The golden rooster crowed, its cry awakening the mist shrouded morning.
Jiang Zhiyu had not slept at all during the night. She had stared at the ceiling until dawn, and the dark circles beneath her eyes were probably enough to rival a panda’s. She had tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
She leaned against the window frame, still thinking about Xia Linchuan’s proposal of marriage the previous night.
The clear medicinal fragrance that lingered around him when he drew close seemed to remain at the tip of her nose, while his words, both distinct and dreamlike, kept replaying in her ears.
“A contract marriage for three years. We will not interfere with each other’s affairs. Miss Xiaoyu, are you willing to accept this arrangement?”
That handsome face of his, so beautiful that it could make anyone feel protective and bring ruin to a kingdom, remained impossible to drive from her mind.
A faint chill drifted through the air, carrying the scent of morning dew and the fragrance of flowers, grass, and trees as it entered Jiang Zhiyu’s room.
Feeling the coolness outside, Jiang Zhiyu hunched her neck and crawled back under the covers.
It was not until Jiang’s Mother knocked on the door and called her to get up that she poked her head out from under the quilt. Looking somewhat exhausted, she sat up and glanced around the room at the wooden table.
The gold on the table gleamed brilliantly beneath the faint sunlight filtering inside, radiating an irresistible allure.
It was the gold Xia Linchuan had given her yesterday.
Jiang’s Father and Jiang’s Mother had already prepared hot porridge and several side dishes in the kitchen. They were only waiting for their daughter to come over and sit down for breakfast, but their moods seemed somewhat heavy.
The couple exchanged a glance. They had already come to the worst possible conclusion.
Jiang’s Father picked up a piece of pickled radish and placed it in his wife’s bowl before sighing heavily.
“Her mother, if the business really can’t continue, then we can simply stop running the shop. Xiaoyu has already become so thin from all this.”
Jiang’s Mother was slightly taken aback. She instinctively looked toward Jiang Zhiyu’s room, then nodded and added a sweet potato to her husband’s bowl.
“I think so too. Nothing is more important than our daughter.”
The couple had more or less made up their minds. Now they only had to wait for Jiang Zhiyu to come out so they could figure out how to bring up the matter.
“Dad! Mom!”
Jiang Zhiyu came rushing out of her room fully dressed, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, yet she was extremely excited.
“Ah.”
The couple answered her at the same time. Jiang’s Father hurriedly stood up and pulled out a chair for her, while Jiang’s Mother lovingly took her daughter’s hand.
“Why are your eyes so dark? Did you not sleep well again last night?”
Jiang Zhiyu’s stomach was growling from hunger. After sitting down, she immediately shoveled several mouthfuls of porridge into her mouth.
Seeing their daughter eating so ravenously, the couple felt even more distressed. They exchanged another knowing glance before Jiang’s Father spoke earnestly.
“Xiaoyu, your mother and I have something to discuss with you.”
Jiang Zhiyu had stuffed her mouth full of steamed bun, so her reply was muffled, yet filled with excitement.
“I also have something to tell you both.”
“Daughter, you go first.”
Jiang Zhiyu looked as though she were about to announce something tremendously important. She glanced at the tightly closed courtyard gate and made sure that only the three of them were at home before carefully taking the two gold ingots from her clothes and placing them in front of her parents.
“We have money now! The shop can be saved!”
In little more than ten days, the inconspicuous Old Jiang Guduo Shop at the end of the alley had been completely transformed.
Jiang Zhiyu had not only hired two quick and capable workers to ease the burden on her parents, but had also ordered fine cloth garments for the family well in advance of the reopening day.
The family of three stood outside the shop, looking at the freshly renovated Old Jiang Guduo Shop with immense delight.
Once the Old Jiang Guduo Shop reopened, customers really did begin arriving one after another.
The first version of the vegetable and meat wontons that Jiang Zhiyu had recreated that day was added to the menu. Unexpectedly, it became the shop’s best selling item.
