On the way back, Yu Wan, her brother, and Bai Tang were in one carriage. Her uncle and his sons were in another carriage. The remaining three carriages pulling New Year’s goods followed steadily behind.
When they left the Bai Manor, it was snowing lightly. The carriage moved slowly, leaving crunching sounds in the snow.
Little Bruiser was tired from playing. The moment he got into the carriage, he fell asleep in Yu Wan’s arms.
Along the way, everyone was very quiet.
When they arrived at the White Jade Restaurant, it was already midnight. The entire town had fallen into a deep sleep, and the door of the White Jade Restaurant was tightly shut.
“Do you want me to call for help?” Yu Feng jumped off the carriage and asked through the curtain.
Bai Tang’s expression had returned to normal and she replied indifferently.
Yu Feng quickly knocked on the door of the White Jade Restaurant.
The old man who opened the door was the escort that the late madam had brought from her maiden home. After the late madam passed away, he and his wife had been serving Bai Tang. The two elders were living in the White Jade Restaurant now, but they did not interfere much with the restaurant’s business and were more responsible for Bai Tang’s daily life.
“It’s Miss.” Seeing Bai Tang come out of the carriage, the uncle did not show much surprise. He held the lamp and welcomed Bai Tang in.
“Wait.” Yu Wan took down the congratulatory gift she had chosen before. “It’s not anything valuable. I hope Miss Bai doesn’t mind.”
Bai Tang looked at Yu Wan expressionlessly. She did not ask why she was giving it to her, nor did she refuse.
Yu Wan did not mind her sullen face. She was a child after all. After being wronged, she would be in a bad mood for a while.
Yu Wan smiled and said, “I’ll bring it up for you.”
“Yeah.” This time, she made a sound.
“Let me do it.” The uncle went to help Yu Wan.
“Let me do it, let me do it!” Yu Feng strode forward and took most of the things. There were only two boxes of snacks left and he let Yu Wan send them in.
The uncle woke his wife up, and the two elders went to the kitchen to boil water for Bai Tang and make supper.
Yu Feng and Yu Wan followed Bai Tang to the backyard. The lights in the room had already been lit by the old man. Yu Feng walked towards the room with his head lowered. He walked faster than Yu Wan and Bai Tang.
“Aiya.” Yu Wan thought of something and was about to call out to Yu Feng when Yu Feng had already rushed into the house with a few large bags.
After a while, Yu Feng came out with a red face.
“I, I didn’t see anything!” When he brushed past Bai Tang, he said incoherently. After saying that, he straightened his neck and ran out of the White Jade Restaurant.
Bai Tang was so preoccupied that she didn’t hear what Yu Feng said at all, nor did she notice his panic. Before crossing the threshold, she stopped in her tracks. She seemed to be muttering and explaining, “My father wasn’t like this in the past. When I was young, he treated me extremely well.”
“I understand.” Yu Wan nodded. “Here’s your things.”
Bai Tang took the two boxes of snacks.
Yu Wan bade her farewell and turned to walk towards the door.
“Thank you.” Bai Tang suddenly said. It was unknown what she was thanking Yu Wan for.
Yu Wan turned around and smiled. “You’re welcome.”
…
Bai Tang did not explain what had happened to her, and the Yu family tactfully did not ask. However, not asking did not mean that they would not guess. It was most likely that Mrs. Bai had suffered in Bai Tang’s hands and turned around to complain to Old Master Bai. Old Master Bai scolded Bai Tang and said that she should not have embarrassed his stepmother for a few outsiders. How could Miss Bai swallow such grievances with such a fiery temper?
The father and daughter had probably quarreled quite a bit.
“Miss Bai is a pitiful person.” On the way back, Yu Feng sighed.
Yu Song rolled his eyes at his brother. “She’s pitiful? She doesn’t have to worry about food or clothes. The Bai family has so much money that she won’t be able to spend it all in her lifetime! If she’s pitiful, then what are we? You yourself are about to have no food to eat, yet you actually pity a young lady! Big Brother, are you stupid?!”
Yu Feng’s face flushed red.
Yu Wan’s lips curled up.
…
Putting aside the misunderstanding caused by Mrs. Bai, this trip to the Bai Manor was quite fruitful.
Their braised food received unanimous praise from the guests. Many people asked the Bai Manor where they had hired the chef. When they heard that it was not the Bai Manor or the White Jade Restaurant, someone immediately expressed their desire to invite the Yu Family to their own residence.
Yu Wan and her uncle declined the guests’ good intentions, and the customers changed to placing orders. Just yesterday, they had received orders from three major families. It was not that Yu Wan was worried that she would not be able to handle it, but there would be more.
The above was what they earned, and there were the ones that Little Bruiser earned.
Little Bruiser had earned a lot.
The family, including the sickly Mrs. Jiang, counted the items for the entire morning before they finally finished counting the three carriages. It was not money. It was all top-grade rouge, silk, rare animal skin, antique paintings, and some local specialties.
They could sell these silk and satin at the cloth shop since they couldn’t wear it. The animal skin could be worn under a cotton shirt, which was windproof and warm.
As for those strange bottles and paintings…
“This jar is big. It’s perfect for storing pickled vegetables.”
An antique jar from the previous dynasty was carried away by her aunt to pickle vegetables.
“This vat is a little small, but it can be used to raise fish.”
A translucent glazed bed that the Western Regions paid tribute to was taken away by Yu Song to raise fish seedlings.
The luminous cup was taken to feed the chicken.
The former dynasty’s bronze fish washbasin (shaped like a washbasin) was used to soak the feet.
“There’s a hole in the wall. It is an old draught.”
The authentic painting of the Court’s First Artisan was stuck to the earthen wall of the kitchen…
…
On the other hand, Mrs. Yan couldn’t stand the humiliation. She only woke up three days later after she fainted on the spot. All the guests that day witnessed the Yan Family being “humiliated”. As the saying goes, good things don’t leave the house, but bad things spread like wildfire. For a time, the news of Yan Ruyu losing favor before she got married spread like wildfire in the Capital. When Mrs. Yan heard about it, she almost fainted again.
Yan Ruyu sat down by the bed with a bowl of ginseng soup. “Mom, take care of your body.”
How could Mrs. Yan take care of herself? Their Yan Family was burdened with the murder of the royal heir, and it was all thanks to the marriage with Young Master Yan that they were able to clear their name. If Young Master Yan rejected this marriage, wouldn’t their Yan Family have to go back to jail?
“Yu’er…” Mrs. Yan stopped Yan Ruyu from feeding her the ginseng soup. She looked straight at her and said,” Hurry up and think of a way. You can’t let Young Master Yan cancel this marriage!”
“He won’t cancel it.” Yan Ruyu lowered her eyes and stirred the ginseng soup with a spoon. “I gave birth to his children. Has Mother forgotten?”
Mrs. Yan murmured, “Children… Yes, that’s right. You still have Yan Jiuchao’s children! A mother’s status depends on her son. He will definitely acknowledge you and your children!”
Yan Ruyu scooped a spoonful of ginseng soup and fed it to Mrs. Yan. “Mom, don’t worry. I’ve made the arrangements. The children will arrive in the Capital in two days at most.”
