Su Jiaoniang also saw the person standing outside, and he looked very familiar.

She has a good memory and quickly remembered where she had seen this person before.

The Cai family's back garden, the place where the man had an affair with Madam Feng.

Wow! This is terrible!

What are we doing here now?

Su Jiaoniang walked towards the kitchen. Madam Feng was busy at the hot pot restaurant and had already taken on the role of dishwasher herself.

Madam Feng, who had never washed dishes since being sold, held a rag in her hand, dipped it in some baking soda, and wiped the bowl with a smile on her face. She was neither tired of nor disgusted by the simple things in life.

He called Madam Feng to his side and told her about the people outside.

Madam Feng stood in the back kitchen, pulled back the curtain, and peeked out. Her beautiful eyes darted around, and her gaze fell on the people standing outside the hot pot restaurant. Her face paled slightly.

She reached out and covered her face.

Then a smile appeared on her lips. Her face was covered in spots, and she felt disgusted when she looked in the mirror.

Even ugly people have the right to live in this world!

As for the rest, let them go as they please.

She watched Rong Zhen walk into the shop and personally went up to greet him, saying, "There are some private rooms available on the second floor. Would you like to take a look?"

Rong Zhen's gaze fell on her face.

His gaze was heavy as he stared straight at her.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Okay." His voice was hoarse and somewhat low.

The high-pitched voice unique to eunuchs was completely lost.

Su Jiaoniang was a little worried, so she followed him up.

Madam Feng stood on the stairs and blocked Su Jiaoniang from entering; this kind of thing shouldn't be seen by others.

Su Jiaoniang's lips twitched slightly, she nodded, and said, "If anything happens, shout loudly."

“Alright!” Madam Feng replied with a smile.

She walked up the stairs, entered the private room, looked at Rong Zhen sitting there, and smiled: "I'm sorry to disappoint you. I've accidentally ruined your face. If you don't like it, you can find someone else to serve you."

"Don't you like it?" Rong Zhen asked, beckoning to her and pointing to the seat next to him.

Madam Feng sat down gracefully.

Her arm was suddenly grabbed, and she fell into Rong Zhen's arms.

Looking up, she could see Rong Zhen's face clearly.

So beautiful!

His cool fingers landed on her face, gently tracing the burn scars on her skin. He lowered his head and captured her lips with his.

Madam Feng's eyes widened.

Doesn't he think his face is ugly?

How can you still kiss someone?

She tried to turn her head to the side so that her scarred side could be seen in front of Rong Zhen.

She even reached out and pulled down her clothes, revealing large, ugly, and winding scars in Rong Zhen's eyes.

He reached out, his fingers tracing the scar.

After a while, he released the person: "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Madam Feng watched as the mischievous fingers gently caressed the scar, as if holding some precious treasure.

Her breath caught in her throat, and a slight ache rose in her heart.

How can it be a treasure?

You must be mistaken.

"Would you like something to eat? The hot pot here is amazing; you should definitely try it since you've come all this way."

"Hmm!" They arrived here at breakneck speed from the capital.

He was indeed hungry.

Seeing that she wasn't pessimistic or negative, I felt relieved.

He knew better than anyone how much she loved beauty. When she was very young, she would use the charcoal from under the stove to draw her eyebrows and use balsam flowers to dye her nails. She also heard from somewhere that washing her face with mud could make her face fair.

When she was very young, she would smear mud on her face.

Now I have scars on my face that I can't get rid of no matter what I do.

Her eyes held a sense of relief, and a smile played on her lips, making her seem more like a living, breathing person than usual.

The soup pot was served half red and half white pork belly.

The burning charcoal and the hot soup in the fire evaporated and cooled the body, which slowly warmed up.

People who were both familiar and unfamiliar with each other gradually put aside their differences and started chatting over the aroma of hot pot.

The pagoda downstairs would occasionally look up, its eyes filled with conflict.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I want to become the top scholar in the imperial examination." He hadn't forgotten what he should be doing most; his goal wasn't to become the factory supervisor, but to become the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Then you go back first, and let Guo Shu go with you." Doctor Liu patted his round belly. He had eaten a bit too much, but eating in this atmosphere felt different from eating at home.

All I could hear was a cacophony of voices.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has always valued not speaking while eating, but here, it seems inappropriate not to say anything.

The lights of every home and the happiness of life are realized in the small food stalls.

The waiters in the shop would walk around with soup pots, and if anyone's soup was running low, they would pour some in. Whether you were rich or poor, eating here was the most cost-effective option.

It could cost anywhere from a few dozen coins to over a thousand, but not a single customer who left the shop was dissatisfied.

He patted his round belly and let out a burp.

Some people have even started discussing inviting their families to sit down and eat hot pot together during the Chinese New Year, for a festive and joyous occasion.

Su Jiaoniang watched the smiling faces of the departing diners, and she smiled too. This was probably the joy of doing business.

Fu Tu came out from inside, glanced at Su Jiao Niang, and said, "Mother, I'm going out for a walk and then I'll go home."

"Go!" Su Jiaoniang stared in the direction Futu had left.

A sudden suspicion arose in her mind; the entire street over there was lined with brothels. But considering the child's age, she didn't think much of it.

A short while later, Chen Jing came in with a few cronies. Seeing that the first floor was full of people, he immediately asked for a private room, and Su Jiaoniang led them upstairs.

"Brother Chen, do you still have that black medicine? Could you give me some? This stuff sells for ten taels of silver a piece in the provincial capital. You know, it's all that kind of medicine, so why is it so effective? It makes you energetic and vigorous right away."

"Who knows? I'm not a doctor. I'm telling you, you're being greedy. You're already doing well with what you have, yet you still want to make money off it." Chen Jing frowned.

"Isn't it because we're a little short on cash? Brother Chen, let's make money together."

A smile appeared on Chen Jing's face. He had previously been just a rice and grain merchant.

I have a moderate amount of money, just enough to live a carefree life.

Now things are different. Countless people in the county are currying favor with him just to get their hands on the black pills, but he doesn't have many. He only gets a hundred pills a month, and the cost of two taels of silver per pill comes from shrewd kids.

Wanting more is simply impossible.

Fortunately, this stuff can be priced high because it's good for your health, and those who are short of money simply won't use cheap alternatives.

"Brother Chen, Brother Chen, how about two pills?"

"Here's one for you!" Chen Jing took out a black pill and handed it to the person next to him.

When Su Jiaoniang saw the black pill, a moment of suspicion flashed in her eyes. This thing looked familiar to her; she seemed to have seen it at Doctor Liu's house.

Could it be that Dr. Liu is selling counterfeit pills?

Good heavens!

The old man is shrewd; no wonder I've never seen him lack money.

Su Jiaoniang felt she understood!