Tiezi's mother gripped the bundle in her hands tightly and looked inside nervously.

Before long, Zhao Yanniang, Chen Shi, and Zhao Denglong carrying Xiao Mingzhu came downstairs.

Zhao Yanniang was taken aback when she saw Tiezi's mother, then she realized what was going on. She smiled and jogged over to Tiezi's mother, carefully looking her up and down.

"Oh dear, I thought I was seeing things, but it turns out it's Tiezi's mother."

Tiezi's mother smiled sheepishly, "Sister Yan, it's been a long time since we last met."

"Oh my, that's for sure! Ever since you came to the city, we haven't had a chance to see each other at all." Zhao Yanniang affectionately pulled Tiezi's mother's arm, beaming with joy.

"Hey, aren't you working at the best Wanchunlou? What are you doing here?" After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Yanniang finally realized what was going on.

Tiezi's mother was very embarrassed and didn't know how to start the conversation.

He Tiantian asked everyone to sit down and poured hot tea. Then she recounted everything that had just happened.

Mrs. Chen shook her head with a sigh, "This Zhao family, the third son's family, they're just as awful as her mother-in-law!"

Chen felt a surge of anger whenever the Zhao family was mentioned.

Looking back, it's all her fault for being blind to agree to this marriage. Now, the more I think about it, the angrier and more I regret it.

Her daughter has really suffered.

Zhao Yanniang was dumbfounded; this was truly the most bizarre news she had ever heard.

When she realized what was happening, Zhao Yanniang slammed her hand on the table, making the teacups jump.

“That Zhao Chengshi is a real scoundrel! Tiezi’s mother, you wait, when I go back at the end of the year, I’m going to have a good talk with her about this in the village.”

Zhao Yanniang was furious, so Zhao Denglong quickly held up a teacup in front of her.

"Aunt Zhao, have some water to soothe your throat!"

Zhao Yanniang then took the teacup, drank a couple of sips of water, and continued, "This Cheng woman is so dishonest, she'll never find a job in the city!"

Zhao Yanniang spoke passionately and vehemently about how bad Cheng Shi was, and Tiezi's mother finally felt much better.

It was already late at night, and there was very little room left in the house.

Chen went to He Tiantian's room with Xiao Mingzhu.

Tiezi's mother and Zhao Yan's mother squeezed into one room, and the two seemed to have endless things to talk about, whispering to each other until the middle of the night before finally stopping.

In winter, it gets light later in the morning. And it's very cold early in the morning, requiring superhuman willpower to get out of bed.

But for people who are used to going to bed early and waking up early, this is not difficult at all.

Zhao Yanniang, Tiezi's mother, and Chen Shi got up and started working before dawn.

When Tiezi's mother worked at Wanchunlou, she did menial tasks like tending the fire, washing dishes, and doing odd jobs. So, naturally, she picked things up quickly here.

She worked quickly, washing the dishes spotless and keeping the fire burning in the stove.

Tiezi's mother was seeing some of the food in the shop for the first time. While she was working, she watched Zhao Denglong and Zhao Yanniang eating with curiosity.

When it got a little brighter outside, the small gate to the backyard was suddenly opened.

Zhao Dahai and Zhao Xiangbei arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, with two bundles of firewood at the back. After they got off the carriage, Cheng Ying also got off.

Seeing all those familiar faces, Tiezi's mother felt a little excited.

The task of fetching water and chopping wood in the backyard was left to Dahai and Xiangbei, and Cheng Ying also came to the kitchen to help out.

When they saw Tiezi's mother, they didn't show much curiosity. After greeting her, they quickly got to work.

Before long, classes began to start in the lobby outside.

Zhao Xiangbei and Zhao Dahai washed their hands and began preparing to serve the guests.

Early in the morning, Liu Chuyu rushed over from home. As soon as he arrived at the store, he immediately leaned over the counter to start taking orders and keeping accounts.

In the morning, most of the visitors are students from the academy and their teachers; these are all regulars.

Liu Chuyu knew many people when she was studying at Bailu Academy. Everyone knew her too.

The son of a county magistrate had actually come to work as a waiter in such an ordinary little restaurant. Many students from Bailu Academy had come here under the guise of eating to see for themselves.

However, three familiar faces appeared this morning.

Cheng Fang, Lu Yu, and Li Kelan.

Liu Chuyu had heard about the heroic deeds of these three spendthrifts in Changfeng Village.

That's perfect, since these three people didn't get along with him back when they were at Bailu Academy.

Cheng Fang had heard long ago that a small restaurant had opened here, and that the food there was extremely delicious, comparable to that of Wan Chun Lou.

Cheng Fang had wanted to come and see for a long time, but then Cheng Taotao's incident happened, which gave him a lot of headaches.

Now that things have finally been settled, he has finally been able to escape.

However, Cheng had always looked down on such small places. He always felt that eating in such places was beneath him.

So, he stood at the door and looked inside with disdain, hesitating for a long time.

Lu Yu also looked inside and muttered, "My colleagues at the academy all say the food here is delicious, and they even said that Liu Chuyu is here too, but I don't see him."

Li Kelan also looked inside, but didn't see anything.

"Never mind, let's go inside quickly, I'm starving."

If he saw Liu Chuyu, he planned to give him a good scolding. It's laughable that the son of a county magistrate would be working as a waiter in such a run-down place.

Cheng Fang tightened his jaw and hesitated before walking inside.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!