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Ruyi is a concubine, so naturally she cannot be taken away in a grand red bridal sedan chair or a horse-drawn carriage adorned with red flowers. On a day when it has just snowed heavily, it is not appropriate to use a sedan chair. The Gao Family sent a horse-drawn carriage to pick up Ruyi. She was dressed in a silver-red wedding gown embroidered with large red peonies, and her head was covered with a silver-red veil. Xie Youkang carried her onto the carriage, and then the Xie Family set off some firecrackers at the entrance before leaving.
The Wang Clan was in tears, and they were helped back by the Fang Family with disdain.
Xie Shengcai watched the carriage until it disappeared from view before turning back. His brow was slightly furrowed, and he felt no joy at marrying off his daughter. He could not be happy; although he was just a farmer, he never imagined letting his daughter become someone else's concubine. To him, that was disgraceful. No matter how wealthy or powerful the Gao Family was, he felt heavy-hearted, thinking of the tragic fates of women who became concubines as he had heard from others. He worried that Ruyi's life would not be easy.
Xie Youhe walked beside Xie Shengcai and whispered, "Father, today is your daughter's wedding; this is a joyous occasion. Don't frown! If people see you looking unhappy, they'll think you don't want this marriage. If this gets back to your son-in-law, won't that offend him? We will need to rely on him for good fortune in the future!"
"What joyous occasion? Your sister is going to be someone’s concubine, not the main wife! That’s not called marrying; it’s called taking a concubine—do you understand?" Xie Shengcai glared at his third son in anger. "I’m telling you, if you really care for your sister, stop causing trouble for her. She still has the main wife above her; have you ever heard of a main wife who can tolerate a concubine? She might be looking for trouble for your sister; just behave yourself!"
Xie Youhe smiled and said, "Father, but my sister said she wants us to benefit from this too. Besides, what are you worried about? Ruyi is clever; who knows who will outsmart whom between her and that Su Family! So don’t worry about her!"
"I said don’t cause trouble for her! Having skills is what counts! Look at how well your Fourth Brother is doing; learn from him!"
Xie Shengcai had always looked down on his third son but felt helpless.
Xie Youhe said, "Father, don’t you always say that family members should help each other? Fourth Brother won’t help us; if my little sister is willing to help you, why shouldn’t she? Relying solely on one’s own skills might mean living as a farmer for life—aren't you doing just that? I don’t want to live like that forever; wolves eat meat while sheep eat grass—everyone has their own way of making a living. I need to think about myself too; so please don’t worry about me."
After saying this, Xie Youhe didn’t wait for Xie Shengcai to respond and immediately dashed into his room. It was cold today, and all the dishes were set up inside the house; whoever had guests would take care of them.
Xie Shengcai sighed in frustration, unsure whether Ruyi joining the Gao Family was good or bad. He only hoped she wouldn’t end up like those concubines he had heard about who met tragic fates.
Today’s feast was prepared by Xiao Lihua. Her cooking skills had already been known since they moved here and helped several families with their wedding banquets; the whole village knew she was good at cooking. So when Ruyi got married, they asked her to prepare the food.
Once all the dishes were served, the women cooking in the kitchen finally got to eat as they had saved a table for themselves.
"Li Hua's cooking skills are truly impressive! Even if I learned from you, I couldn’t replicate this flavor; it seems cooking really depends on the person," Yang Cao said with a smile after tasting some braised tofu.
The Zi Clan also laughed and said, "Yes! I learned from Li Hua too, but my dishes don’t taste quite right. Ruyi has learned quite well though."
A sister-in-law with the surname Zhang asked, "Has Ruyi learned too? She's gone to enjoy life at the Gao Family; all she has to do now is wait for meals. Why does she need to learn how to cook? It's not like she's going to be a cook."
Another aunt with the surname Wang laughed and said, "Knowing how to cook is a skill. Who knows, one day Ruyi might make a delicious dish for Young Master Gao. If he loves it, he might go to her place every day, and then life will be good."
