“Sister-in-law, you’ve prepared too little. We’ve been waiting in line for so long and haven’t even had a sip of soup.”
“Exactly! I’ve been smelling the aroma for ages and am starving. If I don’t get to taste it, I’ll be miserable all day.”
Customers who hadn’t made it to the front of the line gathered around the stall, complaining. Nanny Su was both surprised and delighted—this was her first time running a business, and she never expected it to be so popular. The wooden box for copper coins was filled to the brim, heavy enough to weigh down her hands.
“It’s our first day, so we weren’t sure about the portions. We’ll make more tomorrow—everyone, come early!”
Hearing Nanny Su’s words, the crowd in front of the stall gradually dispersed. Nanny Su and Ren Dong packed up their things and hurried home.
On Wutong Street, Xi Ning sat on a low stool by the courtyard gate, her ears perked up to catch any sounds from outside.
Though confident in her skills, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
The wonton noodles were generous in portion and deliciously savory. Each bowl contained ten wontons, priced at ten copper coins. While this was more expensive than other snacks like steamed buns or pancakes, a single bowl offered meat, noodles, and soup—anyone who tried it would know how worthwhile it was.
“Miss, we’re back! Everything’s sold out!”
As soon as Ren Dong entered the gate, she raised her voice excitedly. Seeing Xi Ning right by the entrance, she quickly handed over the wooden box in her hands.
“Miss, you have no idea how popular our wonton noodles are—people from the whole street lined up for them!”
The young maid, experiencing her first taste of business success, was so thrilled she couldn’t contain herself, pulling Xi Ning aside as if she had a thousand things to say.
“Alright, it’s windy outside. Let’s get Miss inside first, and we should also let her count today’s earnings.”
Though Nanny Su was also excited, she managed to keep her composure. Moreover, she was eager to find out how much they had earned.
At ten copper coins per bowl, they sold a total of 530 bowls of wonton noodles. After deducting costs, they made a profit of 350 copper coins.
“So much!”
Even Nanny Su, usually so composed, couldn’t help exclaiming in astonishment.
After all, washing clothes for others earned them only twenty copper coins a day, leaving them exhausted and sore. The earnings from selling wonton noodles were equivalent to half a month’s wages.
However, while Nanny Su and the others thought it was a lot, Xi Ning felt it was far from enough.
Selling food didn’t require high costs, but it was labor-intensive. The original owner of the body was delicate and frail, so kneading dough and preparing fillings were tasks she delegated to Nanny Su and Ren Dong. Even just wrapping the wontons left her utterly exhausted.
Still, wealth accumulates bit by bit—there was no need to rush. With such a promising start, the three of them, master and servants, were quite satisfied.
In the sunny days of March, the Xi family’s wonton noodles gained a reputation in the northern part of the city. Even before Nanny Su set up her stall, a crowd had already gathered early in the morning, waiting in line.
On the road outside the capital, a carriage slowly made its way into the city.
Chang Lin had been driving the carriage for two days and a night, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. They had endured harsh conditions along the journey, without even a single hot meal.
As a servant, he was accustomed to such hardships, but his master couldn’t withstand such strain.
“Third Master, we’ve entered the city. Should we rest in the northern part and have a hot meal? If you return like this, Old Madam will surely worry.”
The carriage curtain hung down, obscuring the view inside. After a long pause, a soft “Mm” came from behind the curtain.
The man’s voice was like fine porcelain—elegant yet steady.
Pei Zhao leaned against the carriage wall, his eyes slightly closed. His skin was as fair as jade, with faint dark circles beneath his eyes. His refined and handsome features bore traces of weariness. Hearing his servant’s words, he raised a hand to rub his temples.”Just buy something simple, we need to hurry on our way.”
“Yes.”
Chang Lin responded. His Third Master was picky with food, usually dissatisfied with the meals in the mansion, let alone anything from outside. Chang Lin didn’t intend to buy anything particularly delicious—just something warm to soothe the stomach would do.
He hadn’t been to the northern part of the city many times, and it wasn’t until he got off the carriage that he remembered what this area was.
If he recalled correctly, Third Master’s alluring concubine was settled here on Wutong Street.
