him . But I don’t know what’s wrong with my brother recently, I heard that he has been quite temperamental . ” Xia Chunfeng sighed .

“Perhaps it is because of the West Mongolia matter . My brother has prepared to volunteer himself to go to war! My brother and your brother are inseparable, so they might join hands once again,” Helian Jing mused .

Ye Jiayao had no idea what they were talking about and she couldn’t even pretend to care . Her mind was full of images of Chunyu and Liu Li together .

That was why he was so ruthless with his words last night . He was about to marry Liu Li and he was eager to cut off all his ties with his first ‘wife’ .