"What good life are you talking about? Our Ruyi is beautiful; even if she just sits there, Young Master Gao will like her. Does she really need to rely on cooking a few dishes to win his affection? It's just laughable."
The Li Family had been picking at their meat, their mouths greasy. Hearing others praise Xiao Lihua's cooking, she couldn't directly say it was bad. Now that Ruyi was brought up, she finally had a chance to retort and quickly swallowed what was in her mouth.
"The Gao Family runs a restaurant; the food inside is fragrant and delicious. They can eat whatever they want. Does Ruyi really need to lift a finger? The few home-cooked dishes she learned won't help her at all; it might even make her the subject of ridicule. Sister Four, don't you think so?"
Xiao Lihua glanced at her but ignored her.
Seeing that Xiao Lihua wasn't responding, the Li Family felt a bit embarrassed. Ever since Xie Youshun said he would cut ties with Auspicious and their Second Branch, she hadn't been able to enter Xie Youshun's home again. Even when they met, their conversations were minimal and cold as winter ice shards. But in front of outsiders, Xiao Lihua still ignored her, which made her feel humiliated.
"Sister Four, I'm asking you a question!"
"Sister-in-law, Ruyi is my sister-in-law. Of course, I hope what she learns from me will help her. Don't you wish for that?"
The Li Family didn't know how to respond. If she said she didn't wish for it, wouldn't that mean she hoped for Ruyi's failure? If she said she did wish for it, wouldn't that mean acknowledging that Xiao Lihua's cooking was good?
The women listening nearby all smiled knowingly. The Li Family and Xiao Lihua had always bickered before; they were still at odds now, but the Li Family couldn't compete with Xiao Lihua anymore.
The Li Family huffed and lowered her head to eat vigorously while Xiao Lihua was too lazy to bother with her anymore. As they both calmed down, others began discussing the Gao Family's restaurant again.
Sister Zhang said, "Speaking of the Gao Family's restaurant, the food is good, but it's not as good as Flavor Fragrance Tower's dishes; Flavor Fragrance Tower has more variety. Not to mention anything else, those Pickled Eggs and Tea Eggs are quite decent. My husband once brought some home; they were really tasty and went well with rice."
Aunt Wang chimed in, "Aren't those just Tea Eggs and Pickled Eggs? The Gao Family's restaurant has them too. My brothers from my family went there and ordered them; they said they were quite good."
The Li Family added, "Exactly! The Gao Family's restaurant has been around longer than Flavor Fragrance Tower; how can it compare? A long-established brand is truly better."
Yang Cao said lightly, "If the old brand doesn't come up with new tricks, it will still have poor business. What skill is there in stealing ideas from others?"
The Li Family looked at Yang Cao but did not dare to argue with her; after all, Yang Cao was the village chief's daughter-in-law.
Zhang Lianxiang smiled and spoke to Yang Cao. They were just not used to seeing the Li Family so proud because of their sister-in-law being a concubine for the Gao Family. They knew about the conflict between the Gao Family and Xiao Lihua and were venting their frustrations on Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua was aware of this matter. Pickled Egg and Tea Egg were not difficult to learn; one could figure them out with a little thought. It was normal for the Gao Family to make them. Huaheng had already gained an advantage, making a large profit from this business. Even if the Gao Family wanted to compete, they wouldn't gain much benefit. Moreover, Huaheng now had sauce, a food item with a difficult-to-figure-out recipe, which allowed him to overshadow the Gao Family's restaurant. Once she sold him the recipe for Cured Meat, it would be hard for the Gao Family to compete with Huaheng.
Huaheng told Xiao Lihua that there were calculations behind her being driven out of the Gao Family. She recalled the situation at that time; Huaheng was not lying. Although Xiao Lihua felt helpless about the original owner's vanity, she also harbored resentment towards the Gao Family. Thinking that since she was now Xiao Lihua, she had to do something—helping Huaheng expand his business and making the Gao Family's business suffer a bit was also a form of revenge.
