HCB Chapter 433 Lin Ke's Purpose
Chapter 433 Lin Ke's Purpose
Lin Ke sighed.
He realized that Lao Lu had a bad temper and didn't like dealing with government officials, which is why he came to find Xu Yiyi first.
"Could you please put in a good word for me with Lao Lu?"
Lin Ke said somewhat embarrassedly.
Xu Yi thought for a moment, "I can talk to Lao Lu for you, but I can't guarantee whether he will agree."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ke quickly took the fishing net from her hand.
"That's enough."
Old Lu may seem carefree, but he's discovered that he actually listens to what Xu Yiyi says.
"You still haven't said what kind of help you need from Lao Lu?"
Xu Yiyi turned her head to look at Lin Ke.
"This month, eight government-built grain transport ships are heading north. Once they leave my jurisdiction, they will be joined by a group of pirates no less powerful than the Red Shark Gang. This time, they are transporting grain and salt, which is crucial to the safety of the northern frontier after the spring. We cannot afford to make any mistakes."
Lin Ke only spoke about the important points.
Xu Yiyi lowered her eyes, "But even if Lao Lu is powerful, he can't protect eight cargo ships by himself!"
Are they treating him like he has three heads and six arms?
"Besides him, there are naturally other people."
Lin Ke shook his head; all he needed was Lao Lu to protect the two ships.
As they spoke, the two returned to the restaurant.
Xu Pinghai had just put down his catch when he rushed over to help.
"Business is really good today. Why don't we go back to the clan and call a few quick-witted young men over to help out? We can run errands and clear tables in the lobby, and bring a couple more helpers in the kitchen. Otherwise, we'll be exhausted."
Xu Pinghai squatted on the ground, cleaning the fish while talking to her.
"That's great! I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to ask someone for help."
As she spoke, she quickly took the fishing net from Lin Ke's hand and put it into the pool.
“Go to the dock now and tell Alan to go back to the island and get people. Don’t wait for me, I’ll stay here and help you.”
As Xu Pinghai spoke, he threw the fish he had prepared into the bucket.
Then he scooped up another fish and put it in his hand.
He was much faster at processing fish than Aunt Zhao; he could process about ten fish in a quarter of an hour.
Fast and clean.
Lin Ke thought it wouldn't do for him to just stand there doing nothing, so seeing that the kitchen was too busy, he volunteered to go in and help with the fire.
As a result, he was kicked out shortly after sitting down.
With a soft "pfft".
Xu Yiyi, who had just returned from the dock, almost burst out laughing when she saw the grime on his face.
"You should just sit still! I don't think you're the type to do any work."
As Xu Yiyi spoke, she washed her hands and took the duck out of the oven.
Lin Ke had just washed his face and sat down when he saw Lao Lu walking back from the front carrying an empty tray, and he smiled subconsciously.
"Virtue!"
Old Lu pursed his lips and walked warily to Xu Yiyi's side.
"Is there something wrong with him? He's making my scalp tingle with laughter."
As he spoke, Lao Lu pointed to his head.
Xu Yiyi shook her head helplessly, "Is he trying to please you?"
She then explained Lin Ke's purpose in coming.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Lu refused.
"You know perfectly well that I hate dealing with these people in official robes, yet you still come here as my advocate!"
He said through gritted teeth.
The look in her eyes as she looked at Lin Ke immediately became less friendly.
"If Mr. Lu is willing to take action, you can name your fee."
Lin Ke had been keeping an eye on the situation and noticed Lao Lu's unfriendly gaze. He immediately stepped forward and bowed.
The old man's lips twitched, as if he hadn't expected Lin Ke to be so humble.
Somewhat uncomfortable, she avoided his bow.
"Just say it, why are you bowing all the time?"
Old Lu couldn't stand this.
"Are you going or not?" Xu Yi looked at Lao Lu with a darting gaze.
Old Lu shook his head. "Am I brainless?"
He countered with a question.
This kind of thing is completely thankless and exhausting.
Xu Yiyi didn't try to dissuade him at all. She gave Lao Lu a look and immediately grabbed five or six ducks to bleed and pluck their feathers.
Old Lu was left alone to face Lin Ke.
Before long, the young helper from the island arrived at the restaurant.
Old Lu didn't want to talk to Lin Ke any longer, so he used the excuse of serving dishes to slip away.
"Sister Yi! What are we going to do?"
Xu Anshu was the last to enter, curiously looking around at everything in the backyard.
Seeing everyone busy, I naturally felt embarrassed to just stand there dumbfounded.
"Three people go to the kitchen, and the remaining three go to the main hall to help out, serving dishes and tidying up the tables."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Anshu, being an outgoing person, volunteered to go to the front hall to help serve the dishes.
I was busy until mid-afternoon when the weather changed.
The number of customers gradually decreased.
……
on the street.
Xu Yiyi went to the grain store again and ordered four shi of wheat, two shi of glutinous rice, five shi of japonica rice for daily dining, as well as fragrant rice, flour, rice noodles, and so on, which are often eaten by diners in the private rooms on the second floor.
Manager Wang of the grain store clattered away on his abacus, while Xu Yiyi tied her money bag back to her waist.
He led the food deliveryman back to the restaurant's backyard.
At that time, a large group of boys sat waiting to eat.
Seeing the mountain of grain, they quickly came forward and carried it to the room where the grain was stored.
"Are you preparing to brew wine again?"
Old Lu was overjoyed when he saw that he had bought so much wheat.
My back doesn't hurt anymore, and I don't complain of being tired anymore.
Xu Yiyi pushed aside his craning head and put the glutinous rice and mung beans she had bought into the pot to steam until cooked.
Yunniang and Fatty Wang were cooking lunch for everyone.
"Add more meat, they're all big eaters."
After being busy for more than two hours, I'm afraid I'll be able to eat even more.
"There are only five ducks left, let's finish cooking them all! They'll be ready to eat."
Xu Yiyi wasn't a stingy person. As she spoke, she tied on her apron, rolled up her sleeves, and handed the duck on the cutting board to Aunt Fu to handle.
Yunniang is making sauerkraut fish.
Xu Yiyi used the prepared blue crabs to make a large plate of spicy stir-fried crab and a steamer of shrimp.
Vegetarian dishes include cold seaweed salad and pickled deer antler seaweed.
The staple food was simple: rice.
The dishes were all served, and everyone ate without even looking up.
Xu Pinghai followed Lao Lu into the wine cellar and bought two jugs of wine.
Unlike Lao Lu, Xu Pinghai prefers plum wine.
It tastes sweet at first, but burns intensely in the throat.
The slightly sour sweetness of the plum quickly dissipated and mixed with the mellow and strong flavor of the baijiu. It was sweet and strong, sour and mellow. After taking a sip, the fatigue in his body seemed to be driven away, and a thin layer of sweat instantly appeared on Xu Pinghai's forehead.
Sihai sat down next to his older brothers in the clan with a small bowl in his hand, the blush on his little face lingering.
After a busy morning, my food tastes much better now.
"Big sister! Otherwise, I'll ask my husband for leave this afternoon and not go to the academy."
Sanchuan carried a teapot down from the second floor. He would come back from the school for lunch, take a short rest, and then go back to the school.
At this time of day, the child would usually be asleep.
But because he was too busy today, he didn't take a lunch break and started working right after lunch.
"Just focus on your studies! Didn't you see that your older brothers from the clan came to help?"
As Xu Pinghai spoke, he took a swig of wine from the bowl.