Chapter 56 A Superficial Harmony, A Deep Disagreement: Chen Junbo Sets Off for Gao County
Li Yang regretted it.
Why did she walk home? Why did she let the coachman go first? Why didn't she walk a little and then jump into the carriage and sit comfortably back at the Chen residence?
In short, by the time she stumbled back to Lanxin Pavilion, it was already dark and the stars were shining.
Where did you go today?
As soon as Li Yang entered, he was met with Chen Junbo's questioning.
She glanced at the other person's furrowed brows, then looked back at the sky outside. Knowing she was in the wrong, she pouted and said, "I went out to run some errands and just took a walk. I didn't expect it to take so long to get back."
They couldn't tell him they were going to see Manager Zhong; the unspoken agreement between the two was that neither would mention the name 'Manager Zhong.' This way, they could still manage a token conversation. In short, one pretended to be no longer angry, and the other pretended the other was no longer angry, making it seem as if nothing had happened.
But during the day, the silence inside the carriage was deafening. Chen Junbai comforted himself, at least she wasn't avoiding him, but he still felt vaguely uneasy. "I went to the flower shop this afternoon, and the waiter said you had already left."
This wasn't the first time Li Yang had been relentlessly questioned by Chen Junbai. She knew this man to some extent; he wouldn't let her get away with anything he cared about.
But today, she's determined to get away with it.
"Chen Junbo." She took a deep breath, looked up at him, blinked and squeezed out two drops of water, and said in a coquettish voice with a frown, "My legs hurt."
That's true. After walking all afternoon, not only were my legs sore, but my lower back was also aching.
Young Master Chen hurriedly stepped forward to help the woman sit down. "What's wrong?" He looked down and noticed that the young lady's shoes were worn out. They were brand new when she left in the morning. He frowned and said, "In just one afternoon, you look like you've just fled from war."
Seeing him squatting down in front of her, carefully examining her shoes, Li Yang secretly stuck out her tongue where he couldn't see her. This pampered young master, raised in luxury, was now meticulously inspecting her shoes; it would be impossible for her not to be moved.
She seemed to have figured out Chen Junbo's weaknesses.
Although it was somewhat shameful for her to feign weakness, this tactic really worked. No wonder her mother always complained of headaches or foot pain whenever she saw her father.
Yesterday's argument was inexplicably extinguished, but both of them knew that the matter was still there, like a firecracker between them, ready to explode as soon as the string was lit.
So, the two of them, without prior arrangement, chose to carefully avoid the firecracker and test each other.
"Chen Junbai, I've brought Fang Yuan to the flower shop to take over the manager's job."
The man paused, about to utter a "I know," but swallowed it back, only managing a soft "Mm" in response.
Seeing that he didn't object, Li Yang pressed on, "We discussed it, and I'm thinking of turning the entire flower shop into a teahouse, leaving only a small area for the flower hairpin business. What do you think?"
She planned this partly for Manager Zhong's sake, and partly after careful consideration. If she continued operating according to the rules of the flower shop, she would have to pack her bags and leave after three months.
Of course, judging from Chen Junbo's words and actions these days, he must have left himself a backup plan to ensure he wins the bet in the end.
But if she just waited for Chen Junbai's help, she really had no way to get Manager Zhong back. Thinking of Manager Zhong, the broken door of that low house that afternoon, the bloodshot eyes of Sister-in-law Zhong, and the coughing and wheezing sounds coming from the inner room, all came to mind.
She didn't know if turning the place into a teahouse would give her a chance to bring Manager Zhong back, but to catch fish in a still pond, she had to stir it up first. The reform of the teahouse was her first step in stirring up the water; if it wasn't turbid enough, she would stir it up even more.
If asked what Chen Junbo thought of this idea, he naturally disagreed. Her idea was simply to keep the flower-adorned place to protect the three women, and to turn the flower shop into a teahouse, thus preserving her friend's reputation as the 'manager'.
Her friend, I heard, originally only owned a small teahouse; Bi Fang had even been there, and it didn't even have a private room. Could a girl like that really be a good manager?
Chen Junbo didn't believe it. In his more than ten years of business experience, he had met all sorts of shopkeepers, both men and women, but he had never met a young woman who seemed to know nothing about business and could run a business well.
He didn't say a word, but inspected her shoes from front to back.
Thankfully, it was just a bit dirty and looked scary, but there was no bleeding or pus, so I was relieved.
He stood up and sat on the round stool. "Zhaozhao, as I said, I will no longer interfere with the flower business. You can make all the arrangements."
He knew perfectly well that this was the young lady testing him; if he dared to offer any objection, the matter would be irreparable.
All he wanted now was for things to go smoothly between them, and for them not to argue over this business that didn't make much money. It wasn't a big deal, and he didn't want to upset the other person or make himself unhappy. He thought that doing this kind of losing business once was enough.
As for the flower arrangement shop, she can do whatever she wants with it; the Chen family isn't short of money to support one.
