The next morning, after having breakfast at home, Tao Wan's mother took her family to work at the restaurant.
"Hongyu and Qiao'er, come with me to the market to buy groceries. Yumei, you take Dahu and Dapeng to clean the restaurant again and fill the water tank in the kitchen." On the way, Tao Wanniang assigned everyone their tasks.
“Okay, eldest sister,” Bai Yumei replied.
The group parted ways at the fork in the road. Tao Wan's mother then told Wang Hongyu what vegetables they needed to buy each day and how much it would cost.
“I will bring you here a few times. We buy the meat from Butcher Wang’s shop. He’s an honest man and has patronized our restaurant before. By then, you’ll have to become a familiar face to the owners of several shops.”
"Okay, Mother, don't worry. Leave this to me, and I will definitely not let you down," Wang Hongyu said confidently. The vegetable market in the capital was really lively, and it made people feel energetic just looking at it.
"The money for buying groceries every day will be paid from Yumei. Yumei will keep the accounts," Tao Wanniang continued, while greeting the familiar shopkeeper.
Wang Hongyu's eyes were too busy to take it all in. Seeing her mother-in-law interacting with people so easily, she felt very envious. One day, she would be able to support her family like her mother-in-law.
The Ling brothers in the restaurant were also working hard with their sleeves rolled up, without needing Bai Yumei to say anything.
Inside Prince Rui's residence, Xiao Yi had just finished his morning exercise when he saw Prince Rui looking at him with a smile.
"Father, what are you plotting now?" Xiao Yi, who knew Prince Rui's temperament well, asked bluntly.
"Yi'er, you know that your mother and I weren't home for dinner last night," Prince Rui said with a smile as he stepped forward, his hands behind his back.
"Your mother and I have an idea. We'd like to invite Sister Tao to work as a cook in the Prince's residence. What do you think?"
Xiao Yi was taken aback and immediately asked, "Did Father not tell Sister Tao about this himself?"
"Of course not yet, and we haven't revealed our identities, but after tasting her cooking, we found it quite delicious. Don't you think our idea is good?" Prince Rui's eyes narrowed even further with his smile.
"It's best if she didn't say it was the best!" Xiao Yi breathed a sigh of relief. "Father, if you and Mother think her skills are good, then go and support her business. Don't think about having her come to the mansion." Xiao Yi said frankly, "Sister Tao is a straightforward person and doesn't like being restrained. I have already given her family enough to live on, so Father, don't think about it."
Prince Rui was stunned, not wanting his son to reject the suggestion outright.
"Wouldn't it be good to be a cook in the Prince's mansion? Your mother and I have both thought about it. If she doesn't trust her family, she can come and work in the Prince's mansion!"
“Father, she is free and at ease. You insist on making her come to the palace as a servant. Do you think she will be willing?” Xiao Yi shook his head with a smile. Although he had not mentioned it to Tao Wanniang, he knew that Tao Wanniang disliked being restrained.
Prince Rui frowned at Xiao Yi's words. This was something he and his wife had discussed together, but their son had completely denied it. Were they really overthinking things?
"Impossible! Isn't my Prince Rui's mansion good enough?"
"If Father doesn't believe me, we can try." Xiao Yi thought for a moment, then smiled. His father and mother had been turned away by Sister Tao, so wouldn't he have a reason to visit them?
Prince Rui didn't believe it and immediately started to challenge Xiao Yi. "You said it yourself, so I'll really go and ask. If I bring the person here, you must agree to assess the person!"
Xiao Yi's expression froze instantly, and he said, both amused and exasperated, "Father, why are you doing this!"
"I refuse to believe that someone as capable as my son could not find a Crown Princess!" Prince Rui said, his expression turning slightly somber, as if he were sulking.
Xiao Yi smiled helplessly. How can people fight against fate?
At that moment, Yang Song and his companions hesitated at the entrance of the farmhouse restaurant, wondering whether they should go in.
"Boss, we're already here, let's go in. Ten coins is still money, at least I'll have something to eat for today."
"Yeah, boss, didn't we already agree that this is a legitimate job, unlike those people who pull people out of buildings?"
"Actually, they're the same. One lures people into a building to play with girls, and the other lures people into a restaurant to eat."
"Shut up! I'm telling you, I only took this job for your sake. Three days for thirty coins? I really don't care about that!" Yang Song said sternly.
"What are you doing, standing at the door like that!" Ling Dapeng saw five people coming and going at the door several times. They were just a few thugs. He shouted at Yang Song and the others with a fierce face.
Yang Song and the others immediately took a step back, while Ling Dahu walked over from behind Ling Dapeng, holding a broom in his hand.
"We're here to work!" Yang Song felt a sudden tightness in his chest when he saw the two brothers who were a head taller than him.
"Work? What are you doing? Are you here to cause trouble?" Ling Dapeng said sternly and rudely. "Let me tell you, from now on, my brother and I will work in this shop. Don't even think about bullying my mother!" As he spoke, Ling Dapeng raised his fist.
"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" Bai Yumei heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. She immediately shouted, "Da Hu, Da Peng, they really were sent by our eldest sister to do something."
"Them?" the Ling brothers asked in unison, puzzled.
"What, you look down on us?" Yang Song said angrily. "Hey, give us the list, and let us see what we can do that you can't!"
"Sister Tao is here!" Bai Yumei exclaimed as soon as she saw the tense atmosphere and looked up to see Tao Wanniang and the other two.
Tao Wanniang walked quite leisurely, with Wang Hongyu and Xiao Qiao'er carrying vegetables behind her. When she saw Yang Song and the others, Tao Wanniang quickly walked over.
"You're all here, come on in!" Tao Wanniang said leisurely.
"Mother, what can they do? Why did you hire them to do things?" Ling Dahu asked Tao Wan's mother in a low voice.
Tao Wanniang stopped in her tracks, glanced at Ling Dahu, and then at Yang Song and the others, whose faces were clearly showing anger. She walked into the restaurant and casually found a seat.
"How does it feel to be looked down upon?" Tao Wanniang asked Yang Song. "Are you very angry, and do you really want to hit someone?"
"What are you trying to say? They're your sons, isn't that something you did on purpose?" Yang Song said angrily.
"Ha, you're overthinking it. Why would I pick a fight with you for no reason?" Tao Wanniang sneered. "If you want to be respected, then you should show some manners. We're all experiencing life for the first time, so why are some people able to live with dignity while others are like you?"
"And you two, I paid them to do this job. Why did I pay them? Of course, it's because you can't do it!" Tao Wan's mother glanced at her two sons. "If you can't do the waiter's job well, I'll just hire someone else. Don't think that just because they're my sons, you can rest easy!"
Pressure is the driving force for action; these two sons still have a long way to go!
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