Chapter 79 Red bean jelly, glutinous rice ball soup...

If we're talking about the most handsome man Qiao Mianmian has ever seen since her transmigration, no one can compare to Lu Zhao. Lu Zhao has striking features, and thanks to his years of martial arts training, his muscles are firm and powerful.

Qiao Mianmian admitted that she was a womanizer, and if her brothers hadn't been holding her back, she probably would have kept staring at Lu Zhao.

With such a great figure, and such a rare opportunity, she felt she would be missing out if she didn't take a second look.

However, Qiao Jiaxing and his companion were on high alert and hurriedly said goodbye to Qiao Mianmian.

Lu Zhao, standing in the courtyard, had half-dry hair, with water dripping from his temples onto his outer robe, which gradually became transparent.

It took him a long time to come to his senses. "The Qiao family has sent people. Why didn't you say so?"

"I shouted really loudly, didn't you hear me?" Qingjiu asked.

Lu Zhao shook his head; perhaps he was taking a shower, the sound of the water drowning out Qingjiu's voice.

Just then, a gust of evening wind blew in, "whooshing" into Lu Zhao's chest. The cool sensation made him look down, and his face involuntarily turned red.

"My lord, why are you blushing?" Qingjiu looked over, puzzled.

Lu Zhao ignored Qingjiu and said, "I'm going to rest."

As he closed the door, he glanced at the Qiao family across the street. Seeing that the Qiao family had also closed their door, he slowly closed his own wooden door.

Qiao Jiaxing and Qiao Jiawang were both embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Qiao Mianmian spoke first, "Oh dear, I didn't see anything. Sometimes when I pass by the dock, there are shirtless men everywhere. You guys pulled me so fast, I didn't see anything."

Her tone was quite regretful. Seeing that her two older brothers were still stunned, she waved her hand and said, "I'm going to wash up. You two should get some rest too."

It's such a pity that I only saw it once, and now I don't have many memories to reminisce about.

Qiao Mianmian sighed and went to wash up. When she went to the outhouse, she saw her cousin sitting on the steps looking depressed. "Brother Jiasheng, are you unhappy?"

"Hmm." Qiao Jiasheng took a deep breath, opened his mouth to speak, but then swallowed back. "It's nothing serious. You should go to sleep. You must be very tired today."

Seeing that Qiao Jiasheng seemed preoccupied, Qiao Mianmian, no longer sleepy, sat down beside him. "Even if it's not a big deal, tell me about it. Maybe I can offer some advice. Is it because of your work?"

Qiao Jiasheng said yes, and he clenched his fists angrily. “I finished the job yesterday and went to ask the employer for the money. But he found fault with everything. Fine, I thought that to make money, I had to suffer some grievances. So today I changed all the little things he mentioned. But today he only gave me two hundred coins, saying that my skills were too immature. He originally wanted my grandfather, but I'm just a young kid, so he can't give me five hundred coins.”

The difference between five hundred and two hundred coins was three hundred coins, which Qiao Jiasheng could not accept. He immediately started arguing with the man, but the other party refused to give him even two hundred coins. "He said I had damaged his crabapple tree and that I had to pay him compensation!"

"This is outrageous!" Qiao Mianmian exclaimed angrily. "He's clearly being unreasonable. What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll go find him again tomorrow. If he doesn't give me the money, I'll stay at his doorstep. I don't believe he's shameless," Qiao Jiasheng said angrily.

"What if they insist that you damaged their crabapple tree and turn the tables on them? Can you argue back?" Qiao Mianmian thought ahead.

Qiao Jiasheng thought for a moment, "They shouldn't be that shameless, right?"

Qiao Mianmian thought it was very likely, "Try it first, and if it doesn't work, we can talk about it again tomorrow, and I'll give you more ideas."

She now understands why her third uncle sent her cousin to work in the city; her cousin's idea was indeed a bit naive.

The next day, Qiao Jiasheng returned with red eyes and didn't even go to the food stall for dinner.

When Lin Shi and Qiao Mancang noticed that Qiao Jiasheng was acting strangely and wanted to go check on him, Qiao Mianmian volunteered, "Father and Mother, it's easier for us, who are of the same generation, to talk about Jiasheng's matter. Second Brother, you come with me."

