Lin Siyu narrowed her eyes and threatened in a deep voice, "Remember, don’t say what you shouldn’t say. Otherwise, I will make sure you can never speak again."
Panpan was, after all, just a ten-year-old girl. Even if she was more experienced and braver, the threat still frightened her. She swallowed hard, nodded, and said timidly, "Yes, I, your servant, won’t talk carelessly, you can rest assured, Auntie."
Her timidity, to the point where she couldn’t even speak fluently, gave Lin Siyu the wrong impression.
Lin Siyu waved her hand and said, "Go on, remember, you will be rewarded as long as you obey."
Panpan did not respond further, bowed, and ran off with her head down in the direction of Li Chengzhi’s Courtyard.
Although Lin Siyu had left, her departure did not diminish the spirits of Lady Jin and the others at all; in fact, without this annoying presence, they became even livelier.
Mrs. Liu laughed softly and, pointing to the pastries on the plate, said, "The thing I loved to do most as a child was to watch others eat pastries. Back then, the pastries were not nearly as exquisite as the ones Miss Lin makes, with the simplest designs, and having some sugar in them was already a luxury. Yet, even such pastries were out of my reach because I had no silver to buy them."
Despite the fact that it was a sorrowful memory, Mrs. Liu spoke with a smile—perhaps to her, the days of childhood, though poor, were carefree and truly the happiest times.
Lady Jin had been pampered from a young age and had never experienced poverty; she could not relate to Mrs. Liu’s life and simply smiled without speaking. But Lin Yuan could certainly relate and, looking at Mrs. Liu, said, "Fortunately, you don’t have to suffer poverty anymore."
Mrs. Liu’s eyes dimmed for a moment—if she could, she would rather live in hardship than spend a lifetime with an old man she disliked.
As they talked about Rice Flower Fragrance, Lin Yuan suddenly thought of the Century-old Cake Shop. Ever since Shopkeeper Chen had been arrested, there had been no news of him, and although the shop was now sealed by the Government Office, she still wanted to know what Li Chang planned to do about it.
"Aunt, what happened to the owner of the Century-old Cake Shop who had trouble some time ago? How is he doing now?"
Lady Jin had just eaten a piece of red bean paste cake and found it a bit too rich; after sipping some tea, she sighed, "Ah, what else? The master has locked him in the prison. I never expected Shopkeeper Chen to be so ruthless, actually adding Five Stones Powder to the pastries—truly a deep harm to people!"
That Shopkeeper Chen had been imprisoned was his just deserts; Lin Yuan didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him. However, it was a pity about the shop.
"Indeed." Lin Yuan followed up on Lady Jin’s comment and asked, "What about his shop? It seems to be sealed too."
Lady Jin, after all, came from Jin Ji Vinegar Workshop. She might not look like much, but she understood the business.
She smiled and glanced at Lin Yuan, "Why? Are you interested in that shop?"
Lin Yuan scratched her head, feeling embarrassed. Was her expression that obvious that even Lady Jin had noticed?
Lady Jin was amused by her candid demeanor and said, "That shop has indeed been sealed. However, now that Shopkeeper Chen’s crime has been confirmed, the shop will eventually be returned to the Chen family. It won’t be long, maybe just a couple of days. But, reopening for business might be difficult."
Knowing that Lin Yuan was interested in the shop, Lady Jin shared some more information about the Chen family with her, "That Shopkeeper Chen has only a woman he married later in his home and a son who is just seven years old, completely useless. Ah, Shopkeeper Chen really brought disaster upon himself, ruining his good life. His first wife has been with him for over twenty years without bearing children. That woman was quite generous, finding several little concubines for him. Yet, none of them got pregnant. Shopkeeper Chen refused to accept it and insisted it was his wife who secretly interfered, causing him to have no offspring."