The shop was in an excellent location, right along the street and beside South Street River. It had originally been a food business, so after some renovations, it could be opened again very quickly.
There was also a large courtyard behind the shop, with three rooms suitable for living. A well, vegetable plots, and a latrine were all available in the yard.
And the price was much cheaper than other courtyards.
In her previous life, Su Wan’ning had wanted to buy this shop and give it to Lin Jiabao, who was about to get married. The couple could sell some food there, which would have been a pretty good way to make a living.
Lin Jiabao had agreed enthusiastically on the surface, but behind her back, he encouraged Jiang Tao’er to make a fuss, insisting that they wanted the large courtyard across the river.
If she wouldn’t buy it, they wouldn’t get married.
Su Wan’ning didn’t want her good intentions to cause trouble, so she had to sell several more recipes to gather enough money to buy the house.
Now that she thought about it, the two of them had already picked out that house long ago. They had simply been waiting for this fool—her—to come back and pay for it.
This time, she wanted to see whether the two of them would still be willing to marry without a house.
Returning to the present, Su Wan’ning found an excuse.
“I have a friend who works as a property broker. She told me in advance that the shop was good and that the price would drop in a few days. Yesterday, when I went into town, I was actually going to pay the deposit.”
“Wow! You just got back and you’ve already secured a shop. I was thinking of opening a shop and partnering with you.”
Xu Lingxi’s face was full of regret.
“But what should I do now? You have the shop and the skills. How can I partner with you anymore?”
This was something Su Wan’ning truly hadn’t expected.
Why would a wealthy young lady want to do business with her?
Su Wan’ning had no foundation at all. If she could genuinely partner with Xu Lingxi, there would be countless benefits and practically no disadvantages—
Unless Xu Lingxi would later use her power to bully her and forcibly take over the shop!
The food shop would be the foundation of Su Wan’ning’s future.
She intended to expand it, make plenty of money, build a great reputation, and eventually return to the capital to reclaim everything that belonged to her.
She absolutely could not allow Xu Lingxi to take over her shop just when she had finally begun making a name for herself.
But Xu Lingxi didn’t look like that kind of person…
No. She couldn’t trust her so easily.
She still needed to think this through carefully.
Su Wan’ning deliberately looked helpless.
“Miss Xu is a noble young lady. How could you open a shop together with an ordinary commoner like me? Besides, running a food shop is exhausting. You have to get up early.”
“Then forget it.”
The moment Xu Lingxi heard that she would have to get up early, she immediately abandoned the idea.
The Old Ancestor, however, gave Su Wan’ning another thoughtful look before bringing up the dish Spring Mountain Snow Plum.
The three of them chatted and laughed.
Before long, Madam Zhou returned and ordered the maids to serve lunch. The dining table was soon filled with dishes.
Among the four cold appetizers was salted loach.
The loach had been skinned and cut into fine strips, then drizzled with green-plum honey syrup. It was cool and refreshing without any fishy smell, making it very appetizing.
There was also a dish of crystal tender lotus root. The lotus root had been sliced paper-thin until it was almost translucent, then soaked in mint sugar water. The preparation was simple, but the taste was exceptionally sweet, crisp, and refreshing.
There were no fresh lotus roots available during a drought.
The Li family’s resources were even deeper than she had imagined.
The hot dishes were even more abundant.
There was loach with tender tofu, chicken with bamboo shoots and walnuts, minced meat and mushroom steamed egg, a plate of explosively spicy fried fish prepared obviously for Xu Lingxi, and the candied honey-date pastries prepared for Su Wan’ning.
The main soup was a Polygonatum-and-chicken soup suited to the Old Ancestor’s taste. It was clear rather than greasy and helped relieve internal heat while nourishing the qi and blood.
For the staple food, there were several baskets of small buns with different fillings, along with a plate of soft Poria and Chinese yam paste.
The spread was better than what many imperial consorts in the palace received.
Su Wan’ning didn’t hide her amazement at all.
