Chapter 74: Sorrow of Separation (Two in One)

Seeing the other party laugh, Si Li also felt relieved and said with a smile, "Sir, you are very knowledgeable. Can you tell me what the rules are?"

"Since the establishment of Qunying Academy, there has been a catering department. Although it is not related to the imperial examinations and is not one of the six arts of the sages, it is beneficial to the students, so it has been retained. If you come to Qunying, you can also see the needlework department." Di Leyu said with a playful wink, "You better agree quickly, otherwise when you invite a lecturer in the spring, you may not be able to see the needlework department."

It was obvious that the catering department looked down on the needlework department. Si Li gave up her seat and said, "Why don't you go in and discuss it in detail, sir? You have been in Juxin for a short time and have just arrived in the capital. Why..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Di Leyu. It can be seen that she is a lively person. She sometimes disturbs others but she is not annoying. Instead, she makes people feel friendly. "It's just a small matter. I was going to send the invitation and leave. Your family has been famous in Beijing since the afternoon milk tea, and there is also the previous ice jelly picture. Your family is the most famous in the days before the New Year. If I don't invite you to the catering department to talk, I am afraid that my good students will complain that I am keeping secrets. The time for the collection and the appointment is written on the invitation. Miss Si, when you have considered it, come to the group to find me."

【System: +1 recognition for Wanglaiju. 】

[System: Congratulations to the host, the "Famous" mission is completed. Ding——The dish bonus is detected to be locked as "Recalling the bitterness and thinking of the sweetness", and the achievement point package has been issued. Please open it as soon as possible. The mission has been updated, please continue to work hard and add bricks and tiles to the name of the God of Cooking. ]

Huh? The system's words of encouragement finally changed?

The constant reminder of the rising recognition suddenly stopped. Si Li originally thought that the task would be completed after another sales task, but it ended just like that. She had not sold any dishes since she distributed milk tea at noon, but her recognition was rising rapidly. So recognition is not related to sales, but to people's recognition and fame?

Si Li was distracted for a moment, and in Di Leyu's eyes, she was stunned by the sudden invitation. She had seen many such things before, so she covered her mouth and chuckled, then said goodbye and left. Si Li bowed and said goodbye in a daze, and when there was no one in front of the door, she realized that the lecturer invitation was directly stuffed into her hand.

After closing the door, the master and the apprentice were still reviewing their homework in the hall. Si Li reduced her presence and unfolded the post in the light from the door.

The paper used for the post was not luxurious, and the font on it was not the popular hairpin-flowered small regular script. Instead, it was very elegant, and unlike the appearance of the owner, it had an air of fairy-like air, similar to the regular script that Si Li had seen in modern times.

Xiao Qi complained more than once that people at that time had to write in the hairpin flower style. She wrote a line of regular script to make a joke, saying that she wrote about hairpin water lilies, while others wrote about hairpin small jasmine, which was completely different. Now that Si Li saw someone who was different from others, she couldn't help but think of Xiao Qi. She suppressed her laughter and continued to read the content.

Rather than an invitation, it was more of a teaching offer, with the available times clearly written, the most recent one being the day after tomorrow. The main point was that Si Li was required to teach how to make milk tea, and promised that regardless of whether the students could learn it or not, they would be given a tuition of fifty taels, and that they would not take Si Li's recipe to sell.

The last one is to appease the chef. After all, most of the students in Qunying Academy are from high-class families. From the attitude of Wang, the steward of the manor, it can be seen that it is elegant for the ladies to make tea and learn cooking at home, but it is absolutely not allowed to set up a stall outside. Wang, the steward, knew that Si Li was abandoned by her family, so he just let her play around. Others still have family members to control them.

Si Li thought of Manager Wang, and remembered that she had never sent back any of the new products released in the past few days, and she couldn't help but feel guilty. Manager Wang helped a lot when he was at the manor, and no matter what he thought in his heart, he sent Wang Ting to help when he went out. Although Wang Ting said that he wanted to take two wages, he had never gone back since he brought Wang Xiaochong here. He ran around all day and was very positive about her attitude towards work. In a few days, it will be the end of the month. After settling the wages for several people, he may have to send some food back.

The conditions offered by Qunying Academy were generous. Going to the academy to teach students how to cook was also a good opportunity to make a name for myself and make friends. However, the milk tea business was not only related to Wanglaiju. The brand and name belonged to Wanglaiju, and the actual sales and shipment were still done by Tang, the shopkeeper. Si Li had to discuss it with him. However, it had been a while since I came back from Wuweilou, and there was no movement next door. I didn't know what Tang, the shopkeeper, was planning.

