Chapter 91

"Alright, don't bother me while I'm doing business. Go do what you need to do," Old Uncle began to shoo people away.

Because around his stall, there was a group of villagers from other villages and tourists from outside. Someone had revealed Wang Yong's identity, causing everyone to stand aside, pointing and whispering, afraid to approach.

There were many legends about Wang Yong's background. Although few knew the true identity of the Second Master, it was impossible to hide the identity of the younger uncle. With such a powerful ministerial-level uncle, and the obvious favoritism shown by the state during the recent turmoil, everyone with any information knew Wang Yong's weight and dared not act rashly.

The Chinese people have always had a tradition of keeping a respectful distance from officials. So when Wang Yong stood at the stall, no one dared to crowd around. However, watching from a distance is the favorite pastime of the Chinese people, so it didn't take long for Old Uncle's stall to be surrounded by a crowd.

"Alright, I'll go pick up my aunt later. Tonight, I'll treat you both to dinner as a thank you for the village chief for coming up with such a good idea. Is that okay?" Wang Yong said helplessly.

"Alright, you'd better go. I still have business to do."

Seeing how the once excellent teacher, Old Uncle, had turned into such a shrewd businessman, Wang Yong felt genuinely uncomfortable. But seeing Old Uncle's contented mood, he couldn't help but be happy for him.

For a retired teacher to find a job that not only allowed him to use his skills but also earn some money to supplement the household, and for Old Uncle to enjoy it so much, was truly not easy!

After all, although the state had raised teachers' salaries several times, for a teacher with insufficient seniority, the salary was only a few thousand yuan, barely enough to get by, far from being considered wealthy.

Thinking of this, Wang Yong recalled the primary school he planned to set up in the village. Should the village provide some subsidies or bonuses to the school teachers? People coming to teach in such a remote village shouldn't be shortchanged in terms of material benefits!

Before he could finish his thoughts, Old Uncle started shooing him away again. Wang Yong walked forward helplessly, thinking about checking out the restaurant that Old Uncle had mentioned was doing very well, run by Wang Lao Da.

Speaking of Wang Lao Da, although they were related by blood from five hundred years ago, in the village, being family wasn't just a saying. Sharing the same surname and being able to trace back to the same ancestor meant a much closer relationship than ordinary villagers. At the very least, they had to be present for any major or minor events.

When Wang Yong was young, he loved eating fish and was good at catching them, eventually becoming an excellent fish cook. Wang Lao Da often took Wang Yong to neighboring villages to cook for weddings and funerals. Although they didn't always earn much money, it did improve their diet. That was Wang Yong's proudest time, as a child around ten years old, he could cook fish so well that he was recognized by people in the surrounding villages, bringing great pride to his parents.

Because of this, Wang Lao Da, who should be called Uncle by seniority, didn't mind Wang Yong calling him Wang Lao Da at all. The two got along like friends, completely ignoring the village's seniority rules, always treating each other as equals.

Following Old Uncle's directions, Wang Yong walked past the village committee office. Instead of rushing to talk to his uncle about the water supply and hot spring projects, he continued walking for about thirty meters and turned at the intersection, where he saw Wang Lao Da's restaurant, which was still bustling with people even after lunchtime, without any signboard.

The shop was an old house Wang Lao Da had bought from a villager, consisting of three rooms. He had torn down the walls and replaced them with aluminum and glass, making the interior visible from outside and expanding the business area.

The entire courtyard was covered with aluminum and glass windows, with the west wing converted into a kitchen. The main rooms were used as private dining rooms, and the courtyard served as the main hall, looking quite professional.

Although it was already past one o'clock, well past lunchtime, the place was still bustling with noise and activity. All the tables were full, and many people were still queuing for seats.

"Hey! Second Brother? Why are you here?"

Wang Yong looked over and saw Wang Hao, Wang Lao Da's youngest son. Wasn't he supposed to be working as a supervisor in a restaurant in Tianjin? When did he come back?

"Wang Hao, when did you come back?"

"I've been back for a while. The day after you left, I came back and started helping my dad with this restaurant," Wang Hao said, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Great, you're much better than your brother. Your insight, even eight of your brother couldn't match you."

"Hey! Second Brother, you can't say that!" Wang Wei, carrying a dish, walked over, placing it on a nearby table and said resentfully, "You have to help me! You don't know, my status in the Wang family has plummeted! The guy I used to bully, Biaozi, now avoids me. This kid, as soon as he came back, came up with this idea, and now he's praised everywhere, while I'm suffering. You have to help me get out of this misery!"

Wang Wei was a natural actor, his eyes red, almost in tears. But Wang Yong, who knew him inside and out, wouldn't fall for his act.

