"The expressions of the Shopkeeper changed instantly, they were rich and varied. First was shock, then grievance, and eventually, he sat on the ground, bursting into tears with sobs.
"Sir, you have no idea how cunning that girl is. At the beginning, she said my shop was so cheap, there must be sothing wrong; she kept pointing out inconsistencies and illogicalities. Seeing her about to leave, and fearing I couldn’t complete the task or explain to you, I steeled my heart and lowered the price by one thousand silver taels, thinking if she wouldn’t take it at that price, I’d done all I could. But little did I expect, that girl wasn’t foolish at all. I watched her, she must have been waiting for those words because as soon as I said them, she turned around, slapped two thousand taels on the table, and rushed to transfer the ownership. You say, this this...,"
After listening, Yan Qing chuckled and said, "So? You’re planning for to cover the difference of these one thousand silver taels?"
Though the Shopkeeper said nothing, his eyes betrayed him, even looking pitifully aggrieved.
"How good is our gold shop’s business, with people constantly coming to craft jewelry? Such a fine shop, and you just disposed of it, even at a reduced price. My heart is bleeding, sir. Now our shop has moved from Chang’an Street to Changfu Street, the business is bound to take a nosedive. Sir, do you know what that girl intends to do with such fine decorations in our shop?"
Yan Qing, who was already rubbing his temples with impatience, imdiately turned his head at these words, "Is she opening a restaurant?"
The Shopkeeper self-mockingly laughed, "Hehe, if she opened a restaurant I’d feel better. No, she’s opened a noodle shop, the kind like a small workshop, a fly restaurant. Look at that, a misuse of great resources! Such a pri location, and she’s selling noodles? Of all the shops on this street, who isn’t imnsely wealthy or powerful? Yet she, she runs over there to sell noodles to common folk, isn’t this wasting your kindness, sir?"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that it was a noodle shop, a tiny fla seed to dance in Yan Qing’s eyes.
"Regardless of what kind of shop she opens, as long as it provides a place for to eat, that’s fine. Don’t underestimate this girl’s cooking skills. Believe it or not, even if she sells the cheapest noodles, she can make them the unparalleled best on this street."
Little did the Shopkeeper know about the connection between Yan Qing and Xiao Yu. He just assud his master was tired of all the ladies of Beijing and wanted a taste of a peasant girl, but for such a humble girl to attract so much effort and financial support from his master was indeed rare.
The Shopkeeper, at a loss for words, felt sowhat that his master was obsessed, and thought it best to leave quickly, lest he be reminded of those one thousand silver taels.
But as ideal as that thought was, the reality was disappointing. Because just as he was bowing to leave, not yet reaching the door, he heard Yan Qing mutter.
"Those one thousand taels will be deducted from your monthly allowance. You think you can cut corners when the task isn’t even completed? I said three thousand, you made it two thousand, and you call that reasonable?"
The Shopkeeper stumbled, ending up on his rear end, but Yan Qing didn’t care how he wailed, simply rubbed his ears and walked towards the back yard.
anwhile, having bought the shop, Xiao Yu was in high spirits, driving her horse carriage towards the outskirts while contemplating a good na for her small shop.
The shop was ready, next was to make a sign. Once the sign was prepared, buy so tables, chairs, pots, and pans, then she’d be ready to start making noodles.
So, since she was going to make noodles, she needed to bring out a local specialty..."
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