Chapter 17: Partnering with Jinsheng Hotel
The young man who had just arrived was, of course, Ye Xing. As soon as he got there and took in the situation, he immediately called out. After all, he was planning to build a large estate on White Cloud Mountain in a couple of days. The house would need someone to look after it, and he just so happened to need a little maid. ’This girl from the Qiao Family is so well-behaved and sensible. I might as well take her in myself rather than letting someone else benefit.’
"Big Brother, do you have ten gold coins?" The little girl from the Qiao Family stopped crying, her tear-filled eyes looking up at Ye Xing, helpless but full of hope.
"I do. It’s only ten gold coins." Ye Xing grabbed a handful of about fifteen or sixteen gold coins from his pouch and handed them to the little girl. He smiled and said, "Take these. Get a doctor for your mother."
"Oh, that’s wonderful! Thank you, Big Brother! But I don’t need this many. Ten is enough." The little girl was overjoyed. She accepted ten gold coins and handed the remaining six back to Ye Xing.
"It’s fine. What if it isn’t enough? Just hold onto them for now. You can always give me back whatever is left over later," Ye Xing said with a smile. "By the way, little girl, what’s your name? How old are you?"
"My name is Qiao Qiao, and I’m thirteen years old," said the little girl from the Qiao Family.
Standing to the side, Lai Sanpi’s expression turned ugly.
"Who the hell are you, kid? What reckless punk crawls out of the woodwork to snatch a girl from me!" Lai Sanpi snarled at Ye Xing, a vicious glint in his eyes.
"I’m just buying a maid. What are you screaming about?" Ye Xing’s brow furrowed, and his voice turned cold. "What kind of mad dog are you, snapping at people the moment you open your mouth?"
"That’s right! Get lost, you shameless mutt!"
"This young master has already bought Qiao’Er. What are you still doing loitering around here?"
The crowd chimed in, berating him.
Seeing that the entire crowd was on Ye Xing’s side, Lai Sanpi could only shoot him a hateful glare before stalking off.
"That shameless mutt is finally gone. Say, this young man... I don’t recognize him. You don’t seem to be from around Phoenix Town," someone in the crowd remarked.
"Ah, I’m from out of town. I just arrived in Phoenix Town to start a small business. Since I’m new, I hope all you good folks will look out for me," Ye Xing said with a smile, clasping his hands in salute.
"Haha, I recognize this young man! I bought a flint and steel from his stall just yesterday." An old man in the crowd laughed and said, "Let me tell you all, that flint and steel works wonderfully..."
Chatting and laughing, the crowd gradually dispersed.
"Big Brother, could you please give me a few days? I’d like to wait until my mother is doing a little better before I go with you. Is that okay?" Qiao Qiao asked, looking at Ye Xing with a pleading expression, tear stains still fresh on her cheeks.
"Of course, no problem. My estate isn’t even built yet, anyway," Ye Xing chuckled.
"Big Brother, you’re planning to build a residence and settle down here in Phoenix Town?" The little girl’s voice was suddenly filled with joy.
"I am. Why?" Ye Xing asked, puzzled.
"That’s wonderful! I was afraid you were going to leave Phoenix Town, and then Qiao’Er would have to go with you," Qiao Qiao said. "It’s so good to hear you’re settling down in Phoenix Town."
"Haha, you silly girl," Ye Xing laughed. "Now, hurry on home and get a doctor for your mother."
"Okay!" The little girl giggled. "Oh, right! Big Brother, where are you staying? How do I find you?"
"I set up a stall in town almost every day. If you need to find me, just look for the stall selling lighters at the end of the street," Ye Xing said.
After the little girl left, Ye Xing strolled through the streets for a while longer before heading to Xu’s Meat Shop to buy over ten pounds of Demon Beast Meat. Only then did he leave the Martial Arts Continent, returning to his ancestral home on Earth through the Purple Light Group Teleportation Gate in the White Cloud Mountain cave.
He had just climbed out of the old well at his ancestral home when his phone rang. It was an unknown number, yet it looked vaguely familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before.
"Hello?" Ye Xing answered immediately.
"Hello! Little Ye, why has your phone been off? I’ve been calling you all morning, but you haven’t picked up," came the frustrated voice of Huang Jinbao, the owner of Jinsheng Hotel.
"Uh, well... my phone died. It’s been charging all morning, and I forgot to turn it back on," Ye Xing said with a sheepish laugh. ’Of course, it wasn’t actually dead. There’s just no signal on the Martial Arts Continent, so calls can’t get through.’
"By the way, Boss Huang, did you need something?"
"Little Ye, you’re not playing fair! You told me I’d have to wait two days for your shredded pork with bamboo shoots, but that guy Zhou Chenghui got to buy your boiled fish first thing this morning! Couldn’t you have made an extra one? I’m absolutely dying for a taste," Huang Jinbao grumbled. "By the way, how in the world do you make that boiled fish? It’s incredible! After the Zhou Family’s precious son ate it, his anorexia is practically gone!"
"Haha, Boss Huang, if you want some, you just have to go to Auntie Pang’s Snack Shop. There will be ten boiled fish for sale there every day. I can ask my second aunt to save one for you," Ye Xing said with a laugh.
"What? You’re working for your aunt now?" Fatty Huang quickly tried to persuade him. "Little Ye, it’s not my place to say, but a talent like yours is being wasted. Even if she’s your aunt, Auntie Pang’s Snack Shop is just too small. There’s not much profit to be made, and it’s no place for you to truly shine..."
"Uh, I’m not working for my aunt. Boss Huang, I’ll be honest with you, my cooking skills are actually pretty average. The only reason my dishes taste so good is that I have an ancestral herbal formula I use to raise the fish, which gives them an exceptionally good flavor," Ye Xing explained.
"Is that so?" Huang Jinbao’s voice on the other end of the line was filled with excitement. "Could you provide a batch for my Jinsheng Hotel as well?"
"I can," Ye Xing said, a thoughtful glint in his eye. "How many do you need?"
"Wonderful! Give me a hundred to start."
"Uh, I don’t have that many right now. At most, I can probably provide you with twenty a day," Ye Xing said. ’Jinsheng Hotel really lives up to its name as a major hotel,’ he thought. ’They sure have a big appetite.’
"Why not raise more? You could make a fortune with these things!"
The two of them then discussed the specifics of their collaboration, talking for well over an hour before finally hanging up.
In the afternoon, after lunch, Ye Xing went to a seafood market and bought more than twenty grass carp.
On his way back, he happened to pass a single-story house built from red brick. The family who lived there didn’t seem to be very well-off; the exterior walls hadn’t been finished with tiles for decoration and were just bare, red brick. The front door was ajar, and from inside, he could faintly hear the sounds of a heated struggle.
’Huh? Isn’t this Da Zhuang’s house? What’s going on?’ Ye Xing’s eyes darted toward the sound. He immediately pushed the door fully open and stepped inside.