Chapter 61 Secret

With the preparations made the day before, facing the influx of diners, Shopkeeper Tang finally felt relieved. He delivered a basket of prepared milk tea, took his nephew back to the shop, and started preparing the next batch of milk tea with great enthusiasm.

The nephew of the Tang family just came today. Seeing his uncle put the milk tea worth less than ten taels in front of the door of Wanglaiju without even remembering to look after it, he was worried. While helping his uncle make tea and light the fire, he couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, if we put things there, what if they don't give us the money from selling it?"

"What are you thinking about, kid? Will Miss Si be interested in our small amount of money?" Shopkeeper Tang didn't care. As he spoke, he took a clean spoon and scooped another large spoonful of sugar into the pot. Seeing this, the nephew of the Tang family felt heartbroken. "Oh, I'm just worried that my uncle will suffer a loss."

He was young and sweet-talking, and after just a few words he made the shopkeeper Tang laugh. He pushed his nephew and said, "Go, bring the tofu back." He had agreed to this before his nephew came, and it was just a matter of running errands and doing some hard work, so naturally he was not polite at all when he called him.

The nephew of the Tang family responded and went out. He saw that the number of diners was not much less than when he delivered the milk tea bucket. He felt indescribable envy in his heart. No wonder his uncle said that the shopkeeper next door looked down on him. How much money could he make from working all day long?

A young girl was standing outside the wall of the dessert shop, drawing something on the white wall. The nephew of the Tang family looked at her for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He walked back to the restaurant with his head held high. The bamboo basket in front of the table was filled with broken silver and copper coins. It was so full that he had never seen such a large amount in his life. An idea came to his mind.

This shop is doing so well, my uncle must make a lot of money selling tea here every day, right? Just a handful of tea is enough for his monthly salary, but my uncle is only willing to give him four cents.

The nephew of the Tang family didn't know who to ask about the tofu, so he took two steps towards the money basket. Before he even got past it, he was stopped by a customer, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Meng Taotao, who had drawn the outline last night and was painting well during the daylight, also saw this person. He remembered that he had seen him next to the shopkeeper Tang in the morning. He smiled at the stunned nephew of the Tang family and said, "Is he from Uncle Tang's family? Tofu is in the backyard. You go from the back."

"Oh." Tang's nephew responded foolishly, his eyes still on the money, turning back every three steps and going around to the back door again. His eyes made Si Li, who was standing in the middle of the lobby mixing ice jelly, frown slightly. From this look, he was not as honest as the shopkeeper Tang said.

Although most of the osmanthus wine that Wang Ting brought back yesterday had been consumed, the ice jelly made with osmanthus honey was well received as soon as it was launched. The ice jelly now has three flavors: brown sugar, osmanthus honey and pear paste, with taro balls that can be chosen freely. Diners who came here after hearing about the picture of winter ice jelly were willing to spend money and lingered on the sweet yet refreshing taste.

Xiao Qi naturally had her share of the limited-edition candied sweet potato and ice jelly. When Xiao Qi came over during her lunch break, the warm flames in the kitchen were dancing, and a mouthful of cool ice jelly was a special pleasure in the winter. She squinted her eyes, savoring the lingering sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance after the ingredients were changed, and spoke after a while, "Luckily I acted early, otherwise I wouldn't be able to buy it."

"Can't you eat less?" Si Li added another spoonful of osmanthus honey to her. Xiao Qi begged for mercy, "It's too sweet. I really can't add more. Du Xuan doesn't know how to be proud today. His Majesty's reward was sent to the Princess's Mansion last night. I heard that the painting was directly left in the inner cabinet. His Majesty's golden mouth and jade words are young and talented. No one dares to say anything wrong in the future. Speaking of which, you are also lucky. Now, I'm afraid everyone in the capital will come to try it."

"My family runs a business. Even if he hadn't done this, wouldn't it only be a matter of time before everyone knew about it?" Si Li said confidently, "And everyone praises Du Xuan's painting as being good. I don't think so. When Tao Tao comes back with his paintings, you can go and see for yourself. I think Tao Tao is much better than him."

Xiao Qi suddenly realized, "So this is what she does outside? Then I have to take a closer look." She put down the bowl and was about to walk out. After taking two steps, she suddenly realized something was wrong and turned back to look at Si Li, "Why didn't I see the prince today?"

The brothers and sisters of the Prince of Yue's Mansion usually stayed in the residence for a whole day. Although they had no other interactions, they had formed a habit of sitting there. They were surprised to suddenly find that there was no one there.

The hands and the young man's last smile flashed before her eyes. Si Li calmed down and said, "How would I know? If you want to know, go to the Prince of Yue's Palace and ask."

Xiao Qi had just asked casually, but she had never expected Si Li to be so eager to distance herself from the matter. She cast her eyes on her face and asked quietly, "Do you still remember that you said you didn't want to get married?"

"Pfft, that's not a decent person."

There was no way to explain this, so Si Li simply put the topic aside and pushed her out to see paintings. The chips and popcorn that had been forced to extend their sales time had not yet been sold out, and the diners who were still queuing saw the gentle and beautiful girls coming out together, and they were all dazzled by their beauty. The familiar diners had already greeted them, "Little Si, the shopkeeper!"

