Chapter 92
Chapter 92
Mixianlou, one of the four major restaurants in Dongdu, is famous throughout Dafeng. It is a luxurious place frequented by the wealthy and powerful in Dongdu on a daily basis. Many noble sons of aristocratic families have come here to spend money to show off their status.
The boss behind the restaurant was originally a wealthy local businessman with a solid family background. However, he got involved in gambling in recent years and lost most of his fortune. I heard that he sold the restaurant not long ago. The new owner is a wealthy businessman from another place who has never shown up. The person in charge of the business is a shopkeeper named Wen. Who would have thought that it was the Wen family from Fengcheng.
Just now, in the eyes of everyone, the second master of the Wen family, who came from a poor family and made a living by doing business, turned out to be such a wealthy businessman.
When the light of the fireworks in front of her illuminated Liu Niangzi's face, all the blood color faded away and she became stunned and dazed.
The second princess also stopped and did not move forward. She was a princess of a country, but today she was slapped hard in the face. Not only did she lose face, but she was also afraid that she would lose her reputation. She had always been loved for being approachable, friendly and polite. Her father had used her to set an example for her sisters. She hated herself for being so superficial and vulgar tonight. When she closed her eyes, her head was black.
The second wife of the Zhu family in the Earl's Mansion was the first to speak up, suppressing her voice and saying angrily, "This Wen family's eldest wife is simply playing people for a fool. She keeps saying that the second branch of the Wen family was ruined by the second wife not long ago, and even bankrupted the Xie family. How come she has come up with this big restaurant now? It turns out that she thinks that my Earl's Mansion will ask for the money after knowing the financial strength of the Wen family."
The second wife of the Zhu family had been talking about the second wife of the Wen family today. She knew that the sixth wife had invited the second wife of the Wen family because of what she had said, but in the end, she found out that everything was false, and the sixth wife and the second princess also lost face. How should she end this......
If her aunt knew that she had caused such a big disaster this time, she didn't know how she would be punished. She was scared and quickly tried to make excuses for herself, pointing the finger at the eldest lady of the Wen family.
A group of noble ladies usually get together to gossip, either talking about this or that. The second princess regretted it very much and hated herself for being so crazy today and getting involved with these people.
The fireworks were still blooming in the sky, and the Second Princess turned around to say goodbye to the Sixth Lady, "My cousin, please enjoy yourself today. It's getting late, and I have to go back. I won't accompany you anymore."
Knowing that her good intentions had gone badly, Liu Niangzi dared not try to keep him. She sent him to the door and returned home unhappy. How could she enjoy a good birthday like this? She cheered up and watched the fireworks with everyone, and ate the longevity noodles served by the restaurant. After seeing off the guests, she finally took a breath and sat in a chair in silence for a while. Suddenly, she covered her face and cried, "What kind of birthday am I having? I'm afraid people will remember it for the rest of their lives..."
Wen Shuse was led out of the elegant pavilion by Xie Shao in front of everyone and went downstairs.
Her hand was held in her lover's hand, and the broad palm almost covered her whole hand. She tilted her head to look at his profile, which was so handsome even when it was tense.
The young man took all the blame for the marriage exchange on himself, implying that he had been coveting her for a long time and that he was the first person she liked. He gave her enough face and asked her, "Young man, why are you here?"
Xie Shao glanced sideways. This time it was his turn to feel disappointed. If he hadn't come, would she continue to be bullied?
As soon as she left, he thought of this young lady, who was quite arrogant at home, but always had a smiling face to the outside world, and she would do whatever the Second Madam asked her to do. That day, she even went out alone in a rage and wandered around for most of the day.
Today is the birthday of the Sixth Lady of the Yang Family, and with the Second Princess organizing a party, those who came are all famous ladies in the capital.
A lady, as the name suggests, is a gossipy woman.
The young lady was naive and walked in by mistake. She was like a little white rabbit that entered a wolf's den and allowed others to bully her.
Thinking of this, she could not wait any longer and decided it would be better for the young lady to go with him for a walk to help digest the food. As soon as she went upstairs, before she even entered the house, she heard what the Sixth Lady of the Yang Family said.
Both families were responsible for the marriage exchange. The Sixth Lady was so eloquent that she removed herself from the Xie family in order to please them, and all the fault was put on the young lady.
Questioning whether he doesn't like her?
Isn't it just a joke? Who said he didn't like her? The young lady was his lifeblood. He squeezed the young lady's hand, didn't answer her, and rebuked her in a low voice: "Why don't you show me the same way you usually do to me? Can the Sixth Lady beat you?"
Seeing her husband looking like he was protecting his food, Wen Shuse's heart skipped a beat and a warm current surged up, making him feel at ease and warm.
