Chapter 80 A Quan

Prince Yuan Fangtong wiped the corners of his eyes to remove the moisture, "Although we have correspondence, it is never as good as meeting in person. My sister has been in the palace for so many years, and I can still see her at the annual palace banquet, but Ping--" Yuan Fangtong is the late son of Duke Dongyang, and is nearly ten years younger than his sister, Concubine Yuan. He was almost raised by his sister, so naturally the relationship is different.

"Don't you know the difference between superiors and subordinates? That's the Second Prince!" The old man took the jade bowl beside his pillow and threw it out.

Yuan Fangtong ducked his head and choked up, "Yes, my son made a slip of the tongue, but we haven't seen each other much since the Second Prince was born!"

The old man lost his temper and lay back on the couch, breathing weakly, "Let's wait and see... wait and see. The affairs between His Majesty and His Royal Highness are not something we can control. But... I heard that the Prince of Yue's Palace sent invitations to that merchant and the government?"

"Yes." Yuan Fangtong showed a strange smile, "The Prince of Yue has been paying attention to the owner of the restaurant called Wanglaiju recently. I have watched them go in and out together several times. I am afraid that good things are coming. The eldest and second daughters of the Si Shoufu Mansion are not engaged. My son guesses that the Princess of Yue wants to choose a daughter-in-law for her son."

"Let them make a fuss. Marrying a merchant girl? The old fat King of Yue will be so angry that he will die. No wonder his wife is so anxious." Duke Dongyang also laughed a few times. "I remember your sister wanted to pair Si Er with the prince?"

Yuan Fangtong nodded, "Sister, you have a keen eye. Although the Prime Minister Si has made concessions for the sake of balancing the court, he is still conservative and polite. I am afraid that after a few years, after the second young lady of the first Si gets the sweetness, our future father-in-law and His Highness will still have trouble. Si Ji is devoted to her daughter, even if she knows this is a poisonous bait, she has to swallow it."

Hearing the words "Si Ji Shi", a glimmer of light flashed in Dongyang Gong Hunzhu's eyes, as if he remembered a beautiful figure that haunted him in his dreams. The light quickly went out, "Make a fuss... Make a fuss. Only by making a fuss can our Ping'er have a chance to shine."

"Although the girl is a bit silly after studying, she is still a good girl. It's a pity to let the prince take her away. After all, she is still young, so leave her to Ping'er. As for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... Si Baifu's eldest daughter has been hidden in his inner chambers for many years. I think she is being taught by her family. If we talk about being old-fashioned, she must be the best. The Crown Prince will like our gift."

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Si Li didn't know whether the cold and immortal-like Crown Prince would like her human-shaped gift, and she naturally knew nothing about the secret talks in the Dongyang Mansion. Seeing that the Crown Prince's face turned red and blue after receiving a new document, she almost spilled the milk tea she had just put down.

It was all Jiang Shizhi's fault for being careless. He held the palm-sized piece of paper like a newspaper, not afraid of being read, and that's why she read the last sentence, "...The prince will be pleased with my gift."

What the hell? Who wants to give a gift? Si Li averted her eyes and thought about where to run to quickly, and at the same time prayed that their acquaintance would protect her from being silenced.

Jiang Hengyun, who received the message from the spy, sneered, "People are greedy!"

Seeing that he didn't pay attention to her, Si Li pretended that she didn't hear or see anything, and took small steps back. Just after taking a step, she was stopped by Jiang Hengyun, "What did you see?"

His tone was cold and murderous, but strangely, Si Li felt that he didn't want to kill her, but was angry out of shame. Being asked so clearly, it would be a bit deliberate to pretend not to see it. Si Li made up her mind, "Someone wants to give His Royal Highness a gift. Is the Crown Prince unhappy?"

That's not right. Your brother accepted the gift, why are you angry? Are you angry with yourself?

Jiang Hengyun looked at her deeply, exhaled, threw the paper onto the still wet chessboard, and said bluntly, "It's a gift for people." It's for you.

Good guy, what else can you want to do by giving gifts to others? Si Li gasped, "Bribery?"

"..." Jiang Hengyun had a headache and waved his hands, "Yeah."

Si Li followed his signal and escaped, hiding in the back kitchen to check on Ah Xiang's practice progress. After the children came just now, because there was a big Buddha sitting in the backyard, Si Li didn't dare to mess around at home, so he took the children to the next door to harass the unconscious patient, the horse shoe cabinet. After a round of practice tests, there were actually a few people who could use it.

Ah Xiang was able to make French fries and milk tea, but her progress was slow, and she didn't add some ingredients to the milk tea in time, but it wasn't a big mistake. For a novice to be able to do this, Si Li was already lucky. Another new kid was called Ah Quan, a small and thin boy with a keen sense of taste and smell, a good seedling.

The remaining children stayed behind to work as waiters and chores. There were not many people in the neighborhood, and it seemed that it had become a world for these half-grown children. Si Li did not hide from people when teaching Ah Xiang and Ah Quan. The children had already signed their indentures, so there was no need to worry about them causing trouble in the future. Guan Ji, the masters who were sent to jail by Guan Zhiyu were a lesson for us.

After we were ready to start the afternoon business, A Zhuang, who was obviously the leader of the children, came to Si Li and called the shopkeeper in a low voice, and handed over a wooden statue. The wooden statue was made of pear wood, which was lighter in color. The detailed face and sleeve patterns were carved vividly. Due to the careful polishing and good wood, it looked like a precious jade at first glance instead of a wooden sculpture.