Si Li nodded with a smile and reminded them one by one, "Thank you for your visit. Remember to redeem your flower collection cards. The amount of ice jelly and sweet potato in the meal that you can redeem for free is not counted in one day. I will do my best to ensure that every guest who has accompanied Wanglaiju all the way can have a taste of it."

At this point, some of the people queuing in front of the door looked confused and had no idea what the flower collection card was, while others were very surprised and shouted, "My wife just wanted tofu milk tea, is that okay?"

"Of course." Si Li agreed. When Wanglaiju first opened, no one came to exchange the first batch of flower collection cards except Xiao Qi. Some people didn't realize it, and some people just didn't want to eat for free. She emphasized the importance of the flower collection cards in order to prepare for the issuance of a new batch of flower collection cards. A flower collection card needs to be stamped six to ten times, so that the final appointment and free service can be achieved, and the customer stickiness can be greatly increased.

After interacting with the enthusiastic diners, Meng Taotao had just finished painting in front of the door. Xiao Qi was already familiar with her. They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the white wall to admire the paintings. "I'm just an average painter, and I haven't seen how good Du Xun's painting is. But your painting just makes people happy." Si Li stood behind the two of them with a smile, watching Xiao Qi racking her brains for words. She had already praised Meng Taotao's sketches for a long time yesterday, and today's flattery was completely left to Xiao Qi.

Meng Taotao smiled and said, "Thank you."

"One is cold and quiet, the other is lively and bustling. There is no need to compare them." A faint voice came from behind. Without turning around, Si Li recognized who it was.

The nonsense she said yesterday after getting drunk was still in her memory. She knew very well how she looked at the beauty recklessly. Although she didn't know whether the prince had found out, it was still inappropriate. She was relieved that she didn't see "Jiang Lang" in the morning, thinking that it would be less awkward to meet him later. Who knew they would meet at this time?

"Prince." Si Li said dryly, turning around and bowing. This voice startled the two people who were still looking at the painting. Meng Taotao looked at the young man standing with his hands behind his back and frowned slightly, "I have met the prince, and the prince is also here to look at the painting?"

"Yeah." Jiang Hengyun lowered his eyes and looked at Si Lifa. The girl's posture of saluting was still casual, but there was nothing wrong with it. This well-behaved look was completely different from her usual casual look, not to mention the difference between her and last night.

After turning around, Si Li realized that "Jiang Lang" was only three or four steps away from her. Although she had been so close to Jiang Lang before, and it was not too intimate, she felt a little uncomfortable when he was so close today. The sight above her head was too heavy, so she didn't dare to look up to meet the eyes in her memory and the person in her dream who made her want to get closer.

Xiao Qi's previous words "marry someone" suddenly popped up in her mind, and Si Li shook her head. Don't be ridiculous, the Prince of Yue and her? They grew up in different environments, and their concepts are different. If they want to be friends, then it's possible.

"Something?" Jiang Hengyun frowned.

Xiao Qi's eyes flickered between the two of them, glanced at Si Li's slightly red cheeks, and raised her eyebrows, "I still have to go back to the academy. The prince is quite impressed by the painting, so I won't disturb you from admiring it. Xiao Si, come and fill me another cup of milk tea, I want to take it away."

"I don't know much about painting either. Xiao Meng, please communicate more with the prince. I'll leave first?" After thinking about the others in her mind, Si Li felt indescribably guilty. She should have left with a righteous attitude, but ended up asking questions. When she saw the prince of Yue nodded, she was pulled into the door by Xiao Qi's strength.

Meng Taotao cupped his hands and said, "I've heard that the prince is an excellent painter, but I've never had the chance to exchange ideas with him before. I wonder if you could be so generous as to teach me?"

Jiang Hengyun retracted his gaze from Si Li and said calmly, "Of course. I have the honor of seeing both paintings, but the styles and tastes are completely different. I personally think there is no need to compare them. Du Xun's painting is of a beautiful woman in glass, cold and proud, while you used it to depict the fireworks, bustle and laughter of the human world. It seems messy, but it is not. This technique..."

He spoke a few words in a proud tone, and Meng Taotao nodded and joined in from time to time until the review was over. When he led him into the backyard, he suddenly asked, "Are you not the prince?"

In the back kitchen, Si Li and Xiao Qi were talking and laughing. The curtain blocked the shouting from the front hall. In the backyard, the sun was shining. Wang Xiaochong was still jumping around to finish the homework assigned by his uncle. Everything was familiar. Meng Taotao looked at the young man with a cold expression. No matter who he was, she didn't want him to ruin their current relationship.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Meng Taotao clenched her hands unconsciously. "You have learned the theory of painting techniques well, but your preference when talking about the Jinge School and the Tianyuan School is completely different from the painting style of Master Jiang. In addition, I used a few small details that can only be known by painting by yourself to test you, and you got them all right."

"So?" Jiang Hengyun wanted to raise his hand to touch the mask, but he finally restrained himself. When he spoke again, his voice was no longer the calm and gentle voice Si Li usually heard. It was as cold as a spring. "Your name is not Meng Taotao either."

The young man walked away, strode to the chessboard in the courtyard and sat down, looking no different from before. Meng Taotao was stunned by what he said, and then smiled bitterly.

They all have secrets, including Si Li.