Chapter 44 Unlimited Wealth
At first, Sheng An was also worried, fearing that Miao Ya'er would suffer at the hands of the Sun family mother and son.
Unexpectedly, the timid and cowardly Miao Ya'er has completely risen up. Every time the Sun family mother and son join forces to teach her a lesson, she picks up a sharp kitchen knife or axe, closes her eyes, and hacks wildly.
On one occasion, a kitchen knife struck Sun Youzhi's hand directly, nearly severing his fingers, which terrified both Sun's mother and son.
Because of this, the Sun family mother and son went around saying that Miao Ya'er had gone mad and was attacking people with a knife at home every day.
But the neighbors aren't blind. They carry tofu around the streets and alleys every day and sell it. Is this something a madman would do?
The Sun family mother and son had no choice but to cry and say that Miao Ya'er was going to kill them. The neighbors didn't believe them at all and instead accused them of deliberately picking a fight and bullying a poor person who had no family to rely on.
The Sun family mother and son were going crazy, so they went to their relatives to cry and plead for advice.
But Miao Ya'er was even more ruthless. Before the Sun family members came to her door, she stabbed herself in the arm.
She displayed her bloody wounds to her relatives and friends, her eyes red as she said nothing.
Now, the Sun family members no longer sided with the Sun mother and son, and even warned them not to go too far.
Otherwise, if someone dies and goes to jail, the Sun family's sons who are studying for the imperial examinations will be completely cut off from any chance of an official career.
The Sun family mother and son were at their wits' end, their nerves on edge, fearing they would become victims of Miao Ya'er's knife.
After yet another unsuccessful attempt to resist, Sun Youzhi finally lost his temper, his face flushed red as he roared, "Miao, I'm going to divorce you! I'm determined to divorce you! Get out of the Sun family!"
Miao Ya'er stepped forward, carrying an axe, and coaxed softly:
“My husband, from the day I married you at fifteen, I belong to you in life and in death. If you dare to divorce me, I will kill you and my mother right now, and then I will commit suicide to find you. In short, our family must be together.”
These harsh words effectively put the Sun family mother and son in their grip.
Miao Ya'er was fearless and willing to risk everything, but how could they bear to die?
From that day on, the Sun family mother and son behaved themselves and dared not cause any more trouble for Miao Ya'er.
Sheng An had been keeping an eye on the Sun family. Seeing that the Sun mother and son had calmed down, she breathed a sigh of relief and gave Miao Ya'er a thumbs up, who had a smile on her face: "Great job!"
Miao Ya'er was a little shy, and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Sheng An: "It was you who woke me up that day, otherwise I'm afraid I would have already jumped into the river and drowned, and I wouldn't have been able to hold on until today."
Sheng An shook his head: "You're the one who's determined to earn your own way out."
If Miao Ya'er refuses to wake up and continues to wallow in the mire, even a god couldn't save her.
After exchanging a few words, Sheng An asked, "Sister Miao, what are your plans for the future? Have you ever thought about leaving the Sun family and living the life you want?"
To live the life you want?
Miao Ya'er was stunned for a moment, then smiled and slowly shook her head: "Sister Sheng, I have nowhere to go if I leave the Sun family. If I stay, at least I will have a roof over my head and won't go hungry."
Sheng An sighed inwardly, but could understand her choice.
Miao Ya'er's family is unreliable. I'm afraid that the day after she leaves the Sun family, the Miao family will sell her off and get another dowry. She will most likely fall into another pit of fire.
Miao Ya'er has now suppressed the Sun family mother and son, and her life in the Sun family is much better. It's normal that she doesn't want to take any more risks.
More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Sheng An came to the Ding family for the last time to cook for Ding Tianci.
Ding Tianci has changed drastically. His weight has increased from over 60 jin to 100 jin.
Although she still looks as thin as a sheet of paper, her exposed face and hands are noticeably fuller, and her complexion is worlds apart from what it was two months ago.
With Jianying's help, Ding Tianci was able to walk. After another month or so of rest, he will be able to walk independently without any problem.
My digestive system has also recovered. A few days ago, I tried the food prepared by the cook in the mansion. Except for the first two times when I felt nauseous, I was able to eat light dishes without vomiting.
Seeing Ding Tianci recover to this state, Sheng An felt a great sense of accomplishment and served him the two dishes and soup she had prepared for him that day.
A crispy pork chop that everyone, young and old alike; a refreshing stir-fried water spinach; and a nourishing winter melon and mutton soup.
As soon as the food was placed on the table, Master Ding came over, drawn by the aroma.
He looked utterly delighted as he inhaled the fragrance that filled the air.
Seeing his grandfather like this, Ding Tianci was speechless: "Grandpa, today's food is too meaty, you can't eat too much."
Grandpa is getting old. This kind of physique was fine when he was young, but now it may become a death sentence. The doctor has repeatedly warned Grandpa to eat less and lose weight.
"Madam Sheng won't be coming tomorrow, so Grandpa must eat as much as he can at this meal."
Old Master Ding showed none of the seriousness and composure expected of a head of the family. He waved his fat hand and urged Changfu to serve him rice, looking as eager as if he wanted to snatch food from his grandson.
Ding Tianci shook his head helplessly and looked at Sheng An expectantly: "Madam Sheng, you said you wanted to open a restaurant. I wonder how the preparations are going?"
There are still two months until September, and he can't wait any longer.
Sheng An shook her head and told a little lie: "I've been busy lately and haven't started preparing yet."
