Chapter 78 Tang Ji (Two in One)

"Is your Steward Wang here? We are acquaintances of your shopkeeper. Just ask Steward Wang to come out and see us and we will know." Mrs. Jian stepped forward and spoke to the half-grown child in a gentle voice.

Ah Zhuang was half-believing and half-doubting, so he turned around and went to look for Wang Ting. Wang Ting's face changed when he saw the Jian family. He had seen Jian Bingde take Si Tang away before. Just as he was about to walk away, he was stopped by Mrs. Jian, "Wang Ru has already told us."

Wang Ting paused, stretched out his hand to lead them to the side, and bowed to the ground, "Uncle, Madam, what's the matter?"

Getting the news and being confirmed are two different feelings. Mrs. Jian's eyes were slightly moist and her voice was trembling, "Is your young lady... okay?"

What is going on? Wang Ting was somewhat helpless. "Miss, you are fine. It's just that you are very busy today and tomorrow. How can I make decisions for you? If you are here to look for your family, can you come back the day after tomorrow?"

They saw how busy the restaurant was, but when they thought of their precious child busy serving others in the kitchen without even having time to say a word, the couple felt heartbroken. Moreover, if they said they were busy, it would be fine to just watch from a distance, but the child just didn't want to leave...

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Jian Qingya was about to smooth things over when suddenly a loud quarrel came from the door. She turned around and saw a huge wooden basket hit the ground first.

"Who are you?!" The guards that Jian Bingde brought with him stepped forward to block the way of the two people carrying the wooden basket. The young man raised his chin with an impatient look on his face, "What are you doing? If you don't want to buy milk tea, get out of the way. Can you afford to delay others from drinking tea?"

"Shut up!" Shopkeeper Tang stumbled forward when the wooden basket fell to the ground. Just as he stood up, he heard his nephew offending someone again. He glanced around the hall, his face turned purple, and he bowed his head and said, "I am sorry for disturbing you adults. We are here to deliver milk tea to Wanglaiju, and I don't know..."

"This is indeed the milk tea that my family and he cooperated on." Wang Ting came over from the corner and explained. After Mrs. Jian nodded, the guards of the Jian family retreated to the side. Wang Ting supported the shopkeeper Tang and said in a not-so-friendly tone, "Shopkeeper Tang, are you going to keep it and sell it yourself or are we helping you? Is there any problem with the money I sent yesterday?"

"Of course, of course." Shopkeeper Tang glared at his nephew who was still unconvinced, and said with a wry smile, "Of course I trust your shopkeeper. Yesterday, something went wrong and I couldn't go. I was annoyed, and I deserved it. I'll entrust this business to you. Ah Da, what's the point of making a fuss? You are young and ignorant, and you come to apologize to Manager Wang!"

"Uncle! Why are you talking so much? What's the good of giving me a gift?" The nephew of the Tang family grumbled unwillingly. He was held on the head by the shopkeeper Tang and bowed awkwardly. Wang Ting sneered and waved his hands, "I don't need to tell you how the shopkeeper Tang made his fortune. The store is still busy, so I won't give you any."

"Okay, I'll leave now." Shopkeeper Tang dragged his nephew out of the door, but as soon as he left the door, his nephew shook his hand away and said angrily, "Uncle! Why don't you know how to be kind? This is obviously our milk tea, and we should be appreciated by dignitaries. Look at all the guards in the store, and we don't even know who they are! Why should we give them money and people? They just took all the benefits!"

Shopkeeper Tang slapped him on the head and said angrily, "If you don't want to do it, don't do it. Come back with me!"

The quarrel ended in an instant. Wang Ting retracted his gaze and returned to the Jian family couple. "The shopkeeper is indeed not seeing anyone. I hope you will understand. I am the young lady's manager now, so I can't offend her, right?"

Jian Bingde sighed, "We, we just want to see her, we don't want to do anything else. If she doesn't want to see us, doesn't want to go home... so be it."

"Please don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want to see you. It's just that the young lady said that it was a critical moment for her culinary practice. Before she went in, she said that she didn't want to see anyone. Now she won't listen to anything we say!" Wang Ting made up his mind and simply told the truth. If he didn't tell the truth, he was afraid that the other party would come up with something bad on his own.

However, no one seemed to believe his truth. Jian Bingde's shoulders slumped, and he looked several years older and very depressed. Jian Qingya and Madam Jian, who were supporting him, looked at each other. Madam Jian said, "Forget it. We'll come again tomorrow. You take good care of the young lady."

This rejection was unexpected, but also expected. After being abandoned by her family for so long, it was natural for the child to feel resentful. Mrs. Jian thought and glared at her husband again, "It's all your fault!"

