The Next Day
Since Luo Chaoyan had to see her uncle and cousin off at the dock today, she didn’t linger in bed this morning. She had Yun Mo prepare some Jujube Paste Cake from the kitchen, planning to visit the Old Madam later to ask for permission to go out.
In Huo Manor, her mother-in-law was quite easy to get along with—she would usually turn a blind eye to minor breaches of etiquette. However, the Old Madam was more difficult to handle. Or rather, she was somewhat childlike and occasionally enjoyed nitpicking Luo Chaoyan’s mistakes. Though these were never serious, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Luo Chaoyan still had to curry favor with her. Besides, the Old Madam was actually quite easy to please, and Luo Chaoyan had already figured out some tricks.
After breakfast, she cheerfully headed to the Old Madam’s courtyard, holding the chubby little one’s hand.
“Fengli, did you confirm that Young Master Rui has already left for school?” Luo Chaoyan asked.
Fengli nodded and smiled. “Young Madam, Young Master Rui started attending school every day at Xu hour yesterday. He must have already set off by now.”
Luo Chaoyan grinned. Excellent! As long as the little devil wasn’t around, her outing today was bound to go smoothly.
When they entered the Old Madam’s courtyard, Madam Huo was having breakfast with the Old Madam and little Huo An. They were surprised to see her. Over the past few days, Madam Huo had noticed that her daughter-in-law was rather laid-back and disliked rigid formalities—she always timed her morning greetings to the last minute. Coming this early today was quite out of character for her.
She asked, “A Yan, you’re here so early today. Have you had breakfast yet?”
Luo Chaoyan first paid her respects to the elders, then replied with a smile, “I’ve already eaten.”
As soon as Huo An saw her, he toddled over, calling out to her in a sweet, childish voice. He then carefully eyed her hands and, spotting the food box Fengli was carrying, squinted his eyes and grinned.
What a little greedy cat!
Luo Chaoyan had Fengli take out the Red Date Cake from the food box and place it on the table. She then eagerly introduced it to the Old Madam, saying, “Grandmother, Mother, this is Jujube Paste Cake—soft, sticky, and sweet. Please try some.”
As she spoke, she handed a piece to Huo An.
The Old Madam had been upset that her grandson had sent her great-grandson to school, which had dampened her appetite. But now, seeing the sweet Jujube Paste Cake, she felt a bit hungry again. Still, she didn’t want her granddaughter-in-law to notice, so she pretended to just be humoring her by trying a piece.
“The flavor is quite good. You’re very thoughtful, A Yan,” Madam Huo remarked after tasting a piece, smiling.
For once, the Old Madam didn’t contradict her. After eating one piece, she found herself wanting more and reached for another.
Seeing that the Old Madam had regained her appetite, the maids and nannies in the room all breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Huo turned to Luo Chaoyan and asked, “Is there something you need today?”
“Grandmother, Mother, my uncle and cousin are returning to Jizhou today. I’d like to see them off,” Luo Chaoyan replied.
The Old Madam shot her a glare and snorted. “So, it turns out you’re being nice for a reason—either a scheme or a trick! Go on, get out of my sight!”
“Alright then!” Luo Chaoyan chuckled. “I won’t disturb your meal any longer, Grandmother.”
Hearing this, Huo An immediately pouted, looking displeased. He wobbled down from his chair, stumbled over to her, and stared at her pitifully, as if threatening to cry if she didn’t take him along.
The Old Madam glared at her. “Why are you upsetting my precious grandson? If he wants to go, just take him with you. Make sure to bring plenty of guards to keep an eye on him.”
Luo Chaoyan massaged her forehead. She had been thinking that after seeing off her uncles, she could finally stroll around Jingdu properly. But now, with a little tag-along, how was she supposed to enjoy herself? She looked hopefully at Madam Huo, only to see an equally helpless expression on her face. She had no choice but to accept her fate.
At the dockside, Yin Shi reluctantly advised her brother, “Brother, take care of your health. If the business can be done, do it; if not, just let it go. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Yin Haocui said with a smile. He glanced at his son, who was looking sullen. “In Jingdu, make sure to listen well to your aunt and uncle.”
Yin Xuanjun nodded. “Father, I understand.”
Luo Chaoyan held Yin Miaoshan’s hand, also feeling reluctant. “You just arrived in Jingdu, and I got married right away. I didn’t even have a chance to properly accompany you around.”
“By the way, why are you in such a hurry to go back? Uncle has shops to check on, but what about you?”
