The village beauty and me!

Chen Huan greeted Qiao Lingling and Xia Xiaozhu, and was led by Qiao Zhenshan into a private room in the backyard.

Just like last time, the old man went to great lengths to cook himself.

I prepared several of my signature dishes, delivered them to the private room, and also opened a bottle of fine wine.

Jin Dacheng ate with a beaming smile, praising the dish repeatedly, especially the sauerkraut fish, which he raved about.

"Grandpa, your cooking is absolutely superb! Compared to yours, even though it's all pickled fish, everyone else's is simply inedible."

Upon receiving Jin Dacheng's sincere praise, the old man smiled and said, "I've lived most of my life and only learned this little skill. Please excuse my poor performance."

"However, the delicious taste of this pickled fish is largely thanks to the top-quality ingredients provided by Chen Huan."

"I was lucky enough to encounter such a good fish once or twice when I was young. It's probably hard to find such a good fish in the world now."

As he spoke, he suddenly sighed, "It's a pity. There's a saying that fame brings trouble. Once this fish becomes famous, trouble will follow."

Next, Qiao Zhenshan lowered his head, took a sip of wine, and frowned, his expression seemingly somewhat depressed.

"What's wrong, sir?"

"What trouble could this fish possibly cause you?" Chen Huan understood the subtext in his words.

By now, he realized that the old man had specially invited him to dinner because of the fish.

Qiao Zhenshan coughed twice, glanced at Chen Huan, and said with some difficulty, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't say there was anything wrong with the fish, and I've never doubted your aquaculture techniques."

"But the problem is that some people are deliberately trying to sabotage me, claiming that there are problems with the source of our fish and that our breeding methods are not compliant."

"Simply put, someone reported me today."

"I have some connections at the higher-ups, so I got advance notice. I expect someone will come to conduct a spot check in the next day or two."

  

Chen Huan frowned more and more as he listened, and slowly replied, "Actually, Grandpa, you don't need to be embarrassed."

"So, the fish I provided, which some people suspect are not compliant with regulations regarding their origin and breeding methods, should have been told to me immediately, without beating around the bush."

Qiao Zhenshan blushed. "I was just thinking that if I could handle it myself, I wouldn't need to bother you."

"Later, my friend called me and said that recently, the authorities have been particularly strict about food safety issues. This time, I was being targeted and framed. If I don't handle this properly, I'm afraid I'll be in big trouble."

Qiao Zhenshan simply described the consequences as "very troublesome".

But Chen Huan could also imagine that once such a problem broke out, whether it was real or fake, the old man and Qiao Lingling's sauerkraut fish restaurant would definitely have to close down.

They might even face fines or detention.

As a result, even Xia Xiaozhu, who had just found a safe haven, would be implicated.

And I am the one who started all this trouble.

"No, I have to take care of this."

"When will someone come to inspect, sir? Please let me know and I will be there."

"We'll naturally find a way to explain the origin of these fish and convince those envious and despicable people," Chen Huan assured, slamming his hand on the table.

Qiao Zhenshan's face lit up with joy. "In that case, I'll trouble you."

"A tall tree catches the wind"—this saying is absolutely true.

"But I never expected that even after hiding in such a remote place and opening a small restaurant, I would still attract trouble."

At this point, Qiao Zhenshan seemed to have aged considerably, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly.

Chen Huan had vaguely heard that the old man used to run a large restaurant in Dongjiang City, but it seemed that he was framed and forced to come here to run a small restaurant.

At this moment, he is probably thinking about the past, and he must feel awkward and depressed.

Chen Huan quickly offered a few words of advice, repeatedly assuring everyone that he would handle all issues related to the ingredients.

Kim Dae-sung also tried to comfort him, which finally made the old man feel a little better.

After dinner, Chen Huan went to chat with Xia Xiaozhu for a while.

After these two days, the little girl is in a great mood and is very familiar with the restaurant's operations.

What pleased Chen Huan the most was that Xia Xiaozhu and Qiao Lingling were as close as sisters, so he, as her ex-brother-in-law, no longer had to worry about anything.

While they were chatting, Qiao Lingling came over and patted Chen Huan on the shoulder.

She even winked at him playfully, "Handsome young man, can I have a word with you in private?"

Chen Huan thought that Qiao Lingling wanted to talk to him about Xia Xiaozhu or about the ingredients.

Thinking that there were still people eating and talking inside the shop and it wouldn't be convenient, he nodded and followed Qiao Lingling out.

It's already past nine o'clock at night.

Even in the sweltering summer, there are hardly any pedestrians or vehicles on the roads in this remote and isolated town.

It looked very deserted.

"What's wrong, boss?"

"What do you want?" Chen Huan asked with a grin, looking Qiao Lingling up and down.

As usual, this girl liked to wear a tight-fitting tank top, revealing most of her shoulders and her fair arms covered in tattoos.

Although she has a somewhat lacking figure, she has a good temperament and a slender figure, which gives her a certain feminine charm.

Until she skillfully pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from her back pocket, tossed one to Chen Huan, and then lit one for herself.

In Chen Huan's eyes, Qiao Lingling's image was immediately fixed on the three words "little delinquent girl".

"I'll borrow your people for a bit later." Qiao Lingling skillfully exhaled smoke, her eyes sparkling.

"Borrow my people?"

"How do you use it, and where do you use it?"

"How long will it take?" Chen Huan asked with a strange expression.

Qiao Lingling immediately understood what he meant and punched him lightly. "What are you thinking? I treat you like a buddy. Don't overthink it."

Chen Huan grinned. "The key is that what you said is easy for people to imagine."

Qiao Lingling smiled and said, "Okay, I was wrong and made you misunderstand."

"I'll say it again, I want to borrow... I want you to do me a favor and come with me to a place to do something."

Chen Huan responded with an "Oh," adding, "If you had said that earlier, there wouldn't have been any misunderstanding."

"Where are we going?"

Qiao Lingling held a cigarette between two fingers and casually pointed towards the east side of town. "Do you know that small hotel over there?"

"A hotel?" Chen Huan's expression became somewhat unnatural again.

His gaze, intentionally or unintentionally, began to sweep back and forth between Qiao Lingling's fair shoulders and thighs.

"Chen Huan, if you look at me like that again, I'll really beat you up."

"Don't you have a girlfriend? Why are you always leering at me like that?" Qiao Lingling blushed slightly.

Chen Huan coughed twice.

In fact, he couldn't control his eyes at all, nor could he control the chaotic thoughts running through his body.

The cultivation techniques passed down by the Joyful Sect are truly unique.

The longer I practice, the more I feel I can't resist the attraction to beautiful members of the opposite sex.

I just used a lot of my true energy to regulate Zhao Guohua's body, which finally relieved the blockage in his meridians caused by his intense sexual activity in the villa area.

Now, I'm starting to feel restless again.