I was a queen in ancient times, no, a maid!

Taozi said hurriedly: "Yu'er, I don't want monthly payment. I am actually very lucky to have escaped with the young lady. Otherwise, I would have been caught. I don't know what to do in the future. I just want to have a full meal and have the strength to work."

During the days when Cheng Yu was not at home, Taozi could not eat enough. She had to wash clothes, cook, take care of the children, and chop wood. She really had no strength, and when she was extremely hungry she just drank a lot of water.

She told Cheng Yu because she really had no other choice.

She couldn't stand the hunger.

If she could really bear it, Taozi would definitely continue to endure it.

Because she knew in her heart that she was much luckier than her other sisters because she could walk freely instead of being locked up in prison.

Being able to eat.

"Yu'er, am I really not satisfied? Compared to other sisters, I am already so lucky. If I ask for more food, is that too much?"

Taozi didn't know whether she should say this or not.

Cheng Yu immediately comforted her, "Taozi, you did the right thing. If you need something, just tell me. If it's reasonable, I'll agree. If it's unreasonable, I'll refuse it."

"You just want to eat enough, and you don't have to do much. You don't want to eat any lavish food."

"I'll find a way. Don't worry. Just take good care of the young lady and do the housework. You've been very diligent."

Cheng Yu teased the child and told Taozi to take good care of the child.

She then turned and went to the kitchen.

This courtyard is already in very dilapidated condition, the living area is also shabby, not to mention the small kitchen.

The doors and windows are dilapidated.

Fortunately, it is summer, otherwise they would have frozen to death here.

When they first moved here, they didn't even have a change of clothes.

These were some clothes that Cheng Yu bought outside. The material was poor and they were thick, making them very hot and stuffy to wear in the summer.

But Cheng Yu was also worried about the rain. If it rained heavily, the house would definitely leak. When he had free time, he would have to find someone to repair it. The money to repair the house was cheaper than renting a house somewhere else. So, it was more cost-effective to repair it.

This is the plan for now.

Cheng Yu saw that Madam Li was still cooking. In the morning, they had porridge, steamed buns or cakes bought from outside, and some pickled vegetables. They were coarse and pickled with salt, and only tasted salty, with no other flavor.

"Master, have you spent all the money I left? If not, come to me for more. I still have some private money, which was the reward given to me by the lady before."

Madam Li and Taozi also had their own private money, which they kept in their house and had no chance to take with them.

"How much money do you have? You're smart. Take out the money and lend it to Brother Zhang to collect interest. Otherwise, you will be like us and won't be able to get it back even if you want it."

Cheng Yu’s money must be kept in the warehouse of the portable system. She converted a suite in the warehouse and kept all her savings in that house.

But I have spent a lot now. I spent two of the gold leaves given by the lady. Next time, and the next time, whenever I see the lady, I will always have to bribe the officials, otherwise no one will give you convenience.

All the money she is spending now is the reward that the prince had given her before.

If you keep spending your savings like this, they will eventually run out.

The head of the Meng family told her to wait, but no one knew how long she would have to wait.

Is it three months, six months, or a year?

Cheng Yu was anxious at the moment, but he was not flustered.

"Master, don't worry. What are we doing? You and I together can't make good stewed dishes that sell well. It's hot now, and there are not many people buying. I dare not make too much."

"When the Mid-Autumn Festival comes next month, we can make some mooncakes. They will definitely sell well."

After hearing Cheng Yu's arrangement, Madam Li, who was originally very worried, seemed to calm down.

"It's a good thing you came out. We followed you. If it was someone else, who knows how panicked they would be."

"Yu'er, I went out to buy rice two days ago, and I heard someone say that Madam Zhang was too old, and she was the wet nurse who came with the dowry. She seemed to have contracted a disease and was thrown out. They said she was thrown into the land temple outside the city. I wondered if she was the wet nurse of the eldest lady..."

Madam Li wanted to help.

But the courtyard they live in now was rented by Cheng Yu, the rent was paid by Cheng Yu, and all the food and drink expenses were paid by Cheng Yu.

Madam Li didn't dare to say anything wrong and still wanted to ask Cheng Yu what he thought.

Cheng Yu hurriedly said, "Master, why are you telling me this now?"

"Don't eat breakfast either. I'm going to go take a look outside the city."

"Yu'er, you are the only one who can go. With our identities, we really can't go anywhere."