On the way there, Qiao Mianmian told him about her cousin's situation. When she went inside, she saw her cousin sitting on the floor wiping away tears. She squatted down beside him and asked, "Is it the same as what I said? Your employer wronged you, and you couldn't argue with him, right?"

"Hmm!" Qiao Jiasheng was furious. "How can there be such an unreasonable person in this world? And those people actually believe him!"

The last sentence was the key point. Qiao Jiasheng thought that others wouldn't be so stupid as to be able to tell who was good and who was bad. But the other party only said a few words and fooled those people. "He threw out a dead crabapple tree and they believed him. How could the leaves have withered like that in just two days?"

Qiao Jiaxing suggested, "Why don't we report it to the authorities?"

"Second brother, do you think the government would bother with something as trivial as five hundred coins?" Qiao Mianmian thought her second brother was naive. "If it were five taels of silver, the government might care. But with five hundred coins, they might just make a statement and let us go back. Or they might give us a few lashes first before letting us leave."

"Then I'm not going to get my money back?" Qiao Jiasheng was extremely upset, feeling like his heart was broken.

Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment and, upon learning that the other party was in the cosmetics business, immediately had an idea. She whispered a few words to Qiao Jiasheng and then said a few words to her second brother, "Listen to me, Jiasheng earned his money through his own abilities, we can't let anyone cheat us out of it. I'm still waiting for Jiasheng to treat me to ice jelly."

As they went out, Qiao Jiaxing was a little worried. "Will this really work? The fact that the other party is trying to renege on the payment means they're a scoundrel. Even if all of us brothers go together, if he starts a fight with us, I'm not afraid of fighting, but I'm worried about my parents."

"Well..." Qiao Mianmian had already reached her doorstep, "That's why I brought food to find Lord Lu."

A struggle between ordinary people can easily escalate back and forth without end. But between officials and ordinary people, there is an overwhelming difference in status.

Qiao Mianmian knocked on the Lu family's door again, her voice involuntarily becoming obsequious, "Lord Lu, Qingjiu, my family made some glutinous rice ball soup, I'll bring some over for you."

The glutinous rice balls are made from glutinous rice flour. They have no flavor on their own, only a chewy texture. But when the soup base is made from fish bones and pork bones and cooked glutinous rice balls are added, it becomes a different story.

Upon hearing that there was food, Qingjiu immediately came running over, panting. "Miss Qiao, you're so kind. You think of us as soon as you have something to eat. Staying across the street from you was the best decision we made since coming to Lin'an."

"Not at all, I'm very happy to have you as my neighbors." Qiao Mianmian looked around. "Where is Lord Lu? Isn't he home?"

"Yes, I am." Qingjiu, with a small meatball in her mouth, turned around and shouted, "My lord, Miss Qiao is here! These delicious meatballs are so tempting, please come out and eat!"

When he called out once and the man didn't respond, he called again, "Sir, did you hear me? Did you hear me?"

When Lu Zhao came out, his face was dark, but Qiao Mianmian approached him with a smile, and he subconsciously took a big step back, "Qiao... Fifth Miss Qiao, is there something you need?"

He knew it from the moment Qiao Mianmian came in, but he felt too embarrassed by yesterday's events to leave. Now, seeing the small meatballs being offered to him, Qiao Mianmian's tone was unusually different today; the young girl was sweet and gentle, her voice soft and... very coquettish.

"Lord Lu, please try it, it's delicious." Qiao Mianmian watched Lu Zhao eat before making her request, "Lord Lu, do you know a cosmetics shop on the west side of the market?"

Lu Zhao shook his head, and Qingjiu chimed in, "I know, Miss Qiao, why are you asking my master about this? He's usually the least knowledgeable about these things."

"Is that so..."

Qiao Mianmian briefly explained her cousin's situation, "Tomorrow, I want to go with my brothers to get my cousin's money back. But I'm worried that he might try to renege on his promise. If you're not busy, could you just stroll around the entrance? You don't need to go in to help us; just being there as a deterrent will be fine."

"If you find it troublesome, that's fine, really, it's okay. I have my brothers, they will protect me. But it would be even better if you were here. Now everyone in the city says you are incredibly brave, and they all praise you for being so amazing!"

Qiao Mianmian showered Lu Zhao with praise, only thinking about getting Lu Zhao's help, without noticing Lu Zhao's Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.

Qingjiu chimed in, "That's outrageous! How can they bully people like this? What do you say, sir? If you're too busy, I'll go check on them. I can't just eat their dumplings for free."

