"Mother, why did Dapeng leave the restaurant? What will he do in the future?" Ling Dahu asked worriedly when he had some free time in the afternoon. "I don't know what he can do."
"Why are you so worried about him? He's capable, he can even be a hero, can't he?" Tao Wanniang replied irritably.
Wang Hongyu was in the kitchen and knew that Ling Dapeng had gotten into a fight with a customer, but she didn't know the details. She couldn't help but ask, "Why did Dapeng get into a fight with a customer all of a sudden?"
"It's all because of that girl Shishi. Dapeng saw a guest forcing Shishi to drink, so he stopped him," Ling Dahu sighed.
Wang Hongyu was taken aback. Wasn't that a girl from the Jiaosifang?
"I seem to remember that Miss Shishi has a very good alcohol tolerance," Wang Hongyu said weakly. She was also quite generous and earned more money in one night than they did in a month.
Yes, even the people in the kitchen know this. What kind of excitement is Ling Dapeng getting into, and what kind of hero is he trying to be?
Jiaosifang was a place where the wives and daughters of officials arrested by the imperial court would go. Although they were called actors, they were also official prostitutes. Officials would invite girls from Jiaosifang to perform for them at banquets.
As a commoner, she naturally didn't have the connections to get performers from the Jiaosifang to perform at the restaurant, but the Prince Rui's mansion did.
Tao Wanniang ran a restaurant, not a charity. Drinking to liven things up was commonplace in the restaurant, and of course, it wouldn't be too outrageous in front of everyone.
"He stood up for Shishi and hit her first," Tao Wanniang said. "After I scolded him, he refused to apologize to the guest and even yelled at me to kick the guest out!"
Wang Hongyu was taken aback. Didn't her mother say not to flaunt their relationship in the restaurant? What was Dapeng doing? Wang Hongyu looked at Ling Dahu in confusion.
Ling Dahu shook his head. The restaurant had been open for a while now, and he had seen Shishi drinking with customers. The waiters even said in private that Shishi made more money than them.
“But Dapeng isn’t working at the restaurant, where is he going?” Wang Hongyu asked worriedly. “Xiaoyun is pregnant.”
"Wouldn't the young couple be able to be together every day?" Tao Wanniang mocked. Zhou Xiaoyun was a cunning girl who had whispered sweet nothings in Ling Dapeng's ear.
Ling Dahu and Wang Hongyu looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Ling Dapeng was kicked out of the restaurant. Instead of going home immediately, he wandered around the streets for a while. When he got hungry, he checked his pockets and found nothing. He looked a little dejected.
"Ling Dapeng?" A sweet voice rang out from the side. Ling Dapeng looked up and saw Shishi holding a pipa.
Shishi stepped down from the carriage and gave Ling Dapeng a sweet smile.
“I was also kicked out of the restaurant. Are you hungry? I’ll treat you to a meal. It’s all because of me that your mother kicked you out. I should treat you to this meal.”
Ling Dapeng looked at the petite and lovely Shishi and felt a little embarrassed.
“It’s none of your business. My mother has never really thought much of me,” Ling Dapeng blurted out instinctively.
"I'm going back to the Education Bureau again. Before I go, let me treat you to a meal," Shishi said again.
Just then, his stomach growled. Ling Dapeng scratched the back of his head sheepishly, swallowed hard, and said, "Well... I'm so embarrassed!"
There was a small restaurant nearby, and Shishi invited Ling Dapeng in to order some home-style dishes.
"Brother Dapeng, may I call you that?" Shishi asked in a low voice. "I didn't know that Manager Tao was your mother."
“My mother doesn’t allow us to show off, she just looks down on her sons.” Ling Dapeng wolfed down his food, he was starving! “I clearly did nothing wrong today, but she kicked me out of the restaurant just to save face. My wife has said for a long time that my mother is biased.”
"Brother Dapeng, you're already married!" Shishi exclaimed in surprise. "I thought you were so young, you must not be married yet." Otherwise, why would you stand up for her, a member of the Jiaosifang?
"Yes, I have a wife and a child. My wife is pregnant with another one. Don't you think my mother is heartless? I still have to support my wife and child, and she kicked me out of the restaurant without paying me my wages."
Ling Dapeng couldn't help but tell Shishi about Tao Wan's mother's faults. He used to think it was Zhou Xiaoyun's prejudice, but after the family split up, he gradually realized that his wife was right.
His mother had a thousand taels of silver, but when they divided the family property, she only gave him two hundred taels. They lived in a large three-courtyard house, but she only bought him a small courtyard.
He took his wife and children out to eat, and they actually deducted money from his pay.
There are so many vegetables in the kitchen every day, yet they refuse to share even a single one with him.
Ling Dapeng recounted the events with considerable anger, but Shishi listened with interest. She wasn't particularly outstanding at the Jiaosifang (a type of opera troupe), otherwise she wouldn't have taken this job singing and playing instruments in the restaurant.
The person who came to the Jiaosifang to select people was the head nanny of the Ruiwang Mansion. The Zhaixinglou is a property of the Ruiwang Mansion, which is well known outside. So what is the identity of Manager Tao, who is considered half the manager of Zhaixinglou?
Shishi's eyes lingered on Ling Dapeng, looking at this tall and upright man who seemed a bit silly, and her expression was somewhat complicated.
"To be honest, it's all my fault today. I made Brother Dapeng work so hard that he didn't get paid. Brother Dapeng, where do you live? I'll send you some money tomorrow as compensation for your wages, how about that?"
"How can I accept your money? I can't possibly take your money!" Ling Dapeng immediately waved his hand in refusal.
Shishi's expression darkened, and she said in a low voice, "Or is it that, Brother Dapeng, you also think that I come from Jiaosifang and that my money is not clean?"
"No, I didn't, how could I..." Seeing Shishi's expression, Ling Dapeng became even more flustered and hurriedly waved his hands in denial.
"If we women in the Jiaosifang had a choice, who would choose such a life? My elders were once high-ranking officials in the imperial court, but one day they were convicted, and all the women in my family were sent to the Jiaosifang," Shishi said softly. "When I entered the Jiaosifang, I was only nine years old. I was once a beloved young lady in my family. My life was like a drifting duckweed, at the mercy of others. If there is no general amnesty in this life, I will never escape my lowly status..."
How pitiful! Ling Dapeng looked at Shishi's appearance, his face showing a look of pity.
“However, we people earn quite a bit of money, and I didn’t bring much with me today. Brother Dapeng, I’ll give you your monthly wages.” Shishi finally suppressed her sadness and smiled at Ling Dapeng.
Ling Dapeng still refused. How could he take a woman's money? He wasn't helping her for money.
“But Brother Dapeng, you have to think about your wife and children, and your unborn child!” Shishi Wanwan said. “In the capital, everything costs money. If your wife knew that you had lost this job, she would be heartbroken.”
Ling Dapeng frowned again upon hearing this, and sighed heavily, imagining Zhou Xiaoyun probably sighing again.
"Brother Dapeng, let me take you back. Tomorrow, I'll have someone send you some money as a token of my gratitude for your help."
"Well... alright!" Ling Dapeng reluctantly agreed.
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