Chapter 21: The Old Appearance Has Changed into a New One

  After a rain in autumn, the weather gradually cooled down. The donkey meat market in Lüzhou, after experiencing two weeks of fluctuations, quietly fell back to near the pre-price increase level. It is said that the reason is due to the regulation of the overall market by the fresh meat on the market from local donkey farms, Daxinzhuang and Xiangyuan, especially this year's Donkey Garden, which jointly organized a "Donkey Meat Food Festival" with the largest donkey meat hot pot city in the urban area. It is said that famous donkey meat chefs from all over were invited, and every week there was an unprecedented grand feast of whole donkeys, those who had tasted it praised it endlessly, and those who hadn't tried it were eager to try, really pushing the donkey meat hot pot to a high position.

  People are always good at appreciating and admiring the present prosperity, but neglecting to recall and reflect on past wounds.

  At this time, the donkey meat hot pot city on Hero East Road was decorated with red lanterns and couplets. A large red banner hung from the roof to the street edge. Outside the entrance, there were famous donkey meat chefs and their masterpieces, as well as inscriptions by some leaders. It was almost noon when, unexpectedly, General Manager Tao Chengzhang personally arrived at the store. The doorman stood far away and hastily bowed, but did not expect that the manager got out of the car without entering the store, only whispering with a few old men who looked like bosses. This scene made even the people in the store guess that it was probably that big shot again.

  Is it? Guessing doesn't necessarily mean being right.

  Manager Tao, with a somewhat scholarly and merchant-like demeanor, stood in the middle, occasionally glancing at his watch. In contrast, Qian Zhongping, the owner of Xinyong Meat Processing Plant, who was standing on the left, was quite different. With his stout physique, half-bald head, and rough tone, he said bluntly: "I'm telling you, Manager Tao, this old donkey's pretentiousness is a bit too much! We've been waiting for him for several people, and he doesn't even bother to arrive on time. It's almost eleven o'clock now."

  Tao Chengzhang didn't make a sound, but looked away in displeasure. Qian Zhongping immediately came to his senses and waved his hand, saying: "Alright, alright, I misspoke, call Master Shi."

  "Old Qian, it's not like the old days anymore. Without Old Shi, this year you won't even make a profit, let alone lose money and cry about it. You can't just take advantage of people in front of them and then scold them behind their backs?" Tao Chengzhang rebuked, still acknowledging Old Shi's kindness. Qian Zhongping didn't raise any objections upon hearing this, instead smiling with his mouth open, his chubby face beaming with joy. Looking at him, it was clear that he had made a pretty penny, and in fact, he really had. Boss Qian leaned in close to Tao Chengzhang and asked, "Old Tao, I think we owe you one this time. We only made a small profit from the goods, but those frozen meats from Xiyuan were pure profit. Old Shi's idea wasn't bad, but without us, he wouldn't have been able to pull it off... not even hiring a refrigerated truck... can he really take half of the profits?"

  "Oh, Director Qian, it's almost enough. This money is making my eyelids twitch wildly, I don't know if Qin Lao Hu will come after us one day." Tao Chengzhang said in a low voice, although Qin Junhuo's absconding with debts had become a well-known fact, leaving behind a large batch of bad debts, but after all, he was on the run and not like Kong Xiangzhong, who was quietly serving time in prison.

  "No big deal, he owes so much debt, he's too scared to come back, I heard he escaped to Holland." Qian Zhongping said with a smile. When asked again, Tao Chengzhang stretched out his hand to stop him, and another old friend came, the boss of Weiyuan, who didn't catch the donkey meat price hike trend, and the purchase price of the mule meat also rose a lot. Although they were polite when meeting, when shaking hands, he whispered in Tao Chengzhang's ear: "Old Tao, you're really not very considerate..." Tao Chengzhang laughed and patted him on the back, brushing it off, although he was unhappy, but also came to support the scene, all guests, being politely invited into the hotel. After waiting for a while, Lao Qian's eyes lit up when he saw two commercial vehicles coming along the road, led by a red Audi. Qian Zhongping smiled and nudged Tao Chengzhang, saying: "Old Tao, your daughter is here... we've known each other for so many years, I don't envy you anything else, but having such a capable daughter, I really do envy you. How about it? Why don't we become in-laws?"

