After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 144 Unable to Listen
Shi Liu glanced at Madam Bai, whose face was serious, and quickly pointed to Shen Yi and Su Chunlin, "Reporting to Master, the day the eldest son went to Moshi Town, he ate guokui at the son-in-law's restaurant and praised it highly. He asked my son-in-law for the chef, but unfortunately the guokui was not made by our chef. The son-in-law had no choice but to explain, and the eldest son was not very happy about it."

Well, today the young master asked me to invite the guokui (a type of flatbread) maker. If the young master has anything to say, he can speak with Master Shen in person.

Master Shen is from Shenjiazhuang Village in Moshi Town. He's a well-known ferryman on the Daxun River and, more importantly, our son-in-law's savior.

Her words clarified the relationship between Shen Yi and Ma Xingteng.

Madam Bai was very displeased. She glanced at Master Bai and said indifferently, "Master, I told you from the beginning that the Ma family is a small and insignificant family, not worthy of respect. But you thought it was good and insisted on marrying Rong'er to Ma Xingteng. Look at how this was done, it's truly laughable!"

Shi Liu's expression changed slightly.

Su Chunlin was completely bewildered, while Shen Yijing observed the situation.

Madam Bai took a sip of water and sneered, "Young Master has been raised on delicacies since he was a child. What good things hasn't he seen? It's just a broken pot-shaped flatbread. He just thought it was novel and praised it a couple of times. It's fine as long as it wasn't made by the Ma family's chef. What's the big deal?"

You even went to the trouble of inviting the guokui (a type of flatbread) maker all the way here, making it seem like we absolutely need it. Isn't that ridiculous?

Shiliu was about to explain.

Shen Yi quickly bowed and said, "Madam is wise. I was also very puzzled when I heard about this yesterday. Our potstickers are made perfectly well. They are sold not only in Moshi Town but also in other towns. We have never heard of anyone causing trouble before. Since it was all a misunderstanding, we will be leaving now."

"Master Shen?" Shi Liu stared wide-eyed in surprise, never expecting Shen Yi to say such a thing.

Just as she was at a loss, Master Bai spoke up, "Master Shen has come from afar. Please stay for the night and let me do my duty as a host. You can leave early tomorrow morning."

By the way, I'd like to apologize to you on behalf of my son-in-law. He was just too concerned and made things complicated. Please don't take offense, Master Shen, and don't let it damage your relationship. Your business will continue as usual, haha.”

Madam Bai gave a disgruntled snort, her eyes practically rolling to the sky.

Master Bai ignored her and simply instructed his servant to take the three of them away to rest.

Shiliu breathed a sigh of relief as she walked out of the hall. Once she was a distance away, she thanked Shen Yi, saying, "I thought Master would be angry, but luckily Master Shen is clever. With Master's words, the young master can no longer make a fuss about this."

"Miss Pomegranate, you're too kind." Shen Yi exchanged a few polite words and then asked, "We'd like to meet Su Chuan's family. Would you be so kind as to do us that?"

"Convenient, convenient!" Shi Liu nodded hurriedly. "You two go to the guest courtyard to rest first. I will go find someone to deliver a message and return to the guest courtyard later to give you my brother's confirmation."

"Thank you." Shen Yi pulled Su Chunlin away.

Su Chunlin's eyes were constantly darting around on the way. He whispered in Shen Yi's ear, "Look at how different this wealthy family is. Before, when I came here, I always went through the back door. The furthest I went was the gate of the tenement courtyard, and I couldn't see anything there."

I used to think your house was spacious and bright, but now compared to the Bai family mansion, it's really nothing special.

Shen Yi chuckled and pointed to the bluestone pavement. "Father-in-law, putting everything else aside, I can't even get these stone bricks myself. How can we compete?"

"That's true!"

The two chatted idly as they entered the guest courtyard. Shiliu also found out where Cuilan lived.

Taking advantage of the darkness as the maid returned to her room, she went to find her, bringing some nice things with her.

When Cuilan opened the door, Shiliu was so startled she almost screamed, "What...what happened to you?"

When Cuilan went to seek refuge with her before, even though she was six months pregnant, her beautiful face was still undeniable. Now, however, she was emaciated and looked more than ten years older.

Cuilan quickly tidied her hair and stepped aside to let Shiliu in. "Weren't you in Moshi Town? Did you come back with Miss Rong?"

Why come back when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?
Cuilan was full of doubts.

Shi Liu didn't hide anything and explained the situation.

Cuilan frowned. "When did the young master go to Moshi Town? How come I didn't know?"

Shi Liu's heart tightened, and she tentatively asked, "Isn't Su Chuan with the young master? Didn't he tell you?"

Cuilan's face darkened, and a hint of disgust appeared on her face. "Don't mention that family to me. I have nothing to do with them anymore!"

"Huh? How come it's alright? Where's your child?" Shi Liu was so shocked that she lost her composure, and her voice became somewhat agitated.

Cuilan shook her head, covered her face and wept, "I lost the baby. Su Chuan's family went to the Zhu family mansion with Young Master Zhu. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay and serve my master. My master wanted me to marry the steward of the manor, but I didn't agree. Now my master has let me comb my hair and be a mother to her."

Shi Liu was stunned by the news and couldn't recover for a long time. "How...how did it turn out like this? Where is the young master? What did the young master say?"

Cuilan looked at Shiliu strangely, "What else could the young master say?"

Shi Liu realized she had let something slip and quickly tried to cover it up, "I meant that Su Chuan had served the young master for many years, and the young master just gave his whole family away so easily?"

Cuilan nodded. "Young Master Zhu has promised benefits, but it's just a few servants. How could the young master be reluctant to part with them? My dear sister, what should I do now? The young mistress is unhappy because I agreed to go with Su Chuan's family, and since Young Master Zhu dislikes me, she doesn't like me either."

"Then let's go! Why stay here and suffer?" Shi Liu said matter-of-factly. "Let me tell you, don't look down on the Su family just because they are all servants. All of Su's relatives are doing very well. Take, for example, Master Shen, our son-in-law's savior."

He is Su Chuan's cousin-in-law. He is now doing business and making a lot of money. His business is not only spread throughout Moshi Town, but also Dahe Town, where his family's guokui (a type of flatbread) has taken over.

Many chefs want to learn, but they can't replicate the taste of others. Now, the man has built two large courtyards in the village, which are very elegant. He also hires people to do the work in the fields. You could call him a landlord without any problem.

Then look at Su Chuan's family. I heard from my son-in-law that they earned several thousand taels of silver from selling grain. Just think about it, how comfortable can an ordinary farming family live if they only earn a few thousand taels a year!
It wasn't just Su Chuan's uncle's family; almost the entire Dongmen Village prospered as a result. Su Yu's in-laws were the village chiefs, so it goes without saying that they benefited even more.

"In another two or three years, there will likely be many more wealthy households in Moshi Town, and some of them will definitely be relatives of Su Chuan. Following Su Chuan, your life will certainly be good."

Cuilan listened, stunned, her face full of doubt. "Shiliu, we're sisters, you don't need to say these things to fool me! If those country bumpkins really had such ways of making money, why would they dress in rags like beggars!"

She looked her up and down, wondering if she had never met Su Chuan's poor relatives before.