Lu Zhao glanced down at the bowl in his hand. He was already obliged to accept the meal, so he said, "Okay."

"You're so kind!" Qiao Mianmian exclaimed. "You're such a good person. It's so great to be your neighbor. When I get the money back tomorrow, I'll have my cousin treat you to ice jelly."

Lu Zhao: ...Is he greedy?

"Then it's settled, see you outside the cosmetics shop tomorrow." Qiao Mianmian and Lu Zhao waved goodbye and took their second brother home.

Lin and Qiao Mancang already knew what was going on, so they weren't surprised at all. Lin called her daughter and son over and said, "Your third uncle knew all along that the other party was this kind of person, and he wanted Jiasheng to broaden his horizons. As for the money, your father will deal with the other party. Don't do anything rash."

Qiao Mianmian nodded obediently, "I know, Mom. We're such good girls, we definitely won't do anything reckless."

She also tugged at her second brother's sleeve, signaling him not to talk nonsense.

The next morning, Qiao Mancang went to collect his money, but only returned with 150 coins. He cursed in the shop for 15 minutes, "He's a real scoundrel!"

Lin was also furious. "No way! This is too much! We'll go to the second son's house this afternoon and demand justice for Jiasheng!"

“I don’t think that’s possible. They’re insisting that Jiasheng killed his crabapple tree and that Jiasheng ruined the garden by pruning it. They’re already being lenient by not making Jiasheng pay compensation. I had to argue with them until I got the money. It’s not a bad thing if Jiasheng learns from this experience and remembers it,” Qiao Mancang said. “We’re all in business. If things get too ugly, they might try something sabotage, and then we’ll be in trouble.”

The elders had no other choice, so Qiao Mianmian and the others sneaked out the door, of course, without Qiao Jiawang. Otherwise, if anyone asked, Qiao Jiawang would immediately give himself away and tell the truth.

Qiao Mianmian applied a few red dots to her face, then entered the rouge shop and started crying, "Everyone, don't buy their rouge and powder! Look at my face, it's because I used their rouge and powder that it turned out like this!"

To achieve the desired effect, Qiao Mianmian deliberately applied rouge all over her face. As soon as she opened her mouth, everyone who saw it put down the rouge in their hands.

Before Qiao Mianmian could say anything more, all the other customers had left.

"Hey young lady, I've never seen you before. Did you really buy the rouge you're using from here?" Manager Zeng rolled up his sleeves, assuming a fighting stance. "Let me tell you, don't cause trouble here. I don't care if you're a man or a woman. You ruined my business today, so you have to pay me back!"

"Really?" Qiao Mianmian pursed her lips and called her brothers in.

Upon seeing Qiao Jiasheng, Manager Zeng instantly understood what was going on. "Qiao Jiasheng, is this the idea you came up with? It's ridiculous that your maternal grandfather and I are old acquaintances. This morning, I sent people to collect money, and now you're playing tricks again. Do you believe I'll tell everyone in your village what you've done?"

"Hey, hey, hey, my cousin is a coward, he can't take a scare." Qiao Mianmian glared at him. "Then do you believe that I will tell all your neighbors what you did? Don't think that you are the only one who can distort the truth. I grew up in the streets and have seen all kinds of people. If you weren't refusing to pay me, I would come here every day."

"Who's afraid of who!"

Manager Zeng slammed his fist on the table and said, "Do you think you're the only one who makes trouble? Doesn't your family need to make a living?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a group of soldiers rushed in through the door, led by Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao was dressed in a dark brown official robe, which made Qiao Mianmian stare blankly. Wasn't it agreed that he would just stroll around at the door? Why was he making such a grand entrance?

"Brother Qiao, is this the person you were talking about who deliberately withheld wages?" Lu Zhao asked, looking at Qiao Jiaxing.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Manager Zeng's legs began to tremble.

"This... this sir, who are you?" Manager Zeng couldn't even speak properly. He usually deducted some money from the wages of the people he hired, and he would cut corners on the rouge and powder. He had done too many bad things, and now he was terrified when he saw someone wearing official robes.

Lu Zhao raised one of his thick eyebrows, his expression authoritative without being angry. "I'm their neighbor, and also the commander of the City God's Office. I heard..."

