Chapter Twenty-Two

  After Xia Ting Cong got on the carriage, the coachman skillfully drove the carriage to make a sharp turn and immediately arrived at the entrance of "Warm Smoke Building" from the entrance of "Beauty Hall".

  Xia Ting Fu supported Shui Shi and Xia Zi Yun as they got out of the carriage and walked inside, coming to the Warm Smoke Building. She found that there were no longer any guests standing in the hall because there weren't enough seats, but rather waiting on the side.

  Instead, some of the waiters were holding trays with dishes and hastily walking out. They must be going to the "Yuyan Building" next door to serve those guests who had moved there.

  Upon seeing Xia Ting's arrival at Nuan Yan Lou, the shopkeeper greeted them with a smile and said, "Miss, madam, young master, please go upstairs."

  Xia Ting nodded slightly and responded softly, leading her mother and brother up the stairs to the second floor. Under the guidance of the shopkeeper, they arrived at a elegant room in the Warm Smoke Building that was only open for her alone.

  The shopkeeper personally opened the door and said "please" before seeing Xia Ting nod in agreement, then bowed and retreated.

  A whole table of dishes had already been prepared in the room, and the plates were still steaming hot. It looked like they had just been served not long ago.

  This attention to detail made Xia Ting feel very satisfied. She immediately called out to her mother and brother to hurry up and sit down for dinner, while Wan Yu stood behind them, ready to serve the dishes according to etiquette.

  Shui Shi had just sat down and said, "Ning Er, this wine house is really well decorated, it's both spacious and elegant, no wonder the business is so good." She followed her daughter from downstairs to upstairs, everywhere was packed. Fortunately, Ning Er had foresight and came over to book a seat early, otherwise they wouldn't be able to sit here now.

  The shopkeeper was very enthusiastic and personally received them, serving them with such attention.

  Xia Zi Yun also noticed that this wine house was very popular, but at the same time he also noticed something else. Just like now, he is staring with his big round eyes at Xia Ting and saying "Sister, look. They also have the plum blossom pork chop and chestnut stewed chicken that you made for Cloud before."

  Shui heard and looked at the table, indeed saw the two dishes that her little son said. She had also eaten them before, because they tasted extremely good, she still remembered them until now.

  Mrs. Shui looked at Xia Ting with a puzzled face, how could the dishes her daughter made appear here? She clearly remembered that these dishes were all made by Ting herself, not learned from any master chef or cook.

  Xia Ting said calmly, "I previously sold the recipes of several dishes to the owner of this restaurant. This plum sauce pork chop and chestnut stewed chicken are two of them."

  Shui's family was relieved after hearing the news, but then thought again and became worried. "Ning'er, as a girl, you are dealing with business in public, if this gets out, it will not be good for your reputation."

  In a girl's family, reputation is the most important thing. She also wants Master to pay attention and carefully select a good husband for Ning'er.

  "Mother, don't worry. The owner of this wine house has promised not to spread the word about this. Besides, I only wrote down the production method for him and didn't teach it to him in person, what gossip could possibly come out of that?"

  After listening to Xia Ting's explanation, Shui Shi finally put down his heart and patted her hand lightly, saying "That's good."

  Xia Zi Yun then picked up her chopsticks and stared at the two dishes, looking eager to try them. "I want to taste these two dishes and see if they're as delicious as my sister's cooking."

  Wan Yu hurried over to help him put the dishes into bowls. Xia Zi Yun picked up a dish and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before frowning and pouting, "None of these are as delicious as what my sister makes for me."

  Mr. Shui smiled as soon as he heard this. The lunch was spent in a warm and harmonious atmosphere with continuous laughter.

  After everyone had eaten and drunk enough, Xia Tingying led Shui Shi and Xia Ziyun out of the Warm Smoke Building and boarded the carriage back to the mansion.

  Four people all smiled along the way, with a look of great joy. Back at the Xia Fu, after getting off the carriage at the gate, the group headed towards the Pear Courtyard.

  As soon as I walked into the pear courtyard, I heard a loud "crash" sound of porcelain hitting the table coming from the main hall.

  Right after that, Old Master Xia's furious voice came from inside: "You're just a small servant girl, how dare you not listen to me? If you don't go get the things right now, I'll have someone sell you off."

  Xia Ting heard the words and immediately furrowed her brow. What was that cheap father of hers doing coming to Li Yuan now?

  Shui was startled and feared that something big had happened, so he hastily walked towards the main hall, with Xia Zi Yun following closely behind him with a curious expression.

