"Why haven't you been to school these past few days?" Liu Zhiyuan asked, panting heavily.
Because he was making a scene about breaking off his engagement with the Zhao family's daughter, he was severely beaten by Master Liu, and Liu Zhiyuan hadn't been to the academy for a while. Thinking of Li Youran, he sent Liu Er to the academy to check on her, but they hadn't seen her for several days.
With his facial injury barely healed, Liu Zhiyuan couldn't contain himself and went to the pancake shop to find Li Youran. He went twice under the pretext of buying pancakes, but didn't see Li Youran either time.
He had originally planned to give up, but unexpectedly, he ran into Li Youran on his way back. Afraid of missing her, Liu Zhiyuan started shouting in the street. Normally, he would never do something so uncivilized.
“It’s getting colder and colder, and fewer students are eating out, so I rented a shop to sell wontons.” Facing his benefactor, Li Youran was naturally very enthusiastic. “I’ve been setting up a stall at the temple fair on the mountain these past few days.”
"What a coincidence! My friend and I are going to the mountain to pray for blessings tomorrow. We'll come and patronize your stall then."
Liu Zhiyuan wore a white robe with a white fur collar draped over his shoulders. His smiling eyes were particularly charming.
"Bring more friends over when you come, and I'll give you a discount~" Not only is he beautiful and kind-hearted, but he's also rich and generous, which greatly increased Li Youran's goodwill towards Liu Zhiyuan.
Tang Lei, standing to the side, had a gloomy face, thinking to himself that all women in the world are the same; they can't resist pretty boys.
"Young Master Liu, see you tomorrow~"
Liu Zhiyuan lost himself in Li Youran's smile and left in a daze.
"Great! We'll make a fortune tomorrow."
"..." This woman is really obsessed with money. Tang Lei unconsciously tightened his bag.
"It's getting late, you should go back soon too."
"Then I'll pick you up tomorrow~" Thinking about the things she still had to deliver to Tian Alang at the wonton shop, Li Youran ran off.
But Li Youran forgot that Tang Lei lived next door to her ex-husband...
"Mother, I don't want to marry Master Zhou and become his eighteenth concubine."
“My child, just give up on the idea of marrying Lu Chuan! You and he have already made such a fuss, and the Lu family has no intention of marrying you. You should take this opportunity to marry him!” Even though Wang Xiangyu cried and made a scene, Madam Wang did not budge.
Originally, Madam Wang still held a sliver of hope that Wang Xiangyu would marry Lu Chuan, but now she had completely given up on that idea.
"Daughter, your sister-in-law is right. Instead of wasting time at home, you should marry a rich man. Don't underestimate Old Master Zhou just because he's old. He's wealthy. If you give him a son, all that wealth will be yours."
Hearing Wang Niangzi say these words herself, Wang Xiangyu understood that her mother would not stand on her side anymore, and she couldn't help but feel sad.
Li Youran is not their biological daughter, but her parents treat her even better than their own daughters.
And what about myself? Although my mother treats me like her precious daughter, isn't it still because I can get a dowry?
Now that I'm staying at home, not only have I not received any dowry, but I've also delayed my nephew's wedding, so naturally my mother doesn't care about me anymore.
If I could earn money like Li Youran, no one would force me to marry Master Zhou, and I would have time to wait for Lu Chuan to fall for me.
“Mother, I heard someone mention today that Li Youran made a lot of money by setting up a stall at the temple fair on the mountain. I’ll try it tomorrow.” Wang Xiangyu said, “I heard that the money was all carried in bamboo baskets.”
Seeing that her mother seemed interested after hearing her words, Wang Xiangyu knew what to do next.
She believed that with her experience of living a second life, making money would not be difficult.
“It’s really not appropriate for a young lady like you to go pick up Tang Lei by yourself. Let your second brother go with you.”
“Daughter, I saw a few people acting suspiciously yesterday. Let’s bring your second brother along, just for extra protection.”
Li Dazhu and Li Niangzi understood better than Li Youran that wealth and power corrupt people's hearts. Even if Li Youran didn't invite Tang Lei, Li Dazhu planned to invite a few more people to go together.
"Alright, I'll listen to my parents." After being advised to eat his fill, Li Youran didn't dwell on it any longer. "Why don't we close the pancake shop and invite my second sister-in-law to join us?"
Anyway, the money I make in a day from setting up a ring toss stall is equivalent to what a pancake shop makes in a year. It doesn't matter if the pancake shop closes for a day or two less; at worst, I can pay my parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law.
The eldest brother was left alone at home to look after the little girl, while the parents drove a horse-drawn carriage loaded with their stall goods directly to the temple fair on the mountain. Li Tairan and Zhao Lanzhi went with them to pick up Tang Lei.
"Pah! You adulterous slut, stealing men from Old Tang next door, you shameless thing!"
The carriage had just stopped when they encountered Old Lady Lu.
"You shameless old bastard, don't think everyone is like you, doing nothing all day long, committing adultery and keeping mistresses."
"At your age, wearing flowers in your hair and powder on your face, who are you trying to impress?"
"Perhaps it's because you've done too many immoral things that your Lu family doesn't even have a son yet."
Thinking of that perverted bastard and the beatings and scoldings Lu's wife had given her before, Li Youran retaliated without hesitation.
"You...you..." Old Mrs. Lu was so angry at Li Yuran that she was speechless.
"What do you mean, 'you'? Hurry up and go home, look in the mirror, and wipe off your makeup. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're a brothel madam."
Seeing that Tang Lei was already sitting in the carriage, Li Youran finished cursing and drove away, leaving Old Lady Lu there in a daze.
"Damn it!" After a long while, Old Lady Lu finally reacted and sat down on the ground to throw a tantrum, but the carriage had already gone far away.
"This way of playing is quite unique!" Liu Zhiyuan's eyes gleamed as he looked at Li Youran with great appreciation.
"Brothers, have fun! It's on me today," Liu Zhiyuan said to his friends behind him. "There's only one condition: if you win the plum blossom hairpin ring, you have to keep it for me!"
Seeing that a big business had come in, Li Youran dared not slack off and enthusiastically taught him the techniques of ring toss.
"Little sister, there's another stall at the other end of the temple fair that looks exactly like ours!" Li Tairan said in a panic, as if his business had been stolen.
“Let’s go take a look.” Li Youran frowned slightly.
Although she had long expected someone to imitate her, she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
On the ground were some cheap items scattered sparsely, and the bamboo rings were very rough, small and irregular.
However, its advantage lies in its low price; two bamboo rings can be bought for one coin.
"Wang Xiangyu!" Following Li Tairan's gaze, Li Youran's brows furrowed even deeper.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
