Seeing Chen Yuancheng's puzzled and worried expression, Xiao Yunying explained, "Before, for some reasons, we did not register our marriage with the government. You also know Luo Sheng's identity. When he returned to the capital, he used this matter to politely refuse the Empress Dowager's bestowal of marriage, saying that we had already made an engagement, so the Emperor bestowed the marriage upon us."
As for the details and reasons behind it, given the Chen family's connections, Chen Yuancheng should know more about it than he does.
Seeing that Xiao Yunying knew everything, Chen Yuancheng asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you... willing to marry him?"
Xiao Yunying said nonchalantly, "So far, Luo Sheng seems quite easy to get along with and is very protective of me. Let's just live together. It's not a matter of whether I want to or not, at least I don't mind."
She took the matter quite calmly, mainly because she was unwilling but had no other choice. She couldn't make the Emperor retract the decree, nor could she make the Empress Dowager forget her existence.
Chen Yuancheng suppressed the bitterness in his heart: "It's good that you did it voluntarily."
Xiao Yunying had heard from Luo Sheng that although Master Chen had resigned from his official post, he was still secretly working for the Emperor. The Chen family must know more about the situation in the capital than she did.
Seeing Chen Yuancheng's downcast expression, she assumed he was worried about her and comforted him instead, saying, "You don't need to worry. I feel that Luo Sheng is quite reliable. He dares to come here openly to find the children, so he should be able to protect us."
Chen Yuancheng said in a hoarse voice, "The Luo family members are all loyal and righteous, which is known throughout the world. As long as he is here, he will do his best to protect you, so there is really no need to worry about that."
Seeing that Chen Yuancheng's complexion was worse than before, Xiao Yunying assumed he was tired: "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. You should rest well. Once you've recovered, bring Yuanyao and Yuanxuan to the village to find me, and I'll cook you something delicious."
"good."
Chen Yuancheng tried to get up, but Xiao Yunying pressed him back down: "No need to see me off, I can go out by myself. You should lie down and rest for a while."
Chen Yuancheng smiled slightly: "Okay, then drive carefully."
Xiao Yunying waved to him and said, "I'm leaving."
She gracefully found her way out of the back gate of the Chen residence, got into a carriage, and went straight home.
——————
Three days later, the dessert shop will open for business.
This is a shop that truly belongs to her alone. The Xiao and Yang families got up early to come and join in the fun.
After a period of publicity, many people in the city knew that the teahouse was going to be renovated and that it would offer a lot of new food, attracting many curious diners.
When they arrived, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance. Xiao Yunying told her parents what was going on, went inside, and stood at the door directing the shop assistants to push out two display cases for samples.
The moment the display case was pushed out, it immediately attracted the attention of many people.
One counter displays Xiao Yunying's replicas of pastries from various dynasties, while the other showcases a variety of modern desserts.
Even before tasting them, the pastries and desserts looked novel and delicious.
The shopkeeper loudly explained the three-day opening event. When the time was almost up, Xiao Yunying had firecrackers lit, burned incense and prayed to the God of Wealth, and then, under everyone's watchful eyes, lifted the red cloth from the signboard.
Shijinfang was the name she gave to her dessert shop.
Simple, easy to remember, and catchy... well, she was just too lazy to think of a name.
The desserts can be taken away. Xiao Yunying set up a separate window counter at the entrance. You can choose your items from the display counter or menu, pay here, and wait for the staff to pack them up so you can take them away.
As expected, Cheng Yue, along with Duan Yingying, and the siblings Chen Yuanyao and Chen Yuanxuan, arrived one after the other to congratulate her.
Xiao Yunying was busy entertaining guests. After saying a few words, she asked the waiter to accept the gifts and led them to the second floor to sit with her family.
After a while, I saw that almost all the tables were full, and some people didn't even mind sharing a table, just to hear the new stories that had been advertised in advance.
Signaling to the waiter that the storyteller could come on stage, Xiao Yunying went upstairs and found the seats for her family.
Madam Luo did not come. Zuo Lanzhi wanted to come along when she saw that Luo Sheng was coming, but Xiao Yunying was afraid that she would cause trouble, so she asked Luo Sheng to refuse and let her stay at home to keep Madam Luo company.
With that said, Zuo Lanzhi had no choice but to stay at home obediently.
After Xiao Yunying went up to the second floor, she saw that except for the empty seat next to Luo Sheng, all the other seats were full.
Without thinking much, she sat down next to him and saw that the table was already full of food: "Order whatever you want. I've already spoken to the manager, so you don't need to pay for your meals in the future."
Chen Yuanxuan put down his milk tea cup: "How can I do that? I can't take advantage of you."
Xiao Yunying said to him, "Thanks to you, this shop is a thank-you gift from your grandmother, and many of the ingredients were found for me by your elder brother. You don't need to be so polite with me."
However, you can't eat too much without restraint. Desserts are high in sugar, and eating too much can easily lead to weight gain, tooth decay, and even diseases like diabetes.
Upon hearing that he would get sick, Chen Yuanxuan's excitement waned by half: "Okay, I understand."
When Xiao Yunying mentioned the word "gain weight," she looked Chen Yuanxuan up and down carefully: "Yuanxuan, have you lost weight?"
Chen Yuanxuan perked up again: "Really? You can tell?"
Xiao Yunying nodded: "You've lost a lot of weight, your chin is even more pointed now."
Chen Yuanxuan said somewhat embarrassedly, "Didn't I promise you last time that I would pay attention to my weight and lose weight like you?"
Xiao Yunying remembered that it was something she had casually complained about on the way out of the bandit's den, and he had agreed to it.
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