Chapter 116 Reopening the Teahouse The group tacitly agreed that no one mentioned Li Lang…
Xuan Ying's heart, which had been torn apart by a cat since she saw Li Lang's corpse, was now slightly calmed down.
He turned and ran a few steps before sitting down on the jujube tree in the backyard.
After returning to her room, Zhuang Shutong rested for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. After that, she acted as if nothing had happened, her daily routine and diet remaining unchanged.
This woman showed no sign of sadness whatsoever.
After fussing around in the courtyard, Zhuang Shutong went to the courtyard where Li Yang was resting. She said a few words to Chen Junbai at the door and then went inside to see her daughter.
A moment later, she left her daughter's yard and ran to Zhuang Ziyang's study. Just as she was about to reach the study door, she seemed to remember something and turned to go to the kitchen.
Xuan Ying followed Zhuang Shutong around, and sat on the eaves opposite the kitchen, looking rather unwell.
Zhuang Shutong was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, her face pale and grime chapped as she worked with dough. After an afternoon's work, she had finally fried a basket of dough cakes. She then picked up the basket and left the kitchen.
Xuan Ying, who was lying on her side on the eaves, straightened up upon seeing this, sighed, and followed.
How could this woman have such good energy? Kneading dough, making cakes, chopping wood, and tending the fire—he was getting tired just watching her.
Zhuang Shutong chased all the servants out of the kitchen, forbidding them from helping. They could only watch their young mistress bustling about, too afraid to leave or offer assistance.
Zhuang Shutong carried the basket and turned a few corners before arriving at Zhuang Ziyang's study. She entered, put down the fried dough, and then carried the basket to Li Yang's room. After putting down the fried dough, she left the room without lingering.
Xuan Ying looked on, completely bewildered.
Zhuang Shutong walked without stopping and went to the laundry room. When the two old women saw her, they quickly got up and wiped their hands on the front of their clothes. Zhuang Shutong then shooed them to sit down on a chair against the wall.
Without removing her armbands, she directly immersed her bare hands into the basin and began to wash the clothes.
Xuan Ying had never seen a young lady from a wealthy family wash her own clothes. Not to mention those young ladies, even the servants who followed their masters had their clothes washed by the laundry maids.
Then she thought of the years when Lang Ge was away from the capital; this eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family must have been washing his clothes and socks in the same way. A surge of emotion welled up in her eyes, and she silently sat up straight.
Zhuang Shutong was seen washing and hanging out basins of clothes. However, the ground in the Hou Mansion was slippery after the rain. She didn't hold the basin steady, slipped, and fell to the ground with the wooden basin.
The servants nearby rushed forward to help her, but Zhuang Shutong had already gotten up, casually dusted herself off, and picked up the clothes from the ground and put them back into the basin.
"Clumsy and awkward." He seemed to be making fun of himself.
Zhuang Shutong returned to the same spot, fetched water again, and began washing again.
Xuan Ying frowned upon seeing this.
Zhuang Shutong was oblivious to the wrinkles on her delicate fingers from being soaked in water, focusing only on washing, wringing, and hanging them to dry.
From daylight until dusk, she did all the laundry that several old women had to do by herself.
Looking at the clothes filling the yard, she seemed troubled and left the laundry room to go to the garden.
However, after she left, the old women took down the clothes she had washed and washed them again.
Xuan Ying saw clearly that the clothes in the old women's hands were soaked in water, and a white, soapy liquid spread out. The old women watched, then filled the basin with water again, rinsed the clothes, and began to wash them, sighing all the while.
He couldn't help but rub his forehead; it seemed she was a woman who couldn't even do laundry.
If he hasn't washed clothes for so many years, then does that mean his brother Lang does the laundry at home?
Xuan Ying grew angrier the more she thought about it, and with a stomp of her foot, she returned to the palace.
Li Zhen felt a headache coming on. "You spent the whole afternoon watching the women washing clothes at the Zhuang residence?"
Xuan Ying said indignantly, "Master, you didn't see it, I was almost fooled by that woman. She spent the whole afternoon washing clothes, and in the end, all the clothes had to be washed again by those old women."
Then she had another question, "Master, Lang-ge is dead, why doesn't she seem sad at all? I saw her shed a few tears in the side courtyard, but as soon as she turned around, she was making food and washing clothes. She didn't seem sad at all."
"Hmph, Brother Lang has really misjudged her. How could a woman like that be worth Brother Lang giving up his future for?"
Li Zhen twirled the chess piece in his hand and tapped it on the table, "Xuan Ying".
"Yes, Master."
"Do you know that people have a heart and pulse?"
Xuan Ying couldn't help but take a step back, "Master..."
"The heart has three channels; if one experiences great sorrow, one channel will be severed."
Xuan Ying seemed to have a sudden realization, "Master, you mean the Zhuang family's heart meridian is broken?"
Li Zhen replied, "I don't know, I just feel she has a lot of energy." He then tossed aside a chess piece and asked, "How is it over there?"
Xuan Ying then remembered that he had something to report. "The brothers went to follow him. The Fourth Prince has been going to Lord Ji's residence after court as usual these days, and there has been no abnormality."
