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However, Wei Tingyu was stunned upon hearing this. Why did Lady Li Niang's tone and words now sound a bit like a madam of a brothel soliciting clients for her girls? Of course, he knew he was probably overthinking, but it also showed how eager Lady Li Niang was to quickly clarify the relationship between him and the Li family!
But which of the Li family daughters should come to keep me company? Wei Tingyu was immediately put in a difficult position. All five daughters surely harbored some feelings for him! Second Daughter Fu Hui needed no mention; this little lady's heart had long since fallen for him. Third Daughter Kang Ning also had a good impression of him in her heart, but she just hadn't shown it yet. Fourth Daughter Hao De and Fifth Daughter Le Shan probably admired him more, but these two girls were also young, and admiration could easily turn into romantic affection. These two little ladies were already in his grasp, no escape. The only one that still made Wei Tingyu feel a bit tricky was Eldest Daughter Shou Hua. This woman was simply too calm, too serene. To put it nicely, she was virtuous and benevolent; to put it bluntly, she was emotionally distant. What exactly was she thinking in her heart? Wei Tingyu was still unsure at this moment. He vaguely felt that Eldest Daughter Shou Hua also had some fondness for him in her heart, but for the sake of her sisters, she seemed to suppress this feeling deep down. In short, he wouldn't let go of any of these five Li family daughters! Thinking of this, Wei Tingyu simply looked at Lady Li Niang and boldly said, "Since there's not much work in the kitchen right now, it can be left to the servants and hired cooks!"
"Your Lordship means..." Lady Li Niang was startled upon hearing this, blinking and asking. She now had a feeling, why did it seem like Wei Tingyu wanted to call all five of her daughters over? Could it be that the Marquis hadn't made up his mind yet which one to choose? Or perhaps he wanted to marry all five? This was the first time Lady Li Niang had considered such a possibility, and she shuddered from head to toe! Because her original intention was to marry one of her daughters into the Marquis's Residence. If the Marquis took a fancy to more daughters, two could also be considered! But if all five were to marry into the Marquis's Residence, this was a bit... Lady Li Niang immediately hesitated. Especially Eldest Daughter Shou Hua and Second Daughter Fu Hui, one was a widow and the other was still a married woman. Did the Marquis also have an interest in them? No! This is Wei Tingyu! What audacious thing wouldn't he dare to do? Lady Li Niang thought back to the scene she had witnessed in the bamboo grove behind the temple earlier; didn't he take in both Wang Yingxue and Dou Ming? Now, let alone five daughters, who knows, he might...? Thinking of this, Lady Li Niang subconsciously glanced at Wei Tingyu, seeing him at this moment looking at her with a meaningful smile, and she shivered. That gaze seemed full of deep meaning! Although she couldn't interpret it right now, it was definitely not simple! Connecting this quickly with the possibility that Wei Tingyu might have intentionally dropped that jade pendant for her earlier... Lady Li Niang couldn't help but shiver twice! Good heavens! If the Marquis really... then wouldn't the entire Li family have to... for the sake of repaying his kindness? Thinking this way, it seems a bit too much of a loss!
"What has Lady Li Niang thinking so deeply?" Wei Tingyu smiled upon seeing Lady Li Niang's distraught expression. This woman is too easily teased, isn't she? Just a little teasing, and she can conjure up a whole drama in her mind?
"Ah... nothing!" Lady Li Niang was startled, immediately blinked and said, "Your Lordship is right! My five daughters have been busy all morning, and it's time for them to rest. I'll call them up now..."
"Mistress, this is bad, our business..." The attendant of Pan Lou rushed up to the second floor, and at first glance, saw Chai An sitting by the window with a troubled face, then he began to report.
"I have eyes, I can see it!" Chai An squeezed the teacup in his hand tightly, a gnashing expression on his face. From his vantage point, the Si Fu Cha Shi opposite was already packed with guests, and many customers, unable to find seats, were standing at the entrance waiting, unwilling to leave. In contrast, his own Pan Lou was now deserted! A few wealthy merchants had just ordered their food here, but upon hearing that the Marquis of Jining was dining opposite, they quickly canceled their orders and rushed over. These wealthy merchants were now lining up on the street opposite! And looking at their excited and happy expressions as they chatted, it was clear that they had no reluctance about queuing to enter the teahouse; on the contrary, they seemed quite happy.
"These people, always fawning over the high and stepping on the low, it's truly disgraceful!" Fan Lianghan, standing beside Chai An, also pouted angrily at this sight, then grumbled.
"Your Fan family's business is countless times larger than these merchants!" However, Chai An shook his head helplessly and said, "Think about how your father and mother behaved when they saw Marquis Wei? How can you blame them now?" Chai An outwardly pretended to be magnanimous, but inwardly, he was itching with hatred! He had originally intended to give the newly opened Li family mother and daughters a warning today, preferably by ensuring they didn't get a single customer all day. Who would have thought that the first half went smoothly, but the entire situation completely changed the moment Wei Tingyu appeared. He had tried so hard, even losing money on these losing ventures, yet he still couldn't attract customers. Just the aura of the Marquis of Jining had drawn the souls of these cunning merchants to the Si Fu Cha Shi opposite!
