Chapter 69 Food Box

"A Fei."

Si Li heard the sobs in the voice and felt pity in her heart. When she looked up, "Jiang Lang" had turned his head away, hiding all his emotions. She shook Jinhe and the princess's hands, stepped back, leaving this touching moment to the two siblings.

With the first person eating the corn pancake, the orders started to come in quickly. Si Li opened the curtain and just heard Ah Sheng talking about the customers' menu when she saw the shopkeeper Tang, who was the second person to buy the corn pancake and was holding the fan-shaped fried food and intentionally biting it, making some noises. She couldn't help laughing.

With a crisp sound of crackling, the sweet fragrance of corn kernels spread out, and they managed to carve out a place for themselves in the lobby filled with various rich seasonings. Because the shopkeeper Tang eats in a bold and rude manner, many diners turned their heads away in disgust, but after taking a look at him, they couldn't help swallowing.

It’s nothing, it just looks so delicious.

The staff at Wanglaiju were busy with their own work, serving customers and packing food, and they didn't bother to call out for food. The scholars outside the door seemed to have finally found an opportunity to speak sourly. They didn't nag about the food at Wanglaiju as they did before, but repeated idioms in a row, acting like sour scholars.

"Evil practices! Evil ways! I will show you what tea is and put an end to these evil practices!"

It's boring to listen to a one-sided quarrel between scholars, especially those without much talent. Si Li waved Ah Sheng, who was already clenching his fists in anger, over and said, "Go find Wang Ting. You two stand outside. If they scold you, just shout and hawk. Can you do it?"

"Just wait for me!" Ah Sheng was assigned a job and went to find Wang Ting excitedly. Wang Ting was obviously not happy about it. He turned back to look at Si Li, and seeing that she had not changed her mind, he followed him out dejectedly.

Since Ah Sheng came to Wanglaiju, his food has become more greasy. In just a few days, he has grown taller. He started to shout with all his might, like thunder rolling in the sky. The voices of the scholars could not suppress him at all. Although Wang Ting looked reluctant, he did things decisively. The two people's shouting could be heard from far away, and soon they drowned out the scholars' muttering.

Seeing the situation change, Si Li lowered the curtain and went back to the kitchen to help Meng Tao Tao. Meng Tao Tao was frying wolf-tooth potatoes, while Ah Xiang was cleaning the pot and lighting the fire beside her. The two of them performed a series of actions smoothly and in perfect harmony, which made it difficult for Si Li to intervene.

There was a slight sound of a bowl hitting the table in front of the door. Si Li turned around and saw that it was "Jiang Lang" who came to return the bowl. She felt a little embarrassed and said, "Why should I let you do it yourself? Just call me."

The boss is the one who pays, and Si Li still understands that customers come first.

Jiang Hengyun tilted his head. The thunderous shouting made his ears numb. After careful listening, he realized what Si Li said. He had not experienced such a commotion for many years. Compared with such shouting, the hawking at the Buddhist meeting was just a whisper. The last time he experienced a commotion where he couldn't even hear the words clearly was during the chaotic Northwest Frontier.

"...Aren't you going to chase them away?"

Si Li quickly realized who he was talking about, and shrugged with a smile, "What are you afraid of? It doesn't matter. The worst that can happen is that I can just go home and sell sweet potatoes!"

Shrugging shoulders and crossing arms is a very unrefined action, but when Si Li does it, it's like a flower bud on a branch trembling coquettishly, blooming its first petal in the sunlight. The slightly cool winter sunlight shines on the girl's face, and her bright eyes make her face sparkle. Although she looks indifferent, Jiang Hengyun can read from her that she is confident.

"You have to live a good life." The hazy sighs from the drunken state in his memory lingered in his ears. Jiang Hengyun looked away and said, "Selling sweet potatoes?"

Si Li then remembered that Daning didn't have the saying "It's better to go home and sell sweet potatoes", so he explained, "Sweet potatoes are considered cheap, so if the store in Beijing can't be opened, I have the skills to sell sweet potatoes somewhere else, and I can always make a living. Other hermits live in poor streets and alleys and enjoy themselves. Although I don't have such ambitions, I can accept a bad ending."

"The sweet potatoes you sell are probably the most expensive ones in Daning." Jiang Hengyun laughed briefly.

The laughter disappeared so quickly that Si Li almost thought she had misheard. Only when she looked at him did she realize what was going on. Was this... the prince telling a joke? How rare.

"Young shopkeeper——" The voice came before the person arrived, and the broken voice was too iconic, breaking the calm and relaxed atmosphere between the two. Shopkeeper Tang patted the oil residue on his hands and stepped into the backyard. When he turned his head, he saw his little girl's head sticking out from in front of the tall young man at the kitchen door, and the rest of the words were stuck in his throat.

His eyes flickered between the two of them, and he thought to himself, "This is bad."

Jiang Hengyun stepped back, and Si Li came out of the kitchen and greeted him, "Uncle Tang, you had a delicious meal just now. How is the family bucket I told you about? Shall we go together tomorrow?"

After knowing about the tea tasting party at Wuweilou, Si Li asked Shopkeeper Tang to prepare for it. She had already explained to him what a family bucket was, so Shopkeeper Tang did not raise any questions. Instead, Jiang Hengyun raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard it.

