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"Guests! Please come in! Please come in!" The newly hired young attendant of Si Fu Cha Shi (Four Fortunes Teahouse) stood at the street corner, soliciting business. Despite his humble posture, practically begging and shouting, passersby at most glanced inside twice before walking straight past.
Lady Li Niang sat on a bamboo chair at the entrance, vigorously fanning herself with a round fan, her eyes darting left and right, sweeping across the street. The sky was already bright; the morning market was almost turning into the afternoon market, yet there wasn't a single customer in her shop yet! In contrast, Pan Lou opposite was packed with customers, vendors and porters coming and going, a scene of bustling business. Lady Li Niang rolled her eyes in exasperation at this sight! Good heavens! This Pan Lou usually disdains these low-level common laborers, only catering to the wealthy! Now, suddenly, it's opened its doors wide, welcoming these ordinary people to rest and dine? Isn't this clearly going against my newly opened teahouse? This restaurant and teahouse are originally for different classes of guests; now you want to snatch even this bit of fly meat from my mouth? To say it's not intentional, even ghosts wouldn't believe it!
Thinking of this, Lady Li Niang looked up at the second floor of Pan Lou again, only to see Chai An looking at her side with a triumphant expression, which immediately fueled her anger! He's clearly trying to provoke me, isn't he?! Third Daughter kicking you with a cuju was because you provoked her first! Why don't you reflect on your own mistakes and instead turn around to bully an orphaned mother and daughters? As expected, my previous thoughts and judgment were correct; this kind of man is all show and not worthy of a daughter's lifelong trust! Although Lady Li Niang was angry, she was also very helpless at this moment! Because now that she was doing business, her original intention was to earn more money so that her daughters could have a grand dowry when they entered the Marquis's Residence in the future. Looking at the current situation... let alone earning money, it was hard to say if she could even recover the rent for this shop!
"My Lord!" At this moment, the hired attendant's eyes were sharp; he spotted a man strolling on the street and immediately went up to him without a word: "Our small shop has just opened, and we have morning tea and pastries inside! Please come in?"
"Newly opened?" The man who was strolling was startled, then nodded, "Then I must go in and try!" Lady Li Niang's eyes were also sharp; she immediately saw the situation, quickly dropped her fan, and ran out. However, before she could welcome this first customer, she saw the man's gaze shift to Pan Lou opposite, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"Forget it! Forget it! Forget it!" This man was originally an ordinary person and had never entered Pan Lou before! Because that place previously simply didn't allow people of his status and attire to enter. Now, seeing many ordinary people like himself among the customers coming and going through Pan Lou's doors, this man immediately had the idea of going in to experience it, and without another word, he chose Pan Lou. Lady Li Niang's face immediately fell.
"Mistress! The pastries opposite are all made by master chefs! A dish of two items is only five wen! Everyone wants to try Pan Lou's pastries!" The attendant frowned, somewhat helplessly saying to Lady Li Niang, "The tea hawkers sell loose tea dust, one wen per cup! They've snatched all our morning market business!" Could Lady Li Niang not know about this? But she was also very helpless. Especially Pan Lou; it was clearly operating at a loss to gain popularity! Such good pastries selling for only five or ten wen would definitely not even recover their cost! This clearly showed they would rather lose money than let her business thrive! From this, it was evident that Chai An's heart was much smaller than she had previously thought! But even knowing that Chai An was a narrow-minded fellow, there was nothing she could do for now; she could only plan for the long term! Lady Li Niang thought to herself and turned to go back into the shop!
However, just as her foot stepped onto the threshold, she heard a commotion from the surrounding crowd.
"Make way! Make way! Whose noble carriage is this? We must not collide with it!"
"Isn't it written on that sign? Marquis of Jining's Residence!"
"What is the Marquis of Jining's carriage doing on our East Market Street? Have you ever seen this sight?"
"Don't Marquis's Residences need to buy things? Perhaps today, the noble person in the residence wants to eat our common folk's food?"
"Even if a noble from the Marquis's Residence wants to eat common pastries, they would send servants to purchase them; why would they ride in a carriage so ostentatiously?"
"Maybe they're just passing by! Don't think about it, hurry up and make way!"
The discussions of the onlookers immediately reached Lady Li Niang's ears. She shuddered violently, then immediately turned her head. And what met her eyes was the carriage of Wei Tingyu, which she would never mistake! It must be said that a noble's carriage appearing in a place like East Market Street was extremely rare! Although Pan Lou was a decent restaurant, most of its patrons were merchants; very few official families would come here! Of course, even less so for ducal or ministerial families with titles! After all, the owner of Pan Lou was Chai An, a descendant of the former imperial family, and an object of key attention from the imperial court. Which son of a duke, marquis, or official would dare to casually run to Pan Lou? Were they tired of living?
