Seeing that things were going well, Wang En became even more diligent, promising Liu Xiangzhu that he would take care of her for the rest of his life and provide for the elderly couple until their deaths.
Finally, Liu Nian and his wife arranged a marriage between the two.
Just then, a woman came with four young children, looking for her relatives, saying she was Wang En's wife.
Wang En didn't want to admit it, but the four children kept calling him "Dad," forcing the Liu family to accept reality.
In the end, the woman simply stayed in the shop and refused to leave. She ate and slept there, making it impossible to do business. Faced with the pointing fingers and whispers of the people around her, Liu Nian had no choice but to close the shop.
Wang En had no choice but to admit that the woman was indeed his wife. They had come from another place to escape famine and had been separated along the way. Wang En had thought they were dead.
Now that they've come knocking on his door, he can't abandon his wife and children, otherwise he'd become a Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife and children). He even demands that Liu Xiangzhu accept them.
After all, he married his first wife, and Liu Xiangzhu came later.
Seeing Liu Xiangzhu crying her eyes out, Liu Nian felt a pang of heartache, but he had to make a decision. He steeled his resolve and said, "Since you are already married, let's call off the marriage with Xiangzhu."
Unexpectedly, Wang En not only disagreed, but also claimed that he wanted to take responsibility for Liu Xiangzhu and take her as a concubine.
The woman's eyes lit up, and she agreed to her husband taking a concubine.
This disgusted Liu Xiangzhu, who picked up a stick and chased them away.
Wang En and the woman refused to leave the doorway, cursing and swearing that he hadn't been paid his wages.
They finally stopped after extorting fifty taels of silver from Liu Nian.
Liu Xiangzhu became the laughing stock of Ma Xing Street, and her marriage was delayed as a result.
Liu Xiangzhu's mother couldn't bear the blow and fell ill.
Wang En took the fifty taels of silver that Liu Nian had given him and rented a shop opposite Liu's shop, where he also started selling wontons, using the same ingredients and recipe that Liu Nian had given him.
When Liu Nian realized what was happening and tried to reopen the shop, it was already closed down; all the regular customers had gone to Wang Ji across the street.
Aunt Liu's illness worsened at this time. After Wang En extorted fifty taels of silver, the Liu family, which was already struggling financially, was in even worse shape.
Liu Xiangzhu had no choice but to risk borrowing fifty taels of silver at exorbitant interest rates to pay for her mother's medical treatment. After nearly two years of compounding interest, the amount had grown to two hundred taels.
"Thank you for saving my life today, Miss. From now on, Xiangzhu belongs to you."
Shen Danru helped her up.
"Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, what are your plans for the future?"
Mr. and Mrs. Liu exchanged a glance, sighed, and said, "Let's sell the shop to pay off our debts first."
"Father, we can't sell the shop. Where will we live if we lose it? Are you really going to take Mother out to beg for food? Mother's health has always been poor."
"Uncle Liu, how much are you looking to sell this shop for?"
Shen Danru looked around. Liu Ji's shop was indeed in a good location. It would be hard to find a place like this if you were opening a new shop. If the price was right, it would be easy to sell.
Liu Nian said, "The location of this shop is okay, but it's too small. There's only one room on the outside, and two rooms inside plus a small courtyard. The rent is twenty taels a year. We still have more than six months left on our rent. If we add the pots, pans and utensils, we can get twenty taels."
“Uncle Liu, how about this? I’ll take over Liu’s shop, and you can stay and help me look after it. We can discuss the wages later.” Shen Danru said gently, “However, I will pay you for the shop later. I don’t have that much money right now.”
The green sandalwood jade pendant sold for 110 taels, and 100 taels were paid for Liu Shaoqing. Currently, only 10 taels of silver remain, which still needs to be used to purchase ingredients for opening the shop.
Liu Nian said bitterly, "No, no, Xiangzhu's life was saved by you, Miss. We are grateful enough. This shop is not worth much. It will belong to you from now on. In fact, we still owe you eighty taels."
Shen Danru browsed through the system shop and found that there was indeed a wonton recipe. However, at her current level, she could only buy the beginner level, which cost 30 points, about the same price as a durian. Fortunately, she could afford it.
Without hesitation, I bought the ingredients and then purchased another ten kilograms of them according to the recipe, spending five points.
Fortunately, the products in the system store are not expensive, except for durian, which is a bit pricey.
She gave Liu Nian eight taels of silver to buy various ingredients for wontons and to make a signboard for Chen Ji.
“Miss, aren’t we going to Shangqing Village in Ningzhou? Are we going to keep this shop to sell wontons?” Qingtan couldn’t help but ask.
"Silly girl, I want to redeem your jade pendant and earn some more travel money before we leave."
Fortunately, the system gave us plenty of time. It only takes five days to travel from Shengjing to Shangqing Village by carriage, so we still have half a month to spare.
Qingtan had no objection to Shen Danru's decision; listening to her mistress was always the right thing to do.
With everything prepared that evening, Shen Danru started making wontons, chopping the meat and seasoning the filling in one go. Liu Xiangzhu and Qingtan helped roll out the wrappers, and in no time, the wontons were ready.
Once the wontons are cooked, the moment the lid is lifted, white smoke billows out and a fragrant aroma wafts out. The small wontons tumble in the pot, each one looking incredibly tempting.
Even Liu Nian came over because he smelled the aroma.
Shen Danru scooped one out with a spoon and put it in a bowl, then handed it to Liu Nian: "Uncle Liu, please try my wontons and give me some feedback."
The moment Liu Nian couldn't wait to pick it up and put it in his mouth, he couldn't help but squint his eyes and savor it carefully.
One bite, and the oil sizzles and flows from your mouth to your heart.
It leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth and an unforgettable aftertaste.
He gave a thumbs up and couldn't help but praise, "It smells so good, really good!"
Qingtan was also very tempted, so she ladled out five bowls with a large spoon and sat down in the wonton shop with Aunt Liu.
They abandoned all manners when faced with delicious food and began to wolf it down.
We were only halfway through our meal when an uninvited guest arrived.
Liu Xiangzhu's face turned pale, her eyes wide with anger: "Wang En, what are you doing here? Get out, you're not welcome here."
Wang En said with a grin, "Xiangzhu, I heard that someone came to collect a debt today. I'm just concerned about you. Why don't you marry me as soon as possible? That way, I can pay off your debt for you."
Shen Danru turned her head to look at Wang En when she heard the voice. He looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with an average appearance and shifty eyes that gave him a thieving look.
As Shen Danru turned her head, Wang En also glanced in her direction. This glance was enough to make Wang En freeze, his eyes widening in disbelief. Whose daughter was this? She was so beautiful.
How come I've never heard Liu Xiangzhu mention that they have such a relative?
If he could marry her, why would he need to marry Liu Xiangzhu?
That's what he was thinking, so he asked, "And who is this?"
Qingtan also saw through Wang En's intentions, and narrowed her eyes, saying, "Who do you think you are? You are not qualified to know who my young lady is. Get out."
Wang En tried to move closer, but Qing Tan kicked him away: "Get out of my way, you eyesore."
The door slammed shut.
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