Xia Hua took out the silver notes and gave each of them five thousand taels of silver to buy furniture and other things for the future. She wasn't worried that they would run away with the money; after all, if they were going to run away, they would have done so last night.
That's how people were in ancient times; they thought too much. But they couldn't go anywhere anyway. Without a household registration and a place to settle down, they were doomed. Even though they were sold, at least they had food and drink and wouldn't starve.
After all the things were moved into the house, they were asked to make some clothes for themselves using cloth. There were also ten other servants who didn't know how to make clothes, so Tao was asked to make them.
Wu Yue and He Jin took people to buy things, while Tao Shi and Zhou Shi led the maids to tidy up the house. The children were also busy, fetching water, wiping windows, and sweeping the floor.
Seeing that they were busy, An Shuyi and Xia Hua didn't pay much attention and went straight out of the courtyard, intending to go out for a walk and find out what was going on with Xiao Zili. However, once they got to the street, they canceled their plans and went directly into a teahouse to drink tea and listen to opera.
The two ate melon seeds and drank tea, watching with great interest, clapping and cheering from time to time.
"Madam, we meet again. Would it be alright if we sat at the same table?"
The two women, who were engrossed in watching, turned around when they heard the sound and saw a gentle and refined man standing next to them, looking at them with a smile—no, he was looking at An Shuyi.
Xia Hua naturally noticed his gaze, but seeing Shu Shu's expression, she didn't say anything. If she remembered correctly, this man was following behind Shu Shu yesterday.
Although there were a few other people besides him, they didn't see them after they left the restaurant, and the man didn't follow them anymore. It's unclear what he wanted to do now.
An Shuyi didn't refuse outright. Instead, she looked around and saw that the place was already full. Only their table had two seats left. This teahouse was really doing brisk business.
"Please sit down!"
"Thank you, Madam!" The man said as he sat down. "My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Yubai."
"My surname is An, and her surname is Xia!" After saying that, she ignored him and continued watching the play on stage.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Xiao Yubai wisely stopped bothering her and sat there quietly to watch the show until the actors changed. An Shuyi was still not satisfied.
"Huahua, can we come again tomorrow?" This play is really good. Not only is the speaker's delivery vivid and expressive, but the acting is also excellent. There's nothing else to kill time here, so this play is great. No wonder the teahouse is so crowded.
It seems they are all idle people with nothing to do, so they can only come to the teahouse to pass the time.
“Okay!” Xia Hua nodded. “Let’s go back.” They hadn’t eaten lunch. They had originally planned to inquire about Xiao Zili’s whereabouts before eating, but they were already full from watching the opera, having snacks and tea, so there was no need for them to eat lunch.
Upon hearing them leave, Xiao Yubai stood up and asked, "Are you two ladies leaving? May I ask where your residence is located?"
“We’re not from the capital, we’re just here for sightseeing. We don’t have a fixed place to stay. Please continue reading, young master. We’ll take our leave now.” After saying that, An Shuyi pulled Xia Hua away.
Xiao Yubai didn't ask, nor was he angry. Instead, he sat back down in his chair.
After they went outside, An Shuyi said, "Huahua, what does this man want? He followed me yesterday, and we bumped into each other today. He wasn't dressed very well; although he was clean, some parts of his clothes were worn."
"I saw him when I went to the money exchange yesterday. Could it be that he saw how much silver I took out and wanted to live off me? But even if he wanted to live off me, he would have the means. He's handsome and refined, but he just doesn't have any money."
"He also said his surname was Xiao, but I don't know which Xiao he was referring to. However, I'm sure it's definitely not the Xiao of Xiao Zili."
Xia Hua shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either. "Don't think too much about it. No matter what his purpose is, he'll eventually slip up."
She didn't think the man was interested in Shushu's money, but rather in her. While watching the play, Xiao Yubai's eyes glanced at Shushu more than once, but perhaps that was just something he was deliberately putting on.
"Um"
When the two returned to the house, it had already been cleaned up and all the furniture had been put away.
"The two ladies have returned. Shall we set the table now?" Tao asked as she came over.
"Let's set the table!" Xia Hua said.
These people seem to be quite efficient; they've only been gone for a few hours, yet they've not only cleaned up the place but also prepared the meal.
Upon receiving the instructions, Tao instructed the kitchen maids to serve the dishes. Soon, the dishes were brought out, and An Shuyi and Xia Hua washed their hands with the help of the maids before sitting down to eat.
The meal consisted of four simple dishes and a soup, but the taste was quite ordinary, especially for An Shuyi, who had eaten many delicious foods.
Xia Hua could tell from her pale face that she was not satisfied. "Tao, after the house next door is cleaned up, have Zhou and the others come over to work here tomorrow. I will write down some recipes for you later, and you can follow them tomorrow."
It seems I'll have to go to the brokerage tomorrow to ask if there are any suitable shops, so I can open the dim sum shop and hot pot shop as soon as possible. As for the manager, I'll also go to the brokerage tomorrow.
"Yes, Madam," Tao replied tremblingly.
"Go downstairs, we'll clean up later."
"Yes, Madam!" Tao Shi and her maidservant bowed and left the room.
After everyone left, An Shuyi put down her bowl. "This dish is terrible. It tastes exactly like the one Zhao made. It's like I've gone back to when I first came here, and what I ate every day was no different from pig swill."
This dish isn't stir-fried at all; it's boiled. You put the vegetables in a pot of water, add a little oil, and then add some salt after it's cooked. That's how it's made. Putting aside the taste, the color alone is simply... amazing.
Receiving no response, and looking at Huahua who was still eating, he asked in confusion, "Huahua, no wonder you don't have a sense of taste? Why can you still eat normally?"
Seeing her unusual expression, Xia Hua found it amusing and showed her the bowl. "I'm eating rice, not dishes. The rice isn't bad. You have other dishes there, just take out a couple and we'll eat."
"We'll have them learn how to cook the dish tomorrow. If it doesn't taste good, they'll learn more. We won't be staying here for long before we go back to the village. When we come back next time, we'll have plenty of time to learn."
An Shuyi nodded and took out two dishes from the warehouse. These were dishes bought from the restaurant. It seemed that for her stomach's sake, the restaurant had to prepare more food. She couldn't let her stomach suffer.
After the two finished eating, they put the bowls they had taken out into the storeroom before calling Tao to come in and clean up.
When Tao came in, she saw that the dishes on the table hadn't been touched much and there were only empty bowls. She was even more afraid that the two ladies would get angry and sell her family again. What would she do then?
"Send some water to the side room later," Xia Hua instructed. She had just checked and there was already a bathtub inside. Although Tao Shi was not good at cooking, Wu Yue was good at doing things, and he had bought everything needed for this house.
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