Seeing that he really meant what he said, Li Yang felt relieved and continued, "I looked at the flower shop's accounts before. The rocks and seedlings are gone now. The profit margin on these flowers and potted plants is too low. It's really not as profitable as the tea business. I was thinking of asking Mr. Zheng to help me out while he's at the flower shop. Could you renovate the hexagonal pavilion, both upstairs and downstairs? If we can have some casual guests on the first floor, set up a few private rooms on the second floor, and then decorate the pavilion in the backyard into an elegant pavilion, it will be able to accommodate guests from all directions."
It turns out she wanted to do Mr. Zheng another favor; Mrs. Chen really had a clever plan.
Chen Junbo felt slightly dissatisfied: if it weren't for this request, she probably wouldn't have been able to talk to him so much today.
Seeing that he only frowned and did not agree, Li Yang said again, "If you agree, then I will go to discuss it with Sister Ziyan tomorrow."
“I will go to the flower shop tomorrow to discuss this matter with Mr. Zheng,” Chen Junbo said swiftly.
Li Yang's lips curled up. Now, Chen Junbo wasn't the only one acting as a raft between her and Mr. Zheng.
Seeing her beaming with satisfaction, Chen Junbo sighed deeply, told her to sit down and rest, and then went to find someone to serve her a meal.
As he walked out the door, his face filled with helplessness... Li Yang's lips slowly fell, and one hand unconsciously crumpled the brocade cloth on the table.
Now, she has to be so cautious when talking to Chen Junbo.
She was once very cautious, because at that time, Chen Junbo was her employer.
But now, taking advantage of Chen Junbo's soft heart towards her, she has repeatedly tested and coerced him.
How could someone as insightful as Chen Junbo not know her intentions?
For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she should be glad that Chen Junbo was still willing to coax her, or saddened by their superficial relationship.
This superficial harmony didn't last long. One day, Chen Junbo suddenly received a letter and rushed to Gao County, telling her to take good care of herself and to arrange for someone to find him in Gao County if anything happened.
He was gone for several days, and during those days, the rectification of the flower bureau was nearing completion.
Originally, at the banquet that day, everyone said they would wait until Mr. Zheng's transformation was complete before gathering at Huaju again. Now that most of them had gone to Gao County, the gathering naturally fell through.
As the wind grows warmer and the wine is poured, we gaze at the full moon, each lost in thought.
"What?" Madam Chen slammed down her teacup. "You mean that wretched girl turned the flower shop into a teahouse?"
Granny Sun hurriedly poured tea for Madam Chen, "Yes, our people went to see. They're opening today. The scene was truly grand. I heard that they even set up small tables for two on the first floor of the hexagonal pavilion to serve individual customers. Customers can buy tea from the shop or bring their own and just pay for water."
"Bring your own tea? She runs a teahouse and asks people to bring their own tea? Is she crazy?" Chen Zhangshi just couldn't understand it. "How can she make money like that?"
The old woman in green beside her hurriedly said, "That's right. But the upstairs seems different. There are bamboo curtains and screens separating the tables, with tea and snacks from the shop. Our people ordered a portion, which seemed to be not cheap, but the snacks were really interesting, so we brought one back." As she spoke, she opened the snack box on the table.
The two peeked inside and were astonished by what they found. The box contained four compartments, each with a different color and shape: a white rabbit, a green bamboo pole, a yellow ingot, and a red flower. It was truly fascinating.
The two exchanged a glance, then looked at the box of pastries.
Madam Chen reached out and took out the white rabbit, broke its head open and handed it to the nanny, then stuffed the rabbit's body into her mouth.
The skin seemed to be made of yam and glutinous rice flour, without any of the astringent taste of yam. The rabbit's belly was filled with red bean paste, which was sweet and chewy. She then hurriedly stuffed the green bamboo, gold ingot and big red flower into her mouth. The matcha, pumpkin and the red ones seemed to really have a floral fragrance.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two silently chewed their snacks without making a sound, with only the crackling of the candlelight.
These pastries taste really good. Even if the Chen family's chef had such skill, he couldn't make something so delicate and lovely.
But there's no way you'd get either of them to say a single word of praise for Li Yang.
So the two of them had no choice but to shut up.
After a few moments, Granny Sun spoke first, "I heard from that girl that the shop sells not only pastries, but also noodles, fried food, all sorts of other things, it's practically a small food stall."
Chen Zhangshi finally found her voice, and with her slender fingers, she pinched the handkerchief and pushed the empty pastry box forward, loudly shouting, "What has become of my perfectly good flower arrangement in that girl's hands? It's all fried or boiled, and it smells like stale oil. Just thinking about it is annoying. This kind of food is not presentable at all."
Seeing that she had regained her composure, Granny Sun stopped talking about the pavilion in the backyard, fearing that she might upset Madam Chen again.
As far as she knew, the Huaju Tea House was doing incredibly well. The pavilion in the backyard was always full, and reservations had to be made three days in advance... It was truly baffling. She'd heard it was just a couple of plaques and a few paintings, so why was everyone scrambling for seats? It was strange, really strange. Anything involving the young mistress was bound to be strange.
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