Chapter 607 - 609: Content with a Little Wealth

Chapter 607: Chapter 609: Content with a Little Wealth

Seeing the ladies were still unconvinced, Jin Qianqian asked helplessly, "If you were in my position, would you just give your own things away for free?"

Mrs. He and the others pondered for a moment before shaking their heads.

Just then, they arrived at Tianfu Restaurant. Ming Nian, having been notified, was already standing at the entrance to welcome them.

The ladies stopped talking for the moment and followed him to a private room.

After the Shopkeeper and a waiter had set out the tea and snacks, Mrs. He could no longer hold back and continued her questioning, "We heard before that you planned to transfer the restaurant, Madam, but why to the Princely Heir?"

Jin Qianqian knew that if she didn’t explain things clearly today, these women would surely get to the bottom of it.

She took a sip of tea before continuing, "I spread the word quite early on, but of all those who came to negotiate, not a single one could meet my requirements."

The main issue was that these people were sent by several great aristocratic families. They were too greedy and wanted to take everything. Besides, it was just a smokescreen she had put out; she never intended to make a deal with them, so naturally, nothing came of it.

"I’m sure you all know that Prince Bai is a trusted confidant of the Holy Emperor. With all else being equal, it only makes sense to give him preference over the other families. So, of course, I made my choice."

’As for whether the ladies before her believed it? That was of little concern to her.’

Mrs. Lu said, "But in that case, didn’t you take a huge loss?

This is clearly a surefire moneymaker, so why did you have to push it away?

Besides, from what we know, you have many capable people working for you, Madam. You could have just left a few here to oversee things, and nothing would have gone wrong."

Jin Qianqian replied, "One can’t earn all the silver in the world. I have so many other businesses to manage; there’s no need to monopolize everything and attract resentment.

This is for the best. My husband and I don’t want to work ourselves so hard. We’re content with a comfortable fortune."

The ladies were speechless. ’If you call this being content with a comfortable fortune, then we must all be paupers.’

Jin Qianqian was only explaining this much out of respect for their husbands. There was no need for her to go into any more detail.

She passed the menu Lichun had brought over to them. "Ladies, please see what you’d like to eat. Just order anything you desire."

Mrs. He knew the questioning was over. She deftly took the menu and said, "Well then, we won’t be polite with you today. It will be difficult to eat the specialty dishes here again in the future, so we must have our fill today."

"That’s right," Lady Wu chimed in. "Although there are other Heavenly Restaurants elsewhere, it’s probably hard to get authentic seafood like this. We certainly won’t be holding back with Mrs. Gu today. We’ll have to tell the Shopkeeper later to bring out whatever fresh catch they have."

Mrs. Lu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Bring everything out? Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to finish it all?"

’Dealing with these women is so exhausting,’ Jin Qianqian thought. ’I already told them to order whatever they want, and they’re still putting on this act.’

She smiled and said, "Just order whatever you like. Nothing will go to waste."

At this, the others recalled that Tianfu Restaurant had an unwritten rule: any leftover food from banquets would be packed up and placed at the entrance for those in need to take for themselves.

Furthermore, the packed meals from the restaurant were highly sought after by the local commoners. The moment they were placed at the door, they would be taken away instantly.

The lower-class common folk weren’t so particular. To them, it was a delicacy they could rarely afford, so they certainly wouldn’t turn their noses up at it.

Despite this, the ladies were quite restrained, each ordering their favorite dishes before settling in to chat idly.

「In the main hall on the first floor」

Ming Nian stood at the counter, a smile on his face as he watched the waiters running off their feet.

Anyone could tell from his expression that he was in a very good mood.

After finishing his meal, Wang Li wiped his mouth and ambled over.

"Shopkeeper, what’s got you so happy? Tell us about it."

"What are you still doing here, you rascal? Are you done with your work on the boat?"

Wang Li replied, "All the work on the boat is done. Now we’re just waiting to load the cargo, but we were notified that won’t happen until tomorrow. So, I came here to sneak a little break."

Ming Nian said, "Taking a break is fine, but don’t get lazy.

You’ve got a house now, kid. It’s time you thought about settling down. Supporting a family isn’t like living on your own. Maybe you should come by less often!"

"Shopkeeper, that’s a funny thing to say. Are you trying to push away business that’s walking right in?

I’ve seen people trying to attract customers, but I’ve never seen someone turn them away like you." Wang Li had been frequenting the place again lately, and the familiarity lost over the past few months had returned, making his speech much more relaxed and casual.

Ming Nian said, "I’m saying this for your own good. Other men your age already have children old enough to run errands. Don’t you want to have kids and grandkids surrounding you in the future?"

"Shopkeeper, I seem to recall we’re about the same age. While you’re lecturing me, why don’t you think about yourself?"

But Ming Nian just tilted his head up proudly. "I’m different from you. I was born an orphan, with no idea where I came from. Continuing a family line is of little use to me.

Besides, I’ve resolved to become the Madam’s top Store Manager one day. I won’t let trivial family matters hold me back."

Wang Li’s jaw dropped, unsure of what to say.

"Shocked, are you?" Ming Nian chuckled. "That’s the difference between you and me. Even if I don’t start a family, I’ll have a place to go in my old age. You’re different. You’d better hurry up and find a wife to continue your Wang Family line."

Wang Li was stunned. "...Then where will you go in your old age?"

Ming Nian replied, "That’s one of our secrets. Why does an outsider like you need to know so much?

Go on, go on, go on. Hurry back and find a matchmaker. Don’t stand here distracting me from supervising my staff."

’There was no need to tell outsiders about the excellent benefits of the Gu Mansion.’

The Madam had asked before if he wanted her to find him a partner, but he had refused.

’He felt that the decision Qing Lan and Li Xia had made was practically showing him the way—living alone like this was so free and unfettered.

As for continuing the family line, he truly didn’t care. He didn’t even know his own origins or his real name. What was the point of an orphan thinking so much about it?’

Upstairs, Jin Qianqian, chatting and laughing, had no idea that someone downstairs was also choosing the path to freedom.

By the time she realized it, she would find she had many progressive, unmarried-by-choice individuals working under her.

Wang Li couldn’t understand, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he returned to their usual topic. "I wonder if you, Shopkeeper, could put in a word with Mrs. Gu for me? I’m truly willing to follow her. I would even sign an indenture."

Ming Nian said, "Don’t pester me about this every day, kid. The matter is non-negotiable. Just be a good boatman.

Years from now, if fate allows, I might be willing to introduce you."

Wang Li replied, "I’m just afraid that after so many years, you won’t remember a small fry like me."