She praised everything enthusiastically and ate until she was completely full, delighting the Old Ancestor so much that she kept saying Su Wan’ning should stay here so she could fatten her up.
Xu Lingxi pretended to be jealous and hurriedly dragged everyone away after the meal.
Once they returned to their own courtyard, Xu Lingxi’s expression became serious.
“From now on, you aren’t allowed to call me Miss Xu anymore! Since you said you don’t mind what Madam Zhou did, we’re friends now. Wouldn’t it be better to call each other by our names?”
“…Okay, Miss Xu.”
Su Wan’ning agreed.
When she saw Xu Lingxi glaring at her, she finally realized her mistake.
“Ah, okay. Lingxi?”
“Mm, that’s more like it. Come, let’s talk on the bed.”
Xu Lingxi pulled her onto the bed.
“I’m telling you, you really need to be careful around your aunt’s family. Zhao Escort Leader was very suspicious too. And, um… don’t get angry when I tell you this.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
Su Wan’ning was genuinely curious.
“Old Ancestor is actually very strict about who I make friends with. As soon as she heard that your family lived in Shili Village, she sent people to investigate.”
“But they found out that your uncle and that younger brother of yours are lazy all day long. They don’t farm, and even when they take odd jobs, they don’t work properly. They’re always cutting corners.”
“Whenever your aunt gets money, she spends it on food, drink, and shopping. She doesn’t seem like someone who knows how to live properly.”
“And Zhao Escort Leader is also strange. He doesn’t seem like a proper escort at all.”
Xu Lingxi counted the points off on her fingers.
The smile on Su Wan’ning’s face gradually disappeared.
“Actually, I also think there’s something strange. Because I cooked so much along the way, my arm kept feeling uncomfortable, so I bought some medicinal ointment and quickly applied it.”
“But after I got home, my aunt actually…”
She hesitated as though she found it difficult to speak.
“What did she do?” Xu Lingxi hurriedly asked.
Su Wan’ning’s eyes were filled with confusion, her expression lost and bewildered.
“She mistook the ointment on my arm for blood. Before I could explain properly, she insisted that my wrist had been broken.”
“She even told other people that I was a cook and wouldn’t be able to chop vegetables or handle a wok anymore…”
“Then she said it didn’t matter because she would take care of me for the rest of my life…”
“!!!”
Xu Lingxi suddenly sat upright.
“Don’t be afraid! I’m definitely going to send people to investigate and find out the truth! There must be something wrong with them!”
“And your arm and wrist—I’ll have the household physician examine you properly later!”
At the same time, the Old Ancestor had also gone to lie down.
Madam Zhou stood respectfully nearby and reported everything she had seen and heard that morning. She also told her about Lin Mao being beaten.
“I saw that young man being pushed out from the outer courtyard. I didn’t expect him to be Su Niangzi’s uncle. He actually tried to cheat our household, ruining so many hams for nothing.”
“What a waste of good ingredients. Have the hams already been destroyed?”
The Old Ancestor’s voice revealed no emotion.
“Yes. That young steward surnamed Feng was afraid that the guests might get sick, so he didn’t follow Su Niangzi’s suggestion for treating them. He had all the hams destroyed overnight.”
“Besides the seventy taels Lin Mao paid, he himself added another eighty taels.”
“He’s cautious enough and knows what matters most. If there’s an opportunity later, he can be promoted.”
“And when Su Niangzi returns home, you personally escort her again. She’s a pitiful child. Give her some support.”
The Old Ancestor suddenly smiled.
“She is also a clever girl with a strong backbone.”
Madam Zhou agreed.
Deep down, she strongly approved of those words.
If Miss Lingxi could become friends with someone like Su Wan’ning, perhaps she would mature much faster.
The room gradually fell silent as their breathing became long and steady.
The sun sank lower and lower until it painted half the sky a fiery red.
Every household began putting away their farming tools and lighting cooking fires, preparing dinner or settling down to rest.
Then, a shocking piece of news suddenly reached Shili Village.
It made its way straight into the ears of the Lin family.
Zhao Escort Leader had disappeared.