Chapter 46 - Making Up an Excuse (1/2)

“Thank you then!” Yu Xiaocao flipped the banknote back and forth and examined it for a long time. After her curiosity had been fulfilled, she carefully folded the banknote and put it into the pocket of her jacket. After that, she patted her pocket contentedly.

A fifty taels banknote! In addition to her earnings from selling game last time, she had at least seventy or eighty taels now. It seemed like she had accumulated some savings now!

Third Young Master Zhou looked at Xiaocao, who appeared like a money-grubber. Her big eyes were like a pair of crescent moons and her rosy lips were curled up slightly. Even her shabby and worn-out attire couldn’t conceal her cuteness.

Yu Hai was quite surprised to see his daughter unreservedly putting the banknote into her pocket. When did his daughter become so assertive? She had calmly stuffed a fifty taels banknote into her own pocket. She didn’t know how many things fifty taels could buy, does she? Even a five-room house in Dongshan Village wouldn’t need so much money to be built.

Third Young Master Zhou had noticed Yu Hai looking at Xiaocao with a hesitant expression when she directly took the money without prior discussion with him. However, Yu Hai didn’t say anything in the end. He also didn’t confiscate the banknote, which was enough money for an ordinary family to live off for several years.

Zhou Zixu smiled faintly and said to Yu Hai, “Uncle Yu is really a good father, who dotes on your daughter.”

Yu Hai looked affectionately at his youngest daughter, who was currently eating snacks. He thought of his poverty-stricken situation of not having any money when his daughter fainted, as well as his other thin and weak children at home. He shook his head gently and replied with a voice full of solemnity and self-remorse, “No, I’m not a good father…”

“Father, if you stop listening to my grandmother all the time and think of our immediate family more, then you will definitely be a good father!” Yu Xiaocao lectured her father as she drank the steaming hot brown sugar ginger soup.

“My mother… who is also your real grandmother had passed away when your father, I, was still very young. Thus, I’m grateful to your grandmother for raising me up. After your youngest aunt gets married and your younger uncle passes the county level examination, there will be fewer burdens at home, so our immediate family can break off from the family and live separately from them. At that time, I’ll earn more money by hunting and fishing more frequently. I’ll buy more new clothes and hair accessories for our Xiaocao…” Yu Hai felt slightly distressed in his heart as he touched his daughter’s somewhat withered and yellow hair.

Yu Xiaocao inwardly pouted her lips. Her father was the breadwinner of the family. If her younger uncle passed the county level examination, then he would want to take provincial level examination and the imperial examination… Her grandmother was a leech, so she was never going to let them go until she had sucked all their blood. Their hope of breaking off from the family was very slim!

Another manservant of Third Young Master Zhou knocked on the door and came in with a bulky bundle. With an embarrassed expression on his face, Zhou Zixu’s personal manservant, Simo, took the bundle from him and said, “This servant really hasn’t worn this cotton-padded clothes before. If Miss Yu doesn’t mind, then…”

“I don’t mind! I don’t mind!” He was the personal manservant of the young master of the Zhou Family, which was the wealthiest family in Tanggu Town. Thus, he dressed more decently than most of the ordinary people in town. The quilted attire he wore was made of fine cotton cloth, which cost thirty-four copper coins for one-third of a meter!

She took the bundle and saw that it was indeed a brand-new set of dark blue quilted jacket and trousers. They were made with fine cotton fabric and filled with thick cotton, so the set of clothing felt extremely soft. Even if she didn’t touch the garment, it was easy to tell that they were made with fresh cotton. This set of cotton-padded clothes would cost at least a few hundred copper coins.

It wasn’t easy to work as a servant, so Yu Xiaocao naturally didn’t want to take advantage of him. She stretched her hand out towards her father and said, “We’ll buy this set of clothing from this young brother. Father, give me money to pay him!”

Third Young Master Zhou was quite amused when he saw the young girl, who had a fifty taels banknote in her pocket, outright asked her father to pay. Moreover, the obedient father swiftly complied to his daughter’s orders and paid with his money…

Simo hastily declined the string of copper coins that Yu Hai handed to him and said, “This cotton-padded attire is too small for me to wear, so it’s useless for me to keep it. It’s also a pity to just throw it away. It’s fortunate that Miss Yu wants to take it, so how can I accept money for it?”

In fact, the madam had rewarded the fabric for the quilted garments to him because she saw that he had served the young master wholeheartedly. Simo’s mother felt that her son had gained honor for her, so she gladly stayed up for two nights to make the clothes for him. However, he didn’t get the chance to wear it since the weather had gotten warmer. He took it out to wear as soon as winter came around, but it had already become too small for him.

His young master’s status in the Zhou Family had risen due to Zhenxiu Restaurant’s success. Eldest Master had praised his young master more than once in front of the other young masters. Even a personal manservant like him had also received more respect.

Simo, who had become conscious of his position, prevented his mother from altering the clothes. It would be so embarrassing if the personal manservant of the only heir of the second branch came out dressed in a mended attire. Wouldn’t he turn into a laughingstock? Thus, a good and brand new set of quilted clothes became useless.

Who was Miss Yu? In merely half a year, Zhenxiu Restaurant had become the best restaurant in Tanggu Town. Miss Yu could probably take at least half of the credit for the success of Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, even his own young master treated her with respect and gratitude. She readily accepted the cotton-padded clothes, so how would he dare to take her money?

Yu Xiaocao noticed that the young brother was about to be upset if she continued to give him the money. Hence, she stopped insisting and expressed her gratitude to the manservant again. After that, she stuffed the quilted clothing into her father’s hands and bid farewell to Third Young Master Zhou.

Zhou Zixu lamented, “Head Chef Wang came up with a new dish. I wanted to ask you to taste the dish and give us some advice. But it seems like we have to do it on another day. By the way, where do you live, Xiaocao? Leave me your address, so I can find you more easily in the future.”

“I live in Dongshan Village, which is southeast of town. It’s a small fishing village a little over twenty-five kilometers [1] away.” Yu Xiaocao’s plan to quietly make a fortune was inseparable from her ‘God of Fortune [2]’, so she naturally wouldn’t reject his request.

When they came out of the private room, they ran into Head Chef Wang, who had hurriedly rushed over. He had a slightly disappointed expression on his face when he saw Yu Xiaocao leaving. He found out that Xiaocao was going to visit her older brother, who worked as an apprentice. Head Chef Wang, who had also begun as an apprentice, naturally knew that pain of being an apprentice. Thus, he ordered the server to wrap a bag of freshly-made steamed buns from the kitchen and told Xiaocao bring it to her older brother.