Cheng Ruyi looked up at the man in front of her again, feeling ashamed of her rashness. He was indeed doing business based on his abilities, and he had the ability to find the other party's weaknesses right away.
"Since the owner already knows what this sauce is made of, why did he specifically call me over?" Could it be simply to humiliate her? The perverse pleasures of the wealthy?
The man lowered his head and took a sip of tea. "Women, what kind of decorum is it to show yourselves in public all day? Just because you've learned a few lines of poetry and written a few words, you think you can be the same as men?"
After speaking, he raised his beautiful peach blossom eyes and looked at Manager Huang, "Huang Youcai, the ancients said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Don't you agree?"
"I am but a humble scholar, lacking in knowledge and experience, and dare not make any hasty conclusions!"
Cheng Ruyi: ...Have you even studied? Is this what "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" means? It clearly means that a woman possessing her own knowledge and ability to distinguish right from wrong is a rare virtue!
She had known for a long time that prejudices against women were deeply ingrained in ancient times. She had also anticipated how difficult it was for women to survive in this world, but since arriving here, she had been confined to her home for most of the time and lived too carefree a life, so she had inadvertently forgotten.
Only now has she truly come to realize the ideological gap between them.
Although Ruyi was angry, she wouldn't be foolish enough to talk back to the other party at this time. A moment of patience brings peace, and taking a step back opens up a vast sky. Besides, she was practically a piece of meat on the chopping block at this moment, and could only stand there with her head down and not say a word.
The other person, probably finding her reaction uninteresting, waved his hand, "Alright, alright, Huang Youcai, take her away!"
"Yes!" Manager Huang replied, then immediately winked at Cheng Ruyi, "Madam Cheng, this way please!"
Cheng Ruyi followed Manager Huang back to the side room in the backyard. This time, Manager Huang had returned to his usual demeanor, flashing his standard professional smile as he explained, "Madam Cheng, please don't misunderstand. Our boss is a very kind-hearted person; he's actually doing this for your own good!"
In fact, Ruyi realized that the other party was reminding her that if they really wanted to devour her crab roe sauce, they didn't need to call her over at all.
The intention may have been good, but the experience was just too terrible.
"Manager Huang, you flatter me. I'm already very content that this butter sauce has won the favor of your Zhiwei Restaurant, and I wouldn't dare to have any more unrealistic expectations."
Huang Youcai sensed the unfamiliarity in Cheng Ruyi's voice and sighed helplessly, "Madam Cheng, please wait a moment, I'll go get the contract and the money!"
After signing the contract and taking the money, Cheng Ruyi went to the kitchen of Zhiwei Restaurant and personally demonstrated to Chef Zhao how to make crab roe sauce. After watching him make it himself, and confirming that there were no problems, she left quickly through the back door, feeling exhausted.
Little did she know that on the second floor of the Zhiwei Restaurant, someone was silently watching her go.
"Huang Youcai, when you do business with her in the future, remember to be careful and avoid such situations. It is not good for either of your reputations to be alone in a room with a man and a woman. Since ancient times, a woman's reputation has been the most important thing, especially for a widow. If someone with ulterior motives finds a handle on her, do you know that public opinion can melt metal and destroy a person's reputation?"
Manager Huang nodded helplessly. "Yes, I understand! But boss... why did you say that? It was clearly a well-intentioned thing to do..."
Upon hearing this, the man withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Manager Huang, and said calmly, "I only met her by chance, and we haven't had any contact since. Why should I speak softly to her and cause her trouble?"
Manager Huang looked up at his boss's handsome face and recalled all the bad romantic encounters in the past, and for a moment he couldn't find the words to refute it.
I could only silently pray that this Mrs. Cheng would come to her senses and not sever business ties in a fit of anger.
As for the Cheng family, when everyone saw Cheng Ruyi return with a sullen face, they all thought the business deal was ruined. They were still hesitating whether to go up and offer some words of comfort, but unexpectedly, she went straight back to her room and locked the door, leaving everyone looking at each other, unable to reach an agreement, so they had no choice but to go back to their own business.
Cheng Ruyi spent the entire afternoon thinking about what had just happened. She thought about how careful and cautious she used to be, but she never expected that she would let her guard down after coming to a more dangerous world. Thinking about it carefully, she could only blame herself for underestimating the ancients.
During dinner, everyone noticed that she was eating absentmindedly and became very worried.
“Ruyi, if we can’t sell this crab roe sauce, we can keep it for ourselves. It’s so delicious. If they don’t like it, it’s because they have bad taste. Don’t be angry with yourself, okay?” Xu Cui was the first to comfort her.
Cheng Yan then spoke up second: "That's right. Actually, the business at home is much better than before. With other income, it's enough for us to live very well! Relax, you've been pushing yourself too hard lately!"
"Mom, is there some kind of difficulty at home? I can move into your room, so we can use the space to grow a few more pots of sprouts!"
Cheng Yun'an, as expected of the most sensible child in the family, immediately tried to find a way to relieve his mother's worries.
"Mommy, Mommy! I can help you too, please don't be upset~~"
“Yes, Mother, no matter what you do, Yunping and I will always support you!” Lin Xiaoman said, then gently kicked her husband.
"Ah? Oh, Xiaoman is right, Mom, we all support you!" Cheng Yunping belatedly chimed in, then patted his chest and said boldly, "At most, I won't make excuses to sneak out anymore. I'll work until midnight every day, I promise I won't slack off! I promise..."
"Wait! Wait!"
Cheng Ruyi was startled by her family's sudden concern, and then realized that everyone seemed to have misunderstood something, so she quickly interrupted her son's generous speech.
"Who said the crab roe sauce didn't sell? Didn't you see I came back empty-handed? If it didn't sell, where's the sauce?"
Her opening remarks only created more confusion among her family members.
"What? It's sold? Then why did you look so pale when you came back this afternoon? And why did you lock yourself in your room? We were terrified!"
"Aunt Cui, I went to Zhiwei Restaurant to discuss business with them, and then went to the kitchen several times to make crab roe sauce. I'm so tired that I fell asleep as soon as I got back to my room..."
As Cheng Ruyi spoke, she pulled out three silver notes from her bosom and said proudly, "I not only sold the crab roe sauce, but I also sold the recipe, earning three hundred taels of silver! Look, here are silver notes worth one hundred taels each!"
"Really? Three hundred taels?"
"Sister, how much is three hundred taels? How many mung bean cakes can you buy with that?"
"I knew it, Mom, you're amazing!"
"Mother, I've never seen a silver note before! Let me see it, let me see it!"
The silver notes, each worth one hundred taels, successfully distracted everyone and instantly created a harmonious atmosphere. Even after the meal, everyone remained gathered in the main room to discuss the matter.
Compared to the others, Cheng Yan was the calmest. After all, he was the oldest and most experienced, and he already knew how much money his family had, so he wasn't as excited as the others. He easily noticed that Ruyi had been lost in thought. "Ruyi, what are you thinking about? Is there something else?"
"There are other things going on, and I'm thinking... should we move to a bigger house?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com