"Sister Tao, aren't we heading back to the capital?" Qian Feng asked, driving the carriage as he listened to Tao Wanniang wandering around the fields in the countryside.
"Take a look first. Do all these fields belong to your general?" Tao Wanniang lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
"I'm not too sure about that, but every time the General performs a great service, in addition to gold and silver rewards, His Majesty always provides him with fertile land," Qian Feng replied. "Sister Tao, what's this? Are you interested in our General's wealth?"
"Ha, you're overthinking it," Tao Wanniang replied dismissively. She still wanted to acquire some land. Regardless of whether she was short of money now, seeing these vast fields, she felt that after owning property, it was time to acquire more land.
"Then I really don't understand. Our General has both good looks and status, and he even has a past relationship with you, Sister Tao. Why won't you accept this?" Qian Feng had kept these words in his heart for a long time, but he couldn't help but say them out loud.
"The Princess is elegant and noble, and she is devoted to your General. They have been together for ten years. Why doesn't your General marry her?" Tao Wanniang asked rhetorically.
“This… Our General is a man of great loyalty and righteousness!” Qian Feng felt this was not the case. “Could it be that Sister Tao is bothered by the Princess’s affair? Sister Tao is overthinking it. Although the Princess favors our General, our General really did not have anything happen between him and the Princess.”
"No, you're overthinking it. I won't take a man who's been missing for seventeen years, no matter the reason!" Tao Wanniang denied directly. "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering. Master Qian, don't say anything more!"
Qian Feng smiled awkwardly. He had only thought that Ling Yunzhou wanted a wife.
Tao Wanniang looked around the fields before finally telling Qian Feng to head home.
The round trip took half a day. Tao Wan's mother went home, ate a quick bite, and then went to wander around next door.
Wang Fugui was somewhat surprised to see Tao Wanniang.
"Manager Tao, it's been a long time since we've sat down together to talk like this." Wang Fugui knew that Tao Wanniang was Ling Yunzhou's first wife, and he felt inexplicably nervous.
Lady Wang, on the other hand, was very warm towards Tao Wanniang.
“Sister Tao, we haven’t been to Zhaixing Tower yet. Everyone says it’s very popular, and we’re afraid we won’t get a seat.”
“If Madam Wang wants to go, just mention my name and I’ll give you a 20% discount,” Tao Wanniang said with a smile. “Although I’m not always here, I’m not exaggerating when I say I own half of the restaurant.”
"Manager Tao is truly capable! Your Zhaixinglou Restaurant is undoubtedly the number one restaurant in the capital!" Wang Fugui praised. "Manager Tao, may I ask what brings you here today?"
"Sir, why are you being so distant? We're neighbors!" Madam Wang complained. "Sister Tao, if there's anything we can help you with, just ask. You're always so busy. These neighbors are often closer than family."
Tao Wanniang nodded in agreement and said, "Madam Wang is right. I came here to ask about the purchase of land."
"Buy land?" Wang Fugui asked, puzzled. Wasn't Tao Wanniang's restaurant enough?
"Alas, my sons are good-for-nothings. It's good that I can save some money for them," Tao Wanniang sighed. "My second son even made a fuss about separating from the family and took a woman from the Jiaosifang as a concubine. I'm ashamed to even talk about these things!"
“Children are all debts!” Madam Wang immediately replied. “My sons were all beaten before they were put on the right path. Sister Tao, it wasn’t easy for you to raise two sons by yourself!”
Wang Fugui glanced at his wife. His son was quite sensible; he wouldn't do such a thing.
"That's why I'm worried too. I'm thinking that if I could buy a few acres of land in the suburbs and pass it down as a family business, that would be the best I could do," Tao Wanniang said weakly.
"Oh, is that so, sir? Didn't you know someone wanted to sell their land?" Madam Wang said to her husband after hearing this.
"You mean that second-generation rich kid from the Lin family? Brother Lin is really unlucky to have such a son," Wang Fugui said indignantly. "Manager Tao, I have an old friend who has been gone for seven or eight years. His son is a gambler and has sold off some of the family's assets. Now he even wants to sell ten acres of land in the suburbs. If you don't mind the bad luck, I can help you make a connection."
Tao Wanniang immediately agreed when she heard about this great opportunity.
“Wait a minute, sir. We can’t let that Lin boy know that Sister Tao is the manager of Zhaixing Tower, otherwise he will definitely raise the price.” Madam Wang said, “Sister Tao, gamblers are the most cunning. Do you think a woman like you would have any other thoughts?”
"Do you think I don't understand? If I'm going to act as a go-between, I won't let Manager Tao suffer any losses," Wang Fugui said unhappily.
"Then I'll trouble you, Master Wang, to take this opportunity. You don't need to worry about whether it goes well or not. Just pick a day, and I'll host a dinner for you and Madam Wang to come to the Star-Picking Tower," Tao Wanniang said gratefully.
"I'm so sorry," Madam Wang smiled. "Sister Tao, you're always so busy, it must be really hard work."
"Alas, my son is not yet able to manage the household, and my daughter is still young. If I don't work hard for a few more years, what will I do in the future!" Tao Wan's mother sighed, looking helpless.
Wang Fugui listened to Tao Wanniang chatting with Madam Wang about everyday matters, but he found it somewhat boring. Then, thinking about Tao Wanniang's past with Ling Yunzhou, he felt a strong itch in his heart. However, he didn't know how to ask.
"Sister Tao, if I may ask, are you thinking of remarrying?" Madam Wang asked at the opportune moment. "You, a young woman, work so hard. If you had a good man by your side, it would save you a lot of trouble."
Indeed, marriage is always an unavoidable topic!
Tao Wanniang smiled politely and said, "It's not that I haven't thought about it, but with my ex-husband around, the person I marry naturally can't be worse than him." After the New Year, her two sons had a free meal at the Wang family's house, which had already revealed the relationship between Ling Yunzhou and her, so she didn't want to hide it anymore.
"You're even better than the current Grand General! Do you really want to marry a prince or nobleman?" Wang Fugui couldn't help but tease him upon hearing this.
"Master!" Madam Wang glared at Wang Fugui. How could he speak like that?
"So, I might as well just give up," Tao Wanniang said casually. "If I find someone bad, my ex-husband will laugh at me; and if I want to find someone better, that's just wishful thinking. I have enough to eat and a place to live, do I really need a man to take care of me?"
Wang Fugui looked at Tao Wanniang and couldn't help but ask the question that had been puzzling him.
"Manager Tao, General Ling is a man of great prestige. Since you already have two children with him, why do you want a divorce? Isn't the General's wife much better than the restaurant manager?"
Tao Wanniang looked at Wang Fugui without getting angry. She smiled and said, "How can you know the joy of a fish if you are not a fish? I have lived like this for more than ten years. I am not used to those rules. It is more comfortable to be in charge of my own affairs."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com