Since when, it seemed that as long as her husband was by her side, she would never have to worry. Even if the sky fell, her husband would be able to support it for her. She gently leaned on her husband's shoulder and whispered, "That's because my husband always lets me..."
The young lady's soft voice, with a hint of coquettishness, can most easily trigger people's desire to protect her. She said helplessly, "So, you're just going to let others bully my precious child who I hold in my hands?"
What kind of love talk is this? It sounds so nice and so deadly. The young lady looked up in astonishment, seeing the undisguised preference in the man's eyes. She was about to drown in his tenderness and praised him, "The man's mouth can finally spit out flowers."
I remembered what he said to her on their wedding night, "If you don't talk too much, your family has never disciplined you."
The transformation she has today is all the result of her using her own flesh and blood as a shield, and now it has borne fruit, and no one can snatch it away. "Don't worry, my dear, I won't be polite next time. I have a handsome husband at home, so I have to work hard no matter what."
Look, when she talks back at me, she's never been at a disadvantage.
The two came down from upstairs. Uncle Wen, who had just returned from the Minister of Rites's house, came towards them and greeted them warmly, "Second Madam..." Then he looked at the man next to her, thinking that Wen Shuse had already covered the whole thing, and showed joy on his face, "The son-in-law is finally here today."
Xie Shao felt strange when the servant called him "son-in-law" earlier, and now he heard it again, he was filled with doubts.
The young lady did not try to stop him, but asked, "Where is Uncle Wen?"
Uncle Wen was looking for her for something, so he made a gesture to invite her in, "Second Madam, come in and talk." He took the two of them to the elegant pavilion on the first floor and asked as they walked, "Do you like the dishes you've been eating recently?"
Wen Shuse pulled Langjun to follow behind him, "Very good."
"The food is packed and then transported all the way here, so it won't taste as fresh as when it's just out of the pot. Second Madam, when you have time, you should come to the restaurant more often to eat, the food will taste better." Then he asked, "Did Li Qi do anything wrong in Shanghai?"
Wen Shuse nodded, "Just finished."
“How does it taste?”
Wen Shu smiled and praised with one word: "Fresh."
When they arrived at the elegant pavilion, Uncle Wen gave up his seat for the two of them and sat down himself, talking about business. "The emperor attaches great importance to the enthronement of the new crown prince. A banquet will be held in the palace in a few days, inviting all officials to celebrate. A few days ago, the emperor summoned the Ministry of Rites and asked Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Rites to select one of the four major restaurants in Dongdu and present dishes to the palace."
If Mixianlou wins the bid, His Majesty's reward and reward will be one of them. The four major restaurants in Dongdu are crowded every day, so it's not that they are short of that little money.
The second reason is reputation, which is the real reason why the four major restaurants are vying for a place.
Being able to serve the signature dishes of one's own restaurant at the prince's celebration banquet would raise one's reputation. In the past, the four major restaurants were equally matched, and each had its own. If one of them won the bid, it would distance itself from the other three, take the lead, and become the number one in Dongdu. "Today, the Minister of Rites invited the owners of our four major restaurants to come for a visit."
These are all internal management matters of the restaurant. The shopkeeper can talk to her about it. I wonder when the relationship between this young lady and the restaurant has become so good.
The young lady didn't look at her husband's expression, and asked Uncle Wen with concern, "What's wrong?"
Uncle Wen shook his head: "Everyone from the four major restaurants was called into the lobby for questioning. They didn't say anything else, just asked about each restaurant's specialty dishes, and then let us go."
I'm really not sure which one I like.
But those who do business all have experience. If you are not sure about something, there is a high chance that it will fail.
Uncle Wen was also anxious. He used to be just the owner of an ordinary tavern, but was appreciated by Second Master and brought to his side. During all those years in Fuzhou, he had been managing Second Master's family property. He had made mistakes and suffered losses before, but Second Master never blamed him and regarded it as a chance to gain experience. Now he was more confident in handing over such a big tavern to him.
This was a huge trust in him. He couldn't miss any opportunity to make the restaurant famous, so he was secretly working on it. "This old servant sent someone to inquire about it. There is a treasure changing hands in Minister Jiang's house."
Wen Shu was stunned, "What treasure is it?"
Uncle Wen whispered, "This is a family heirloom. I have seen it before. It is a real thing."
Wen Shuse frowned.
Being able to catch the owners of the four major restaurants in Dongdu and wait for them to be slaughtered, such a lucrative opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, who would be willing to miss it? What method can be used to allow oneself to reap the benefits without getting involved and prevent the people above from finding any evidence?
"The other three have already made offers." Uncle Wen pointed out a number with his fingers. "If we raise the price further, the other three will certainly raise it further. By then, the price will be sky-high, and Minister Jiang will be unable to handle it. I'm afraid that in the end, no one will get any benefit."
