Chapter 75: Stealing the Shop and Investigating.
Looking at Hu Yu's tense profile, Yu Man smiled and leaned closer: "Of course, it's for your noodles. I've been thinking about the taste of your plain noodles all these days away from the capital."
The old woman paused slightly in kneading the dough, a slight twitch appearing at the corners of her lips, which she quickly suppressed. With a stern face and without raising her head, she coldly snorted, "If it's really for the sake of this old woman, then at least you have some conscience. But if you're rushing back to the capital for some other man..." She glanced at Yu Man, her eyes sharp, "Hmph! Then you'd better go back now! I won't give this bowl of noodles to some naive, foolish girl!"
In Hu Yu's opinion, since that young man surnamed Pei had become a third-ranked scholar and an official, yet he had been delaying in arranging a marriage and had been allowing Yu Man to continue their relationship without any formal status, he was really not a good match for her.
Upon hearing this, Yu Man immediately raised three fingers as if swearing an oath, his expression serious: "Master, you're wronging me! I'm going to the capital this time for a serious matter—I want to expand the food shop business to the capital and make a big splash!"
The old woman finally stopped kneading the dough, turned her head, and carefully looked at Yu Man: "You want to open a food stall in the capital?" Her tone was full of surprise.
“Yes.” Seeing that she was willing to listen, Yu Man quickly pulled over a small stool next to her and invited her to sit down, then sat down beside her herself. “You know, I have a gluttony, and I love thinking about food, especially running a food shop. My shop in Laizhou is quite stable now, so I thought I'd come to the capital to try my luck.” She opened the bundle she had brought and took out the pickles and cotton cloth one by one. “Try these pickles; they’re homemade in my shop. They’re delicious with porridge or noodles. This cloth is thick; I’ll make you a winter coat…”
Finally, she carefully took out the plain silver hairpin. The hairpin had a simple and antique design, with only a small ruyi cloud pattern carved at the top, and a soft luster. She held it with both hands and handed it to the old woman.
Old Hu glanced at it only once before turning her head away, unconsciously rubbing her apron in her hands: "I don't want it. You work hard to earn money, keep it for yourself."
“It didn’t cost much money,” Yu Man’s voice softened. “Besides, this is a gift from a disciple to his master. If you don’t accept it, I’ll be heartbroken.”
"I don't need it!" Old Hu said stubbornly, pushing the bag away even more firmly. "Take it away."
Looking at her stubborn profile, Yu Man felt a softening in her heart. She gently placed the hairpin on the low table beside her, her voice softening: "Master, do you know why I specifically wanted to give you a silver hairpin?"
Old woman Hu remained silent, listening to what she had to say.
Yu Man said softly, "Firstly, I really didn't want you to feel burdened by this, since this hairpin isn't worth much. Secondly..." She paused, "I often saw you holding another old silver hairpin up to the light, and you would always carefully put it away, reluctant to wear it. I guess it must have been a gift from someone very close and important to you."
The old woman's back stiffened almost imperceptibly.
“I’m giving you this new one,” Yu Man said frankly, “I don’t mean anything by it. I just hope that Master can have a fashionable and bright accessory to wear, so he can look more energetic. That’s all.”
The room fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional crackling of embers in the stove. Old Hu slowly turned her head, her eyes already slightly red. She looked at the new hairpin on the table, then at Yu Manqing's bright eyes, and finally reached out to hold the cool silver hairpin in her palm, her fingertips tracing the small cloud pattern.
“…You have a sharp eye.” Her voice was a little hoarse, with a bitter taste of distant memories. “That old gun… was the one my dead old man fired for me the first time he went to the border.” She rarely brought up the past, but her tone was still hard. “The person is gone, leaving behind an object is just a memento.”
Yu listened quietly without interrupting.
After a moment of silence, as if years of resentment were suddenly released, Hu Yu suddenly uttered a cold voice: "Hmph! If he hadn't listened to too many storytellers in the teahouses back then, and hadn't been so arrogant and insisted on going to the border to earn some military merits and make some great career, but had stayed at home to farm or learn to make noodles with me, why would he have ended up like this... why would he have ended up like this at such a young age..." The rest of her words caught in her throat and turned into a cold snort.
