September is the time when the lingering summer heat is at its worst, and the air is a bit stuffy, which can make people feel inexplicably irritable.
But this did not affect Gu Yaoniang's mood.
She sat in the Golden Jade Pavilion, listening to Manager Su review the recent accounts, and felt that the weather was particularly bright that day.
Jin Yu Lou reopened a month ago, and although there are special dishes every day, the revenue in the past month has actually doubled because of the increased number of customers.
Gu Yaoniang couldn't stop smiling.
With many customers in the building, Gu Yaoniang also raised the monthly wages of the workers, which made everyone work even harder, and they greeted the customers with smiles.
Ever since Lu Zhaoan made the agreement with Yao Niang to buy pastries from Jin Yu Lou at a high price that day, he has been looking forward to the arrival of the fifteenth of September every day.
He kept his word, and the next day he ordered someone to send twenty jars of all kinds of wines from Zuiyuelou to Jinyulou, saying that this would be considered a deposit.
Gu Yaoniang didn't stand on ceremony and started selling it at Jinyulou that very day.
Lu Zhaoan had already hired people to spread the word that Zuiyuelou would be the exclusive seller of Jinyulou's dim sum, and if Jinyulou couldn't sell it, people could go to Zuiyuelou for a meal and dim sum.
Not to be outdone, Yao Niang let the Xu brothers inadvertently leak a rumor in the crowd: although Zuiyuelou had the same pastries as Jinyulou, the prices at Zuiyuelou were more than five times higher.
This made many customers from average families secretly resolve that if Jin Yu Lou introduced new pastries, they would come every day while Jin Yu Lou was still selling them, trying to get tired of them! After that, they would no longer struggle with whether or not to go to Zui Yue Lou to eat those much more expensive pastries and fruits.
However, Jin Yu Lou no longer sells ham pastries, and Zui Yue Lou doesn't sell them either. Naturally, customers are now visiting Jin Yu Lou even more frequently.
People come and go in Jin Yu Lou. After so many days, the guests have become familiar with the new owner who often appears in the lobby.
They would greet each other and chat occasionally, and if they had any suggestions about the dishes at Jin Yu Lou, they would share them with Gu Yaoniang.
The Golden Jade Pavilion, on the other hand, seemed to have become much more vibrant.
That day, as usual, she sat by the counter in the hall, smiling and nodding to the passing customers. But when she saw someone enter the hall, her smile froze slightly.
Not long after her marriage, Qin Yuxiu entered the Jinyu Tower with a radiant smile, alone with no one else by her side.
Bitao also saw him, pursed her lips, and whispered, "Doesn't he know that Jin Yu Lou is now the lady's business?"
Gu Yaoniang put her index finger to her lips, gesturing for silence, indicating that she should watch first. Bitao then remained silent.
Gu Yaoniang used to be used to having only one person by her side.
Now that there are three maids, adhering to the principles of fairness and impartiality, they always travel together from the Gu family in the Zhaocai carriage. At Jinyu Tower, only one maid stays by their side to serve, while the other two help out inside. If there's nothing else they can do, they can rest.
Today happens to be the day of the peach blossoms.
Seeing that Qin Yuxiu seemed to be searching for someone, her eyes darting around the hall, Gu Yaoniang whispered to Bitao, "How could he not know? Even if he didn't know before, he should have known after marrying Aqiu."
Thinking of Xie Danqiu, who had already married Qin Yuxiu, she couldn't help but sigh.
Her feelings for Xie Danqiu were complicated. If it weren't for Qin Yuxiu's affair, the two would definitely be very close friends. But with this added layer of relationship, she couldn't help but feel resentful.
Xie Danqiu may have sensed this as well, which is why he no longer felt the same closeness he had when they first met.
Gu Yaoniang wondered to herself whether A Qiu knew about her past with Qin Yuxiu.
Qin Yuxiu stood in the hall. When a waiter came up to greet him, he remained in the hall and did not move.
The spot where he stood was a busy thoroughfare, and his stillness made him quite conspicuous, also affecting the entry and exit of other guests.
The waiter said something to her, but Qin Yuxiu didn't utter a word. Her eyes were still searching the lobby.
The young man's smile was about to fade.
Gu Yaoniang sighed, "See? They must know this is our Gu family's property, that's why they came looking for me."
Bitao naturally felt the same way and muttered, "Why is this person still like this! He does whatever he wants and doesn't even know if he's blocking the way! And he's supposed to be a top scholar!"
Gu Yaoniang smiled wryly and said helplessly, "Let's go."
After saying that, she stood up and took the initiative to greet Qin Yuxiu. Bitao reluctantly followed behind her, curtsied to Qin Yuxiu hastily, and stood behind Gu Yaoniang without greeting her.
Qin Yuxiu frowned slightly upon seeing Bitao's expression.
Gu Yaoniang pretended not to know, adjusted her mood, and asked with a warm, fake smile, "What would you like to eat, sir?"
She thought to herself: It's lunchtime now, so if I ask this question, they shouldn't find anything wrong with it, right?
Upon seeing her, Qin Yuxiu finally spoke her first words since arriving at Jinyulou that day: "I want a private room."
He looked at Gu Yaoniang, his gaze seemingly regaining its former gentleness and kindness. However, he spoke to the young waiter.
The waiter was well-trained and didn't need Gu Yaoniang to speak before he asked with a smile, "How many people are dining, sir? Our private rooms are charged separately. If you have fewer people, it's more cost-effective to dine in the main hall."
Qin Yuxiu's face showed embarrassment and anger, but she still suppressed it and looked at Gu Yaoniang: "Does Jin Yulou think that I can't afford it?"
The young waiter hadn't expected him to misinterpret the situation so drastically. His face turned bright red, and he stammered, unable to utter a word, only continuing to deny it.
Gu Yaoniang sighed. This Qin Yuxiu, now that she's achieved success, has become increasingly arrogant.
She asked the waiter, "Are there any private rooms available in the building right now?"
Qin Yuxiu most likely came specifically to see him, and it would be unseemly if she actually caused a scene in the lobby.
The young waiter quickly replied, "Yes, yes."
"Then let's take this guest there."
The waiter was about to say something when Gu Yaoniang shook her head at him. The waiter then stretched out his arm, intending to lead Qin Yuxiu upstairs.
Qin Yuxiu remained still, only gazing tenderly at Yao Niang, which gave Yao Niang goosebumps.
Seeing that he refused to leave, Gu Yaoniang became even more certain of her earlier guess.
She could only smile and say, "Please have a seat, sir. If you have any suggestions for Jin Yu Lou, I will come shortly."
Qin Yuxiu was satisfied and followed the waiter into the private room.
Bitao said indignantly, "Wife, is he sick? After all that trouble before, what's he doing today?"
Gu Yaoniang didn't know what Qin Yuxiu was planning to do, so just in case, she instructed Bitao, "Go find Bizhu and Bishuang and tell them to come up with me to take a look."
To prevent Qin Yuxiu from going crazy again and becoming uncontrollable.
Bitao understood Gu Yaoniang's intention and skipped off to find Bitao and Bishuang.
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