A while ago, she asked a dentist to help her find a suitable place to open a restaurant, but she hasn't found a suitable one yet.
Either the rent is too high, or the landlord won't allow you to open a restaurant.
However, Sheng An is very easygoing and not in a hurry to find a house. Anyway, he is quite happy selling wontons every day.
She wasn't in a hurry, but the Ding family grandfather and grandson were.
“Madam Sheng, running a restaurant is no small matter. We should start preparing early so that we can open for business as soon as possible.”
Mr. Ding touched his belly, which looked like he was nine months pregnant. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that it was smaller than before.
"Mr. Ding, to be honest, it's not easy to find a suitable place to open a restaurant, so we may not be able to open in September."
Sheng An explained his difficulties and gave Ding Tianci an apologetic smile: "I said last time that the meeting would be held in September, but I'm afraid I'll have to break my promise."
Ding Tianci shook his head, and just as he was about to speak, Master Ding asked in confusion, "Qingzhou City is prosperous, so finding a shop shouldn't be difficult. I wonder what kind of shop Madam Sheng is looking for?"
Sheng An's eyes flickered, and she straightened her expression: "The restaurant I'm going to open is different from the ones on the market."
Master Ding immediately perked up: "Could you explain in detail?"
Sheng An smiled and said, "I can't tell others, but I have no worries about it with Master Ding."
These words made Master Ding burst into laughter: "Haha, Madam Sheng is indeed a straightforward person!"
Sheng An offered a few polite compliments before earnestly explaining his vision for the restaurant: "I plan to serve private kitchen dishes and accept customized orders, so the location needs to be private; street-front shops are not suitable."
The private kitchen she runs targets the mid-to-high-end market, catering to wealthy individuals like Mr. Ding who own businesses.
There are many wealthy people in Qingzhou City, so she is not worried about the restaurant not having business after it opens.
Once she has trained a few qualified apprentices and accumulated some capital, it won't be too late for her to open an affordable restaurant and make money from the general public.
"Madam Sheng, your idea is excellent!"
Master Ding looked at Sheng An with admiration. He never expected that a woman from the countryside would know how to use her greatest advantage to take a different path.
In this way, they don't compete much with the restaurants and eateries on the market, but they can precisely attract the truly wealthy.
"You flatter me, Master Ding. I don't know yet if it will work out."
Sheng An smiled modestly, not letting go of the opportunity to curry favor with Master Ding: "If my restaurant can open smoothly, I hope Master Ding and Young Master Ding will give me their support."
Master Ding stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "It is an honor for us, grandfather and grandson, to be able to taste Madam Sheng's delicious food!"
Madam Sheng's culinary skills are extraordinary; it's likely that the grandfather and grandson will have to wait in line to get a table after the restaurant opens.
The two exchanged compliments, and then Master Ding gave Changfu a wink.
Changfu immediately took out a square wooden box and respectfully presented it with both hands.
Master Ding took it and personally handed it to Madam Sheng: "Thanks to Madam Sheng, my body has been restored to health. This is a small token of my appreciation, I hope Madam Sheng will accept it with a smile."
Sheng An took a step back: "Master Ding, I have already accepted the previous gifts of gratitude, so I cannot accept this one."
In just two months, Master Ding sent several cartloads of thank-you gifts, totaling more than three hundred taels of silver, far exceeding her initial expectations.
She thought those were the reward, but unexpectedly, Master Ding took out another box, which was obviously the real payment.
“Madam Sheng, you saved my grandson’s life. If you don’t accept this gift as a token of your gratitude, you will be disrespecting the Ding family.”
Master Ding deliberately frowned, not expecting that Sheng An would actually use those cartloads of daily necessities as a thank-you gift.
Ding Tianci also chimed in, "Grandpa is right. My life was saved by Madam Sheng. It would be worth it even if I had to give up half of my wealth. The Ding family can afford to give you this. I just hope Madam Sheng doesn't mind."
Having said all that, it would be impolite for Sheng An to refuse again, so he stepped forward and generously accepted the box: "Thank you both, then I won't be polite."
The Ding family was very happy and began to enjoy the food on the table.
Once again, Sheng An boarded the Ding family's large carriage and couldn't help but open the rather light box, immediately spotting the envelope on top.
Feeling its thickness, she had a vague idea of what was inside.
Sure enough, upon opening the envelope, a property deed appeared before Sheng An's eyes—
It is a private residence located in the north of the city.
Based on Sheng An's understanding of residential property prices in Qingzhou City during this period, this house, covering an area of fifteen acres, is worth at least three thousand taels!
Sheng An felt her hands burning, and took a deep breath to calm her wildly beating heart.
We've struck it rich!
You've struck it rich!
The drama of getting rich overnight actually unfolded in her life!
This feeling is simply... absolutely amazing!
Sheng An danced with joy, her heart screeching like a groundhog. In her excitement, she couldn't help but pound the car wall a few times, and even the pain in her hands couldn't stop her ecstatic mood.
The coachman outside was startled, thinking he had made a mistake and crashed somewhere.
After looking at the property deed several times, Sheng An finally put it in the envelope with a silly smile and began to count the silver notes in the box.
Indeed, Master Ding not only generously gifted a mansion worth three thousand taels of silver, but also gave him a stack of silver notes.
The silver notes were worth one hundred taels each, and there were twenty of them in the box, totaling two thousand taels.
This incredible wealth has finally come to Sheng An!
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