"Don't worry about me, I will finish everything for you tomorrow morning." Shopkeeper Tang patted his chest and promised, pulling Si Li aside, shaking his purse, and smiling awkwardly, "Tomorrow, when you go to Wuweilou to ask for trouble, I will definitely go with you. However, friendship is friendship, and brothers should settle accounts clearly, right? At least we will split the capital in half, what do you think?"

When he said "let's settle the accounts clearly", he turned around and glanced at the Prince of Yue standing in the yard. Si Li noticed his movements and felt a little uncomfortable with his words. He always felt that there was something else behind the words of Shopkeeper Tang, but when he saw such a rough face, he suspected that he was overthinking.

"Of course I won't let Uncle Tang suffer a loss." Si Li smiled, "There are ten kinds of milk tea in total. I'll deduct the cost based on the price you sent me earlier, and I'll pay you all at once after tomorrow."

"That's good, that's good."

Shopkeeper Tang looked back and asked in a low voice, "There will be many people going there tomorrow. If Wuweilou gets angry and starts fighting, why don't you ask the prince to send some people to accompany you?"

"With Xiao Que and Ah Sheng, and Uncle Tang here, nothing will happen." Si Li realized that he might have misunderstood, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If she wanted to ask the prince for help, she had to be able to use him.

After sending away the nagging shopkeeper Tang and giving her a plate of sweet potato strips with plums, Si Li started a new day of work. When night fell and the lights came on, she had just handed a plate of shredded sweet potatoes to Ah Xiang, who came to serve the plate, when she saw the brother and sister standing up under the light of the lantern.

It was not yet time for dinner. The brothers and sisters of the Prince of Yue's Mansion had been living with the residents of Wanglai for a long time, and most of their dinners were eaten here. According to what the prince said, they would eat whatever the residents of Wanglai ate, which made the meals of the residents of Wanglai a higher level.

"You left so early today." Si Li took out two bowls of porridge that she had kept warm for them. The porridge was cooked by Meng Taotao. The sweet potato chunks were cooked until soft and fluffy, with strands of osmanthus honey seeping into the porridge. The rice grains were blooming, filling the bowl with a sweet fragrance.

Si Li put the bowl of porridge into the lunch box and handed it to Lin Ruying beside her. She turned her head and said to the prince, "Although you have the palace's chef when you go back, it is inevitable that you will miss the time if you go back now. I have cooked the porridge for three hours. I added some more pear paste to the princess's portion. Take it back and drink it."

Jiang Hengyun didn't say anything, and Lin Ruying didn't get any instructions, so she didn't move. Si Li followed the prince's gaze and looked at the food box, and suddenly realized, "This food box doesn't look good, but it can be used and won't spill on the road. Just bring it back when the prince comes tomorrow."

Wanglaiju had been open for a few days, but the lunch boxes were still the same two ugly ones. When the business got better, Si Li wanted to ask a carpenter to make new ones. However, seeing that servants from various households brought their own lunch boxes to wait for food, the lunch boxes of Wanglaiju were no longer useful, and Si Li never thought of making new ones. Now that she was rejected by others, Si Li had some thoughts of looking for a carpenter to do the work again.

"Um."

The brothers and sisters from the Prince of Yue's Mansion left quickly. Si Li was busy with the evening sales for a while. After drinking the sweet potato porridge, she fell into a warm dream.

The next morning, while frying the food sold in the morning, long before the usual time for the Prince of Yue to come, Si Li suddenly heard a knock on the small door in the courtyard. Ah Sheng went to open the door, but a palace guard with an unfamiliar face came out.

The guard greeted him in a familiar manner, "Shopkeeper, my prince asked me to deliver a lunch box. Isn't there something going on in your store today? He will come later, in the afternoon or evening."

It's okay, but it won't delay the prince of Yue's meal. Si Li seemed to see half a day's consumption flying away in front of her eyes, and she felt regretful. She nodded politely, "Please go and give the lunch box to Ah Sheng next to you. Have you eaten? Stay and eat before going back?"

"No, no, that's not necessary." The guard stuffed the food box into Ah Sheng's hand, closed the door and ran away in a hurry, as if Si Li was a monster.

Si Li was a little surprised, but she didn't take it seriously. After she finished preparing the dishes and was about to go out, she suddenly saw an exquisitely carved food box on a small stool at the door of the kitchen. She was stunned, "Where did this come from?"

Ah Xiang, who was guarding the stove, took a look and said, "Ah Sheng put it here."

Si Li had a bad idea and called Ah Sheng to ask. Sure enough, the guard gave him this lunch box in the morning. He had accepted everything, so it seemed a bit deliberate to return it at this time. Si Li covered his forehead and sighed.

If she paid for such exquisite carvings and precious wood, she would have to spend a lot of money. If she returned it, she would be embarrassed. She couldn't do such a thing. Moreover, according to Jiang Lang's stingy habits, he would probably ask someone to bring the bill to her in the afternoon.

I had been thinking of visiting Wuweilou today and then going to Waihai Trading Company to see if there were any suitable glass bowls.

Meng Taotao heard her sigh, came over to take a look, and then noticed that the food box was not hers, and sighed as well.

Ah Sheng stood nearby, a little flustered, "Boss, should I put it here?"

"It has nothing to do with you." Si Li patted the boy's shoulder soothingly, "Go and see how Uncle Tang is preparing. If it's almost done, go and see if the tea tasting party at Wuweilou has started. Come back and tell me if it's okay."

Ah Sheng nodded vigorously and rushed out.