Li Zhen, "Nothing else?"
Xuan Ying scratched his head again, "That's all. Every day after court I go to Lord Ji's residence, then to the brothel, and then back to my residence. That's all."
Li Zhen narrowed his eyes, uttered a soft "hmm," and fell into deep thought.
Upon seeing this, His Highness's attendant asked, "Master?"
"Understood." He waved for the others to leave, then gently pressed his hand against his lower abdomen, took a deep breath, and his expression was unfriendly.
After a moment, he slowly straightened up and said softly to the chessboard, "Brother Lang, what do you want me to do?"
Three days passed in this way.
Zhuang Ziyang followed his daughter to the laundry room and peeked in to see her with her sleeves rolled up, squatting on a stone, vigorously scrubbing a large basin of clothes in front of her.
An old woman squatted down next to her, telling her to pay attention to the areas she was scrubbing, while another old woman was soaking soapberries in water. No one offered any help.
"How dare you!" Zhuang Ziyang stepped out from outside the door. "How can you make the young lady do laundry?"
Upon seeing this, the old woman was so startled that she stood up and knelt down in a flurry of activity.
Zhuang Shutong lifted her eyes from the basin and looked at Zhuang Ziyang, "Father, why are you here?"
She put the clothes back in the basin, then walked over to her father with her wet hands. "It's my responsibility to wash these clothes; it has nothing to do with them."
Zhuang Ziyang took his daughter's hand and noticed a few patches of peeling skin where her skin had been soaked in water. He felt sorry for her and held her hand tightly. "You're being ridiculous. You don't need to do these things. Go back to your room and rest."
Zhuang Shutong didn't make a fuss and obediently followed Zhuang Ziyang back to the bedroom to rest.
Zhuang Ziyang asked the old woman in the courtyard and heard that his daughter had been doing nothing but eating, sleeping and finding work these past few days. She had done almost every job that could be seen in the entire Zhuang mansion.
He frowned repeatedly and said, "Go find a doctor."
The old woman was puzzled. "A doctor? Miss is perfectly healthy."
Zhuang Ziyang roared, "Go now!"
"Oh, oh." The old woman was terrified by the shout and went to send someone to fetch a doctor.
The Zhuang family had their own dedicated physician, who arrived shortly afterward.
Zhuang Shutong simply sat there, letting others arrange things for him.
Zhuang Ziyang: "How is it?"
The doctor said, "Madam, this is caused by emotional distress and blockage in your heart meridians. Therefore, exertion to relieve the blockage is a way to save yourself. I will now prescribe two prescriptions to relieve your emotional distress. After taking the medicine and resting for a few days, you will be fine."
“Mother.” Li Yang stumbled in from outside the door, followed by Chen Junbai.
Upon entering, I saw my grandfather talking to the doctor and hurriedly asked, "Is everything alright, doctor? Is my mother alright?"
The doctor repeated himself, then took his leave.
Li Yang had been staying at the Zhuang residence under Chen Junbai's care these past few days. One day, she suddenly fell into a deep sleep in the mourning hall and was carried back to her room. She slept for a whole day before finally waking up, and upon waking, she cried incessantly. It was unclear how Chen Junbai had managed to coax her into accepting her father's death.
Upon hearing that the family had hired a doctor for his mother, Li Yang was greatly alarmed and rushed over immediately.
Hearing the doctor's words, Li Yang felt relieved and turned to his mother's side, "Mother, Mother, are you alright?"
Zhuang Shutong: "It's alright." She stroked her daughter's disheveled hair. "Zhaozhao was worried."
Li Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Mother, please rest well. I just heard from the nanny that you made all the pastries these past few days by hand and washed the clothes for several days in a row. Mother, please rest well and don't overwork yourself."
Zhuang Shutong sighed and said, "Alright. Mother, get some rest."
As she spoke, the nanny helped Zhuang Shutong to lie down and rest. Seeing his mother so obedient, like a puppet, Li Yang grabbed Chen Junbai's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Are you really alright?"
Chen Junbo, despite her pulling on his sleeve, said in a huff, "The doctor said she's fine, so don't worry too much. Mother is just too sad. Let's spend more time with her, and she'll get better soon."
Li Yang nodded, muttering to himself, "Mother is heartbroken..."
Seeing that she had taken his words to heart, Chen Junbo added, "Yes, your father-in-law's death was suspicious, and it's understandable that your mother can't accept it right away."
Li Yang nodded again, "Yes."
That afternoon, Youfeng sent someone to the Zhuang residence to deliver a message that Chaoyang Teahouse was almost fully renovated and asked when Liyang would reopen.
This was the best news they had received in the past few days. After receiving the letter, Li Yang went to discuss it with Chen Junbai.
Chen Junbo: "You want to take your mother to the teahouse?"
Li Yang: "Yes, this way Mother can have a change of scenery. There are many interesting things happening in the teahouse, and Mother might be happier."
Then she looked at the man and asked, "You think it's inappropriate?"
Chen Junbo smiled and said, "Oh, no. I just didn't think of that idea. I think Mother would be much happier at the teahouse than at home."
The two then went to the Zhuang family's courtyard.
