A time-travel story where I forcefully marry the leading lady in a film/TV series!

On the contrary, the Panlou restaurant across the street was packed with customers, with vendors and laborers coming and going, showing signs of booming business.

Seeing this, Li Niangzi was so angry that she rolled her eyes!

Good heavens! Your Panlou restaurant usually looks down on these lowly commoners and porters, only catering to the rich! But now you're suddenly opening your doors to welcome these ordinary people in for a rest and a meal?

Isn't this blatantly going against my newly opened teahouse?

These restaurants and teahouses are designed to cater to different social classes of customers. Now you're even trying to snatch this tiny bit of meat from your own mouth?

To say it wasn't intentional would be something even a ghost wouldn't believe!

Thinking of this, Li Niangzi glanced up at the second floor of Panlou again, only to see Chai An looking at her with a smug expression. She became even angrier!

Is this blatant provocation?! You were the one who kicked me when I kicked you with a football before! Why don't you reflect on your mistakes and instead turn around and bully my widow and her daughter?

As expected, my previous thoughts and judgment were correct. This kind of man is all show and no substance, and is really not worthy of being entrusted with my daughter's life!

However, although Li Niangzi was angry, she was also very helpless at this moment!

Since she was going to do business now, her original plan was to make as much money as possible so that when her daughter entered the Marquis's mansion in the future, she could give her a grand dowry.

Given the current situation... it's hard to say whether I can even recoup the rent for this shop, let alone make a profit!

"Young master!" At this moment, the hired servant, with his sharp eyes, spotted a man strolling on the street and went up to him without saying a word: "Our shop has just opened, and we have morning tea and snacks inside! Please come in?"

"Newly opened?" The man shopping was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Then I have to go in and try it!"

Li Niangzi had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the situation. She quickly dropped her fan and ran out.

Before she could even welcome her first guest, the man turned his gaze to the Panlou building across the street, and his eyes lit up.

"Forget it! Forget it! Forget it!" This man was just an ordinary person who had never been to Panlou before! Because that place had never allowed people of his status and attire to enter.

Seeing that many of the customers coming and going inside Panlou were ordinary people like himself, the man immediately had the idea of ​​going in to see for himself, so he chose Panlou without saying a word.

Upon seeing this, Li Niangzi's face immediately fell again.

"Master! The pastries across the street are all made by the master chef! Two items on a plate are only five coins! Everyone wants to try the pastries at Panlou!" The young man frowned and said to Li Niangzi with some helplessness, "Those tea vendors sell loose tea leaves for one coin a cup! They've stolen all our business from the morning market!"

How could Lady Li not know about this? She was just helpless.

Panlou, in particular, is clearly losing money to gain publicity! Selling such good pastries for only five or ten coins means they can't even recoup their costs!

This is clearly a case of preferring to lose money rather than lose their own business!

This shows that Chai An is much more petty than I thought!

Even though she knew Chai An was a petty person, there was nothing she could do about it. She could only plan for the future! With that thought, Li Niangzi turned around and wanted to go back to the shop.

As soon as she stepped onto the stairs, she heard a commotion from the crowd around her.

"Make way! Make way! Whose carriage is this? We absolutely cannot afford to bump into it!"

"Doesn't it say on that sign? The Marquis of Jining's Residence!"

"What are the carriages of the Marquis of Jining doing in our East Market Street? Have you ever seen this before?"

"Doesn't the Marquis's residence need to purchase any supplies? Perhaps the noblemen in the manor today would like to try some of the food that we commoners eat?"

"Even if a nobleman from a marquis's mansion wanted to eat some commoners' pastries, he would have his servants buy them for him. Why would he ride in a carriage and parade through the city like that?"

"Maybe they're just passing by! Don't overthink it, just move aside!"

The murmurs of the onlookers reached Li Niangzi's ears immediately, and she shuddered and turned around instantly.

What came into view was none other than Wei Tingyu's carriage, which she would never mistake!

It's extremely rare to see a nobleman's carriage in a place like East Market Street! Although Panlou is a decent restaurant, most of its customers are merchants, and it's rare to see sons of officials here!

Of course, not to mention the noble families with titles!

After all, the owner of Panlou is Chai An, a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family, and a key figure of concern for the imperial court.

Which nobleman or official's son would dare to frequent Panlou for no reason? Are they tired of living?

Of course, these unspoken rules, which are common knowledge within aristocratic circles, are completely unknown to ordinary people.

Upon seeing Wei Tingyu's carriage, everyone assumed that a distinguished guest from the Marquis of Jining's residence was coming to Panlou for a meal.

Only Li Niangzi straightened her back proudly, adjusted her clothes and hairpins, glanced at the neighbors gossiping around her, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

Putting everything else aside, she definitely understood! The Marquis's grand display was naturally to bolster the reputation of his family's business!

Sure enough, the Marquis's carriage stopped immediately in front of the Sifu Tea House, and then Wei Tingyu lifted the curtain and slowly stepped down from the carriage.

His utterly aristocratic demeanor drew admiration from the surrounding crowd!

This marquis is indeed a marquis! Every gesture he makes exudes an aristocratic air that is beyond the reach of ordinary people!

At the same time, everyone looked towards Panlou with envy. With the Marquis's esteemed presence today, Panlou's reputation in the East Street Market will surely become even more renowned in the future!