Every customer who tasted them praised their fresh and delicious flavor and their irresistible aroma. Word spread from one person to ten, and then from ten to a hundred. In only one morning, dozens of bowls had already been sold.
The air was filled with the vibrant energy of sunlight mingling with the fragrance of flour. It seemed that her return to the real world was just around the corner.
Jiang Zhiyu thought happily as she collected the money.
“Old Jiang, your skills haven’t declined at all. They are still just as delicious. Give me another bowl to take home.”
Amid the neighbors’ praise came her parents’ proud yet modest replies.
“Our daughter came up with this new flavor. How is it? Not bad, right?
Come by and patronize us often.”
It was lunchtime, yet an unexpected visitor arrived at the shop.
A sudden commotion and whispers could be heard approaching from farther down the street.
Everyone craned their necks to look.
A beautifully decorated vermilion sedan chair came to a steady stop in front of the Old Jiang Guduo Shop.
When the curtain was lifted, a richly dressed woman of around forty stepped out. She waved a pale golden pink palm fan as she walked into the shop.
“Welcome, what would you like to eat?”
Jiang Zhiyu had never seen a middle aged woman as cute as a little bok choy before. There was even a hint of affection in her greeting.
“Oh my, you really made me search everywhere for you. Why didn’t anyone stay at home?”
The woman carefully looked Jiang Zhiyu up and down several times, wearing a characteristic smile as she waved her palm fan. Her voice carried the soft and gentle charm of the local dialect.
“Oh my, you must be Jiang Zhiyu, Miss Xiaoyu, right? This old woman is surnamed Cui. Thanks to the favor of all the influential people in the capital, they call me Auntie Magpie.”
Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying the lingering charm of a woman who had passed her youth. Jiang Zhiyu found herself feeling slightly weak in the knees just listening to her.
The moment the woman introduced herself, everyone began whispering among themselves.
“I heard this old woman is the most famous matchmaker in the capital. There isn’t a marriage proposal she can’t successfully arrange.”
“I also heard that ordinary families can’t even afford to invite her. I wonder who hired her.”
Jiang Zhiyu froze.
A matchmaker?
While she was still standing there in a daze, Cui Xique waved her palm fan and laughed so heartily that her whole body seemed to sway.
“I came today because a tremendous piece of good news is about to arrive at your door. Under the orders of the heir of the Zhen Nan Prince, I have come especially to present the betrothal gifts to you, Miss Xiaoyu.”
The moment the words “betrothal gifts” were spoken, it was as though someone had pressed a mute button on the entire street.
The whole street fell utterly silent. Even the faint sound of a fallen leaf hitting the ground after being blown down by the wind could be heard with startling clarity.
【System Message: User has unlocked character: Cui Xique, the foremost matchmaker in the capital, smooth and charming, with honeyed words and a highly adaptable nature.】
Jiang Zhiyu had been so busy renovating the shop that she assumed Xia Linchuan would at least have to wait for his family to go through several layers of approval before anyone could formally propose marriage.
Who could have expected that on such a peaceful and ordinary reopening day, he would send the most famous matchmaker in the capital to deliver the betrothal gifts?
And not merely to discuss the marriage. He had gone straight to presenting the betrothal gifts.
Were people in ancient times really this efficient?
Cui Xique composed herself and had her accompanying maid bring out a stack of red and gold decorated gift lists.
Her attendants then led Jiang Zhiyu, Jiang’s Father, and Jiang’s Mother beneath the tree in the courtyard. Only then did she slowly unfold the gift list and begin reading aloud.
“Then I’ll start reading. Miss Xiaoyu, Jiang’s Father, Jiang’s Mother, please check everything carefully. One thousand taels of gold as the betrothal money, two hundred bolts of brocade embroidered with gold thread, one hundred stems of dendrobium adorned with pearls, a complete set of furniture made from rosewood and inlaid with mother of pearl, and a medium sized residence in the city…”
Every item Cui Xique announced caused the onlookers and customers eating inside the shop to gasp.