  "What about your son? He's still got a good hand at eating, drinking and gambling, don't come and cause trouble for my family!" Tao Chengzhang joked, waving his hand. His daughter and her boyfriend came up to greet him, his daughter pulling on his sleeve, while the refined and courteous future son-in-law respectfully addressed him as "Uncle". Although with his father's help, but at such a young age, his daughter had managed to make the Victoria Model Agency quite famous, even Tao Chengzhang felt proud. A group of models who came to welcome them also got out of the car, a row of tall and slender figures, making Old Money look at them with eyes that turned green and red by turns.

  "Dad, who is more important, you or Uncle Qian?" the daughter asked.

  。

  "Wait for a few more important guests, you all go ahead, today's food exhibition in the hall is handed over to you. Ah, Jiajia is also here, why didn't you invite your parents?" Tao Chengzhang discovered his daughter's newly hired planner and politely said a few words. Ning Jia smiled and replied: "Thank you, Uncle Tao. My mom is a vegetarian, she wouldn't come even if I invited her. My dad said he'd drop by later."

  "Please come, I haven't seen him in two years." Tao Chengzhang made a polite remark and sent the children away. Old Qian looked at the tall and beautiful girls with his eyes fixed on Ning Jia and asked: "Old Tao, whose daughter is this?"

  "Ninghua Department Store's Old Ning, compared to us getting rich, she was earlier, I heard her body is not good, now it's all handed over to her son to manage. Why don't you let your son pursue her? Just returned from abroad, with a thick family background." Tao Chengzhang joked, but in his opinion, if he really compared with this overseas returnee rich girl, Old Qian's son, this local wealthy young master, was clearly not on the same level.

  As expected, Qian Zhongping shook his head and said, "Forget it, don't tease me. You guys make a few bucks and pretend to be Confucian merchants, not matching with me."

  Tao Chengzhang smiled and looked at his watch again. Although both of them were anxious, they still lingered in the hallway chatting and waiting...

  ………………

  ………………

  Shi Baoquan, at this time, had already arrived in the city, but his first stop was to take a look at "Xiang Ma Zhai Fermented Donkey Meat", which had been open for half a month. The name was discussed beforehand and did not include the name of Shi's village, mainly because the western part of the city was already familiar with the name "Xiang Ma Zhai".

  A brand new storefront, shiny glass doors, and from the outside, you can see the busy figures inside. The crimson clothing, with short-brimmed hats that resemble fur, is said to be the attire of the legendary Luzhou horse thieves. The logo on the door adds to the uniqueness of this store amidst the ordinary-looking shops in the area. It's also quite eye-catching, and its reputation has quickly spread around Jiefang Road. With the craftsmanship from Shijia Village and the foundation laid by Danyong, they sell a considerable amount, with daily sales reaching nearly 2,000 catties (a unit of weight). Although the profit is not low, compared to the rising price of meat this year in Shijia Village and the gains from price increases in the city, it's just a drizzle.

  The car stopped at the intersection of Liberation Road, and Shi Baoquan got out of the car and looked at the black gold signboard, the large frame glass inlaid doors and windows, which seemed to have some grade. When he entered the store with his daughter, everyone inside stopped what they were doing for a moment. Shi Sanhai was cutting meat, Genwa was carrying a large piece of meat from the basement, looking at the old man with a silly smile, and Dan Yong stood up from flipping through an account book.

  The door opened at eleven o'clock, and it was not yet time to receive guests. Except for these main players, the newly hired sales staff and delivery personnel were still a bit awkward, following Shi Sanhai to learn the art of cutting meat. Sanhai smiled, his face full of wrinkles opening up, and his polite words were simple, just one sentence: "Here you are."

  "Come see... not bad, San Hai you've always wanted to have a store of your own, right? This one's doing well, next one you can be the boss yourself, who knows in two years you might even marry a city girl to warm up your bed for you." Shi Baoquan joked, teasing the young people in the store into laughter, but Shi San Hai just smiled shyly without saying much.

  Business is booming for the current Shihua Village, and everyone who comes here probably has a crush on Shuang Yong. Shihua Quan beckoned with one hand, and when Shuang Yong came forward, the old man asked bluntly: "You really won't go?"

  "No need, old man. What's the point of going to that commotion? Whether it's right or wrong," said Dan Yong, who was invited to participate in the Donkey Meat Fragrance Food Festival.

  "What's the big deal, it's all in the past... Bao Ying, give him the invitation." Shi Baoquan said, Bao Ying stuffed the invitation into Shan Yong's hand, and the old man patted his shoulder and said: "A donkey meat feast is a rare sight, in this line of work, you'd be sorry if you didn't go... You go yourself, okay? Go, Bao Ying, they're probably all waiting anxiously over there."

