Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 46 Extra Daily Drama - Embroidered Shoes (2)

Yan Mingzhang suddenly felt as if he had been cheated, and the victim had become even more vulnerable. He had wanted to see her act coquettishly, ah no, to see her begging him, but he didn't expect that he would feel like he had been sold out. It was just a loan of one or two ounces, and to him, it didn't seem to make any difference, but something was wrong, and he couldn't tell what was wrong.

Rong Wanyin put on her new shoes and was about to leave when Yan Mingzhang, unwilling to do so, grabbed her and said, "Wait, I lent you money, shouldn't you treat me to a meal?"

"Treating us to dinner? Sure! How about that?" Rong Wanyin said, pointing at Yuexianglou.

Yuexianglou is one of the best restaurants in Fengxian County, and a meal there isn't cheap. Yan Mingzhang thought, "Let's see how you beg me," and with a smile on his face, he slowly said, "This time, I'm not paying for the meal."

Rong Wanyin looked Yan Mingzhang up and down in disbelief. "Of course not! I agreed to treat you. Let's go! I'll feed you!"

When the two bowls of wontons were served, Yan Mingzhang felt like he'd been tricked again. That's right, Rong Wanyin hadn't mentioned eating at Yuexianglou, she'd just pointed in this direction. Wasn't the wonton shop in the alley next to Yuexianglou also in this direction? She hadn't lied!
"I love the wontons made by Aunt Qing. These wontons are so authentic. Unlike other wontons, the skin is thin and the filling is small, so they only need to be cooked for a short time. The wontons will float up and they are cooked. The cooking time is short, so the meat filling is tender and not dry. Add some shredded eggs, vegetables, small dried shrimps, and add bone broth, it's so delicious! I can eat one small wonton in one bite, and a big bowl is not enough for me! A bowl is three cents, good quality and inexpensive, and fair to everyone!" Rong Wanyin introduced incessantly.

"Ah..." Yan Mingzhang sighed softly, feeling that he was doomed to be a sucker. Okay, okay, wontons will do. He reluctantly picked up the spoon and prepared to start eating.

Suddenly, a spoon reached into his bowl and scooped away a wonton. Yan Mingzhang's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Rong Wanyin: "Why are you eating my food?"

Rong Wanyin realized that she was caught, and she quickly spat the wonton that had just entered her mouth onto the spoon, handed it back, and looked calm as if nothing had happened.

Yan Mingzhang gasped as the wonton approached, his body unconsciously dodging backwards. He was practically furious, his voice becoming shrill: "What are you doing?"

Rong Wanyin blinked innocently and said, "I'll give it back to you..."

Yan Mingzhang was exhausted, his head splitting. He held his forehead, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Why did she always act out of the ordinary? Why did it seem like he became easily agitated whenever he met her? No, no, I had to calm down! I had to calm down! — I couldn't calm down!

"But, the wonton was already in my mouth!" Yan Mingzhang's voice was a little out of tune.

Rong Wanyin calmly explained, "I saw you sitting there for a long time without eating. I thought you didn't want to eat. Are you going to eat or not? If you don't want to eat, give it to me. Don't waste it!"

"Eat!" Yan Mingzhang had only one thought in his mind: I can't lose. He was also worried that Rong Wanyin would put the wontons into his bowl, so he covered the mouth of his bowl, almost collapsing. "Who said I won't eat! Take the wonton that was stained with your saliva!"

"Oh." Rong Wanyin followed suit and happily ate the wontons again. She felt a little annoyed that she should have taken a few more.

Rong Wanyin finished the last wonton in her bowl, her face beaming with joy. She turned to the middle-aged woman tending the stove and said, "Auntie Qing, bring me a tray of xiaolongbao and a tray of siomai, and some vinegar!"

Aunt Qing smiled in response, then turned to her daughter and instructed, "Er Ya, go give Miss Rong a dish of vinegar first. The dumplings and siu mai will be ready soon."

"Miss Rong, the shaomai and xiaolongbao are ready. Enjoy." Aunt Qing brought the steaming hot shaomai and xiaolongbao up to her. She immediately noticed the new pair of embroidered shoes and exclaimed, "These shoes are so beautiful! My goodness! How much did they cost? About one or two taels of silver, right?" Rong Wanyin lied, "Not that expensive."

Aunt Qing wiped her hands on her apron, squatted down, and carefully touched the shoes. "Look at the embroidery and the uppers! My daughter wants a pair of shoes like this. How many bowls of wontons do I have to sell to afford them?"

When someone suddenly touched her shoes, Rong Wanyin froze there in embarrassment, not daring to move.

"Mom!" Erya reminded.

Aunt Qing finally realized that her behavior was inappropriate and stood there with an awkward smile: "Miss Rong, I'm sorry, I'm a rough person and I'm sorry to have embarrassed you two guests."

Rong Wanyin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's okay, it's okay."

Yan Mingzhang suddenly felt that although this girl was sometimes annoying, she was still quite kind.

"Well, actually it's mainly because I don't have enough money to eat at Yuexianglou. How about you, sir, give me a monthly salary increase!" Rong Wanyin changed the subject, "Otherwise, you can treat me to a meal at Yuexianglou. The owner of Yuexianglou is so beautiful..."

Yan Mingzhang rolled his eyes, thinking that everything he had just thought of was irrelevant: "You still owe me one or two taels! And you still want to eat at Yuexianglou! Think about how to pay me back!"

Rong Wanyin acted like a scoundrel again: "Then you have to give me a raise, otherwise I can't afford it!"

Yan Mingzhang was so angry that he laughed: "I give you a raise, and then you use the raise to pay me back? How is that different from me paying myself back with my own money?"

"There is a difference. That way I won't owe money! Besides, sir, haven't you heard a saying? Too many lice don't bite people, and too many debts don't oppress people. Anyway, I can't pay back this one or two taels, so I don't want to pay it back. If you increase my wages, maybe I will pay it back!" Rong Wanyin said, counting on her fingers.

Yan Mingzhang was amused by her words: "What if I give you a raise, but you don't pay me back?"

Rong Wanyin pondered for a moment and said honestly, "Well, it's not impossible!"

"Okay, I'll see how you perform and then decide whether to raise your salary!" Yan Mingzhang said with a smile, wondering how she could say such shameless words so sincerely!

Rong Wanyin's face lit up, her round eyes sparkling. She ran forward a few steps, put her hands behind her back, turned around, and said with a beaming expression, "Really? Then I thank you in advance, sir! It's a deal!"

Yan Mingzhang looked at the lively face in front of him and thought, how could such a palm-sized face have so many different expressions? It's so interesting! Really, he couldn't help but want to tease her.

Yan Mingzhang stared at the bright smiling face, unable to take his eyes away. He felt that he was infected, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.