Chapter 395: The good show is about to begin
"The soufflé was developed by our boss. We are the exclusive supplier and supply it in limited quantities. Because of our boss, the price is more than half of what you can get elsewhere."
"We have clearly marked prices. They're written right here in huge letters. The price, quantity, and name are all clearly marked. You ate and drank and now you're accusing me of stealing? What? You want to eat and freeload?"
Mrs. Zhou stopped talking.
She knew that Bixuetian was a kind of precious tea. One tael of tea cost several thousand taels and was hard to come by.
She didn't know that such a small and shabby shop could sell such good tea.
Soufflé too.
Soufflé is a dessert that has become popular in Beijing in recent months and is very popular.
The old lady and the wife of the Cao family especially liked it.
So a small plate would cost ten taels of silver, which is almost like eating gold.
It's really weird.
How could such an unknown little teahouse have these two things!
Mrs. Zhou became more and more suspicious that the young woman was a liar.
The look he gave the young woman was also filled with judgment and suspicion.
The young woman was unhappy: "Why are you looking at me like that? Didn't you tell me to order casually?"
"This store is a long-established one, and the prices are posted on the wall."
"You spoke so grandly and dressed so elegantly, so I ordered something I had never eaten before."
"If you think it's too expensive, you can tell me in advance and I can order the cheapest. There's no need for you to pretend to be rich and then think I'm a liar afterwards."
Mrs. Zhou was so choked that she couldn't utter a word.
She did say that.
But at that time she thought that it was a small, shabby teahouse and even if she ordered anything, it would only cost one or two taels of silver.
She could still afford this amount of money.
What's the result?
Fifty taels!
This time when she went out to look for someone, she spent a total of fifty taels of silver.
She had thought she could secretly embezzle a large portion of it, but unexpectedly, not only did she spend all the fifty taels, she also lost more than ten taels.
Mrs. Zhou was both angry and heartbroken.
The teahouse owner said impatiently, "If you want to pay, then pay quickly. If you want to dine for free, then we will go find the patrol and let them do justice for me."
"Waiter, go find the patrol."
Mrs. Zhou gritted her teeth.
She is not right in this matter.
If things really get out of hand, the Cao family can't afford to lose face.
She has to bear this loss whether she wants to or not.
Mrs. Zhou reluctantly gave the shopkeeper five ten-liang silver notes.
"Let's go." Mrs. Zhou said coldly, "You'd better behave yourself from now on. Don't try to lie to me, or you'll die without even knowing how."
The young woman shrank her shoulders in mock fear. "I'm not lying to you."
"The teahouse incident was an accident. I thought you rich people spending fifty taels of silver was the same as us spending five cents. If I had known you were so embarrassed, I would have ordered a pot of tea for five cents..."
Mrs. Zhou was already irritable, and became even more irritated by the nagging.
"Shut up and lead the way."
The young woman nodded in agreement, walked through several alleys, and brought Mrs. Zhou to a house.
The door of that house was open.
In the yard, two middle-aged men and women were tending to herbs.
"Are Aunt Chen, Uncle Chen, Brother Xiaonan and Cuicui here?" asked the young woman.
"It's vanilla." Aunt Chen said, "Xiao Nan and Cuicui went to the mountains to collect herbs. They won't be back until dark."
Vanilla asked, "Why do they go to collect herbs every day?"
"Cuicui, you're such a fool! The mountain isn't close to our dock. Brother Xiaonan must be exhausted from going back and forth all the way."
Aunt Chen laughed and said, "You shouldn't talk like that, kid."
"We were so poor we couldn't even afford to eat. It was Xiaonan who saved Cuicui. Cuicui understood pharmacology and knew about herbs. They collected herbs and made medicine, and then sold them to make money, which helped our family's situation improve."
"Cuicui is a weak woman. She is deaf and cannot speak. It is definitely not possible for her to go into the mountains to collect herbs alone. I feel relieved that Xiaonan is with her."
"By the way, who is this person behind you?"
Vanilla said, "Oh, this is Aunt Zhou."
Mrs. Zhou looked down on Aunt Chen and spoke with a sense of superiority: "You saved Cuicui, didn't you? Do you know her background?"
Aunt Chen was stunned: "Could it be that you know Cuicui?"
"That's great. Cuicui doesn't have many memories and can't speak. We don't know her past. It would be great if you could know her family."
Aunt Chen wiped her hands and eagerly grabbed Mrs. Zhou's hand: "Look at me, I'm just busy talking. Aunt, come in and sit down. Old Chen, go and pour a cup of tea."
Lao Chen poured a cup of tea made from tea stems.
The teacup was black and had oil spots on it.
Mrs. Zhou was so disgusted that she didn't even touch it.
Aunt Chen seemed not to notice and said to herself, "Auntie, you came at the right time."
"Our Xiaonan is going to marry Cuicui, and the date has been set."
"If Cuicui's parents are still alive, we have to go through the normal process. I wonder what Cuicui's family is?"
"Although she can't speak, she's well-educated and literate, and can even read and make herbal remedies. She must come from a wealthy family. Is she the lost daughter?"
Aunt Chen's eyes were full of calculation and eagerness.
"Oh, we country folks are honest. I won't hide it from you. Ever since I rescued her from Xiaonan, I knew she had an extraordinary background. I wanted to raise her and let her marry Xiaonan. When her family comes to find her, our family will also be prosperous and wealthy."
Old Chen said, "You damn bitch, why are you saying this?"
Aunt Chen slapped her mouth quickly: "Look at my mouth, I tend to talk too much when I get excited."
"Well, her aunt, that's not what I meant. I just think we have a connection with Cuicui."
"If Cuicui is the lost daughter of a wealthy family, then her dowry must be well prepared. We are a peasant family, so the betrothal gift will definitely not be too much. You should also understand and be considerate."
"When Cuicui marries into our family, we will definitely devote ourselves to her wholeheartedly..."
Mrs. Zhou felt inexplicably annoyed by what she heard.
She interrupted Aunt Chen and said coldly, "I haven't met him yet, how can I be sure whether I know him or not?"
"I'll come back after dark."
Mrs. Zhou turned and left.
Where Mrs. Zhou couldn't see, Xiangcao silently gave Aunt Chen a thumbs up.
Really well acted.
Aunt Chen's impromptu performance perfectly portrayed the calculations and snobbery of the common people. She is sure to be rewarded by the princess.
Mrs. Zhou found a place to sit down, deep in thought.
Can read, know herbs, prepare herbs, and is deaf and dumb...
Chen Cuicui should be the person she is looking for.
She has always been cautious and careful, not daring to jump to conclusions, so she decided to wait until dark to confirm it.
When it's getting dark.
Chen Cuicui and Xiaonan came back carrying boxes of herbs.
Xiaonan was still limping, and his face and body were dirty.
"They're back." Vanilla gritted her teeth, "That woman is Chen Cuicui."
"The one limping is Brother Xiaonan."
Mrs. Zhou narrowed her eyes.
She is an elder in the Cao family. Her mother is Cao Jian's wet nurse. She has been in the Cao family since she was a child and has watched the eldest daughter grow up.
The eldest lady's appearance is a little different from a few years ago.
However, the difference in appearance may be due to growth.
From a distance, the woman in front of him looked more and more like Mrs. Cao.
Chen Cuicui should be the person she is looking for.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
