She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 135 - 134 Inquiry

Chapter 135: Chapter 134 Inquiry

Shopkeeper He had been the manager of the Great Crane House for many years and was experienced in dealing with influential people. At this moment, he didn’t rush, simply bowing slightly, waiting for the Eldest Son’s next command.

After a long while, the Eldest Son finally said, "Shopkeeper He, my younger siblings quite fancy these new pastries of yours. Well, you’ve already booked a cream cake, haven’t you? If there’s any left tomorrow, send a whole one to the Liang Residence in Qingyuan County."

"That works, that works," Shopkeeper He quickly replied, "For your family to fancy our restaurant’s pastries, that is giving our restaurant high regard. As long as we can make two cream cakes tomorrow, I will definitely send someone to deliver it to the Liang Residence first."

"Then, I thank Shopkeeper He here," the Eldest Son said, with much more politeness in his voice.

Shopkeeper He kept saying he didn’t dare to accept the thanks and, seeing the Eldest Son had no further business, he quickly bowed and excused himself.

After Shopkeeper He left the room, the Eldest Son and Liang Siming turned back behind the screen in the private room, where beside a round table with a purple-red lacquer finish sat two delicate ladies, one of whom was unmistakably from the Liang family, Liang Wanqiu.

Behind the two ladies, there were two maids and two nannies each in their service.

Seeing her younger brother and the Eldest Son come in, Liang Wanqiu frowned unhappily and said, "I thought this cake had something novel about it, but it turns out it’s just a snack made by some no-account little shop."

Above Liang Wanqiu’s seat sat a woman with fair skin, beautiful features, dressed in a light snow-green patterned dress, similar in age to Liang Wanqiu, with a gentle and quiet temperament, her attire graceful and elegant.

Hearing Liang Wanqiu’s complaint, the woman couldn’t help but laugh and said, "It seems my cousin isn’t too fond of that little shop. Just now you kept praising the pastries as delicious, but as soon as you learned where they came from, you immediately disliked them."

This woman, who called Liang Wanqiu her cousin, was none other than Zhou Biyao, the second daughter of Prefecture Governor Zhou, whom the Liang family currently relied upon the most. The gentleman who had just passed behind the screen was Zhou Shuyu, the eldest son of Prefecture Governor Zhou.

Zhou Shuyu, while taking a seat at the opposite side of the round table, laughed and said, "My cousin probably doubts the reliability of smaller shops. Isn’t that snack shop next to the Great Crane House? Let’s have Biyao’s nanny go take a look later. If the storefront and kitchen are clean and tidy, and the snacks are made with care, then no need to fuss over the size of the shop."

Liang Wanqiu had an unchanged expression, but she didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t right for her to say she had once patronized that little shop, had been embarrassed by that ’blackshop,’ and due to her family’s fear of Sixth Master Rong’s influence, had to swallow the loss silently, with nowhere to seek justice. Besides, being a girl from a sheltered upbringing, visibly frequenting such a petty establishment was never a pleasant thing to discuss.

Although Liang Siming saw Liang Wanqiu multiple times a day, he was unaware of his elder sister’s encounter at the snack shop. He very much liked that leisurely snack shop.

Liang Siming eagerly said, "Cousin, there’s no need to go check; I go there often to eat, that leisure snack shop is indeed clean and tidy, and everything they make is delicious. That cream cake... you did well to place an order." As he spoke, thinking of the deliciousness of the cream cake, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva audibly.

Liang Siming looked awkwardly at his cousin and older sister. It wasn’t that he was undignified, but the pastries were so delicious they made one drool.

Zhou Shuyu laughed, then skillfully changed the subject, and seemed to ask casually the Mother Yang beside Liang Wanqiu, "Mother Yang, you’re out and about daily, so you must have heard a thing or two about street happenings. Shopkeeper He from the Great Crane House said earlier that the leisure snack shop is run by a grandfather and his grandson. What kind of people are they, and how come they are working for Sixth Master Rong? Could it be that the leisure snack shop is owned by a family servant of Sixth Master Rong?"

When Zhou Shuyu had listened to Shopkeeper He’s explanation and heard the mention of Sixth Master Rong, he was full of doubts. According to what is known, Sixth Master Rong resided here temporarily, and even if he engaged in commerce, it would be in a prefecture city like Yuyuan Prefecture, not in such a small county town. And why would he start a business like a snack shop, which is as small as the palm of a hand?

But if it’s not Sixth Master Rong’s business, why would someone use his name to do business? With the Sixth Master’s status, how could he allow someone to use his name for business dealings? Could it be that the owner of this small business has some connection with Sixth Master Rong?

The cousins, one being a girl, wouldn’t understand these external matters, while the other, being young, wouldn’t take such matters to heart.

To appear casual and not alarm her uncle, Zhou Shuyu chose to inquire with Mother Yang.

Mother Yang glanced at Liang Wanqiu and spoke vaguely, "Replying to the young master cousin, this servant heard that the owners of the small eatery are two country folk from the local area, not family servants of Sixth Master Rong. This servant knows only that they have opened this shop, but as to whether they are working for Sixth Master Rong, that remains unknown."

Zhou Shuyu could tell from Mother Yang’s expression that she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

It was just a question about the situation of a small county shop, hardly something that warranted such secrecy. It seemed that this little eatery probably did have some other story behind it.

Could it be that her uncle’s family knew or guessed at Sixth Master Rong’s identity and had schemes of their own, which is why the Liang family’s servant was so secretive about anything related to him?

Zhou Shuyu’s eyes shifted thoughtfully, as she looked seriously at Mother Yang and then over at Liang Wanqiu. Could her uncle’s family also be planning to send a daughter into the prince’s household?

With this thought, Zhou Shuyu suddenly became indifferent.

Her maternal family had been running a modest family business for generations in Qingyuan County and at most were part of the small-town gentry, never having experienced much of high society. Her cousin, who grew up in her uncle’s household, naturally wouldn’t have received stringent and excellent instruction befitting a young lady’s private education.

Based on her cousin’s appearance, behavior, and insight, she likely wouldn’t catch the eye of Sixth Master Rong.

Zhou Shuyu laughed dismissively, "So they are two country folk, huh? It’s quite unusual for country folk to establish such a business. That cream cake indeed is a rare delicacy. If Shopkeeper He delivers some to our residence tomorrow, we too can properly enjoy where that unique sweetness comes from."

That being said, matters concerning the Sixth Master still require caution and understanding.

Zhou Shuyu decided that upon returning, she would send her attendant out to investigate whether the owners of the small eatery truly worked for the Sixth Master. If she could find in Qingyuan County someone working for the Sixth Master, and if by chance they had a daughter or a young woman, it would make Biyao’s rapport with the Sixth Master seem all the more natural.

Shopkeeper He successfully popularized the cream cake. Even without a sufficient backup supply to meet the patrons’ demands, he didn’t cause the customers any irritation or provocation, which could be considered perfect.

Shopkeeper He was very satisfied in his heart. After arranging the entire portion of cakes for the next day with Nanny Jin at the small eatery, he contentedly returned to oversee his own business.

Business at the Great Crane House had been improving steadily over the past few months in partnership with the Qi family, bringing him great praise from his employer. Not only had he received several substantial rewards, but his employer had also promised that if things continued this way, there would be a generous year-end bonus.

This was all thanks to his own good fortune and meeting Lady Qi, a bringer of blessings.