Chapter Thirty-Eight: Unfathomable Methods

"Did I hear that right? He said he wants to drive me out of Old Street?"

Zhao Gang laughed loudly in front of the crowd, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.

"Do you realize how ridiculous your words are? How long have you been here—two days, or just one? I've been on Old Street for a full ten years! To be perfectly honest, I know every resident here!"

Scattered snickers rang out, while the rest wore polite, insincere smiles and kept silent.

Zhao Gang was well aware of how the neighbors felt.

He admitted he had underestimated Li Can’s culinary skills—being able to sell ordinary dishes at high prices and still have customers gladly pay was proof enough that Li Can was no ordinary cook.

But Zhao Gang also knew Li Can’s weakness: he was new here, his footing unsteady, the people divided—no matter how skilled he was, it would be useless!

The residents of Old Street valued ‘relationships’ above all.

The situation had unfolded in twists and turns, and everyone was waiting to see how Li Can would respond.

If he handled it well, there would still be room to maneuver; if not, today would be the day everyone chose sides and tore off the mask of civility.

To choose the Neighbor’s Little Kitchen meant spending heavily every meal; to choose Hot Kitchen meant saying goodbye to delicious food.

In short, the price of dishes was what mattered most to the neighbors!

Li Can took in every gaze without a trace of panic. He turned to the few plump restaurant owners deep in thought and asked, "So, have you made up your minds?"

At his words, the men exchanged glances, each seeing hesitation in the other's eyes. After a moment’s reflection, one forced a smile.

"Old Zhao, this whole affair has left everyone unhappy. Why don’t we just let it go? From now on, let’s mind our own business and get along peacefully. What do you say?"

"Yes, yes, if nothing else, I, Ma, will host everyone for tea, and we’ll clear the air!"

"We're all businesspeople—harmony brings prosperity, harmony brings prosperity."

The others chimed in as well, suddenly playing the role of peacemakers.

"I'm doing this for everyone, don’t you want to see him turn Old Street into a mess? Even if you do, the neighbors won’t. Who has the money to eat such expensive food every day?"

Zhao Gang sensed things turning against him—he’d unwittingly tied himself and the neighbors together with a few careless words.

---

"Old Zhao!" The first plump owner’s face changed dramatically; he hurried close to Zhao Gang and whispered, "Didn’t you hear what he said? If he solves the price issue that the neighbors care about most, who will come to our restaurants anymore?!"

"You believe whatever he says? If he really dares to lower prices, then what about the customers eating right now—are they fools or suckers?" Zhao Gang sneered.

His words stunned the other owners. They sighed and quietly distanced themselves from him.

"What are you guys doing?" Zhao Gang asked, confused and frowning.

"Old Zhao, at first you said Neighbor’s Little Kitchen’s high prices would break Old Street’s traditions, so everyone followed your lead. But what happened? You’re unhappy when Li Can raises prices, you don’t believe him when he says he’ll lower them—I think you just want him gone and won’t be satisfied until he is."

"We’ve made up our minds. If that’s how it is, you go ahead and make trouble—we’re staying out of it!"

"Old Zhao, I advise you to stop too. Let it end here. Having Li Can building his reputation out front isn’t a bad thing. Let’s show some mercy."

"Yes, if this keeps up, how will any of us do business?"

The sudden shift left everyone speechless and shocked.

They’d expected Li Can to make some drastic move, but with just a single sentence, he had dismantled Zhao Gang’s alliance from the inside!

This young man…

He was not only a master chef, but possessed skills that inspired admiration.

"Your business?" Zhao Gang had never expected such a turn of events; now he laughed in anger, his reason slipping. "If I hadn’t looked out for you these years, with your poor cooking skills, you’d have closed down long ago. How dare you say such things?"

"Yes, our cooking isn’t as good as yours, but everything we’ve built came from our own efforts—it has nothing to do with you!"

"I know what you want to say—you occasionally praised our restaurants in front of customers. True, that helped us, and we’re grateful. But surely you don’t think those scattered customers are our whole business? We rely on the neighbors, not you!"

"Yes, our dishes aren’t fancy, but to make up for that, we’ve never raised prices, and we serve generous portions. Even when pork prices fluctuated most wildly, we didn’t change. The neighbors see all of this clearly!"

"Fine, fine, fine." Zhao Gang said ‘fine’ three times in a row. "Since you think my help is worthless, from today on, I'll say the opposite to customers. Don’t regret it!"

"Zhao Gang, must you be so unreasonable?" The plump owners were red with anger.

"Don’t rush."

Li Can, who had been watching the argument, finally spoke with a smile. "Every customer has their own measure in their hearts—how they judge things cannot be controlled. But in the end, it’s skill that speaks in the kitchen. If you’re willing, I don’t mind sharing some cooking experience with you."

His words made the crowd secretly click their tongues.

To give a man a fish is less than teaching him how to fish.

---

Li Can’s carrot-and-stick approach was brilliant—he had completely dispelled the owners’ worries!

"You… are you really willing?" One of them asked uncertainly, as if wary of Li Can’s intentions.

They were competitors, after all, and it made no sense to help each other by sharing culinary secrets—that was the foundation of every chef!

"It’s just some cooking experience, nothing much," Li Can replied with a casual wave of his hand. "Besides, helping you improve your dishes is also a way to reduce the loss of customers."

Loss?

No one really understood what he meant by that—they hadn’t even noticed those words.

"Li Can—no, Brother Li Can, we’re absolutely willing!" The plump owners beamed with joy.

Never mind what Li Can would share—even a simple acknowledgment from him was enough!

Because the name ‘Li Can’ was itself a guarantee of reputation!

"Congratulations to the owners—make sure you learn well. If one day we can’t afford Li’s cooking, at least we have a second choice."

A thin, middle-aged man squeezed out from the crowd, offering congratulations as he walked into the restaurant to order food.

With things as they were, no one cared what Zhao Gang thought anymore. In terms of relationships, the owners had known everyone much longer!

And soon, their restaurants’ reputations would only grow.

This was the outcome everyone wanted.

As crowds flooded into the restaurant, the Neighbor’s Little Kitchen was instantly booming—within just two minutes, a long line had formed.

The truth was…the restaurant was simply too small!

Su Rui had never seen such a bustling scene and was overwhelmed.

But she didn’t feel tired.

She knew that from this day forward, her struggling, nearly shuttered restaurant would have no rivals on Old Street, and would finally stand firm!

And all of this,

Was thanks to the young man at the door, his face radiant with confident smiles.

"Let’s hope…the day he leaves comes much, much later…"

(To be continued…)