"Get lost, you still have the nerve to say that? Don't even mention knowing me, I'm embarrassed for you. How could you let your two younger brothers overshadow you? What happened to your authority as the eldest brother?"

Wang Yong's words immediately made Wang Wei look devastated. After all, when they were young, how could Biaozi and Wang Hao dare to challenge him? Whatever he said, they followed, and if he said to kill a chicken, they would immediately go and do it. Of course, they might have done it to get meat, using him as a scapegoat.

"Ah! The past is too painful to recall. Back then, I was the absolute big brother, a role model for them. Now, it's like the tide has turned. I, the great leader, known as 'Heaven's Foe Without a Handle, Earth's Foe Without a Ring, the Mighty Little Tyrant,' how could I end up like this?"

Wang Wei's exaggerated words and expressions made the surrounding guests laugh, and a few who knew him started teasing him.

"Hey! We've been classmates for years, I didn't know you had this nickname. You're not called..."

Before the person could finish, Wang Wei interrupted, "Just eat, so many words, be careful you don't choke!"

"Looks like this boss is a fan of storytelling," another guest said.

"What do you mean?" a guest asked, picking up the conversation.

"Haven't you heard Mr. Shan Tianfang's storytelling? This is about Li Yuanba, the second fool in 'The Heroes of Sui and Tang'?"

"The second fool?"

"Ha ha ha..."

As everyone was laughing, Wang Wei's mother saw Wang Yong and hurried over to greet him.

"Wang Yong? When did you come back?"

"I came back last night. I just woke up and heard that Wang Lao Da opened a restaurant, and it's doing very well. I, the former partner, couldn't sit still and came to check it out," Wang Yong said with a grin to Wang Lao Da's wife.

"Come on, do you still care about this small business now?" The aunt, who was used to Wang Yong's lack of respect, didn't mind at all.

"Wang Yong! Come over quickly, see what's wrong with the fish I cooked," Wang Lao Da called from the kitchen.

"Coming! You're so slow, how have you not improved after all these years?" Wang Yong said, entering the kitchen as the surrounding guests looked on in amazement.

"Who is he?"

"Right, he's so impressive?"

"You don't recognize him? Let me tell you, remember this, he's the village chief of Banship, the inventor of super vegetables. Do you know why he's so respected here?"

"Why?"

"Tell us, come on?"

"Sure, I'll tell you. When he was ten, he was already better at cooking fish than Wang Lao Da, the chef of this restaurant, and became a recognized fish cook in the surrounding villages. From then on, he and Wang Lao Da almost monopolized the high-end wedding and funeral banquets in the area."

Ignoring the crowd outside discussing Wang Yong's gossip, Wang Yong entered the kitchen and saw Wang Lao Da busy and sweating. Seeing Wang Yong, he didn't hesitate and ordered, "Hurry up, don't just stand there. Help me with these two fish, they want them steamed."

"Let me tell you, you say you specialize in rural wedding and funeral banquets, but there's no such thing as steamed fish. You should just tell them you don't have it. Now, you're in a bind, right?" Wang Yong said, starting to handle the fish.

"Ah! When my second son suggested opening a restaurant for wedding and funeral banquets, I didn't expect it to be so successful. Especially the tourists from outside, they love it. They come once, twice, and even people from the county and city come every day. Today, someone specifically invited a leader to eat here. The leader said he likes steamed fish, but my skills are only good for stewing fish. I can't do steamed fish well."

"Alright, from now on, just refuse. Don't indulge their whims. If they want to eat, let them eat. You've already told them you specialize in wedding and funeral banquets. Who in our village would ask for steamed fish? They're just causing trouble."

"Do you think I'd deal with just anyone? What kind of place is our village? Can just anyone come and cause trouble? This is a special case. They brought a ten-pound grass carp for me to cook. What should I say?"

"What should you say? Just say you can't do it. If I hadn't come, wouldn't they have caused a scene?"

"You don't think they're the type to do that?"

"Who knows what people are like? They know you don't have this dish, yet they insist you cook it. Isn't that deliberately making things difficult? Besides, who steams a ten-pound grass carp?"

Wang Yong wasn't just speculating maliciously; he had monitored all the guests with Little Light and immediately identified the table insisting on steamed fish. Who steams a ten-pound grass carp? It's clearly making things difficult.

"What should we do?" Wang Yong wondered how an honest and simple man like Wang Lao Da could have a son like Wang Wei. Could he not be his real son? This thought made Wang Yong pause.

Wang Yong decided to let Wang Wei handle the situation. With his ability to talk anyone into anything, he could probably smooth things over. After giving Wang Wei detailed instructions, he sent him into the private room.

A few minutes later, five or six people came out, looking embarrassed. Realizing they had almost been tricked, Wang Lao Da angrily slammed his knife into the cutting board and didn't speak for a long time. (To be continued.)