"Looking for someone? Who?" Lin Yuan idly asked Liuzi while flipping through the account books from the past few days.
Liuzi swallowed, wanting to say outright, "Certainly looking for you, Boss." But thinking of his Young Master’s stingy appearance, the words at the tip of his tongue shifted, "I don’t know either. I asked him, and he didn’t say. He just bought some spicy strips and stuff. However, when he was paying, he did casually ask why you, Boss, hadn’t come."
Liuzi blinked rapidly, constantly gauging Lin Yuan’s reaction, hoping she would catch on to his obvious hints.
However, to his disappointment, Lin Yuan did not even pause her flipping of the account books, merely uttering an "Oh" without further comment.
Liuzi felt a sense of frustration and listlessly shrugged his shoulders.
Lin Yuan then went to check on the kitchen. The staff at Rice Flower Fragrance were all handpicked by herself, much better than those at the tofu shop. They worked diligently and attentively, and their craftsmanship was exquisite.
Especially Uncle Wang, despite being a man, the various pastries he made were on point. When it came to the Twelve Zodiac Joy Cakes used for a child’s full-month celebration, Lin Yuan had only instructed Uncle Wang once, and now he could make them all by himself. Moreover, he even used them as a template to create many other styles, including white birds, a variety of animals, and one that was even more impressive, featuring assorted designs of little children.
Although these joy cakes shaped like children were too precious for people to eat, they served as excellent decorations at banquets, greatly enhancing the host family’s prestige. Thus, this special joy cake became extremely popular.
There was still some time before Ma Xiaoqian’s wedding, and even if she requested a large quantity of joy cakes, with Rice Flower Fragrance’s current staff and ample materials, they could have them ready in three days. Telling Ma Xiaonan that it would take a month was just Lin Yuan’s way of not wanting to accept the business.
Originally, Lin Yuan intended to inform Liuzi and the others about Loudmouth’s upcoming appointment as Steward, but then she thought of Lan Hua and decided to personally bring Loudmouth over the next day. After all, with her, the Boss, in presence, nobody would doubt Loudmouth’s authority.
Keeping in mind that she still needed to see the shopkeepers at Fuman Building, Lin Yuan tidied up, ready to leave. Before she could go to the shop across the street to find Lin Wei, Lin Wei was already rushing over in a frantic state.
"Big Sister, Big Sister! It’s terrible, a man is bullying Sister Mo!"
Before Lin Yuan could react, Meng Liangdong, who was sitting at the counter, had already dashed out first.
"Hey, Mr. Meng!" Liuzi’s eyes widened as he looked toward the man who dashed out like the wind, and for a moment, he saw Meng Liangdong, who was usually unimposing, in a new light.
Lin Yuan asked Liuzi to keep an eye on the shop and quickly followed Lin Wei to Mo Sanniang’s fabric store.
Upon entering, she saw Meng Liangdong standing protectively in front of Mo Sanniang, shouting angrily at the man: "You, bullying a weak woman, what kind of man does that make you! If you have the guts, come at me!"
Lin Yuan was astonished, "Wow, Meng Liangdong really has such a manly spirit!"
The man Meng Liangdong was shouting at was none other than her childhood sweetheart whom she had once cared for deeply, Xie Zhiyuan.
Xie Zhiyuan looked at the man who had suddenly emerged from nowhere, surveyed him from head to toe, and with raised eyebrows, scoffed coldly, "Ha, it’s you, this bookworm! Fine, you’ve got guts, daring to meddle in my affairs! You should inquire around. Boss, I work at the Yamen! Offend me and you’ll face the consequences!"
"At the Yamen?" Meng Liangdong was somewhat confused, giving Xie Zhiyuan a once over; he didn’t seem like a Yamen Government Official at all.