Since then, the atmosphere in the restaurant has been very tense. Zhao and Granny Gan always have a tense expression, and the air is full of tension.
This atmosphere only eased slightly on the day of reopening, not because everyone stopped caring, but because everyone was just too busy!
Since the emperor bestowed the plaque, the reputation of Ganli pears has spread throughout Cangxi Town and even the surrounding counties and towns.
Everyone was very curious about what the person who could offer up a prescription worth a fortune and receive a plaque personally inscribed by the emperor looked like, so they inquired about the opening day and came to see her.
Unexpectedly, they came, but the aroma of the food captivated them. Originally there to watch the excitement, they now wanted to stay and have a meal.
The restaurant was doing even better than before, and the Gan family was so busy that they had no time to worry about trivial matters. It was also noticeable that the relationship between Old Madam Gan and Madam Zhao had improved considerably.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who had been ignoring each other for the past few days, started working together again, discussing things and getting busy.
Seeing this, the Gan family felt relieved, but some people were unhappy.
Zhao Juan realized that after so many days of hard work, she had finally managed to make the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dislike each other. If they could reconcile so easily, wouldn't all her efforts have been wasted?
Only when they're in trouble can I take advantage of the chaos. Otherwise, if the Gan family unites against outsiders, I won't have a good time!
Zhao Juan was anxious, but looking at the busy crowd, she had another idea.
...
While Zhao was clearing the dishes at the front, Zhao Juan secretly approached the dishwashing area.
She glanced around and, seeing that everyone was busy and no one was paying attention to them, Zhao Juan looked at the piles of clean dishes and a sinister smile appeared on her face.
She picked up two unwashed bowls from the side, quickly mixed them with the clean ones, and then walked away as if nothing had happened.
Zhao hurriedly returned from the front, carrying a tray full of dirty bowls and chopsticks. She put it down and quickly went to get clean bowls and chopsticks, completely unaware of the unusual pile of bowls.
Zhao Juan hid behind the kitchen curtain, watching Zhao Shi carry the stack of bowls out, a barely perceptible sneer curling at the corner of her lips.
As expected, not long after, a series of shouts and curses came from the front hall.
"Shopkeeper! What's wrong with this bowl? It's so greasy, and you didn't even wash it properly before using it. Who are you trying to disgust?!"
A customer slammed his fist on the table, spitting as he pointed at the bowl in front of him and shouted loudly.
Zhao was startled, and when she saw the dirty bowl on the table, she was somewhat bewildered, but she still subconsciously apologized:
"Please calm down, sir. Please calm down. I'll get you a new bowl right away..."
"Change the bowl? Will changing the bowl solve the problem? Who knows if all the bowls in your shop are this dirty? What bad luck!"
The guest persisted, and other guests around them began to discuss the matter.
Zhao looked at everyone helplessly and could only keep apologizing.
Seeing this, Gan Li stepped forward and pulled her aside, saying, "Sister-in-law, you go down first, I'll take care of things here."
"Dear guests..."
When Zhao heard Gan Li's voice, she could no longer hear what she was saying. Ashamed, she covered her face and went back to the kitchen, with Gan Qiao following behind to comfort her.
Hearing her daughter's gentle words of comfort, Zhao finally calmed down and realized something was wrong.
She wasn't stupid; she had placed the dirty bowl and the clean bowl on opposite sides, they weren't mixed up at all, so how could she have picked the wrong one?
She immediately thought of Zhao Juan—yes, it must be her!
Zhao stood up abruptly and found Zhao Juan in the kitchen. When she saw Zhao Juan's evasive eyes, she became even more certain that this woman was behind it all!
She rushed forward, grabbed Zhao Juan's arm, and roared, "Was this your doing?!"
Zhao Juan feigned surprise and confusion, and innocently asked:
"Sister-in-law, what have I done now? Have you misunderstood me again?"
"Don't play dumb! Did you get that dirty bowl?"
“I’ve been helping out here the whole time, I haven’t gone anywhere else, how would I know what happened to those dirty bowls?”
"You still won't admit it!"
Zhao was convinced that Zhao Juan was behind this, and when she saw that Zhao Juan still wouldn't admit it, old and new grudges surged up in her heart, and she rushed up and started fighting with Zhao Juan.
Zhao Juan was not one to suffer a loss, and the two immediately began to fight.
Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, Old Lady Gan rushed over and saw Zhao Shi and Zhao Juan fighting. She quickly separated them and asked:
"What's going on? Why are they fighting?"
Zhao flung Old Lady Gan's hand away and pointed at Zhao Juan's nose, cursing:
"Mom, ask her what she's done! She deliberately mixed the unwashed dishes with the ones I washed, causing me to get scolded by the guests!"
Zhao Juan vehemently denied it: "You clearly did something wrong, and you're trying to blame me! You washed that bowl, you were so busy that you grabbed the wrong one, how can you blame me?"
"I'm dizzy my ass! I'm not old yet, how could I be so blind that I can't tell good from bad? You're the one who did this when I wasn't looking!"
The speaker may have said this without thinking, but the listener took it to heart.
When Grandma Gan heard her daughter-in-law say things like "old and blind" and "can't tell right from wrong," she immediately got angry—wasn't that talking about her?
This is a veiled attack!
As Zhao's words became increasingly absurd, Old Lady Gan couldn't help but interrupt her:
"You washed that bowl yourself, and you carried it upstairs yourself. How can you blame others? Even if you made a mistake, you can just be more careful next time. Why make such a fuss!"
Zhao was already furious because Zhao Juan had framed her, and now that she saw her mother-in-law actually speaking up for outsiders, she felt extremely wronged.
Her pent-up anger could no longer be contained, and she shouted angrily at Old Lady Gan:
"Mom, what do you mean by that? I washed the dishes, how could I not know if they were clean or not?"
She clearly framed me! Not only do you not help me, but you also blindly side with her and start cursing me! What kind of mother-in-law are you?!
Old Mrs. Gan was startled by Zhao's tone, and her face darkened.
"What kind of attitude is this? Do you even respect me as your mother-in-law?"
Zhao said aggrievedly, "I treat you as my mother-in-law, but do you know that I am your daughter-in-law?"
From the moment I married into the Gan family, you never treated me like family! You used to favor your daughter and grandson, and now you're favoring a complete stranger!
If she had only framed me, that would have been fine, but now she's clearly trying to ruin our restaurant's reputation!
You may not care about the restaurant, but I do! I've finally had a few good days, and I don't want her to ruin them again!
Originally, Old Mrs. Gan was trembling with anger after hearing Zhao's first words. But the latter words were like a blow to the head, making her somewhat sober.
Could it be that she really was wrong?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