Of course, these unwritten rules known among the nobility were unknown to the common people. Now, seeing Wei Tingyu's carriage, they all thought that a noble from the Marquis of Jining's Residence was coming to Pan Lou to eat. Only Lady Li Niang straightened her posture proudly, then adjusted her clothes and hairpins, glancing sideways at the surrounding neighbors who were discussing, a meaningful smile hanging at the corner of her lips. She knew, without a doubt! This grand display by the Marquis was naturally to support her family's business!
And indeed, the Marquis's carriage stopped immediately in front of Si Fu Cha Shi. Then, Wei Tingyu lifted the curtain and slowly stepped out of the carriage. This utterly noble demeanor made the surrounding onlookers exclaim in admiration! This Marquis is truly a Marquis! Every gesture and movement exuded a noble aura that ordinary people could hardly aspire to! At the same time, everyone looked enviously towards Pan Lou. With the Marquis gracing them with his presence today, Pan Lou's reputation in the East Market will probably become even more renowned from now on! Not to mention, those merchants who reeked only of money, wanting to appear to have the same taste as nobles, would surely flock in, trampling Pan Lou's doors! As for the other vendors and porters who were coming and going in Pan Lou, their eyes also lit up at this moment. Good heavens! The Marquis also came to Pan Lou to eat? That he himself had dined in the same high-class restaurant as the Marquis of Jining was enough for them to boast about for half a year!
However, what happened next made everyone present show shocked expressions. This was because Wei Tingyu didn't even glance in the direction of Pan Lou, but instead directly turned to look at Lady Li Niang, who was smiling sweetly in front of Si Fu Cha Shi. The moment their eyes met, Lady Li Niang reacted, quickly lifted her skirt, and scurried down the steps in two swift bounds, reaching Wei Tingyu's side.
"This humble woman greets Your Lordship!" Lady Li Niang bowed respectfully to Wei Tingyu and said, "Why has Your Lordship graced my small teahouse with your presence today?" As soon as she spoke, the surrounding onlookers almost simultaneously dropped their jaws. What? This dignified Marquis of Jining came to your small teahouse as a guest? Not the largest restaurant on the entire East Market Street, Pan Lou? Everyone's first thought was disbelief; was Lady Li Niang, this humble woman, so obsessed with business that she'd gone crazy? Overly excited after seeing the Marquis, so she was speaking incoherently? After all, from a logical standpoint, it made no sense!
However, Lady Li Niang glanced out of the corner of her eye at the whispering, suspicious faces of these neighbors and felt disdain. What kind of feelings and relationship do the Marquis and my Li family mother and daughters have? Is that something you mere mortals can comprehend?
"This Marquis heard that the Li family's business just opened today!" Wei Tingyu snapped open his folding fan, fanned himself elegantly, and said, "So I specifically came to taste the craftsmanship of Lady Li Niang and the other ladies!" As Wei Tingyu's words fell, the surrounding crowd almost simultaneously let out a gasp of surprise. Because this sentence clearly indicated to everyone that Wei Tingyu's visit today was indeed for Si Fu Cha Shi!
Lady Li Niang's face immediately broke into a wide smile. How could she not know that Wei Tingyu was supporting her business? "Then why didn't Your Lordship's wives and concubines..." Lady Li Niang covered her mouth and smiled, then asked. After all, in her opinion, it would have been even better if the Marquis had brought his female relatives with him on this visit! Once the news spread, not only would some high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and rich elites come to patronize her small shop in admiration of the Marquis's name. Those noble ladies and concubines would certainly also flock to Si Fu Cha Shi because the Marquis's wives had once visited. However, she spoke halfway, then saw Wei Tingyu looking at her with a knowing glance, and she immediately understood. The reason Wei Tingyu didn't bring his wives and concubines today was surely to facilitate building rapport with her daughters! In other words, the Marquis came to court them! How inconvenient would it be to bring his wives along?! Even her own daughters would certainly feel constrained and embarrassed in front of his officially married wives and concubines. Truly worthy of being the Marquis; he thinks of everything so thoughtfully!
"Esteemed guest has arrived! To the private room upstairs, please!" Lady Li Niang said no more, quickly called out loudly, then personally ushered Wei Tingyu through the main door. After the two entered, the previously quiet street suddenly erupted, everyone whispering to each other. They couldn't understand why a dignified Marquis would specifically come to a teahouse on East Market Street to eat. However, seeing was believing, and they couldn't deny what they had just seen and heard with their own eyes and ears. And at this moment, looking at these pedestrians and neighbors surrounding their shop and pointing, even the attendant hired at Lady Li Niang's door straightened his back much more than before! After all, the first customer his shop welcomed was none other than the Marquis of Jining! What a great honor was that?! This attendant himself even felt that he had benefited from his mistress, the proprietress!
