Yunling felt a little ashamed that she hadn't been able to treat them to a good meal, even though the fashion show had gone so smoothly last time. So she went to the pastry shop and bought a few boxes of new-style pastries, along with some snacks. She carried the bags to the shop.
When Yunling arrived at the shop, Tang Ling and the others had already eaten breakfast and were practicing their physical fitness.
Although this year's show is over, Yunling had previously said that if you don't practice for one day, you can catch up the next day; if you don't practice for two days, you can still make some progress; but if you don't practice for three days, you won't want to practice at all.
As the saying goes, "It takes ten years of practice to achieve a moment on stage." Only through continuous training can one present their best self. Moreover, since everyone lives and eats together, if others practice while you don't, you'll just have to wait to be eliminated by Yunling.
They all thought Yunling was good, and even said she could give them some copper coins and redeem their indentures, so they wouldn't have to be slaves anymore and could become respectable women. Why not?
"Good morning, young lady."
"morning."
Tang Ling and Li Yuedi quickly ran forward to take the things from Yun Ling's hands. Li Yuedi's little nose was quite sensitive; she took a sniff and said:
"Young lady, I think I can smell the aroma of fried wontons."
"That's right. I originally intended to buy it for your breakfast, but I got so caught up in buying it that I forgot the time. You've already eaten, haven't you?"
"That's alright, I can still fit a few fried wontons in my stomach."
Li Yuedi opened the oil paper containing the fried wontons. Although it was past the best time to eat them fresh out of the fryer, fried food always makes people want to try it again.
Li Yuedi didn't use chopsticks or skewers; in her haste, she simply used her hand to pinch out a wonton and put it in her mouth. The wonton wasn't very crisp, but it wasn't soggy either. The meat filling was very tender, making you want to eat another one after finishing one.
Seeing Li Yuedi eat like this, the others felt a strange itch to do the same. They remembered that Yunling treated them all equally and never tried to rank them. Since Li Yuedi dared to eat like this, they could naturally eat like this too.
Others also rushed forward and gathered around Li Yuedi and Tang Ling.
"There are also steamed buns and bread, as well as pastries and snacks. You can eat them all. Don't stand there, come and sit down to eat."
Since Yunling had spoken, they naturally obeyed her every command.
The food was laid out on the table one by one. Seeing them eat, Yunling felt a little tempted herself. She picked up a pastry and paired it with the hot tea that Tang Ling brought out from the kitchen, which was quite pleasant.
"Tomorrow I will be going to Bianjing by ship. Tang Ling has been to Bianjing before, so she will be going with me. The rest of you can stay in this shop and continue training."
Tang Ling was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected to be able to revisit this place. At the same time, she greatly admired Yun Ling. Bianjing was a place of power and wealth, and it was truly impressive that someone as powerless as her dared to venture there.
However, everyone except Tang Ling felt somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing the news, causing the atmosphere that had just warmed up to immediately cool down.
Yunling took a sip of hot tea and continued:
"You all know I went to Bianjing to buy fabric for making bras. I don't have any bras in stock. With so many people wanting them, where am I supposed to get them from?"
"Since you're going to buy materials and discuss business, it's best to keep a low profile in such a prestigious place. So you can stay in the city for now. Once our customer base is stable, we'll naturally move to neighboring cities, or even Bianjing, to do fashion shows."
Li Yuedi secretly stuffed another fried wonton into her mouth. This stuff was so addictive, the more you ate, the more all your worries disappeared.
"When will that young lady be back? Next year?"
Yunling nodded.
"Of course, Bianjing is far away, and even if the journey is very tight, we won't be back until next year. I will inform the head of the workshop later that you can go next door to learn musical instruments from the musicians."
“I will also tell Auntie to come to the shop to see you often. If there is anything you need, just tell her. I won’t be spending the New Year here this year. I will ask my parents to arrange for you to have a New Year’s Eve dinner with the people from the music hall. Let’s have a good time.”
"But while I'm away, you can have fun, but don't forget the important business. We might be doing a fashion show in a neighboring city next year, so don't slack off or make any mistakes, or you'll end up losing money."
Yunling's words were like a gentle ointment applied to the hearts of those present, easing much of their discomfort and restoring the lively atmosphere from before.
"Thank you, young lady. We will take care of it."
Yunling nodded in relief, gave Tang Ling a few instructions, then went to the music hall next door to say a few more words before driving the carriage to the escort agency.
Once autumn arrives, Gangzi no longer needs to go to Shengfu Restaurant to tell jokes. Actually, there's no other reason than that Yunling initially wanted Gangzi to tell jokes to make their "Zhaoyeqing" reputation known, but after so long, the effect was minimal, so Yunling simply stopped him from continuing to avoid arousing others' disgust.
But Manager Zhou felt that Gangzi could bring business to the restaurant, so he continued to have him tell jokes separately, setting aside the name "Zhao Yeqing".
Unfortunately, Gangzi was unlucky. Once he was asked to abandon the name "Zhao Yeqing" and lose his theme, he couldn't tell jokes anymore. This worried Manager Zhou a lot, so he simply let him tell a joke and then take a break. After autumn, the main hall of the building was always busy with the construction of stoves and the sale of pots, so he was simply allowed to rest and think of new jokes.
So, Gangzi had some free time.
However, when Yunling arrived at the escort agency, the first person she met was not Gangzi, but her long-lost old friend Chen Jie.
Chen Jie was overjoyed to see Yun Ling and immediately put down what he was doing to greet her.
"Grandma, it's been so long! How have you been?"
"Yes, of course it's good, it's really good."
Yunling carefully examined the person in front of her. His skin was even darker, and the curly hair on his head seemed less curly. She wondered if he hadn't shaved properly; there was some stubble on his lips and chin, making him look like an adult.
"You've gotten even darker."
While Yunling was sizing up Chen Jie, Chen Jie was also sizing up Yunling.
His great-aunt was a beauty from a young age, and as she grew up, her appearance became even more outstanding. She was the kind of young lady that people would want to take a second look at if they met her on the street.
Hearing Yun Ling's teasing words and looking at her, Chen Jie immediately scratched the back of his head and lowered his head shyly.
"Grandma, you're getting more and more beautiful."
"Hey, why did you say that? It's kind of embarrassing."
Yunling walked inside, with Chen Jie following closely behind, all smiles.
"Grandma, is there anything we can help you with today?"
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