Chapter 142

After hearing what Xue said, Wen paused, and then she continued, "Madam Yu looks weak, but she is actually very stubborn. She dared not hide it from the Queen Mother. When she was sent to the Prince Shu's Palace in a sedan chair, I was worried that she would not eat or drink during the exile, and that she would be too angry and collapse. Later, I don't know how Madam Yu figured it out. Fortunately, she figured it out and persisted, so she can live her life now. Madam Yu has changed a lot. She is resolute, optimistic and confident. When she first returned to the capital, I couldn't recognize her. I always felt that although her appearance had not changed much, I always felt that everything had changed. She still looked the same, but she looked completely different to others."

Later I thought about it and realized that Yu Niang had stayed in the border town for seven years.

Seven years is enough to change a person, especially in a border town with harsh conditions. The hardships Yu Niang has endured will also make her a different person and help her adapt to life in the border town.

Xue smiled again and said, "Speaking of which, it can be considered a fate with His Majesty."

Xue was still very generous. When she first knew that Yu Niang would marry Prince Shu in place of Xu Qinhui, the people from the second house made a big fuss. But the second house had no say in the mansion and was directly detained by the old lady. Perhaps the old lady threatened Yu Niang with some words, so Yu Niang stopped making trouble and was sent to Prince Shu's mansion in a small sedan chair.

Knowing Yu Niang's heart, she was afraid that she would not survive on the road.

Fortunately, everything worked out.

Wen clenched her fist and said with a smile, "My dear mother-in-law, you don't know that Yu Niang is very good. Her cooking skills have been honed along the way. It's also our fault. At that time, the whole family didn't know how to cook anything. Even if I could cook a little, the taste was just average. At that time, Sister Ning was used to being raised, and Sister Ge and Sister Yan were too young. Wei Xuan also dragged a sickly body and couldn't do anything. It was still Yu Niang, Yu Niang. He is very talented in cooking. Everything he cooks tastes delicious. He has also figured out many recipes. With him, our family lives got better and better. Except for the hardship we suffered during the exile, it was not bad afterwards. Our family got through it slowly. Yu Niang's character also changed slowly during this journey. After leaving home and leaving you, she had to grow up and naturally became completely different from before."

Xue nodded. "That's true. I'm just heartbroken."

This is a son who was raised by me. Now he is so sensible and strong. Of course I still feel a little distressed, but I am also very happy.

Xue continued talking about some things about Yu Niang in the past.

Wen simply picked up a cup of tea on the table and took a sip to hide his panic.

At this moment, even his hands moved slightly.

Of course, they lied to Mrs. Xue. When Yu Niang was on the road of exile, her mental state was extremely bad. She didn't eat or drink much along the way. Even if they fed her food, she would just open her mouth. She couldn't eat much every day and later fell ill.

During the days when Yu Niang was seriously ill, she was in a daze every day and had to be carried by Wei Xuan. When Yu Niang gradually got better, she seemed like a different person. She said she could cook and started talking to the soldiers who were escorting them. She borrowed the kitchen to cook a meal for everyone.

At first, I thought that Yu Niang had a serious illness and had a near-death experience, so she finally let it go and wanted to live a good life.

From the very beginning, the meals cooked by Yu Niang already had a human taste, which was not something that was acquired through practice.

At that time, I always thought that Yu Niang was the second daughter of the Marquis Dechang's Mansion.

It was not until the next two or three years that I slowly figured it out and realized something. How could a daughter of a marquis have such cooking skills without many years of training? Not only could she easily get full marks in all the competitions in the cooking competition and make food that everyone likes? It would not be possible even if she had a high talent in cooking.

At that time, I had some doubts that Yu Niang might no longer be the second daughter of the Marquis Dechang's Mansion.

But at that time, I just had a premonition in my heart and didn't dare to think too much about it.

It was not until this moment, after hearing these words from Xue, that he truly realized that Yu Niang was no longer the second daughter of the Marquis Dechang's Mansion.

As for who Yu Niang is, I don't really care. I just know that Yu Niang is a very good person. I also know that Yu Niang has never changed from the beginning to the end, and is still the second lady of Dechang Marquis's Mansion.

Isn't it a resurrection of the dead?

I'm afraid that the original Second Miss Xu died of illness on the way to exile, and Yu Niang only did it for Second Miss Xu.

But how did Yu Niang come back to life? Could it be that the original Second Miss Xu died of illness at that time, and Yu Niang was a wandering ghost in the nearby mountains? And she possessed Second Miss Xu?

But Wen felt that this guess was not quite right. According to Yu Niang's character, even if he was a lonely ghost, he could not do such a thing. He was probably not in control of himself.

As for the cause and effect, I don't want to think about it anymore.

All we know is that Yu Niang is now the second Miss Xu, the daughter-in-law of Wei Xuan, the wife of Wei Xuan, and the empress of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

I'm not afraid at all.

Instead, he was a little worried about Yu Niang. This kind of resurrection was too supernatural. He was worried that one day, Yu Niang would suddenly leave like she did when she first came. Then how would Wei Xuan, Xue and Yu Niang's relatives cope?

