With the introduction of Yin Chun and Xiao Chuan, Meng Zhao conducted a detailed inspection of the workshop. During the inspection, he saw many students from the Hundred Crafts Academy. Meng Zhao also chatted with them and asked them if they were adapting well.
Xiao Chuan originally came to bring these students, but Meng Zhao was short-staffed, so she wrote a letter to Wei Jinglan and asked for Xiao Chuan's opinion before keeping the students.
At this time, the Meng family was not well-staffed. Aunt Li was mainly in charge of the kitchen work, Granny Wang was mainly in charge of the sanitation in the courtyard, Huang Cui usually followed Meng Zhao more often, and Su Meng and Yin Chun were staying at the villa in the suburbs of the capital and the backyard of the Treasure Pavilion respectively, and were not often at home.
However, there always needs to be someone running errands and gathering information in the house. Meng Zhao was not comfortable hiring someone from outside, and she was also reluctant to buy people. After thinking it over, Meng Zhao thought of Xiao Chuan. He was lively, liked to make friends, and was also clever. Moreover, she had watched Xiao Chuan grow up since he was a child, so she could feel at ease with him living at home.
So Meng Zhao said to Xiao Chuan, "Xiao Chuan, once the shop opens, you can move into the Meng residence. I've already had Huang Cui prepare a room for you. From now on, you'll stay with me and help me gather information."
Xiao Chuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly nodded in agreement: "Okay, Sister Meng, don't worry, I will definitely do my best!"
The villa provided meals, and Meng Zhao stayed until noon, where he ate. The daily meals consisted of one meat dish and one vegetable dish, with a large meat dish prepared every few days. Judging from the workers' expressions while eating, they were quite satisfied with the food provided by the workshop.
In the afternoon, Meng Zhao noticed that it was getting late and wanted to visit the shop, so he asked Huang Cui to bring the carriage over. He then said to Yin Chun, "You must pay close attention to safety in the workshop. Remember to arrange for people to patrol at night. If the water in the water tank runs out, refill it immediately. When using fire, someone must be nearby to watch over it. We're about to open, so we can't afford any mishaps."
Yin Chun nodded, "Don't worry, shopkeeper, we'll definitely keep a close eye on things." Only then did Meng Zhao feel relieved enough to get into the carriage and check the workshop's shipment list.
Once inside the city, they hadn't gone far when suddenly the carriage lurched to a halt. Huang Cui let out a shout, and the horses neighed as they stopped. Meng Zhao leaned forward slightly, nearly dropping the scroll in her hands. She quickly lifted the curtain and asked, "Huang Cui, why did you stop?"
Huang Cui's expression was cold and hard, her eyes fixed on the front. Meng Zhao followed her gaze and saw two burly men standing at the entrance of the alley, with knives at their waists, staring intently at them. Clearly, they were up to no good.
Huang Cui leaned back and whispered to Meng Zhao, "Manager, these two are skilled fighters, we can't beat them. Once we're out of the alley, Shangtang Street is not far to the left. I'll drive the carriage out, you mustn't come out." With that, she turned her wrist and tightened the reins.
Just as Huang Cui reached out to push Meng Zhao back into the carriage, a woman walked out of the alley. She placed her hands on her chest and bowed slightly. "Madam Meng, my princess has something to discuss with you. Please get out of the carriage and we can talk."
Meng Zhao and Huang Cui exchanged a glance, both puzzled. A princess? Could it be the Princess of Danyang they had met before? Huang Cui was a little nervous. Meng Zhao gently patted her shoulder and whispered, "I'm going over there. If I don't return in a quarter of an hour, go find Shen Qinghe."
Under Huang Cui's worried gaze, Meng Zhao got out of the carriage and followed the woman to the alley entrance. Two men with knives followed behind them. Meng Zhao was led to a magnificent carriage, and the woman gestured, "Madam Meng, please."
Meng Zhao looked up and couldn't help but marvel inwardly. As expected of a princess, the carriage was led by three tall horses, one in front and two behind, with glossy and smooth coats, clearly well-bred steeds. The carriage was made of precious sandalwood, hard and delicate, with exquisite patterns carved on the surface. Gilded bells hung at the four corners of the carriage, making it look like a moving palace.
Meng Zhao lifted the hem of her skirt, stepped onto the steps next to the carriage, and went inside. She found that the carriage was not only large on the outside, but also extremely spacious inside. It was large enough for her to stand up completely, and there was an exquisite tea table in the middle. The Princess Danyang she had seen last time was sitting in front of the tea table, propping her head up and looking at her.
Meng Zhao clasped her hands at her waist, slightly bent her knees and bowed her head, and said respectfully, "This commoner greets Your Highness, and wishes Your Highness a long and healthy life."
She lowered her eyes and noticed a gaze sweeping over her. Meng Zhao didn't dare to move. Not long after, she heard a voice say, "Rise."
Meng Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and slowly straightened up. Before she could speak, Princess Danyang asked, "Have you lost weight?"
“Uh…” The question asked by this princess was quite unusual. Meng Zhao replied, “I was not feeling well a while ago and had a poor appetite, so I did lose some weight.”
When she first arrived in the capital, she went to many restaurants and ate and drank to her heart's content every day. On the day of the Double Ninth Festival banquet, she was indeed the fattest she had been during that period, and she had to apply a lot more makeup. However, for the past two weeks, she has been staying at home every day, and most of the food she eats is homemade, which is not only clean, but she also runs every day.
Although she didn't weigh herself, she could tell that she had lost about six or seven pounds.
After hearing what she said, Princess Danyang murmured, "Why do other people lose weight when they're sick, but I gain weight when I'm sick? Damn cook, why do you make the food so delicious? I'll kick them all out when I get back."
Meng Zhao saw her lips move slightly, but couldn't hear what she was saying. Puzzled, he asked, "What did the princess just say?"
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