Chapter 92 Regret

The letter from her stepmother maintained the same style as the previous one, still full of hypocritical embellishments, and contained a lot more useful information, all of which Si Li was not happy to read.

What about "missing my daughter earnestly", "parents worry deeply about their children", "staying awake every night waiting for her to return"...

The tone was much gentler and more intimate than the previous letter. The last time when stepmother was at the manor, the letter was just a notification, but now every sentence was expecting a response from Si Li.

After describing Si's father and her behavior, stepmother mentioned casually that Si Li "has always been clever" and she and Si Tang have been friends for more than ten years. Si Tang is now being detained at home by Si's father and has already known the good and bad. She wants Si Tang to make amends and help her. If she is unwilling to let Si Tang help, then it is also good to take some food from the family to relieve the pain of missing him.

Between the lines, there was always a hint that if Si Li disagreed, she would be unfilial and unfraternal, and that she intended to harm Si Tang.

Si Li knew clearly in her heart that the letter was written with great earnestness, but in fact, they were targeting the technology of Wanglaiju. As for the new products of Wanglaiju today, there was only the newly launched glutinous rice cakes as a gift for old customers. The quantity of glutinous rice cakes made by Guan Ji was not large, and they were only given away as gifts for a few days. The reputation was only spread by word of mouth among the old customers who were harassed by Jian Si and his family a few days ago. However, this Mrs. Si was well-informed.

It's just that the flower viewing party at the Prince of Yue's Palace is approaching, and the noble ladies are vying for beauty, all wanting to win the first place. Si Tang, who is determined to marry into a wealthy family, can't sit still.

It's really ridiculous. She didn't even have an invitation to the flower viewing party, but Mrs. Si thought she wanted to harm Si Tang?

Si Li had no intention of replying to this letter. After all, Mrs. Si had someone drop the letter directly into the door from outside, giving Si Li a great opportunity to play ignorant. She even pretended not to have seen the letter from Si's father urging her to go home, let alone hers.

Speaking of which, Lord Si is a wonderful person. He has been in the court for many years and is known for his conservative character. Regardless of how he does in other matters, he is truly incorruptible. Otherwise, Si Tang would not bow her head and call the merchant she despised "uncle".

Now that Jian Bingde and the Si family have fallen out, Si Tang has lost her source of pocket money. She will have to live frugally to support the household expenses relying solely on Madam Si. She can't do anything special with clothes and jewelry, so she can only think about pastries. No wonder she would try to play the emotional card and ask her for help.

Thinking of the second uncle who regretted his decision, Si Li chuckled. Yes, it was just right to write a letter to remind him to ask for back the things he sent to the Jian family but never used by the original owner. As for the name, she could use the fact that she was living in the Jian family now and couldn't bear to give up her beloved things.

Si Lixiu wrote a letter, put it in a food box with a new batch of glutinous rice cakes sent by Guan Ji, and handed it to Wang Ting, instructing him to deliver it to the Jian family. Wang Ting glanced at her and couldn't help but said, "Just look at your green plum branch. The prince has been gone for a long time, and he still looks like he has lost his soul. If you want to see the flowers, why not go to the Yuewang Mansion in a few days?"

The sun was already slanting in the courtyard, and Si Li realized the passage of time. Her face flushed slightly, and she hurried out with Wang Ting. Since she taught Ah Xiang how to make those empty star and one star dishes, Si Li had a lot more time. She only needed to make a few sauces and limited-sale mid- to high-end dishes every day. The kitchen was already busy, but the noise did not alarm her.

The wonderful life of lying down and counting money that I had imagined more than a month ago was right in front of me. I stretched my body and felt that I had become a little lazy after having help.

"Ah Sheng?" Si Li entered the courtyard and saw Ah Sheng coming towards her. "What are you busy with? Let's put it aside for now. Do you remember when Lai Ju opened, Ah Fu helped to find the kids in South City to do the promotion?"

Ah Sheng stopped and shook his head, "We made more than ten cents at that time."

