The “she” being referred to was clearly Wang Li. That day, after Mu Simiao confirmed that the thief was Liu Haoxuan, she investigated further and informed Qi Yuze.
He was still somewhat angry, but since the recipe ultimately belonged to Mu Simiao and she wasn’t pursuing the matter, Qi Yuze had even less right to do so.
Qi Yuze lowered his eyes, picked up Yue’er, and placed the stroller in the carriage: “This humble one understands.”
Although Mu Simiao didn’t approve of Liu Haoxuan’s actions, Granny Liu had helped a lot at the stall, and he had indeed worked diligently during his time there. Both emotionally and logically, she had to make this trip, though it wasn’t important enough to close the stall for a whole day.
So at noon the next day, Mu Simiao left early for the city and familiarly entered Granny Liu’s courtyard.
Granny Liu was rinsing the newly polished hairpins, washing them clean before arranging them on the stall cart. Hearing movement at the gate, she looked up and her eyes lit up upon seeing Mu Simiao.
Initially, she had indeed considered matchmaking Liu Haoxuan with Mu Simiao, but since Mu Simiao was already married and unwilling, she sent Liu Haoxuan over so that Mu Simiao might come to appreciate his qualities through daily interaction—after all, polyandry wasn’t without precedent.
Unexpectedly, before Mu Simiao could be “hooked,” Liu Haoxuan managed to win the favor of the Wang family’s Nügongzi, with a betrothal gift as high as ten taels, demonstrating the Wang family’s regard for him.
However, the Wang family had one requirement: they wanted the seasoning sauce for Si Miao Cold Noodles and the recipe for Sour Jujube Drink. Granny Liu thought that since the two were about to start a family, doing this now was for the benefit of their own people.
So she suggested to Liu Haoxuan that he stay at Mu Simiao’s house for a couple of days, and he smoothly obtained the recipes. The Wang family’s Nügongzi became even more satisfied with Liu Haoxuan, and they quickly set the wedding date for the day after tomorrow.
Since Liu Haoxuan was getting married, Granny Liu naturally wouldn’t miss the chance for Mu Simiao to give a wedding gift. She sent Liu Haoxuan to her stall to invite her to the wedding ceremony.
When Liu Haoxuan told Granny Liu that Mu Simiao wouldn’t be attending, her face darkened, and she raised her hand as if to hit him. Liu Haoxuan flinched and hurriedly added, “Mu Jiejie will come tomorrow to give the gift in advance…”
Granny Liu lowered her hand, her expression returning to amiable: “What dowry would you like? Have your sister take you to the storeroom to choose.”
Only then did Liu Haoxuan breathe a sigh of relief, lowering his head and turning to follow his sister as they left.
“You’re here?” Granny Liu placed the hairpin in her hand onto the cart and hurried to the gate, taking a box of pastries from Mu Simiao. “Oh, why bring anything? That’s too formal.”
Seeing how unceremoniously she accepted it, Mu Simiao forced a laugh: “I heard Haoxuan is marrying the Wang family’s Nügongzi soon. Unfortunately, the stall is quite busy, and I won’t have time that day. This small gift is just a token of my regards.”
As soon as she pulled out the gift from her embrace, Granny Liu snatched it: “Your own matters are more important. The thought is what counts—Haoxuan will understand.”
Her words made Mu Simiao laugh inwardly. She nodded and glanced around: “Why don’t I see Haoxuan?”
“Him? He’s getting married tomorrow, so he shouldn’t go out today. He’s staying in the inner room.” Granny Liu was more interested in the gift at the moment and answered her question offhandedly.
However, Mu Simiao wasn’t particularly interested in this matter. Hearing this, she glanced toward the closed inner room and unexpectedly met a pair of flickering eyes. She quickly averted her gaze without staring too long: “In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
Granny Liu hypocritically grabbed her arm again, insisting she stay for a meal. Mu Simiao had no desire to remain and only managed to extricate herself from the alley after several polite refusals.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief, never expecting such hypocritical social customs would persist from ancient times to the present.
