The carriage slowly came to a stop.
Shen Yuanze got out of the carriage first, and then beckoned Qin Shousheng to enter the mansion together.
At this moment, Chen Ruolan was sitting on a stone bench in the garden, holding a book in her hand.
She wore a light blue dress, her figure was graceful, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes were like autumn water, and her lips were red without any makeup.
Shen Yuanze led Qin Shousheng into the garden, deliberately raising his voice, "Cousin, come and meet our guest."
When Chen Ruolan heard the voice, she looked up. The moment her eyes met Qin Shousheng's, Qin Shousheng felt as if a spring breeze had swept through his heart, causing ripples to spread across his soul.
It's so similar, so very similar. This woman looks so much like my deceased wife. Could it be that my deceased wife couldn't bear to see him alone, so she brought her to her side?
At that moment, he seemed to see his deceased wife, that beautiful, gentle woman with a touch of scholarly refinement.
For a moment, their eyes widened, and they were all stunned...
Chen Ruolan rose gracefully, gave a slight curtsy, and said softly, "Greetings, cousin; greetings, sir."
Qin Shousheng then came to his senses and hurriedly returned the greeting, but his eyes never left Chen Ruolan.
Shen Yuanze saw all of this and secretly felt smug.
He had long known that Qin Shousheng's wife was a lady from a prominent family in the capital, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
In order to ensure that Chen Ruolan could marry him smoothly, he specially arranged for Chen Ruolan to study in the garden in the style of his deceased wife.
Shen Yuanze quickly introduced, "Cousin, this is Lord Qin Shousheng, whom I mentioned to you."
Chen Ruolan bowed slightly and said, "This humble girl, Chen Ruolan, greets Your Excellency."
Qin Shousheng grabbed her hand, "Miss Chen, there's no need for such formalities."
Chen Ruolan's cheeks flushed slightly. She gently withdrew her hand, turned around with a shy expression, and went back into the house.
Seeing this, Shen Yuanze was extremely pleased with himself; the fish was about to take the bait.
"Lord Qin, how is it? Are you satisfied with my cousin?"
"I'm very satisfied, extremely satisfied."
Qin Shousheng fell in love with Chen Ruolan at first sight, feeling a deep regret that they had not met sooner.
"Lord Shen, your cousin is truly a beauty of unparalleled grace. I am quite fond of her. I wonder if your cousin would be willing to be my second wife?"
“She is willing, of course. My cousin is all alone and has no parents. As her cousin, I don’t want to wrong her. If Lord Qin wants to win the heart of his beauty, we still need to go through the proper procedures.”
Shen Yuanze wasn't in a hurry for Chen Ruolan to throw herself into his arms. He had his own plans. The county magistrate's wife was steady and reserved. If he let Chen Ruolan rush into his bed, she would be worthless and seem too frivolous. So he deliberately arranged it this way.
"Of course, I will certainly marry the beauty in a grand and glorious manner." Qin Shousheng smiled so wide that his eyes disappeared. "Brother Shen, there is no time like the present. Tomorrow is the auspicious day. Miss Ruolan and I will get married tomorrow."
"Okay, then my cousin will be waiting to be the bride."
Having received a satisfactory reply, Qin Shousheng reluctantly took his leave.
After seeing Qin Shousheng off, Shen Yuanze went straight into the house, grabbed Chen Ruolan, and began to grope her all over.
He grinned lewdly, "Little sister, are you satisfied with the person your brother found for you? You'll be the magistrate's wife starting tomorrow, so don't forget about it later!"
Chen Ruolan snorted lightly, "Brother, what are you saying? Of course, I will never forget your kindness."
"That's good. Don't forget to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. What I want is that lucrative job in the salt transport."
"I've got it." Chen Ruolan lowered her brows slightly.
Shen Yuanze was extremely satisfied, but thinking that this was the last night, he couldn't help feeling a little reluctant. He picked up Chen Ruolan and tossed her onto the large bed...
******
Qingshui Town.
Amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers, Chen Feng, surrounded by the shop assistants, arrived at the entrance of Ruyi Restaurant.
A large crowd of onlookers had already gathered in front of the restaurant. Chen Feng announced loudly,
"Dear fellow villagers of Qingshui Town, our Ruyi Restaurant is now open! To thank you for your strong support, every diner will receive a complimentary pot of fine Anyang tea and a snack, plus a 30% discount on the bill for three consecutive days. Please spread the word."
These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the onlookers.
"This event is really great value, I wonder how the food is?"
"Yes, I remember there used to be a restaurant here. It made a big splash when it opened, but the food was nowhere near as good as the Qingshui Restaurant across the street. I ate there once and never came back. It closed down in less than a month. I didn't expect another restaurant to open now. Even though the promotions are tempting, if the food isn't good, it's a waste of money!"
"Your worries are a bit unnecessary. Didn't you see those chefs standing at the door? Putting aside others, just look at that fair-skinned, chubby guy. That's Liu the Great Chef, the famous chef in our area. His ancestors were imperial chefs in the palace. Once you've tasted his cooking, other chefs' dishes just don't taste as good."
"That's right. I used to eat at the Qingshui Restaurant across the street often, just for Liu Dashao. I didn't expect him to move to this newly opened restaurant. I have to go and have a meal there."
"Is it really as bizarre as you're making it out to be?"
"What's so strange about this? As the saying goes, 'Seeing is believing,' why don't you try it yourself and see for yourself?"
"Yes, yes, yes, 'You only know how deep the river is when you go in, and you only know how sweet and sour a pear is when you taste it.' Let's go in and taste it."
"Let's go, let's go join the fun."
......
In no time, the restaurant was bustling with activity outside, and inside it was filled with the aroma of delicious food. Every table was surrounded by diners, and the business was booming.
Looking at the bustling Ruyi Restaurant across the street, with its constant stream of customers, Wu Shiren gritted his teeth in anger. Liu Dashao and Liang Caidun had actually abandoned him; they were truly shameless.
“These treacherous bastards, you want to cause trouble? I’ll play along to the end. If I don’t beat you to a pulp, I, Wu Shiren, will write my name backwards.”
Zhao Tian stamped his feet anxiously, "Manager, these people are bullying us too much! They're offering a 30% discount just to steal our customers. They're clearly trying to go against us. As the saying goes, 'A mouth that's used to eating and legs that's used to running will always want to eat something again. You need to think of a solution quickly. We can't just sit here and wait to be bullied like this!"
"Don't worry, as the saying goes, 'Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse,' let alone me, Wu Shiren, who hasn't lost weight yet."
Wu Shiren had completely calmed down. He squinted his eyes and curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"They're like eggs hitting a rock, overestimating themselves. They think they can fight us with their limited skills. This time, we'll make sure they lose their pants."
"Shopkeeper, have you thought of a way to deal with this?"
“What’s so difficult about that? They only have Liu Dashao and Wang Guotou, right? Don’t forget, we have you, Wang Qi, and Li Liu. Tomorrow we’ll also have a store anniversary sale and see who has the stronger foundation.”
"Yes, yes, yes, shopkeeper, that's a great idea. With our reputation in Qingshui Town over the years, I don't believe we can't beat a poor kid."
"Hurry up and go down to prepare, make as much noise as possible." Wu Shiren raised his chin, his face full of smugness.
Zhao Tian nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll go prepare right away."
......
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