Yin Miaoshan wore a mysterious smile. “Hehe… I won’t tell you for now. When… when it’s confirmed, I’ll write to you.”
The two families chattered on with endless advice.
Seeing that it was getting late and not wanting to delay any further, Yin Haocui smiled at everyone and said, “Alright, the boat is about to depart. There’s no need to see us off any further. Please head back.”
After watching her uncles board the boat and depart, Luo Chaoyan also bid farewell to Yin Shi and the others. With Huo An in tow, it wasn’t appropriate to stay out for too long.
On the way back, as the carriage passed through a main street, it suddenly came to a halt. Noise and commotion could be heard from outside from time to time.
Luo Chaoyan lifted the carriage curtain and peeked out. She saw a Wine Shop entrance completely surrounded by onlookers. She sent someone to find out what was happening.
A guard returned after inquiring and reported, “Young Madam, the owner of the Wine Shop ahead wants to sell it, and a buyer is causing trouble.”
Luo Chaoyan looked up at the Wine Shop. It didn’t seem particularly special—just in a good location. Curious, she asked, “Do you recognize the buyer?”
“Reporting to Young Madam, it seems to be the Second Master of the Gu family.”
“Gu Ling?”
“That’s right.”
Luo Chaoyan smiled. What a small world. Last time, he had someone kidnap her to ruin her reputation, all to make way for his sister. Now, was he trying to force a sale? How unoriginal.
“Young Madam, should we take another route?” the guard asked.
“No need!” she replied, amused. If she hadn’t run into him, fine. But since she had, she might as well see if Gu Ling still looked like a decent human being.
She glanced at Huo An, who was energetically leaning against Fengli’s chest, and shamelessly lied, “Young Master An is a bit tired. We won’t take a detour; let’s go straight ahead. Have the guards clear the way on both sides and ask the onlookers to make room.”
Shulan sighed inwardly. Her young lady’s love for stirring up trouble and watching the excitement was probably not going to change anytime soon.
“Please make way!”
“Step aside!”
The guards on both sides carefully urged the onlookers to clear a path for the carriage to pass through.
Gu Ling was growing increasingly impatient as he watched Shopkeeper Li kneeling on the ground, putting on a pitiful act in front of him. This damned fool had the nerve to deceive him. If it were up to his usual temperament, he would have ordered his men to give him a beating. But since he had just recovered from his punishment and his father had told him to keep a low profile, he had no choice but to restrain himself.
Now, some clueless person was demanding he make way. He rudely shouted at the approaching carriage, “Can’t you see I’m dealing with someone here? Get lost before I lose my temper.”
As he spoke, he kicked Shopkeeper Li on the ground again. “I’ll give you one more incense stick’s worth of time. If you don’t return my silver, you’ll regret it.”
“Master Gu, even if you beat me to death, I can’t come up with that silver,” Shopkeeper Li wailed, tears streaming down his face.
The onlookers, seeing this, began to comment. Human nature tends to side with the underdog, and many felt Young Master Gu Er was being unreasonable.
Gu Ling’s servant stepped forward to explain to the crowd, “Good folks, this isn’t our young master bullying anyone. It’s this Shopkeeper Li who’s cunning and deceitful. His Wine Shop is only worth three hundred taels, but seeing our young master is kind-hearted and easy to take advantage of, he lied and claimed it was worth five hundred. All we want is for him to return the extra two hundred taels.”
The crowd suddenly understood and began criticizing Shopkeeper Li for his dishonesty.
“Master Gu, it’s true I inflated the price, but when we signed the contract, the amount stated was clear and accurate! Even if you take this to the authorities, I’m in the right,” Shopkeeper Li argued.
“What? You dare play tricks on me and still claim you’re right?” Gu Ling had lost patience with arguing. He waved his hand, signaling his men to take action.
“Master Gu, please spare me! I really have no money left,” Shopkeeper Li pleaded in fear. He grabbed his daughter, who was standing nearby, and said, “Master Gu, my daughter is an excellent cook. How about I give her to you as compensation?”
“This Shopkeeper Li is truly despicable!”
“Indeed, I heard he gambled away all his money and had to sell his Wine Shop. Now he’s even selling his own daughter!”
The crowd pointed and whispered, some spitting in disgust, others cursing him.
Gu Ling looked at the woman before him, whose frame was several sizes larger than his own, and stumbled back in anger. “Do you think I’m blind? You think any old reject can be shoved in my face?”
“Men, beat him!”