A/N: Goal reached. Thank you guys.
"Uh... fine, fine, I won't say anything. It's just... that Lucas is really outstanding..." Joe glanced at the furious Dahlia and awkwardly shut his mouth.
He truly hoped his daughter would marry Lucas. With his years of experience, he could see that only Lucas had the ability to subdue Dahlia's pride.
"Men are all idiots. Don't talk to me about men." Dahlia bit her silver-white teeth, her eyes flickering with displeasure. Based on what she had seen in the royal capital, those noble sons were nothing but useless parasites indulging in pleasure.
With Dahlia's arrogance, how could she ever look up to such noble scions? She wouldn't spare a single glance at someone who had no ambition or drive.
For a woman as cold and proud as Dahlia, wealth and status alone weren't enough to move her. You needed talent—and good looks.
She was like those highly intelligent and proud women from ancient Earth, who would ultimately be charmed by a poor but talented scholar.
"Uh..." Joe exchanged a helpless glance with Dale and spread his hands. They had gotten caught in the crossfire for no reason.
"Hmph..." Dahlia took a deep breath, her face slightly flushed. With a soft snort, she flicked her long hair and strode ahead with her long legs. However, her movements were slightly awkward, revealing that her heart was far from calm.
Lucas gave her a somewhat special impression—he had some talent, though it was mostly in medicine. Still, it had left a deep mark in her mind. But at most, she only had a slight favorable impression of him. It was nowhere near the level of romance, let alone marriage.
No, now she didn't even have that little bit of goodwill left. After he made such harsh demands in their business negotiations, she had lost all respect for him. He was clearly taking advantage of them! What did he mean by only allowing sales in the royal capital? Her family built their business through transportation and trade, and now they were being restricted to just one market?
"Sigh..."
Joe and Dale both let out a long sigh. Having such an intelligent daughter (or sister) at home was truly hard to understand.
Before long, the three of them arrived at Drunken Night Restaurant. Dahlia looked around curiously at the bustling crowd going in and out, noticing that many people were holding bamboo tubes in their hands. This puzzled her.
"Those bamboo tubes contain food," Joe explained gently. "Go inside and see for yourself."
"Food in bamboo tubes? Seriously?"
Dahlia raised an eyebrow in disbelief before stepping inside. But as soon as she entered, she was momentarily stunned.
The spacious hall was filled with lively chatter, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, and the unmistakable aroma of delicious food.
"Is this really a restaurant? Why are there so many people?" Dahlia asked hesitantly.
"Of course it is. This is the largest restaurant in Sedona City. The food on the first floor is very affordable, so many commoners come here to have a meal or take some dishes home." Joe explained.
For him and his son, Drunken Night Restaurant was practically their second kitchen. They either ate here or bought buns and pizza to take home—cooking had become a thing of the past.
"Interesting!" Dahlia watched the long line of people waiting to get their food, her curiosity piqued. "Who owns this place?"
"The city lord." Dale replied in a low voice.
"Him?" Dahlia frowned slightly but quickly found it reasonable. Managing such a large restaurant and maintaining such a steady flow of supplies would indeed require the resources and authority of a city ruler.
"Let's go. We'll get a private room on the second floor." Joe said, leading the way upstairs. He requested a private dining room suitable for six people from the waiter.
"They even have private rooms?" Dahlia was even more surprised. A restaurant in such a remote city had private dining rooms? Weren't they afraid of losing money?
"Let's order first." Joe said, handing her the menu. Some things had to be experienced firsthand.
"This menu is interesting." Dahlia's eyes lit up as soon as she flipped it open. She had a habit of analyzing everything from a business perspective—probably a result of managing her family's trade for so long.
"What's with these prices? A plate of cabbage costs 100 copper coins?" She stared at the menu with her eyes wide in disbelief. There were more than a dozen dishes listed, but she only recognized a few vegetables. Some names were completely unfamiliar—what was cucumber? And chives?
In the royal capital, a plate of cabbage cost only a single copper coin.
"Ahem..." Joe cleared his throat and shot a glance at the waiter, who was barely holding back laughter. Then he lowered his voice and reminded her, "It's winter now."
"Winter?" Dahlia paused, then suddenly realized—her eyes widened in shock. "That's right, it's winter! How could there possibly be fresh cabbage?!"
Cabbage was one of the staple vegetables of this era. It looked somewhat like a pig's brain, about the size of a palm, with a bluish tint and a slightly sweet taste.
"Dear guest, every dish listed on the menu is available here at Drunken Night Restaurant." The waiter said with a polite smile.
"I'll do the ordering." Joe took the menu and quickly began placing their order. "Braised fish, a bottle of Youhe Grand Spirit, cold cucumber salad, a large portion of lion's head meatballs..."
Joe rattled off a long list of dishes, filling the table with food. If Dahlia had been the one ordering, she probably would've spent the whole time in shock.
"Understood. Please wait a moment, your dishes will be served shortly." The waiter said with a smile before stepping away.
"Still thinking about it?" Joe turned to look at the puzzled Dahlia and chuckled. "When I first saw fresh vegetables in winter, I was just as shocked. It's almost magical!"
Magical? More like unbelievable! Fresh greens in winter? Who would believe such a thing? This wasn't the south, where vegetables could still be grown during the colder months.
The appearance of cabbage in this winter season made Dahlia rethink a lot of things—she had been too fixated on certain details before.
"Father, I want to know—what are the five products that Lord Lucas gave you?" She asked seriously.
She had figured it out. Her father wasn't foolish—there was no way he would agree to Lucas's strict terms without good reason. That meant the real key to the deal lay in those five products.
"You've figured it out?" Joe chuckled as he pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat and handed it to Dahlia.
"Yes!" Dahlia nodded and quickly unfolded the paper, reading aloud, "Paper? Three types—toilet paper, writing paper, and packaging paper?"
She understood the paper—after all, the letter Joe sent her before had been written on it. But toilet paper? Packaging paper? What were those?
She held back her questions and kept reading. "Wine—500 bottles of Youhe Grand Spirit. What a strange name."
"Canned fish—1,000 cans. Canned vegetables—500 cans. What even are these?"
Then, her eyes widened. "Perfume???"
The first few items had piqued her curiosity, but she had forced herself to stay calm. But perfume? That was something else entirely!
"Isn't perfume only produced in the royal capital?" She blurted out in shock.
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