Since that day when the two spoke frankly and openly, Maria felt that the terms had been agreed upon, and Ganli should start actively working on the mission.
But to everyone's surprise, Ganli acted as usual afterward, doing whatever she was supposed to do. Apart from assigning Gantao some extra embroidery work, she didn't do anything else to do!
Maria was so anxious that she jumped up and down, urging it several times, but no matter how much she urged it, Ganli always had a clever plan to appease her.
After several attempts, Maria completely lost her temper! However, she was at her wit's end and decided to give up.
It was several days later when Ganli realized that Maria's chattering voice urging her to do the task hadn't appeared for a long time.
It's no wonder she wasn't careful; she'd been incredibly busy and overwhelmed these past few days.
A few days ago, Gan Ji reopened, and the number of people coming to eat there was no longer limited to locals, but also included many guests who came from far and wide.
However, just as she had expected, the number of customers increased, but there were too few chefs in the kitchen, which resulted in slow food preparation and caused dissatisfaction among many customers.
She's been so busy dealing with these things these past few days that she's barely had time to breathe.
Having just calmed down the group of guests, Gan Mingyi politely saw them out, then turned to discuss something with her:
"Why don't we let my older brother try it first? His cooking isn't bad, so we can at least make do with it for now..."
It wasn't bad, but it was far inferior to what Old Man Gan made. Gan Ji had worked hard to build its reputation, and Gan Li didn't want to ruin it.
Gan Li shook her head, but instead of saying that she felt Gan Mingli was not good enough, she said, "Let him study with his father for a while longer."
Seeing this, Gan Mingyi stopped talking and started talking about Gan Tao.
"They were all recruited together. Everyone else was busy working, but Gan Tao always stayed in the room embroidering. The others were all talking about it behind her back."
Gan Li didn't want to hear this anymore: "The people I recruit are naturally the ones I can make do with whatever I want. If they have any opinions, let them come to me!"
As they were talking, she saw Gan Tao walking over from a distance. Seeing that Gan Tao was talking to Gan Mingyi, she stopped at a distance and did not approach.
Gan Li knew that Gan Tao must have something to say, so she winked at Gan Mingyi and said, "Second Brother, you go ahead and do your work."
Gan Mingyi also saw Gan Tao, and not wanting to say anything more, he turned and left.
Gan Tao then stepped forward and handed the completed embroidery to Gan Li.
"Auntie, I've finished what you asked me to do."
Ganli took the embroidery and examined it closely. The stitches were fine and the pattern was exquisite and lifelike.
She nodded approvingly: "Not bad, even a layman like me thinks your embroidery is good."
A faint blush rose to Gan Tao's face as she whispered, "Sister Gan Li, am I delaying the restaurant's work by embroidering these things?"
Upon hearing this, Gan Li knew that Gan Tao must have heard some gossip. This girl was very perceptive, and she must be feeling quite upset.
So she raised an eyebrow, adopted a shrewish expression, and snorted coldly:
"Does the restaurant have to stop working without you? Besides, you haven't been resting. If this work can't be finished in the next few days, you must have been working overtime at night, right? I told you, there's no need to rush."
Gan Tao twisted her fingers and said, "I...I'm worried..."
"What are you worried about? Are you worried about what others will say about you?"
Gan Li's tone was slightly teasing as she reached out and gently patted Gan Tao's shoulder:
“The people I, Gan Li, recruit are naturally under my control. You just need to do what I tell you to do, and you don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Gan Tao bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing and just nodded slightly.
"Alright, now that the embroidery is finished, you can go down now. Just continue with whatever work you were originally assigned," Gan Li said, waving her hand.
Gan Tao obediently withdrew.
It was past lunchtime, and there was still some free time. Ganli watched her leave, then returned to the counter with the embroidery in her hand, pretending to be working on the abacus, but actually calling out to Maria in her mind.
[That's strange. They were constantly urging me to do the tasks, but now they're silent.]
After a long pause, Maria's weak voice was heard: "...You finally remembered me." Her tone was like that of a young wife who had been abandoned.
Ganli gave an awkward smile: "Um... I've been a bit busy lately, you know."
I understand, I understand perfectly!
Maria's voice instantly rose eight octaves, filled with accusation: "You're busy making money, busy having people embroider, but you're not busy doing any tasks!"
Gan Li glared at her, then retorted confidently, "What are you talking about! Aren't I just preparing for the mission?"
[Preparing? Preparing for what? Are you planning to completely forget about my mission?]
Ganli realized she had been a bit perfunctory the past few days, so she didn't dare keep it a secret any longer. She quickly shook the embroidery in her hand to reassure it:
Look, I've already started working on it! Guess who embroidered it?
Upon hearing this, Maria indeed quieted down, glanced at the exquisite embroidery in her hand, and said curiously:
I know this was embroidered by Gan Tao, but what does it have to do with our mission?
Of course they're related!
Ganli smiled mysteriously and continued:
A few days ago, Lord Lu sent me a letter that revealed that Princess Qingyang is currently searching for skilled embroiderers to prepare a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager.
Maria understood somewhat: "You mean...you want to send Gan Tao?"
Gan Li nodded: "If the Princess takes a liking to Gan Tao's skills, or even if the Empress Dowager favors Gan Tao's embroidery, her embroidery will become very valuable, and there will be countless people who want her embroidery."
Our mission is to save the 'desperate girl,' isn't it? And a successful career is a woman's greatest source of confidence. When Gan Tao is busy working, she won't have time to despair.
In that case, their mission would be accomplished, wouldn't it?
Maria's eyes lit up, and she felt that the mission was about to be completed.
But its joy lasted only a short while before it wilted again, asking doubtfully:
【That sounds good, but I have a problem—even if the Princess takes a liking to Gan Tao's skills, she will definitely have to leave here and go to the capital to make embroidery for the Empress Dowager.
Don't forget, besides herself, the rest of Gan Tao's family are either sick or very young. How could she possibly abandon them to go to the capital? If Gan Tao refuses, then all your talk is in vain.
Even Maria knew that Gan Tao's biggest predicament actually stemmed from her family members.
Those people, taking advantage of Gan Tao's sense of responsibility, kept her trapped in place.
However, Gan Tao is soft-hearted, so it's clearly impossible for her to abandon those people.
"Impossible?" Gan Li smiled mysteriously. "Human hearts are made of flesh; they may feel pity, but they can also give up."
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