Chapter 183 Only dogs eat rice noodles!
Wang Shushi adamantly disagreed, his attitude as stubborn as a rock in a latrine pit – both stinky and hard.
Seeing this, Wang Qingya stopped trying to persuade him.
However, she was a decisive person and had already planned to act first and report later.
While Wang Shushi was taking his afternoon nap, Wang Qingya quietly took her son, clutching a thick wad of silver notes, to the Imperial Academy.
Shen Yulou's eyelid twitched when he heard it was Grand Tutor Wang's grandson.
Grand Tutor Wang had just impeached him today.
"Did Lord Wang agree?"
"No, I came secretly."
Wang Qingya looked earnest, slipping the silver notes into Shen Yulou's sleeve.
"Lord Shen, please bear with my father. I entrust this child to you!"
Shen Yulou wore a professional fake smile, pocketing the silver notes.
"Madam, rest assured, I guarantee to mold him into a pillar of society!"
...Meanwhile, Boss Chu of Juewei Tower had been so worried these past few days that he was practically pulling his hair out.
Watching the neighboring business flourish while his own was deserted, he knew that if this continued, his shop would have to close down.
That night, just as the rice noodle shop was closing, Boss Chu stopped their head chef in a dark alley.
"Fifty taels a month! If you come over, I'll give you this much!" Boss Chu got straight to the point.
The head chef was startled and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Boss Chu, this... isn't right, is it? Boss Wang has treated me well..."
"Right?"
Boss Chu sneered, "What future can you have with him? Let me tell you, I have Minister Jin of the Ministry of Works backing me!
If you work with me and do well, I'll recommend you to the Imperial Kitchen in the future – that's truly bringing honor to your ancestors!"
Boss Chu painted another grand picture, adding threats and inducements. The chef hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded and agreed.
The main reason was that the Imperial Chef position held a great allure for him.
As a chef, who wouldn't want to enter the Imperial Kitchen?
That was truly bringing honor to one's ancestors!
Other scholars had to study hard for decades just to become officials.
But if you entered the Imperial Kitchen, you might become the Chief Imperial Chef, which would directly make you a fifth-rank official, bringing honor to your ancestors!
...The next day, diners in the capital were surprised to find that the signboard of Juewei Tower had been changed to — Authentic Jue Wei Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles.
The walls inside the shop were also painted with the love story of Li Deguang crossing the bridge, almost identical.
Boss Wang opened his shop early in the morning, and when he saw the scene across the street, he was so angry he almost couldn't breathe.
He rushed over to confront him: "You surname Chu! Have you no shame? Is this how you do business?!"
Boss Chu crossed his arms, smiling triumphantly.
"How am I shameless?"
"Is Junior Grand Tutor Li's story exclusive to your family? Did your family invent rice noodles?
If your head chef is willing to come to me, that's a good bird choosing its tree! If you have the ability, poach my people too!"
Boss Wang was left speechless by the retort, only able to return with a belly full of anger.
After opening, Shen Yulou's restaurant business plummeted.
Boss Chu's place was not only well-decorated, but his rice noodles were also two taels of silver cheaper, instantly stealing all the customers.
Boss Wang was truly at his wit's end. After enduring for two days, he finally ran to the Imperial Academy.
"Lord Shen! Please think of a solution quickly! If this continues, we'll have to close down!"
Zhao Qi also frowned upon hearing this.
"Sir, what should we do?"
Shen Yulou, however, was unhurried. He calmly took a sip of tea and smiled slightly.
"No worries, the marketplace is like a battlefield. Do as I say, and I guarantee he'll cry and spit out everything he's eaten."
...After Boss Wang returned, he immediately took down his signboard without a word.
And then... there was no 'then.'
He neither hung a new sign nor sold food. The shop door was open, but there was no business.
Everyone was wondering, were these two restaurants at odds?
One changed its name, and the other simply stopped operating?
Boss Chu's business was booming. Looking at the deserted Boss Wang across the street, he was overjoyed and would stroll over every day to mock him a few times.
"Old Wang, your rice noodles aren't selling, they must be going bad, right?"
Boss Wang merely snorted, "If they go bad, they go bad. If they go bad, I'll feed them to the dogs."
In the afternoon, Boss Wang indeed poured all the leftover rice noodles from his shop into a large basin at the entrance.
He whistled, and several stray dogs on the street immediately gathered around, eating with great relish.
Boss Chu watched from across the street, finding it amusing. If Boss Wang kept this up, he probably wouldn't last many days.
This continued for several days.
This day, Boss Chu had prepared more rice noodles than usual, ready to welcome the peak flow of customers.
An old regular customer walked to his shop entrance but walked straight past, not entering the shop.
This was Scholar Chen from the south of the city, who used to frequent the place.
Boss Chu enthusiastically greeted him: "Scholar Chen, please come in!"
Scholar Chen, however, frowned and waved his hand dismissively, looking disgusted.
"I'm not eating anymore! I'm never eating rice noodles again!"
Boss Chu was utterly bewildered: "Why?"
"Bad luck!"
Scholar Chen pointed to the dog bowls on the ground, which still had some rice noodles left in them.
"Look, these rice noodles are now dog food!
We, dignified scholars, have studied hard for ten years.
The imperial examination is coming soon, how can we eat the same thing as dogs?
If I get bad luck and it affects my fortune, can you bear the responsibility?!"
Boss Chu's head buzzed.
He stopped another customer who was about to enter the shop, and received the same answer.
"I'm not eating anymore! It's spread all over the city now, rice noodles are dog food!
Who eats the same thing as dogs?!"
Only then did Boss Chu realize that Boss Wang feeding rice noodles to dogs every day was for this purpose!
He couldn't make a living, so he just overturned the table!
Nobody sells rice noodles!
NMB!
Playing dirty tricks!
Despicable! Shameless! Vulgar!
Is this even a dirty trick a human could come up with?!
Boss Wang watched as his shop gradually filled with customers again, a smile blooming on his face, his admiration for Shen Yulou boundless.
Lord Shen is truly amazing!
Just then, the Vice Minister of Revenue entered the shop. He looked at the bare wall and asked curiously.
"Boss Wang, where's... the story of the cross-bridge rice noodles?"
Boss Wang smiled mysteriously, pointing to a new dish on the menu.
"Your Excellency, times have changed.
We don't eat rice noodles now, we eat meat!
Try our new signature dish — grand tutor's meat!"
The Vice Minister was stunned: "grand tutor's meat? What is that?"
Boss Wang cleared his throat and, adopting the mannerisms of a storyteller, slowly began.
"Speaking of grand tutor's meat, it has quite a history!
It is said that our current Grand Tutor, Lord Wang Shushi, was demoted to Location when he was young.
That place was poor, pork was very cheap, but the locals didn't know how to cook it.
Our Grand Tutor Wang, not only was he learned, but he was also a gourmet!
He personally took action, cut the pork into cubes, and stewed it slowly with little water, and it smelled incredibly delicious!
Everyone greatly admired Grand Tutor Wang, and this dish quickly spread.
Later, when the Grand Tutor returned to the imperial city, the common people, to commemorate Grand Tutor Wang,
called this dish grand tutor's meat!"
The Vice Minister's expression immediately changed, and he instantly looked respectful!
"So Lord Wang actually has such a story, it's truly moving and inspiring.
This shows that Lord Wang loved his people like his own children, which is why he is remembered by the common people.
Give me a portion of grand tutor's meat