After transmigrating into the body of a widow, I became the richest man in the capital.

174 Octopus Ball Patent
What Su Xiaoxiao said in the store was indeed very harsh, and it seemed hard for outsiders to accept.

It's not about Su Bingcheng's mental fortitude, but rather that being chased by loan sharks is a shameful thing, no matter who you are in that situation.

If this matter is not resolved, Su Bingcheng might very well be hacked to pieces.

Su Xiaoxiao took out all her savings and helped Su Bingcheng pay off his debts. This high-interest debt was indeed substantial and quite tempting.

If he doesn't pay it back, Su Bingcheng will probably be the one who gets hacked to pieces and dismembered in the end.

Only after paying off all his debts did Su Bingcheng truly feel the relief of being debt-free.

The shop assistant was invited over, and then everyone saw that Su Bingcheng was indeed like a different person. He worked very hard every day to run the shop, and did all the hard work himself.

Moreover, he knew exactly how to run Su Xiaoxiao's hot pot restaurant every day.

Su Xiaoxiao was very happy to have such an ambitious cousin. She felt that she had not helped her cousin in vain, and that this could be considered as fulfilling her wish to repay her uncle and aunt.

At this moment, Su Xiaoxiao felt that she was doing quite well, and that she had helped the right person this time.

Now, this hot pot restaurant is packed with people, all coming to eat hot pot. It's especially satisfying to eat hot pot this season, so it's a pretty good investment.

Su Bingcheng repaid the loan from Su Xiaoxiao on time every month; 150 taels of silver was no small sum. However, with the support of the hot pot restaurant, he had extra money coming in every day and could pay it off quickly.

Recently, when Su Xiaoxiao went to town by carriage, Pei Yuan was the one who drove the carriage for her.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao are both studying under Mr. Ji An, so naturally they don't need Pei Yuan's care.

But what's still a bit of a problem? Mainly because Su Xiaoxiao doesn't know why things are like this, Pei Yuan keeps wanting to be her driver.

Such a spirited coachman is truly hard to find. Pei Yuan stretched out his hand to Su Xiaoxiao and said, "I'm willing to be your coachman for life. Are you willing?"

It felt like standing before a magnificent carriage when a prince suddenly reached out his hand and asked, "Would you like to?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded without hesitation and said, "I'm willing."

The two drove their horse-drawn carriage to the intersection of the town and the village, and thought of their past experience selling fish balls together here, although they no longer do that now.

However, those who learned from them also started setting up stalls to sell fish balls.

The fish balls weren't very well made, which Su Xiaoxiao found quite a pity.

Su Xiaoxiao looked at Pei Yuan and said, "How about we come over again tonight to set up a stall and sell fish balls?"

Sanlang quickly agreed to Su Xiaoxiao's suggestion, and he replied that it was possible.

After they finished their work in the evening, the two of them brought the fish balls they had made to sell here.

As a result, when Su Xiaoxiao returned to the fish ball market, all the other regular customers came to eat fish balls.

Those fish balls were simply divine. Su Xiaoxiao prepared both boiled and fried fish balls this time, and more and more people came to sell fish balls here.

Even the owner of Fu Man Lou, a large restaurant in town, came over immediately to buy Su Xiaoxiao's fish balls after hearing about it.

"Give me ten skewers."

"okay."

The owner of Fumanlou skewered a piece and put it in his mouth. He then felt a wonderfully fresh and delicious flavor spread through his mouth. It was incredibly tender and chewy. Moreover, there were no other additives or fluorescent agents added. There were no chemicals at all; it was just a pure, natural taste that was already deeply captivating.

After finishing one, the owner of Fumanlou immediately started eating a second one.

After finishing the ten skewers of fish balls, he was completely unaware that he had just eaten fish balls. He felt a sense of satisfaction and longing, as if he hadn't had enough.

The owner of Fumanlou was originally very arrogant and didn't want to come over and chat, but he was simply too tempted by the delicious food to resist.

"Young lady, your fish balls are delicious. May I ask how you make them?"

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao smiled but did not reply.

If I tell him the secret recipe, wouldn't anyone be able to make it? Then what kind of secret recipe would it be?

The owner of Fumanlou had tried all the fish ball stalls at this intersection beforehand, but none of them had ever made fish balls as delicious and authentic as Su Xiaoxiao's.

Today, because Su Xiaoxiao came to set up a stall, other big restaurant owners in the town also came over after smelling the aroma.

Everyone was determined to get Su Xiaoxiao's fish balls into the menu. If they were sold in a high-end restaurant, wouldn't that boost their business even further?

The owner of Ruyixuan came over and struck up a conversation: "Young lady, you're still selling fish balls here so late, it must be hard work. How about you sell us the secret recipe for these fish balls? I'll offer a high price."

The owner of Piaoxianglou objected immediately, "What kind of talk is that, young lady? I'm willing to offer twice the price they charge, what do you say?"

The owner of Fumanlou shouted loudly at Su Xiaoxiao, "No way! I've been waiting here for almost a day. There's no such thing as first come, first served. I'm willing to pay fifty taels of silver."

After the price was announced, the owners of the other two stores fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances. Was it really necessary to offer such a high price?
Although they don't know the specific formula yet, they said they would definitely find someone to research it in a while. Su Xiaoxiao grinned at the group of shopkeepers in front of her and said, "Not for sale."

Su Xiaoxiao dismissed him with just two words, refusing directly and bluntly.

"You think fifty taels isn't enough? Then I'll add some more, how about eighty taels?"

"Eighty taels?"

The other onlookers and the restaurant owners were all astonished.

"This is no small amount; it's enough for an ordinary person to earn for decades."

The owner of Fumanlou Restaurant initially thought that Su Xiaoxiao, dressed like an ordinary village girl, would be deterred by the price. However, the girl was not deterred at all and calmly refused him.

Would you like me to add some more?

"How about I offer one hundred taels?"

Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao smiled at him and continued stirring the fish balls frying in the pot. "I'm not selling. No matter the price, I'm not selling. You should just give up on that idea and go home!"

Su Xiaoxiao made her intentions clear and told the owner of Fumanlou very seriously.

"You should know that one hundred taels is no small sum."

The owner of Fumanlou said this solemnly to Su Xiaoxiao.

(End of this chapter)