Chapter 21
The details of the pattern on the ground are blurry; all that can be discerned is that it is a very grand house.
Jin Yifei looked away and comforted her, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Even if things don't go according to plan, I'll make sure you get out. Besides, my aunt and uncle believe in you."
Yu Wan does need to build trust with the county magistrate, because her future career plans will inevitably involve dealing with him.
"Thanks."
Jin Yifei's expression was conflicted, as if he was reluctant to speak.
"Also... don't take my aunt's words to heart. I grew up in a large family, so the elders in my family care a lot about the marriages of the younger generation."
Yu Wan naturally understood Madam Zhu's good intentions; wealthy families always valued the idea of marrying someone of equal social standing.
"It's alright, I understand. No matter what, I will never forget you, my benefactor. If you ever need my help in the future, such as a celebration banquet for passing the imperial examination, or a wedding banquet, or if you need barbecue skewers or special dishes, just say the word and I will never refuse."
Young Master Jin gave an awkward smile and said, "Okay."
Seeing that he was standing still, Yu Wan became somewhat curious:
"Young Master Jin, is there anything else you want to say?"
Jin Yifei pursed his lips. "No, then be careful." He then left.
Nothing unusual happened in the cell that day, and no one came to visit. Only a few prisoners were curious about Yu Wan, a young girl. When they learned that she was the famous young lady from the eatery, they all clamored that they would save up money in the future to try her food.
Through chatting with them, Yu Wan learned that they hadn't committed any serious crimes; they were just so poor that they couldn't afford to eat, so they found an excuse to cause trouble and fight, hoping to get food in jail.
Those few people were chatting idly, and they talked about some trivial matters in the city.
In the east of the city, the concubine of Master Li ran off with a theatrical performer; in the south of the city, the wealthy widow Zhang kept several young lovers; in the west of the city, Scholar Gao was skilled in bed and had visited brothels several times without his fiancée's knowledge; and in the north of the city, Master Song's nephew embezzled all the family's gold and silver...
Yu Wan noticed that these people knew quite a bit about what was happening in the county, so she asked, "Brothers, have you heard of Fumanju?"
A ragged man laughed and said, "Fu Man Ju is the biggest restaurant in this county. It's second only to Zui Xian Lou. Who hasn't heard of it?"
He was filthy, and his hair was a tangled mess that looked like a bird's nest, no one knew how many days it had been since he'd washed it.
He leaned against his cell door and chuckled, "Speaking of Fumanju, I heard some interesting gossip the other day. Apparently, Boss Qian's business has been going badly for the past two months, and in his anxiety, he beat up Chef Chen so badly that he almost couldn't get out of bed to cook."
Another man, so filthy he was unrecognizable, chuckled. "Their signature dishes are just so-so. They're certainly good at making a show, but it's all fluff and the taste is just average. I still prefer Zuixianlou. Putting everything else aside, it's cheaper, right? Ever since Boss Qian's restaurant became popular, the prices have been going up every day. Especially these last two years with the war, only the rich can afford it. Poor people like us get chased away by the waiters as soon as we arrive. Bah! A bunch of snobs!"
Yu Wan thought to herself, "These people seem to know a lot about the dishes at this fancy restaurant. Were they all rich people before?"
Another person spoke up, and their answer perfectly resolved her confusion.
"That's right. I went to the back door of their kitchens a couple of days ago and saw that Zuixianlou didn't have much leftover food, so we could only eat what Fumanju had to make do with."
Yu Wan understood immediately. She had never been to Fu Man Ju, but her experience at Zui Xian Lou was indeed quite good.
Who is the owner of Zuixianlou?
A middle-aged man with a large beard woke up yawning, stretched, and joined the chat.
"Young lady, you're not from the city, are you? Everyone knows that Zuixianlou and Furuifang are owned by the same person, right? This Mr. Gao is quite an eccentric. He had a lot of bad luck for the past few decades. The two shops passed down from his ancestors were poorly managed by him, and his son was also in a terrible situation, failing to get married several times. Zuixianlou and Furuifang were almost on the verge of bankruptcy. Everyone said that his family's ancestral graves had bad feng shui, but guess what happened? Ever since the young master of the Gao family got engaged to the young lady of the Guan family, both the restaurant and the pastry shop have come back to life. Now they can even compete with Fumanju. Fumanju's reputation is getting worse and worse, and it looks like they're about to be overshadowed!"
"Yes, that's it. Now, wherever Boss Gao goes, he praises his future daughter-in-law, saying that Madam Guan is the lucky star of the Gao family. Speaking of Madam Guan, her reputation has also improved. Back then, she was said to have caused the deaths of two of her fiancés, and no one dared to marry her. But now, hasn't her luck turned around?"
"So, you never know what might happen. We might be riding high now, but one day we could be beggars. Right now we're prisoners, but one day we could rise to the top, haha!"
His words drew laughter, and the prison was filled with peace, quite different from what Yu Wan had imagined.
Yu Wan's three meals a day were delivered by a special person, which drew genuine envy from several fellow inmates.
The day passed peacefully. Yu Wan curled up on a straw mat, covered with a tattered quilt, and took a nap for half an hour.