Without identity documents, it is difficult to enter and leave the city, even if it is to buy and sell things. If you don’t encounter officials patrolling the streets, it’s okay. But if you do, they suddenly want to check you, you will definitely be expelled from the city as a rioter without identity documents.

Cheng Yu didn't even go to have breakfast and hurried out of the city.

She arrived at the land temple outside the city. The temple was easy to find, located at the corner of an intersection. To one side was a forest covered with weeds.

If it was really night or evening, Cheng Yu would not dare to come here.

In broad daylight, she was brave enough to look around the land temple and finally found the dying Mother Zhang from the mouth of a little beggar.

When Mother Zhang followed the eldest lady, her life was so glorious. She had two old maids to serve her and two personal servants.

Now I have ended up in this situation.

"Mother Zhang, it's me, Cheng Yu, can you see me clearly?"

"Yu'er, it's you. Has the lady come out?" Mother Zhang fell ill after being imprisoned. Later, the jailer found that she was seriously ill, so he carried her out and threw her around the land temple.

In fact, this place is almost a mass grave.

The dead body is thrown into a big pit far away. The person who dumped the body will set it on fire, or just throw it away if he is too lazy to take care of it.

But those who are still alive will be thrown in front of the land temple to fend for themselves.

"The lady hasn't come out yet. I'll take you away first. We'll go to the city and I'll find a doctor to treat you."

Mother Zhang held Cheng Yu's hand and said, "I can't get better, Yu'er, don't worry about me. I'm telling you, I have a yard in the city, and I have a son who is two years older than the eldest lady. He had a bad fate and died early. The eldest lady took pity on me and arranged for my retirement before I got married. I'm afraid I can't make it now."

"I know. My sister is with you. Take her to the yard. The deed is in a small box on the beam inside the house."

"Yu'er, you are a good person. Treat my sister well. She is the eldest lady's child."

After saying this, Mother Zhang gasped for a long time.

But he was holding Cheng Yu's hand tightly, as if he had grabbed a life-saving piece of wood.

"I will. I will take good care of the young lady. Mother Zhang, I will take you to the city for treatment. I am a good family girl now. I said you are my relative, so I will definitely be able to do it."

Mother Zhang shook her head.

In fact, Mother Zhang is not very old, but she looks very haggard.

She was in good health at first, but after being punished several times in the palace to protect Zhao Rulan, her health deteriorated. Later, she did not get better even after taking medicine. Whenever it was windy, rainy or cloudy, she would feel pain all over.

The doctor said that it was a bone injury.

The root of the disease is in the bones and cannot be cured.

You can only take good care of it.

Now that I'm sick, I'm afraid I won't be able to survive.

"I can't live anymore, and there's no hope for me. Madam, you're pitiful. When you get out of prison, just leave the Lu family. You can't live well anywhere."

"Yu'er, you are a good person, I like you just because I see you."

"You are really good to the lady. It is you who is trying to save her at this time. I have some money in my box. You can use it. Take it and use it."

Mother Zhang planned to leave Zhao Rulan to live out her retirement after she gave birth to a son and got herself established.

Who could have imagined this would be the outcome.

She knew that her time was up. If nothing had happened to the Madam, she might have been able to enjoy the rest of her life in peace. But if something had happened to the Madam, she would not be able to withstand the blow.

Mother Zhang died in Cheng Yu's arms.

His face looked peaceful.

Cheng Yu found someone to carry Mother Zhang's body into the city, and then found a carriage to take Mother Zhang to the courtyard that the lady in the city had prepared for her.

The yard is not very big, but it has a quiet environment.

There are three rooms, two double rooms on the left and right, a storeroom and a kitchen. There is a pomegranate tree in the middle of the yard, which is full of fruits, all of which are round and big.

There was no mourning hall set up. Just some simple arrangements and Mother Zhang was buried.

Madam Li came and made several kinds of steamed buns.

After the funeral of Mother Zhang, Cheng Yu moved into Mother Zhang's yard with Lady Li and Taozi.

The title deed was still on the beam inside the house. She took it down and looked at it, but did not move it.

Inside were some jewelry and five hundred taels of silver.

It seems that these were all awarded to Mother Zhang by the lady before.

Qian Chengyu took it, but she did not touch the jewelry and the house deed.

With the money, he arranged a proper funeral for Mother Zhang. Her name was written on the coffin, shroud, and grave. She also buried a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of gold bracelets, and a jade hairpin with her.