  As soon as he stepped into the main hall, Shui saw his master sitting in the first seat, with a face full of anger.

  Mr. Xia saw Shui Shi return and pointed at Bi Luo standing beside her, saying "Lan'er, you're back just in time. This lowly maid has no respect for authority, not even a bit of discipline. As the master of this household, I can't even order her around, immediately call someone to summon the slave trader and sell her off." Mr. Xia grew more agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving violently by the end.

  Mrs. Shi walked quickly to Old Man Xia's side, helped him smooth out his breath with a gentle hand and asked with a surprised and puzzled expression on her face, "Sir, please calm down first. What happened that made you so angry?"

  Bi Fu had always been attentive and considerate towards her, she was the most reliable person by her side, how could she suddenly infuriate Master.

  "Old Master Xia snorted, 'I merely asked her to go fetch some melon seeds, wrap up a dozen or so portions for me to take away. Who knew she would dare to resist and refuse to get them? Truly, she doesn't put me in her eyes at all.'"

  "Madam, it's not that I don't take master seriously, but Miss has instructed me that except for your and young master's daily expenses, no one else is allowed to take melon seeds without Miss' consent. I'm also helpless."

  Shui's expression eased, and he said in a gentle voice, "Sir, it's just a small matter, why make such a big deal out of it? Don't be angry, I'll have her go get the melon seeds right away."

  "Don't go." Xia Ting walked in from outside the door and said in a low voice. She thought he had come up with another idea to steal her gourds, wanting to take away two more big bags from her.

  A pair of beautiful eyes stared coldly at Old Man Xia, staring so intensely that the other couldn't help but shiver.

  Shui's daughter opposed it, so he advised, "Ning'er, they're just some melon seeds. Since your father has spoken and wants them, let him take them away."

  "No way. Just because he wants it, why should I give in? Is this place a convenience store or something?" Xia Ting's tone was uncompromising. Did they really think she was some kind of free convenience store?

  She turned her head and stared at Xia Lao Ye with a gloomy expression, "Who were you yelling about selling just now? Your tone is not small, when did my maid become someone for you to discipline?"

  She paid silver to invite a maidservant, who listened to your words and did even more.

  As soon as Old Man Xia saw his daughter arrive, he knew that the melon seeds were probably gone for good. Seeing his daughter's gloomy face staring at him made his heart feel uneasy, and he could only secretly encourage himself to maintain his paternal dignity.

  "She's just a servant who sells her body, eats and wears what our Summer House provides, yet she dares to disobey my words. Father, I must sell her off, our Summer House won't raise such a slave."

  He said with a hint of self-satisfaction, now let's see if his daughter has anything else to say.

  Xia Ting Cong slammed his hand on the table with a loud "slap", scaring Old Master Xia so much that his body shook violently.

  "You're raising a slave? Hmph. All the servants in the Pear Courtyard were bought by me from outside, and the contracts are in my hands. Every month, they also receive their monthly silver from me, and not a single penny is spent from the Xia Manor's funds. They don't even need to take orders from you, let alone spout such nonsense."

  All she needs is for people to be loyal to her and her two children; everyone else can go to hell.

  Xia Lao Ye was refuted to the point of extreme embarrassment, trying hard to regain some face "I am your father, although you bought this maid, shouldn't she also listen to me?"

  Xia Ting Cong fired another barrage at him, "Do you still know that I'm your father? A few days ago, who was it that emptied the two big bags of melon seeds that Mother and Brother were going to eat? Today, you're coming again, and in one go, you want to take a dozen or so portions. Do you think I don't know? You're taking my things everywhere to curry favor with others. Is this how you behave as a father? Every day, you're thinking about your daughter's things, aren't you ashamed?"

  She didn't go after him for revenge, he should be grateful. Now he actually dares to come knocking on her door so boldly.

  Xia Lao Ye's face turned bright red, and he was thoroughly defeated after just a few words. If others were to find out about this, who knows how ridiculous he would look? He could only pretend to be stupid and say that he had other matters to attend to, before slinking away with his tail between his legs.

  Xia Ting drank a mouthful of tea and glared at the back of Xia Lao Ye as he walked away, every time she saw him, she felt a surge of anger for no reason.

  Shui saw that his daughter's face was still full of anger and didn't dare to go up and touch her head, so he could only reluctantly take Bi Luo back to the house.

  Xia Zi Yun shook his head and swayed, he knew that every time Dad dealt with his sister, there was no good outcome.

  Digression

  Guys, if you like Wenwen, then collect it.