Lin Hao and Qi Qiong stood among the crowd watching the excitement and quickly heard the general situation.

The shop owner’s surname was Liu. Because he’d had smallpox, several pockmarks had been left on his face. Over time, everyone called him Pockmarked Liu, and the shop name “Liu’s Pockmarked Noodle Shop” came from this.

Liu’s Pockmarked Noodle Shop had originally been a small husband-and-wife shop with mediocre taste and mediocre business, barely maintaining the family’s livelihood. When Liu Dalang was eight or nine years old, Liu’s wife passed away from illness. Later, Pockmarked Liu married a second wife—the current proprietress.

The proprietress was a widow remarrying, bringing along a daughter of only a few years old. At the time, people all thought this family would have difficult days ahead. Unexpectedly, the proprietress had exceptional skill at making noodles. The noodle shop’s business got better and better, and the Liu family, from a particularly ordinary household, actually became modestly prosperous.

“This Liu Dalang is outrageous. Though the Liu family’s wife is a stepmother, she’s treated him no worse than his birth mother. I remember when his birth mother died, during that period this child constantly had snot hanging from his nose, his face was never clean, and his clothes were ragged and torn. It was only after the Liu family’s wife came that he began to look like a proper person. Who would have thought that once he grew up, he’d make such an ugly scene…”

Others had different views. “You can’t say it like that. Pockmarked Liu looks like he won’t make it much longer, and there’s such a big noodle shop. If you were in his shoes, would you willingly let a stepmother control everything inside and out? Liu Dalang is the eldest son from the first marriage—inheriting the noodle shop is only natural and right.”

“That’s true too.”

Lin Hao listened quietly. Whether people thought Liu Dalang was going too far in his treatment of his stepmother, or believed disputes between stepmothers and stepsons were nothing unusual, their view of the noodle shop was remarkably unified: if Pockmarked Liu died, the noodle shop should naturally go to Liu Dalang.

For this reason, hearing the increasingly loud commotion inside the noodle shop, the neighbors didn’t step forward to mediate. Instead, quite a few people worried about the shop’s flavor. “If the Liu family’s wife stops running the noodle shop, won’t the noodles’ taste decline?”

“Haven’t you heard? Ever since Pockmarked Liu fell ill, the Liu family’s wife hasn’t been at the noodle shop as much and has already found a master chef to replace her.”

Lin Hao suddenly understood.

No wonder she felt the noodles tasted slightly inferior this time—they’d changed cooks.

“Hurry home and take care of my father!” With Liu Dalang’s roar, the proprietress was pushed out.

The young girl ran out to help the proprietress, her voice choked with tears. “Mother, are you all right?”

The proprietress straightened herself and tidied her disheveled hair. “Mother is fine. Duo’er, let’s go home.”

The woman took the young girl’s hand and walked out. Behind them, from the all-too-familiar noodle shop came laughter.

A neighbor who had a decent relationship with the woman offered some advice. “Mrs. Liu, it would be good to go back and spend more time with Bao’er’s father. Dalang is grown now—sooner or later he’ll have to take charge of things.”

The proprietress smiled. “Yes… I was thinking of letting the new master chef familiarize himself a bit more…”

Lin Hao watched the woman’s somewhat lonely retreating figure, thought for a moment, then hurried after her.

“Wait a moment, ma’am.”

The proprietress, holding her daughter’s hand, looked at her questioningly.

“I was just eating noodles in the shop.”

The proprietress nodded. “I remember. Miss, is there something you need?”

Lin Hao paused, then said hastily, “Ma’am, if in the future you encounter difficulties you can’t overcome, you can come to the Lin residence…”

She gave the detailed address of the Lin residence, then returned to Qi Qiong’s side under the proprietress’s astonished gaze.

On the carriage ride back, Qi Qiong asked curiously, “Ah Hao, what did you say to the proprietress?”

