Chapter 82: McCrunchy Chicken

Lin Hongda followed quietly behind them, and upon seeing Di Qing, made a subtle hand gesture. Di Qing understood instantly and also trailed after them discreetly. This had all been planned in advance between father and daughter.

“Lin Shuimei is only an accomplice. She’ll probably be released in a few days,” Lin Sangqian said.

Lin Hongda nodded. “As for Bao Mingzhi, he’ll put all the blame on Qian Santou. After all, Qian didn’t show up tonight.”

“That’s fine,” Lin Sangqian smiled. “Those who commit evil will eventually meet their own downfall. If Bao Mingzhi carries on like this, he’ll get what’s coming to him.”

“Let’s go home.”

“All right.”

…

The next morning, Aunt Niu and the others arrived early. Lin Sangqian paid Aunt Niu her wages for the previous month, which she tucked away with care, though the worry on her face lingered.

“Miss, are you interested in buying land?” she asked cautiously.

Lin Sangqian’s eyes lit up at once. She quickly grabbed Aunt Niu’s hand. “What kind of land? I was just thinking of buying a plot.”

“Well, you see, my husband sits at home all day, eating and drinking. He won’t bother to tend the land. I’m not strong enough to manage it myself, and if this goes on, the plot will just go to waste. I thought I might as well sell it and get some money, so I wanted to ask if you’d like to buy it.”

Lin Sangqian considered for a moment. “Take me to see it this afternoon. If it suits me, I’ll buy it.”

“Wonderful!” Aunt Niu’s face broke into a delighted smile. Miss Lin was certainly a blessing—she’d given her work and now was willing to buy her land.

“Sangqian, why are you buying land?” Zhao Lan’er asked curiously. “Are you planning to grow something?”

Lin Sangqian blinked and replied, “I have bigger plans for it.”

That afternoon, Lin Sangqian went to see the land with Aunt Niu. It was at the foot of the mountain, not very large, but looked promising. After some discussion, Lin Sangqian gave Aunt Niu ten taels of silver, and Aunt Niu handed over the deed.

Meanwhile, Lin Wenyen had also found a shop for her. It used to be a noodle house but had closed due to poor business. After looking it over, Lin Wenyen thought it was suitable and bought it with the money Lin Sangqian had given him.

This was all as Lin Sangqian had instructed. The shop would become a fried chicken restaurant.

After inspecting the place, Lin Sangqian was very satisfied and decided to open the fried chicken shop there.

She and Liao Shuxia spent two days arranging the shop, and even commissioned a custom signboard with three large characters: “McPeck Chicken.”

Next, she had plenty of paper cups made—she taught them how to do it herself.

Once everything was ready, McPeck Chicken opened for business.

Lin Sangqian kept things low-key, with no fireworks, just having Lin Wenyen call out a few times during the morning rush on opening day.

This street was lined with shops and saw plenty of foot traffic daily. At first, there were few customers, but Lin Sangqian was not worried. She heated the oil and began frying chicken wings and drumsticks.

The aroma soon drifted out, drawing a crowd. People began to ask about the price. Lin Sangqian said, “It’s our grand opening today! A fried drumstick is eight wen, a wing is six wen, and with every purchase, you get a free cup of watermelon juice.”

“Watermelon juice?” the customers were taken aback.

In this region, someone had once brought watermelon seeds from afar and tried to grow them, but for some reason, the fruits turned out terrible—tasteless and unpleasant. After that, no one bothered with watermelons anymore.

So when they heard Lin Sangqian was offering watermelon juice, people were skeptical. Still, since it was free, no one complained. Lured by the delicious aroma, someone paid for a drumstick.

Lin Sangqian wrapped the freshly fried drumstick in oil paper and handed it to him, along with a cup of watermelon juice.

He didn’t enter the shop, but stood by the roadside, gnawing on the drumstick.

The first bite stunned him. The drumstick was crispy and juicy, with a flavor that lingered long after and left him craving more. He devoured it ravenously, even gnawing the bone clean several times.

Seeing how much he enjoyed it, others couldn’t resist and soon lined up to buy some as well—some chose drumsticks, some wings. Lin Sangqian gave each one a cup of her homemade watermelon juice.

Some, feeling parched after the fried chicken, took a casual sip of the watermelon juice and then stared in surprise.

“This watermelon juice is amazing!” one of them exclaimed.

His shout made everyone else try theirs, and sure enough, the juice was deliciously sweet, making their taste buds dance with joy.

Moreover, since fried chicken wings and drumsticks can get a bit greasy, the watermelon juice was the perfect palate cleanser.

On the first day, Lin Sangqian had prepared only fifty drumsticks and fifty wings, and they sold out just after noon.

Seeing the line still stretching outside, Lin Sangqian could only say, “I’m sorry, everyone, we’ve sold out of drumsticks and wings for today. We’ll have more tomorrow, but prices will be a bit higher.”

After all, it was only fair to offer a discount on opening day. Starting tomorrow, she would return to her regular prices: ten wen for a drumstick, eight for a wing.

“But the watermelon juice will still be free,” she added.

Hearing that the fried chicken was already gone, the crowd was disappointed, resolving to come earlier the next day to queue.

“Little sister, I can’t believe the first day went so well!” Lin Wenyen said excitedly.

Lin Sangqian hadn’t expected such a success either. She knew fried chicken would sell well, but the response exceeded her hopes.

The man who sold crayfish had come to her earlier and promised to deliver more crayfish in the morning. Tomorrow, she could offer spicy crayfish as a new item.

If things continued at this pace, “McPeck Chicken” might become a brand, and she could open other shops under its name in the future.

The thought filled Lin Sangqian with joy.

“By the way, little sister, where did you get all these watermelons?” Lin Wenyen asked, cutting up two pieces for them to share.

Lin Sangqian scratched her head. “Big brother, don’t ask. Let’s just say it wasn’t anything illegal.”

These watermelons, of course, came from her system space. A few days ago, while browsing the system space, she’d discovered that the fruits there were remarkably cheap, especially watermelons—just one point for five melons.

They weren’t very big, but they were especially sweet.

Remembering the plot of land she’d just bought, Lin Sangqian already had a plan forming in her mind.

She could use these watermelons and that piece of land to set a trap for Bao Mingzhi.

Of course, this time, Bao Mingzhi wasn’t her only target—she had her sights on those troublesome relatives as well…