Chapter 143: Could It Be Master?

It's also because the weather is getting hotter, so evenings when everyone gathers together are becoming more frequent.

In the courtyard they set up a large table, snacking and chatting, talking about the day's events; Lu the shopkeeper's family isn't here, so it's a bit less lively.

She is currently busy with Ruyi's marriage arrangements; the Qin Family has agreed to this marriage, the two families have discussed and set the wedding for the 26th of this month.

This time Lu the shopkeeper didn't act rashly, but consulted with Qian the town mayor.

He also has a good impression of the Qin Family; they're all from the same town and know each other, Lao Qian is also very pleased, and through Ruxin's matter San Niang knows to consult him, and it looks like she can soon be taken home as a wife.

The Qian Family has long split into branches; he is from the fourth branch, and he alone hasn't taken a wife or had children, while the other branches have many descendants.

He also doesn't want to argue with that troublesome old man; he's forty‑six, the old man is seventy‑six. Here, over seventy is considered a happy mourning; once he dies, after a few months he'll propose to San Niang.

Someone asked, why doesn't he attend to his father who is near death?

Go do what? If he goes, the old man's remaining time shortens, so he doesn't want to add trouble before his eyes.

The two have long since worn away any father‑son bond because of the marriage.

Shopkeeper Niu told Qiao Mai about this, and she laughed.

Many people, upon seeing these two arrive, just leave; no one is willing to pay them any attention.

Now she seems to understand what she has lost.

"Thank you!"

Qiao Mai instructed Shopkeeper Niu: "Anyone who buys something in the shop today gets a complimentary bowl of drink; starting tomorrow, a bowl of cold beverage costs fifty Wen, fixed price."

"Could it be Master?"

Now she can only take a spoon, stir, and take a sip.

When idle she wanders around Tianshui Town; even the two old merchants of the Qiao Family know each other's parents—one is the parents of the Qiao Family's son‑in‑law, the other the parents of the Yuan Family's daughter‑in‑law—so conversation springs up when they meet.

So the Qiao Family can also get it right? If you, mother, can't take them, what are we to do? Can we just go ahead?

"Yes, Master!"

"My master said that even if things are thrown away, they won't be given to enemies."

It's not that Lu the shopkeeper is bad; his father despises the poor and loves the rich, looks down on Lu the shopkeeper, and because of that, won't let him marry her.

Qiao Mai knows what Lu the shopkeeper is doing; she doesn't want to interfere. Lu Sanniang uses herself when needed, and when not needed she stays home managing household affairs.

Ruxin couldn't believe it; when she went out to examine carefully, it was true—her tears instantly burst forth like a breached dam.

Many struggling families also wanted to come claim, and after Qiao Mai verified with Qian the town mayor, she didn't let them leave empty‑handed.

"Let them; just pay for the milk tea, as long as they don't cause trouble, it's fine."

"Yes"

When the Qiao Family, Tian Family, and Yuan Family learned of this, they grew resentful toward Qiao Mai, gritting their teeth.

In the small kitchen she began bustling; she wanted to make a jar of passion‑fruit lemon honey and test‑sell it in the shop.

The porridge stall opens once daily: two large pots of porridge, a few hundred mantou, and when they're gone, it ends.

Better to grow it oneself; a mu of land is enough.

Every day they're full and have nothing to do, not knowing what to do.

They ordered a few cups of milk tea and treated the old Qiao couple; they just wanted to give Qiao Mai and Yuan Jiaqi a hard time.

With a thump, a huge crash, everyone in the courtyard woke up; Ruxin's servant girl came out, looked, and was so delighted she almost screamed.

In an instant, Qiao Mai's name spread across the surrounding ten‑plus miles.

Shopkeeper Niu thought of hiring two more workers to sell goods, letting them handle production in the back.

Qian the town mayor, not wanting to fall behind, also set up a porridge stall on one side of his own doorway; some families did better, and others copied.

At this moment the workers were cutting ice; she placed the jar on the counter, fetched a bowl and a spoon, scooped a spoonful of passion fruit from the jar into the bowl, added a handful of ice, and poured in cool boiled water.

Rarely, the Yuan Family couple, Zhou Bapi, were willing to spend money, doing so in the cool shed at the Qiao Family shop's entrance, right under Qiao Mai's watchful eye.

