Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - chapter 45

Chapter 45

Xiao Hong laughed twice, shaking his head with a sigh, “Wangshu, oh Wangshu!”

His daughter had truly been surprising him more and more lately.

Fang Qin’er gently tapped the corner of the table with her hand. Having figured everything out, she also smiled, “Entrusting the shop to Wangshu was indeed the right choice.”

With Xiao Wangshu overseeing the shops outside the mansion, she could relax a bit more within.

However… The day when the Tuoba envoys would come to the Capital to pay tribute was drawing near. She wondered how much longer Wangshu could stay by her side.

Thinking of this, the smile on Fang Qin’er’s face unconsciously faded a little.

At this moment, Xiao Hong didn’t notice her expression, but instead instructed Xiao Fuguang, “Fuguang, go to Brocade Gate and check on your sister. If she’s not busy, ask her to come back and have dinner with us.”

Xiao Fuguang immediately stood up and replied, “Yes.”

Then, Xiao Pingnan also stood up and said, “I’ll go with Eighth Younger Brother. It’s been a while since I’ve chatted with Fourth Sister.”

Xiao Hong waved his hand at the two of them, “Go on, both of you.”

“Yes.”

The two brothers cupped their hands in salute and withdrew together.

—

Inside Brocade Gate.

Xiao Wangshu was instructing the craftsmen about the layout of the second floor. The lead craftsman carefully noted down each of her requirements.

When Xiao Pingnan and Xiao Fuguang arrived, Xiao Wangshu had just about finished giving her instructions.

Upon hearing that Xiao Hong had specifically sent them to invite her back to the mansion for dinner, Xiao Wangshu was slightly surprised.

When Ruan Fuxin returned after finishing his tasks, Xiao Wangshu quickly briefed him on the upcoming matters at Brocade Gate, then left for the mansion together with Xiao Pingnan and Xiao Fuguang.

On the way back, the three chatted a lot, and only then did Xiao Wangshu understand why Xiao Hong had suddenly thought to call her home for dinner.

…

Three days later.

During these three days, Brocade Gate had received a considerable amount of wealth. The shop, not yet fully decorated, was already shining with the brilliance of a treasure trove.

Ruan Fuxin counted the valuables handed over by the other shopkeepers, dispatching Guards to transport them to the Chancellor’s Mansion, chest by chest.

As for the portion turned in by Shopkeeper Xiao, they left it directly at Brocade Gate. After deducting the costs of decoration, fabrics, accessories, and the embroiderers’ wages, the remaining banknotes were handed to Xiao Wangshu.

That very day, Xiao Wangshu let Xiao Fuguang experience the thrill of receiving dividends.

—

“So much!” Xiao Fuguang exclaimed in amazement.

It wasn’t that he had never seen so much money before, but he had never experienced earning so much himself, especially making such a profit from just a hundred taels in such a short time.

As his sister put it-what was it called again… Right! Investment returns!

Simply put, it was what he had earned.

“General Chen and General Lu are both busy today, aren’t they? Since you have a rare day off, why don’t we go out for lunch?” Xiao Wangshu suggested.

She was no longer willing to wrong her own stomach.

Money was meant to be spent for one’s own enjoyment.

Besides, going out to a restaurant would also let her see what level the best locations, restaurants, and chefs in the Capital truly were.

Food and clothing-clothing covers the body, food fills the belly-were the two most basic human needs.

In fact, if she had to rank them strictly, she would put food before clothing.

Not wearing clothes might not be fatal in the short term, but not eating would lead to starvation in just a few days.

Grain was truly the lifeblood of the people, and of the nation!

“Go out to eat? Sounds great!” Xiao Fuguang’s eyes lit up.

Even the delicacies of the Chancellor’s Mansion could get tiresome after a while; it was nice to try something different now and then.

Then, as if remembering something, Xiao Fuguang asked, “Seventh Brother is at home too. Should we invite him?”