“Tsk tsk, what a pity.”
Chang Lin shook his head as he thought. When Third Master had bought the woman, he thought his master had finally taken an interest in women. Who would have thought that after bringing such a bewitching woman home, Third Master had never once favored her, and now he had even abandoned her in the northern part of the city without a second thought.
Could the rumors outside be true? Was their Third Master truly incapable, and buying a concubine was just a cover for his ‘hidden ailment’?
Chang Lin shuddered, feeling he had uncovered the truth.
No wonder there had never been a woman by their Third Master’s side. But if not women, then men would do—though he had no idea what kind of man their Third Master might fancy.
Chang Lin’s mind was a mess, and his feet unconsciously led him to Wutong Street. As he looked up, he saw a stall with a long queue.
“Isn’t that Nanny Su and Ren Dong? Why are they running a stall?”
He had been the one to buy them back, so Chang Lin couldn’t possibly mistake them.
He never expected them to be selling food, and business seemed quite good. But what about Miss Xi?
Chang Lin no longer had any intention of buying food. He just wanted to hurry back and report to Pei Zhao. Even if Miss Xi was out of favor, she was still Third Master’s woman. If these two wicked servants were mistreating her, Third Master would surely not stand idly by.
Just as he was about to leave, someone happened to pass by with a bowl of wonton noodles. The aroma wafted straight into his nostrils, and Chang Lin, who had been hungry for half the day, couldn’t resist.
He spent ten taels of silver to buy the bowl from a customer and hurried back to the carriage with it.
Pei Zhao was still resting with his eyes closed. He wasn’t interested in the food Chang Lin had bought—to him, food was merely for sustenance, and none of it tasted good anyway.
But this time, Third Master Pei was proven wrong.
The wontons were filled with pork and shepherd’s purse, with a shrimp ball added inside. Each bite was savory and springy. The shepherd’s purse had been picked fresh that morning, tender and still glistening with dew. Chopped and mixed with the pork, its freshness perfectly balanced the greasiness of the meat.
The noodles were chewy, and by the time the wontons were finished, the noodles had absorbed the flavorful broth. Xi Ning had improved the base soup, replacing the original chicken broth with a stock made from fish, shrimp, and pork bones—delicious and nutritious. By the time Pei Zhao finished, sweat had beaded on his forehead.
It was the first time he had ever felt satisfaction from food. So, such deliciousness truly existed in the world.
“Where is this food from? We should patronize this place more often.”
If not for fear of causing public outrage, he would have wanted to hire the cook for his own household.
Chang Lin watched him eat the entire time. If even his master, with his discerning palate, enjoyed it so much, how delicious must this wonton noodle be? He wished he had bought another bowl.
But then again, he couldn’t afford food that cost ten taels a bowl.
Suppressing his mixed feelings, Chang Lin replied to his master.
“Master, you know this cook. It’s the two servants by Miss Xi’s side.”
“Miss Xi?”
For a moment, Pei Zhao couldn’t recall who this Miss Xi was. Chang Lin, well aware of his master’s nature, quickly reminded him.
“The one you brought back from Jiangnan, the one in the outer courtyard.”
“Oh.”Pei Zhao lowered his gaze. He didn’t have a deep impression of Xi Ning; buying her back then had been a last resort.
Prince Xian wanted to marry his beloved daughter to him, but Prince Xian and the Crown Prince were at odds. The Pei family supported the Crown Prince, yet they couldn’t afford to offend Prince Xian either. Pei Zhao knew Prince Xian intended to win him over, but he was unwilling to rush into marriage, so he brought back a woman from Jiangnan.
Back then, he bought Xi Ning simply because of her beauty, which conveniently reinforced his reputation for being infatuated with appearances.
Moreover, this woman had a timid nature. Though she aspired to climb the social ladder, she wouldn’t dare to do anything too outrageous. Pei Zhao had originally planned to wait until Prince Xian’s intentions faded in a couple of years, then give Xi Ning some silver and find her a good place to go.
He just hadn’t expected that in less than half a year, things would spiral out of his control.
“Go to the outer courtyard.”