"You learn from me. Find people to spread this little tune, especially the tea stalls and roasted nuts shops frequented by servants in various mansions. Make sure people hear it." With the first success, Si Li is now very convinced of the power of tongue twisters. Although she can't make up a literary tongue twister now that Meng Taotao is not around, she can still make up a few brainwashing divine songs with the influence of modern culture. If the servants learn it, compared with the large base of the master, such a little tune will spread quickly, so there is no need to worry about others not knowing it.

"I won't accept any gifts this year. The only gifts I will accept are from Wanglaiju~Wanglaiju!" Ah Sheng repeated the tune that Si Li taught him. The ordinary and even crude lyrics were particularly memorable. After reciting it twice, he unconsciously sang it in the same tone as Si Li.

Si Li, "..." Okay, it's confirmed, the brainwashing gg worked great, and it started playing in a loop in her mind.

Strike while the iron is hot and urge Ah Sheng to go out. Si Li wrote a few drafts about the concept of glutinous rice cake gift boxes and glutinous rice cakes with painted patterns, integrated them into a letter and asked someone to send it to Guan Zhiyu. Now that GG is available, the storage of supplies must naturally keep up, so as to avoid having nothing to sell when GG starts selling daifuku at Qionglaiju tomorrow.

Her good stepmother probably thought that this kind of food was new and not widely known, and that she wanted to use it as a chance for Si Tang to cheat. Now that Si Li knew about it, she wanted to make sure that this was completely unfeasible.

Since Shopkeeper Tang was injured, his spirits have been very low. The communication channels with carpenters and other suppliers in the city, which he had strictly guarded in the past, have now been handed over to Si Li.

In his words, "I am under the management of the shopkeeper, so what does this mean to me?" He was generous, but Si Li could not take advantage of him, so she simply converted the money into the shares of the dessert shop, which had been merged into Wanglaiju. Now, with the milk tea recipe he made up, Shopkeeper Tang can get 10% of the profit even if he does not work, which makes him happily recuperate every day, and he only cares about taking care of the new children in the nursery hall.

Ah Quan was one of the people who was close to the shopkeeper Tang. Si Li saw it but did not stop him and let him run most of the errands related to the dessert shop, including the custom-made wooden gift boxes for the glutinous rice dumplings.

"Don't worry, shopkeeper!" Ah Quan was called by Si Li. He ran around busy and sweated all over, but he didn't complain at all. Instead, his eyes were full of fighting spirit.

Si Li saw the pure and honest enthusiasm in Xiao Que's eyes again in A Quan and the children of the Orphanage. She curled her lips and nodded with a smile, "Well, go early and come back early."

---

Unlike the high-profile appearance of the glutinous rice dumpling daifuku displayed in the glass bowl sent by the Jian family the next day, the menu of the scorpion hotpot was quietly hung on the wall of Wanglaiju. Like the candied sweet potato and ice jelly, the number of units sold for the day was marked at the end of the menu.

Three pots, with wine.

This quantity was decided by Si Li after careful consideration. The scorpion hotpot was obviously different from the previous additions and the effect was much more obvious. So preventing diners from having accidents after eating it became the top priority. If the quantity was any larger, even if all the waiters at Wanglaiju went up, they would not be able to hold back the diners.

When it first appeared, the scorpion hotpot menu was completely ignored. With the glutinous rice balls and the white jade balls in the glass bowl in front, the appearance was so pleasing that the diners who entered the restaurant had their eyes fixed on them.

The glass bowl that traveled across the ocean and was worth a fortune was so beautiful that the food inside it seemed to be more valuable.

The children in South City have been taught by Ah Sheng, and a wave of modern fashion is still in the process of forming. Most of the diners who have just stepped into the store have not yet heard Si Li's newly composed lyrics, and are simply attracted by the beauty of the glutinous rice cakes.

Someone else had already heard the children's little tune and smiled at the welcoming Wang Ting, "No wonder they say that gifts are only accepted from visitors. With this snack, if you all give glass cups, then every household will have to choose your family as the holiday gift this year."