"I remember what Songnian asked Wanglaiju about before?" Jian Bingde asked, tilting his head.

Songnian, who was half the manager of the Jian family, came over from the side of the carriage and said, "My cousin once went to Waihai Trading Company to ask about glass cups."

"Glass cups, right? Ask Lao Zhou to wrap them up and send them over. The new cloth from the Weaving Girls' Pavilion should have arrived. Hurry up and make two skirts and send them over. Make the sizes smaller. No, I heard that Ah Li bought a robe from the cloth shop. Ask someone to get the size and make one and send it over first!" Jian Bingde talked about buying, buying, buying. He didn't know how to do anything else. He grabbed his hair and thought for a long time, then slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, by the way, the glass kiln is about to open. Let's go pick out a few good ones for Ah Li and send them over together!"

The servants of the Jian Family Business moved quickly under the command of Jian Bingde, but Si Li, immersed in the familiar sense of urgency and diligence, had no idea what was happening in the outside world. The number of potatoes and sweet potatoes stored in the residence was rapidly decreasing, and the two big boys in charge of washing vegetables and Ah Xiang, who was lighting the fire, could hardly keep up with Si Li's movements.

In the evening, Xiao Qi came to the restaurant to take a look. Seeing that Si Li was immersed in her own world and was completely unapproachable, she ate her portion of the dish and did not leave any more.

Wang Ting still had some impression of the last time Si Li was "crazy", but at that time it was Xiao Que and Meng Taotao who took care of Si Li, and he had no experience at all. When it was night, he saw that Si Li still did not stop, and no matter how he called her, she turned a deaf ear, and refused to eat or drink. In the end, he had to call Xiao Que over, and the two of them kept watch over her together.

The moon was tilting a little, and the sound of pots and spatulas coming and going in the kitchen at the back never stopped. Wang Ting was feeling worried when he suddenly heard a slight sound from the small door.

"I've met the prince." Wang Ting opened the door. "The night shop is closed. The shopkeeper is doing some practice. There are no other dishes. Do you mind?"

Jiang Hengyun shook his head. "I'll come and take a look. No need to get ready."

The kitchen window was wide open. Si Li, who was standing in front of the window, had sweat on her forehead and looked a little tired, but her eyes were as bright as morning stars and her hands were still steady. Seeing the kitchen knife she was using, Jiang Hengyun smiled a little. The familiar black gold kitchen knife flew up and down in the girl's hand, three times brighter than when it was wrapped.

"What is the prince doing..." Wang Ting's eyes moved between the prince in the courtyard and Si Li whom he was looking at from afar. His heart skipped a beat, and he was unsure whether he should stand in the middle and let the prince, who obviously had ulterior motives, stay away from his own shopkeeper.

Jiang Hengyun glanced at him, waved his hand and asked the guard carrying the food box behind him to come over, "Keep an eye on your shopkeeper." After saying that, he turned and left.

The food box was carved with gold and was very similar to the one he had in the store before. Wang Ting opened the food box and saw three layers of snack plates stacked on top of each other. Each one was warm and small, so it was no problem to eat one at a time.

Are you here to deliver food? Wang Ting scratched his head, put a plate of snacks next to Si Li, and handed another plate to Xiao Que, asking her to take it and feed it. When it was fed to Si Li, although she still looked ignorant, she still opened her mouth to eat.

As the night deepened, the next morning, servants who knew that the restaurant would open early were waiting in front of the door with food boxes, looking out to buy shredded sweet potatoes. Some were returning customers who had been there the day before, and some were people who had never eaten it in the capital and wanted to try it. Regardless of the purpose, they all had the same goal.

The hustle and bustle in the front hall did not disturb the back kitchen, where Si Li was in a mysterious state. She felt like she was divided into two halves, one half was in the gap of the void, overlooking the body cutting vegetables, and the other half was carrying the increasingly heavy knives and spatulas, inevitably feeling tired.

[System: Congratulations to the host for achieving the "Intermediate Diligence: Make 500 Dishes in One Day" achievement, and the reward is a random dish bonus x1. Beep, it is detected that there is employee assistance and dish bonus during the achievement completion process, and the reward is deducted by 50%. The bonus has been locked, congratulations to the host for obtaining the dish bonus "Never Forget". ]

[System: Congratulations to the host for achieving the "Intermediate Diligence: Cut 10,000 Potatoes in One Day" achievement. The reward recipe "Spicy Lobster (Fake)" has been unlocked. Please continue to work hard. ]

[System: "An ordinary chef" mission completed. After unremitting efforts and self-innovation, congratulations to the host for upgrading his cooking skills to Lv.2 (an ordinary chef). You have touched the path to becoming a chef god. Please treat every diner and potential diner seriously. Please continue to work hard. ]

The system's prompts seemed far away yet close. Si Li finished frying the last portion of fries in her hand, put the kitchen knife back, and blinked slowly. A pile of plates had appeared beside her. The porcelain color was clear and didn't look like the ones she used at home.