Putting aside everything else, those merchants who reek of money will flock here and break down the doors of Panlou in order to appear to have the same taste as the nobles!

Meanwhile, the eyes of the other peddlers and laborers coming in and out of Panlou lit up.

Good heavens! The Marquis is dining at Panlou too? I actually dined at the same high-class restaurant as the Marquis of Jining. This alone is enough for them to brag about for a year and a half!

However, what happened next shocked everyone present.

Because Wei Tingyu didn't even glance in Panlou's direction, but instead turned straight to look at Li Niangzi, who was smiling at him in front of Sifu Tea House.

The moment their eyes met, Li Niangzi realized what was happening. She quickly lifted her skirt and took two quick steps down the steps, running to Wei Tingyu's side.

"This humble woman greets Your Excellency!" Lady Li said, bowing respectfully to Wei Tingyu. "What brings Your Excellency to my humble teahouse today?"

Her words nearly made the surrounding crowd drop their jaws in astonishment.

What? This dignified Marquis of Jining is here as a guest at your little teahouse? Not Panlou, the biggest restaurant on the entire East Market Street?

Everyone's first reaction was disbelief. Had this young lady, Li Niangzi, gone mad with business ambitions? Was she so excited upon seeing the Marquis that she was rambling incoherently?

After all, it doesn't make sense from a common-sense perspective!

However, when Li Niangzi glanced at the neighbors whispering and looking at them with suspicion, she felt disdain.

What kind of relationship does this Marquis have with his wife and daughters? Is it something that you ordinary people can possibly fathom?

"I heard that the Li family's business just opened today!" Wei Tingyu snapped open his folding fan and waved it elegantly as he spoke, "So I've come here specifically to sample the culinary skills of Lady Li and her ladies!"

As soon as Wei Tingyu finished speaking, the surrounding crowd almost simultaneously gasped in surprise.

This statement clearly tells everyone that Wei Tingyu came here today specifically for Sifu Tea House!

Upon hearing this, Li Niangzi's face immediately lit up with joy. How could she not know that Wei Tingyu was trying to save face for her?

"Then why aren't the Marquis's wives and concubines here..." Lady Li covered her mouth and chuckled, then asked again. After all, in her opinion, it would be even better if the Marquis had brought his female relatives with him!

When the news spreads, not only will high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and other prominent figures come to patronize your small shop because of your reputation, but also...

Those noble ladies and concubines would surely flock to Sifu Teahouse because the ladies of the Marquis's mansion had once visited it.

However, she was only halfway through her sentence when she saw Wei Tingyu looking at her with a knowing look, and she immediately understood.

The reason Wei Tingyu didn't bring his wives and concubines today must be so that he could easily connect with his daughter!

In other words, this lord is here to pick up girls! It would be so inconvenient to bring his wife along!

Even one's own daughter would be unable to relax or save face when facing someone else's wives or concubines who have officially entered the family.

As expected of the Marquis, he is so thoughtful!

"Distinguished guest! Please come to the private room upstairs!" Thinking of this, Li Niangzi didn't say anything more and quickly called out loudly, then personally welcomed Wei Tingyu into the door.

After the two entered, the once quiet street suddenly erupted into a frenzy, with everyone whispering among themselves. They couldn't understand why a dignified marquis would specifically choose to dine at a teahouse on East Market Street.

However, seeing is believing, and they cannot deny what they have just seen and heard with their own eyes and ears.

At this moment, looking at the pedestrians and neighbors pointing and talking around her shop, even the servants hired by Li Niangzi stood up straighter than before!

After all, the first customer his shop welcomed was none other than the Marquis of Jining! What an honor that was!

Even this young man himself felt that he was benefiting from the owner's wife's fame!

"Young man!" At this moment, a middle-aged merchant dressed in rather luxurious clothes walked up and asked the doorman, "Is your esteemed establishment open for business to receive people like us who have no official rank or title?"

As soon as he said this, many people around him widened their eyes and looked at the young man!

This is the answer they most want right now.

"Our boss said that when you're open for business, you naturally welcome guests from all directions!" The young man was quite pleased with himself, shaking his head and saying, "Everyone who comes is a guest, and as long as they don't cause trouble in our shop, we welcome them wholeheartedly!"

"Good, good, good!" Upon hearing the young man's words, the middle-aged businessman nodded repeatedly, and then stepped onto the stairs without saying another word.

As he walked into the shop, he said, "Since it's a newly opened business, I'd like to try the tea and snacks here!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll try it too! I'll try it too! It's newly opened, maybe it tastes really good!"

"Even the Marquis has come! It must be something special!"

"Exactly, exactly. Even if your stomach and intestines are precious, can they be more precious than the Marquis's?"

...The actions of this middle-aged businessman who took the lead immediately triggered a chain reaction. Many people who were shopping may not have originally intended to stop in the store to rest and eat, but at this moment they all followed the crowd and flocked into Sifu Tea House.

Even more surprisingly, many customers who had already reached the entrance of Panlou and were just one step away from entering the main gate turned around and rushed towards Sifu Teahouse.

Even the man who had previously refused the young man's offer to go to Panlou for dinner ran back and squeezed into the teahouse with the crowd.

……