And Chai An was still seething with resentment, wondering how to retaliate later. Just then, a window on the second floor of the Si Fu Cha Shi opposite suddenly opened with a snap. And it was Lady Li Niang who opened the window! Now, the two windows faced each other across the street. Lady Li Niang was also startled, not expecting Chai An to still be sitting by the window, looking out at the street. However, at this moment, she was not at all embarrassed. Instead, she smugly raised an eyebrow at Chai An; after all, her family's business was now much better than Pan Lou's! Of course, all of this was due to Wei Tingyu, and she naturally hadn't forgotten that. Seeing Chai An glaring at her with a gnashing expression, Lady Li Niang casually turned and moved away from the window. At this point, Chai An and Fan Lianghan could see the situation inside the private room on the second floor of Si Fu Cha Shi through the window.
They saw Wei Tingyu sitting casually in the main seat, while the five daughters of Lady Li Niang sat obediently on the seats on either side of him. And what was most striking was that these five daughters were seated side by side, arranged by age. This meant that the two women closest to Wei Tingyu were Eldest Daughter Shou Hua and Second Daughter Fu Hui. Shou Hua, of course, was a young widow; since Lady Li Niang was willing to let her sit beside Wei Tingyu, that was their business, and Chai An naturally didn't want to meddle. But Fu Hui was different! She was his cousin-in-law! Moreover, Fan Lianghan, her rightful husband, was sitting opposite him at this very moment. His own wife dining in a private room across the street with another man... could he tolerate this? Chai An thought of this and quickly glanced at his cousin, only to see that upon seeing Fu Hui, this fellow showed no angry or upset expression at all. Instead, he shrank his neck in fear and abruptly hid behind the wall next to the window.
"What are you doing?" Chai An was utterly bewildered, asking his cousin with a blank expression.
"My wife..." Fan Lianghan cautiously pointed in Fu Hui's direction and said, "Don't let her see me..."
"..." Chai An's mouth twitched twice upon hearing Fan Lianghan's words, and an incredulous look appeared in his eyes. Is this really a man? So, his effeminate demeanor usually wasn't an act after all?! Your wife is dining opposite with other men, and you're hiding here? Are you serious?! But since Fan Lianghan himself didn't care, what could Chai An say? He could only silently withdraw his gaze and no longer look at his useless cousin! Of course, when his gaze pierced through the window and landed directly on Wei Tingyu, his eyes couldn't help but fill with anger and jealousy again!
"Your Lordship! This is a precious tea my mother brought from the Eastern Capital; it's not for sale to the public!" Fu Hui was very happy to be sitting beside Wei Tingyu now, as he was only an arm's length away. She smiled as she poured a cup of hot tea for Wei Tingyu and said, "Please taste it quickly and tell me what you think of the flavor?" Wei Tingyu smiled and nodded, then looked at the six women at the table. Seeing their expectant expressions directed at him, he picked up the teacup and slowly took two sips.
"Mmm! Excellent!" As the fragrant tea slid down his throat, a rich, soothing sensation spread from his stomach outwards. Wei Tingyu couldn't help but nod, genuinely praising it. Indeed! The Li family still had some treasures! And the fact that they were willing to bring it out to entertain him meant they no longer regarded him as an outsider! Upon hearing Wei Tingyu's praise, all six women, including Lady Li Niang, showed delighted expressions. After all, they all knew that the Li family owed Wei Tingyu too much, and it was only increasing! At this moment, they could only express their sincerity with this fragrant tea! Of course, there were more direct ways to repay him, but Wei Tingyu hadn't even spoken yet, so it seemed a bit presumptuous to offer themselves, didn't it?! The five Li family daughters were naturally aware of their mother's desire to form a marriage alliance with the Marquis, and at this moment, they were all quite curious about Wei Tingyu's choice. Previously, they had all worried about how to establish themselves and survive in the capital, but now that problem had clearly been solved. So, they subconsciously thought about what would happen next... which was the marriages of the five sisters in the family!
"Oh?" At this moment, Fifth Daughter Le Shan had sharp eyes and happened to see Chai An opposite through the window. She immediately frowned and said, "Isn't that Second Brother-in-law's cousin?" As soon as her words fell, all five Li family daughters simultaneously turned their heads and then saw Chai An sitting by the window opposite. But upon seeing that this fellow was also looking at them, all the women couldn't help but roll their eyes!
"Not just Chai An!" At this moment, Wei Tingyu opened his folding fan and lightly fanned himself, then chuckled, "Fan Lianghan is also opposite, but he's hiding!" With his current sensory abilities, every detail of anything happening in Pan Lou opposite naturally could not escape his ears and eyes!