Yu Man understood immediately; this was the first time she had learned that Hu Yu's husband had died while guarding the border. She gently took Hu Yu's thin, dry hand in hers.
Hu quickly composed herself, withdrew her hand, stood up, walked to the kneading board, and began to knead the now smooth dough again. As she kneaded, she seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps to Yu Man, "...In the future, we still have to eat wedding noodles."
"Auspicious noodles?" Yu Man asked curiously.
“Hmm.” Old Hu continued working. “According to the old custom in the capital, on the day of the engagement, both families eat a long bowl of celebratory noodles together, hoping for a long and prosperous marriage. I have an old friend whose son is getting married, and she doesn’t mind my bad luck, so she specially asked me to help make these engagement noodles.” Her tone was calm, but with a hint of a smile. “I’m sensible enough to agree to be responsible for kneading and pulling the dough. On the actual day, the important things like cooking and serving the noodles will still have to be done by the person in charge of the ceremony.”
Looking at the dough that was becoming more and more supple and smooth under her hands, Yu Man suddenly had an idea and asked, "Master, this wedding dough... can I learn how to make it from you?"
Old Hu turned to look at her in surprise: "This isn't worth much, it's exhausting."
"I just want to learn." Yu Man's eyes were serious. "Different doughs require different techniques. There are intricacies to kneading and pulling noodles."
Old Hu stared at her for a few seconds, and seeing that she wasn't joking, she snorted, stepped aside, and resumed her stern tone: "Wash your hands, come here. Keep your wrist steady, your strength even, and your breathing in sync with your strength... Yes, just like that... Tsk, why are your hands so weak after you got back? Didn't you eat? Use your strength!"
For the next two days, besides continuing to keep an eye on shop news with Xue Han, Yu Man spent almost all her time at Granny Hu's noodle stall, learning the kneading techniques for making celebratory noodles. These celebratory noodles had many intricacies; the dough had to be kneaded thoroughly and become exceptionally elastic, resulting in thin, unbroken, even, and glossy noodles—quite different from what she had learned before. By the end of the day, Yu Man felt her wrists were sore, her arms heavy, and her fingers felt like they didn't belong to her anymore.
When Pei Ji returned from his shift, he often saw her leaning against the couch, her brows furrowed as she gently rubbed her arm. That evening, after washing up, he went into her room and saw her quietly moving her wrist again. So he naturally sat down beside her and took her arm.
"What are you doing?" Yu Man asked in surprise.
"Don't move," Pei Ji said softly, his warm palm already covering her forearm, massaging it with just the right amount of pressure. His technique was quite skillful, tracing the acupoints and meridians, gradually relieving the soreness and stiffness.
Yu Man was initially a little uncomfortable, but it was indeed comfortable, so she gradually relaxed and let him serve her.
"What have you been up to these past few days, acting all mysterious?" Pei Ji asked casually, his eyes lowered and his focus on his hands. "Your arms are so sore, have you been practicing with the stone locks?"
Yu Man's eyes darted around for a moment, then she mumbled, "No... I just practiced the basics of making noodles again. I haven't practiced in a long time, so I've gotten rusty." She didn't want to say that she was learning to make engagement noodles; she felt... a little embarrassed.
Pei Ji looked up at her and saw that her ears were slightly red and her gaze was shifting, so he knew that she was not telling the truth. But he did not press her for details, and only softened the pressure on his hand: "Take things one step at a time, don't tire yourself out."
Two days later, good news finally came from the broker—Mr. Fang's nephew, the owner of the shop in Yulin Lane, had returned to Beijing. Yu Man and Xue Han immediately went there and met with Mr. Fang's nephew at a teahouse. Mr. Fang's nephew seemed to be a fairly honest businessman. Knowing that Yu Man sincerely wanted to rent the shop to run a legitimate food business, and seeing that their proposed rent was reasonable and the lease term was long, after several discussions, both parties were very satisfied. They immediately hired a middleman, wrote up the lease agreement, signed it, and paid a deposit.
