Chapter 15

"That's not it." The lobby manager paused slightly, then suddenly sneered. "I merely find it strange that someone so young can speak with such certainty. On your first visit to First-Rank Pavilion, you lavishly booked six tables. After taking one sip of soup, you dared to declare that First-Rank Pavilion uses fake shark fin. No matter how I explained it, you stubbornly refused to believe me."

"Forgive me for speaking so boldly, but the chefs at First-Rank Pavilion are all renowned masters. Not only do we use genuine ingredients, but even if we really did use fake shark fin, you might not be able to tell with that tongue of yours. Yet your attitude is unexpectedly certain..."

The lobby manager paused again, giving the other onlookers time to think. Then he concluded contemptuously, "...Could it be that someone put you up to this, and you came prepared?"

"What do you mean by that?" The elderly men and women seated beside Huo Jiu flew into a rage, rising to their feet and shouting, "You're the ones using fake shark fin to fool people. We exposed you, and you still refuse to admit it. Now you're trying to smear us instead. So what if you're an old established brand? This is clearly a big store bullying its customers!"

The lobby manager snorted. "Those who come to support us are customers. First-Rank Pavilion does not welcome people who deliberately cause trouble."

After saying that, he turned to Huo Jiu. "You are a customer. You booked a banquet at First-Rank Pavilion and paid the bill. Whether you want to take it away or dine in is entirely up to you. First-Rank Pavilion will not say another word. But let me put the ugly truth first. Takeout is takeout—once these dishes leave this door, whether you take them home to eat or send them to the relevant authorities for testing, First-Rank Pavilion will not acknowledge any results."

"Who's to say you won't switch out the shark fin soup after leaving and deliberately frame First-Rank Pavilion?"

That speculation did make some sense. The diners who had begun to waver hesitated once more, looking at Huo Jiu and the elderly men and women.

One was very young, while the others were loud and crude in manner. Clearly, none of them were regular patrons of First-Rank Pavilion. Yet they were not a tourist group from out of town, either. Such a group making a racket in the lobby of First-Rank Pavilion had drawn everyone's attention.

It also happened to be lunchtime, and more and more diners were arriving at First-Rank Pavilion. If this was mishandled, today's incident really could affect First-Rank Pavilion's reputation.

After all, the accusation of passing off inferior counterfeit goods as genuine to deceive diners was extremely serious for an old establishment that had been in business for more than three hundred years.

"Kid, you don't look very old, and your accent doesn't sound local either. Could it be that you're used to the food from your hometown and aren't quite accustomed to our flavors here?" A diner who had eaten at First-Rank Pavilion for years stepped forward, hoping to mediate and smooth things over. "The chefs at First-Rank Pavilion are highly skilled and love to experiment. When they cook, they inevitably incorporate local tastes. Maybe you're just not used to it."

The diner knew that young people were usually proud and hated being contradicted. He did not dare speak too unfairly while trying to mediate, lest he anger Huo Jiu. He could only do his best to persuade both sides to let the matter rest.

"...And you shouldn't insist that this young man must have been sent by someone to slander First-Rank Pavilion's reputation. How can we make wild guesses without evidence? Let's talk this over properly. Your attitude is so poor that people can't help but misunderstand you as a big store bullying its customers."

Naturally, the lobby manager wanted to stop while things were still manageable. He had only said all that because Huo Jiu's attitude had been so firm, hoping to intimidate him. Now that someone had stepped out to smooth things over and the matter was unlikely to arouse the other diners' suspicions, his expression softened as well. "As the saying goes, it is hard to please every palate. Though First-Rank Pavilion's dishes are authentic, some diners may still find them unsuitable. It is good enough that everything has been made clear. First-Rank Pavilion puts service first and will not quibble with customers."

Huo Jiu laughed instead of getting angry.

He had originally only wanted to treat the elderly men and women to a good meal and celebrate the happy occasion of winning the lottery. He had not expected so many twists and turns before the food even reached their mouths. This lobby manager looked honest enough, with thick brows and big eyes, but he turned black into white and confused right with wrong when handling matters.

First-Rank Pavilion had clearly used fake shark fin first, yet he still wanted to pin the blame for framing them onto the customer.

It had to be said that this lobby manager was quick-witted and fast to react, making him something of a crisis public relations talent. Unfortunately, he had put his mind to the wrong use and only ended up angering Huo Jiu.

"You may not want to argue with me, but I intend to argue with you." Huo Jiu pointed at the Fish Maw and Shark Fin Soup on the table and snorted.

His original intention in exposing First-Rank Pavilion's use of fake shark fin had merely been to make them replace it with genuine shark fin. Although he had made quite a bit of money from the lottery, and it now seemed unlikely that he could spend it all before the plot Reloaded, that did not mean Huo Jiu wanted to be taken for a fool. Since he had paid, he naturally demanded genuine goods for his money. Other than that, he had not planned to make a big fuss.

But since First-Rank Pavilion did not want to let the matter drop, he had no need to spare them any face. "What you said just now was completely unsupported by evidence. You merely wanted to slander me, saying that I do not know how to cook and therefore cannot tell real shark fin from fake shark fin—that I was only acting on someone else's orders and deliberately trying to malign First-Rank Pavilion."

Why wouldn't this just end already?

The lobby manager secretly rolled his eyes and was about to speak when Huo Jiu said, "Leaving aside whether we diners, having paid money only to find that what we eat tastes wrong, have the right to question whether First-Rank Pavilion is passing off inferior goods as superior ones..."

Huo Jiu played a small trick here. With the four words "we diners," he subtly divided the diners present and First-Rank Pavilion into opposing sides. Before the lobby manager could fully process it, Huo Jiu continued, "Today, I demand an explanation. Whether this shark fin is real or fake, I want the genuine article."

"If you are worried that I might switch the dish after leaving and frame First-Rank Pavilion, then we can ask people from the notary office to witness it. Half of the shark fin soup can be sent for testing, while the other half can be sampled and preserved by the notary office. Once the test results come out, right and wrong will naturally become clear."

The lobby manager had not expected Huo Jiu to be so shrewd at such a young age. He became even more convinced that Huo Jiu had been sent by a competitor to target First-Rank Pavilion.