Chapter 50
50 Enemies on a Narrow Road
Li Yu and Zhou Jia walked to a two-story wooden shop. Li Yu saw a striking big sign hanging above the tall door, Spring Breeze Restaurant.
Zhou Jia turned around and said to Li Yu with a smile, “Miss Li, the chef of this restaurant is best at making Eight Treasure Duck. There are also some snacks that taste good. Try them later and see if you like them.”
“Okay.” Li Yu and Zhou Jia entered the restaurant. The waiter eagerly brought the two of them upstairs and arranged for them to sit by the window. Zhou Jia looked at the waiter. “Bring one of your Eight Treasure Duck and other dishes and some snacks.”
“Alright, please wait a moment.” The waiter went in to pass the dishes. Li Yu looked at the endless crowd downstairs.
Zhou Jia introduced it to Li Yu. “This street is the most prosperous street in Green Mountain. Most of the people living around here are famous families and some rich families in the city.”
Li Yu turned around and looked at Zhou Jia. “Mr. Zhou, do you have to pay taxes when you open a shop? Is anyone here to collect protection fees?”
Zhou Jia smiled at Li Yu. “I have to pay taxes. It’s just that I pay less than ordinary families. Those hooligans usually don’t dare to cause trouble.”
As they spoke, the waiter began to serve the dishes. Li Yu saw that the Eight Treasures Duck’s soup was thick and the duck meat was crispy. She thought to herself, “It does look good.”
Zhou Jia scooped a bowl of soup and handed it to Li Yu. He smiled and said, “Try it. It tastes delicious.”
Li Yu tasted it. “Yes! It’s indeed not bad.”
After the two of them ate, the waiter brought over other snacks. Li Yu saw that there was sugar cane juice, candied fruit, preserved fruits, osmanthus cake, and pine nut candy.
Li Yu picked up the sugarcane juice and took a sip. “This juice tastes very sweet. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Zhou. Let’s go see how the bag is selling. Can we go back?”
Zhou Jia saw that Li Yu did not even taste the other snacks and only drank the sugarcane juice. He secretly remembered it and nodded with a smile. “Alright, let’s go!”
After the waiter came to settle the bill, the two of them went downstairs and walked back to Zhou Ji Clothing. Li Yu stood at the door and was relieved to see that there were quite a number of customers inside. Seeing this, Zhou Jia smiled and said, “Miss Li, it’s too noisy inside. Wait for me here. I’ll drive the mule cart over. We’ll go to the shop at the academy to take a look.”
Li Yu stopped and nodded. “Okay.”
Zhou Jia went in to get someone to drive the carriage. Li Yu saw two shops on both sides of Zhou Ji. One of them sold rouge and cosmetics. She walked to the rouge shop and entered. Li Yu saw that it was filled with all kinds of rouge and cosmetics. A few women were lowering their heads and choosing. Li Yu asked the shop assistant, “Brother, are there any moisturizing oils for sale?”
“Yes, miss. Which one do you want for a price? There’s one or two hundred copper coins a box, four or five hundred copper coins a box, and…” Before the shop assistant could finish, a harsh female voice sounded. “Second brother, don’t waste your breath. Look at her. Can she afford it?”
When Li Yu saw that it was that mad dog, Zhang Guixiang, she thought to herself, Bad luck! She turned around and left. Seeing that Li Yu was about to leave, Zhang Guixiang smiled proudly. “Your pockets are empty, yet you dare to come to these places. I think you’re here to steal!”
The woman standing beside Zhang Guixiang frowned and whispered, “Sister, don’t talk nonsense.”
Li Yu had already walked to the door. When she heard Zhang Guixiang slandering her for going in to steal, the anger in her heart rose. She thought to herself that Zhang Guixiang was really a person who remembered food but not beatings! She turned around and walked toward Zhang Guixiang. Only then did Zhang Guixiang remember Li Yu’s methods and retreat in fear. “What are you doing?”
“Steal something? Are you talking about those two shameless old things at your house? Until now, my heart hurts so much that I can’t sleep! Wasn’t it that old thing at your house who hired someone to steal? I remember that one of them is still serving and hasn’t been released! What’s wrong? Have you forgotten so quickly?”
Zhang Guixiang pointed at Li Yu with a trembling hand. “Your family slandered my family.”