"Young sir!" At this moment, a middle-aged merchant dressed quite richly walked up and asked the doorman attendant, "Does your esteemed establishment, newly opened for business, receive commoners like us who have no official titles?" As soon as he said this, many people around also widened their eyes and looked at the attendant! This was also the answer they most wanted to receive at this moment.
"Our mistress says that since we're open for business, we naturally welcome guests from all directions!" The attendant was proud now, shaking his head and saying, "All who come are guests; as long as they don't cause trouble in our shop, we wholeheartedly welcome them!"
"Good, good, good!" Upon hearing the attendant's words, the middle-aged merchant nodded repeatedly, then without another word, he lifted his foot and stepped onto the threshold. As he walked into the shop, he said, "Since it's a newly opened business, I also want to taste the tea and pastries here!"
"Right, right! I'll try it too! I'll try it too! It's newly opened, so maybe it tastes really good!"
"Even the Marquis came! So it must be good!"
"Exactly, exactly, your stomach, no matter how noble, can't be more noble than the Marquis's, can it?"
And the actions of this leading middle-aged merchant immediately caused a chain reaction; many people who were just strolling might not have originally intended to stop and eat, but at this moment, they all followed the crowd and surged into Si Fu Cha Shi. Even many customers who had already reached the entrance of Pan Lou and were about to step inside now turned back and rushed into Si Fu Cha Shi. Even the man who had previously openly refused the attendant's invitation to Pan Lou now ran back and squeezed into the teahouse with everyone else.
"Oh dear! It's truly all thanks to Your Lordship!" In the private room on the second floor, Lady Li Niang said with a smile, looking at the bustling scene of customers downstairs. This private room was separated from the outside by a bamboo curtain, so the situation inside the private room could not be clearly seen from downstairs. Wei Tingyu was currently sitting in the main seat of the private room, smiling faintly as he looked at the beautiful woman who was beaming with excitement. And the widely smiling Lady Li Niang, upon turning her head and seeing Wei Tingyu's expression, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. After all, her money-loving appearance had been seen clearly by the Marquis! Even with a very carefree personality, one would still feel a bit disgraced!
"It was just a small effort!" Wei Tingyu, seeing Lady Li Niang's expression, chuckled softly while fanning himself with his folding fan, "Besides, with the Li family's business opening, this Marquis naturally has to be the first customer!"
"That's right! That's right!" Lady Li Niang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. She now stood respectfully beside Wei Tingyu and said, "Your Lordship's kindness to our entire Li family is as great as a mountain! We, the entire family, don't know how to repay such great generosity and virtue?!"
"There's no hurry to repay me yet!" Wei Tingyu chuckled at her words, "Now that business is so good, does Lady Li Niang have enough staff in her shop?"
"Enough, enough!" Lady Li Niang was startled, then immediately understood the meaning in Wei Tingyu's words, nodding repeatedly, "I had originally thought that business wouldn't be bad, so I hired enough staff!"
"Your Lordship can rest assured, no matter what, I would never let my daughters expose themselves to serve tea and dishes to guests!" Although Wei Tingyu didn't explicitly say it, Lady Li Niang naturally conveyed her thoughts to Wei Tingyu at all times. At the same time, this was also expressing her loyalty to him! All her daughters were reserved for Wei Tingyu; it was up to him to choose!
And Wei Tingyu was startled upon hearing Lady Li Niang's words, for he truly hadn't thought about this aspect just now. However, having such a reliable future mother-in-law, Wei Tingyu could worry much less.
"If you need to expand the shop and hire more staff, and lack silver, just tell me, don't be polite!" Wei Tingyu thought of this and directly said to Lady Li Niang. At present, his perfume business was already on track, with daily earnings of four to five thousand taels from this item alone! Things that could be solved with money were not big deals in his eyes!
"Yes, yes, yes!" Lady Li Niang's eyes immediately lit up. It seemed that the hidden patron of her small shop was going to increase his investment? But that was good too; this way, her relationship with the Marquis's Residence would be even more tightly bound! In the future, it would also be less likely to be discarded as a pawn. Although Lady Li Niang didn't believe that Wei Tingyu would be such a heartless and ungrateful person, she naturally felt more at ease at this moment.
"Right! It would be too boring for Your Lordship to dine alone here!" Lady Li Niang's eyes darted around, then fanned herself with a round fan and said, "My five daughters are all busy in the kitchen!" "They woke up early this morning and already finished most of the pastries to be sold today, so they should be free now!" "How about I call one of them up to chat with Your Lordship?" As Lady Li Niang's words fell, she looked at Wei Tingyu with an expectant expression. After all, from Wei Tingyu's choice next, she could basically determine which of her daughters the Marquis had taken a fancy to!