Chapter 146 Climbing into bed

After enjoying the Lantern Festival, Sheng'an was busy making glutinous rice wine, producing a total of one hundred jars of various sizes.

During this time, Zhang Zhaodi and her younger brother Zhang Baobei brought over the six bamboo weaving products they had finished.

This was the first time that Shuqi and the others had seen such exquisite bamboo weaving. It was so exquisite that they could hardly believe it was made of bamboo. They stared wide-eyed in amazement.

"This dragon is so majestic! Its eyes seem to be glowing, as if it's about to come alive. I really don't know how it was made!"

“Not only the eyes, but also the claws and scales look just like the real thing. If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, who would believe that it was made of bamboo?”

"I wonder how much the bamboo will cost. Our Shengyuan specializes in making money from the rich. A bamboo weaving is much more time-consuming than cooking, so it shouldn't be less than five taels of silver."

"Of course not. If someone with a passion for bamboo weaving comes along, this 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' piece could fetch fifty taels of silver."

When Sheng An and her brother Zhang Zhaodi arrived, they overheard them discussing pricing. Sheng An nudged her best friend with her elbow and said, "See? I'm not the only one who thinks this bamboo weaving is worth fifty taels."

Zhang Zhaodi's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement: "If it can really sell for fifty taels of silver, I will definitely book a table here and invite my relatives and friends to celebrate."

Sheng An patted her on the shoulder: "Forget about treating her."

Zhang Zhaodi was deeply moved and was about to say that she must treat everyone to a meal to express her gratitude when she heard her good friend stab her in the heart: "Fifty taels of silver is not enough."

Zhang Zhaodi: "..."

Okay, she got carried away and forgot that her sister was a heartless boss who could sell a bowl of rice for fifty coins.

Sheng An led the siblings into the hall showcasing bamboo weaving and handed Shu Qi a stack of packaging scripts she had written earlier:

"You are the only one who can read here. In the future, you should use your spare time to teach the three people who are skilled in calligraphy and painting to the content above. When guests ask about bamboo weaving in the future, you should introduce it to them."

After saying that, Sheng An looked at the other three: "You must remember these sales pitches. As long as you can exaggerate well and get the customer to buy the bamboo weaving, I will give you a considerable reward."

The four of them, Shuqi and Qi, looked excited and said in unison, "Yes, Master!"

Sheng An nodded and said to Shu Qi, "Familiarize yourself with these phrases. If you don't understand anything, come and ask me."

Shuqi readily agreed.

Sheng An brought Zhang Zhaodi and her brother to the teahouse, where they drank tea and chatted about bamboo weaving.

Zhang Baobei couldn't get a word in edgewise, but she listened intently, completely impressed by Sheng An's ingenious ideas.

Back in Huai Shu Village, how come we never realized how amazing Sister An'an was?

My sister is so lucky to have a good sister who is wholeheartedly helping her.

He's far from that point; he hasn't yet made a single good brother who's wholeheartedly devoted to helping him.

Sigh, I wonder where that good brother who could lead him to wealth and the pinnacle of life is.

"I'll temporarily consign your bamboo weaving to you. Once your reputation as Master Zhang is established and wealthy people line up to buy your bamboo weaving, you can open a spacious shop specifically for selling bamboo weaving. At that time, you can take on a few talented apprentices and make a fortune."

Sheng An painted a rosy picture for Zhang Zhaodi, making it sound incredibly appealing: "Look further ahead. People who like bamboo weaving aren't just wealthy people in Qingzhou, and the connections of the wealthy aren't limited to Qingzhou."

"I...I can't do it..."

Zhang Zhaodi hadn't thought that far ahead; she hadn't even considered opening her own shop and starting a business: "I don't know how to do business; it would be too much to ask me to open a shop and make money."

Sheng An said seriously, "A woman can't say no. As my best friend, you can't lack even this much confidence!"

Zhang Zhaodi: "..."

The pressure is immense. If she doesn't handle things well, will An'an dislike her?

Meeting Sheng An's encouraging gaze, a surge of pride welled up within Zhang Zhaodi, and she gritted her teeth and nodded emphatically: "Okay, I'll listen to you!"

Sheng An immediately smiled: "Don't worry, you can definitely do it!"

Zhang Zhaodi smiled along, feeling more confident.

An'an was able to build a prosperous garden with her own skills when she was penniless. She was much luckier than An'an and was able to earn enough capital with An'an's help.

Besides, her future in-laws don't expect her to earn money to support the family. Even if the business fails, it won't affect the family's livelihood. At worst, they can start all over again. What's there to be afraid of?

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, Shengyuan reopened and had a great opening day.

In just one hour, they sold two batches of roasted chicken and thirty jars of glutinous rice wine. Regular customers kept placing orders, filling up the month's order volume.

The most outrageous thing was that two tables of guests that day, one at noon and one in the evening, came to dine an hour early specifically because of Sheng An's excellent cooking skills.

By the time the guests were served, it was just getting dark outside.

With the finishing touches taken care of, Sheng An, having been busy all day, decided to go back to the small building to rest early. So, carrying the money box, he hummed a little tune as he walked towards the small building.

The moment she stepped into the hall, she heard a woman's voice coming from her father-in-law's room:

“Master, you are ill and have no one to take care of you. It was the master who specially instructed me to come and serve you tea and water.”

Xu Chenglin was slightly impatient: "It's just a cold. You can eat and walk and don't need anyone to take care of you. You should go back to the front yard and do your own thing. I'll talk to your master when she comes back."

Li Daya was not giving up, and her words and actions became even more affected: "Master, how can I trust you to be alone? Please let me stay and serve you."

After saying that, she seemed to lose her balance and swayed as she lunged at Xu Chenglin on the bed, the teacup she was holding flying out of her hand.

Sheng An rushed into the house and saw this scene.

She was furious and before she could even reprimand Li Daya, she heard her scream "Ah!" and fall face down on the ground with a loud thud.

The object that hit Li Daya was a pillow.

Xu Chenglin's face was gloomy. He was about to tell Li Daya to get out when he saw his daughter-in-law come in. His expression softened a bit: "An'an, this person is wicked. Throw her out!"

Damn it, I just caught a cold by accident and rested at home for two days, and this woman almost took advantage of me.

Having been a bachelor for most of his life, he had long lost interest in women and didn't want to ruin his reputation in his later years!

Xu Chenglin's shout immediately woke up Li Daya, who was groaning on the ground.

Startled, she turned to look at the door and met Sheng An's cold gaze. Her face changed drastically, and she hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Master, it was because I saw that Master was sick and had no one to take care of him that I took it upon myself to come to the small building. Please forgive me, Master!"

Hearing Li Daya's evasive words, Sheng An did not immediately react, but said in a cold voice, "Master is not feeling well and needs to rest. You may leave now."

Li Daya trembled all over, feeling uneasy. She glanced cautiously at Sheng An's expression, but dared not linger and ran away as fast as she could.