Chapter 82

In a small residence in the wealthy district of Hongyuan City, Mu Shaodong was warming himself by a brazier, a look of contentment on his face.

After completing this mission, he would return to Xuanyuan Tianzong. Compared to the harsh cold of Qiankun Empire, the warm climate, abundant resources, and diverse entertainment options of Xuanyuan Tianzong were like heaven.

"Having impersonated Mu Shaodong for so many years, I can finally leave this wretched place! However... the food here is quite good. I should buy the recipes before I leave. Those nobles from the outer territories should have already succeeded..."

He was lost in his pleasant thoughts when a young man rushed in, panic-stricken, and bowed, saying, "Young Master, something has happened!"

"What?" Mu Shaodong's heart tightened, and he immediately asked, "What happened?"

"The nobles who previously hoarded grain are now returning it, all of it has been transported to Hongyuan City's granaries... Duke Dingshou has also issued a message, saying that there is enough grain, and the commoners need not worry! And..."

"Phew!" Mu Shaodong let out a long breath. As long as his identity wasn't exposed, he could still return.

Waving to interrupt his subordinate, Mu Shaodong asked, "Why did these nobles suddenly take such action? Have you found out?"

"I have. Mo Hongxian gave all the food recipes to these nobles in exchange for them selling grain at a fair price!" The young man answered, but before he could continue, Mu Shaodong interrupted him again.

"Mo Hongxian is truly bold, to throw away such a huge benefit so easily!" Mu Shaodong muttered, then added, "But it's mainly because of Jiang Xingchen. Without his recipes, this wouldn't have happened. The medical supplies for the Seventh Legion were his..."

Thinking of Jiang Xingchen, Mu Shaodong felt a deep-seated hatred. If the previous plan had succeeded, he would have already returned to Xuanyuan Tianzong. Moreover, the blind man and others sent from Dongxuan Kingdom had not returned, and the outcome was obvious.

But then, Mu Shaodong's lips curled into a sinister smile, "Do you think that by using benefits to get the nobles to release grain, you can calm the panic of the commoners? How much grain do they have? Most of it on the market was hoarded by us..."

He waved his hand and said to his subordinate, "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. The grain in the hands of the nobles can only give Duke Dingshou a temporary reprieve!"

"Young Master, I haven't finished speaking..." The young man finally had a chance to speak, looking at Mu Shaodong cautiously, "Not only did the nobles release grain, but grain was also transported from outside the city. The carts formed a long line, stretching out of sight. The granaries of Hongyuan City are already full, and they are still transporting more... Many commoners who were queuing to buy grain have already returned..."

"Damn it!" Mu Shaodong leaped up, his facial muscles twitching, "It's over! The plan has failed... Where did they get so much grain from..."

After a moment of shock, Mu Shaodong kicked his subordinate to the ground and started kicking him fiercely, cursing, "You damn fool, why do you speak in such short breaths? Why didn't you finish in one go!"

The subordinate, covering his head, was on the verge of tears, "I was trying to say it, but you didn't give me the chance. Now you're beating me..."

Muttering curses in his heart, the subordinate said, "Young Master, Young Master, stop... We can incite the commoners to continue hoarding grain!"

"You damn fool! We hoarded grain to raise prices and make money. If we're discovered, we have an explanation. Now, with Duke Dingshou watching so closely, do you want us to be exposed?"

Kicking and cursing, Mu Shaodong finally stopped, panting. With the plan failing, he would definitely not be favored upon returning to Xuanyuan Tianzong, and his life would be over.

If he didn't return, he first needed to find a way to minimize the losses. With so much grain in hand, he couldn't stay in Hengtong Merchant House, and there was a risk of his identity being exposed.

Gently kicking the subordinate who was pretending to be dead on the ground, Mu Shaodong sat down and took a deep breath, asking, "We need to quickly recover our losses. With so much grain in hand, my father will definitely call me back, and this fake identity might be exposed... Do you have any ideas?"

The subordinate looked up at Mu Shaodong, enduring the pain, and forced a fawning smile, "It's easy! Young Master, if Hongyuan City doesn't lack grain, we can sell it to the surrounding territories. With this weather, other territories should be short of grain, and the prices will definitely rise. This way, we won't just break even, but we'll make a profit..."

Mu Shaodong stared at his subordinate, then suddenly patted his shoulder and asked softly, "Well said! Was I too rough just now? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Young Master, you weren't rough at all!" The subordinate's voice was sickly sweet.

