Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

That Master Li's real name was Li Bao. He was short and chubby, with a carefree and irresponsible demeanor.

He wasn't some big shot; he was just a nobody in the food business.

Even so, Shen Chengzong went to great lengths and spent a lot of money to invite this person.

"A mere young woman like you dares to show your face and set up a stall without even informing our guild! It's outrageous!" Li Bao squinted at her, a hint of greed in his eyes.

The other party is a woman, and she must be weak and easily bullied. He can collect more membership fees and profit from it.

Shen Chengzong smiled obsequiously, "That's exactly what I meant. I rushed to you as soon as I found out, all to protect the interests of our food business."

"Come on, follow me!"

Li Bao walked straight toward Shen Qing's stall with an arrogant expression.

Shen Chengzong's face instantly lit up with a smug smile, and he followed behind eagerly.

At this moment, Shen Qing was still focused on doing business, completely unaware that the troublemakers had arrived.

"How can you, a mere young woman, be so ignorant of etiquette? Can you at least tell us what food to eat if you set up a stall here?" a haughty voice rang out.

"Yeah, Shen Qing, you're so silly. Why didn't you tell your cousin about setting up a stall? Oh dear, look at this, even Master Li has to come and collect the membership fees himself. You're so foolish."

Shen Chengzong chimed in from the side, feeling extremely pleased with himself.

If Shen Qing can't come up with the membership fee, the fried chicken stall won't be able to operate.

As soon as the fried chicken hit the pan, Shen Qing used a large strainer to stir it constantly. The chicken pieces tumbled around, and a strong, overpowering aroma rose from the pan.

Li Bao sniffed. Good heavens, why does this smell so good?

But then he realized that Shen Qing was ignoring him, and feeling embarrassed, he raised his voice and said:

"What's wrong with you? Didn't you hear me?? No one can run a food business without joining the food trade. This is a rule everyone in Ping'an County knows. If you know what's good for you, hurry up and pay your membership fee. It's fifty taels of silver!"

Fifty taels of silver, that's definitely a high price.

Membership fees generally range from ten to several tens of taels of silver, but street stalls would never exceed twenty taels, and even ordinary shops and restaurants would charge only forty or fifty taels.

The diners in line couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up in defense of others:

"How can Madam Shen's stall, which is so small, charge such a high membership fee?"

"Yeah, isn't that bullying people?"

"How can your food service industry operate like this??"

"..."

Upon seeing this, Li Bao shouted, "We run a food business, how dare anyone interfere? We are authorized by the government, and since our fried chicken is expensive and business is good, our membership fee is naturally high too!"

Li Bao is not tall, but his voice is very loud.

Once the word "government" was uttered, no one dared to say another word. The people's fear of officials was innate.

Li Bao instantly felt incredibly proud of himself. He turned around and saw that Shen Qing was still calm and focused on seasoning the fried chicken.

The golden, fragrant fried chicken glistened with a slight sheen of oil, and spices were gently sprinkled on top, releasing a complex and alluring aroma that wafted into Li Bao's nostrils.

gudu~

He couldn't help but swallow.

"Don't even think about bribing me with this fried chicken. Let me tell you, I have principles. Fifty taels of silver, not a penny less. However..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Chengzong chimed in, "Master Li is a man of principle. Sister, I advise you to just pay your membership fees honestly."

After saying that, he couldn't help but sniff.

It smells so good! It smells so good!

He absolutely couldn't let Li Bao be won over by Shen Qing, otherwise his plan would fall through.

Li Bao glanced at Shen Chengzong with displeasure and continued, "However, if you insist on giving me food, that's fine too. Although the membership fee can't be reduced, I can take care of you in the food business in the future."

I can't resist anymore, I have to try it no matter what, this fried chicken smells so good!

Li Bao subconsciously licked his lips and even reached out to grab the fried chicken that Shen Qing had prepared.

But Shen Qing was faster; she took the fried chicken and handed it to the customer at the front of the line.

"Your spicy crispy fried chicken is ready."

The diners at the front of the table were delighted and quickly took the food, starting to eat right away.

He thought his fried chicken would end up in someone else's hands.

I never expected that Madam Shen would be so calm and composed in the face of danger, even when facing the guild members. She's truly amazing.

Li Bao was stunned for a moment, his face turning red and white in turns. He felt even worse when he saw the diner enjoying the fried chicken.

Good heavens, not only did we not get to eat, but we also lost face so badly.

"What's wrong with you? When are you going to pay your membership fee? Otherwise, you can forget about running this fried chicken stand from now on!!" Li Bao shouted angrily.

Shen Chengzong secretly added fuel to the fire: "That's right, Shen Qing, look at this. No matter what, you have to get some fried chicken for Master Li to try first. You've angered him so much for no reason. How are you going to run your fried chicken business in the future?"

"Hurry up and apologize to Master Li."

Li Bao snorted coldly, raised his head high, and thought to himself that he would not easily forgive this young lady later.

He's going to make this young lady beg him to eat fried chicken!

Tsk~ To be honest, seeing others eat made him even more envious.

Shen Qing replied coldly, "I didn't do anything wrong, so I won't apologize."

"You don't want your fried chicken stand anymore??" Li Bao roared.

All the other food vendors treated him with utmost respect; this was the first time he had ever been so disrespected.

He's determined to show this young lady what he's made of today!

"I'm not selling anymore," Shen Qing said calmly, and neatly packed up her stall.

Business is good today, we're selling out fast, that was the last order of fried chicken.

By calculation, her fried chicken task is now complete.

Anyway, what she wanted was the system's high rewards, not necessarily to make a living by setting up a stall.

These words made Li Bao's eyes widen. How could they just say they wouldn't sell and then just leave like that? So decisively?

In the past, it was always others who cried and begged him to lower the membership fees, but why doesn't this young lady play by the rules?

Li Bao was incredibly frustrated at this moment, with nowhere to vent his anger, as if he had punched a piece of cotton.

Most importantly, he's a glutton; his mouth is always watering, he's incredibly hungry.

"How about you pay thirty taels, and then give me two servings of fried chicken every day from now on?" After a long while, Li Bao finally spoke.

The longing for delicious food overcame the anger in my mind.

He could also get some benefits from collecting 30 taels of membership fees, and he could also eat fried chicken every day.

He was really craving fried chicken!!