After the people from the escort agency had eaten and drunk their fill, they called the waiter to settle the bill.
"Does Manager Tao have any free time? My son has offended me before, and I would like to speak with him personally," Madam Wu said to Ling Dahu.
Upon seeing this, Ling Dahu immediately went to the kitchen to call Tao Wanniang.
"Mother, the people from the escort agency have finished eating. The lady would like to invite you over for a chat."
Tao Wanniang happened to have some free time, so she wiped her hands and went to the private room.
"Manager Tao, your food is delicious, no less than that of a grand restaurant," Madam Wu praised as she rose. She took out the silver notes she had prepared beforehand, told the rest of the escort agency to leave first, and kept her son, Wu Dasheng, behind.
"Your meal and wine cost only ten taels of silver. Madam has given too much!" Tao Wanniang glanced at the silver note but did not accept it directly.
“That’s good quality and cheap, Manager Tao, please accept it. This meal is worth it.” Madam Wu said with a smile. “My son is simple-minded. He was deceived by Liang Laifu before and offended Manager Tao.”
"Hurry up and apologize to Manager Tao!" Madam Wu patted her son's head again.
"Mom, can you please stop hitting my head? You're the one who made me so stupid," Wu Dasheng said angrily, rubbing his head.
"Manager Tao, although I may be a bit reckless, that girl is Liang Laifu's daughter. I just want to help them reunite."
So this guy is really stubborn. Tao Wanniang chuckled a few times.
"Since Qiao'er isn't here, I'll be frank. Back then, Liang Laifu became the son-in-law of the prefect of Shanhai Prefecture. His mother and daughter suffered from drought in the village and sought refuge with him. We met Qiao'er and her grandmother on their journey of fleeing famine. Unfortunately, Grandma Liang passed away on the way and entrusted little Qiao'er to me. After arriving in Shanhai Prefecture, we found Liang Laifu and wanted to help them reunite."
Tao Wanniang briefly explained Xiao Qiao'er's background, but before she could finish, Wu Dasheng interrupted her.
"Then what happened? Why did Xiao Qiao'er become your daughter?"
Tao Wanniang glanced at Wu Dasheng and continued, "Liang Laifu became Zhang's son-in-law and had a formidable wife. Plus, his wife was heavily pregnant, so she didn't want Xiao Qiao'er anymore. He gave me five hundred li of silver to take Xiao Qiao'er in. Later, his formidable wife found out about Xiao Qiao'er and together they drove us out of Shanhai Prefecture."
"So, do you think Liang Laifu cares about this daughter? He lives a life of luxury in Shanhai Prefecture, while his mother and daughter live a life of poverty in the countryside. After his father-in-law fell from power, he brought his wife and children to the capital to settle down, but he is probably short of money. He came to our door, ostensibly to ask for Xiao Qiao'er, but actually to get back the money he had given her. Tell me, can I give Xiao Qiao'er to him?"
"This...this...this is only your side of the story!" Wu Dasheng stubbornly insisted. Even though Madam Wu had said before that Liang Laifu had hired him, he still didn't believe it.
“Liang Laifu’s story is only one side of the story, so why did you believe it?” Tao Wanniang retorted.
“This child is foolish. Liang Laifu went on a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) mission with my master. When he comes back, I will definitely expose his true colors,” Madam Wu said. Liang Laifu is a greedy person who covets wealth and status.
"I don't want to get involved in your escort agency's affairs. You can pass on my message: it's officially registered in black and white that Xiao Qiao'er is my daughter. If he's capable, he can go to the government office to ask for her!" Tao Wanniang said bluntly.
Madam Wu nodded. That was indeed the case in name only; Liang Laifu couldn't get the child back.
"Manager Tao, my son has been spoiled by us. We will never let him trouble you again," Madam Wu said, trying to appease him.
"Mom, I still want to eat here. The food is pretty good," Wu Dasheng protested.
Madam Wu's smile was somewhat forced; this son of hers made her itch.
"Anyone who comes to patronize our business is a valued guest." Tao Wanniang would never refuse any customer who was willing to come for a meal.
Now that everything was out in the open, Madam Wu took her leave, and Tao Wanniang politely saw her to the door.
"Fifty taels?" Bai Yumei was somewhat surprised when she received the silver note from Tao Wanniang. This was quite generous!
"Yes, I welcome guests who come to apologize and have a meal," Tao Wanniang said.
Bai Yumei deposited the silver notes into her account, and thinking about Huang Youdao's matter, she felt somewhat uneasy. Seeing that Tao Wanniang had some free time, she couldn't help but ask, "Elder sister, when can I go see them?"
"It's up to you. Didn't I tell you? You can be Bai Yumei, but you can't admit to being Huang Youdao's concubine. Besides, you can completely deny it!"
"You don't want Huang Youdao to take you away, do you?" Tao Wanniang had explained the implications to Bai Yumei yesterday.
Bai Yumei nodded; she understood the logic behind it.
"If someone who has harmed me like this can still have children and enjoy wealth and luxury, then this world is just too unfair!"
“I had Yang Song’s men keep an eye on things. They delivered the jade pendant yesterday, and I bet they’re terrified over there,” Tao Wanniang said with amusement. “I’ll go check on it again later.”
"I really want to see it for myself!" Bai Yumei said through gritted teeth.
“Let’s wait a few more days. Aren’t they waiting for the consecrated Buddha statue at Xiangguo Temple? They’ll definitely wait these next few days,” Tao Wanniang said confidently.
During the afternoon break at the restaurant, Tao Wanniang dressed up again and went to Fuyun Restaurant.
As soon as they entered the inn, the innkeeper called out to Tao Wanniang.
"Madam, you've finally arrived. After you left yesterday, the people in that room immediately rushed down and asked me a lot of questions. But don't worry, Madam, I didn't describe what you looked like." The shopkeeper squinted, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
Tao Wanniang took out some loose silver from her purse and handed it to the shopkeeper.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to borrow your kitchen to cook them a meal," Tao Wanniang said. "Don't worry, I won't poison them. You can watch me cook."
Bai Yumei once said that when she first entered the household, the First Madam would make her boil sugar water with eggs every afternoon, so she planned to give her a little more shock.
The shopkeeper accepted the money and readily agreed. With his own people keeping an eye on things, he wasn't worried about anything going wrong. Besides, judging from the way that man ran downstairs yesterday, he was clearly very concerned.
Tao Wanniang made the sweet egg soup according to Bai Yumei's method. After finishing, she sighed and said, "After I leave, please take it up to him. His wife is pregnant now, so this sweet egg soup is to help her recover."
"Madam, you have a magnanimous spirit. Alright, I'll have the waiter send it up after you leave." The shopkeeper saw that Tao Wanniang's brows were slightly furrowed and her eyes seemed to be red, and he felt a little sorry for her.
As Tao Wanniang walked happily toward the carriage she had ordered, a speeding carriage suddenly came hurtling toward her.
Tao Wanniang's heart tightened, and she was about to dodge when she was pulled aside.
"Are you stupid? Why are you just standing there without moving?" Tao Wanniang was furious at Ling Yunzhou's reprimand with a frown. You're the stupid one, your whole family is stupid. She was just about to hide.
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