Li Yang: "Mother, we received word from the shop that the teahouse will be reopening soon. Zhao Zhao would like to take you to stay at the teahouse for a while."
Zhuang: "Let's not go."
Li Yang knelt down in front of her, "Mother, go, go. You're all alone in the mansion, and Grandfather is getting old. Stay at my place for a few days, and you won't feel so bored."
Zhuang: "It's quite troublesome."
Chen Junbo quickly said, "Mother-in-law, it's no trouble at all. The rooms are all ready-made, and we've already bought plenty of utensils beforehand, so it's not a hassle."
Zhuang glanced at him, then sighed, seemingly still unwilling. Li Yang simply resorted to pleading, "I don't care, if Mother doesn't go, I won't go back either, and the teahouse will close."
Seeing her like this, Madam Zhuang said helplessly, "Then go for a few days, just a few days."
"Alright, alright, just a few days' stay." Li Yang was overjoyed and then pulled Chen Junbai and his mother to go find his grandfather to report the matter.
Zhuang Ziyang, unusually, didn't say anything, but he was very happy to hear it.
The group packed up their belongings, avoided using the owner's carriage, and hired another small cart to go to the teahouse.
“Mother, this is Youfeng. Back in town, the three of them worked at the teahouse, they probably did.”
Li Yang introduced everyone in the store one by one, and Zhuang Shi simply nodded and smiled as a greeting.
Everyone knew that the woman was the owner's mother, so they greeted her politely and went about their business.
Youfeng led the three back to the side room. Liyang started talking non-stop, "Is the tea okay? It's been sitting here for so long, don't let the rain spoil it."
Youfeng: "Young Madam, we've checked them. Some of the damp ones have been taken out to dry and placed separately."
"New cups, pots, bowls and chopsticks must be washed before they can be served, otherwise the dust will cause trouble if the guests see them."
Youfeng: "Young Madam, everything was washed after it was delivered this morning, and the maids in the kitchen are cleaning it up right now."
"Okay, okay, by the way, what about the menu? Is it the same as before? Have the kitchen check if they have enough ingredients. If not, go buy them today."
As they spoke, they reached the door of the side room. Xiao Lu pushed the door open and said, "Oh, my young mistress, everything has been checked, so you can rest assured."
The group entered the house and found that the furnishings had been completely renewed, with tablecloths made of Shu brocade and bed curtains adorned with gold thread, giving it a magnificent and bright feel.
Youfeng then said, "You should just rest up and get plenty of rest so you can have a good business opening tomorrow!"
Li Yang touched the Shu brocade quilt and said, "You Feng, how much money did you spend this time? You only managed to swindle two hundred taels, but you can't afford to spend so much."
He added, "Now that you are the manager, you should be in charge of the opening ceremony."
Youfeng smiled and said, "We haven't touched the two hundred taels from last time. These are notes that Steward Bi sent from home."
Li Yang didn't wait for her to finish speaking, "Has the money at home arrived?"
Youfeng blinked quickly, "Our family's merchant ship docked a couple of days ago, and Steward Bi specially sent someone to deliver the money to us."
Chen Junbo just smiled and shook his head when he saw this.
Lady Zhuang had never seen her daughter look like this before, and she watched the two young ladies talking with great curiosity.
Chen Junbo simply poured her a cup of tea, smiled, and remained silent.
Zhuang made a face, looking quite proud.
Upon seeing this, Li Yang asked, "Mother, what are you two whispering about?"
Zhuang laughed and said, "Zhao Zhao is now the mistress of the house, and she is much more capable than I was back then. When I first came to Songshan Town, I only knew how to make a living by selling jewelry, and I didn't have Zhao Zhao's skills."
Hearing her say that, Li Yang hugged her neck and acted coquettishly, "Of course I'm amazing, I'm my mother's daughter."
The group tacitly agreed not to mention Li Lang.
Youfeng watched, her eyes narrowing into slits, and she chuckled along.
A short while later, a waiter outside reported that Master Fei had come to deliver a congratulatory gift, and Li Yang quickly had someone lead him into the house.
"Zhaozhao, quickly go and fetch the bronze mirror so I can see you. Don't be rude. You should also fix your hair; it's all messed up from running all the way here."
Li Yang touched her single-bun hairstyle, which was still intact on her head, and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. "Is there a problem?" She glanced at Chen Junbo, who just wanted to laugh and say, "It's fine, you look good no matter what."
Zhuang Shutong couldn't stand such words and began to look at her son-in-law with new respect. He usually seemed cold and ruthless, but when he spoke to her daughter, he was full of sweet words. Thinking this, she gave him a strange look.
Chen Junbai was oblivious to the look in her eyes, his gaze fixed solely on his wife. Madam Zhuang, having been given a large sum of money, didn't go; instead, she busied herself with grooming herself in front of the bronze mirror handed to her by the little deer, her hands moving swiftly.
Seeing his mother's appearance, Li Yang quietly whispered in Chen Junbai's ear, "It seems that changing places really works. Look, even your mother is all puffed up."
When the latter heard her talk about her mother like that, she smiled and tapped her forehead, then rolled her eyes, almost unable to suppress her laughter.
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