The weather was perfect; the sun was up as soon as I woke up the next morning.
After breakfast, Li Xiuju turned and went into her room, changed into her best clothes, combed her hair, and came out nervously asking, "Baoyu, Chenyu, is Mother alright like this?"
When Li Xiuju was at home, her clothes were covered in pudding, looking old and worn for who knows how many years. Moreover, she had many trivial matters to attend to, and her hair was a mess. She was like a small microcosm of thousands of mothers.
Baoyu, being simple-minded, replied bluntly, "Mother, we're going into town to eat at a restaurant, not stealing. Why can't we?"
Zhou Chenyu tapped Baoyu, turned to look at Li Xiuju, and smiled sweetly: "Yes, yes, you look good, you look more than ten years younger."
Her affirmation made Li Xiuju happier than if she had eaten honey, and a smile immediately appeared on her face. "Alright then, let's go to the market, Mother has many things to buy!"
Huang Dou stayed at home, locked the door, and before leaving, checked one last time to make sure the chickens and ducks were properly locked up before the three of them slowly went out.
This market day coincided with the end of the farm work. Along the way, she met many fellow villagers from surrounding towns and villages, including some she knew.
Seeing Li Xiuju looking so energetic, much better than Zhou Wenbin when he was sick, they couldn't help but be happy for her. "Xiuju, going to the market in town?"
Li Xiuju saw an acquaintance, limped over, and said with a smile, "Yes, the rain stopped today, and since I have nothing to do anyway, I'll go to the market to buy some things."
The woman laughed again, "I've heard that your daughter Chenyu is clever and your son Baoyu is strong. The two siblings not only run a sweet soup business, but they can also take on jobs for wealthy families. Your two children are so lucky! Unlike my kids, they only make me angry!"
How could a mother not be happy when her child was praised? Li Xiuju couldn't stop smiling, "It's all good, it's all good."
The family had saved some money over the past few months, and the people no longer went hungry. Along the way, Li Xiuju chatted with several women, smiling and talking more than usual.
The group entered the city chatting and laughing. It was not yet lunchtime, so they went to a silver shop to buy an exquisite silver lock. Although the silver lock was not as valuable as jade or gold, its intrinsic value plus the hand-engraved inscription made the whole set cost nearly two hundred copper coins.
After buying the silver lock, I went to the cloth shop and spent two hundred coins on two bolts of the cheapest coarse cloth. Summer was coming to an end, and autumn would arrive at any time. I also had to go hunting in the mountains, where the temperature was colder than at the foot of the mountain, so it was better to have extra warm clothes just in case.
After leaving the cloth shop, they headed towards the auspicious building.
Jixianglou truly lives up to its reputation as the best restaurant in Qingshui Town. With it standing there, the surrounding restaurants and food stalls have seen an increase in foot traffic.
When Zhou Wenbin was alive, Baoyu had also attended school for a few years and learned a few characters. Looking at the three characters "Jixianglou", he said with a smug smile, "Jixianglou, oh my, I never thought I could eat in a place like this."
Zhou Chenyu couldn't stand his smug look, so she poured cold water on him: "Seeing how excited you are, let me see how delicious it is."
Baoyu snorted coldly, "We'll see."
The siblings were bickering and forgot to block the doorway. Li Xiuju pulled them aside, and a beautiful and intelligent woman stepped forward. But as soon as she opened her mouth, she made Zhou Chenyu lose his appetite.
The woman tossed out her embroidered handkerchief, covering her mouth and nose, and looked them over with disdain. "These days, Jixianglou is really losing its value. Anyone can come here. If it weren't for the three characters 'Jixianglou' on the signboard above, I would have thought I'd wandered into some remote, desolate place."
Several of them were standing at the door. Baoyu frowned angrily, "How dare you speak like that, woman?!"
Li Xiuju knew that Baoyu was young and impulsive, so she held him tightly.
"It's not for any other reason," Zhou Chenyu said lazily, mimicking her sarcastic tone, and replied with a smile, "We just thought the price wouldn't be too expensive since we saw you here, so we felt comfortable coming."
She's not expensive?
"You!" The woman saw Zhou Chenyu's cold smile and her blood rushed to her neck in anger.
But knowing she had started the trouble first and had encountered a formidable opponent, she was afraid things would escalate beyond control, so she put on airs and left with a sour face.
Baoyu clapped his hands and cheered, "Sister, you're amazing! You got rid of her with just one sentence!"
Li Xiuju also gave Zhou Chenyu a thumbs up, "Chenyu, well done!"
Zhou Chenyu raised the corners of her lips, her radiant smile as bright as a blooming camellia, breathtakingly beautiful. "Let's go, let's go to a restaurant!"
"Let's go out to eat!"
After the three of them went inside, the carriage curtain opposite the Jixiang Tower remained drawn for a long time. The image of the beautiful woman's smiling face lingered in Qian Rushan's mind, and he couldn't forget it. "How come I never noticed how beautiful this girl was before? Was I blind? Isn't the beauty right beside me?"
The attendant, recalling Zhou Chenyu's fierce and ruthless appearance several times, still trembled with fear. "Master, she's just a crude country girl. How can she compare to your lady?"
"What do you know?"
Qian Rushan straightened his clothes, opened the carriage door, and jumped off the carriage without saying a word, preparing to go to Jixiang Tower to meet the beauty.
Seeing his bewitched appearance, the attendant realized he had truly forgotten what he had done earlier and quickly stopped him: "Master, you can't go! The master is almost at the manor. You caused so much trouble earlier and were caught by Yang the constable several times. Madam told you that you must go back and apologize no matter what!"
Looking at the auspicious building so close at hand, Qian Rushan hesitated for a moment, then turned around, got into his carriage, and drove away.
As soon as Zhou Chenyu and his group entered Jixianglou, the waiter immediately came forward, poured tea, and first addressed Li Xiuju: "Auntie, what would you like to eat?"
Li Xiuju rarely eats out, so the waiter's attentive and enthusiastic service made her feel a little uncomfortable. "Why don't you ask them what they want to eat?"
Baoyu couldn't wait and said with a smile, "Brother, bring us a braised lamb's trotters and a deep-fried spring goose."
The waiter took note and said, "Alright!"
Zhou Chenyu looked at the menu not far away and asked, "Hey bro, what other signature dishes do you recommend?"
Seeing that Zhou Chenyu was about to order more dishes, the waiter's expression became lively. "Miss, you've already ordered two main dishes, one meat and one vegetable. Why not order a staple food as well? Everyone who has tried our chestnut and sausage rice says it's delicious!"
Zhou Chenyu looked at Baoyu and Li Xiuju, "What do you two think?"
Baoyu had already ordered two dishes he liked, and dared not say no, much less could he say no. "Mother, you decide."
It was a rare occasion for the family to have a lively time outside, and Li Xiuju smiled from the bottom of her heart. "Young man, then please add this dish for us!"
The waiter immediately called out, "Alright, please wait a moment, sir!"
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