After leaving Shanjitang, Qin Sanniang went to Siji, mainly to find out Chen Yushan's movements in the past few days, and whether Sili Ren's tavern was really planning to open.

"Madam Qin, the master has gone to Jiangzhou these past few days. He said he's preparing for the opening of the tavern!" Xiao Wu saw Madam Qin and couldn't wait to tell her everything he knew.

There have been so many happy events these past few days that he has nowhere to vent his excitement. His employer has repeatedly told him to keep a low profile. It's one thing to keep it down in front of others, but he doesn't have to hold it in in front of Qin San Niang anymore. It's truly a cause for celebration!

"Oh my, Madam Qin, business at our shop has been booming lately! And the cakes are in high demand. You wouldn't believe it, ever since Mu Chun developed the cream recipe based on yours, even though we only take two orders a day, the orders are booked until the second half of the year!"

"Many high-ranking officials and nobles have used their connections to place orders with us, and even people from Jiangzhou have come here after hearing about our reputation!" Xiao Wu chuckled as he picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Qin San Niang. This was the owner's finest tea, said to be specially prepared for Qin San Niang; presumably, Si Li Ren had guessed she would be arriving in the next few days before leaving!

Qin San Niang politely took a sip of tea and said, "Hmm, this tea is quite good!"

"That's wonderful! Thank you for your hard work, Brother Wu!"

"It's not hard work at all! Business is so good, I'd be willing to work myself to death!"

"Has there been any activity from Chen's company these past few days? Brother Xiao Wu is well-informed, have you heard anything?"

Since stealing more than three thousand taels of silver from Chen Yushan last time, Qin Sanniang has been somewhat uneasy.

As a model youth of the new era, it is normal to have such feelings. Although I know that even if Chen Yushan is all-powerful, he will not be able to find me, and there are no cameras at this time!

Xiao Wu snorted coldly. That Chen Ji almost killed him, how could he not care? He couldn't wait to find an opportunity to kick him while he was down!

"Madam Qin, Chen's restaurant really hasn't made any moves lately, it's been unusually quiet! Their tavern opened yesterday, and it's quite popular!"

At this point, Xiao Wu felt a little melancholy, and worried that if his family opened a tavern, they might be able to take down Chen's.

Chen Yushan's failure to report the matter to the authorities suggests that the silver was ill-gotten, or perhaps he was wealthy and didn't care about the three thousand taels. Regardless, Qin Sanniang still needed to be careful; this man was ruthless and vicious, and someone with the qualities of a venomous snake might bite at any moment.

Qin San Niang and Xiao Wu agreed to buy some wine from Chen's Tavern to try. As soon as Xiao Wu received the order, he found someone on the street and asked him to buy a pot of wine.

"What do you think of this wine?" Qin San Niang looked at Xiao Wu and Mu Chun, the two locals, wondering what kind of taste suited them.

In her opinion, this wine wasn't very good. First, judging from its color, it was somewhat cloudy, undoubtedly rice wine. However, the taste was much weaker, as if it had been diluted with water. It probably hadn't undergone distillation or purification, and the fermentation and storage time were also insufficient, further diminishing its flavor.

Xiao Wu and Mu Chun squinted and took a sip with a very picky attitude. They thought it was not bad, it tasted like wine! But they couldn't explain why, since they had rarely drunk alcohol before. Mu Chun, at least, worked in the kitchen and had drunk a few times when the family organized big banquets.

"Madam Qin, this wine is alright, but compared to the one I had at my family's place before, it seems to lack something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it doesn't seem as fragrant and mellow, and the flavor is a bit weak!"

When Mu Chun saw Qin San Niang asking questions, he knew that his master was going to open a new tavern, so he told her what he knew. Because Qin San Niang was not an outsider, he dared to speak frankly.

Qin San Niang nodded. She also felt that the wine was too weak. It seemed that people from all eras had the same taste for wine! In that case, she had even more confidence in her peach blossom wine!

Thinking of all the house deeds and land deeds in Chen Yushan's possession, which he must have obtained by selling countless children, Qin Sanniang felt an urge to act on behalf of Heaven. She was just waiting for her peach blossom wine to make its grand debut!

"Madam Qin, this is from the boss. He asked me to give it to you. It's last month's bonus." Xiao Wu handed her a red envelope, unaware of how much money was inside. Although he was a free spirit, he knew his place and would never do anything he shouldn't.

Qin San Niang looked at the silver notes inside and found that there were a full one hundred taels. It seemed that Si Ji's business was doing very well!

"Brother Xiao Wu, I have a friend on Yangliu Street. He might come to you if he needs any money. You can prepay him for expenses up to fifty taels, and I'll pay the rest when I come." Although Qin San Niang had mentioned this to Xiao Wu before, Guo Er hadn't come even once because the money she had left for him was enough, and the charity had just opened and hadn't encountered any urgent need for funds.

Having worked as a shop assistant for so many years, Xiao Wu was no naive man. He could tell at a glance that Guo Erba was someone Qin Sanniang trusted. Perhaps she was doing something else elsewhere. He didn't ask what he shouldn't, but naturally, he agreed to Qin Sanniang's orders. Even setting aside fifty taels, given Siji's current popularity, a hundred taels would be perfectly acceptable.

"Also, tell your master that the thing you promised him last time might have to be postponed a bit. I need to look into it some more." Qin San Niang was naturally referring to the wine recipe. Si Li Ren would understand immediately that she definitely couldn't let the matter slip beforehand.

Knowing that this was an important matter, and most likely related to Si Ji Tavern, Xiao Wu nodded solemnly to reassure her.

After leaving the office, Qin San Niang considered for a moment, then turned back to Yangliu Street. Following the clues provided by Er Gen, she wandered around for a while before finally finding the place where Chen Shi and the others were staying.

It was just past noon, a time when the sun should be shining brightly, but the dim alley was cold and gloomy, especially the courtyard at the end of the alley.

A tall banyan tree stood beside the courtyard, blocking out the few remaining rays of sunlight. The moss on the steps at the entrance shimmered with a faint green light, and unknown wild grasses proudly sprouted from the cracks in the steps.

Without even looking at the furnishings inside, you could tell that this house was an old, dilapidated dwelling that had been neglected for a long time. If it weren't for Qin's greed for cheap rent, this house would never have been rented out.

Inside the house, soft whispers could be heard. Qin San Niang took out a grappling hook and threw it onto the banyan tree. After making sure it was secure, she pressed a button and silently flew to a spot where the branches were lush.