Chapter 139: Your Guest, Your Decision

Although the decision to raise ducks had been made, the specifics—how to raise them, how many to keep, and where to house them—still required careful planning. In any case, there was no immediate rush.

The next morning, Wen Yao was back by the oven at the crack of dawn, waiting for her duck to roast. Meanwhile, Madam Luo led her two daughters-in-law to begin clearing the land in the backyard.

Glancing toward the corner, Madam Luo sighed, "That girl is truly fixated on these ducks."

Li, not pausing in her work, chuckled, "Mother, I didn't see you hesitate when you were shelling out the money to buy them." After all, it was the old lady who had tacitly allowed and indulged her.

But Wen Yao certainly had a knack for it; once a duck reached her hands and went into that oven, how did it become so delicious?

Madam Luo shot her a feigned glare of annoyance, though she did not deny it.

Finally, after Wen Yao had "sacrificed" two more ducks, the third one came out of the oven. The Wen family heard a loud cheer, followed by Wen Yao’s excited cry: "Grandpa, Grandma, it’s a success! It’s done!"

Everyone working in the various corners of the yard dropped their tools and hurried to the oven, where they watched Wen Yao carefully lift the roasted duck out.

An intoxicating fragrance hit them instantly, making everyone swallow hard. Even though they had claimed just yesterday that they were tired of eating duck, the moment they smelled this, they couldn't help but want a taste.

"Plates, bring plates!" Wen Yao called out. The others quickly brought a plate, and the duck was placed on a nearby table as the whole family gathered around.

"The color is golden." Wen Xiuyi picked up his chopsticks and poked the skin. "The skin is crispy. Yao-yao, well done! You’ve finally captured that flavor."

Wen Yao rubbed her hands together. "Dad, try it first."

Under the watchful eyes of the family, Wen Xiuyi used a small knife to carve the duck into thin slices and arranged them on the plate.

"Everyone try some and see how it compares to yesterday’s," Wen Yao said, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

They couldn't wait any longer. As each took a bite, the savory flavor filled their mouths. The skin was crispy and fragrant, and the meat was perfectly tender—it was simply flawless.

"This is the taste," Wen Xiuyi said, giving Wen Yao a thumbs-up.

Old Man Wen ate two pieces in a row and sighed, "It would be even better with a drop of wine."

"Dream on." Madam Luo smacked him and handed the chopsticks to Wen Yao. "You have a taste, too." The girl had been busy for days and hadn't even had a bite herself yet.

Wen Yao took a bite and was very satisfied.

"Wait a moment, everyone," Wen Yao said, before darting off to the kitchen to fetch flour to roll out thin pancakes.

"Grandma, could you prepare some shredded scallions?" Wen Yao asked Madam Luo, who had followed her. It was a pity they didn't have cucumber strips.

Madam Luo, having just stepped into the kitchen, turned right back around and went to the old family home to fetch some large scallions, which she washed and shredded.

The soybean paste had been fermented by Madam Luo herself. When they moved, she had brought two jars for Wen Yao. Wen Yao hadn't changed the recipe; she simply ground the paste down into a fine sauce. She had discovered that anything Madam Luo fermented, whether it was pickled vegetables or bean paste, tasted incredible. This paste might even become a unique, exclusive source of income for her grandmother.

With the garnishes and sauce ready, Wen Yao set the pancakes on the table and taught them step-by-step how to eat it.

"Like this, then like this." After wrapping one, Wen Yao popped it straight into her mouth, not forgetting to mumble praises to Madam Luo between bites: "Grandma’s bean paste is just too good. Paired with this roasted duck, it’s absolute perfection."

The others followed suit and realized it really did taste even better this way.

Madam Luo and her two daughters-in-law exchanged glances, their resolve to raise ducks firming up. No matter how difficult it might be, they had to dare to do it—the bold are rewarded, while the timid starve.

The family ate piece by piece, and soon, the entire duck and all the pancakes were gone.

"Burp! Yao-yao, are you planning to sell this duck at Drunken Immortal Restaurant as well?" Old Man Wen asked, unable to suppress a belch.

Wen Yao nodded. "Yes."

Old Man Wen thought for a moment and asked, "Then if we want to eat it in the future, will we have to go to Drunken Immortal Restaurant to buy it?"

Madam Luo rolled her eyes unceremoniously and scoffed, "The oven is right here in the backyard, and Yao-yao is right here at home. 'Drunken Immortal Restaurant' this, 'Drunken Immortal Restaurant' that—do you really think you're some grand master who needs to go there to buy food? Why don't you just move into the restaurant and live there?"

Old Man Wen grumbled, "You old woman..." She was always belittling him, but he was a generous man and wouldn't hold it against her.

The others acted as if they hadn't heard; they were used to it. After all these years, no matter what Madam Luo said or how she teased him, Old Man Wen never took it to heart. Sometimes, if he saw her in a foul mood, he would even go out of his way to invite her scolding just to cheer her up.

"I need to let Sister Qiu and the chef at Drunken Immortal Restaurant taste it first," Wen Yao said.

Li chimed in with flattery, laughing, "Does it even need tasting? Something this delicious—what was it called? Roasted duck, yes, roasted duck. Once it's at Drunken Immortal, the customers will surely trample the threshold down!"

At the thought of the roasted duck’s popularity, Li felt as if she could already see herself raising hundreds of ducks. The excitement was impossible to hide.

"Yao-yao, when will you invite Madam Xie to come and taste it?" Li pressed, impatient.

Wen Yao checked the time; it was just past noon. It was early, but she wasn't sure if it was convenient for Sister Qiu to head out. Her eyes darted as an idea formed.

"I'll write a note and have Da Tou take it to Xie Anyi tomorrow. He can pass it on to Sister Qiu. With Dr. Jin and Uncle Qiu there, we don't have to worry about the master and mistress of the Xie household refusing to let her out," Wen Yao said.

The Wen family had a very poor impression of Xie Yushan, so they were slightly worried. "Yao-yao, what if Master Xie insists on coming along?" If he did, wouldn't he discover the partnership between Wen Yao and Madam Xie?

Wen Yao wasn't worried about that at all regarding Qiu Rongrong. "Don't worry. I'll have Da Tou make it clear to Xie Anyi that we are only inviting him and his mother. Master Xie won't follow."

Seeing her so certain, the others asked no more.

That evening, Wen Yao roasted another duck for San Xiwang, Wen Jun, and Wen Nong, and reminded Da Tou about inviting Xie Anyi and Qiu Rongrong the next day.

Da Tou patted his chest. "Sister, don't worry. Xie Anyi is my good buddy now; I'll definitely tell him."

Wen Yao smiled. "Since when did you become such good buddies?"

Da Tou tilted his head at her. "Didn't you tell us to get along well?"

Wen Yao: "..." That hadn't been her exact intention; she just hadn't wanted Da Tou and Xie Anyi to become enemies.

Oh well, being good buddies was better than being enemies.

"Then remember to bring your other good buddy tomorrow, too," Wen Yao said, poking Da Tou on the nose.

Da Tou chuckled. "Can I bring the teacher along?"

Dean Wu? That would work fine. They could just turn it into a roasted duck banquet tomorrow.

"Fine, they're your guests; you're in charge."