The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Gu Zhanghua heard the desperate meaning in Zhao Xuan's words and couldn't help but hold his forehead.

"Could you please stop talking about death all the time? Isn't it better to live a good life? If there's a problem, we can just find a way to solve it. I didn't know your true identity before, but now we're partners, after all. Can't we just talk nicely?"

Zhao Xuan was tired of sitting around. Ever since she arrived in Liyang City, she had to hide the fact that she knew martial arts, pretending to be a princess and a princess, and had to give up her daily training. Now that her martial arts skills were exposed, she could practice again, but she still had to play the sickly little princess in front of Gu Zhanghua. It was so annoying! Thinking back to her time in Heyan Village and Jiaoyang Valley, although her life was poor and her burdens were heavy, she was free to come and go, and she was so happy!

Fortunately, Gu Zhanghua now knows that she is the boss of Jiaoyang Valley, so why should she pretend?

Zhao Xuan immediately lay down on the floor of the carriage, supported herself with her hands, and started doing push-ups.

Gu Zhanghua was startled: "What are you doing?"

Zhao Xuan kept moving: "Didn't you ask me to talk to you properly? It's more comfortable for me to practice and talk at the same time! I'm telling you, I said that escaping death is the solution to the problem. If Tian Shilipei can die once, he can die a second time! Then, Huang Huacai and the little heroine will all die with Tian Shilipei, and it will be over once and for all. This is called escaping from the shell! Only then can I spread my wings and fly high! Then ask the little medical fairy for help and give me a fake death potion. Even if I die, it won't hinder you from marrying another princess, one that suits your taste and that your mother will like!"

Gu Zhanghua didn't know what was going on, but he felt uncomfortable and a little anxious as he listened. He didn't want to see Huang Huacai's fake death. Thinking of Huang Huacai lying on the bed, dying, his nose felt a little sour.

"Okay, just as you said, let's not think about the future and take care of the things at hand first."

Zhao Xuan, who continued doing push-ups, turned to look at Gu Zhanghua.

"You were the one who brought up the topic first, but now you don't want to continue? What do you want to say?"

"Or, let's talk about Changxiang Gathering!"

Zhao Xuan stopped and sat cross-legged in front of Gu Zhanghua.

"The Changxiangju Restaurant in Fengcheng is the main restaurant. Changxiangju is also the most famous fruit wine brewed by the restaurant. Of course, the most delicious thing there is the cakes I made myself. I used my cakes to seduce Qin Chuyun. Once she got on board, she couldn't get off. She even took me as her master! What do you think? Am I amazing?"

Gu Zhanghua couldn't understand why the boss was saying she was hooking up with Qin Chuyun. Hooking up didn't sound like a nice word, and it should be used between people of the opposite sex, right? She even compared herself to a pirate ship? Oh, yes, she was a thief after all, ruling the mountain!

Gu Zhanghua nodded seriously at Zhao Xuan and said, "You're amazing!"

Then, Zhao Xuan was seen gesturing and counting on her fingers.

"Let me tell you, our restaurant is huge, with three floors! We have even more signature dishes, like steamed flounder, Kung Pao shrimp balls, spicy chicken, smoked spare ribs, assorted soy sauce platters, and mixed vegetables! They're all super delicious! I estimate that the branch here won't be much worse. Even if it's not three floors, it should at least have two! The pastry chef they hired is definitely not as good as me, but the signature dishes should be similar. Just order whatever you want! It's my treat!"

The carriage suddenly stopped and shook. Gu Zhanghua reached out, lifted the curtain and looked out.

I saw the carriage driving on a bumpy dirt road with small shops on both sides. Looking into the distance, I didn't see any tall buildings, which made me confused.

He turned to look at Zhao Xuan: "Does the branch really have two floors?"

Zhao Xuan was confident: "Even if it's only one floor, it's definitely very spacious! It can easily accommodate a hundred guests at once!"

Just then, the carriage stopped. Zhao Xuan hurriedly lifted the curtain and asked, "Are we there yet?"

Qiuju and Shishu turned to look at Zhao Xuan at the same time, their eyes quite intriguing.

Qiuju replied, "We're here."

Zhao Xuan rushed out of the car and jumped off, turning back to call out to Gu Zhanghua: "Prince! Hurry up! It's almost dinner time, I'm so hungry!"

After Zhao Xuan finished calling out to Gu Zhanghua, she looked toward the small shop in front of her. A plaque hung above the door, inscribed with five characters: Chang Xiang Ju Noodle House. The three characters "Chang Xiang Ju" were large, while the two characters "Noodle House" were smaller. From the entrance, the entire shop was visible: four long tables, seating about ten people at most.

