Grandpa Su and Grandma Su wholeheartedly agreed with Su Xiaotian's suggestion.
Although the family had plenty of ingredients, they felt something was missing when hosting the esteemed guest.
The elderly couple had no doubt that Su Xiaotian would be able to find even fresher, better ingredients. After all, Su Xiaotian was favored by the Dragon King and could stumble upon good things wherever she went.
"Alright, it's settled then," Grandma Su said with a smile. "Once you find the good ingredients, teach Grandma a couple of new dishes."
Su Xiaotian actually wanted to say that Grandma Su already knew many dishes, even more than those served in the state-run restaurants in the capital. However, seeing Grandma Su's happiness, Su Xiaotian was happy to oblige.
"Okay, Grandma."
"My good child, Grandma thanks you!" Grandma Su was so pleased she could have rushed over to kiss Su Xiaotian's little cheek.
"Xiaotian, when do you plan to go shopping?"
"Grandma, I'll go right now."
Su Xiaotian checked the time; it was still early enough for her to go out.
Grandpa Su quickly said, "Let your brothers accompany you!"
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaotian thought, "This is unacceptable!" If her brothers went with her, how could she pull off her plan? With her brothers tagging along, not only would she be unable to buy good ingredients in a short time, but even a whole day of browsing the market might not yield anything good. After all, the markets in the capital were not like the mountains of the Hongxin Brigade.
"Grandma, Grandpa, I can go by myself. I'll just wander around our neighborhood and be back soon!" Su Xiaotian said, already taking off. She was incredibly fast, covering ground in just a few steps. She couldn't afford to be caught by her brothers.
"Hurry up and chase her, you brats! What are you standing around for?"
Grandpa Su watched Su Xiaotian leave and was immediately annoyed to see his grandsons standing there foolishly. How could these brats be so slow? Grandpa Su's shout finally jolted Su Xiaojiu and the others awake. By the time they looked, their little sister had already disappeared from sight.
"Wait for me!" Su Xiaojiu shouted and then ran out, followed by Su Xiaoba and Su Xiaotian.
When the brothers stood outside the restaurant door, they were dumbfounded. Their sister was nowhere to be seen. That little girl ran too fast! The brothers exchanged bewildered glances.
"Sixth Brother, where do you think Little Sister went?" Xiaojiu asked.
"Probably to the market? Let's go check!"
Not far from Yiming Pavilion, there was a market where people set up stalls in the morning and evening, but there were no good items to be found. The Su brothers were all trained, so they were fast. However, they chased all the way to the market and still couldn't find their little sister.
"Sixth Brother, are we going in the wrong direction?" Xiaoba asked doubtfully. This market was scattered with only everyday items. Xiaotian wouldn't come to a place like this, would she? After all, Xiaotian said she was looking for good ingredients; how could she find anything that met her standards here?
Su Xiaotian indeed had not gone to the vegetable market. She was in a small alley next to Yiming Pavilion. This small alley had a blind spot, and once Su Xiaotian discovered it, she designated it as her secret base. Today, she had gone there again. She opened the system mall interface and began to carefully select the ingredients she needed. Ingredients made up a large portion of the system mall, and Su Xiaotian meticulously chose from them.
Although sea cucumbers and abalone were good, they were not available in the capital at the moment, and she couldn't conjure them out of thin air. Prawns were rare, but available in the market, so she decided to buy a few pounds. Crabs were also in season, so Su Xiaotian decisively chose them. Wild perch tasted the best, so she picked one. In addition to these, she also ordered good quality pork, including pork belly, tenderloin, and spare ribs. Su Xiaotian didn't miss any of them and placed an order for all. With enough meat, Su Xiaotian also ordered a basket of assorted vegetables.
When she walked back to Yiming Pavilion carrying two large baskets, only forty minutes had passed since she left. She looked at the two large baskets with satisfaction. Tomorrow, when hosting guests, they would be enough to prepare a sumptuous feast. Frankly speaking, even the entire market in the capital might not have items as rare as those in her baskets.
As Su Xiaotian entered the restaurant, she didn't see her brothers. She assumed they must have gone looking for her. Su Xiaotian felt a bit guilty. Her brothers followed her to protect her, yet she had sent them on a wild goose chase. There were several tables of guests in the restaurant, and Grandpa Su was busy attending to them.
"Grandpa, I'm back!" Su Xiaotian called out.
Seeing Su Xiaotian return by herself with the large baskets and no sign of her brothers, Grandpa Su's expression immediately soured. He hurried forward to help his granddaughter carry the items.
"Where have those brats run off to again? Why didn't they come back with you?"
Su Xiaotian hadn't expected Grandpa to say that, and she felt her brothers were truly wronged. She silently apologized to her brothers in her heart.
"Grandpa, I ran too fast. My brothers couldn't catch up with me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Grandpa Su glared with annoyance.
"What useless good-for-nothings! They can't even catch up to a little girl." Grandpa Su thought that it was fortunate Xiaotian ran out by herself and wasn't followed by bad people. The capital felt so unsafe! Were these brats becoming more unreliable? They only grew taller, not stronger. Such big fellows couldn't even keep up with a little girl; they should be ashamed to eat. Grandpa Su, being a strong man himself, found the large baskets heavy and grew even more annoyed.
"Grandpa, please don't blame my brothers. You know I'm just fast," Su Xiaotian quickly interceded for them.
Hearing his granddaughter's words, Grandpa Su's expression softened considerably, although he was still a bit angry. This child, Xiaotian, was truly more capable than her brothers. Not only was she good at her studies, but she also practiced martial arts even better. He wondered if, in the future, it would be the brothers protecting their sister, or the sister protecting her brothers.
A table of guests in the restaurant glanced at Grandpa Su and Su Xiaotian several times.
"What are you looking at?" the person opposite him asked curiously.
"Why do I smell crab?"
"Are you mistaken?"
"I think so!" the guest called out, "Old man, do you have crab in your restaurant?"
Grandpa Su had no idea what was in Su Xiaotian's baskets. He only knew that his restaurant didn't have crab, so he shook his head and said, "No! I heard that crab is precious, and our little restaurant doesn't have it."
The guest looked somewhat disappointed but thought to himself. Everyone in the capital knew that Yiming Pavilion had the most complete ingredients and the best taste! They said crab was precious and they didn't have it, but didn't Yiming Pavilion also have precious venison?
"I told you you were mistaken. Even the state-run restaurants don't have it, so how could a small restaurant like this?"
"I distinctly smelled crab; how could I be wrong?" The guest still felt he hadn't misidentified the smell.