She tilted her head. Even this single movement was strenuous for her. Her joints made a crisp sound. Si Li didn't even have the strength to speak. When she saw Xiao Que, she opened her mouth and immediately lost consciousness.

"Shopkeeper!" The last thing she remembered was Xiao Que's panicked cry as he rushed over and hugged her.

---

The codes flowing down like a waterfall were not frightening, but rather gave her a strange sense of intimacy. The codes on the computer flashed a silvery-white light, and when she looked closely, she saw that even the computer was shrouded in a halo of light. She wanted to get closer, but was blocked by an invisible barrier and the sounds from the outside world suddenly poured into her ears.

The sound of oil splashing, the clash of plates when being carried hastily, the rustling of petals falling, the sound of footsteps and people coming and going in the front hall, the sound of quarrels coming from far away...

She didn't know why, but she could clearly distinguish every sound. Si Li shook her head, and the ubiquitous sound became quieter, and when she listened again, it disappeared. She seemed to have slept for a long time, and in her dream she even dreamed of running a program on the computer.

Si Li pressed her swollen head with great effort and tilted her head to look out the window. The light coming through the window paper showed that it was still daytime outside, but she didn't know how long she had slept after she fainted.

The power of "Diligence Popping Candy" became greater and greater. Recalling the feeling of being in the diligent state before, Si Li suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. He temporarily gave up the idea of ​​getting up and just sat quietly like a salted fish.

Listening to the noise outside, Si Li guessed that Wanglaiju was still open for business. Before using the popping candy yesterday, she specifically asked Ah Xiang to teach her how to fry French fries. After watching the little girl fry several intact pots, Si Li dared to do her own practice. After all, the sequelae of using up the popping candy were too serious. If she didn't want to close the business directly, she had to find someone to take over.

Now it seems that Ah Xiang did a pretty good job.

"Boss, you're awake!" Xiao Que pushed the door open and met Si Li's gaze. She shouted in surprise and turned around to walk out. Si Li, who was ready to hug her round breasts, was stunned.

Xiao Que didn't have time to close the door, and a gust of cold wind blew in from the doorway. Although it didn't blow on her, Si Li still pulled the quilt to wrap herself tightly. When she saw the fine snowflakes blown in by the wind, she was stunned for a moment.

So the rustling sound I heard earlier was the first snow of this year?

"I know the young lady is not feeling well, but you still left the door open!" Wang Ting, who was called by Xiao Que, saw the door open, turned around and knocked on Xiao Que's head, then pushed Xiao Que, who was holding the medicine bowl, into the room. He stood in front of the door and sighed, "It's good that the young lady is awake. The doctor said that she was tired and felt a little disappointed. She finally recovered. Take the medicine quickly."

Wang Ting muttered to himself like a worried old mother. Si Li looked at him strangely, "Someone came to see you?"

"Ah? Oh." Wang Ting touched his nose. "My uncle came here yesterday morning and this morning. After the young lady fainted, it was the doctor hired by the Jian Mansion. The doctor hired by the Si Mansion was sent back by my uncle. He made a fuss at noon. Now he is sitting in front drinking tea. Do you want to meet him?"

Oh, great. Si Li thought coldly, she slept for a while, was she going to be caught and have a family drama? However, wasn't the second uncle in the capital always around Si Tang? Why did he suddenly confront Lord Si? Could it be that he finally felt guilty and realized that his own niece was suffering and came to compensate her? But it was too late, wasn't it?

After thinking about it for a while, Si Li felt a headache and simply stopped thinking about it. She then realized that part of the furnishings in her room had been changed. The whole bed was covered with a light gauze. She didn't know what material it was made of, but it could block the cold wind. On the quilt brought from the manor was a snow-white fur blanket, which looked very expensive, which was quite in line with the uncle's style of giving gifts when he disagreed with someone, and only choosing expensive gifts instead of the right ones.

Even the medicine bowl in Xiao Que's hand was a familiar glass cup. Thinking of herself bargaining with the owner of Wai Hai Trading Company before, Si Li felt a little annoyed. She turned her head away from the medicine bowl and said, "I'm not sick. Let me sleep for a while. Xiao Que, help me guard the door. I won't see anyone."