"Good! I haven't had enough yet!" Mu Shaodong suddenly turned, kicked his subordinate to the ground, and started stomping on him again.

"Are you an idiot? Sending it to other territories, do I have to stabilize their grain prices for them? The transportation costs alone will bankrupt me..."

While Mu Shaodong was enraged, the young nobles from the Wang family and others who had come to buy the recipes were also furious, and the sound of things being smashed could be heard from many residences.

With Hongyuan City no longer lacking grain, their grain was stuck in their hands. Unless they lowered the price, they couldn't sell it. Even if they wanted to transport it away, as Mu Shaodong said, the weather and the roads would make the transportation costs prohibitive. They had no choice but to lower the price, or the grain would spoil and they would lose everything.

In desperation, they could only sell the grain at a low price.

However, not everything was bad. At least they could now buy the recipes they had been trying to get for so long, which was a small consolation.

As they left Hongyuan City after selling the grain, the young master of the Wang family consoled himself, "Mo Hongxian, you wouldn't sell me the recipes, but I can still get them!"

But more than ten days later, when the two major restaurants introduced new dishes, the young master of the Wang family couldn't help but curse, "Mo Hongxian, I @#￥￥%..."

The influx of a large amount of grain stabilized Hongyuan City, and everything returned to normal. Due to the release of the recipes, all the restaurants in the city knew how to make Beggar's Chicken and buns, and the city's reputation as a food haven was even more prominent, attracting many food enthusiasts even in the harsh winter.

But this peace only lasted a few days. The two major restaurants simultaneously introduced new dishes, causing a sensation.

Soup-filled buns and fish soup. Even before they were officially on sale, many people had already reserved seats.

"Soup-filled buns! Is the soup really inside the buns? How do you eat them? That's so strange!"

"What's strange? We'll know when we try them. The dishes from the two major restaurants have never disappointed!"

"The truly strange thing is the fish soup. How can there be fish in this weather? And what's so special about fish soup, just a clear broth..."

As food enthusiasts discussed, a truly shocking scene unfolded. Du Roshan and his team of over thirty carts entered Hongyuan City, stopping at the doors of the two major restaurants and unloading a large number of frozen fish.

"Wow~" Everyone was amazed. So many fish, even in summer, were rare.

"Real fish, how did they catch them? It's unbelievable!" Everyone thought.

Even Duke Dingshou and Zhao Danqing's mother came to see the fish. Others might not know, but they were clear that these fish were caught in one net.

"I really want to crack this kid's head open to see what's inside. Catching 30,000 pounds of fish in one net, it sounds fake!" Duke Dingshou sighed.

"This kid is truly talented. The only thing the old Zhao family did right was to befriend Jiang Xingchen! Everything else is unreliable!" Zhao Danqing's mother said.

Duke Dingshou's lips twitched, and he glanced at the fierce face, thinking, "The most unreliable thing about Zhao Zixiang is that he married you. I wonder how he can stand it..."

On the other side, Mo Hongxian, Wan Rou, Zhao Danqing, Sun Sanqiang, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother were also stunned. Although they knew the outcome, seeing so many fish was still a huge visual impact.

"This kid is amazing! I have to go to Green Mountain Village and see how he did it!" Zhao Danqing muttered.

"Me too, me too, I want to see the food he makes... Ow!" Second Brother was excited, but Mo Hongxian slapped him back.

"Second Brother, you stay home. I'll go with Wan Rou!" Mo Hongxian said calmly.

"I... you... too much!" Second Brother's face was grim, and he inwardly wailed. The others covered their mouths and snickered...

The crowd on the street grew, and the exclamations of amazement were continuous. Du Roshan and his team of the Sky-Shaking Mercenary Group looked up, basking in the envious gazes of the people, and the fatigue from their journey disappeared.

Once all the fish were transported into the two major restaurants, those who had reserved seats rushed in.

A month later, heartfelt praises echoed in the two major restaurants.

"These are soup-filled buns, they're amazing! How do they put the soup inside?"

"So delicious! The meat is tender and has texture, and the skin is as thin as silk..."

"The fish soup is even more fragrant. How do they make it so rich..."

The evaluations of the food enthusiasts quickly spread. Those who hadn't reserved seats, regardless of how many days they had to wait, just said one word: Reserve!

As the two major restaurants caused a sensation, quietly, regular bun eaters noticed that the bun shops had also introduced new items.

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