My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

The two sides made a brief introduction, and Si Muyan had a very good first impression of An Susu.

But it was also a little strange. She was obviously a graceful woman, but for some reason, there was a hint of loneliness in her eyes.

However, Si Muyan would not delve into other people's private affairs.

After the dim sum shop opened, Aunt Jin and An Susu got busy with the others, while Boss An invited Si Muyan to have tea next door.

A new, affordable teahouse was about to open next door and was currently under renovation. A private room on the second floor had been cleared out, and Boss An's men brought some tea and brewed it for Boss An and Si Muyan.

The name of this teahouse is Susu Teahouse.

Si Muyan asked curiously, "Could it be that Boss An opened this teahouse for Miss An?"

"Yes." Boss An smiled. "Before Susu got married, she managed the teahouse for me. She was much smarter than my sons. But after she got married, it became difficult to give her the An family business, and I always felt that her brainpower was wasted. Now that she... has some free time, I thought of setting up a shop for her... Ah, but Boss Si, don't worry, there will be someone dedicated to managing the teahouse, and it won't affect Susu's work at the pastry shop."

He spoke in a somewhat inconsistent manner.

Si Muyan pondered for a moment and asked, "Although Boss An is older than me, I always feel that we hit it off right away and there's no barrier between us when we talk. I'm so shameless as to ask a few more questions about your personal affairs, but I don't know if Sister An's husband's family... agrees with her business? And what about the child?"

When mentioning this, Boss An looked a little embarrassed.

Si Muyan hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, I overstepped my bounds."

"No, it's not a big deal, and there's no need to hide it. It's just hard to bring it up." Boss An said hurriedly, "It was my fault back then. My son-in-law was originally a poor scholar, but I agreed to the marriage because I saw that he had some talent. But five years have passed, and Susu's dowry has been spent by her husband's family. My son-in-law has even started bullying Susu... Alas..."

Si Muyan lowered her eyes. It was probably true that An Susu was bullied by her husband. But the matter of An Susu marrying him back then was probably not as simple as Boss An said.

She didn't expose it.

Boss An continued, "Logically speaking, Susu served her parents-in-law and raised her husband's younger siblings. She even brought a large dowry and gave birth to a son. Where else can you find such a good daughter-in-law? But my son-in-law insisted on taking my cousin as a concubine. He beat her up on the pretext that Susu was jealous. She had no choice but to run back to her parents' home. Only then did her mother and I realize how much she had suffered."

Poor woman, Si Muyan also became sad: "In this case, Sister An's husband's family is really not worth mentioning."

"Yeah." Boss An's eyes reddened as he thought of this. "I don't mind talking about my family's scandals in front of the young lady. The Hu family was originally extremely poor, and they only lived a good life thanks to the dowry Susu brought. They think they are such a wealthy family that they even want to take a concubine? Ugh!"

Si Muyan saw that although Boss An was a little sad, he was not as sad as he showed.

She only said, "Is Sister An divorced now?"

"Divorce...divorce?" Boss An was startled and looked at Si Muyan in surprise.

Si Muyan nodded and said seriously, "Yes, divorce. From what Boss An said, Sister An's husband is so shameless, why are they still together? Wouldn't it be better to divorce him sooner rather than later? Could it be that... Sister An can't bear to leave her child?"

Originally, Boss An's expression became more and more solemn when he heard Si Muyan talk about divorce so frankly. But when he heard the last sentence "I can't bear to leave the child", his expression instantly relaxed a lot.

"Yes, yes, I can't bear to leave my child. It's the same for all mothers. If we get divorced, won't I never see my child again? Xier is only three years old."

"I see. Now that he wants to take a concubine, how will Sister An deal with it?"

Boss An said, "I've thought about it and realized that if Hu Jin were to take a concubine, that family would likely bully Su Su even more. So I negotiated with the Hu family. I gave them some money and promised to support Hu Jin's two younger brothers in their studies, on the condition that Hu Jin not take a concubine."

Si Muyan's eyes darkened. This Boss An seemed quite clever. I wouldn't call him a business genius, but he certainly wasn't too bad. He was so naive about how to handle his daughter's affairs. Did he think money could solve all problems?

Giving money would only further fuel the Hu family's ambitions.

Boss An sighed, "And to prevent Hu Jin from being harassed by his cousin again, I've also made an agreement with the Hu family. After the New Year, I'll buy them a house in Fenghuang County and have them move there. Fenghuang County's academy is very famous, so while Hu Jin is studying there, I can find a good school for his two younger brothers and buy a shop for Susu. This will also ensure the Hu family's livelihood."

"Boss An means that since the Hu family relies on Sister An for survival, they will not bully Sister An?"

Boss An nodded.

Si Muyan said, "Boss An, my words may not sound nice, so just treat them as casual gossip. Let me ask you, was the dowry you gave to Sister An too little?"

"Well... not... not too little..."

Si Muyan didn't ask about what happened back then, but just said, "So, has the Hu family ever respected Sister An?"

Boss An said quickly, "That's different. At that time... well, at that time... I didn't show up... I didn't know about my daughter's situation, and I didn't show up to support her. So later..."

"From now on, Hu Jin is a scholar. If he gets into high school, he will look down on Sister An even more. Even if he doesn't get into high school, he still has two younger brothers. Who knows, one of them might become a scholar, but he will still look down on Sister An."

Listening to Si Muyan's half-truths and sarcasm in her words, Boss An did not feel offended, but just hung his head dejectedly.

Si Muyan didn't force him. She poured him a cup of tea and asked, "I shouldn't interfere in your family affairs. I also want to ask one more question: when it comes to the future deeds of this Susu Teahouse, will it be written in Sister An's name, or in your name, Boss An?"

The Si Family Dim Sum Shop was a joint venture between the two families, with the contract signed between Si Muyan and Boss An. This meant that Boss An held a stake, and whether he gave the proceeds to An Susu was his business. The teahouse was different; it was wholly owned by the An family, so whether it belonged to Boss An or An Susu was a significant difference.

Boss An explained, "The shop is rented and the business hasn't started yet. We plan to have it finished before the New Year and open it after the New Year. We plan to put Susu's name on it so she can have it as a guarantee."

Si Muyan said seriously, "If Boss An trusts me, then listen to my advice. Boss An is in his prime and is Sister An's true support and backing. If you keep these things in your own hands, it doesn't matter whether you give the money to Sister An or the Hu family. But if you give even the basic assets to Sister An, who can say how long she can keep them in her hands?"