You know your own body well. It's just a sequelae. No matter how weak your body is, you can get better by eating the system-produced beef tendon for a few days. It's not worth drinking this medicinal soup that you don't know whether it's good or bad.

Xiao Que put the bowl aside, faithfully carried out Si Li's request, pushed Wang Ting out, and closed the door.

The noise outside the door began to fade away, and soon the previous noise disappeared, with only the occasional high-pitched sound of swearing coming from afar. After sleeping for most of the day, Si Li was not very hungry. She thought of the snacks she had eaten while cooking before, and guessed that this was also one of the "compensations" sent by the good uncle, and couldn't help but sigh.

The memory of using the popping candy slowly came back to her. Si Li thought of Xiao Qi's visit and the worries of the people who came and went. Fortunately, Wang Ting had not forgotten what she said about not seeing anyone, otherwise Si Li really wanted to send him back to the manor immediately. After searching through her memories, the figure of the Prince of Yue who came every day before was not among them. Si Li didn't know what she was regretting. A feeling of loss surged in her heart. She covered herself with the quilt and fell asleep again.

When she woke up again, it was daybreak. Si Li felt that all the depression and weakness from yesterday had been swept away. She stood up and opened the door, and saw Xiao Que, who was sitting outside the door, falling in. Xiao Que rubbed her eyes, "Shopkeeper!" Her eyes were dark blue, and it was obvious that she had stayed up all night after listening to Si Li's words yesterday.

"Thank you for your hard work." Si Li rubbed her head and was about to send her back to sleep when she suddenly heard a knock on the door getting louder and louder. "Old Tang? Old Tang! Where's he?!" The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door of Wanglaiju. Si Li hurriedly washed and tied her hair, and for convenience, she put on the long robe she wore when she went out that day. She opened the door with Xiao Que, and found that the person opposite was indeed an acquaintance.

The horse butcher was sitting on his ox cart. Standing in front of the door was a young man who looked somewhat like him. When he saw Si Li, his face turned red and he was speechless. The horse butcher got off the cart and pushed the young man aside. He frowned and asked, "Little Si, did Mr. Tang next door tell you that he won't be open today? I've delivered the milk, so why isn't he at home?"

Not at home? Si Li was stunned for a moment, then turned to Xiao Que. Xiao Que thought for a while and shook her head, "He and his nephew were arguing yesterday, but he didn't say he wouldn't sell milk tea today."

From what Si Li knew, Shopkeeper Tang was not someone who would break his promise. He just became a little awkward after he backed out at the tea party last time. I wonder if he has a bad temper. But even if he is not happy, he should open the shop and continue doing business if he can make money, right?

She thought for a moment and soothed him, "Uncle Ma is also an acquaintance. Why don't you unload the milk first? He's been busy these past two days, so maybe he fell asleep and didn't hear it. I'll send it over when he wakes up."

The horse butcher stamped his feet and said, "Do you think I don't know? When I came here this morning, there was someone waiting at his door. I asked and found out that he was the milkman from the city. I knocked for a long time but no one answered. I thought he was tired so I asked him to put the things down and I would go to Old Tang to get the money later. But after he left, I knocked for so long and still no one answered, not a single sound. It was as if there was no one inside. I was so panicked that I had no choice but to come to you."

Since Tang the shopkeeper ordered milk yesterday, he had to open the door today. If no one answered the door when he was at home, it would be because the person was deaf or dead. Si Li had some bad thoughts and led Ma the shopkeeper in to sit down.

Wang Ting had just stood up and was relieved when he saw Si Li. "Little boss, you're awake. I didn't know how long you were going to rest yesterday, so I told you in advance that we would open this afternoon. Will it delay anything?"

"Yeah." Si Li nodded, "You can climb over the wall, right?"

Wang Ting was stunned for a moment, somewhat doubting his ears, "What?"

Si Li looked calm, and took Wang Ting back to the backyard. The residence was built at the corner of the street, and the backyard wall was adjacent to Qiyun Building on one side and the dessert shop on the other side, so it was just right for people to go in from the backyard to check on the situation. "To make a long story short, I remember that Shopkeeper Tang and his nephew had a bad fight before, and Shopkeeper Ma couldn't open the door from the front. I was afraid something might happen, so you climb over the wall to check on the situation."

"Hiss——" Wang Ting took a breath, "You mean...? It's not that bad, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense and go!"

As she was pushing Wang Ting to find a ladder, there was a gentle knock on the small door in the backyard. Si Li waved her hand helplessly and asked Wang Ting to get the ladder first. She opened the door herself. The young man opposite her was still indifferent. He nodded and said, "Manager Si."