Wen couldn't help but feel worried and was always afraid that Yu Niang would disappear.

As for whether Yu Niang is the original Yu Niang, this matter cannot be told to Xue. Telling Xue will only cause more harm to the people of the second branch of the Xu family. It is better to keep it a secret.

Yu Niang now takes the place of the original Second Miss Xu and is now alive. She is cheerful, sensible, and filial. If Xue knew that Yu Niang might not be her real daughter, she would not be able to bear it. Now Yu Niang treats Xue and her family very well. When she first started making money, she was thinking about giving money to her family. She must have a deep affection for Xue and her family.

While Wen was drinking tea, Xue said she was tired and also raised her teacup to take a sip of tea.

Xue was just about to ask why Yu Niang hadn't come back yet, when she heard footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the door. Xue immediately said, "Come in."

The door of the private room was pushed open, and Xu Qinyu and Lianhua returned.

Today, I walked around the capital for a long time with Mrs. Xue, Mrs. Wen and Lianhua. When it was almost noon, I saw that the two mothers were a little tired, so I booked a private room in a nearby restaurant, let them go in to rest and order a few dishes, and then went to the front to take a look. Because I heard that there was a restaurant in front that was closed down and rented out, so I took Lianhua to take a look.

That restaurant was a six-story restaurant, also operating as a restaurant, but its business was not very good. The most famous restaurant in the capital was Jixianglou, which was not located on the same market street as the restaurant for rent that she had her eyes on. Jixianglou was next to the market street near the imperial palace, where most of the people living were dignitaries. Xu Qinyu had also looked there, but there were no suitable shops. Even if there were, they were quite small. Now that she was not short of money, she naturally planned to open a big restaurant, rather than starting slowly from a restaurant.

So I only planned to look for a shop with five or six floors to use as a restaurant.

The shop that he took a fancy to was owned by the owner, who did not want to rent it out, so he thought of doing some other business, and opened a restaurant. However, he had no experience, and did not hire a great and special chef. Plus, there were still many special restaurants in the capital, so this restaurant could not survive and was losing money every month. Naturally, the owner did not plan to continue running it, so he rented it out.

Even if the boss doesn't want to use this attic to run a restaurant business, it is still his shop after all, and he doesn't plan to sell it. He can only rent it out to make some money.

In the capital city, every inch of land is worth a lot of money. No matter whether it is a shop or an ordinary house, most people are unwilling to sell their property unless they are desperate, really short of money, or moving out of the capital.

Xu Qinyu took Lianhua over to inquire and was told that the place could only be rented and the annual rent was two thousand two taels of silver.

You should know that Xu Qinyu initially rented a one-story shop in Raozhou City, and the rent was fifty taels of silver a year. This restaurant is six stories high, and the shop is much larger than the shops in Raozhou City. It has eight storeys, which is very large and spacious. In the capital city where every inch of land is valuable, it is considered to be the best location in the capital. Two thousand taels of silver a year is a fair price, and no one asked for a higher price.

After all, if this shop were to be sold, it would probably cost at least 80,000 or 90,000 taels of silver.

Xu Qinyu was still very satisfied with this restaurant. After asking about the rent, she returned with Lianhua and planned to ask Xue and Wen for their opinions.

This restaurant is not far from the palace. Although its location is not as good as Jixianglou, it is not bad either. It is just across two streets and is surrounded by aristocratic families and wealthy people.

When Mrs. Xue and Mrs. Wen saw that it was Yu Niang who came back, they couldn't help but smile.

Xue smiled and said, "Mrs. Yu is back. Come sit down and have some tea."

Xu Qinyu sat down next to the two of them, poured a cup of tea and drank it all, then asked with a smile: "Mother and mother-in-law, what are you talking about?"

Xue smiled and said, "Of course, we talked about your childhood, Yu Niang, and how you have changed a lot over the past few years."

Xu Qinyu took a breath, fearing that she had been cheated. However, having lived with her mother-in-law for seven years, she was also worried that her mother-in-law might have said something to her during the chat, letting her mother know that something was different when she first arrived in the border town. She was afraid to say something cheated, but seeing that her mother-in-law was still smiling, Xu Qinyu felt a little relieved.

But he was still a little uneasy, so he scratched his head and smiled, "My son has grown up. Even if he stays with his mother, he must have changed a lot."

Xue sighed, "That's right. Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore. By the way, how about the shop you saw, Yu Niang?"

Seeing that the topic had been changed, Xu Qinyu hurriedly said, "I've seen it, it's not bad. The annual rent is two thousand taels of silver. It's on the market behind. After lunch, you two can go with me to take a look. If you think it's good, I'll rent the shop first."

We are sitting in Jixianglou at the moment, not far from the restaurant behind.

It was not the first time that Xu Qinyu had eaten at Jixianglou. The food tasted really good. The chef at Jixianglou was really good, otherwise Jixianglou would not be so famous in Beijing.

But there is nothing to worry about, business can flourish.

Xue and Wen were naturally willing, and after lunch, they accompanied Yu Niang to see the restaurant, which they also thought was nice.

Xu Qinyu planned to book the restaurant first.