It was lunchtime, and the Huajian Restaurant was packed with diners.
Moreover, the seven or eight small tables temporarily set up under the awning in front of the restaurant were also fully occupied.
The line stretched from the counter all the way to the street outside.
Seeing the scene before her, Jin Mudan was incredulous. She blinked several times, wondering if she was seeing things.
How could Huajian Restaurant possibly be doing better than before?
She clearly exposed Haitang and her companions' identities in front of everyone. The people in the city should despise and loathe them. Why would they still come to this restaurant to eat?
Perhaps because Jin Mudan's gaze was too intense, Haitang, who was busy collecting money, suddenly turned her head to look outside the door, and her eyes inadvertently met Jin Mudan's.
Jin Mudan's face stiffened, and she lowered her head awkwardly, pretending that she was just passing by.
But Haitang's gaze had already shifted away; her eyes were indifferent, as if she didn't care about Jin Mudan at all.
"Miss Haitang, three premium meals!"
When guests arrived, they brought a family of three and handed a string of cash to Haitang.
Haitang smiled and took the money, then gave him his change. "The three of you, please choose your dishes here!"
Her voice was gentle and soothing, like a spring breeze.
She remained calm and composed when serving customers, and efficiently made change and recorded the bill.
Compared to before, Haitang has become a completely different person, as if she has been reborn.
This made Jin Mudan feel ashamed of herself.
She suddenly felt a pang of regret, regretting that she hadn't chosen to follow Shen Yuan and support herself with her own hands.
He regretted even more that he deliberately came to the Flower Garden Restaurant to cause trouble out of jealousy towards Haitang and the others.
Jin Mudan touched the wound on her back. Although ten days had passed, her back still ached so much that she could hardly breathe with every step she took.
No matter how painful it was, she could only endure it and keep moving forward step by step. She hadn't been back to Tianxianlou for ten days. She had to go back quickly, or her mother at Tianxianlou would definitely scold her!
With her head down, Jin Mudan limped toward Tianxian Tower.
"Ever since Miss Shen was bestowed the title of Lady Shen by the Emperor, our Flower Garden Restaurant's business has been getting better and better every day!"
After lunchtime, Haitang and the others were finally able to rest for a while.
Narcissus rubbed her sore wrists and said with a smile, "That's right! Ever since the Emperor's decree was delivered to Jian'an City, Miss Shen's affordable pharmacy and Flower Restaurant have become the busiest shops in Jian'an City. They're always packed with people."
"I've been serving food all day, and my arms and hands are so swollen they're practically smoking from all the swinging!"
Because Furong was kicked and injured by Li Zihao, she is still recovering, so Shuixian has been taking care of serving meals and vegetables by herself these past few days.
Upon hearing this, Haitang quickly replied, "Miss Chen is already recruiting helpers; someone should be coming to assist you tomorrow!"
Although they had posted job advertisements before, the originally planned helpers didn't dare to come because of Jin Mudan's disturbance. So they had to recruit new helpers.
"I'm not complaining about being tired!" Narcissus sat down next to Begonia and said earnestly, "I'm willing to be tired no matter how tired I am to get to where I am today!"
Haitang smiled and said, "Yes! It's all been worth it, no matter how hard or tiring it was, to get to where we are today!"
As she finished speaking, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.
Haitang suddenly stood up.
Upon seeing this, Narcissus asked, "What's wrong?"
"No...it's nothing, it's just that I think I saw someone from the past."
Haitang frowned slightly. "I must have misread it."
On the street corner, using the steamer baskets of the baozi shop as cover, Chu Yuning squatted on the ground, hiding herself.
Haitang almost saw him just now!
He cheated the girls at Zuichunlou out of a lot of money. If they find out, they will definitely force him to pay it back.
All that money was taken by her sister, who has disappeared without a trace. How can he possibly pay off his debts now?
Chu Yuning clutched his chest, thankfully he reacted quickly and they didn't notice him.
Just then, a cold shout suddenly rang out from above.
"What are you up to, sneaking around like that? Trying to steal our steamed buns?"
Chu Yuning stood up, awkwardly straightened her robes, and frowned, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm here to buy steamed buns. How much are your steamed buns?"
"Six coins each, ten coins for two!"
"Six coins? Other places charge three coins for one, or five coins for two. Why is yours so expensive!"
Upon hearing Chu Yuning's words, the steamed bun vendor snorted unhappily.
"Three coins for a bun? That's the price from years ago! Do you know how much flour costs per pound now? Besides, these are big meat buns, each with two ounces of meat. Is it too much to charge you five coins? If you can't afford it, leave. Don't block my way and delay my business!"
"Who says I can't afford it? It's just ten coins, give me two!" Chu Yuning couldn't stand being provoked, so he immediately pulled out ten coins.
The steamed bun shop owner took the money and handed the steamed buns to Chu Yuning with a smile.
Chu Yuning snorted coldly and turned to leave.
He hadn't been to Jian'an City for several months. This time, he came to pick up Wang Jinzhu and Wang Mingzhu and take them back to Zhao Family Village.
During this period, Chu Yuning stayed at the Zhao family's house.
Although he recovered, he had no relatives left, and the villagers of Chujia Village ostracized him because he had infected the epidemic.
After the new village head and clan chief were elected, Chu Family Village didn't even have a place for him to stay.
His house collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow, and the new clan chief wouldn't allow him to continue living in the ancestral hall, so he had no choice but to go to his maternal grandmother's house.
At the Zhao family's house, someone cooks for him every day, so he never has to worry about food or drink.
However, less than a month after he arrived at the Zhao family, a message suddenly came from the wealthy man's mansion, saying that Wang Mingzhu and Wang Jinzhu missed their maternal grandmother and were making a fuss about returning to Zhao Family Village.
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