"Shizhi, Prince, you came so early, but haven't opened fire yet. Why don't you come back later?" Si Li tried to drive the Prince of Yue back to his side. After all, climbing over the wall was not a serious matter, and it would not be good if being seen.

However, Jiang Shizhi also climbed over the wall himself, and it seems that his technique is quite proficient? Si Li glanced at the opposite side, and Jiang Hengyun turned away and looked behind her, "What is this going to do..."

Si Li looked back and saw that Wang Ting was probably not awake yet. He came out directly with a ladder and climbed onto the courtyard wall. Anyone could see what he was going to do.

Since there was no way to hide it, Si Li simply said, "Uncle Tang next door is a friend of my family. The milkman who delivered the milk this morning didn't knock on his door. He had some conflicts with his nephew before. I was afraid something might happen, so I wanted Wang Ting to go over and take a look."

"Yeah." Jiang Hengyun waved his hand, and a figure flashed before Si Li's eyes, "Let them go and take a look."

With the help of the guards from the Prince of Yue's Palace, Si Li felt relieved, "Thank you for your help, Prince."

"Release it." Jiang Hengyun smiled as he walked past Si Li, walked to the chessboard and sat down. Jiang Rufei followed behind him, covering her mouth and yawning slightly. She looked more lively than when Si Li first saw her.

Si Li held her hand and walked forward, but her mind recalled the surprising glance just now. When she mentioned the word "Shizhi", Jiang Shizhi smiled, right?

"Your Highness! The man is unconscious, with a wound on his head!" The guard who jumped into the courtyard of the dessert shop leaned over the wall and peeked out, Si Li's face changed, and Jiang Hengyun asked in a sullen voice, "Where is the doctor?"

There seemed to be a group of servants from the Prince of Yue's palace stationed in Qiyun Tower. After a while, a medical officer carrying a medicine box came out through the small door. Si Li opened the back door and the guards from Tang Ji opened the door to welcome them in.

The narrow front hall of the dessert shop was covered in blood. Manager Tang was leaning against a corner of his shop, his face pale and his eyes closed. If it weren't for the slightly rising and falling chest that proved he was still alive, Si Li would have worried that he was gone. This is not the modern age with advanced medical care. A cold can kill a person, and a hole in the head is definitely a matter of life and death.

The front hall was narrow, and the shopkeeper Tang was injured on the head and could not move. Si Li took a look and gave up her position and did not go forward to make trouble. Although she had seen some basic knowledge of first aid, she was not as good as a professional doctor after all, so it was better to stay out of it. The nephew of the Tang family disappeared in the dessert shop. The doors and windows of the only room in the yard were wide open. Si Li took a look outside the window and saw that the wardrobes and beds were turned into a mess, as if they had been robbed.

As to whether he is a domestic thief or an outsider, it is hard to say.

"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Hengyun didn't realize that his tone was gentle. He handed over a hand warmer and said lightly, "First time seeing blood? You won't die."

Si Liben didn't know why he followed her, but when she heard this, she suddenly understood. It seems, it seems, probably, he was afraid that she would be scared if she saw an acquaintance whose life was hanging by a thread? She pursed her lips and said, "With the doctor brought by Shizhi, I don't worry about him. When Uncle Tang wakes up, I will remember to let him send the medical fee."

The warmth from the hand stove dispelled the chill I felt outside after getting up early. The snowflakes I saw yesterday had melted today. Only the crooked trees in the alley still had some snow on them. Si Li let out a breath and intentionally changed the topic to liven up the atmosphere. "I'm a cook. What kind of cook has never seen blood?"

"you."

Jiang Hengyun glanced at her, and the doctor in the front hall came out with a medicine box and dropped the topic.

Si Li thought about it carefully and realized that she had not killed even a chicken or a fish since she came to Daning. She simply stopped arguing with him and listened carefully to what the doctor said.

In general, it is not too late to treat him, and he can save his life. As for the sequelae such as headache and fear of wind, we will try our best to reduce them. If we can't reduce them, there is nothing we can do. Si Li listened to a long paragraph, extracted the key points, and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you for your help, old man. Being able to survive is already a miracle, and I don't ask for anything else."

"..." The medical officer with a white beard looked at her incomprehensible, feeling that his dignity as the director of the Imperial Hospital was challenged.

Jiang Hengyun coughed lightly, "That's good."

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The author has something to say:

The director of the courtyard: I could compete with King Yan for a woman, but I didn’t even say a word about you being a complete and healthy person. How come you, a little girl, don’t have any aspirations at all!