The day before Qixi Festival, Cheng Ruyi took Cheng Yan to the prefectural city once again.
Although only a month had passed since my last visit to the prefectural city, my state of mind was completely different on both occasions.
Actually, Cheng Ruyi went to the prefectural city this time to see the places Zhou Yin had found suitable for opening branch stores. Cheng Yan went along partly because he was worried about his daughter, and partly to see his sister's family.
After arriving in the prefectural city, the two went their separate ways. Ruyi only planned to stay for two days, that is, one night, and then leave, so she didn't have much time to do anything private.
The next day at noon, after visiting several houses, Ruyi went to her aunt's house to say goodbye, and then went directly to Zhiwei Restaurant in the prefectural city to meet Zhou Yin. It would be best to settle on a suitable house as soon as possible so that construction and renovation could begin quickly and the restaurant could open before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
To her surprise, when she arrived at the agreed private room, there was no one there. Since she was bored just sitting there, she simply leaned against the window, drank tea, and took the opportunity to enjoy the scenery of the city.
The Zhou family's Zhiwei Restaurant can only be considered a mid-range restaurant in the prefectural city. Its location and area are naturally not comparable to Baizhenlou. However, this kind of restaurant has an advantage: you can see the lively atmosphere of the small streets and alleys of the prefectural city from the windows on the second floor, which has a unique charm.
Before long, Ruyi saw the Zhou family's mule cart slowly approaching. Zhou Yin was dressed in a low-key black robe, and the golden crown on his head shone brightly in the sunlight. He took a long stride and stepped off the cart with ease, then walked gracefully into the back door of the restaurant while fanning himself.
Cheng Ruyi was feeling a bit puzzled. Why would they choose to use the back door instead of the main entrance? Was this some kind of peculiar preference?
Just as Ruyi was about to leave the window, she suddenly saw Huang Youcai get out of the car and walk and talk with a man who looked young but was dressed as a waiter. She felt that the waiter looked familiar, and after thinking for a moment, she remembered.
A few quarters of an hour earlier, she clearly saw the same shopkeeper hand a package to a young woman who was dressed rather poorly but was very beautiful. In particular, the woman's tearful appearance while holding the package was so pitiful that it left a deep impression on Ruyi.
Could it be that she... saw something she shouldn't have seen?
"Madam Cheng, you've been waiting long! Our master has gone to speak with the restaurant manager about some matters and will be back shortly." As soon as Huang Youcai entered the private room, he enthusiastically had a waiter bring over a large pile of dried fruit and snacks. "These are all specialties of Zhiwei Restaurant in Fucheng. Madam Cheng, why don't you try them and give us your feedback?"
"Manager Huang, you're too kind!" Cheng Ruyi glanced behind Huang Youcai, but the shop assistant had already disappeared.
Huang Youcai followed her gaze and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What are you looking at, Madam Cheng? Did you run into someone you know?"
"It's nothing, maybe I misread it. By the way, the weather is really nice today, hehe~~"
Ruyi's gossipy nature was burning fiercely, but her rational mind told her that it was impolite to pry into other people's privacy. She was torn and could only look out the window to distract herself.
Seeing this, Huang Youcai seemed to be deep in thought. He remembered that when he came in, this Madam Cheng seemed to be standing by the window. So, did she see something? The window of this room is positioned so that it looks directly out the back door... Could it be...?
"Could it be that Madam Cheng saw Madam Qiao by the window?"
Well, since it was someone else who brought it up, then she wasn't really prying into their privacy, was she?
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi turned to Huang Youcai, feigning confusion, and asked, "I was just looking at the scenery by the window. Who is this Madam Qiao you're talking about?"
Huang Youcai: "...Ahem, speaking of which, Madam Qiao was also a woman with a tragic fate."
The Qiao family once enjoyed a period of great success in the prefectural city. More than a decade ago, the Qiao family's business was booming. The eldest son, Qiao Qing, not only successfully passed the entrance exam for Lingshan Academy, but also married a beautiful wife. Everyone who saw this couldn't help but feel envious.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The Qiao family suffered a series of misfortunes, and in just a few years, only a house full of women and children remained. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Qiao family, Madam Xue, was widowed at a young age and had to support the family on her own. Just when she was about to give up, Zhou Yin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and helped the Qiao family.
Although Zhou Yin offered his help out of consideration for his years of friendship with Qiao Qing, in Xue Shi's eyes it was like a ray of light suddenly appearing in the darkest moment of her life.
Zhou Yin gradually realized something was wrong. In order to protect the reputation of his former classmates and to make Xue give up, he had no choice but to cut off his support to the Qiao family. He did not set foot in the prefectural city for a long time afterward.
"Alas, our boss is simply kind-hearted and helpful, but because of this, he's encountered quite a few romantic entanglements like this. Over time, he's gradually lost his compassion and started to speak coldly and sternly..."
So that's why Zhou Yin's face was so sour when they first met, and his words were so irritating. He made a terrible impression. It seems he's genuinely terrified of experiencing those romantic entanglements again.