In a daze, she felt someone beside her. She suddenly opened her eyes and was immediately covered by a large, strong hand covering her mouth and nose.
She was terrified, her beautiful eyes widened, but when she saw her familiar face, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked around. It was already late at night, and the prison was dimly lit. Her fellow inmates were all fast asleep.
The boy was able to sneak into the prison without alerting anyone and easily open the cell door.
"Are my mother and brother alright? How's the shop?"
He Jing nodded solemnly, "They're fine. The restaurant is barely managing, only selling what you taught me."
Yu Wan nodded; the situation was much better than she had imagined.
"Thank you."
He Jing's eyes were dark as he looked at her tired face.
How are you?
Yu Wan smiled faintly: "I'm fine. Close the shop tomorrow, put up a sign at the door saying that the boss has something to do and will reopen in a few days."
He Jing said, "I put the sign up this afternoon, so customers shouldn't have to come all the way here tomorrow."
Yu Wan looked surprised, then smiled and thought to herself, "I didn't expect this person to be so reliable."
Only then did I notice that the boy's face was growing paler in the darkness.
"Has your old problem relapsed again?"
He Jing said in a deep voice, "It's alright."
Throughout the day, Yu Wan appeared relaxed on the surface, but she was actually somewhat uneasy inside, because she didn't know what kind of enemy she was facing, nor could she guess how bad the worst outcome could be. The arrival of the boy made her feel more at ease.
He Jing whispered, "I went to investigate secretly. The poison that the magistrate's daughter was poisoned with is not an ordinary poison. There may be no one in the entire county who can cure it."
Yu Wan's expression changed slightly, and her pupils contracted; this was completely unexpected.
"What kind of poison is that?"
He Jing recalled: "I don't remember the name, but I know a famous doctor who once treated a poisoned person. The person had the same symptoms as the county magistrate's daughter. They fell into a coma a few hours after taking the medicine, and their pulse was normal, but they couldn't wake up no matter what they did."
Yu Wan was troubled. "But the person who poisoned us should be in this county. If he can poison us, why can't he cure us?"
He Jing shook his head: "The doctor said that this poison is easy to make, but not easy to make an antidote. One of the ingredients is a rare ingredient."
Yu Wan hadn't expected things to be so complicated. She thought that finding the person who poisoned her would solve everything, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
In other words, that person wanted to kill two birds with one stone and deliberately wanted to harm her and Zhu Zhifeng.
He Jing changed the subject: "Don't worry, I'll find a way to find that doctor. However, I may need to leave for a few days."
Yu Wan said solemnly, "Take care of yourself."
The boy glanced at her, nodded, and turned to leave.
After dawn, just after breakfast, a middle-aged man came to visit the prison.
Yu Wan didn't recognize him; the man himself identified himself.
“Madam Yu, I am the manager of Fumanju Restaurant. You can just call me Manager Luo.”
Yu Wan sized up the person in front of her. He was about forty years old, slightly overweight, with a pair of shrewd and sharp small eyes.
"Is it already common knowledge in the city that I've been arrested? Manager Luo, we're complete strangers, why are you here to visit me?"
Manager Luo didn't mince words, smiling as he spoke, "The magistrate is currently issuing a reward notice regarding Miss Zhu's poisoning. Although the notice doesn't specify why she was poisoned, our Boss Qian has already found out that she was poisoned after eating your kebabs, and there's no antidote now. Madam Yu, what are your plans now?"
Yu Wan really wanted to tear off this person's disguise. In fact, she had known all along that the person who poisoned her was Qian Jindai's man.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Manager Luo continued, "Our Boss Qian is knowledgeable and well-connected, and he knows many talented people. For example, he happens to know a doctor with excellent medical skills who might be able to cure this poison and perhaps help Madam Yu."
Yu Wan curled her lips into a mocking smile. The instigator portrayed herself as a good person who saved people from danger, but there must be some conditions waiting for her later.
"What are Mr. Qian's conditions?"
Shopkeeper Luo's old face creased with a smile as he said, "Don't worry, Madam Yu, Boss Qian isn't taking advantage of your situation. He simply wants to invest. We've done some research on your situation. You're currently running a small eatery in town, which is completely mismatched with your abilities. Your talents can only be fully displayed in a wider world. He knows that someone with your ambition wouldn't be content to stay in a small town, but he lacks financial support. With Boss Qian's support, the outcome would be different. Madam Yu, would you like to consider it?"
Yu Wan seemed to be seriously considering the suggestion: "But why is Boss Qian so sure that this poison can be cured? There are so many poisons in this world, and there may be some that cannot be cured. If I cooperate with Boss Qian and in the end Miss Zhu is not saved, I will be regarded as the real culprit. What should I do then?"
Manager Luo smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Boss Qian said he knows a royal physician in the capital. He'll definitely be able to cure this poison."
Yu Wan sneered. This Boss Qian probably thought she was naive and that he could fool her by showing off his title as an imperial physician.
She turned and gracefully sat down on the straw mat. "No matter what, I'm the owner of this restaurant. If you're going to talk to me about a partnership, we should at least be equals, shouldn't we?"
Manager Luo's face turned ashen; this girl was looking down on him!
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