Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 171 Busy and Unseen
Taoyaofang's business is booming, and everyone is extremely busy.

Jiang Jing is now mainly responsible for seeing patients, especially those with gynecological diseases. Almost all patients come to Jiang Jing for treatment.

Su Yaoguang was in charge of managing various projects. She led five newly recruited female assistants to provide door-to-door service to important guests. After training them, she selected the most clever one to be the manager and entrusted the door-to-door service project to them. The Zhang sisters were in charge of preparing skincare products. This was a major secret of Taoyaofang and could not be given to anyone else. Although they had hired three male assistants to help with miscellaneous tasks, these three men had no access to the confidential formulas; the important steps still had to be handled by the Zhang sisters. Jia Chunni was studying medicine under Jiang Jing and assisting her.

Su Yaoguang, as the person in charge, was always on the move, constantly busy.

"Yaoguang, Wangshu hasn't been back for half a month, has she?" Zhang Zhaodi asked while checking the goods. "Aren't you going to check on her?"

“He’s busy!” Su Yaoguang said, fiddling with the abacus. “I’m busy too.”

"Your uncle is busy because he's preparing for the upcoming imperial examinations. Wang Shu isn't cut out for that; there's no need for him to work so hard. Are you putting pressure on him? That guy surnamed Xiao is going to take the exams, and everyone says he's talented and will definitely pass. You're not trying to force Wang Shu to get a degree just to compete with Jiang Yihuan, are you? Let me tell you, while I've been comparing myself to Zhong Lanhua for half my life, and you can compare yourself to Jiang Yihuan, you can't make Wang Shu compete with that guy surnamed Xiao in academics. Is studying something anyone can do? If anyone could, wouldn't the streets be full of scholars and officials?"

“Our Wangshu is really great. Look how sensible and easy he is to manage, he has a sweet tongue, and he'll stand up for you in crucial moments. He's never looked down on you, so you can't look down on him for being slow-witted, can you?”

Su Yaoguang said helplessly, "Mother, I didn't force him, nor did I look down on him. He said he's busy lately and needs to stay at the academy. I can't just discourage him, can I?"

“That’s true. It’s good that he wants to improve himself, but we can’t put too much pressure on him, or we might drive him crazy.” Zhang Zhaodi said, snatching the abacus from her hand. “Go to the academy and find Wang Shu. Take him out for some fresh air. Don’t let him stay in the academy all day. He’s going to turn into a fool.”

"Mother, I haven't settled this score yet!"

Zhang Yingdi took it: "I'll calculate it, you go and keep Wang Shu company."

"Fine!"

"Where are you going?" Zhang Zhaodi called out to her as she was about to leave.

"Didn't you tell me to go find him? I'm going now!"

Zhang Zhaodi glared at her: "You know how to do makeup and dress up for others, but when it comes to yourself, you're so sloppy?"

"Is there anything wrong with what I'm doing?" Su Yaoguang spread her arms.

The three Zhang sisters shook their heads in unison, their similar faces displaying the same somber expression.

"Chunni, Jing'er, take her down." Zhang Zhaodi waved her arm, sending two soldiers up.

Su Yaoguang was restrained by her two girlfriends.

An hour later, a young girl with a newly styled updo, new hairpins, and exquisite peach blossom makeup was pushed out the door. She stumbled and had to grab the door handle to avoid falling.

A hand reached out, pried open her hand, which was adorned with delicate nail polish, and then closed the door.

"Yaoguang, your godmother said you have a rare day off today, so spend some time with Wangshu and don't rush back. We won't prepare dinner for you; you can eat out!" Su Yaoguang: "..."

When Su Yaoguang arrived at the academy, the old servant guarding the gate said he had just left. Su Yaoguang thanked him and strolled alone on the street, only to encounter Jiang Ziqian carrying a lantern.

Jiang Ziqian laughed and said, "I almost didn't dare to recognize you."

Su Yaoguang touched her cheek, a little embarrassed: "Isn't it strange?"

"No. It looks great, but I've never seen it before, so I didn't recognize it," Jiang Ziqian said. "It's lunchtime now, have you eaten?"

"Although I haven't eaten yet, I'm the only one here today, so I won't be going to your Jiang's Restaurant to support your business. I plan to just grab something to eat at a street stall."

"What a coincidence, I'm also craving some street food today. If Mr. Su doesn't mind having someone come along, how about we go together?"

“Of course I don’t mind,” Su Yaoguang said. “But what did you originally plan to come here for?”

"I originally wanted to come here to relax and get some fresh air. Jiang's Restaurant has been working on developing new dishes recently, but it's not going very smoothly. I figured that staying at home all the time wasn't a good solution, so I decided to come out for a walk."

"Your restaurant's food is very distinctive, so it's normal that it's difficult to break through by trying to develop new flavors. You can try to be clever in other ways, just like we do. We have skincare sets and makeup sets, and you can also create sets based on different dishes. For example, if ten dishes would normally cost two taels of silver each, you could make them into a set and save two hundred coins. Someone who was originally only going to order five dishes might feel more prestigious because your set is cheaper, so they'll order the set directly. This way, your dishes will sell, the customers will be satisfied, and they'll bring more people to your restaurant next time."

"Brilliant! How come I didn't think of that?" Jiang Ziqian said happily. "Miss Su is truly my benefactor."

Zhou Wangshu stood opposite, arms crossed, looking at Su Yaoguang and Jiang Ziqian sitting at the wonton stall with great displeasure.

Su Yaoguang sensed something, turned around, and saw Zhou Wangshu, Chen Buyu, and others.

"What are you doing here?" Su Yaoguang asked in surprise.

“We just happened to be out meeting up for a meal,” Chen Buyu said, pulling Zhou Wangshu over. “What a coincidence, meeting here.”

Chen Buyu and Zhong Chushan sat on either side of Jiang Ziqian, leaving the seat next to Su Yaoguang for Zhou Wangshu.

"Boss, give me three bowls of wontons."

Zhong Chushan put his arm around Jiang Ziqian's shoulder and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, Boss Jiang isn't much older than us, but look how big his business is, he's much better than us. Why isn't Boss Jiang married yet?"

"Marriage is a big deal and cannot be taken lightly. I don't want to marry just any woman; I only want to find someone I truly love." As Jiang Ziqian spoke, he glanced at Su Yaoguang, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes.

"I heard that you and your sister-in-law..."

“Brother Zhong, you mustn’t speak nonsense. My sister-in-law and brother had a very deep relationship. After my brother was murdered, she almost followed him in death, but she survived until today because of her unborn child. Those rumors outside are spread by despicable people who were rejected in their attempts to marry her. To avoid suspicion, she has returned to her parents’ home to await childbirth. As the eldest sister-in-law, she is like a mother to me. In my eyes, I only have the respect due to an elder for her,” Jiang Ziqian said solemnly.