A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

Da Ma remained silent for a long time, so long that Xiao Ma thought his brother had fallen asleep. Da Ma then slowly said, "It's not quite real. We are lucky. There are so many people in Qinghe Village, but we were the ones who had the opportunity to build a house for Sister Qianqian's family, so she remembered us. Later, we had the opportunity to go to Liu's Restaurant, and now we've entered this Yiyue Tower. Maybe we can go to even more distant places in the future."

"Our boss is not only capable but also loyal, so we should be grateful and work hard."

Big Ma's thinking was far more profound than Little Ma's. Why did Nie Qianqian choose them out of so many people? It was because she valued their honesty, diligence, and hard work.

Nie Qianqian's words just now were also a reminder to them that they must not lose this quality.

Da Ma then thought of Yi Jin, Yi Yin, and their grandmother and granddaughter.

If they had worked hard back then, and given their kinship with Nie Qianqian, they might be the ones working at Yiyue Tower right now.

Upon closer reflection, they suffered because they were greedy for small gains, thus missing out on great opportunities.

Xiao Ma nodded emphatically. The two of them were filled with admiration and gratitude for Nie Qianqian. As for the slight flutter of their hearts when they were young, it had long been buried deep in their hearts, so deep that they had almost forgotten it themselves.

-

The next morning, as soon as it was light, everyone got up early. Upon waking, they were surprised to find that Nie Qianqian had gotten up even earlier, already having returned from her body-refining practice. Seeing this, everyone dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest.

Seeing how diligent Nie Qianqian, the mistress of the house, was, Tan'er secretly resolved that she would get up even earlier tomorrow.

The cook prepared a sumptuous breakfast, and the number of people eating together grew from Liu Yan's family of a few to a large table full of people. Fortunately, Yiyue Tower was spacious and had all the tables and chairs, so it could accommodate everyone.

While eating, Tan'er secretly observed. She found that Nie Qianqian was indeed as she said, methodical and disciplined in her work, but when interacting with everyone, she had no airs of a boss and was kind and easy-going, which was completely different from the bosses she had met before.

After the meal, everyone dispersed to attend to their assigned tasks. Liu Xiong and Liu Yan, dressed in brand-new clothes, drove their carriage to a restaurant in the west of Fulin County. As they passed through the West Market, Liu Xiong suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Yan, all the utensils for our Liu Family Restaurant are still stored at Old Zhang's house at the entrance of the West Market."

Liu Yan nodded, counted on her fingers, and said, "It seems the deposit period is approaching in a few days. Oh dear, I still have a few notebooks there."

Liu Yan wasn't very literate, but she always had a habit of keeping records. She wrote and drew in her own unique way, and those notebooks contained recipes for several dishes at Liu's Restaurant, as well as her insights on constantly refining and improving the dishes. Although those notebooks might not be of any use now, they were, after all, Liu Yan's hard work, and she couldn't bear to throw them away.

Liu Xiong, naturally aware of his sister's thoughts, said, "Yan, you and Fu Niang wait here. I'll go and get it for you. As for the rest, we can arrange for the staff from Yiyue Tower to come and collect them in the next few days."

The driver hurriedly stopped the carriage, intending to lower a footstool so Liu Xiong could step off, but Liu Xiong had no interest in such things. He simply jumped down nimbly and ran to fetch his things.

On his way back, Liu Xiong passed by Xishikou and saw several familiar figures not far from where Liu's restaurant used to be.

"How could it be them?" Liu Xiong muttered to himself.

Nie Wenting and Liu Chunhua were setting up a stall, with a sign next to their stall that read "Nie Family Restaurant".

"How shameless! We call it Liu Family Restaurant, and they copy it and call it Nie Family Restaurant." A surge of anger welled up in Liu Xiong's heart.

Nie Wenting was dressed in a bizarre manner, with a large red flower in her hair and her face painted bright red. She was holding a handkerchief and beckoning customers: "Half price! Half price! Nie Family Restaurant is having a grand opening, everything is half price!"

Seeing this, Liu Xiong's anger flared even more. They not only copied the name of Liu Family Restaurant, but also their business methods!

"Pah!" Liu Xiong spat angrily.

However, despite Nie Wenting's efforts to attract customers, only a few people entered the restaurant, all of whom were there to take advantage of the deals.

In the past, Liu Xiong would have definitely rushed up and given them a good scolding. But now he had an important mission and more pressing matters to attend to, and he couldn't let them waste his time. So, Liu Xiong suppressed his anger, turned around, and returned to his carriage.

Nie Wenting, who had been calling out her wares, suddenly stopped. Liu Chunhua, after serving the last customer, frowned as she looked at the mostly empty Nie Family Restaurant and asked, "Wenting, why aren't you trying to attract customers anymore?"

Nie Wenting turned around, looking somewhat hesitant: "Mother, I think I just saw someone I know."

"Who is it?" Liu Chunhua pressed.

Nie Wenting frowned and stammered, "Maybe I saw it wrong."

She thought she had just seen Liu Xiong, but Liu Xiong's attire was completely different from usual. He was dressed in fine clothes and had a jade pendant hanging from his waist, looking every bit like a wealthy man.

She couldn't help but shake her head, thinking: It can't be him! Even if Liu's restaurant makes some money, it would never buy such expensive clothes to wear.

Nie Wenting continued to attract customers, but the results were not ideal. Looking at the old site of Liu's Restaurant, a few stalls away, she couldn't help but ask Liu Chunhua, "Mom, why don't Liu Yan and the others set up stalls here anymore?"

Liu Chunhua narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the location of Liu Family Restaurant, and snorted coldly, "Perhaps the business stopped making money and they couldn't continue. Or perhaps they knew we opened Nie Family Restaurant, and Liu Yan knew she couldn't compete, so she secretly withdrew."

Liu Chunhua's impression of Liu Yan was still from when they lived at Old Nie's house. Back then, Liu Yan was taciturn and couldn't do anything as well as her. Now that she runs a restaurant, she habitually assumes that she can definitely do a better job than Liu Yan.

Nie Wenting's voice was somewhat unsteady: "I hope so???"

Back in the carriage, Liu Xiong recounted everything he had seen and heard to Liu Yan. After listening, Liu Yan couldn't help but ask, "Brother, you said they copied our Liu Family Restaurant's customer service methods, but how did they know all this?"

Liu Xiong immediately realized what was happening and said through gritted teeth, "They must have been secretly watching Liu's Restaurant, not missing a single move."

The thought of being secretly watched by such a group of people sent a chill down Liu Yan's spine: "Why can't they just live their own lives instead of keeping an eye on us!"

Liu Xiong comforted them, "Let them be. Let them watch and see how we make our lives better and better. They can imitate Liu's Restaurant this time, but can they imitate Yiyue Tower next? Don't even think about it!"

Liu Yan nodded, and after thinking about it carefully, she realized there was no need to worry about these people. The only way for them to truly escape their entanglement was to build a thriving life and achieve greater success.

-

Inside the Yishui County government office, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Zhang Tuo held a piece of paper, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Zhang Tuo put down the paper in his hand, bowed his head and asked the person who came to report, "Are there really more than ten households in the west of the city that have contracted the disease?"

"It's absolutely true, the symptoms are exactly the same: the whole body is covered in red rashes, and the high fever won't go down. In just a few days, more than a dozen neighboring households have experienced the same thing." The person who reported this looked anxious and spoke with certainty.

Jiang Zheng'an's heart skipped a beat, and his face darkened so much it seemed like water could drip from it. "Could it be that an epidemic has broken out in Yishui County?!"