Chapter 573: New Restaurant (2)
On the next day, the help that He Changdi had arranged for Chu Lian arrived.
Zhou Wen was one of He Changdi’s subordinates from the northern army. He was eighteen years old this year and was now working under He Changdi. He had come from a family of merchants and was quick on his feet, so he had been sent to aid Chu Lian with her restaurant.
Zhou Wen respectfully greeted Chu Lian. Due to his years at the northern border, his face was tanned, and he was as skinny as a monkey. When he smiled, his wide grin and white teeth made him look rather dim.
He didn’t greet her as Third Young Madam or Marchioness Anyuan. Instead, he addressed her as ‘sister-in-law’.
A twitch developed in Chu Lian’s forehead. This fellow looked too silly and sweet; did He Changdi make a mistake and send the most honest person he had?
Chu Lian nodded and had him sit down to talk.
“Since you’ve come to me, do you know what you’re here to do?”
Zhou Wen laughed in a foolish manner and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Brother He told me to help you earn money, Sister-in-Law.”
Chu Lian couldn’t help but chuckle. This fellow was way too honest.
Could such a silly person actually manage the restaurant?
“I heard from our brothers that Sister-in-Law’s cooking is delicious. Could I have a taste of it today?” After saying that, he lowered his head bashfully.
This fellow had the guts to ask for a free meal? Chu Lian had finally found a praiseworthy quality in him.
“After I’m done with instructing you, you can stay for lunch. I’ll have Laiyue escort you to the guests’ courtyard and you can have your lunch there.”
Chu Lian wasn’t someone who would be so stingy as to not provide a meal.
When she finally got down to business with this sweet and silly-looking Zhou Wen over the restaurant, she was astonished to find that this man was nothing like he seemed.
He was actually a smart man, someone who hid his abilities to gain the upper hand. Thanks to the influence of his family, he had been gaining experience with managing a shop ever since childhood, and he was even able to contribute his own ideas.
If one wasn’t careful and judged a book by its cover, they would be fooled by him.
If she had to compare, Zhou Wen was certainly just as good as Manager Qin.
After lunch, Laiyue sent the satisfied Zhou Wen out.
Chu Lian wrote a letter to Royal Princess Duanjia to let her know that she was going to open another restaurant. When Royal Princess Duanjia heard that Chu Lian was going to have roast duck as the signature dish, she was so interested that she personally paid a visit to discuss and contribute ideas.
Time flew by, and He Changdi’s long leave ended. Every day, he had to go to the Ministry of War to work, and he had to attend court every single morning.
It was February, so the days were still shorter than the nights. He Sanlang left home before the sun rose each day.
For the past two days, Chu Lian insisted on waking up with him to have breakfast together. She would then send him off to the courtyard’s entrance. However, because of that, she hadn’t been sleeping well. After going to Qingxi Hall for morning greetings, she was always extremely sleepy when she returned. In just a few days, her sleep patterns had become a mess and her mind grew muddled.
He Changdi had been observing all this. Thus, one fine morning, when Chu Lian felt some movement next to her, she prepared to get up just as she had previously. However, in the next second, she was unexpectedly pressed down by He Sanlang…
After a bout of morning exercise, Chu Lian didn’t even have the strength to move her fingers, so she wasn’t able to get up to have breakfast with her husband.
Thanks to that, she no longer got up early, so her sleep patterns actually improved.
He Sanlang did this for a few consecutive days. When they were done with their ‘exercise’, Chu Lian would be so sore all over that she couldn’t even open her eyes. On the other hand, He Changdi’s mood was better than ever.
Chu Lian couldn’t take it any longer, so she obediently slept in the morning and never mentioned getting up early again. It was only then that He Sanlang let her off the hook.
Time quickly passed. On one particular day, Chu Lian was accompanying Countess Jing’an to Qingxi Hall to greet the matriarch, when Matriarch He mentioned something out of the blue.
This statement instantly left both Chu Lian and her mother-in-law flabbergasted.
Still in shock, Countess Jing’an asked, “Mother, you want me to manage the estate?”
Matriarch He sat on the raised platform in the center of the room, with Muxiang and Pan Nianzhen massaging her legs and shoulders. She seemed relaxed as she slowly opened her eyes to look at Madam Liu. “Now that you’ve mostly recovered, as the eldest daughter-in-law of the family, it makes perfect sense for you to take over the management of the household.”