What's So Special About It

Qin Sanniang and Zhang Zhuzi saw Su Li and greeted her with such enthusiasm that their eyes were even more eager than if they had seen their own mothers.

Qin Sanniang wore a wide smile and said, "Ah Li, you're here at Tenmile Slope so early! Oh, I heard this vegetarian bistro is run by your family, it looks really impressive!"

Qin Sanniang looked at the beautiful gate of the vegetarian bistro with envy; she was truly jealous inside.

How could Su Li's family afford to run such a nice restaurant!

"Yes, it's run by my family," Su Li said in a tone neither warm nor cold.

"Oh, I knew your family was the most successful in our village. Growing vegetables and running a restaurant, truly amazing! Zhuzi, look at Su Li's bistro, so grand! Even grander than the brothel I used to work in!" Qin Sanniang nudged Zhang Zhuzi a few times, mentioning her past without any shame.

Su Li frowned; her respectable bistro shouldn't be compared to the brothel she had been in.

Zhang Zhuzi looked at the vegetarian bistro with genuine envy, his eyes turning red as he murmured, "Oh, how much does it cost to open a place like this? Would a hundred taels of silver be enough?"

Lingdang, standing nearby, looked at Zhang Zhuzi's rustic appearance and thought, "Just a hundred taels? Dream on! Add two more zeros at the end and it still wouldn't be enough!"

Qin Sanniang quickly kicked Zhang Zhuzi and whispered, "What hundred taels? Don't speak if you don't know. I think at least a thousand taels!"

The couple was so stunned by the vegetarian bistro that they momentarily forgot why they had come in the first place.

Su Li didn't bother with this odd couple. By the time Qin Sanniang came to her senses, Su Li had already taken Lingdang inside the bistro.

"It's all your fault, making a fuss and acting useless. Look, Su Li has already left!" Qin Sanniang complained to Zhang Zhuzi.

Zhang Zhuzi said, "Then let's chase inside and find her."

"Alright, let's go find her!" Qin Sanniang said, pulling Zhang Zhuzi inside, but they were stopped by a young servant at the door.

The young servant smiled politely and said, "Sorry, only members can dine inside. Are you members?"

Qin Sanniang and Zhang Zhuzi looked at each other in confusion: "What’s a member?"

The young servant took out a membership card from his pocket and smiled, "A member means you must have this card from our Serenity Vegetarian Bistro to enter. Without it, you can’t dine here."

Qin Sanniang exclaimed, "There’s no such thing? You won’t let us in? We’re fellow villagers of your boss Su, and you won’t even let us find her?"

The young servant was sharp; Su Li’s attitude clearly showed she didn’t want to deal with these two. If he let them in, he’d be fired.

So the young servant smiled and said, "Without a membership card, you can’t enter. This is our rule, set by Boss Su. I’m just a lowly waiter, I can’t decide. Please don’t make it hard for me."

Qin Sanniang was persistent and still wanted to get in to find Su Li, but the young servant firmly refused to let them pass.

Qin Sanniang and Zhang Zhuzi were left empty-handed and had to leave reluctantly, stomping and cursing angrily. Qin Sanniang shouted, "It’s just a lousy restaurant, what’s the big deal? I’ll just barge in myself, bah!"

Zhang Zhuzi angrily said, "Exactly! What’s so great about it? I’ve got money too, I’ll open a restaurant myself!"

But despite their anger and curses, when it came to asking for help, they still had to rely on others. Qin Sanniang and Zhang Zhuzi discussed and realized that Su Li’s family hadn’t been receiving guests these days; other villagers bringing gifts were turned away. Their only chance was to catch Su Li when she went out.

Qin Sanniang gritted her teeth and said, "Zhuzi, let’s wait at the teahouse opposite. I don’t believe Su Li won’t go out today!"