Zhao Xuan was a little dumbfounded.

At this time, Gu Zhanghua walked to Zhao Xuan and looked at the small noodle shop.

"Is this the famous Chang Xiang Ju branch you mentioned? A small noodle shop?"

Zhao Xuan felt a little embarrassed. She quickly looked at Qiu Ju and reconfirmed, "Are you sure about the address? Does this noodle shop have the same name as our Changxiangju?"

Before Qiuju could answer, a young man in a short shirt and an apron walked out of the noodle shop. Zhao Xuan took one look and thought, "Okay, no more questions, it's confirmed! Isn't this Xia He, the head shopkeeper of the branch?"

Xia He rubbed his hands and looked at Zhao Xuan excitedly. He was about to call her "Boss", but as soon as the word "Boss" came out of his mouth, he saw Gu Zhanghua next to Zhao Xuan. He opened his mouth immediately, not knowing what to call.

Zhao Xuan knew that Xia He was worried about saying something wrong in front of outsiders and being exposed, so she waved her hand.

"It's okay. The prince is one of us. He already knows I'm the head of Jiaoyang Valley, and he'll try to help us. Just tell me what's going on. Where's the Changxiangju Restaurant branch? Why did it become a small noodle shop? And it's opened in such a deserted place?"

Xia He finally let down his guard and invited Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua into the restaurant, saying, "Boss, Your Majesty, please come inside and sit down. We'll talk slowly."

There were no customers in the restaurant. Zhao Xuan wiped the long bench with her sleeve and then asked Gu Zhanghua to sit down.

Xia He sat opposite the two of them. Qiu Ju saw the teapot and teacups on the counter, took them over and poured tea for the three of them.

Gu Zhanghua looked at the tea foam floating in the tea bowl. Before he picked up the tea bowl, he smelled an earthy odor. He sat there without moving.

Zhao Xuan didn't care. She picked up the tea bowl and gulped down a large bowl of tea. Then she asked Xia He, "Tell me, what's going on? Uncle Guo gave you the start-up capital, right?"

Xia He quickly said, "I gave it! A lot! Three hundred taels of silver! But in Liyang, every inch of land is worth a fortune! Later, the brothers and sisters in the valley chipped in some more, and only then was it enough to rent this small shop! Everyone in the valley, young and old, had to eat only porridge for a month because of this!"

Gu Zhanghua interjected, "Indeed! Living in the capital is not easy!"

Xia He became even more excited and started to complain: "The wages are ridiculously expensive. I can't even afford a waiter. I have no choice but to work as a cook and a waiter at the same time. This is how I can barely make it this far!"

Zhao Xuan didn't understand.

"Didn't I ask you to arrange some job opportunities for the brothers and sisters in the valley? Why are you hiring guys?"

Xia He patiently explained, "You said that labor costs would be saved, but food and lodging would be free, right? Of course, you can eat noodles, but you need a place to sleep, right? This shop is so small. At night, I put the tables together and use them as a bed, and I sleep on the tables. But what if another person comes? Sleep on the floor? I can't bear it. I can't sleep on the street anyway! But if we have to rent another room as a dormitory, it will cost a lot of money. I'm really broke and can't afford to rent a house!"

Gu Zhanghua looked at Xia He with sympathy: "How pitiful!"

Zhao Xuan was utterly embarrassed. Where was the grand restaurant they'd promised? Where was the delicious food they'd promised? Where was the treat they'd promised? She'd boasted to the heavens! And in the end, she'd backpedaled!

Zhao Xuan secretly tugged at the collar of Qiuju, who was standing next to her. Qiuju lowered her head and looked at Zhao Xuan with a puzzled expression.

Zhao Xuan asked quietly, "How much money do you have on you? Is it enough to buy two dishes from another restaurant? You can't just treat the prince to a bowl of noodles, right? That's too unreasonable."

Gu Zhanghua heard it and waved his hand nonchalantly: "There's nothing wrong with that. I've never eaten noodles in a small restaurant like this before. It's not bad to try it!"

Before Zhao Xuan could answer, Xia He immediately became excited and hurriedly introduced: "Shredded pork noodles, sauerkraut noodles, oil-splashed noodles, and egg noodles. We guarantee plenty of ingredients and large quantities. We aim for small profits but quick turnover. One bowl is enough to fill you up! Boss, Your Highness, what kind of noodles would you two like? I'll make it right away!"

Zhao Xuan looked at Gu Zhanghua worriedly.

"As a prince, you eat delicacies and medicinal food every day, and you only eat a bowl of noodles. Is that okay?"

Gu Zhanghua cheered up and immediately negotiated: "As long as you promise that you will never let the housekeeper make medicinal food for me again, I will do it today!"