Objectively speaking, Zhou Yantang's conditions were indeed excellent for that era. Even in modern times, he would be considered a handsome and talented rich second-generation, and might even have made a name for himself in the entertainment industry.
In ancient times, women were mostly educated to rely on and be led by men from a young age. In addition, they had few opportunities to come into contact with more people and things, so their horizons were naturally limited. Therefore, it is not surprising that they would be moved when they met a man like Zhou Yin.
Compared to women in ancient times, Cheng Ruyi, who grew up in modern times, is undoubtedly lucky, which is why she is able to look at Zhou Yantang as an equal.
"If that's the case, then why did this lady from the Qiao family come looking for us just now? She seemed to be crying very sadly. Could something have happened at home?"
In truth, this Xue family member didn't seem to have done anything outrageous; she simply fell in love with the wrong person.
Huang Youcai gave Cheng Ruyi a deep look and found that she was just being gossipy and curious, and that she was very natural and generous. He couldn't help but feel a little complicated. He was glad that she hadn't fallen in love with his boss, but he was also wondering why she didn't like his boss.
"Some time ago, Qiao Qing and Xue's son encountered some difficulties while preparing for the imperial examination. After our boss found out, he secretly helped them out in a very roundabout way. Somehow, Xue knew that it was our boss who helped them, and these days she has been sending things to the shop, saying it's to repay the favor. How could we dare to accept them? We can only push them back!"
After saying that, he sighed deeply, shook his head, and said in bewilderment, "I didn't expect that after so many years, the Xue family still hasn't given up. If you ask me, it must be because our master's charm is just too great!"
"Uh...maybe they really just wanted to repay a debt of gratitude?" Cheng Ruyi thought it wasn't impossible.
Unexpectedly, Huang Youcai slammed his hand on the table and said decisively, "Absolutely impossible! Alas, Madam Cheng, you don't know, this kind of thing... has actually happened many times before. Those of us who have served our master for many years have seen it countless times! There have even been women who took the initiative before..."
"You, Huang Youcai! You're getting bolder and bolder, daring to talk about me behind my back?"
As soon as Zhou Yin entered the room, he saw the two sitting very close to each other, completely ignoring his usual warnings to be wary. He was about to reprimand them sternly when he suddenly heard Huang Youcai mention him, which made him furious!
The two people in the private room, who were chatting about gossip, were startled by the sound and immediately stood up. Huang Youcai was especially guilty and was instantly covered in sweat.
Cheng Ruyi also felt a little guilty, after all, it was not a polite thing to talk about others behind their backs.
"Boss, I..."
"Alright, you can go out now. Liu Shun needs to talk to you."
Liu Shun is the manager of Zhiwei Restaurant in Fucheng. The reason Zhou Yin is only coming in now is because he is checking accounts with him.
"Ah, I'll go right away! Thank you, boss!" Huang Youcai felt like he had been granted a pardon upon hearing this, and quickly fled the private room, disappearing around the corner in the blink of an eye.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward, and Cheng Ruyi could only pretend to look at the scenery outside the window while drinking tea again.
Fortunately, Zhou Yin did not pursue the matter further. He simply instructed the servant to remove the fruit platters and snacks, and then took out his own set of tea-drinking utensils, which filled most of the table.
"When you travel, you should have a maidservant with you."
"What maid?" Ruyi, who was thinking about how to apologize, was a little taken aback when she heard Zhou Yin's words.
Zhou Yin did not answer. Instead, he calmly watched the water in the stove slowly boil, and then began to carry out a series of extremely complicated procedures such as roasting and grinding tea, until finally the tea soup was prepared and placed in front of Cheng Ruyi.
This wasn't the first time Ruyi had seen wealthy literati of this era drinking tea, but each time she watched, she would unconsciously calm down. After all, although the process was complicated, the other person's movements were fluid and graceful, coupled with a leisurely and contented demeanor, making the scene quite pleasing to the eye.
After seeing Ruyi pick up her teacup, Zhou Yin continued the previous topic, "I reminded you before that if a woman needs to go out often, it is best to have a maid with her. If you haven't found a suitable candidate, I can recommend one for you."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi looked up at Zhou Yin's back, where two obviously well-trained servants stood. She then remembered that this person always had two different servants with him whenever he went out, and so far, they had never been the same. He was truly wealthy and powerful!
In fact, Ruyi had considered this issue before. She already had a suitable candidate in mind, namely You Sanniang.
You San Niang is about the same age as her, a married woman. She is not only strong but also knows a little martial arts. Moreover, she is plain-looking and unassuming. Although she cannot speak, communication is not a problem. She can just write it down.
Unfortunately, she was politely refused when she asked before, because although her youngest son had recovered from his illness, he was still weak and she was worried about him, so Ruyi did not want to force her.
Meng Daya, who was standing to the side, looked very interested after hearing this, but Ruyi felt that Meng Daya was too young and she didn't dare to take her out casually, so the matter was left unresolved.
However, that happened half a year ago. Perhaps she could ask again. Maybe after these six months, Meng Xiaodi's health has recovered a lot?
Thinking of this, Cheng Ruyi replied, "What you said makes sense, but I already have someone suitable in mind. I'll ask her when I get back."
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