When she returned home, Qi Yuze had already prepared everything. After eating, Mu Simiao added an extra layer of clothing and pushed the cart back to the market.
The neighboring stall, having operated for many years, naturally offered various food styles. After the rain stopped, the temperature dropped sharply, and the surrounding stalls had all changed their menus accordingly.
Meanwhile, the “copycat” stall across from them still hung the ill-timed Liangmian sign. Standing beside it was Liu Haoxuan, whom she hadn’t seen at noon.
“I recall that betrothed couples aren’t allowed to meet before marriage. Why is he…” Qi Yuze couldn’t help but comment when he saw Liu Haoxuan behind Wang Li’s stall.
Qi Yuze was right – at least that’s what Granny Liu had claimed at noon. Mu Simiao didn’t quite understand it, nor did she want to inquire further: “Other people’s family matters are none of our business. Let’s just ignore it.”
Adhering to the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, Mu Simiao focused on selling her Guandong Zhu and Cong You Banmian without even glancing toward their stall. Yet even without looking, the sparse crowd in front of their stall forced itself into her vision.
While the surrounding stalls maintained their usual customer flow, with Mu Simiao’s stall being slightly busier, Wang Li’s stall appeared particularly desolate in comparison. Even her expression had turned cold.
Wang Li clicked her tongue in displeasure, growing even more irritated at the sight of Liu Haoxuan beside her. Her initial interest in him had stemmed from his previous work at Mu Simiao’s stall, assuming he’d know some recipes.
She had offered ten taels of silver as betrothal gifts, never expecting he wouldn’t know anything. In the end, she barely managed to obtain the Liangmian and Sour Jujube Drink recipes, only for the weather to suddenly turn cold, making Liangmian instantly lose its market appeal.
A sharp slap echoed across all the stalls. Hearing the commotion, Mu Simiao paused her movements and instinctively looked toward the opposite stall.
Liu Haoxuan hung his head, hand covering one cheek, his body trembling violently. Beside him, Wang Li’s face was dark with clearly poor temper.
Not just Mu Simiao, but all the nearby stall owners turned to look. The neighboring stall owner exclaimed “Eh?” upon seeing Liu Haoxuan, then turned to Mu Simiao: “Isn’t that your former assistant?”
Mu Simiao’s eyes flickered, recognizing the familiar scene. She slowly explained: “He used to be, but he resigned to return home for marriage.”
“Marriage?” The neighboring stall owner looked astonished, then cast a glance toward Wang Li across the way. Shaking her head helplessly, she shared the Wang family gossip: “You’re new here so you wouldn’t know – the Wang family is notorious. Their lady beat her previous Fu Lang to death. She’s infamous throughout this street. I never thought any family would still be willing to push their son into such a pit of fire.”
Mu Simiao had initially thought the Wang family quite generous, never imagining they’d be remarrying with violent tendencies. Although she had been annoyed with Liu Haoxuan for stealing recipes, he certainly didn’t deserve this fate.
Back then, her cousin had been beaten by their uncle and then leaped from the rooftop on the day he came of age. Mu Simiao had just returned home from school when he fell straight down right in front of her, blood and brain matter splattering onto her sleeve.
This scene haunted Mu Simiao’s dreams for a long time, and she once suffered from severe insomnia.
However, Liu Haoxuan was already engaged. If she stepped forward now, she would surely become the target of public criticism. Mu Simiao didn’t want to cause trouble, but she couldn’t ignore the intense gaze directed at her from across the way.
When the bell for the private school’s classes rang, the stall owners began packing up one by one. Watching Wang Li storm off angrily and Liu Haoxuan, who had been kicked, Mu Simiao fell silent for a moment before turning to Qi Yuze. “I’m going to talk to him.”
Though Qi Yuze didn’t know what she intended to say, he still felt some sympathy for the harm Liu Haoxuan had just endured. Upon hearing Mu Simiao’s words, he immediately nodded.
Author’s Note: