Free Web NovelChapter 170: Chapter 152: Bewildering Mist Powder, New Restaurant Construction
The woman’s eyes lit up at the sight. She could clearly see that Zhu Wan’Er’s eyes were red, as if she were desperately holding back tears.
’What’s going on? Did the father and daughter have a fight?’
’This is great!’
Just as the woman was silently celebrating, Zhu Zeyuan, inside the room, let out a soft sigh. He then spoke to Uncle Zhong, who had just entered with a bowl of medicine.
"Xiaozhongzi, I’m having some regrets now."
"I shouldn’t have been so iron-fisted in raising Wan’Er. As a result, she never received a bit of warmth from me growing up."
Uncle Zhong didn’t say a word. He simply lifted Zhu Zeyuan’s head and carefully fed him the medicinal broth.
After he finished, Zhu Zeyuan lay back down, exhausted. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked.
"Do you think Wan’Er hates me?"
"Everyone has seen how filial the Young Miss is to you, Master. How could she possibly hate you?" Uncle Zhong said with a smile.
But Zhu Zeyuan shook his head. "You don’t understand. That child, Wan’Er, she’s soft on the outside but tough on the inside. She would never show what’s truly on her mind."
"I’m not afraid of her hating me. After all, I’ve never truly fulfilled my duties as a father. But I had no other choice."
"I still remember it to this day. Once, when she was little, she encountered a snake in the garden. She cried and wanted me to hold her, but I refused. Instead, I forced her to walk past it. Thinking back on it now, I really want to slap my past self."
"The Young Miss will understand your good intentions, Master," Uncle Zhong said after a moment of silence.
"Whether she understands or not doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t have many days left anyway. Before I die, all I want is to see Wan’Er’s path be a smooth one. That would be enough."
Speaking of which, Zhu Zeyuan suddenly said, "What do you think of that kid?"
"He’s very impressive. Master, haven’t you already reviewed the file on him?"
"Yes, I have. And that’s precisely why I think Wan’Er is about to hit a brick wall this time." freewёbnoνel.com
At this, Zhu Zeyuan suddenly began to cough. It was so violent that he doubled over.
Uncle Zhong hurriedly patted his back. After a long while, Zhu Zeyuan finally caught his breath and gave a bitter smile.
"I’ve studied his past carefully. Don’t let his youth fool you; he’s extremely difficult to deal with. At the very least, worldly power and wealth can’t blind him. And it seems the trial of beauty, the most difficult for men his age to overcome, doesn’t trouble him either."
"After all, the woman by his side, Yang Lian’Er, is an absolute beauty—even more so than Wan’Er. Yet after all this time together, Yang Lian’Er is still a virgin. That says it all."
At this, Zhu Zeyuan sighed.
"I know what’s on Wan’Er’s mind. She wants to win over this Wu Liangchen, even bring him under her control. But that’s just a pipe dream. She has no idea what a man like him truly wants."
"There’s only one way to handle someone like him: play the emotional card. Trade sincerity for sincerity, and play the long game. Only then will he willingly work for you. Any other method is doomed to be fruitless."
Uncle Zhong could no longer hold back. "Then why don’t you remind the Young Miss, Master?"
Zhu Zeyuan shook his head. "Reminding her would be useless. Besides, it’s good for Wan’Er to suffer a little setback. Her life might seem harder than her peers, but in reality, she has never faced any major hurdles."
"She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, a darling of the heavens. Though I didn’t give her much fatherly love, she’s always been the center of attention wherever she goes. Under such circumstances, no matter how much I advised her to be cautious and prudent, it’s inevitable that she’d become arrogant and complacent."
"So, this failure is actually a good thing. At least it will teach her some humility."
"And I believe that after hitting this wall, she will become much more clear-headed and even stronger."
Uncle Zhong, of course, made no comment, simply standing aside and listening quietly. After a long time, Zhu Zeyuan finally changed the subject and asked.
"Are Liu Hong and that son of mine still waiting outside?"
"Yes, the Eleventh Concubine and the young master have been waiting outside for nearly two hours."
A strange smile, seemingly a mix of mockery and pity, appeared on Zhu Zeyuan’s face. He then said, "Go tell them they don’t need to come pay their respects anymore. I’m fine."
"Yes!"
Uncle Zhong turned and left.
It was always like this. No matter what Zhu Zeyuan commanded, he would always carry it out unconditionally.
Once Zhu Zeyuan was alone in the room, he stared at the exquisitely crafted ceiling, lost in thought.
In his mind, the ideal match for his daughter was an ordinary, unremarkable man who would put Wan’Er first.
Only a relationship like that could last.
That was why, even though he greatly admired this Wu Liangchen whom he had never met, and even saw a shadow of his younger self in him, he had never once considered setting the two of them up.
’What a pity. If only Wan’Er were a man!’
Zhu Zeyuan let out a soft sigh, his expression growing even gloomier.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the Eleventh Concubine said with some resentment, "Uncle Zhong, my son and I have been waiting here for so long. Just let us go in and see the Master, even for a moment."
But Uncle Zhong was unmoved, merely bowing humbly. "I’m sorry, Concubine. These are the Master’s orders. I cannot overrule them."
The woman’s face flushed red, then pale, but in the end, she could only leave in resignation.
That afternoon, Wu Liangchen had someone deliver the news to Zhu Wan’Er that Third Brother Xie had agreed.
The Zhu family’s response was incredibly swift. The very next day, they dispatched their family’s specialized restaurant construction team to Flower Square.
Zhu Wan’Er then allocated ten thousand silver coins for the initial construction costs, with no upper limit.
Soon enough, on the ruins of Moqin Pavilion, a new building began to rise at an astonishing speed.
And news that the Zhu family was about to open a restaurant in Flower Square spread like wildfire.
People’s reactions were varied. Some were envious, while others, naturally, made sarcastic, passive-aggressive remarks.
But no matter what people said, nothing could slow the construction of this new restaurant.
Zhu Wan’Er even came to inspect the construction site every day, after which she would go to Flower Fragrance Courtyard to have tea with Wu Liangchen.
Unfortunately, most of the time, Wu Liangchen was either not there or was there but didn’t want to see her.
Zhu Wan’Er was not discouraged. She continued to come every day. Even if she couldn’t see Wu Liangchen, she would sit in his room for a while before leaving.
This day was no exception. However, as soon as she entered, she saw Wu Liangchen in the tea room.
And besides Wu Liangchen, there was another young woman.
Zhu Wan’Er looked with some surprise at this girl. While she had delicate features, she could only be described as average compared to Yang Lian’Er. Zhu Wan’Er had no idea who she was.
At this moment, Ninyun was a little nervous.
She had no idea why Wu Liangchen had suddenly summoned her.
But looking at the face she only dared to recall secretly in the middle of the night, she couldn’t help but blush.
Just then, Wu Liangchen took a piece of paper from his robes and asked, "Wen Yunlong told me you know some of the East Sea language?"
"Yes. Before I came to Flower Square, I lived with a matron from the East Sea Kingdom for a while, so I know some of the language."
"Then take a look and tell me what these words mean."
Wu Liangchen handed her the slip of paper.
Ninyun took it and studied it for a moment, then said, "Master Wu, this says ’Fogging Powder’."
’It really is this!’
In truth, Wu Liangchen had long suspected that the powder he had found on Wangyue Xiner was the very thing they used to create the mist.
Now that his suspicions were confirmed, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
’I experienced how potent that mist was the other day. If I used it for assassinations and ambushes, combined with my archery and Body Technique, wouldn’t I be invincible?’
’Of course, this thing has its limits. It’s fine against ordinary Martial Artists, but it wouldn’t be very effective against a Martial Artist with powerful perception.’
’But I could try to reverse-engineer it and see if I can figure out a counter to this Fogging Powder.’
As these thoughts ran through Wu Liangchen’s mind, he looked up at Zhu Wan’Er.
"Let me introduce you. This is Miss Ninyun. She is also the Shopkeeper of the soon-to-be-completed restaurant."
Zhu Wan’Er was taken aback for a second, then smiled and nodded. "Excellent."
Ninyun, however, was dumbfounded.
It took her a long moment to process what he’d said, and then she hurriedly stammered, "No, no, I can’t possibly do it."
"Why can’t you?" Wu Liangchen asked.
Ninyun flushed beet-red. "I... I’m untalented and ignorant, and I’m just a woman. How could I possibly take on such a heavy responsibility..."
"Then tell me, who else is more suited for it? Wen Yunlong? Or Yan Feng?"
Third Brother Xie’s group was actually severely lacking in talent. Take the two most senior members, Wen and Yan, for example. They were good at maintaining the status quo, but not at taking initiative.
That’s why, before, everything had been propped up by Third Brother Xie’s efforts alone.
But it couldn’t be helped. After all, these young men mostly came from humble backgrounds. They had little schooling, and some were barely literate.
In comparison, this Ninyun could read and do arithmetic. Moreover, she was meticulous, reliable, and cautious—a rare talent indeed.
This was something Wu Liangchen had planned long ago, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Therefore, when Ninyun walked out of Flower Fragrance Courtyard, her head was still spinning. ’How did I suddenly become the restaurant’s Shopkeeper?’
Back in the tea room, Zhu Wan’Er watched Wu Liangchen with a grin and said, "You seem to admire this woman."
"It’s not admiration. It’s a complete lack of usable people," Wu Liangchen admitted frankly, laying bare his current predicament.
Zhu Wan’Er deeply sympathized with this.
"Yes. There are many people, but true talent is indeed rare."
After a few more pleasantries, she stood up and took her leave before Wu Liangchen could grow tired of her.
It had to be said, her timing was perfect. Even Wu Liangchen had to admire her thoughtfulness.
By now, most matters were settled. The restaurant would be completed soon, and the former employees of the First-Class Restaurant had all been called back.
Everything was about to get back on track.
The only regret was that Master Jingxin was still missing without a trace, and there was no telling when he would return.
However, Wu Liangchen quickly cast aside these distracting thoughts. He mentally called out ’panel’ and looked at the saber technique section.
[Jingzhe Saber Technique (Proficiency 194/200)]
After all his practice these past few days, the Jingzhe Saber Technique was finally on the verge of advancing. If all went well, he would break through today or tomorrow at the latest.
With this in mind, Wu Liangchen picked up his saber and strode into the rear courtyard.