On the official road, refugees often appear; under the guidance of officials they are assigned to various villages. Qiao Mai had porridge stalls set up along the road, while the kitchen maid at home continuously steamed two‑layer mantou.

"Everyone take a bowl to try a sip, like I just did; apart from those few outside, all other customers get a share."

Master once said one must stand up for oneself and take charge; that scumbag betrayed me, and Master will definitely get revenge for me.

Master, there are so many fresh things; you never know when something will pop up.

To be honest, these three families can still afford meals. The Tian Family needs to support someone's studies, which is understandable; the Qiao Family does nothing, just points at those few mu of land, feeling embarrassed even to take odd jobs; the Yuan Family are just those two old clods, spending each day looking for cheap deals.

It's a real headache; without a straw, what can be used as a substitute?

"Yes, Master, now that the weather's hot, shall we have our milk tea?"

The reeds from the surrounding wasteland definitely won't do; first, there's a hygiene issue—they're not clean enough; second, most are too short, with few meeting the standards.

Master knows martial arts, and Master succeeded; she helped herself gather the dowry, preventing those villains from succeeding.

After finishing, she carried it to the shop, bypassed the two old merchants outside, and went inside.

Whenever there's nothing to do, they stir up trouble against the Qiao Family, inciting others to cause problems for them; who is as foolish as these two?

Thinking of the space, Ruxin's pile of dowry, she, on a moonless windy night, threw it straight into the courtyard where Ruxin lives.

Hidden in the shadows, Qiao Mai watched the scene coldly; she acts with a beginning and an end, her principle, and now she considers the master‑apprentice bond concluded.

They also tried to have family members bring household registration to collect, but the Qiao Family's matriarch, upon seeing they were from those three families, immediately refused.

"The taste is still good, especially refreshing."

Not only do they not give them, but anyone from Qiao Family Village, Li Cha Village, or Xinghua Village—anyone from those three villages—won't receive it.

Why? If no good cause was sown before, how can good results appear?

Shopkeeper Niu left; Qiao Mai thought of a tasty cold drink, so she entered the space, harvested half a basket of lemons, half a basket of small green tangerines, a basket of passion fruit, and a jar of honey.

"Miss, miss, it's your dowry."

Qiao Ji Snack Puzi has five workers; each holds several recipes, and now that's the shop's main force.

"This can be a cold drink; once cooled, add a few ice cubes, it's refreshing to drink, and have the workers replace the tea inside with Green Tea."

In mid‑May, the weather was sweltering, and this season was the time when Nanfang was most prone to massive fires.

He let the displaced villagers have a full meal, gave them a chance to catch their breath, and let them know they could settle in the surrounding Cunzi; Qiao Mai also promised that once they were settled, each household, with its household registration, could come to the house to receive fifty jin of corn flour.

The town mayor was also obstinate; he wouldn't let anyone marry him, and he wouldn't marry anyone himself, remaining single like that.

Ruyi's makeup—whatever she gave Ruxin before, she gave the same amount to Ruyi; as for the prescription, she didn't want to cause more trouble, lest future problems arise, and even she couldn't explain it clearly.

That other person was even more stubborn; while you stayed single, I wouldn't let you marry her, so the two of them kept dragging it out.

After drinking the refreshing passion‑fruit honey water, many people couldn't help but want another bowl.

"Master, Xin'er apologizes to you."

He would rather give things to strangers, yet not give them, and not let them catch even a bit of light—truly, how can that be?

Her eyes lit up: a reed stalk, hollow in the middle, of a certain length—using it as a lure would definitely work.

Shopkeeper Niu and the five assistants in the shop swallowed their saliva, and Qiao Mai hurriedly directed them.

Having everything in the hands of a single assistant was a bit risky—not because of fear of leaks, but because a schemer might come to snatch people.

It was a raid, not a purchase, not a dig, but an outright, blatant raid.

Now this row of shops hadn't been rented out yet; the one over at the southern end had even been cleared out by beggars, just as Shopkeeper Niu wanted to expand the shop further.

Qiao Mai also agreed: as long as business thrived, they could let Shopkeeper Niu do whatever he wanted.

(End of chapter)