Chapter 105 Clarification

The concern in Xue Huai'an's eyes warmed Song Yushu's heart, but the two of them kept quiet because they were in front of the child.

Xue Huai'an took them directly to the clinic to have a doctor examine them. Fortunately, there was nothing seriously wrong. However, Zhou Chengzhu's fever had just subsided, and she was a little weak. She took some tonics home and drank them for a few days to recover.

"Thank goodness! You're finally back!" As soon as she returned to her residence, Xiong Erni was relieved to see that Song Yushu and Zhou Chengzhu had returned safely.

"Mother! Are you and Chengzhu alright? Erni suddenly came to the academy to find me. When she heard that you had been arrested, I sent someone back to the county town to find Master Xue. I originally wanted to go to the prison to see you, but they wouldn't let us in," Zhou Chengyu hadn't been to the academy for the past two days, anxiously waiting for news from Song Yushu and the others.

"It's nothing, Chengzhu just had a fever and is a little weak. Let her rest for a few days," Song Yushu couldn't explain too much at the moment, so he could only help Zhou Chengzhu inside to rest.

Only after everything was settled did they begin to explain the circumstances of their imprisonment.

"If you hadn't given me the jade token back then, Chengzhu wouldn't have been able to survive until now. Also, it seems that Prefect Liu knows you. Wouldn't it be too much of a favor for you to owe us if we used that jade token?"

"No, fellow disciple. It's been many years. I will visit him this time. Don't worry about it," Xue Huai'an reassured Song Yushu by pulling his hand.

"I'm fine now. You rushed to the city and haven't rested yet. Hurry up and eat something and go to your room to rest," Song Yushu said. Seeing that Xue Huai'an, who was usually very clean, now had stubble, Song Yushu knew that he had put in a lot of effort to get to the city in such a short time, so he urged him to go and rest.

Xue Huai'an did not resist. He followed her wishes, ate his meal, washed up, and went to rest.

The house that Song Yushu bought wasn't very big, so he had to make do with staying at Zhou Chengyu's house for the night.

The next day, both of them had their own things to do, so they parted ways after breakfast and agreed to have lunch at the restaurant at noon.

Zhou Chengzhu was left to rest in the room, and Song Yushu did not let her go over.

The restaurant had been vandalized by Madam Jiang, but Xiong Erni had helped clean it up, so it wasn't too messy. After Song Yushu hired someone to help clean it up, he went to find a carpenter to make a few more sets of tables and chairs.

When the nearby shopkeepers saw her return, regardless of what they were thinking, they all greeted her politely on the surface, and Song Yushu responded with a normal expression.

"Mr. Wei, you're finally out! Who was that troublemaker the other day? How could they be so arrogant and spew such foul language? Did you offend someone you shouldn't have, Mr. Wei, that's why you were taken away?"

"That's true. They haven't been in the city long, so it's not easy for them to establish themselves. It's a good thing that Boss Wei was released, otherwise it would have been such a pity for his restaurant to have to close down!"

Song Yushu recognized the speaker; it was Cui Yingfang, the owner of another restaurant on the street. When Song Yushu's restaurant opened, Cui Yingfang had also made sarcastic remarks. After a few exchanges, Song Yushu found it too exhausting to talk to her, as every word she uttered was barbed, so he stopped associating with her. He never expected that she would take the initiative to cause trouble this time.

"Madam Cui, don't talk nonsense. The troublemaker has already been arrested. After the prefect investigated the truth, he found out that she had slandered my reputation and damaged the tables and chairs in the restaurant. She usually bullies people, so she has been given thirty lashes and will be imprisoned for three years!"

"Madam Cui, you'd better be careful in the future. If you don't watch your mouth and smear people, you might end up in jail with that troublemaking madwoman!"

As he spoke, Song Yushu patted her on the shoulder, giving her a look that said, "Take care of yourself."

The matter has already been reviewed by the prefect. Even if someone tries to use this to ruin the reputation of the mother and daughter, Song Yushu can rightfully refute them. After all, the prefect has ruled that she is innocent, so how can the unfounded speculations of others be taken seriously?

"Hmph! You're lucky this time!" In front of so many people, Cui Yingfang couldn't make things too ugly. Seeing that Song Yushu was completely unaffected, she could only leave first.

After buying the ingredients, Song Yushu went into the kitchen to prepare today's meals. Because she hadn't prepared in advance, there would be fewer dishes today. However, she opened the restaurant so early to prove that the restaurant hadn't been affected and could do business normally.

The chickens and ducks that were bought needed to be processed by themselves. Xiong Erni took them to the backyard to bleed them, while Song Yushu first stewed the Dongpo pork.

This time, they had to process ten chickens and ten ducks. The helper they had hired earlier thought something had happened at their restaurant and hadn't come. It would be difficult for Xiong Erni to manage on her own. After Song Yushu finished stewing the meat, she went to the backyard to help process it.

Duck is the main ingredient for making lemon duck, while chicken is used to make chicken stew with mushrooms. Together with Dongpo pork, we will mainly sell these three meat dishes today.

Vegetables are easier to prepare and don't need to be prepared in advance. Just wash them and stir-fry them when the customer orders.

"Your restaurant is finally open! We thought something had happened to you!"

"I heard that the Jiang family was punished by the prefect, and Jiang Qifeng was also expelled from school. Could it be because of this?"

The young scholars, instead of ordering food, started chatting right next to Song Yushu.

"I was indeed framed by the Jiang family and imprisoned, but the prefect has already cleared my name. The Jiang family is now reaping what they sowed. What would you all like to eat? Hurry up and order, there are still people waiting!"

After Song Yushu explained in a few words, he told them to hurry up and order, as more and more people came in.

"There aren't many dishes to choose from today, but I'd like a lemon duck and a Dongpo pork. Oh! You can order something else, and we can share!"

"Okay, I'll order some vegetarian dishes!"

Those who came later to inquire about the news didn't need Song Yushu to explain; the first few who knew the truth explained it to them directly, saving Song Yushu a lot of trouble.

Now that it's mealtime and there are more and more people, Song Yushu can only prepare the dishes in the backyard first and wait for Xue Huai'an to come over, and entertain the guest first.

Fortunately, Xue Huai'an didn't arrive too early. He waited in the backyard for a while before Song Yushu came in.

"Why don't you eat something first? You've been busy all morning, don't wait for me," Song Yushu said, picking up some food for him since the dishes hadn't been touched.

"I had a meal with Prefect Liu and I'm not very hungry. You're quite something, though. In just over two months, this restaurant has become quite popular," Xue Huai'an said, seeing that she was enjoying her meal, and ladled her a bowl of soup.

"I've been too busy lately to reply to your letters. This restaurant is rented. I was thinking that if Chengyu can continue to take the exams, he will inevitably have to go to the capital. If he can't, he will go back to the county. So I didn't plan to buy it."

After eating something, Song Yushu was finally less hungry.

“If you’re too tired, hire more people. There’s no need for you to do everything yourself,” Xue Huai’an said. He knew she was strong-willed and was afraid she would overwork herself.