What kind of wealth and honor was this?
When had this street ever witnessed such a spectacle?
As Cui Xique read out each gift, the servants beside her began carrying the vermilion lacquered chests inside. They opened them one by one for inspection.
In an instant, the brilliance of pearls, jewels, and precious treasures illuminated the entire shop and even half the street with an air of wealth and nobility.
Jiang Zhiyu silently pressed a hand to her forehead. She quickly caught Cui Xique by the edge of her clothes and gestured for her to stop.
“All right, all right, Auntie Magpie. That’s enough. Don’t read anymore. Let’s go home and talk about it there.”
The neighbors and locals gathered outside to watch the spectacle had already erupted into a frenzy.
Among the crowd, Auntie Wang’s shrill and mocking voice was the first to pierce through the surrounding commotion.
“Oh my! I knew it, Xiaoyu. I was wondering where you got such a large sum of money to renovate the shop. New tables and chairs, fresh paint, and you can even afford to hire workers. So you’ve climbed a high branch after all!”
Jiang Zhiyu had no impression of this woman, but she had heard her parents mention that Auntie Wang had a foul and vicious tongue.
All the neighbors who ran small businesses around here had been subjected to her gossip without exception. Even passing dogs would receive a few scolding remarks from her.
Auntie Wang grew even more enthusiastic. She twisted her face, made things up out of thin air, and even nudged the people beside her with her elbow to encourage them to join in.
“Just look at this spectacle. Who do you think she’s putting on a show for?
There’s no way the heir would take her as a concubine. Could it be that she’s being taken in as a lowly wife to bring him good fortune and drive away his illness? That actually sounds quite possible. What do you all think?”
The countless envious gazes around them suddenly changed.
Some were curious, some remained envious, some were disdainful, and others were simply waiting to watch the drama unfold.
Those piercing gazes felt like countless needles stabbing into the hearts of Jiang’s Father and Jiang’s Mother.
The couple was already completely stunned. Their ears were filled with a buzzing tide carrying words such as “concubine,” “mistress,” and “shameless seductress,” and those words also ruthlessly poured into Jiang Zhiyu’s ears.
The atmosphere had become as foul as rotting fish washed ashore.
【System Message: The reputation of Old Jiang Guduo Shop is being damaged.】
【System Message: Mission updated. Prove your innocence and restore the shop’s reputation.】
Jiang Zhiyu received the system’s updated message at that very moment.
Oh, so they had come specifically to target her.
Then she would not be polite anymore.
Jiang’s Father stood completely motionless like a stone statue carved from rock. The rag in his hand slipped from his fingers and landed on the stone steps with a slap.
Jiang’s Mother clung tightly to her husband’s arm. Her face had turned deathly pale, and she stared helplessly at the dazzling betrothal gifts, not knowing what to do.
Jiang’s Father stepped forward and closed the lid of one of the vermilion lacquered chests with a heavy thud.
“Our daughter will not become a concubine. Please take these things back.”
Hearing his words, Cui Xique immediately understood what he meant. She waved her palm fan and laughed so hard that she could barely close her mouth.
“Old Jiang, what are you talking about…”
Jiang Zhiyu looked at her parents, who were suffering because of the malicious rumors being thrown at them. Her heart ached as though someone had grabbed it tightly.
She swept a sharp gaze over the crowd that was whispering among themselves. Her voice was not loud like a bell, but every word landed with unmistakable force.
“I am not a concubine.”
Her voice was decisive and resolute, instantly overpowering all the surrounding noise.
Auntie Wang, however, could not hold herself back. She spat out the melon seed shell in her mouth.
“Oh my, don’t tell me you’re actually planning to become the heir’s wife?
That’s his legal wife. You? What kind of golden phoenix could possibly fly out of this little guduo shop of yours?”
As soon as she finished speaking, quiet snickers came from the crowd.
“A fortune has fallen straight from the heavens. Just be careful you don’t choke on it,” Auntie Wang said even louder, deliberately stirring up even more trouble.