  Shi Baoquan smiled and walked away, with Genwa opening the door for him. As he left, Shi Baoying turned back to look at Shan Yong, whose eyebrows were furrowed in concern. Her gaze seemed to hold many questions and unspoken words, but since they opened the shop, she had rarely visited Shi's village, and it seemed that the distance between them was slowly growing wider.

  。

  It was very big, and Dan Yong Ke was respectfully helping his father onto the car, almost mechanically waving goodbye and smiling politely, and there was no difference with those businessmen who went to the donkey farm. At that moment, Shi Bao Ying felt inexplicably melancholy, and she missed the big boy who stood at the door of the feeding shed and called her "sister" in a timid voice.

  The car drove away, and Danyong took the invitation back to the counter. Everyone in the store was busy with their own tasks, knowing that Boss Dan was meticulous and would often help out wherever he was needed, even personally delivering goods. Some customers who received deliveries only recognized the boss, not his employees. At this moment, with a furrowed brow, he examined the accounts, perhaps discovering another discrepancy.

  Indeed, Dan Yong looked at it for a long time and asked Shi Sanhai: "Uncle Sanhai, this has just been open for half a month, how did Lei Dapeng remember more than 100 catties of meat on his head? This is almost as much as half a donkey."

  This question made Shi Genwa, San Hai Shu and several apprentices in the store laugh. He was one of the two bosses who had always considered himself as one of them, never treating himself as an outsider. Shi Sanhai smiled and said: "You ask him, this account can't be wrong."

  "Eat a little then, we still lack that thing." Shigenwa didn't count in her heart.

  "I see, 172 catties, can't eat more than 10 catties a day, right? ...... Xiaoru, more than half of the records were made when I wasn't around, what's going on?" Dan Yong asked, busy again, and neglected to pay attention to Lei Dapeng, this foodie. Who would have thought that as soon as there was an opportunity, there would be a small mess? This guy didn't even keep track of the numbers, probably just randomly eating and taking things away. The little girl who kept accounts smiled and said, "Anyway, every time you come down from work, you eat and take things without leaving anything behind, but you still can't remember everything, not to mention the things you secretly put in your mouth." Everyone in the store burst out laughing at this.

  Laughing heartily, Leizi's face lit up even more. The gate creaked as it swung open and Lei Dapeng walked in, waving his hand to instruct: "Third Uncle, cut me five catties of donkey meat."

  Everyone burst out laughing again, and Lei Dapeng was stunned. He turned his head to see Shan Yong in, chuckled and said: "Haha, boss is being stingy, that's a bit less, cutting two or three catties will do."

  "Come on, come on..." Dan Yong dragged Lei Da Peng out of the door, afraid that it would affect the store's reputation. As soon as they were outside, Lei Da Peng started scolding Dan Yong, saying: "Let go, don't pull me, just because I ate a few pounds of donkey meat? You're really petty!"

  "How many catties? You eat an average of 10 catties a day? Do you know how much it's worth? It costs over 500 to support you every day." Dan Yong stretched out his palm and said, calculating the account. Lei Dapeng was a bit embarrassed, sniffing his nose, but he pretended to be reasonable and refuted: "What's wrong with 10 catties? It seems like I can't afford it. How much is it? Give me the money now."

  "Hey, hey... Da Peng, listen to me, as long as I'm here, you can eat 100 catties a day, I don't care, right?" Dan Yong said. This remark was enough to calm down Lei Ge's anger, but then he changed the subject and said: "But I know that you're not eating it yourself, are you giving dog meat to your city management team?"

  "Haha, how did you know? Egg brother has opened a store, it's time to celebrate!" Lei Dapeng was delighted, apparently the gifts were not few.

  "Oh no, I'm telling you, Lei, your dad also has a share in this, it's like it's also your family business, can't let it go bankrupt like this?" said Dan Yong.

  "Then my family business goes bankrupt, and you can't control it." Lei Dapeng retorted, and Dan Yong came back fiercely: "Good, I'll settle this account with your dad. Deduct your dad's dividend."

  "How dare you!?" Lei Dapeng glared, but was clearly in the wrong. When he realized he couldn't bluff his way out of it, he immediately put on a pitiful expression and said with great grievance: "What was it again? The cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked... I'm your running dog, but can't be cooked so quickly! Have you forgotten how we got into this business? We've been blocking doors and driving away donkeys, it's not easy for me!"

