CHAPTER 68

The owner of the Malatang stall had always had her head and face covered before. Although her voice was quite nice, it was impossible to associate her with a pretty girl. At this moment, at first glance, she was stunningly beautiful.

The man stopped moving, and the other young men turned around and called him, “Come on, hurry up and walk with Miss Yang.”

When she turned around, everyone was surprised. What a face this was, with skin as white as cream, a complexion as bright as the autumn moon, eyes like stars, and lips like cherries. Even if all the words in the world used to describe a woman’s beauty were used to describe her, it would not be an exaggeration.

The young man who just turned around and called the stunned person said to the others around him, “You guys, go ahead; I’m not going; I’ll just eat here; I think this place is the best.”

When the young men saw Su Wan’s face and heard their companions say this, they all said, “I won’t go either. Why go so far?”

“That’s right, just eat it nearby.”

Someone even explained to Yang Yunyan, “Miss Yang, I’m really too hungry. I can’t hold on any longer and can’t go to South Street.”

Someone else echoed, “I’m hungry too. Miss Yang, if you’re going to South Street, you should leave quickly. Otherwise, if you leave too late, it will be hard to queue up there.”

Yang Yunyan was actually ordered to leave. She never thought that someone would refuse her invitation. Before this, if she had actively invited a man or begged him, it would be a pity for this man.

Yang Yunyan still couldn’t believe it was true and said unwillingly, “Gentlemen, why don’t you go to South Street to eat together?”

Several people raised their hands, indicating that they didn’t want to walk that far.

The girl in green clothes said unhappily, “I see you guys don’t want to walk that far; it’s obvious that you guys can’t walk because you see the pretty girl selling Malatang.”

The girl in yellow clothes mocked, “You really have never seen the world. You think a girl with a flat head and a clean face is a fairy.”

One of the men in a dark green brocade robe said, “You are lying with your eyes open. What do you mean by a flat head and a facelift? The owner of this shop is obviously as beautiful as a fairy. Are you jealous of her beauty?”

Normally, these girls were the center of attention wherever they went and had never been humiliated like this. They blushed with shame and wanted to argue with the man, but they felt it would be too embarrassing to start a quarrel on the street. So, one by one, they had to swallow their anger and head towards South Street.

Su Wan really didn’t expect Mrs. Shen to come over. After indicating her direction, Su Wan ran to Mrs. Shen’s side and supported her, “Aunt, why are you here?”

Mrs. Shen smiled and said, “I know your business is good; I have always wanted to come and take a look. Today, the second son of the Yang family borrowed a bullock cart to go into the county. When he passed by our house, he asked me if I wanted to come over. I felt that my body had improved a lot, and I also wanted to come and see your stall, so I came over.”

“What about Brother Yang and the others?” Su Wan asked.

Mrs. Shen pointed in the direction of the street entrance, “They are at the street entrance. I deliberately asked them to leave me there. I just wanted to see if I could walk over by myself.”

Su Wan waved in the direction of Yang Laoer, who also waved and shouted, “We still have to remember to deliver vegetables to that stall. I won’t talk to you any more. We’re leaving first.”

Su Wan said goodbye to Yang Laoer from a distance.

Mrs. Shen looked around the stall at the people queuing up and sighed, “Your stall is really doing very well. I wonder what virtues Lin’er had in his previous life to be able to get engaged to a capable girl like you.”

“Now, I’m afraid Lin’er is not worthy of you.” Mrs. Shen couldn’t help but sigh.

Su Wan smiled and said, ” Aunt, what are you talking about? Brother Shen Lin has already planned to go back to the academy to study. With his intelligence, he will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi in the future. I am still looking forward to him earning an imperial edict for me in the future.”

Mrs. Shen covered Su Wan’s hand with her own. “I know you said this to please me, but even if I know this, I feel comfortable in my heart.”

The attention of the young men who stayed behind was originally on Su Wan. When they saw Mrs. Shen coming, they thought she was Su Wan’s mother and planned to show off. But after listening to the content of their conversation, they found out that the girl was engaged and the old woman who came was her future mother-in-law. This made people unhappy.

Su Wan knew that Mrs. Shen had been staying at home all these years and had hardly ever come out except to see a doctor. Now that Mrs. Shen had come out, Su Wan planned to take Mrs. Shen to various stalls to have a look. If she saw a sedan chair, she would hire one and let Mrs. Shen take a good look at Qingyun County.

So Su Wan took off the hat on her head and then took Mrs. Shen’s support and called Shen Yaya to leave together.

The few young men who were about to follow Yang Yunyan but stayed behind watched Su Wan leave but could do nothing.

Su Wan knew about the incident. Yang Yunyan wanted to use her beauty to bring customers to the stall on South Street to prove that what she said about the food on South Street tasted better was true and not just nonsense.