The moment they received the keys, Yu Man and Xue Han exchanged a smile, a huge weight lifted from their hearts. What followed was a flurry of preparations: cleaning the shop, planning the layout, ordering tables, chairs, and dishes, recruiting staff… the two were incredibly busy.
That day, Yu Man and Xue Han were gesturing in the shop about the layout of the counter and dining area, while Shan Chun was recording the dimensions of the items they needed.
Suddenly, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the door. Then, the shop door was pushed open from the outside without any politeness and slammed against the wall with a loud "bang".
A middle-aged man dressed in a respectable silk robe, with a slightly raised chin and an arrogant expression, walked in, followed by four or five burly servants. The man's gaze swept around the relatively empty shop, and his brows immediately furrowed in disgust, as if he had seen something unbearable.
He spoke in a high-pitched, shrill voice: "From today onwards, this shop is for our household use. You all, pack your things and get out!"
Yu Man and Xue Han exchanged a glance, clearly not recognizing the uninvited guest. They stepped forward and said politely, "Sir, you must have come to the wrong place. We just rented this shop."
The man who looked like a butler glanced at her sideways and sneered, "Rented? From whose house?"
“The homeowner’s surname is Fang,” Yu Man replied.
"Then that's settled!" the steward raised his voice, imperiously. "This shop is ours! You all need to make room right now!" He then ordered the servants behind him, "Go inside and take a look. Get rid of all this junk! It's an eyesore!"
A servant stepped forward and kicked over a plain screen that Yu Man and her companions had just moved in and temporarily placed there. The screen fell to the ground with a jarring sound.
"Ugly!" the butler said with a disgusted sneer.
"Stop!" Shan Chun's figure flashed, blocking the servant's path, her eyes icy cold. She didn't move much, but with a slight shrug of her shoulder, the servant who was about to kick her felt a subtle force strike him, causing him to stagger back several steps and almost fall to the ground.
The butler was taken aback, pointed at Shan Chun, and exclaimed in shock and anger, "Rebellion! Rebellion! Do you know who I am? How dare you lay a hand on me!"
Just then, the money broker rushed in, sweating profusely, followed by his nephew, Fang, who had recently signed the contract. Fang looked flustered and embarrassed. Seeing Yu Man, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, rubbing his hands as he approached: "Mrs. Yu... I'm so sorry, so sorry! This shop... I'm afraid we can't rent it to you. This is the deposit and the penalty for breach of contract, please keep it safe..." He pulled out a money pouch and shoved it into Yu Man's hand without further ado.
Yu Man avoided the question, his face darkening: "Mr. Fang, the lease is finalized, and the payment is settled. What do you mean by this?"
Fang's nephew stamped his feet anxiously, glancing fearfully at the steward. He lowered his voice, almost pleading, "Madam Yu, please have mercy! This shop… I really can't make the decision. This is the steward of the Liang family… they've taken a liking to this shop. I'll refund you double the rent, okay? Please don't put me in such a difficult position…"
The money broker hurriedly approached Yu Man and said in a very low voice, "Madam Yu, please accept the money! We can't afford to offend the Liang family! They are... they are the Liang family, a powerful and trusted family of the emperor! Not to mention Young Master Gu, even... even the highest-ranking official wouldn't want to offend them easily! Bear with this for now, and I'll help you find a better shop!"
The Liang family? The imperial relatives whom His Majesty trusts? Yu Man's mind raced. She didn't know much about the powerful figures in the capital, but she understood the weight of the words "imperial relatives." She then looked at her nephew Fang's pale face, the money broker's anxious eyes, and the arrogant attitude of the Liang family's steward.
Her heart sank; she knew that today's events were unlikely to end well.
In that brief moment of her dazed state, Fang's nephew, as if throwing away a hot potato, shoved the money bag into her hand, then grabbed the money broker and ran away almost as if fleeing, without leaving a single word behind.
