After Tao Wanniang returned home, she immediately summoned Zhang Liang.
"Zhang Liang, don't you find it boring staying at home every day?"
Of course it was boring; his former leader was now an old man basking in the sun every day! But unsure of Tao Wanniang's intentions, Zhang Liang didn't tell the truth.
"I'm also trying to avoid revealing my identity; I'm just taking a break to recuperate."
Tao Wanniang glanced at Zhang Liang. This man, who was not even forty, was in a rather decadent state!
"I have something to tell you. I'm thinking of buying some land, and it just so happens that Old Wang next door knows someone who wants to sell it. Can you help me with this?"
Zhang Liang was taken aback; did they value him so much?
“That seller is a spoiled brat who also gambles. Keep a close eye on him; I’m afraid he might not be honest.”
“Okay, that’s not difficult. But why are you buying land? Are you going to farm outside the city?” Zhang Liang asked rhetorically.
“I have money, can’t I buy land?” Tao Wanniang said. “If you ever decide you don’t want to stay here as a guard anymore, I can send you to farm on the estate.”
Zhang Liang thought about it and realized that farming wouldn't be bad! "If you asked me to manage a farm, it's not impossible."
Hearing Zhang Liang's words, Tao Wanniang looked him up and down and then said, "Then you should buy this land for me first. Remember, you must have seen it in person. It doesn't matter if the land is a bit rotten, but the price must be reasonable."
Zhang Liang was taken aback, then asked, "Even if the land is rotten and no crops can grow, you still want it?"
So what? She still has plenty of compound fertilizer in her trading system. No matter how barren the land is, she can turn it into fertile soil!
“If the price is reasonable, then it’s fine,” Tao Wanniang replied earnestly.
Zhang Liang really wanted to ask, "The Star-Picking Tower makes so much money, why is Tao Wan's mother still so stingy?" But since he had something to do, he was quite attentive.
"Okay, I'll see what I can do. But, Sister Tao, if you're letting me buy land, you should at least give me some money!"
“I haven’t even seen the land yet, how can I pay you?” Tao Wanniang retorted. “Zhang Liang, you still owe me one hundred taels, don’t forget.”
This made Zhang Liang's face fall immediately. He couldn't possibly pay back the wages of two taels of silver a month!
"Work hard and show me your talent. I never mistreat those who actually get things done."
After explaining Zhang Liang's situation, Tao Wanniang went to investigate Xiao Qiao'er's studies.
"Master Tao, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Chen Lian began tentatively.
"Yes, Master Shen, please speak frankly."
“It’s April now, the spring breeze is like scissors, and I’d like to take Xiao Qiao’er out for a spring outing,” Chen Lian said. “If Master Tao is worried, he can send someone to accompany her.”
A spring outing, that sounds nice.
“Mother, the teacher said there are many interesting things outside. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I stay at home every day, which limits my horizons,” Xiao Qiao’er said. “If I want to do embroidery, I can’t be ignorant of what a peony looks like, can I?”
“That makes sense. Mother didn’t say you couldn’t go. With Master Shen accompanying you, Mother is at ease. You need some money, right? Mother will give it to you.” Tao Wan’s mother replied directly. “If you want someone to accompany you, call Zhang Liang. He knows some martial arts and can protect the two of you.”
Seeing Tao Wanniang's open-mindedness, Chen Lian was also pleased.
"Qiao'er is hardworking and diligent, and she studies everything with great care. She will surely achieve great things in the future."
"That's all thanks to Master Shen's excellent teaching." Tao Wanniang was also very satisfied with Shen Lian, seeing that Xiao Qiao'er was much happier than before.
Without her son and daughter-in-law at home, she felt a sense of harmony in the house. If she didn't need to go out to earn money in the future, this kind of life would be quite nice. If she could even buy a farm in the suburbs someday, she could live a leisurely life, but of course, the most important thing is that she's not short of money!
After Qian Feng returned, Ling Yunzhou asked him about Tao Wanniang's trip to the estate.
"General, Sister Tao disliked the Second Young Master quite a bit. She said some harsh words and then left." Qian Feng relayed everything Tao Wan had said at the manor to Ling Yunzhou.
"And then, she came back," Ling Yunzhou said, frowning. This second son was too outrageous.
"He had his men walk around the fields; it seems he's thinking of buying some land," Qian Feng replied. "General, is there some misunderstanding between you and Sister Tao? Sister Tao is clearly greedy; you have so much money, why doesn't she want it?"
These words made Ling Yunzhou want to ask Tao Wanniang, since she works so hard to earn money, if she wanted it, he could give it to her!
"That's all," Ling Yunzhou continued to ask.
"She's gone, she went home!"
"Qian Feng, you said she wants to buy land. If I give her some, would she accept it?"
Qian Feng didn't know, and he told the truth, then he remembered something else.
"General, you said to His Majesty and the Princess that you wouldn't marry. If you reconcile with Sister Tao, would that count as remarrying?"
Ling Yunzhou had already considered this problem. At worst, he could apologize profusely and go to war for His Majesty again; he didn't believe His Majesty wouldn't forgive him. But the biggest problem was Tao Wanniang!
He couldn't understand why Tao Wanniang disliked him so much!
Tao Wanniang naturally wouldn't tell anyone that she wasn't the original owner of this body at all. The one deeply in love with Ling Yunzhou wasn't her at all!
Back at the restaurant, Tao Wanniang continued to work. One day, while she was cooking, Ling Dahu rushed in.
"Mother, do you know who I saw?"
"Who?" Tao Wanniang asked directly without looking up.
“Liang Laifu, Xiao Qiao’er’s biological father!” Ling Dahu said worriedly, “Mother, what do you think he’s doing here? He can’t possibly be trying to take Xiao Qiao’er away!”
"Does he know I'm the manager of this Star-Picking Tower?" Tao Wanniang retorted. "He probably doesn't. Who did he come with?"
"His wife, I suppose. There was another woman holding a child. Liang Laifu has lost a lot of weight," Ling Dahu replied truthfully. "The group went into a private room."
"Have Yang Song keep an eye out. If anyone causes trouble, make sure it doesn't affect others." Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and then instructed Ling Dahu, "You shouldn't appear in front of him, lest he find an opportunity to cause trouble."
Liang Laifu, who was in the private room, had lost a lot of weight compared to before.
"Xinlan, look at me, I've been injured for so long and can't go to the escort agency. I can't just do nothing!" Liang Laifu fawned over Zhang Xinlan. "Why don't you take out some money and we open our own shop?"
Zhang Xinlan glanced at Liang Laifu and asked coolly, "What shop?"
"How about we open a restaurant? Look how good the Zhaixinglou restaurant is. We don't need to open such a big one. The main thing is to hire a head chef, Xinlan. I'm doing this for our future. We can't just sit around and do nothing. What will we leave for our Bao'er?" Liang Laifu said tentatively.
"A restaurant? Ha, do you expect me to show my face and attract customers for you, Liang Laifu? Do you think I don't know your own limitations? Tell me, when are you going to bring back the five hundred taels you gave your daughter?"
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