Isn't her purpose in life simply to spend time with her daughter and granddaughter?
If last night's meal was quite substantial, tonight's meal, consisting of only three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, feels much less impressive.
Old Madam Chu's face darkened at a glance, and she pulled Chef Yang aside: "What's going on? Didn't I tell you that there should be at least eight dishes?"
Chef Yang said with a bitter face, "Madam, it's not that I'm reluctant to part with the money, but I'm starting to run into financial difficulties."
“How could I be in financial straits so quickly? I pawned a whole set of jewelry and a bracelet.”
All she had left of her dowry was this little bit of treasured possessions; apart from the thin silver hair ornament on her head that was so light it could fly if tossed into the air, she had nothing else.
She originally had a considerable dowry, but she used it all up in the search for her daughter.
Chef Yang couldn't help but do the math for Madam Chu: "Madam, most of the money you pawned went to buying medicinal herbs and building the wall and shed behind the shop. The rest was mostly spent on the meal when Miss and Young Miss came the first day. That meal took up the majority of the money, leaving only this—" He gestured with two fingers: "You have to be very frugal."
The old lady, not being in charge of the household, was unaware of the cost of living and oversimplified everything.
He had wanted to try to dissuade her the day before, but seeing how happy the old lady was, he couldn't bear to spoil her fun.
Old Madam Chu was very sad.
She felt sorry for her daughter and granddaughter.
Qiao Lian'er overheard their conversation and silently stepped back.
This family, apart from the empty house, is truly poor.
When Madam Chu returned to the table, she said with a smile, "Chef Yang had to go back home tonight because of some business, but he rushed back, so he only made this much food. Please make do with what you have for now, and we'll have something better tomorrow night."
Chef Yang was speechless, rubbing his chin in embarrassment. Why was the old lady using him as a shield?
Even without mentioning Qiao Lian'er who overheard the secret, Qiao Yunni had already guessed it. She said, "Mother, there are only four people. Too much food is a waste. It was fine when we first arrived, but if you continue to be so extravagant, we won't feel at ease eating."
“Yes, Grandma, the most important thing is for the family to be together. We’re all very happy when we’re all together,” Qiao Lian’er said.
Seeing how understanding the mother and daughter were, Old Madam Chu felt both guilty and gratified.
Once Lian'er returns after these few days, she'll clean up the mess and try her best to get the medicinal herb business up and running so that when they come again, they can eat well every day.
Losing money is no problem; she'll just borrow from a money lender at exorbitant interest rates.
Yes, that's the decision we've made.
Qiao Lian'er had no idea that Old Madam Chu had so many inner monologues and was thinking so pitifully. She planned to go and see if she could take over two shops, both dealing in medicinal herbs. They had to be close to home, because her grandmother had suffered for many years and had developed a weak constitution. Even if she didn't have to walk, it would be good if she could avoid the bumpy ride in the carriage. Besides, it would be easier to take care of her if they were close to home.
Old Master Chu recounted: "I took the day off today and spent the whole day with Prefect Wei searching the entire Yuezhou City. We did see two people who looked similar, but when we questioned them, their accents didn't match."
He was exhausted and had no interest in whether the meal was plentiful or not.
"I have a day's worth of official business to attend to. To avoid Lord Tu asking any questions, I can't delay any longer. The reward notice has been posted, and tomorrow they will go out of the city to search in all directions."
Although there was no progress today, Grandpa Chu remained confident. He believed that as long as the person was still alive, they would eventually be found if the search continued relentlessly.
Qiao Yunni and Qiao Lian'er remained silent. They didn't hold out much hope; the old man liked to cause trouble, so they let him be.
After finishing her meal, Qiao Lian'er went to her room to wash off the smell of medicinal herbs. Then, she leaned against the headboard and flipped through a strategy book.
Someone gently pushed the door open and came in. Qiao Yunni shook her head at Qiao Lian'er, holding a thousand taels of silver notes in her hand.
"Your mother talked until her lips were dry, but your maternal grandmother refused, saying that she wanted to build the business herself, and that we had already incurred a lot of costs by buying medicinal herbs, so she couldn't just take the money."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
