Zhou seized on the key point in her words and hurriedly asked, "Are you going to town today?"
"Yes, we sell fresh food. We sell it as soon as it's cooked, so it tastes better and is healthier. It's only just after the New Year, so there probably won't be many customers. We'll sell about three batches today."
He Jiuniang was completely unguarded with her, which made Zhou Shi feel great and even bolder. She asked, "Can I come with you to the county town? I want to join in the fun and help sell some things. You know I can't sit still, so I hope I can be of some help."
"Of course, you can go with them in a bit!"
He Jiuniang walked over hand in hand with Zhou Shi, looked at Yu Shi, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, Zhou Shi will be going to town with you in a little while. Zhou Shi is new here, so please be more tolerant of her and don't cause any more conflicts."
Ms. Yu was somewhat puzzled. She hadn't gone to sell the goods for a while before the New Year. Had her third sister-in-law forgotten about it?
Fortunately, she noticed He Jiuniang giving her a wink and instantly realized that this was a trap set by her third sister-in-law, so she readily agreed: "Understood!"
Zhou was so happy that she was about to go to the county town to report that she didn't care about anything else. So much so that even though her face was a little swollen from being hit by Yu, she didn't think to apply any medicine.
When people are in high spirits, Zhou Shi suddenly became very diligent, helping to scoop out the cooked meat and vegetables, and then helping to lift them onto the carriage.
He Jiuniang called Lianhua aside and whispered, "When we get to the county town, agree to whatever she asks, especially if she makes an excuse to leave."
Lotus nodded obediently: "Don't worry, Auntie, I will."
Taking the opportunity, Madam Yu came over to her: "Third sister-in-law, why do you want me to come along?"
It wasn't that she didn't want to go, but rather that she didn't understand the significance of He Jiuniang asking her to go. Shouldn't she be clear about her work tasks?
"Sister-in-law, just pretend you don't know anything. You can continue to dislike her. When the time is right, I will send someone to find you."
Hearing this, Madam Yu was even more confused. What exactly was her third sister-in-law going to do?
But He Jiuniang wanted her to be confused; only by appearing to understand could she better deceive Zhou Shi and put Zhou Shi at ease.
Zhou quickly loaded everything onto the cart, then urged everyone to hurry up and leave. He Jiu Niang then went to find Yu Lao Da to drive the cart for them.
Yu Laoda was unaware of her plan and assumed it was just like usual, so he didn't ask any questions. He drove the carriage, taking Chi Shi and Yu Shi with him as they left.
He Jiuniang watched them leave, a slight smile appearing on her lips.
Only then did Madam Sun come out to ask, "What exactly are you up to?"
When Zhou first came, the third son's wife showed strong resistance. Now, however, they are calling each other sisters affectionately. There must be something fishy going on.
"If nothing unexpected happens, the truth will come out tonight."
He Jiuniang gave an irrelevant answer and then said, "Mother, keep an eye on the dog, I have to go and check on it."
As she was about to leave, Mrs. Sun grabbed her and said, "I don't care what you're going to do. Be careful and don't get yourself into trouble."
"knew!"
He Jiuniang responded and went to the stable to lead out Red Peony, mounted the horse, and whipped it, all in one smooth motion.
Looking at her dashing figure as she walked away, Mrs. Sun grumbled, "She has no womanly bearing at all. How will she ever get married!"
During this time, she had been looking around the village for suitable families. She had figured out that He Jiuniang wasn't in a hurry to get married, so she was the one who had to worry about it.
But after looking at so many families, she still didn't like any of them. They either thought the family was ugly or that there were too many people in the family. She was worried that He Jiuniang would be mistreated if she married into such a family.
Looking around, among all the people in Anping Village, there was simply no one who was good enough for her third son's wife.
Sun was extremely worried. Another year had passed in the blink of an eye, and if they delayed any longer, He Jiu Niang would be getting old.
well!
Sun felt she was really doing something wrong. Why should she, a mother-in-law, have to worry about what a mother should do?
He Jiuniang had no idea about any of this. She rode her horse slowly behind the carriage, not trying to hide herself. If she was discovered, she would just say that she had something to do at the clinic.
But Zhou was so engrossed in her own world that she didn't notice He Jiuniang at all.
Upon arriving in the county town, the group quickly set up their stall together.
It was right after the New Year, and there weren't many people on the street, but as soon as people saw Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck) for sale, they quickly gathered around.
During the Spring Festival, countless people eagerly came here every day just to taste Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck), not for any other reason than that the taste was so unforgettable!
The other stalls were deserted, but the Lu family's stall was surrounded by layers of people.
This was the first time Zhou had ever seen the Lu family's business thrive like this. A single duck head could fetch five copper coins, and people were still scrambling to buy it. Were they all crazy?
Shocked, she still helped sell them. After a while, she indeed made an excuse to Lotus to go to the outhouse.
She hadn't spoken to Madam Yu the whole way, so it was normal for her to say something to Lianhua now.
Lianhua was amazed at He Jiuniang's incredible skill, but outwardly she smiled and replied, "Auntie, please go ahead. We'll take care of things here!"
Yu rolled her eyes and sneered, "Lazy oxen and lazy horses produce lots of shit and pee!"
Zhou simply ignored her, thinking that as long as she gave the spice packet in her arms to her employer, her employer would definitely be able to make even more delicious food, trample the Lu family underfoot, and then they would be begging her and watching her every whim.
Yes, she did go to the Lu family with a purpose: to obtain the recipe for Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck).
On her journey to escape famine, she betrayed the injured and half-dead Yu family and sought refuge with the bandits who had robbed them. She sold her body and did all sorts of despicable things to survive. When she finally arrived in Jingzhou City, she saw the Lu family's missing person notice, but she ignored it, thinking that the Lu family must be no better and had no intention of looking for Yu.
She took her three taels of silver as a settlement allowance and found a job cleaning and sweeping at a restaurant.
The owner of that restaurant was a truly wealthy man; he owned three restaurants in the prefectural city alone, and naturally, there were also restaurants in various county towns.
Some time before the Lunar New Year, the manager of a restaurant in Daling County went to the prefectural city to report that a new dish called Lu Black Duck had suddenly appeared in the county and was quite popular. He said it would be great if he could buy the recipe.
It is also said that although the Lu family members came from famine, they are all capable people. The matter of the wealthy Dong is known to everyone, and ordinary people dare not offend him easily. This recipe is really not easy to obtain.
However, when the manager from Daling County was reporting the situation to the owner, Zhou was wiping the table nearby. She felt that the manager from Daling County seemed to be from the Lu family. At first, she thought it was impossible, but the more she listened, the more it seemed to be true. So she asked him a few questions and said that if he was really from the Lu family that she knew, she could help the owner get the formula.
Upon hearing that there was hope, the owner immediately sent someone to investigate. After confirming that she was from the Lu family, the owner asked her to come from the prefectural city and instructed her that if the matter was handled well, she would be given a managerial position and could even become a restaurant manager.
Zhou was very tempted and followed the manager of the restaurant in Daling County back. He even specially escorted her halfway to Anping Village.
She's bound to make a name for herself on this trip!
P.S.: Zhou Shi will be offline soon; she wasn't online for long, only about ten chapters. Sisters, please don't rush her. Also, I've already said that there's no male lead in the early stages of this book; that's the initial setting. I need to sort things out one by one, sob sob sob. Don't worry, I guarantee you, the reunion of the male and female leads will be absolutely unexpected!!! It'll be very exciting, don't worry!
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