It wasnât long before Tan Rouâs combo meal was served. Since it was past the usual dining hour and there werenât many customers in the shop, the server came over to chat with Tan Rou.
The server knew how to make conversation and, in addition to the combo meal Tan Rou had ordered, he also brought her a small platter of appetizers.
âWhich country are you from, maâam?â the server asked, sitting down at the table next to Tan Rou with a friendly smile.
Tan Rou replied, âIâm from Country C, here to work.â
The server nodded and said, âOh, youâre from Country C. I have a friend whoâs also from there. He comes to visit Country J every autumn.â
After some casual conversation, Tan Rou steered the topic towards what she wanted to ask. âIâm looking to buy some fresh flowers but I donât know which shop has good ones. Could you recommend one?â
The server enthusiastically responded, âThereâs only one flower shop on this street. If you want to buy flowers, you should go there.â
Tan Rou knew which shop he was talking about but her goal wasnât really to buy flowers; she was trying to gather information about the flower shop owner. So she said, âIs there only one flower shop? Wouldnât the flowers be of poor quality? Everyone says that competition breeds better products. If thereâs only one shop here, might their flowers not be fresh?â
âThat wonât be a problem,â the server explained. âActually, there were several flower shops on this street before, but ever since Kas opened his flower shop here, other shops were embarrassed to stick around. Kasâs flowers are both beautiful and fresh, and the prices are very reasonable too. Everyone likes to buy from him. As time went by, the other flower shop owners left.â
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Tan Rou still appeared puzzled. âIf thereâs only one flower shop, would the flowers be expensive? I have just started working here and donât have much money. I canât afford very expensive flowers.â
The server glanced at the meal Tan Rou had ordered. She noticed his gaze and said, âThe money for food is separate; wherever I go I have to eat the best food.â
The server immediately nodded and said, âRight, right, youâre right. When it comes to food, you must eat the best.â
Then he continued the conversation about Kas. âYou donât need to worry about the price of the flowers because Kas has never raised his prices. Whatever the initial price was, it is still the same now.â
Tan Rou almost understood what kind of person Kas was. She smiled and said, âIf the owner is so good, then surely many people come from other places to buy his flowers, right?â
âNo no no,â the server said. âOnly people from nearby buy his flowers, and he only sells to locals. If someone from elsewhere comes to buy flowers, he wonât sell to them.â
âWhy is that?â Tan Rou asked.
The server explained, âKas is a very low-key person. He says he isnât selling flowers to make money, but rather to have something to do. If he had too many customers, he wouldnât be able to handle it. He also doesnât allow new customers to be brought in. Otherwise, he gets angry.â
Tan Rou could almost guess Kasâs thinking. He wanted to be closer to the palace but was worried about being discovered by the King, so he opened a flower shop as a cover. And the fewer people knew about his shop, the safer he was.
âSo how can I go buy flowers?â Tan Rou looked troubled. âI really need to buy some bouquets.â
The server wasnât just a chatterbox but also someone who liked to help. He said, âWhat kind of flowers do you need? Iâll go buy them for you.â
Tan Rou couldnât possibly let him go buy the flowers because wanting to buy flowers was just a cover. What she really intended to do was to understand Kasâs character.
âIâll go take a look myself,â Tan Rou said. âBecause Iâm a foreigner, he might sell the flowers to me when he sees my foreign face.â
The server didnât insist further. He said, âIf Kas doesnât want to sell to you, just tell him I sent you to buy the flowers.â
Tan Rou smiled and nodded. âThank you,â she said.
Before long, Tan Rou finished her meal. She said, âIâm going to buy flowers now. Hopefully, Mr. Kas wonât be too surprised when he sees me.â
The server found her words a bit odd, but he couldnât quite put his finger on why.
âWell, I hope you enjoy your time in Country J!â he said.
Tan Rou waved her hand at him and then headed towards the flower shop across the road.