"Ah—my back and legs, I can't move them! Help! Someone please report this to the authorities!"
The fat man's wails echoed through the street.
He also had a slight lisp when he spoke, which turned out to be because he had lost one of his front teeth.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Just then, Zuo Li was on patrol with his officers.
Yan Xia quickly smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt.
“Officer Zuo, this fat man caused trouble in my shop. Not only did he injure my young customer, but he also kicked the benches in my shop. He was incredibly arrogant, asking me if I knew who his father was. I really didn’t know. Do you know? When I saw that he was about to hit someone again, I got a little scared, so I gave him a light kick. I didn’t expect him to stumble back several meters and trip over himself. He acted so convincingly. How could a frail woman like me have that much strength? You agree, right?”
Yan Xia acted very innocent, which led everyone to believe her.
After all, what woman is that strong?
It can kick a fat man flying.
It must have been that fat guy who played the role.
Jin Fu and Jin Lu wiped their sweat and turned away speechlessly.
The sight of my mother was unbearable to look at.
"Young Master Shao, are you forgetting your lessons? What, have you forgotten the beating you received last month? Should I take you back to the county office to remind you?"
Zuo Li actually knew him; this fat man was the only son of the owner of Shao's Roast Chicken Shop.
Spoiled since childhood, he was arrogant and domineering everywhere.
He indulged in all sorts of vices, including eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. He was often beaten up for being too arrogant and even spent several years in jail, only to be bailed out by his own father each time. The once wealthy Shao family was completely ruined.
It's just an empty shell now; even the recipe for roast chicken was sold off by this spendthrift for three hundred taels of silver.
He lost the bet in just one night.
Those who bought the recipe immediately opened shops in Shuangqiao Town, offering even lower prices and making a fortune.
The Shao family's business was largely taken away.
The fat man reacted to Zuo Li like a mouse seeing a cat; ignoring his aching body, he got up and ran away.
Seeing that he tactfully left, Zuo Li then said goodbye to Yan Xia.
"Manager Yan, we're continuing our patrol. Call us if you need anything."
"Thank you, take care. Here, try our new peach shortbread."
Yan Xia was very good at handling people. While Zuo Li and the others were still there, she took a few peach shortbreads from the freshly baked tray and gave one to each of them.
"Then thank you, Manager Yan."
Zuo Li didn't refuse; the two were already quite familiar with each other, so there was no need to be so polite.
After the officials left, Yan Xia handed a whole piece of peach shortbread to Da Niu.
"Are you hungry? Eat up, sweetie. Begging isn't allowed in the city. If you see any officials later, avoid them, understand?"
The girl's face was covered in dirt, so Yan Xia didn't recognize her at all.
But Da Niu remembered her.
He didn't hate her either.
Because it was Grandma's fault; she stole other people's rice and should be punished.
The young woman carefully took a bite of the peach shortbread; the sweetness was tinged with a slight bitterness, yet it was remarkably harmonious.
The two flavors intertwined in her mouth, like a tender dance.
It was so delicious that she forgot the pain in her forehead.
This aunt is so kind, so gentle. If only she were my mother...
Da Niu watched Yan Xia's departing figure and silently shed tears.
[Target person detected]
Name: Feng Wangdi
Age: 14
[Favorability: 100]
[Congratulations, host, you have earned 100 points]
Suddenly, the mechanical voice in her mind made Yan Xia stop in her tracks.
"Feng Wangdi? Who is that?"
She muttered to herself, she didn't remember this person at all. He was only 14, yet he suddenly had such a high level of favorability towards her. Was there a malfunction in the system?
Just as she was wondering, the big girl behind her rushed in.
He knelt straight down at her feet.
“Auntie, I am Sun Duomiao’s eldest granddaughter. My name is Daniu, also known as Feng Wangdi. My father sold me to a brothel a few days ago. I couldn’t bear being beaten every day, so I escaped and came here. Auntie, can I be your maid? Please give me a place to stay. I beg you, otherwise I really don’t know where to go. I can’t go home. I have no family left. Auntie, please.”
She kept kowtowing, and blood gushed out again from her forehead, which was about to stop bleeding, even more so than before.
"So it was you..."
Yan Xia was a little stunned. Worried that it would affect the shop's business, she took Da Niu to the backyard.
After learning the whole story, she began to feel sorry for the girl in front of her.
I didn't want to keep Da Niu, after all, she had indirectly harmed Da Niu's family. What if Da Niu had ill intentions or harbored hatred towards her?
Wouldn't that be like raising a tiger to cause trouble?
However, the 100% favorability rating suggests that Da Niu has a pure heart and will never betray her.
That's enough.
Consider it a way of repaying her with 100 points.
Yan Xia finally nodded. She asked her two daughters to take her eldest daughter to take a bath, and bought her two new outfits, as well as underwear, socks, and shoes to change into.
Then they went to fetch a doctor to examine Da Niu. They learned that her wound was not big and that after the bleeding stopped on its own, she could apply some scar-reducing ointment and be fine. Yan Xia even spent an ounce to buy the ointment, after all, she was just a young girl, and it would be a shame to have a scar on her forehead.
Fearing trouble from Sun Duomiao's family in the future, Yan Xia approached Zuo Li and asked him to help find an identity for Da Niu.
A few years ago, there was a disaster, and many unidentified bodies and refugees could not be traced.
Zuo Li would certainly help with this small favor, after all, he knew Da Niu's background, which was clean and innocent, and Manager Yan was kind-hearted, risking the danger of enemies to take her in. Zuo Li felt a warm feeling in his heart. He found Da Niu the identity of an only daughter from a family whose entire family had died, and coincidentally, she also had the surname Yan.
Yan Xia simply gave her a new name.
Yan Wangji.
There's another layer of meaning to the idea that one should only bring prosperity to oneself and not to one's younger brother.
Forget your former self.
I will start a new life from now on.
They initially wanted to sign a flexible contract, but at Wang Ji's insistence, they signed a contract of servitude.
This is the legendary death contract, meaning that even if Yan Xia beats her to death, she will not bear any responsibility.
Wang Ji's life will be arranged by Yan Xia.
But she didn't feel restricted; she only felt happy.
From then on, there was another young girl in the shop. Everyone called her Xiao Ji. She was kind, gentle, hardworking, and cheerful, completely different from when she first arrived.
She always had a faint smile on her face.
As the autumn wind ripples through the waves, time slowly passes. On the lush trees, the green leaves gradually turn yellow and fall one by one. It's already the end of November.
Xiao Ji has been here for half a month now.
Many small things happened during this period, such as Yan Xia developing a new product.
Potato tarts.
Unlike modern egg tarts, the crust was made with lard, and the filling was milk, eggs, and sugar.
There was also a sweet potato ball rolled into a round shape in the middle.
One bite reveals a sweet but not cloying flavor, bursting with the aroma of sweet potato.
It also has the soft and tender texture of an egg tart filling.
It's so delicious it's heavenly!
It became an instant hit upon its release, and even the county magistrate's steward bought it several times.
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