To have grown so big in Dongdu, the four major restaurants are not short of money. If they really spend money in this bidding, it may be more intense than gambling.
Wen Shuse lowered his head in thought.
Uncle Wen couldn't think of a solution for a moment. "Last time, the Second Lady gave me a hundred thousand taels. Add to that the working capital of the restaurant. If we really want to compete, we are not at a disadvantage..."
Uncle Wen spoke calmly, but the young man beside him and the servant behind him could not remain calm.
More than 100,000 taels.
The young lady gave it to me.
His gold was only worth one thousand taels, and his second wife had used half of it to buy a house...
A suspicion flashed through his mind, and the young man raised his eyebrows and looked at the young lady closely.
The young lady was busy, so she leaned over and told Uncle Wen, "Uncle Wen, go and draw up a sales contract. We'll pay a deposit first, and set a two-day deadline for the remaining money. Write down ten times the compensation for breach of contract."
He has become the Minister of Rites, so how could he be willing to sell such a family heirloom?
Uncle Wen was stunned and didn't react for a moment, but the young man next to him showed admiration in his eyes, thinking that the young lady was very smart.
After a while, Uncle Wen finally came to his senses, "I understand, Second Master is worthy of always praising Second Lady. Young Master is indeed smart. I will go find someone to draft it and send it to Minister Jiang."
Wen Shuse nodded, "Okay, Uncle Wen, go ahead."
Uncle Wen stood up and bowed to Xie Shao, apologetically saying, "This is your first time here, and I didn't entertain you well. Please tell the servants what you want to eat."
Wen Shuse did not try to hide it today. Her husband must have suspected her from their previous conversation. Now Uncle Wen's words "young master" completely exposed her identity.
I don’t know how he will react, but I don’t think he will be too calm.
His family was so poor that they could barely make ends meet. In order to make ends meet, he forced himself to work as a clerk.
He pinched and pinched the few taels of silver in his hand, breaking every penny into two to spend. He was reluctant to spend any of the money himself, and ate dry biscuits every day, but bought sweet and sour pork for her, a wealthy man in Dongdu.
He secretly copied books to make money, just to save some pocket money for emergencies, and even quarreled with the boss of the copying company over a small amount of compensation.
She got up before dawn and returned home after sunset, and only earned twenty taels of silver a month, which was not even enough to earn from a single dish she sold.
When he arrived in Dongdu, he couldn't afford a restaurant, so he chose a cheap inn. He tensed up and didn't dare to move, for fear of making the bed creak. He almost cried because he couldn't afford to buy her clothes. She ridiculed him so much that he was forced to get a job and risk his life to earn the reward money, just to let her live a good life.
He didn't want to see her eating bran with him, he didn't want to see her dressed worse than other girls, and he didn't want to see her lose face because of her poverty.
Today he wanted to invite her to Mixianlou to have a feast of delicacies to make her happy, but he had no idea that she was actually a wealthy young master.
If it were me, based on all the things I've experienced, I would definitely want to tear the skin off the other person.
I was mentally prepared to accept my husband's fierce counterattack.
Her eyes secretly glanced at the man next to her.
Her husband's expression was as complicated and unpredictable as she expected. After a long while, he managed a smile and said to Uncle Wen, "We are family, there is no need to be so formal."
Uncle Wen turned and walked out.
As soon as the door closed, the room fell into silence.
Wen Shuse picked up the teapot, "My dear, have a cup of tea and calm down."
Xie Shao raised the corners of his lips, smiled coldly, and snatched the teapot from her hand, "How dare I trouble you, my lady? You are the young master of Mixian Tower, you are very wealthy and your status is very high. Your husband cannot afford to take on such responsibility."
Seeing the strange tone, he must be very angry. Wen Shuse pouted and leaned over to hug his arm, coaxing him softly, "I also found out after entering the city. Do you believe me, my dear?"
"My lady is lying. Should I believe her?"
Wen Shuse turned around and pointed at Min Zhang, "Really? If you don't believe me, ask Min Zhang. Last time I came here with him, that boy's nose wasn't a nose and his eyes weren't eyes. I was still upset. I thought that one day when you become successful, I must get revenge. Who knew that the boy's retribution came so quickly? I turned out to be the young master of Mixianlou. You don't know how happy I am. It stands to reason that Mr. Wen cheated me, so I should be angry, but I don't blame him at all. Who in this world doesn't want to be cheated by such happiness? My old father at home couldn't afford to eat one moment, and the next moment he told you that he was just experiencing life, but he is actually a big boss."
"Well, keep making it up."
My dears are here. I am on my way today. I saved the manuscript and will fix bugs in the evening. (Hundred red envelopes~)
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