After the funeral, there was still about three hundred taels left, and Cheng Yu planned to use the money to rent a shop.

It would be enough to buy a small shop, but once they spend all the money, they will have nothing left to pay for their daily expenses and to open a shop to cook food.

Cheng Yu didn't plan to buy it, so he rented a store first, signed a contract, and found witnesses.

After dealing with Zhang's mother's funeral, Cheng Yu wanted to go to the prison, but he was afraid that if he went too quickly, he would be discovered, so he just waited.

While waiting, she went to look for the store.

When I passed by the pastry shop, the door was closed.

The door belongs to Cheng Yuguan.

This shop was bought by the eldest lady, but it is named after the prince. If she wants to continue running it, there is no problem.

What Cheng Yu was worried about was that the shop was too big, with two floors, and they had only just started working on the first floor. If they were to open the shop for business at this time, all the people working there would be the mistress's people.

It's easy to detect.

For safety reasons, we are temporarily closed.

This way, the shop owned by the lady can be saved, and the people working in the pastry shop can also be saved.

We're just sending those people away temporarily now, and we'll talk about it later when the lady comes out.

When looking for a small store, Cheng Yu passed by the pastry shop. She looked at it for a long time and still felt uncomfortable. That was the pastry shop she had put a lot of effort into, and it was also the first shop in her life.

She walked around and found a small store close to her home.

The location is a bit remote and not very big, but it's close to the street market and sells snacks, so it's okay.

Cheng Yu did what he said. He went to find Zhang, the food delivery man, and ordered some duck and chicken offal, as well as various pork and mutton offal, from him.

The main reason for wanting these things is because they are cheap.

Seeing that Cheng Yu started to do chores to earn money at this critical moment, the delivery man Zhang looked at her and asked her if she had encountered any trouble.

Cheng Yu told the story about Zhang's mother.

"Now I am using Zhang Mama's money to do things, but I can't take it for free. It's considered borrowed money. I have to earn money."

"The lady's affairs will have to wait, but everyone has to eat and drink. In winter, there are more things to buy, and money needs to be spent everywhere. I still have to do some errands."

"Brother Zhang, don't worry. I will still give you the same price for the braised food I make. If you sell more, it will be your profit. I will only charge you the cost."

Zhang Yuanjie, "Miss Yu'er, I don't need the agency fee. I can sell for you. Some people like the taste of the braised food you make, and they even remember me as the person who sent them the food."

Cheng Yu smiled and said, "No, I can't let you work in vain."

"We are friends and business is business. Brother Zhang, if you don't earn this money, it will be given to others. Why can't you earn it?"

Zhang Yuanjie can't say Cheng Yu.

"Then do as you say. You know I can never win an argument with you."

He couldn't even win the argument with Zhu'er.

"Miss Yu'er, if the eldest lady comes out, can the maids in front of her come out?"

Cheng Yu didn't dare to guarantee this, but he said: "As long as the Madam comes out, I will definitely beg her and the Prince to rescue Zhu'er and the others."

"Brother Zhang, I remember everything you did. Thank you so much."

Zhang Yuanjie sighed and said, "It's not all because of you. If she can come out, that would be the best."

If you really can't come out, there's nothing you can do about it.

But, at least he tried his best, and he will not regret it in the future, and he is worthy of Zhu'er's love for him.

Cheng Yu settled everything and started making stewed pork.

Luzhu restaurant is officially open for business in August.

The braised pork shop is not big, enough for Cheng Yu alone.

Taozi would occasionally come to help with the washing.

Or Cheng Yu could leave the odds and ends at home, and Taozi and Li Niangzi, whoever is free, would help deal with them.

In the first few days, business was not very good, and Cheng Yu did not do anything to promote the opening. After three to five days, business began to stabilize.

The daily income can reach one string of money or an extra two or three hundred coins, and the business is becoming stable.

Look, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon.

Cheng Yu specially asked Li Niangzi and Taozi to make some mooncakes at home.

Many mooncakes are steamed, and Cheng Yu plans to make some mooncakes with puff pastry baked.

In addition to mooncakes, she also plans to make some pastries, set up a stall outside the braised pork shop, and sell them in boxes, so as to make some extra money during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

After the braised pork business was over, Cheng Yu returned home and started making braised pork to be sold tomorrow.