Chapter 16: Madam Gu’s Anomaly
When Shen Mingzhu saw that Yao Shi was asking her maid to report to the officials, she hurriedly said, “Mother, it’s not appropriate for my maid to report to the officials, right? Wouldn’t it be better to let the people from Welcome Inn report it themselves?”
If her maid went to report to the officials, it would affect her reputation.
She had always been very good to that bastard in front of outsiders. If people found out, what would they think of her?
“You’re right.” Yao Shi thought for a moment, then gave a few more instructions, “You go to Welcome Inn to confirm first. Don’t report to the officials. We still have to report it ourselves. You just say that you will help find the golden bead. Go! Hurry up! Let the carriage driver take you there!”
She couldn’t wait to confirm this matter.
The maid Xiaoxi nodded, “Yes, Madam. This servant will go now.”
The maid hurriedly retreated.
“Mother, aren’t we afraid of affecting our reputation if we report to the officials?”
“Welcome Inn may not report to the officials if they find the golden bead. Besides, this is a good opportunity to establish a good relationship with Welcome Inn. We can’t miss it.”
Shen Mingzhu’s eyes lit up when she heard this.
Welcome Inn was not only the largest restaurant in Futai County, but also the largest restaurant in the Chu State. It was even among the top restaurants in major cities across the four kingdoms.
Her mother and father had always wanted to supply Shen Family Wine to Welcome Inn, but they had been rejected.
This time might be a turning point.
As long as their wine was sold in Welcome Inn, it would be considered as having opened up the entire Chu State market. It would only be a matter of time before it was sold throughout the Chu State and the four kingdoms.
Thinking of this, Shen Mingzhu felt as if she saw golden raindrops falling from the sky.
To be successfully selected to enter the palace for the imperial selection, she needed to bribe people at every level, which required a lot of silver.
Although the Shen Family was wealthy, Shen Mingzhu knew that there were many people who were wealthier than her family. If she didn’t do something, she really wouldn’t be selected.
Therefore, they were so eager to drive away that family and make their lives difficult. The purpose of doing this was just to please the one in the capital and get her help.
Now it was good. As long as that bastard was in jail, Madam Gu would definitely beg them to save her. Then they could take back the ancestral house without affecting their reputation.
Without even a house, that family’s life would only be more difficult, and they would truly never be able to turn things around.
Now that the matter was resolved, she didn’t want to stay here anymore. “Mother, let’s go back to the city together! I don’t want to spend the night in the village.”
“Don’t worry, your father will be back later tonight, and we can go back to the city together then. When your father comes back, we still have to discuss with your grandfather about reporting to the officials.” It had to be carefully discussed who would be best to do this.
She wanted Li Shi to go, but she couldn’t say this. Li Shi would tear her apart. She had to let her husband say it.
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After Xingnong dragged the person out, she originally planned to go to the back mountain to pick up someone.
It just so happened that Xinghui also came down from the mountain carrying Shen Ruoxi on his back at this time.
The two of them came down from the mountain after seeing that the villagers had all left.
“Sister, are those people all gone?”
“Yes.”
The three of them walked home.
In front of the narrow alley, the things Xingnong bought were opened one by one. Madam Gu looked at the things on the ground with a serious expression.
Xingqing asked in surprise, “Grandmother, where did these things come from?”
Xinghui said happily, “Sister bought them today!”
Madam Gu looked at Shen Ruoxi on Xinghui’s back, “You carry your aunt into the house first. I have something to ask you.”
“Oh.” Xinghui was frightened by Madam Gu’s expression. He responded and looked at Xingnong worriedly before hurriedly carrying the person into the house.
Xingqing originally wanted to ask if an old hen could be exchanged for so many things, but
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Seeing Madam Gu’s expression, she didn’t dare to ask.
Madam Gu asked with a sullen face, “Xingnong, where did you get the silver to buy so many things?”
“I earned it.” Xingnong thought Madam Gu’s reaction was a bit strange.
Madam Gu’s voice deepened a few degrees, “How did you earn it?”
She had repeatedly told the three siblings not to earn silver casually, as this could cause trouble.
Xinghui walked out at this time and happily said first, “Today, when Sister was selling chicken at the restaurant, she also sold a recipe for ten taels of silver. Isn’t that amazing?”
“Ten taels?” Xingqing cried out in surprise.
Ten taels! Madam Gu was also startled. The first thing she did was not ask why Xingnong knew a recipe, but instead pulled Xingnong up and down to examine her, “Did you encounter anything on your way back? Why did you come home so late?”
Xingnong looked at Madam Gu with her beautiful fox eyes, her eyes filled with surprise, “Grandmother, what do you think we will encounter?”
Madam Gu’s eyes flickered.
Xinghui said, “Grandmother, we had dinner with Brother Gu in the city, and then we came back in Village Chief Gu’s ox cart. We didn’t encounter anything. What are you referring to?”
Madam Gu shook her head, “Nothing. It’s just that you are all children, and you don’t know that wealth should not be exposed. I’m worried that someone with bad intentions will take notice and follow you with so much silver.”
Xingqing said, “Grandmother, how could someone rob us in broad daylight? There are so many people on the road! What’s more, Sister came back in Village Chief Gu’s carriage.”
“I’m just worried! Besides, don’t you have to pass through a small bamboo forest on the way back to the village from the county town? The world is chaotic now. It’s good that you didn’t encounter anything! I’m going to cook! You guys bring the things in.” Afraid that the children would get to the bottom of it, Madam Gu carried the two bags of rice and flour into the kitchen.
Madam Gu’s heart was very uneasy. Was it because they took Village Chief Gu’s carriage that nothing happened?
But she couldn’t let the children know about this, lest they be afraid, especially Ruoxi, who couldn’t stand any fright.
Xinghui helped put the things away and then realized that Xingnong had also bought wild walnuts. He pointed to the bag of wild walnuts, “Sister, why did you buy these wild walnuts? Autumn will be here soon, and we can go up the mountain to pick them.”
Xingnong said, “For you to eat.”
Xinghui said, “I don’t like to eat this stuff!”
“Eating more walnuts can nourish the brain.”
Xinghui: “…”
Why did he feel like his intelligence was being looked down upon?
Was his sister calling him stupid?
Xingqing asked, “Really? Sister, how did you know?”
Xinghui, the little assistant, said, “Stupid, of course, it’s because Sister eats a lot of them!”
Xingqing suddenly realized, “So that’s how it is! No wonder Sister loved to eat them before! Why didn’t you tell me earlier! I’ll eat more in the future. When the wild walnuts on the mountain are ripe, I’ll go pick more!”
She wanted to become smarter.
She had never liked to eat wild walnuts, thinking they didn’t taste good. Her sister ate the most at home!
Xingqing saw that there were also meat buns, meat, and large bones in the basket, and she exclaimed in surprise, “Sister, did you buy meat buns? And meat?”
“Yes. We’ll eat meat buns tonight.”
There were a total of ten, just enough for two per person.
“Okay, there’s still porridge left from lunch. I’ll go heat up the meat buns. But, Sister, what recipe did you sell? How could you have a recipe to sell?”
Madam Gu had been a little distracted just now and actually forgot about this matter. When she heard this, she also said, “What’s going on with this recipe?”