“I just told her if she has difficulties, she can seek out people from our household.” Lin Hao thought of Liu Dalang’s fierce and malevolent appearance and felt the mother and daughter’s future prospects weren’t optimistic. “That Liu Dalang has no conscience. Once his father dies, never mind the noodle shop—he might not even allow them to remain in the house. Of course, it would be best if it doesn’t come to that.”

For the sake of profit, even blood relatives could scheme against each other unto death, let alone a mere stepmother. Since she’d encountered this situation, it was just a matter of saying one more sentence.

“Ah Hao, you’re truly kindhearted.”

When Qi Qiong returned to the prince’s mansion, she told Princess Consort Jing about this matter.

Princess Consort Jing’s depression from Sun Xiuhua seeking her out dissipated considerably. She quickly instructed a maid, “Send several baskets of the loquats and peaches newly delivered from the estate to the General’s Mansion.”

They do say birds of a feather flock together—this daughter-in-law was well chosen.

Princess Consort Jing recalled that she had once entertained the notion of keeping Sun Xiuhua at the prince’s mansion to strengthen family ties, and felt a wave of lingering fear and heartache.

Receiving the fruits sent from Prince Jing’s mansion, Old Madam smiled. “Princess Consort Jing is quite agreeable.”

Lady Lin bit into a peach bursting with juice and nodded. “She’s quite good. These peaches are sweeter than the ones sent from our own estate.”

Old Madam: “…” Good thing her daughter didn’t need to be a mother-in-law.

Time reached mid-June. On Wanqing Street, Lin’s Fragrance Powder Shop changed its sign, and a shop named “Wuxiang” opened for business.

Firecrackers crackled and popped loudly, attracting the attention of passing pedestrians and nearby merchants.

“Wuxiang? What a strange shop name. What does it sell?”

The world never lacked curious people, especially those specifically out shopping—their curiosity was particularly abundant. After observing for a bit, people began trickling in, stepping over the scattered firecracker debris on the ground.

Behind the counter was a still-charming female shopkeeper. Standing by the door were two neatly dressed young girls, and an elderly woman sat quietly in the corner.

“What does this place sell?”

“Floral water.” The young girl who spoke was called Chunni, one of the girls Lin Hao had rescued from traffickers.

Hearing it sold floral water, a large portion of those who had entered immediately left. The remaining few who craved novelty asked, “What kinds of floral water do you have?”

This time it was the younger girl who spoke. “We have rose water and jasmine water.”

Hearing there were only two types of floral water, quite a few more people left.

Since both sold floral water, why not go across the street? Flower Countenance didn’t just sell floral water—they also had rouge, eyebrow cosmetics, sachets, and fragrance balls. You could buy whatever you wanted there.

The shop emptied out considerably. Someone else asked, “How much do they cost?”

“Rose water is five taels of silver per bottle, jasmine water is two taels of silver per bottle,” Chunni said crisply.

“More expensive than Flower Countenance—is this highway robbery?” The remaining people left cursing and grumbling, including those who had just stepped one foot inside.

Among them were scouts sent from across the street. Returning to Flower Countenance, they were delighted. “They only sell floral water—one type of rose water, one type of jasmine water. Not a single other item, and they charge even more.”

After hearing the report, Flower Countenance’s manager completely set his mind at ease. “No need to pay them any mind. Go do whatever you should be doing.”

A floral water shop like that—if it lasted even a month, he’d consider it his loss.

What made the manager even happier was that the firecrackers set off across the street had attracted quite a few people over. Though they hadn’t stayed, many had conveniently walked into Flower Countenance.

The manager’s good mood didn’t last long. A clerk ran in to report, “Manager, a luxurious carriage has arrived and stopped by the roadside. The young lady who got out went across the street.”

“Don’t make such a fuss.”

Before long, the clerk ran in again. “Another carriage has arrived!”

The manager furrowed his brow.

After another moment, the clerk looked bewildered. “Manager, there are so many carriages arriving there’s no room to park them all!”

The manager couldn’t sit still anymore.

This won’t do—he had to go see for himself!