  "Listen, don't be silly, brother is not being petty, if you pay the full price, whatever you spend, brother will return it to you later. There are many people in the store, can't make an exception, besides, there's San Ge and Gen Wa who have a share of the profits, you're eating for free, which means you're also taking away their profit, is that fair? Alright, let's just do it this way."

  。

  Lei Dapeng nodded: "Hmm, okay." He nodded slightly, then felt that it wasn't right and said reluctantly: "That's not okay either. If you give me money later, I'll be too embarrassed to take it... It's not okay, no matter how you put it, it still makes me feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness for free. Hmph, I know what kind of person you are, petty and stingy."

  "I really meant that, I'm telling you, stupid Lei, if you keep eating and taking things randomly, I'll deal with you. Your dad said that the dividend from the store will be used to buy an Audi for you, but you've already eaten away half a month's worth of it. When can you afford it? And another thing, your random eating and giving away has also squandered your father's share."

  Lei Dapeng thought for a moment and felt that he was indeed a bit over the top, asking inquiringly: "Really, did my dad say that?"

  "Of course, your dad is just throwing money around, and it's all for you to save up. This store will be yours in the future too. You're doing this, it's like taking money out of your own pocket and giving it to others for free. You think you're being generous, but others are just taking advantage of you." Dan Yong educated him, which was also true. Lei Da Peng listened to several places, all for his own good, waving his hand impatiently, saying "Got it, got it, can't I even treat others without losing money? Brother isn't someone who can't afford to invite others, come on, opening a small shop and acting like the boss, nonsense."

  After a lot of persuasion, I agreed, but then it was hard to get out of it. He said that today he promised those two fat brothers to taste some fresh donkey meat, and pointed with his finger: "For the last time, starting from tomorrow, is it settled?"

  Dan Yong hated that he couldn't kick this guy twice, but he couldn't bear to reject his good intentions. As soon as they entered the store, when he saw the invitation on the counter, he pulled Lei Dapeng out again, laughing and saying: "Today we won't eat our own food for nothing, let's go eat someone else's! Call those two little brothers of yours."

  "What's for dinner?" Lei Dapeng heard it was free food and got excited.

  "Donkey meat fragrant hot pot, a grand feast of donkeys, eating well and having face. The Shi family gave me a VIP invitation card, I was worried about where to deal with it. Go or not?" Dan Yong asked with a smile, turning his head back, Lei Dapeng was nowhere to be seen, raising his head again, this guy had already snuck away, shouting on the phone: "Chestnut, white meat, quick, meet at Hero East Road, brother will take you two to eat for free..."

  They arranged the store, and Lai Da Peng's urban management electric vehicle was parked. The two drove to Hero East Road. Before the car stopped, Li Xiao Li and Bai Shu Guang had already jumped up excitedly. Hearing that they were going to eat donkey meat again, their movements were very quick and didn't appear clumsy at all. As soon as Li Xiao Li got on the car, he said with a sigh: "Our office has that postal advertisement, I saw it a few days ago. The photo makes people drool... Bai meat, what dish is that called? Our team leader said that even in Luoyang, it's hard to find."

  "Abalone stewed donkey's penis." Bai Shuguang sprayed a sentence. Leida Peng, who was in front, laughed so hard that the car almost slipped off the road, and Danyong also laughed so hard that his stomach hurt. These two idiots were indeed Leida Peng's younger brothers, even more ignorant than Leida Peng, learning dish names all mixed up, and when they couldn't say it, they just made something up. The four of them laughed so hard that the electric car swayed back and forth, swaying to the entrance of the Donkey Meat Hot Pot restaurant. Danyong led the way in front, with the three chubby guys following behind, and as soon as they showed their VIP invitation card, the doorman, a polite man, asked how many people were there. Danyong pointed back, but the three guys had already squeezed inside.

  Sorry to say, but being in the same group as those three, enduring their mocking gazes, Single Courage's face turned a bit red as he entered the reception hall. Although he had imagined that teaming up with Donkey Meat Fragrant Hot Pot would be great, it still gave him a dazzling feeling upon entering. The over 300 square meter hall on the second floor was centered around a three-layered pagoda-shaped food tower, with alternating red and green cold dishes - the essential colorful dishes for donkey meat. The ears, belly, heart, lips, liver, and tongue were all there, making it a feast for the eyes. What caught Single Courage's attention was that each layer of the food tower had different utensils and shapes: the bottom layer used celadon ceramics, the middle layer used wooden utensils with dragon and phoenix carvings, and the top layer was a giant donkey head. Upon closer inspection, it left Single Courage in awe - it was a whole roasted donkey head, with the dark brown roasted donkey head still maintaining its original shape.