Sister Zhang added, "Flavor Fragrance Tower has sauce; their sauce-stir-fried meat cubes and shredded meat are really delicious. Some dishes taste even better with sauce. Even if you don't cook, just eating those sauces is very satisfying. Dipping green onions in sauce is also quite tasty. My husband says that small jar of sauce is expensive; it costs a hundred coins for just one bowl—truly unaffordable."
Aunt Wang no longer spoke well of the Gao Family's restaurant; this Gao Family really had nothing going for them.
The table full of women began discussing that sauce again, speaking passionately.
The Li Family looked at Xiao Lihua and said, "Sister Four, that sauce is what you sold to Flavor Fragrance Tower, right? And those Pickled Egg and Tea Egg are also from you?"
With this remark from the Li Family, everyone turned to look at Xiao Lihua. They knew she had sold a recipe before, which was how Silver got funds for repairing the bridge in the village.
Xiao Lihua asked, "Sister-in-law, why do you ask this?"
Li Family replied, "Why didn't you sell it to the Gao Family?"
Xiao Lihua looked at her as if she were foolish and said, "Why would I sell it to the Gao Family?"
"Ruyi has married into the Gao Family."
"At that time, Ruyi had nothing to do with the Gao Family. Besides, just because Ruyi entered the Gao Family doesn't mean I have to be involved with them! You can discuss this with my husband!"
Xiao Lihua thought to herself that the Li Family was really foolish; everyone in the village knew she was driven out by the Gao Family. This was also embarrassing for the Xie Family. Ruyi marrying into the Gao Family was Ruyi's own business, and they wanted to drag her into it as if she were made of clay.
A group of women also thought the Li Family was foolish and stared at her in silence.
The Li Family realized this too, feeling a wave of embarrassment. She lowered her head and ate vigorously, thinking that she needed to discuss this with her family. If they could help Ruyi, then Ruyi would remember her kindness later. Most importantly, it would make Xiao Lihua uncomfortable, which would please her. Seeing the Fourth Household making money so easily made her envious.
Xiao Lihua didn’t care much; she had already discussed this matter with Xie Youshun. He was even less inclined to have anything to do with the Gao Family. As a man, regardless of whether Xiao Lihua had once considered climbing up to the Gao Family or whether his wife had been driven out by them, he harbored resentment towards the Gao Family. How could he be willing to let Xiao Lihua help them?
After the banquet, when all the guests had left, Xiao Lihua was called into the Xie Family's Old Couple's room. As soon as she entered, she saw Xie Youshun standing there with an unpleasant expression while the Li Family stood beside him. She immediately understood what was going on.
Wang Clan said, "Fourth Brother's Wife, don’t you have any remedies? Take them out and give them to Ruyi; consider it helping her establish herself in the Gao Family as you two siblings should."
Fang Family added, "Sister Four, you offended the Gao Family and also upset the Su Family back then. If you can help Ruyi now, just do it."
"Fourth Brother's Wife, if you have any remedies left, just give them to Ruyi. Don’t worry about the cost; we’ll pay whatever is necessary," Xie Shengcai said from the side.
Wang Clan interjected, "What are you talking about money? We are all family."
Xie Shengcai glared and said, "Ruyi has married into the Gao Family; she is now one of them. Fourth Brother's Wife is a daughter-in-law of the Xie Family. How can the Gao Family and Xie Family be one family? It’s already good enough if she can sell remedies to the Gao Family!"
Wang Clan retorted, "Ruyi is my daughter; Fourth Son is my son. They are siblings—what do you mean they aren’t family? Don’t bring up this Gao Family and Xie Family nonsense! You go away!"
Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua listened to their argument and exchanged glances, thinking that they hadn’t even been asked whether they were willing or not.
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