But after she took off her masks, these young men stayed.

Su Wan didn’t like them staying for such a reason, and to her, it really didn’t matter whether these diners ate at the snack street or at South Street. They were all her restaurants anyway, and it made no difference where she made money from.

Yang Yunyan and a few of her sisters walked towards South Street.

“The one on South Street tastes better, but those people don’t know the value of the food.” The girl in green tried her best to resolve the embarrassment of Yang Yunyan’s irresponsible talk.

“That’s right, let’s go to South Street.” The girl in yellow echoed.

Yang Yunyan stopped and said, “Why go to South Street? In my opinion, the food in South Street and the snack street is not tasty.”

After Yang Yunyan finished speaking, she went to the teahouse next to her. Thinking that both stalls belonged to Su Wan, Yang Yunyan felt chest tightness and shortness of breath. Moreover, after seeing Su Wan’s face, the men did not follow her to South Street. Doesn’t this clearly show that she is not as pretty as Su Wan?

The other three girls followed Yang Yunyan to the teahouse. Among them, Yang Yunyan was undoubtedly the core figure. In addition to the fact that Yang Yunyan was the most talented woman in Qingyun County, there was another important reason. Yang Yunyan’s father was a teacher at Songshan Academy. The students of Yang Yunyan’s father were all the most likely students to pass the imperial examinations in Qingyun County. If, through Yang Yunyan’s relationship, Yang Yunyan’s father could introduce them to those promising students, it would be a great thing.

In today’s world, everything is inferior except education. Being able to marry a scholar who has passed the imperial examination is such a glorious thing for a small family like theirs.

For example, Yang Yunyan will most likely marry Wang Luosheng in the future. Wang Luosheng is one of the few people in Qingyun County who passed the imperial examination at a young age. He will definitely have a bright future. Yang Yunyan can also become an official’s wife in the future, so even if she is not getting married for herself, she has to establish a good relationship with this future official’s wife.

So on weekdays, everyone follows Yang Yunyan’s lead.

After sitting down in the teahouse, the girl in yellow quickly poured a cup of tea for Yang Yunyan, “Yunyan, don’t be angry. They are just a bunch of ordinary people. It’s natural that they don’t understand what you are saying. You are the most talented woman in Qingyun County. There is no need to be angry with people like them.”

The girl in green also said, “That Malatang seller may look good, but she is just a Malatang seller after all. She comes from a poor family and is illiterate. Even if she gets married in the future, she will marry a peddler, while you will definitely be the wife of an official. Who can compare to your glory?”

Yang Yunyan rolled her eyes at the girl in green and said, “Are you comparing me to that Malatang seller?”

The girl in green quickly waved her hands, “No, no, that’s not what I meant, Yunyan. I meant that you must not get angry because of such a small person.”

The girl in yellow didn’t care that it was winter now and fanned Yang Yunyan flatteringly with her hands, “Yunyan, there is the imperial exam soon, and Wang Luosheng will definitely pass it. At that time, he will definitely come to get engaged to you. How glorious it will be. I envy you so much just thinking about this scene.”

Thinking of Wang Luosheng, Yang Yunyan felt relieved. She was the most talented woman in Qingyun County, so she should be paired with Wang Luosheng, the most talented man in Qingyun County. Her father had always said that Wang Luosheng was the most likely to pass the imperial examination among all the students in Songshan Academy. This year, the special examination was held, so Wang Luosheng could achieve success earlier. Wang Luosheng had told her not long ago that he would come to propose marriage soon.

Isn’t Su Wan’s business good? After all, it’s just a small business. Brother Luosheng has said that after getting married, he will hand over the family mill business to herself. Su Wan’s is just a stall, while she can manage a big mill, which is many times more respectable than hers.

As Yang Yunyan thought about it, she suddenly realized that she always unconsciously compared herself with Su Wan. What was there to compare? In terms of family background, appearance, knowledge, ability, the husband she was going to marry in the future, and the life she was going to live, she was ten or a hundred times better than Su Wan in every way. Why did she always compare herself with her?

Yang Yunyan took a sip of tea to calm down and said to the girls around her who were trying to please her, “The Imperial exam is coming soon. When the results come out, I will ask my father to recommend you among the students who did well in the exam. But even if I recommend you, you guys still have to behave better on weekdays and don’t say anything unpleasant. By then, even if my father guarantees you, those who have passed the exam may not even look at you.”

Several girls responded in a flattering manner, and Yang Yunyan felt a little more satisfied.

……….

Shen Lin did not go to the Malatang stall today. Su Wan asked him to go back to school to study, so Shen Lin went to buy writing brushes, inkstones, book baskets, and other necessary supplies for studying.

The Imperial exam will be in three months, so he has to study hard.