  Cuisine, strictly speaking, its beauty is first and foremost not a beautiful fragrance or taste, but a cruel beauty, especially at grand banquets.

  At first glance, the food materials arranged around for self-service have already had some donkey head bones cleared away by the waiters.

  For Dan Yong, perhaps it was appreciation and contemplation that surpassed the pleasure of taste at this time. He carefully examined each dish on his plate, savoring every bite, and couldn't help but secretly praise the superior ingredients of Lu Yuan, which were rich without being greasy, lean without being dry, tender without falling apart, and soft without being sticky... This standard evaluation was fully demonstrated by the chefs' exquisite craftsmanship at the grand feast of Lu Yuan.

  For a moment, Shan Yong was intoxicated with appreciation for these exquisite culinary skills.

  Those three are not like that, Bai Shuguang walked and gnawed on the donkey's meat, Li Xiaoli picked vegetables like a bear, looking at this and that, tasting this and biting that, stuffing their mouths so full they couldn't speak. Lei Dapeng was also good for nothing, hooking his finger to call the brothers, pointing to the big donkey head, indicating that the three of them should move to the side table to slowly gnaw on it. Just as the two were about to take action, there was a sudden burst of laughter from the side, and when they turned their heads, the three of them were stunned for a moment. A beautiful woman with curly hair and yellow clothes laughed so hard she couldn't see her eyes, and when she turned her head, she whispered to the man beside her: "Where did these three country bumpkins come from? They're hilarious."

  "Hmm, damn it, Lei Dapeng is furious. Glaring with his eyes, Li Xiaoli also got angry. Chewing with food left in his mouth, Bai Shuguang glanced at the two brothers' eyes and knew what to do next. Stretching his neck and shouting: "Auntie, did I hear that wrong? You called us three idiots!?"

  The smiling woman suddenly pulled a long face, pointing at Bai Shuguang. She didn't expect this harmless-looking fat man to be so sharp-tongued. In an instant, she gritted her teeth and said venomously: "What's your name? Dare you say that again?"

  "Wrong, wrong, don't be polite to him!" Li Xiao came up and scolded Bai Shu Guang, that woman thought he was apologizing, but unexpectedly this big fat man was even more sarcastic, his tone suddenly changed: "Can't call auntie, call big mom, didn't you see big mom's eyes are dim and her speech is not clear?"

  As soon as this was said, the two fat men burst out laughing with their mouths open, making the woman's face turn red and white with anger. At this time, Lei Ge came out and said with a pleased expression: "It's not your fault that you're old, but it's not right for someone like you to come out and scare people during menopause. There are so many beautiful women around, and you're inserting yourself as an eyesore, don't you think you're being too much?"

  Lei Dapeng bullied someone, and the two younger brothers laughed even harder. Since following Lei Ge, they have learned to bully people, especially bullying women who are still somewhat decent-looking, which makes them laugh even more. The onlookers watched as these three fat men teased a young woman, although it was a bit too much, but somehow they couldn't get angry, because the three fat men were really likable, especially their smiling faces, their whole body shaking with laughter, like a pile of fatty meat wobbling around. The woman couldn't hold back anymore, picked up her food tray and wanted to hit them, the three fat men retreated, opened up a space, fortunately, the man knew what was going on, pulled the girl back from acting out, but unexpectedly got splattered with food by that woman instead, a plate of donkey ear noodles landed right on his body, he pushed open the door and left.

  "Brother, isn't it hard serving a middle-aged woman?"

  "You'd better work harder, it's obvious that your life is not in harmony."

  "Let her eat more donkey hide gelatin, it seems like she's already suffering from severe meat deficiency."

  Lei Da Peng and his two friends each said a sentence, which made the man's companion shiver with anger. However, these three didn't show any sign of apology at all. The more they were scolded, the happier they became, and they even laughed while eating and watching the man's companion make a fool of himself.

  It wasn't an ordinary person who could provoke her. The woman rushed out of the activity room and stood on the stairs, pointing at the hall downstairs and shouting:

  "Security, security... all of you come up here and throw those three fat bastards out... Ugh, I'm so angry, I want to kill these three pigs."

  Trouble! It's the boss's daughter, and the security guard, doorman, and delivery guy are rushing up the stairs in a flurry...