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

A plump middle-aged man arrived at the entrance of Zhiweixuan.

This man had a ruddy complexion and didn't look like a poor person, yet he was dressed as a servant.

He seemed to be a servant of some wealthy family.

"We're having Four Delicacies Soup today, would you like to try some?" Shen Qing asked politely.

"Four Delicacies Soup? These four delicacies are..."

"Mushrooms from the mountains and forests, refreshing water shield, crab roe, and fish ribs."

"Mushrooms, water shield, crab roe, fish ribs..." Zhao Wu muttered to himself as he pondered, "These are all good things, truly deserving of the title 'Four Delicacies'."

He was a servant in charge of purchasing for the Yan family. He was passing by on some personal business when he unexpectedly smelled an extremely fragrant aroma.

The smell made it impossible for him to move.

"Give me one to try, how much?" Without thinking, he instinctively reached for his wallet.

"One hundred coins," Shen Qing said calmly.

Wang Chunhua, the old lady standing next to her, couldn't help but sigh, feeling extremely sorry for her.

One hundred coins is too expensive, what a pity, I'm afraid this customer will run away too.

She'll have to talk to the girl later and ask her to lower the price a little.

"What??"

Zhao Wu's shocked voice rang out, his mouth agape, wide enough to swallow an egg.

"This costs 100 coins, and this is just a small bowl??"

He wasn't sure, so he asked again.

As the purchasing agent for the Yan family, he was certainly not short of money, but it was outrageous that something sold on the roadside cost 100 coins and only contained a small bowl.

It's practically robbery.

Shen Qing calmly repeated, "Yes, one hundred coins."

Zhao Wu's lips twitched slightly as he looked around uncertainly.

The surrounding shops were all struggling, or had simply gone out of business and closed down.

There were only a few pedestrians on the road.

In such a location, a strange shop suddenly appears, charging a hundred coins for a small bowl of soup?

Good heavens, is he still dreaming?

Zhao Wu couldn't help but pinch himself.

hiss--

Ouch, that really hurts!

The aroma lingered around my nose, and my mouth watered.

This stuff costs 100 coins, but it smells really good.

He rolled his eyes, glanced at Wang Chunhua, then leaned forward, closer to Shen Qing, and lowered his voice, saying, "I'm from the Yan family, in charge of purchasing."

"Oh, one hundred coins per serving. How many servings would you like?" Shen Qing asked in a businesslike manner.

Zhao Wu's brows furrowed deeply.

What's going on? Why isn't she acting according to the rules?

Normally, when the vendors heard that he was from the Yan family and was their purchasing agent, they would all eagerly bring him things, hoping that he would buy their goods.

But today is strange. I don't know what's wrong with this young lady. He's given such obvious hints, but she's still acting all businesslike.

Did you not understand?

"I'm from the Yan family, do you understand? The Yan family isn't short of money. If they wanted your Four Delicacies Soup..." Zhao Wu made it even clearer, "Do you understand now?"

After saying that, he looked at Shen Qing with an anxious expression.

He couldn't hold back any longer; his mouth was practically watering.

Shen Qing nodded slightly: "I understand."

"That's right." Zhao Wu smiled and reached for the bowl of Four Beauties Soup.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qing's cold voice rang out again:

"One hundred coins per serving, pay in advance."

"you--"

Zhao Wu was completely taken aback. Why had he encountered such an unyielding person today?

"Didn't you understand? What's a mere hundred coins? I'm the purchasing agent for the Yan family. I can make you earn a thousand times, ten thousand times more money in the future."

He was getting a little anxious.

He had always been successful in taking advantage of others, accepting gifts and money, under the guise of purchasing for the Yan family. This was the first time he had encountered someone like Shen Qing.

"This bowl of Four Delicacies Soup costs one hundred coins," Shen Qing said, repeating the same phrase.

Wang Chunhua, who was standing nearby, quickly tugged at Shen Qing's sleeve, signaling him to send a portion of the Four Beauties Soup to Zhao Wu.

But Shen Qing didn't make any move, only gently patting Wang Chunhua's hand.

Zhao Wu gritted his teeth. Good heavens, he'd run into a clueless person today.

He was so angry he was practically fuming, and he wanted to turn around and leave defiantly, but the bowl of Four Beauties Soup was right there, coldly and subtly tempting him.

The white porcelain bowl holds a light amber-colored soup, with brown mushrooms at the bottom, emerald green water shield floating on the surface, and white fish ribs scattered in the soup like shattered jade.

And there's that tempting golden crab roe, scattered here and there on top.

It's so beautiful that you can't help but swallow your saliva at first glance.

Gollum—

Zhao Wu swallowed again.

His desire for delicious food ultimately overcame his desire to leave defiantly.

He took out one hundred coins from his pocket.

"I'll buy this Four Delicacies Soup!" he said through gritted teeth.

Shen Qing carefully put away the money before pushing the Four Beauties Soup in front of Zhao Wu.

Zhao Wu could no longer control himself. He didn't even pick up the spoon; he just picked up the bowl and started drinking.

The first thing to reach the tip of your tongue is the delicate aroma of mushrooms, carrying the freshness of the mountains and forests, subtle yet lingering in your mouth.

Then comes the refreshing, smooth texture of the water shield, like spring rain falling on the tip of your tongue.

Biting into the fish ribs, the sweet and fresh fish meat melts completely in your mouth, without a trace of impurity.

Finally, there's the taste of crab roe. The aroma of oil, the richness of crab fat, and the slight spiciness of ginger juice blend together in the mouth, forming a warm current that flows directly down the throat.

In an instant, the fresh and mellow flavors of the four ingredients blended together. After swallowing one bite, the taste lingered, leaving one with an unforgettable aftertaste.

Zhao Wu took a big gulp, then another big gulp.

In just a few bites, the bowl of Four Delicacies Soup was empty.

"Delicious! Fragrant!" he couldn't help but utter those two words.

It stuck out its tongue and licked the bottom of the bowl clean, looking just like a dog licking its food bowl.

Wang Chunhua, who was standing next to her, was stunned.

Goodness, is it really that exaggerated? It does smell nice, but is it really necessary to go this far?

This was still a purchase made by the Yan family.

Zhao Wu seemed to sense Wang Chunhua's gaze, put down his bowl, and glared at her.

When he looked at Shen Qing again, his face couldn't help but fall.

This stuff does smell good, but this young lady is just too ungrateful.

He made it clear that he was a purchasing agent for the Yan family, but this young lady didn't give him any face at all.

They forced him to spend a hundred coins.

No, he had to think of a way; he hadn't had enough of the Four Delicacies Soup yet.

After Zhao Wu turned and left, Wang Chunhua looked around, then pulled Shen Qing aside and whispered:

"That's the Yan family's purchasing department! How could you, young lady, not understand their hints? Oh dear, things are tough now. Not only have you missed a great opportunity, but you've also made an enemy of Zhao Wu!"

"How could we, ordinary people, possibly offend the Yan family...?"