"Shopkeeper, Brother Afu asked me to bring this. Sister Meng is not here, so I don't know who to give it to. Please keep it and give it to Sister Meng when she comes. Okay?"

Listening to A Zhuang mentioning Meng Taotao, Si Li's heart moved. Now that she had an object to associate with, she looked at the wood carving again. It was clearly Meng Taotao, with long hair tied high and fairy-like hair, floating like a fairy, not like a person in this world. Just looking at the technique and beauty, one can feel the dedication of the sculptor.

People say that a lover's eyes see beauty in everything. Only a pair of eyes full of admiration can carve out such a beautiful fairy, right? Si Li felt something in her heart, but Meng Taotao was no longer in the residence. Even if she was, it was ultimately someone else's fate and she couldn't say anything.

"Xiao Meng is no longer here, so it's useless for me to give it to you." Si Li returned the wood carving. A Zhuang lowered his head with an embarrassed look, "I know, but, but how can people like us dare to go to Qin Xueshi's house?"

Si Li originally had some thoughts of creating an opportunity for them to meet, but these words shattered her thoughts. Her face turned slightly cold, "If that's the case, then let's wait until he dares to go."

Ah Zhuang took the wooden sculpture that Si Li stuffed into his hand, as if he was holding a hot potato, and finally responded sullenly.

After checking the preparations in the front hall, Si Li went back to the kitchen. As soon as she entered the door, she heard a thump. Ah Xiang and Ah Quan knelt down in front of her. She was startled and quickly reached out to help them. "What are they doing?"

"The shopkeeper was kind enough to take us in and treat us like his own children. He taught us all his cooking skills. We should not deceive the shopkeeper anymore." Ah Xiang knelt down without getting up. The excitement and happiness she had felt when she made the milk tea disappeared completely and tears kept falling.

Si Li paused, and dropped her gentle expression. "Are you saying that you are thieves? I have been waiting for you to tell me."

Ah Zhuang and the other two children also appeared silently and knelt behind Si Li in front of the door. Seeing that the opening time was about to come, these people made such a fuss. Since she promised to let them stay and would not do anything else, if she really cared about these children, she would not be able to send them away immediately for the sake of afternoon business. She was really scheming.

Si Li was speechless and annoyed, "To make a long story short."

Starting with Ah Xiang, the children told their previous experiences. In fact, they were a few old stories: when they secretly hid the food given by the master and took it back to eat, they were found out and accused of stealing; they were framed by the regular helpers and could only be beaten by the master; the master with bad habits wanted to do this and that but was counterattacked and then made a big fuss about the unruly children of the nursery hall...

They are the older brothers and sisters in the nursery, and are also thieves and liars in the eyes of outsiders. They have always had a bad reputation, otherwise they would not have to do part-time jobs except for Ah Fu. Even Ah Fu had a rough life, and the master he followed in the end was not a good person.

It can't be said that he has bad intentions, but his scheming is annoying. Si Li pressed her forehead and sneered, "Just for this?" She said that A Zhuang should have taken out the wood carving earlier or later, but chose this time, and it turned out that he wanted to play the emotional card.

The kneeling children looked over eagerly. Wang Ting and Xiao Que, who were passing by in the courtyard, were frightened by the scene. Wang Ting glanced at the few people and his face darkened. Si Li had always been a gentle hostess. He had never seen her make anyone kneel. She seemed to be quite fond of these children before, but now she was so annoying that they had to kneel on the ground. These people must have done something wrong. He pulled Xiao Que, who wanted to go up and ask, away. Jiang Hengyun, who was sitting in the courtyard, watched this farce without saying a word.

No one responded for a long time, and Si Li was so angry that her heart ached, "Speak!"

Ah Zhuang responded in a low voice, "We have told you everything we have done. Can you please not chase us away, shopkeeper?"

"Drive you away? I don't have the nerve to do that. Who came up with this idea? Tell me!"

There was another silence, and Si Li said coldly, "I said I believed you, but I was blind. You guys are scheming me, so don't blame me for turning hostile. If you don't admit it, just leave. I can't accommodate a bunch of you big Buddhas."

"…It's me." Ah Quan, the thinnest of the children, knelt on the ground and kowtowed deeply. "If you want to chase someone, chase me alone."

"Brother Quan!" "Quan!"

Si Li squatted down and pinched Ah Quan's face, which had almost no flesh. "Do you think you understand me very well? Do you think I will not chase you out or chase you out? What did I say when I signed the contract with you at noon? I hope you can treat Wanglaiju as your own home, and I hope you can all work hard. You have forgotten it, right? Huh?"

The more he talked, the paler Ah Quan's face became, his lips trembled, and he dared not utter a word.

She was really angry. After training a team, she was planning to become a rich man's shopkeeper, but the talented young man she had just seen forced her to admit their "bad deeds". It was her business if she didn't care, but being forced to bow her head was another feeling.

"Don't be angry, boss, it's my fault..." Ah Quan said in a low voice.

Si Li snorted coldly and shook off his hand that was hugging her arm, "Go and be a waiter. When I calm down, you can come into the kitchen again! You little brat is really capable!" She turned around and saw a pair of dumbfounded eyes, and glared at them, "Why are you looking at me? Don't you have to open the door in the afternoon?!"

"Thank you, shopkeeper!" The children came back to their senses after a while, and their little cheers continued. Ah Quan took off his apron and walked out of the kitchen backwards step by step. Si Li put her arm around Ah Xiang's shoulders and didn't even look at him.

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Oh my god, I don't know how to come up with a title. Help me.