"What?" Second Daughter Fu Hui was startled to hear that her husband was also opposite. She first frowned, then craned her neck to look... and indeed saw half a sleeve vaguely visible by the window opposite Chai An's seat, clearly indicating a man was hiding there.
"Don't mind him!" However, Fu Hui showed no trace of panic about her husband seeing her intimate contact with another man. She simply smiled and shook her head, saying, "He and I have no relationship whatsoever, except for the nominal title of husband and wife!" As Fu Hui's words fell, the other Li family daughters exchanged glances, then nodded in unison after two seconds. That's right! Ever since they came to the capital, they had been very dissatisfied with Fan Lianghan, their second brother-in-law! Not a single one of them didn't feel that their sister had been truly wronged by marrying that fellow! Now that their family's business was so good, and the Li family had established a firm foothold in the capital, if Second Daughter Fu Hui were to truly divorce, she wouldn't starve!
"Bitter, oh bitter!" At this moment, Wei Tingyu took another sip of the fragrant tea, then placed the teacup on the table in front of him and said.
"Bitter?" As soon as his words fell, Lady Li Niang immediately became anxious. Without another word, she snatched the teacup and drained it in one gulp, then frowned: "It's not bitter! It's very fragrant..." She was truly afraid of any inadequacy in her hospitality towards Wei Tingyu, after all, her family had already achieved such great success with Wei Tingyu's help. If they were to suddenly lose this backing, not only would her daughters' futures be gone, but she herself would not be able to bear it! However, when she put down the teacup, she realized that everyone present was looking at her with bewildered expressions.
"Me... what's wrong with me?" Lady Li Niang blinked, looking at her daughters' gazes with some confusion. Why did their eyes seem so strange?
"Mother!" Fourth Daughter Hao De smiled awkwardly and said, "Why did you drink the Marquis's tea?"
"Ah?" Lady Li Niang was startled, then suddenly realized. Just now, upon hearing Wei Tingyu say "bitter," she had impulsively picked up and drank the teacup he had placed on the tea table, disregarding everything else. Now, having been witnessed by her daughters, her face immediately flushed. After all, if it were simply called an accident, it wouldn't be a big deal, but if one thought about it with intention, it could be quite significant. Had she indirectly kissed the Marquis's mouth?
"I... I wasn't... intentional..." However, besides embarrassment, Lady Li Niang had nothing else to say at the moment, so she could only stammer out an explanation.
"No matter, no matter!" Wei Tingyu, of course, would not blame Lady Li Niang in the slightest for such a small matter. He waved his hand directly and said, "Lady Li Niang has a genuine temperament; I admire it greatly!"
"Hehe... Thank you, Your Lordship!" Lady Li Niang's mouth twitched upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, and she embarrassedly shrank her neck. If it were before, it wouldn't have mattered; Lady Li Niang's personality wouldn't have taken such an accident to heart. But she had personally witnessed the affair between Wei Tingyu and Wang Yingxue! Logically speaking, her relationship with Wei Tingyu would soon become similar to Wang Yingxue's relationship with him. So, this act of sharing a cup of tea, if revealed, was quite ambiguous after all!
Eldest Daughter Shou Hua looked at her mother twice with some doubt, but immediately changed the subject. "What did Your Lordship say was bitter just now?"
"I said..." Facing Eldest Daughter Shou Hua, who had always been quiet and polite, Wei Tingyu's heart was itching intensely. Now, seeing her gaze also directed at him, he smiled and nodded, "Some people's hearts are bitter!" After saying this, he intentionally or unintentionally glanced towards Chai An outside the window. And at this, the Li family mother and daughters present immediately understood. Indeed! Just thinking about it, one knew that Chai An's state of mind at this moment must be suffering!
"Hmph! If he's bitter, he deserves it!" At this thought, Lady Li Niang immediately felt incredibly relieved and delighted; her previous embarrassment was directly thrown to the winds.
"A fly's leg! How much meat is there anyway? He bites it and won't let go?!"
"What kind of world is this? He eats the meat himself and won't even let others have a sip of the soup!"
"Such a exploiter! If his Pan Lou collapses, he deserves it!"
Lady Li Niang furiously cursed Chai An, while Fourth Daughter Hao De next to her quickly patted her mother's back gently. And her daughters also nodded in agreement, all concurring with their mother's words. After all, logically speaking, business relies on one's own abilities. If you truly have the talent to earn a lot of money, even if others are envious or jealous, there's no reason for them to secretly curse you! But Chai An's actions were not legitimate business practices at all. He would rather lose money himself than let the teahouse's business thrive; this kind of behavior could be said to be extremely despicable! Even those merchants who were cunning to the bone rarely acted this way! The phrase "exploiter" truly fit Chai An perfectly!