The voices of questions and answers behind him gradually stopped. Si Li closed the note and turned back with a smile, "Congratulations to Tao Tao for finding a good teacher, and to Mr. Qin for finding a good student."

Mr. Qin glanced at her and said, "Your family has lost its partner, so don't hide away and cry."

"How could that be? Taotao is both a relative and a friend to me. If you get bored with me, there will always be a place for Taotao when you go back and forth with me."

"You seem quite smart now, but what were you doing in your early years?" Mr. Qin frowned and turned to Meng Taotao, "Pack your things and come back with me. Those guys have all come here after hearing the news. You won't be able to leave at night."

"Yes, Master."

Meng Taotao walked past Si Li and led her to the closet. Wang Ting, who was holding Wang Xiaochong and learning to read, looked up as they passed by the backyard. "What happened? Why are you so mysterious?" Xiao Que, who was squatting beside Wang Ting and listening obediently, also looked over with curiosity in her eyes.

"I'm leaving now. I'll leave the young lady to you." Meng Taotao sighed and patted Si Li's hand. "The prince of Yue is scheming and can't be a close friend. Xiao Qi, on the other hand, is a good-tempered person. With the protection of the Xiao family, I'm not too worried. The young lady has been away from home for nearly a month, so the news should have reached the mansion. The young lady has been showing up less and less. No matter what, if you insist that she is out buying property, there won't be much criticism. If there's a day when you're forced to return home, send a message to me. After all, I have a master, right?"

She changed her name. Si Li listened to her instructions and thought about them. She was reluctant to let her go. However, she thought of the comments given by the system and knew that Meng Taotao would have a better future if she went to study with Master Qin. She lowered her head and responded slowly. Xiao Que was honest and straightforward, and Meng Taotao was smart and beautiful. They were the first two friends she had when she came to this world. Now one of them was leaving.

"Why are you making such a crying face?" Meng Taotao gently pinched Si Li's face and joked, "It's not like we won't see each other anymore. I still have my share of the profits in the store. But I won't be able to work if I leave. I'll take some money later and use it together with the salary at the end of the month to offset it. If you pass the exam next year, I'll write you a gift regardless of your ranking, okay?"

Si Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She slapped her hand away, took out her purse, roughly counted out Meng Taotao's salary, and stuffed it into her arms. "Who wants your money and gift? Is this what I want?!"

Meng Taotao did not refuse and squinted her eyes, "When you go to the women's school to give lectures, maybe I can go to listen to your lectures. Then, I will have to call you Master Si."

"You're just talking nonsense!" Si Li pushed her into the private room, "Hurry up and pack up. If someone hears that Master Qin's disciples are here to block your door and make friends, you'll see if you can leave!"

Meng Taotao's teasing made her feel much less sad at the time of parting. She didn't have many things to begin with, and with the addition of a new cotton robe and the answers to the geometry problems that Si Li wrote for her, she felt like she had an extra burden. Seeing this, Si Li felt very uncomfortable.

"If you are not happy living with Master Qin, just come back." Si Li hugged her.

Xiao Que looked over eagerly, looking a little aggrieved, "Then from now on, only Wang Ting will teach me how to read. I will keep your bed for you forever."

"Take care of yourself." Wang Ting said in a muffled voice.

Scholar Qin waited for a while, but Meng Taotao didn't come out. He lifted the curtain and saw Li Chou in the backyard. She rolled her eyes and said, "Will I eat her? Hurry up!"

The passers-by saw Meng Taotao out. Si Li glimpsed the wall next to her that was still covered with cloth. She motioned Wang Ting to remove the cloth and smiled at Meng Taotao, "You didn't let me remove it before. After you left, this painting finally got to see the light of day. Is this the last gift you left for me?"

The drape fell, revealing the brightly colored food and children on the snow-white wall, and the varnish added a layer of luster. A line of words was added to the painting at some point, but it was what Si Li had said, "Do you have tea, food, or go out and about?" Meng Taotao had done so many things when she was unaware of it, and at this moment, a single word of thank you was not enough to express her gratitude.

Scholar Qin tilted his head to take a look and nodded approvingly, "The world and the world, there are gaps in my heart."

The carriage slowly drove over from the street, and Meng Taotao followed her master and left, leaving behind a lot of disappointment. Although they were both in the capital, she would concentrate on preparing for the exam and would not see him very often.