He didn't realize that he was speaking in the tone of GG minor. Wang Ting only knew the general words of what Ah Sheng did yesterday, but he didn't know the tune. Listening to this strange voice, he secretly had a headache, but he still had a smile on his face, "The glass cups shipped back from the outer sea cannot be given away, but we can consider the glass cups produced in Daning. I have to ask the shopkeeper first. Today's glutinous rice cakes are made by Wanglaiju and Guanji Pastry Shop. To thank you for your favor in recent days, each person will be given a free one to taste with the meal."

Si Li was just about to go out with the housekeeper who was sending the Jian family a reply letter. When she heard Wang Ting mention the gift of glass cups, she paused, "Madame Qiu, wait a moment. I'll go with you. I suddenly remembered something and I need to discuss it with my uncle in person."

Aunt Qiu was a woman with gray hair and a kind face, which made people feel close to her. After hearing this, she said, "I will ask someone to drive the carriage to the back door. Miss, would you like to get in the carriage from the back door?"

There was nothing wrong with her manners and attitude. She wasn't too intimate to make people uncomfortable, nor did she make people feel alienated. Her eyes were smiling, a little brighter than before. If Si Li didn't know what she had just said, she would have thought she had done a great deed.

Si Li pursed her lips. After the Jian family noticed her discomfort in getting along with others, they followed her wishes and kept their distance, not even inviting her to live in the Jian family. But judging from the identity of the nanny who came to deliver the message, as Mrs. Jian's wet nurse, the attitude of the Jian family was clearly that they were holding her in their hands for fear of dropping her, and holding her in their mouths for fear of melting her.

But she is not the original owner. She can use the Jian family to fight back against the Si family, but it is too difficult for her to accept the family love that the original owner has never enjoyed, or to be indifferent to the kindness of others.

Unable to respond emotionally, Si Li could only choose to repay Jian's family in another way.

Half an hour later, at the Jian family.

Jian Bingde clenched his fists, somewhat doubting his ears, and could not hide his distress and disappointment on his face, "Ali, why are you so distant? You gave me one tenth of the cost of the glass box and the profit from the sale of the food you put in it. What did you gain? In your heart, is your uncle such a person?"

He was deceived by the Si family for so long, and finally reunited with his niece. But perhaps because he had not been with her for so long, he missed too much time, so that Ah Li was not close to him, and even their relationship was particularly stiff. He thought he could take it slowly, and as long as he was always nice to Si Li, he could make up for the past mistakes. When he heard that Si Li came to his house today, he was almost ecstatic, thinking that his niece had figured it out, but who knew that he would hear Si Li say a lot of profit-seeking words.

But on second thought, although such words that do not take any advantage are hurtful, being able to settle accounts so clearly with relatives, how much loss did this child suffer when they were not around?

Jian Bingde's eyes turned red and he was speechless for a long time.

That's right, Wang Ting's words inspired Si Li to think of using a glass box as a gift box to hold glutinous rice cakes. Paper boxes are too cheap, wooden boxes are too ordinary, but glass boxes can just show the value of the gift. She came with good intentions, and in order to repay the Jian family for their requests over the past few days, she also gave the most generous rewards in business, but she saw Jian Bingde's face was covered with injuries.

Jian Bingde choked up in his throat, breathing heavily, and he suppressed his anger. Mrs. Jian, who had come back specially for Si Li, listened for a long time and finally spoke, "Ali, do whatever you want to do. Your family is your last resort, so you don't have to feel indebted. We are very happy that you are willing to come to us."

"I..." Si Li opened her mouth, but finally fell silent. She knew that kindness could not be repaid with money.

But she couldn't tell the original owner's uncle, who had a bad temper, a very straight-man hobby, and expressed love by buying things for others, that the niece he wanted to love was no longer there. She also couldn't deceive her cheerful and sensible aunt, who was a strong woman, so that she could feel at ease and enjoy this family love.

This is a regret that is already doomed.