Seeing this, the Liang family steward sneered smugly and glanced at Yu Man and the other two: "You're smart to stand still. What are you waiting for? Do you want me to have someone 'invite' you out?"
Xue Han turned pale with anger, her hands clenched tightly. Shan Chun was tense all over, his eyes like knives, waiting for Yu Man's order.
Yu Man closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the raging anger within them had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only a slightly chilling calm. She took Xue Han's hand and gently shook her head at Shan Chun.
"Let's go." Her voice was calm, devoid of emotion. She bent down to pick up the screen that had been kicked over, gently brushed off the dust, and then turned and walked out first. Xue Han and Shan Chun gritted their teeth and followed.
As they walked out of Yulin Lane, Xue Han, who had overheard Fang's nephew's words, realized that bullying others was common in the streets. She calmed down first, then looked at Yu Man's tense profile and comforted her, "Aman, don't take it too hard. Good things come to those who wait. We'll keep looking, we'll definitely find a better shop! As for the Liang family… we won't stoop to their level!"
Yamaharu followed silently behind, his hand always on the concealed short blade at his waist, his lips pressed into a straight line.
Yu Man stopped and turned around, not wanting them to worry: "I'm fine. You're right, good things come to those who wait. The capital is so big, there's bound to be a place for us. I'm tired today, let's go back and rest first, and then we can discuss things further."
Back at Xilaiju, Yu Man lay down for a while before getting up and unfolding a rough map of the capital's market districts. Several shops that the broker had later sent over were circled on it, some in more remote locations, some with higher rents, and some with worse layouts. She looked at the circles, unconsciously rubbing the crossed-out spot in Yulin Alley repeatedly.
When Pei Ji returned from his shift, this was the scene he saw.
He approached quietly, his gaze falling on the map, noticing the newly circled locations. Assuming she wanted to choose some new shops, he said gently, "Are you worried about finding a shop?" He pointed to another circled location in the West Market on the map, "I know this place. Although it's not on the main street, it's near the academy, quiet and elegant, and the rent should be reasonable. Perhaps we could consider it."
Yu Man suddenly came to her senses and nodded: "Then I'll go take a look tomorrow."
She turned to look at him: "Pei Ji, tell me which prominent families in the capital are the most famous?"
Pei Ji assumed she was thinking about future customers, so he explained in detail that, aside from the Wang and Xie families, there were also some newly rich and powerful families.
"Are there any families with the surname Liang?" Yu Man asked.
Pei Ji's gaze narrowed slightly, but his expression remained impassive. He explained calmly, "The Liang family... is the maternal family of His Majesty's birth mother, Consort Liang. His Majesty lost his mother at a young age and was raised by the Empress Dowager, who then helped him ascend the throne. This matter is a closely guarded secret in the palace, and few in the common people know about it. As a result, the Liang family enjoys His Majesty's favor and trust. Although they do not wield significant power, their status is exceptional, and most officials and nobles are unwilling to antagonize them." He succinctly revealed the key point, but his gaze remained fixed on Yu Man's face. "Why did you suddenly ask about the Liang family?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Man's last shred of hope vanished. So they were the emperor's maternal relatives; no wonder they were so arrogant. She lowered her eyelashes, shook her head, and said lightly, "It's nothing. I just heard someone mention it today and became curious. As for the shop… I plan to look into it further; perhaps a different location would be better."
Pei Ji looked at her quietly for a moment, then didn't press her further. He simply said as usual, "Let's have dinner first. There's no rush with the shop. The capital is vast; we'll surely find something to our liking."
"There's no need to rush lately. The capital is bustling, so you can take your time to explore."
After the meal, Yu Man said she was a little tired and went back to her room early. Pei Ji went back to his room as usual, and instead of dealing with trivial matters, he summoned Gu Qiu.
“Investigate,” Pei Ji said, looking at the magnolia tree that remained fresh every day. “What has the Liang family been up to today? I need to know everything, big or small.”
"Yes." Gu Qiu accepted the order.
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