When Wanglaiju opened in the afternoon, diners swarmed in and blocked the door. In the past, most of them were servants, but this time, they were all dressed in silk and brocade. They wanted to book Wanglaiju as soon as they opened their mouths. After a few words, they turned to Meng Taotao and wanted to introduce her. It was obvious that they had other intentions, and their real intention was to rely on this sudden disciple of Qin Xueshi to get close to Qin Xueshi.

Fortunately, Meng Taotao had already left. Wang Ting responded to everyone with the same words, "Miss Meng has returned to Qin Xueshi's residence to study. If you want to look for her, you should go to Qin Xueshi's residence. In order to take care of every diner as much as possible, Wanglaiju's ice jelly and sweet potato with shreds are sold in limited quantities. Please understand."

If you can knock on the door of Mr. Qin, who would come here?

Some people believed Wang Ting's words, while others didn't. There was an unusual noise in front of the door. Some people pointed at Wang Ting's nose and said that he was not worthy to talk to them, and asked him to call the shopkeeper out. After a few moments, Si Li, who was busy in the kitchen, came out to see what was going on. She had an idea of ​​the lively scene in Wanglaiju, so she put on a veil when she came out.

Unexpectedly, it was this veil that was recognized, and people shouted, "Hey, Xiao Si, you finally came out. Is your Miss Meng here? I want to try the milk tea made by Miss Meng today——"

After hearing this, people still wonder what kind of place Wanglaiju is. Si Li frowned, "Ah Sheng, Xiao Que, please be calm, gentlemen. Miss Meng has returned home with Scholar Qin. Wanglaiju is just an ordinary restaurant. I am afraid that it is impossible to cover all the meals today. First, Wanglaiju has its own rules, and second, there are rules for distinguished guests. Please understand. If you come to buy snacks and taste milk tea, Wanglaiju will welcome you. But if you come to cause trouble, Jingzhao Prefecture is not too far from here. Why don't we go and talk to them?"

"The shopkeeper is frank. Since Miss Meng is not here, why don't you make tea yourself so that we can have a taste of what the Five Flavors Restaurant is like today?"

Si Li frowned. The words sounded frivolous. The visitor's eyes flickered. He said he was brewing tea, but she didn't know what he was thinking. She immediately refused and said, "The traditional method of brewing tea is only for display. The snacks and milk tea sold here are all finished products—"

"Milk tea is the drink of my family, why are you chasing after the neighbors to buy it?" Just as he was talking, someone from the Tang's shop next door, which had been quiet the whole time, came in with a basket of bamboo cups of milk tea in its iconic wooden basket. The young man who came in spoke in a high-pitched voice with a flushed face, squeezed into the crowd and put the wooden basket on the ground, "Thank you all for your kindness, this milk tea is 25 cents a cup today, and there will be no such shop after this village, so tomorrow it will start at 30 cents!"

"Is your milk tea made using traditional methods?"

"Why are you selling your milk tea in front of Wanglaiju? Go away, we're going to buy it from Wanglaiju."

The diners were silenced by the rude voice of the young man who squeezed in, and soon there was a burst of noise. Wang Ting turned his head to look at Si Li, who shook his head and signaled to wait and see. With the nephew of the Tang family next door to block the bullet, the Wanglaiju will not be bothered for a while. However, the ordinary milk tea has always been 15 cents a cup, why did the price suddenly increase today? Shopkeeper Tang did not come to deliver the goods. Is he guilty or... ?

The nephew of the Tang family was speechless after being questioned. He took out a cup of milk tea for everyone to see, "The drink sold in Wanglaiju every day is my family's..."

"Oh, your drink, why do you engrave the name of Wanglaiju on your drink?"

The nephew of the Tang family was dumbfounded by the question. He wanted to say more, but was chased out by the crowd of diners. "The helper betrays the master. We have seen this many times!"

Si Li raised her eyebrows but did not explain for him. According to the contract she signed with Manager Tang, the nephew of the Tang family had violated the agreement by emphasizing that the milk tea was not from the shop and raising the price privately. According to the idea of ​​OEM, it was not wrong to say that he was helping the client.

After letting Ah Sheng carry the wooden basket into the house, Si Li spoke to comfort the angry diners at the door, "If you are here to buy snacks, I welcome you, but Miss Meng is no longer here. If you have nothing else to do, please make some room for us so that we can do business."

