Watching Guan Xiyue walk away without the slightest hesitation, Tang Yan stood there for a moment, still somewhat dazed. This plump, fair-skinned young woman had both surprised and shocked him in equal measure.
He heard the bystanders still whispering nearby—“worthless coward,” “all show and no substance,” “silver spear coated in wax.” What on earth were these expressions? The passersby wore knowing, suggestive smiles, occasionally bursting into laughter.
The Zhou family had become the subject of yet another scandal. The concubine who had once entered the household through a marriage arrangement and was later sold off had not only beaten up Young Master Zhou in the street, but had also publicly exposed him as “all show and no substance.”
In such dull, uneventful lives, this explosive gossip was like water splashing into hot oil. Passersby, shop assistants—it spread from mouth to mouth. Even roadside tea stalls reportedly doubled their customers.
The He family watched from the sidelines. Though they had not directly involved themselves, they felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. After learning how formidable this young woman was, they became even more determined to keep their distance from her.
However, what neither the Zhou nor He families had anticipated was that Tai’an Tower, long considered only a “second-tier restaurant” in the county, suddenly became crowded with customers.
It turned out they had introduced two new dishes: pickled fish and salted egg yolk eggplant. Both were extremely popular, with diners praising them endlessly.
Qucheng County was not short of wealthy patrons. The dishes became so popular they required reservations, queuing, and limited daily portions.
Tai’an Tower’s business increased severalfold, while naturally the Zhou and He families’ businesses declined. Those who could not get a seat at Tai’an Tower would reluctantly choose the other two restaurants.
Young Master Zhou recalled seeing Guan Xiyue leave Tai’an Tower that day, and later learned that the refined young man beside her was the restaurant’s owner.
“Could it be… is it possible… that damned woman!”
He naturally refused to believe that Young Master Tang had taken a liking to Guan Xiyue. There could only be one explanation—they had business dealings. She must have sold more secret recipes, namely the wildly popular pickled fish and salted eggplant.
They had, in fact, bought both dishes through servants—placing orders in advance and waiting a full day just to get them. They really were delicious, completely different from any pickled fish they had ever eaten before: tender, sour, and without any fishy taste. The salted eggplant was equally novel—something they had never seen before.
Master Zhou scolded Madam Wan and Young Master Zhou: “Such a money tree, such a treasure trove—and you sold her off for just a few taels of silver!”
Having been reprimanded, Young Master Zhou dared not vent at his parents. Instead, he grew increasingly hostile toward his wife, Madam Yu. Even a sip of tea was too hot or too cold for his liking.
“You can’t even make tea properly. All you do is stare at your little dowry shops. What are they even worth? You can’t even cook a single dish!”
Madam Yu, already aware of the situation, felt deeply wronged and argued with him: “Then why did you drive away someone who could cook? Now you complain about everything! Do you know how people outside are laughing at the Zhou family? And you—you’re being called a silver spear coated in wax, all show and no substance, a worthless coward!”
Without question, her words ignited Young Master Zhou’s fury, and she was slapped across the face.
In anger, she packed up her jewelry and valuables, called for her maids and servants, and declared she was returning to her parental home. The entire Zhou residence descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, the instigator of all this, Guan Xiyue, had earned her silver and vented her frustration. She felt utterly refreshed.
She deposited the money into her spatial storage, then looked at the jade pendant. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she took it to a pawnshop.
The pawnbroker received her warmly and examined the dark jade carefully.
“May I ask, Miss, is this a dead pledge or a living pledge? A living pledge would be twenty taels of silver; a dead pledge, thirty.”
Guan Xiyue snatched the jade back and looked around exaggeratedly. “Your pawnshop is truly darker than a crow. If I didn’t know its value, I wouldn’t have brought it here.”
The broker smiled, not the least bit embarrassed. “Business is business—give and take. Since Miss already knows its value, you wouldn’t come here unless you were desperate. Two hundred taels, but it must be a dead pledge.”
Guan Xiyue sneered. “Your appraisal skills are poor, but your tongue is sharp. Qucheng County is too small—I’ll go to the prefectural city instead.”
She turned to leave. The broker hurriedly called after her, “Please wait, Miss! Perhaps I am inexperienced—let me call our manager.”
The experienced manager came out and examined it carefully before solemnly saying, “Miss, this jade is rare. This old man estimates it at one thousand taels.”
Guan Xiyue was startled. It was worth that much? In a pawnshop, the estimate was already one thousand taels—its actual value could easily exceed two thousand.
After thinking for a moment, she still declined to pawn it.
She placed the jade back into her space and thought to herself that if she sold it now, she could immediately rise to the peak of life.
Then she idly wondered: since this jade was so valuable, and Ling Jingrun had given it to her—rumored to contain his name and gifted by a high monk—it must have deep significance. If they met again in the future, should she return it to him?
No matter what, this was the most valuable thing she had obtained in this world. It gave her a sense of security in both life and livelihood.
Walking through the streets with long strides, she noticed a crowd gathering and went over to take a look.
It was a young girl selling herself to bury her father. She looked about fifteen or sixteen, eyes swollen from crying, dressed in mourning clothes with a straw rope on her back. In this era, a maid could be bought for just a few taels of silver, yet she was asking for ten taels to bury her father and willingly become a servant.
Though pitiful, wealthy families were not that compassionate, and the poor could not afford her. So the crowd consisted mostly of onlookers.
Ten taels of silver—that was the same price as the salted eggplant she had just sold, Guan Xiyue thought sympathetically.
She also needed a maid. As long as she was loyal, ten taels was fine.
Without much hesitation, she bought the girl, registered the contract at the county office, paid the tax, and officially sealed the indenture.
The girl immediately knelt and bowed with the ten taels in hand. “Thank you, Miss.”
Guan Xiyue told her to go handle the funeral arrangements and meet her at the inn afterward.
Taking advantage of the time, she hired a carriage back to Dazhu Village to find the village head, Yang Li. She said she wanted to buy the old house left behind by Old Sun, along with two mu of land in front and behind it, for a total of six taels of silver.
The house was uninhabitable and would need to be completely rebuilt. As for the extra land, she planned to use it as a vegetable garden for fresh produce.
Later that day, after discussing with the village head, they took a bull cart to the county office together, drawing curious looks from villagers.
After Yang Li completed the paperwork and land deed in the county, the news quickly spread through the village.
Guan Xiyue had really been divorced!
And now she had bought land—and was going to build her own house!