Before Lu Zhao could finish speaking, Manager Zeng hurriedly said, "It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple. We're all friends." He took out money with trembling hands, "Jiasheng, here's three hundred and fifty coins. Your uncle asked for one hundred and fifty coins this morning. Count them, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Seeing how easily Manager Zeng agreed, Qiao Jiasheng looked at Lu Zhao with mixed feelings. "That's right, it's three hundred and fifty coins."

"That's good." Qiao Mianmian raised her hand to wipe her face, trying to remove the small red spots. "Second Brother, is my face clean?"

"You...you look like a little kitten." Qiao Jiaxing couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Qiao Mianmian looked at Manager Zeng. "Manager, since you say we're friends, can I borrow some water to wash my face?"

"Sure, sure, I'll get you some warm water. Oh, young lady, you should have said earlier that your neighbor is Lord Lu. We're all friends, right? Friends can talk things out." Seeing that the Qiao family didn't intend to pursue the matter, Manager Zeng breathed a sigh of relief, brought over hot water, and took a towel to the side, serving Qiao Mianmian very well.

After washing her face, Qiao Mianmian smiled at Manager Zeng and said, "Yes, it was all a misunderstanding. Manager, you were so careless. Don't forget, we're friends!"

"Of course, I'll give you a discount if you come to buy rouge next time!" Manager Zeng bowed and scraped as he saw Qiao Mianmian and the others out.

After Lu Zhao and the others left, he clutched his chest and sat down on the ground. "Good heavens, that scared me to death. You should have said so earlier, why did you scare me like that?" He was genuinely afraid of being taken away; if he got a few lashes, he'd be dead.

Manager Zeng was in a daze for a long time in the shop, while Qiao Mianmian was in a good mood. She asked Lu Zhao why he brought so many people.

Lu Zhao said he was patrolling nearby and "just happened to be passing by."

"I see. Then let my cousin treat you to some ice jelly?" Qiao Mianmian said with a smile. "Thanks to you all today, otherwise Manager Zeng would not have agreed so easily."

Qingjiu didn't understand a little, "But Miss Qiao, would you feel better if you didn't arrest him and give him a beating?"

Qiao Mianmian said there was no need. "Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. My dad is right. My family also runs a business in the market. There's no need to push people to their deaths. Otherwise, they might do something extreme. As long as we can get the money back, that's enough. This isn't the first time Manager Zeng has done something like this. He's bound to get his feet wet eventually. Let him fend for himself and not harm our reputation."

She wasn't really a teenager anymore, hot-blooded and unwilling to suffer any loss. If her family didn't run a business and her social status wasn't higher than Manager Zeng's, she certainly wouldn't have let it go so easily.

Qingjiu only half understood what Qiao Jiaxing was saying, and Qiao Jiaxing suggested going to eat ice jelly, but Lu Zhao said he didn't have time to eat it.

"You guys go eat, I have official business to attend to." With that, Lu Zhao grabbed Qingjiu's collar. "Let's go."

"Sir, you can go about your business, don't... Waaah..." Don't stop him, he can go eat ice jelly!

Before Qingjiu could finish speaking, Lu Zhao covered her mouth.

Watching Lu Zhao and his servant walk away, Qiao Mianmian patted her cousin's arm. "Jiasheng, you need to understand what happened today. If Lord Lu hadn't intervened, things wouldn't have been resolved so smoothly. This is the difference between ordinary people and between officials and ordinary people, do you understand?"

Qiao Jiasheng took a deep breath and gripped the money in his hand tightly. "I understand. I won't be so naive again!"

"Okay, let's go, I want an extra serving of red bean paste today!" Qiao Mianmian's mouth watered at the thought of ice jelly. It was so hot and humid in the afternoon, a bowl of ice jelly would be so comforting.

At the dessert shop, Qiao Jiasheng ordered several servings of ice jelly, saying, "These are for my uncles, and these two will be sent to Lord Lu's house later."

"But you bought ice jelly, how are you going to tell my mother where the money came from?" Qiao Mianmian asked.

"Mianmian, I can't lie, what should I do?" Qiao Jiasheng shrank his neck and looked apologetically at his cousin.

Qiao Mianmian suddenly felt that the ice jelly wasn't so delicious anymore. How could she forget that her cousin, like her older brother, was a very good kid?

"I want another serving of red bean paste!" She needs to eat more so she can withstand the scolding later.