"Who said it's okay? I'll buy all the fries you have!"

"Please don't make it difficult for us. We won't be able to finish it if we buy too much." Si Li responded with a smile.

After repeating the same old things several times, some people lost their patience, cursed and walked away. Some people, seeing that they really couldn't see anyone, simply paid for one of the three items on display and walked away holding the paper tube.

When half of the crowd dispersed, the order in front of Wanglaiju was finally restored. Familiar diners bowed and congratulated, "Madam Si, your business is booming!"

Si Li smiled and shook her head, "I'm too busy to do everything! Please wait a moment, the wolf-tooth potatoes will be here soon."

The business was back on track in the busy afternoon. Without Meng Taotao's help, Si Li felt like she was going to fly. Two pots were running at the same time, and she cut countless potatoes and sweet potatoes. When Xiao Qi strolled in from the front hall, she couldn't help laughing when she saw Si Li. She reached in through the window and wiped the sweat off her forehead, "You're like a cat. How did you tire yourself out like this?"

Si Li had just told Ah Xiang that he would let Ah Zhuang and another boy who came for the interview last time come to work tomorrow. When Xiao Qi teased him, he could only smile, his face full of despair as a worker, "If you are hungry, come and help me cut potatoes. I heard from you Master Di that the academy also has a catering department."

"It's a good thing that Taotao is with Master Qin. You don't have to be too sad." Xiao Qi rolled up her sleeves and walked in. "What are you talking about? We heard about the letter from Wang Laiju at the tea party and were wondering when Master Di would come to look for you. We didn't expect him to come now."

Si Li pointed to the part that Ah Xiang had peeled. Xiao Qi looked around and was speechless at the other knife left by Si Li, "Just use this?" She picked up the knife handle that was already used and covered with pulp, made a knife flower, and with two swishes, a cold light flashed, and the potatoes were cut.

The layout is pretty good, but the finished product is hard to describe. Si Li had just fried a plate of wolf tooth potatoes and handed it to Ah Sheng to send out. When she turned around, she saw a pile of large and small potato pieces piled up into a small mountain. "...You'd better go out and help me see how the milk tea is selling. I can't come today, so I'll fry your portion later."

"By the way, Ah Xiang, come earlier tomorrow and I'll teach you how to get on the stove."

Si Li was busy all the time. She assigned Xiao Qi and also arranged for Ah Xiang. When the next shift was over, she finally had time to take a breath. She handed Xiao Qi's ice jelly over and had the opportunity to ask about Master Di. "From what you said, Master Di often invites people to give lectures?"

Xiao Qi leaned against the fire, scooped a spoonful of ice jelly into the ice, shuddered, and showed a satisfied look, "It's not very often, but she will always find the chefs of the new snacks and desserts in the capital and bring them to a class. In fact, it's not that she asks people to cook for her skills. I heard that when fried tripe was popular before, she specially found someone to cook a class on fried tripe. The chef didn't teach anything, just demonstrated it for people to watch. Master Di said that it's just to increase knowledge, and it doesn't matter whether you can learn it or not, or whether you can cook or not."

"Is this why your cooking skills are terrible?" Si Li complained mercilessly, completely forgetting that she had originally worked in the kitchen.

Xiao Qi grinned, "You can't say that. It's not like my family doesn't have money to hire someone. There are top talents in every field. I'm not good at this, so why should I learn this?"

Si Li said, "You say it so easily. I was really shocked when I received the invitation today. I was wondering why the academy wanted to learn cooking skills. I thought you were learning moral skills all day long."

"No, no." Xiao Qi waved her hands. "Before, the teacher did ask for this and that, but these subjects have been almost abolished. Except for people like Si Tang who studied sage books but only wanted to get married, everyone in the academy knows what they should do. If Si Tang and Liu Wuling saw you in class, they would be so angry that their heads would hurt."

Speaking of Liu Wuling, Xiao Qi slapped her head, took out a piece of paper from her arms and handed it to me, "I almost forgot, Liu Wuling was sent to the family temple and became very ill. I heard that she had a high fever and was talking nonsense from time to time. She can't stand up to apologize to you for the time being. But the Liu family gift list that my mother gave me the day before yesterday is here. I can't accept it. It should be compensation to you. Take a look."

She had a high fever and was mumbling from time to time, which was very similar to the symptoms of the original owner after she fell into the water. But when it came to compensation and apology, Si Li sighed and shook her head, "I still said what I said before, wait until she comes to apologize, then we can talk about compensation. Since she is sick, let's wait until she recovers."