Li Yu stopped two steps in front of Zhang Guixiang and looked at her disdainfully. “Slander your family? Do you mean that the county magistrate has wronged your family?” Li Yu shook her head. “That won’t do. It’s wrong to accuse someone. Let’s go. I’ll bring you to complain.”
As Li Yu spoke, she wanted to pull Zhang Guixiang away. Zhang Guixiang hurriedly hid behind the woman. “Sister-in-law, ask her to go.”
The woman frowned and looked at Li Yu unhappily. “Miss, how can you tarnish her innocence at will?”
Li Yu looked at her and sneered. “I’m defiling someone’s innocence? You don’t even know the ins and outs of the matter, yet you dare to spout nonsense here. You’d better go back and ask Zhang Defa’s in-laws before telling me if she’s innocent.”
“You’re unreasonable.” The woman pulled Zhang Guixiang away. Li Yu looked at her and sneered. “Miss, you should go to West Mountain Village and ask around. Be careful not to fall into the thieves’ nest!”
Seeing that Zhang Guixiang, left, the shop assistant was angry that Li Yu chased his customer away and asked Li Yu with a dark expression, “Miss, are you still buying oil?”
Li Yu glanced at him. “If you welcome me with a smile, I’ll buy it. I’m not in the mood to just looking at you.” The shop assistant looked at Li Yu angrily.
Zhou Jia and Ji Xiang drove the mule cart out and did not see Li Yu at the entrance of the shop. Zhou Jia hurriedly got out of the car to look for her. When he saw Li Yu coming out of the cosmetics shop next door, he greeted her with a smile. “Have you bought what you wanted?”
Li Yu nodded and got into the car with Zhou Jia. They walked towards the shop at the academy.
Zhang Guixiang and the woman came out of the cosmetics shop and took the mule cart home. Seeing that her sister-in-law had gone into the house with a dark expression, Zhang Guixiang ran to Chen Zhaodi’s house in fear and told her about meeting Li Yu. Chen Zhaodi knocked her on the head. “Why did you provoke that bitch? You were even with Zhu Qiaoyu. If your father finds out, he’ll beat you to death.” Chen Zhaodi was so anxious that she paced around the house. “No, I have to let your brother think of a way to deceive your sister-in-law.”
Chen Zhaodi abandoned Zhang Guixiang and rushed out the door. Zhu Qiaoyu returned to the house. Seeing that she was frowning, Madam Jiang asked worriedly, “Miss, didn’t you go buy cosmetics with your sister-in-law? Where are the cosmetics you bought?”
Zhu Qiaoyu told Madam Jiang about meeting Li Yu. She looked at Madam Jiang and asked, “Nanny, there must be something we don’t know about. Get someone to West Mountain Village to ask around. What is the Zhang family hiding from us?”
Madam Jiang nodded solemnly. “Alright, I’ll get Qiu Yue to ask around.” Madam Jiang went back to the Zhu family.
Chen Zhaodi went to the academy to find Zhang Guisheng and told him about Zhang Guixiang and Li Yu’s argument. She looked at Zhang Guisheng worriedly. “Guisheng, what do you think we should do? That bitch Li Yu asked Zhu Qiaoyu to go to West Mountain Village to ask around. Do you think she’ll go?”
Seeing that Zhang Guisheng was staring blankly ahead and not replying, Chen Zhaodi said anxiously, “What are you looking at? I’m asking you a question.”
When Zhang Guisheng saw Zhou Jia enter the shop opposite with Li Yu with a smile, he couldn’t help but be stunned. He couldn’t help but think, Why is Scholar Zhou with Xiaoyu? What’s their relationship?
Chen Zhaodi followed Zhang Guisheng’s gaze and looked at the shop opposite. She saw people coming and going in the shop. She pulled Zhang Guisheng’s sleeve and asked enviously, “Guisheng, whose shop is that? Business is so good.”
Zhang Guisheng came back to his senses after being pulled by Chen Zhaodi. He said patiently, “Mother, go back first! I’ll explain to Qiao Yu when I get home later.”
Chen Zhaodi understood that she could only wait for Zhang Guisheng to come back from school. “Alright, then find a better excuse. Don’t offend your wife’s family.”
Zhang Guisheng was annoyed and roared in a low voice, “She’s my wife, not my ancestor.”
Chen Zhaodi thought to herself, Didn’t you marry an ancestor? Fancy serving her every day.