Hearing Cheng Yue say this, Chen Lin and the other two didn't ask any more questions. Their mother knew more than they did, and they would listen to whatever she said.
And the fact that Mother is so calm shows that she knows what she's doing.
The family pretended not to know anything and pushed the cart straight to the dock.
Li Manying cursed herself for being an idiot, but happily followed him all the way to the dock. She found a suitable spot, patted her bottom, and sat down on a stone block, secretly observing him.
Seeing Cheng Yue set up her stall, she realized that Cheng Yue was actually there to do business. Even if someone told her, she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes!
Even if Cheng Yue's cooking wasn't bad before, running a business isn't like cooking for family. Does Cheng Yue have that kind of skill?
Seeing Cheng Yue's family with rosy complexions and wearing new clothes, he couldn't help but curse inwardly a few times.
It seems my mother-in-law was right. This is just a temporary smugness after the family split up. They've forgotten who they are and are enjoying all the good food, drinks, and clothes.
No wonder he came to set up a stall, he must be broke and had no money for food. Li Manying snorted coldly, "Serves him right!"
She wanted to see what good things Cheng Yue could come up with. Who knew if she might offend someone and become a laughingstock?
Cheng Yue had no idea that Li Manying was imagining so much. If she did, she would definitely praise her for her vivid imagination.
As the sun rose higher, Li Manying impatiently pulled a leaf to shield her eyes. No one had eaten breakfast this early in the morning; why hadn't Cheng Yue left yet? She was being watched while she was sneaking around here.
Before long, Li Manying smelled the aroma of meat and her mouth watered. How could Cheng Yue have money to buy meat?
She hasn't eaten meat in ages; she'll definitely buy two meat buns to satisfy her craving when she gets back. As for Zhao Shi, just ignore her.
It was almost noon, and all the workers swarmed around Cheng Yue, greeting her familiarly.
"Hey girl, I'm back for noodles again, extra spicy this time!"
"Me too! The chili oil is so flavorful, it's really satisfying to eat!"
"Absolutely! I get so hungry if I don't eat it for a day! Hahaha!"
The noodle stall was crowded with people, and Li Manying could only hear shouts. Now she was completely dumbfounded. What was going on?
What is Cheng Yue doing? Her business is so good! With so many people, how much money must she be making in a day?!
Li Manying held her breath and waited until the queue thinned out before craning her neck to get a good look.
She finally saw it clearly; it was a strange shelf, and what came out were noodles! Black noodles, no less.
Business is so good, no wonder they're buying so much sweet potato flour! With so many people, even if each bowl costs five coins, they'd make several hundred coins a day!
Li Manying's chest throbbed, whether from excitement or jealousy, she couldn't tell.
After packing up her stall, Cheng Yue went straight to Wu's place. Li Manying didn't dare to lose her; she knew Cheng Yue must have gone to buy ingredients.
Looking at the pig offal Cheng Yue was carrying, Li Manying glanced at it with disdain. It was indeed cheap, but if not cooked properly, it would have a strange taste. Why would Cheng Yue use this to make food? And why would so many people eat it?
Li Manying followed Cheng Yue back to the village, looking puzzled, and even forgot to buy meat buns.
After Cheng Yue and the others passed the village entrance, Chen Tong turned around and looked back. "Mom, Auntie is home. She followed us all the way without saying anything. What is she thinking?"
Cheng Yue said confidently, "If it doesn't flare up now, it means it's waiting for the right time to do so. We'll find out tonight."
Li Manying is shrewd but impatient. She's been following her all morning, and I bet she's already full of questions. It won't be a good time to act this afternoon. At most, she'll have to come and see her "secret recipe" tonight.
And she will definitely come in person, after all, she won't let others know about the secret recipe.
She'll catch Li Manying like a turtle in a jar and teach her a lesson.
On the other side, as soon as Li Manying entered the courtyard, she saw Zhao staring at her with displeasure. She quickly went up to her and said mysteriously:
"Mom, I followed my second son's wife all morning. Guess what she did?"
Li Manying left early in the morning and didn't return until after noon. She didn't even cook. Zhao wanted to scold her, but when she heard that Li Manying had gone to follow Cheng Yue, she had no choice but to hold back for the time being.
She rubbed her empty stomach and snorted, "Spit it out if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say. You've learned to play dumb with your mother now?"
Li Manying was preoccupied with making money, so she ignored what Zhao was saying and embellished her account of what had happened that day.
Zhao's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious? My second son's wife can earn one tael of silver a day?"
The eldest brother's monthly wage is only two taels! One tael a day, that's thirty taels a month! Enough to build three brick houses.
“Mother, how could I dare to lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. The copper coins were going into my second son’s wife’s pocket with a clatter, and the bag was full.”
After Li Manying finished speaking, she glanced at Zhao Shi and continued, "That money should have been yours, Mother. Your second son's wife has this skill, why didn't she go into business before the family was divided? She only started doing it after the family was divided, it was intentional!"
Zhao became angrier the more she thought about it, feeling as if she had lost several hundred taels of silver. If she had known that her second son's wife could earn money, why did she have to divide the family property?
She could be living a life of luxury right now, but Li Manying instigated the division of the family property. Who knows how many years it will take for her two grandsons to pass the imperial examinations?
What's even more infuriating is that the family division agreement clearly states in black and white that Chen An's family doesn't need to pay her any tributes, and she will never ask Chen An to support her in her old age.
"It's all because of you, you troublemaker! If it weren't for you, I would be living a good life long ago!"
Even the tuition for small trees and shrubs isn't a problem. Do you have a grudge against your family?! You're making life miserable for everyone!
Li Manying took a deep breath. She knew Zhao would say that—taking all the good things for herself and pushing all the bad things onto others.
But that wasn't the important thing right now, so he could only try to appease her by saying, "Mother, it's my fault, but you didn't even realize that my second son's wife was hiding so well."
"It's already like this, there's no use blaming anyone now. We need to figure out how to win back the business, that's the important thing!"
Zhao glared at Li Manying. "What? You've come up with a plan?"
“Mother, think about it, my second son’s wife went to set up her stall early in the morning, so she definitely has to finish making it the night before.”
I saw what ingredients she bought. All we need to do is sneak into the kitchen after they're asleep tonight and see how they're cooking.
The secret recipe is definitely not going to be stolen; Cheng Yue will surely hide it away. However, there are only a few seasonings available for purchase, so we can find out by tasting them.
"It's just pig offal, right? She just doesn't believe that if Cheng Yue can make it smell good, she can't."
And those sweet potato noodles, she didn't have that wooden frame, but rolling them by hand is just as good.
After a long silence, Zhao lifted her eyelids and said, "Let's find someone else to investigate first."
The second son's family is heartless. If they find out, they'll definitely turn their backs on everyone and do whatever they want. Her lips are still sore.
To be fair, Zhao finally showed some intelligence, but how could Li Manying possibly agree?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com