Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 327

Chapter 327: 327

Nanzhi didn’t say anything for a moment, just gently patted the young girl’s back, occasionally handing her a cup of tea, allowing her to vent.

"Sister Nanzhi, you’ve been working hard these days," Shen Miaomiao felt a bit better after a good cry. However, she was a bit dazed when she realized the women’s floor of the restaurant had not been in business.

"What happened to the restaurant?"

"It’s not a big deal." Nanzhi paused, initially thinking that Miaomiao was emotionally unstable and would be affected if she knew about the restaurant’s struggles. However, after some thought, she said, "Some days ago, Miss Zeng visited our restaurant and was scared off by a street ruffian. I’ve had to close the restaurant for now to make some changes, before extending an apology to Miss Zeng."

Miaomiao stared blankly at Nanzhi for a long moment before asking, "Was that the day when you came to see me?"

Nanzhi looked at Miaomiao, nodded.

"Sister Nanzhi, I’m sorry." The young girl mumbled a little before finally managing to say the words.

Sister Nanzhi was the one who purchased Three Flavors Residence, provided the aniseed, and handled all the big and small matters of the restaurant. Not only did Miaomiao fail to contribute any silver, but she also failed to help when the restaurant ran into trouble...

The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she felt. Miaomiao didn’t dare to look up at Nanzhi for a while.

"There’s no need to apologize." Knowing what she was thinking, Nanzhi’s heart softened somewhat. She was just a young girl after all.

"Today, I bought the court next door and asked Master Zheng to help out. In the future, we can build a staircase from the small court to directly access the women’s floor of the restaurant. The two small rooms in the court will be used to sell cold beverages."

Nanzhi stood by the window, looking towards the small court next door with a somewhat melancholic gaze.

She wanted to do all these on her own, but after all, she was relying on Shen Wenchen; she might not even have been able to provide the initial funding otherwise.

"Wouldn’t this cause dissatisfaction among the male guests?" Shen Miaomiao, drying her tears, decided not to fret about the family matters any more. She couldn’t offer much silver, but she could at least contribute some effort.

Establishing a ’Women’s Floor’ in their Three Flavors Residence was indeed a clever move. However, mischievous people could harp about it, potentially causing a mess.

Nanzhi nodded. She had considered the same thing.

Yan City was very prosperous, and women here enjoyed a higher status compared to those in other places. Still, most of the women who appeared in public belonged to ordinary families. Wealthy families did not allow their daughters to go outside.

This was because there were often indecent incidents in the city.

From what she knew, there was one such incident.

A merchant’s daughter went out to meet her close friends and accidentally left her handkerchief on the street. The thug who picked up the handkerchief spread rumors around the city, saying that the young lady had given him the handkerchief as a token of their love.

To save face, the family had to hurriedly marry off their daughter. Since then, fewer young ladies have dared to venture out.

The Women’s Floor was doing well since its opening, which aroused the envy of their peers. But they had no choice; to innovate, they had to pay a price.

She was betting on the fact that those people would not dare to do anything drastic.

Even for the staff on the Women’s Floor, she planned to buy maids to work there, thereby eliminating any possibility of slander.

In this way, what could the dissatisfied male guests do?

"Whatever we do, there will always be people picking on us. But we can’t be intimidated by that.

The courtyard in the future will be turned into a cold drink shop. As the weather is getting hotter now, the business of the cold drink shop can improve. In the next few days, we will have to work hard together again."

Shen Miaomiao looked at Nanzhi, her eyes a bit more firm.

"Sister Nanzhi, I will do whatever you say. But, I just want to stay here for a few days."

Miaomiao was a bit uncomfortable speaking those words. She did not want to go home, nor did she want to see Shen Zhong’s face again.

Ever since she and her parents came to Yan City, they had never given up on searching for Shen Zhong.

She even enlisted the help of Twelve to inquire about him.

But now that he’s back, he’s rotten to the bone.

The person he used to be is long gone.

"Alright." Knowing that the young girl was feeling uncomfortable, Nanzhi did not push further.

It indicated Shen Zhong had changed when he forced Li Lian to become a covert prostitute.

Such a person was destined not to stay in the Shen family.

Aunt Guihua knows it well, all that’s left is to pierce that paper window.

After spending five wen coins to have a beggar inform the Shen family that they were fine, Nanzhi and Miaomiao returned to the Lin Family.

When they arrived, Auntie Zhuang had just finished cooking, and Mother Lin was sitting in the yard sewing clothes. When she heard the door open and raised her head, she was startled by Miaomiao’s swollen eyes.

"Miaomiao, what happened? Why did you cry your eyes out like this?"

Mother Lin was fond of Miaomiao and felt sorry to see her cry like this. She put down her sewing kit and fetched a hot towel to soothe Miaomiao’s eyes.

"Aunt Lin, I’m fine, I’ll be okay after a night’s sleep."

Miaomiao was somewhat embarrassed and quickly discouraged her from fussing.

She was just temporarily staying here, how could she trouble Aunt Lin?

"That’s not good. Your eyes are so swollen, you should get some treatment. Otherwise, you won’t sleep well at night."

Without waiting for her reply, Mother Lin rushed to the kitchen.

Xiaomi, who was holding Mother Lin’s sewing kit, was at a loss for words, only managing to squeak out, "Welcome back."

Nanzhi glanced at him, detecting his clear discomfort. She couldn’t help but find it a bit ridiculous.

She hadn’t done anything drastic to the kid, so why was he so scared of her?

The three other children were busy with their schoolwork in the study room. Xiaomi didn’t want to face Nanzhi and after hesitating, made a run for it back to his room with the sewing kit.

Aunt Zhuang, however, displayed a trace of unease on her face when she saw Nanzhi and Miaomiao. She wiped her hands on her apron and quickly invited them to sit.

"Miss is back, please have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon."

Though Aunt Zhuang was employed by Nanzhi, they rarely saw each other due to their different schedules. Now, noticing Aunt Zhuang evading her gaze, Nanzhi became slightly suspicious.

Before she could question her, the door to the courtyard creaked open. Aunt Zhuang, seeming to see a lifesaver, hurriedly opened the door, leaving Nanzhi and Miaomiao by the table.

Miaomiao gave Aunt Zhuang’s retreating figure a sidelong glance, her brows furrowed in suspicion. She looked at Nanzhi and said in a low voice, "Sister Nanzhi, I don’t trust her."

Father Lin, who had arrived at the gate, looked impatient at the sight of Aunt Zhuang. Without acknowledging her offer to take his things, he sidestepped her and walked in.