The young Jiang Mingzhu only sensed that something was off, but didn't think much of it.
Sitting in the carriage, the girl looked at the person standing in front of the needlework shop like a statue. She lowered the curtain and looked away. "Su San Niang doesn't seem very happy."
"Perhaps she's lamenting that she's aged and no longer as beautiful as she used to be?"
"Is that so? But everyone gets old, shouldn't we accept that fact?"
Gu An'an chuckled upon hearing this, "Yes, everyone gets old, that's why there are terms like 'faded beauty' and 'middle-aged woman'."
"But in my heart, Mother will always be young and the most beautiful." Jiang Mingzhu smiled and hugged Gu An'an's arm, her sweet words as if they were coated with honey.
"Our Zhu'er is the prettiest too," Gu An'an said with a smile, exchanging pleasantries with the girl.
Jiang Mingyi, who was rushing to catch the carriage, couldn't help but smile when he heard this, but when he thought of the people who caused trouble in the store today, a trace of heaviness appeared between his brows.
The manager of Taibai Tower is clearly up to no good; he's caused trouble time and again, and I doubt he'll let it go easily.
As for the Zhao family's daughter, I've heard she's always been pampered by Master Zhao, and I'm afraid she'll come looking for trouble later.
The Zhao family is one of the most prominent families in Anping County. If Master Zhao were to cause trouble, they would likely have a hard time dealing with it.
Thinking about the potential trouble, Jiang Mingyi's expression became even more serious.
Despite the girl in the green shirt speaking up for them, they wouldn't have faced so much trouble if they hadn't come to the store.
This thought left Gu An'an speechless, "How could you think like that? Do you really think Bai Qiaoyin will let us go?"
She had no grudge against Bai Qiaoyin, but this woman was extremely stubborn and wouldn't listen to any explanations.
Today, she only wanted to provoke the Zhao family's daughter to resent her. Even without the Chen prefect's daughter, Bai Qiaoyin would still come looking for trouble.
"Then what do we do?"
"We'll deal with whatever comes our way," Gu An'an said while chopping the meat. "There's no such thing as a thief who can defend himself for a thousand years. All we can do now is see what tricks she has up her sleeve."
Set fire to her shop? Or have someone cover it with a sack and hit her on the head with a club?
Gu An'an thought about it over and over, but still couldn't guess.
Jiang Mingyi still looked worried, his brows furrowed almost together.
This made Gu An'an unable to resist picking up her chopsticks and tapping him on the head. "What did Doctor Zheng say? You can't worry too much, or you'll die young. Stop thinking about it. Go and bring Bao'er and Mingxu back, and take them to study."
The phrase "died young" made Jiang Mingyi pause for a moment, but after a slight pause, he chuckled softly.
"Then I won't think about it. You handle the trouble. After all, you're the head of the household."
He was young and impetuous, as if he were leaving in a huff.
Gu An'an laughed. Actually, keeping some things to herself was more painful than keeping them to herself. It was better to say them out loud. Suddenly, the huge weight in her heart was lifted, and she didn't feel so bad anymore.
As for Bai Qiaoyin, she'll just deal with whatever comes her way. If all else fails, she'll fight to the death and see who values their life more.
...
In late spring, March, Anping County was already lush with green grass, birdsong, and the sounds of a hundred flowers.
Gu An'an's shop hasn't encountered any trouble recently, as if Bai Qiaoyin's disturbance on the opening day was just a dream.
However, Taibai Restaurant has become quite lively recently.
"I heard that General An won a great victory at the front, and the sixth young master of the Lin family made great contributions. He might be able to be ennobled and appointed as prime minister."
"That's right. The war here has been going on for several months. If it doesn't end soon, our Emperor will lose face. How can he celebrate his fiftieth birthday then?"
The discussion among the diners in front of her made Gu An'an momentarily dazed. Yes.
The founding emperor of Daye, Emperor Longqing, was turning fifty in April, which was a significant birthday. If the borders continued to be unsettled, it would indeed be difficult to celebrate.
However, the fact that the war lasted for more than three months was somewhat unexpected.
Fighting in this kind of weather will only cause suffering for the people living on the border.
Gu An'an was filled with emotion, realizing that the saying "the people suffer when the dynasty prospers, and the people suffer when the dynasty falls" was exactly true.
Just then, a servant in blue came over and said, "I wonder if Madam Gu will have time in the next two days? My master is hosting a banquet at home and would like to invite Madam Gu to come over and cook soup for the guests."
This surprised Gu An'an somewhat. "I don't know your esteemed presence..."
“At Master Zhao’s residence, the day after tomorrow is Miss Zhao’s birthday. My young lady knows that she likes Madam Gu’s cooking, so this arrangement was made.” As he spoke, the servant in blue handed over a silver ingot. “This is the deposit.”
Gu An'an smiled at the young servant in blue, "I didn't expect that Miss Gu would be celebrating her birthday here. Is it her coming-of-age ceremony?"
The servant in blue was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
Gu An'an's smile widened, "Coming of age is a big birthday, so we should celebrate it properly."
The servant in blue was unsure how to handle her, wondering what to say, when Gu An'an asked, "What are your requirements?"
The servant breathed a sigh of relief, carefully arranged a time with Gu An'an, and presented the silver with both hands.
That's a full ten taels of silver. No wonder she's the daughter of Master Zhao; she's really generous.
Jiang Mingzhu was a little worried, "Miss Zhao has a bit of a temper..." She didn't finish her sentence, "Mother, are you really sure it's okay for you to go to her house?"
It's probably common knowledge throughout Anping County that Zhao Qianqian has a bad temper.
"It's alright. She's a rich young lady, how could she lower herself to the kitchen? I'll just make a few bowls of soup and come back as soon as I'm done. We've been busy for so many days, so let's take a break. Tomorrow, you can take Mingxu to Doctor Tian's house and have him teach you some martial arts to help you."
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