121, Tail (4 more)
After closing Routuan in the shop, Xie Zhinuan left with Dong Sheng and Xiaoyuan.
Her beauty attracted frequent onlookers, and those few lecherous men followed closely behind, all guessing where she had come from.
At that time, the business of the taverns in town couldn’t really be said to be good, after all, the number of people willing to spend money on eating out was small, and as for the taste…
Xie Zhinuan ordered a few signature dishes, but didn’t find them to her liking. According to her own taste, these dishes weren’t even as good as those made by Aunt Chen.
The stir-fried meat was so tough she could hardly chew it, and the soup was overly salty.
Dong Sheng and Xiaoyuan, on the other hand, thought it was delicious but feared that Xie Zhinuan would disapprove, so they did not dare to eat too much.
“It’s fine, you guys eat,” Xie Zhinuan said softly.
She put down her chopsticks.
Glancing at the few men sitting at the two tables opposite her, Xie Zhinuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
The men, seeing Xie Zhinuan looking at them, became excited and wanted to stand up, but then they saw Xie Zhinuan stand up first and walk to the counter to pay her bill.
“…”
The men swallowed their saliva.
Such beauty, such figure, and she also had a fragrance they had never smelled before.
Dong Sheng and Xiaoyuan hurriedly finished their meal, picking out the meat to eat, and then followed Xie Zhinuan out of the restaurant to buy spices.
“Miss…” Dong Sheng called out softly.
He glanced behind him.
Xie Zhinuan responded indifferently, “To the blacksmith’s shop!”
She wanted to buy a dagger, as well as a sharp cleaver.
She also knew a bit of self-defence. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but dealing with those few men wouldn’t be difficult, especially with Routuan by her side.
When Xie Zhinuan arrived at the blacksmith’s shop and mentioned she wanted to buy a dagger, the blacksmith spoke softly, “The sharpest ones have refined iron added to them, which will be a bit more expensive, are you sure, Miss?”
“I’ll take two!”
“…”
She paid the money, took the daggers and the large cleaver, left, and Dong Sheng and Xiaoyuan followed her to the spice shop.
Xie Zhinuan picked out quite a few spices and bought a large quantity, including both expensive and cheap ones. She even bought two kinds of Sichuan pepper, one that was very numbing and one that was fragrant.
“…”
When they left, Dong Sheng had a bag in his left hand and a large bag in his right, Xiaoyuan wasn’t empty-handed either, but Xie Zhinuan was the only one with empty hands, walking with an air of nonchalance.
The few men had followed them the whole time, quietly discussing among themselves and watching as Xie Zhinuan and her companions entered a shop, leaving them exchanging uncertain glances.
“Who is that?”
“No idea…”
Although these lecherous men were lustful and usually up to no good, their courage was small. Even if they had ideas, they feared that Xie Zhinuan was of no small repute and not someone they could afford to provoke.
Xie Zhinuan returned to the shop and began sorting the spices.
Xiaoyuan took the initiative to help, and Xie Zhinuan taught her how to choose, “Take out the messy ones, don’t leave them in there!”
“Miss, what are you planning to do?” Xiaoyuan asked.
“Braised meat, stewed meat, and poultry like chicken, duck, and goose!”
“All meat dishes?” Xiaoyuan asked, swallowing her saliva unconsciously.
“Yes, you and Dong Sheng stay and help out. I’ll pay you a wage for your work. If you do well and the shop makes money, I can also give you bonuses. Do you know what bonuses are?” Xie Zhinuan asked.
“I know!” Xiaoyuan nodded repeatedly.
She was also looking forward to the day they would receive bonuses.
After all, as a woman, her chances of working outside the home were not many, and often there was no one willing to hire her, leaving her no choice but to do housework and raise children.
A life spent in mediocrity.
She could read a few characters and wanted, like a man, to make a mark in the world.
Xie Zhinuan planned to live above the shop in town in the future. As for the house in the countryside, she was still considering whether to keep it for herself or to sell it.
Chapter 123