Chapter 111 My Master is Really Amazing
Does marrying into an ordinary family mean there will be no more troubles?
Of course not. Ordinary families would only have more troubles. Shen Wantang had been married before in her previous life. Outsiders saw her as a glamorous Mrs. Liao, but only she knew the hardships and grievances she suffered inside.
When a woman marries, she marries not only the man, but also his entire family.
Just thinking about how difficult and fault-finding Liao Youhe's mother was makes Shen Wantang feel like she'd had enough.
Princess Ning had clearly never experienced poverty. She had no idea that even the smallest things in an ordinary family could escalate into a major conflict, from the mundane matters of cooking oil and salt to the grand schemes of acquiring property and ensuring the continuation of the family line—her mother-in-law would interfere in everything.
She clearly doesn't understand anything, but she insists on acting like she knows everything and teaching her daughter-in-law how to do things.
Princess Ning's mother-in-law was the Empress Dowager. She did not need to live with her mother-in-law and only needed to visit the palace to pay her respects from time to time. Therefore, she had never experienced the irreconcilable conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law that ordinary families often face.
Shen Wantang had experienced this before, so she truly cherishes having a mother-in-law like Princess Ning in this life.
Looking at Shen Wantang's face, Princess Ning saw that her expression was sincere and her smile genuine, so she knew that she was not lying and that she truly felt that marrying into the royal family was a blessing.
She couldn't help but pat Shen Wantang's hand. She wondered what kind of life this child had lived in the Shen family. Yet, she was so grateful after coming to the Prince's Mansion. Her stepmother was probably just as rumored, not someone easy to get along with.
"Good child, I'm relieved to see you think this way. You've been working so hard these past few days, treating Yuan'er's injuries and managing the household. Yuan'er is almost fully recovered now, so you don't need to worry about him anymore. I heard there are several new clothing and cosmetic shops in the capital. Have your maid accompany you out for a stroll. Put all the expenses in my name, and you can buy whatever you want."
Shen Wantang smiled brightly: "Thank you, Mother!"
Her cousin had already brought a large batch of new fabrics from Jiangnan back to the capital a few days ago, but because of Xiao Qingyuan's injury, she hadn't been able to find an opportunity to leave the mansion.
Unexpectedly, her mother-in-law was so tolerant and open-minded that she immediately urged her to go out and shop.
So after Princess Ning left, Shen Wantang tidied herself up, changed into a newly made wide-sleeved moon-flower dress, and went out with Qin Xin and Du Juan.
Their first stop was Zuixianlou.
It was lunchtime, and Zuixianlou was bustling with noise and activity, a stark contrast to when they last visited.
Qin Xin and Du Juan stood in front of Shen Wantang, blocking the diners coming and going to prevent anyone from accidentally bumping into her.
"Princess Consort, with so many people, are there any private rooms available?"
"Your Highness, their restaurant has changed so much! Last time we came, it was empty, but this time it's packed! You've helped their restaurant become so popular that we might not even have a seat ourselves!"
Shen Wantang was also thinking about this: "I guess there really won't be any seats left, but we can buy some and eat it on the carriage, and then we can eat it on the way to the fabric shop."
But before she could finish speaking, Li Yao's voice rang out, her tone filled with surprise and excitement: "What brings the Crown Princess here today? Please come in, please come upstairs!"
Shen Wantang turned to look at her and saw that she was still dressed in men's clothing. She smiled gently at her and said, "I saw that your restaurant is doing very well, so I came to join in the fun. I wonder if the restaurant still has any private rooms?"
"Yes, of course! I specially reserved a room for you!"
As Li Yao spoke, she led her upstairs and then took her to the private room where she had eaten last time.
Shen Wantang was surprised: "You've kept this private room like this all this time?"
Li Yao closed the door to the private room and said with a smile, "Of course, after all, the Crown Princess is practically my partner. Isn't it normal to give a partner a private room?"
Shen Wantang chuckled, thinking to herself that Li Yao was a good partner.
Qin Xin and Du Juan, standing on either side of Shen Wantang, exchanged a glance and both saw pride in each other's eyes.
Look how powerful their mistress is! She only came to Zuixianlou to give their head chef some pointers, and Zuixianlou was brought back to life and its business is booming in the blink of an eye.
Then, the master directly became a partner of Zuixianlou. Zuixianlou was so full of customers, but the young master still insisted on reserving a private room for the master, waiting and hoping that she would come to eat!
Soon, the table was filled with all kinds of delicacies, including dishes that Shen Wantang had previously instructed them on, as well as snacks and desserts that their chef had recently developed.
Whatever it was, as long as it was available at Zuixianlou, Li Yao brought Shen Wantang a portion, filling the table to the brim, almost overflowing.
Shen Wantang would taste a bite or two of each dish, pointing out its merits and demerits, and then telling Li Yao how to improve it.
Li Yao seemed like a diligent and studious student, listening and taking notes as she went, afraid of missing a single word Shen Wantang said.
Because Shen Wantang not only changed the business situation of Zuixianlou, but also unintentionally changed her fate.
Originally, her parents had been pressuring her to get married and forbidding her from running the Drunken Immortal Pavilion disguised as a man. They planned to hand the pavilion over to her younger brother.
But ever since Shen Wantang helped make Zuixianlou's business thrive, her father has never mentioned making her get married again. He even praised her for the first time, saying that her business acumen was no less than that of a man, and that it wouldn't be a bad idea to let her manage the restaurant.
Moreover, the restaurant has been making a fortune lately, and her purse has visibly bulged. So she lavishly bought her mother a piece of the most fashionable, dreamlike, light blue fabric. This fabric has a beautiful name, "Water Clouds and Smoke," and it is soft, smooth, lustrous, and wrinkle-resistant, making it very popular among the noblewomen of the capital.
The first person to wear this color was Princess Ning. She wore it when she entered the palace, and when the people in the palace saw that it looked good, they also started wearing it.
Then this trend quickly swept through the entire capital. Now, Shui Yunyan is extremely rare and hard to find. Anyone who can wear Shui Yunyan to a banquet or outing is guaranteed to attract a lot of attention, and many people will even come up to ask you which shop you bought Shui Yunyan from.
After her mother received the Shuiyunyan cigarettes she gave her, she attracted envious glances wherever she went, so much so that her mother had been especially loving and kind to her these past few days, and had stopped pressuring her to get married.
Having tasted the sweetness of making money, Li Yao became addicted and vowed to completely surpass Qingyunlou, turn Zuixianlou into the number one restaurant in the capital, and then open branches in other places to make even more money.
When Shen Wantang came out of Zuixianlou again, an hour had passed.
She sat in the carriage and shook her head helplessly: "Being a partner is not easy. I thought I would be out in half an hour at most."
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