It was too cruel to destroy a girl's life without even meeting her face or verifying the truth. Although she was not the original owner and could not forgive the ridicule when she fell into the water, as the victim of the shocking incident, she still wanted to wait and see.

Seeing that she didn't want to accept it, Xiao Qi took the gift list back. Si Li changed the subject and asked, "Master Qin is well-known for his talent, but have you heard some... um, other rumors? I'm a little worried about Tao Tao's departure."

Si Li was vague, but Xiao Qi spoke very aggressively, "Male-female affairs? Well, yes, you have seen it, Master Di was good friends with him. But Scholar Qin has not married for many years, and I don't know if Master Di is unwilling to marry, or if what we heard was just rumors."

Di Leyu and Meng Taotao are completely different types, plus the age difference, Si Li was slightly relieved, as long as he is not a pervert. Xiao Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Qin does not live in the mansion all the time, he spends every day in the Hanlin Academy, and he knows the strict separation between men and women. Nothing will happen."

"But he did put in a lot of effort for Tao Tao. With the name of Qin Xue Shi, his bad reputation was wiped out. Previously, there were many people who made innuendos about the pig food and milk tea at Wanglaiju. The Imperial College next door even copied some of them and threw poetry paper balls every day to scold us for our greed. They almost scolded Wanglaiju into a pile of mud. When the Wuweilou incident happened, we heard that the wind had changed before we even got out of school in the afternoon. The people from the Imperial College were forced by the chief priest to come and sweep up the paper balls honestly. There were also some shameless people who came to ask if we could take them with us when we went to Wanglaiju. Really, everything I wrote is still there, and I have the nerve to say it."

Xiao Qi had never heard of the literati scolding Si Li, and thought that the literati who were provoked to clamor were all of them. At this time, the matter was already in the past. Listening to Xiao Qi's description, I was angry and amused, "So you agreed?"

"How could I do that?" Xiao Qi shrugged. "Only someone as shameless as me dares to come. Everyone else is afraid of being regarded as a small-time person who is trying to curry favor with you. We failed to scold them for writing articles and poems before, and we were unable to help, so we simply dare not come."

Si Li burst out laughing and stepped forward to pinch her face, "How can you be so shameless? You are obviously here to take credit!"

Xiao Qi followed with a laugh, "Tao Tao's painting has been exposed, and there is also the debate in Wuweilou citing classics. Her reputation will not be weakened in the future. The Qunying is her backing, right? Shouldn't she be rewarded for her achievements?"

"Okay, okay, I can't thank you enough, you are such a talented lady. Come earlier tomorrow and bring some ice jelly to share with everyone as a token of my gratitude." Si Li knew that fighting against slander and criticism was not an easy task, but since it was resolved in this way, she deserved to be grateful.

"Since you've agreed, I won't be polite!" Xiao Qi raised her eyebrows and smiled. Meng Taotao's departure made her show off disappear.

As the sky gradually darkened, Xiao Qi stood up and said goodbye. Si Li packed up the utensils and asked Ah Sheng and his wife to wash the dishes and go back early. There were still some customers coming to the house, mostly servants carrying food boxes to buy midnight snacks. After that, they only needed to wash the pots and clean up. The workload was not large and it would not delay the children's return home.

As he was tidying up, the locked backyard door made a slight sound. Wang Xiaochong got Si Li's nod, ran over and unlocked it, and shouted, "Handsome brother!"

"..." No, who did this kid learn this from? Si Li couldn't help but sigh, walked out of the kitchen and greeted him, "Prince."

Jiang Lang was followed by only a guard. After he entered the room, the guard stayed at the side of Qiyun Tower. Si Li missed the princess when she didn't come with him. Seeing the girl in a bad mood walk out of her closed circle and gradually get better, she naturally expected her to get better and better. She couldn't help but ask, "How is the princess today?"

"Not bad." Jiang Hengyun walked into the courtyard, turned around and looked at her, holding a cloth bag in his hand and handed it to her casually, "Congratulations on the Wuweilou matter."

How come everyone knows about this after only one afternoon? News spreads too fast!

Xiao Qi's congratulations were just a joke between friends, Di Leyu and the other guests' congratulations were just for the sake of honor, but the congratulations from the Prince of Yue were a bit out of context. Si Li thanked him verbally, and seeing that his eyes were as heavy as usual, she did not step forward to accept it.

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