Xiao Wangshu replied, “Seventh Younger Brother isn’t in good health; even if we invite him, he probably won’t go. But you should still ask him. Whether he goes or not is up to him, but at least we’ve invited him. If he doesn’t go, we’ll bring him some food from outside when we return.”
Xiao Fuguang nodded, “Alright, I’ll go right away!”

—

Xiao Zhenxi was not in good health, so he never participated in such outings that required leaving the Chancellor’s Mansion.

His Concubine Mother was also uneasy about letting him go.

Xiao Fuguang was well prepared. After being politely refused by the mother and son, he didn’t mind at all, only saying he’d bring some food back for Xiao Zhenxi, and then left the mansion with Xiao Wangshu.

After leaving the mansion, the siblings bought many trinkets along the street and, following the crowd, entered a restaurant on White Tiger Street.

Liuxiang Restaurant.

As soon as Xiao Wangshu and her brother entered with their attendants, a waiter hurried over to greet them.

“Young Master, Young Lady, you look unfamiliar-this must be your first time at Liuxiang Restaurant? What would you esteemed guests like to eat today? Any dietary restrictions?”

Xiao Fuguang glanced at the bustling first-floor hall and asked, “Do you have any private rooms available?”

The waiter instinctively looked up at the second floor, then replied with some difficulty, “I’m afraid not, Young Master. All our private rooms are fully booked today.”

“Well…” Xiao Fuguang hesitated and looked to Xiao Wangshu. “Sister?”

As a man, he didn’t mind eating in the main hall, even if it meant being jostled by the crowd.

But his sister was a woman, and with so many men in the hall, it seemed inconvenient.

“It’s fine, let’s just sit in the hall. That window seat facing the lake looks nice,” Xiao Wangshu said, pointing to an empty table by the window.

“Very well! Please, this way!”

The waiter quickly bowed and led Xiao Wangshu and her party to the empty table by the window, then fluently recited a long list of dishes.

After Xiao Wangshu and Xiao Fuguang finished ordering, the waiter cheerfully jogged off to the kitchen to arrange their meal.

Once the waiter left, Yichun, Li Ta, and the others stood stiffly nearby like pillars. Xiao Wangshu raised her hand to her forehead and instructed, “Yichun, Shuxia, you two sit down. Li Jun, take the others and open another table nearby.”

Yichun and Shuxia exchanged glances and replied, “Thank you, Miss.”

Li Jun and the others also cupped their hands, “Thank you, Miss!”

With the pillars dispersed, Xiao Wangshu’s view suddenly widened. She glanced around the hall before finally gazing out at the lake scenery through the window.

Liuxiang Restaurant, one of the most renowned establishments in the Capital, certainly occupied a prime location.

“Sister, you know, Liuxiang Restaurant really has a lot of dishes. The waiter just rattled off so many that my ears are still ringing.”

As Xiao Fuguang spoke, he saw Yichun take a sip of tea, so he picked up his own cup and took a sip.

After tasting it, he immediately frowned, clearly not enjoying it. He forced himself to drink two more sips to quench his thirst, then set the cup down.

Seeing this, Xiao Wangshu also picked up her cup and tried the tea.

The tea served free to guests in the hall was, unsurprisingly, nothing special-barely more flavorful than plain water.

“The menu is written on the wooden board by the entrance. If you didn’t catch what the waiter said, you can go take a closer look at what you want to eat,” Xiao Wangshu suggested.

Xiao Fuguang immediately shook his head, “Too much trouble to walk back and forth. Let’s just order a few signature dishes. I don’t have anything in particular I want.”

Hearing this, Xiao Wangshu smiled and shook her head, saying nothing more.

Paper was expensive in this era, and few people were literate. Besides, ordinary restaurants didn’t offer many dishes.

Naturally, the owner wouldn’t waste money printing menus for guests to choose from.

Menus were usually memorized by the waiters, who would recite them to guests, or written on wooden boards at the entrance for passersby to see and decide if they wanted to eat.

For guests of the Chancellor’s Mansion, this kind of service was hardly satisfactory.

But for ordinary folk who could only afford to dine out occasionally, this was more than enough, and they were used to it.