Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 426 Sisterly Love
“It’s just so funny!”
Looking at the angry Yuan Xudong, Zhao Pan'er laughed so hard that her body shook. She imitated Yuan Xudong's previous behavior and said:
"Pan'er, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't...hahaha!"
"Just laugh as hard as you can. Sooner or later you will cry!"
After rolling his eyes at Zhao Pan'er who was laughing so hard, Yuan Xudong stretched out his hand, held Zhao Pan'er's fingertips through his sleeve and said seriously:
"Pan'er, honestly, what kind of person am I in your heart?"
He stared into Zhao Pan'er's eyes and smiled:
"I want to hear the truth!"
"Truth?"
Zhao Pan'er raised her head and glanced at Yuan Xudong. Her fingertips felt the warmth of his palm, and a warm current inexplicably flowed through her heart. She looked into Yuan Xudong's deep eyes, smiled slightly and said:
"In my heart, you are a scheming, lustful and frivolous scoundrel. Of course, you are also a good person, a good person to me, Yinzhang, Sanniang and Yinping girl!"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er's simple evaluation of him, Yuan Xudong said unsatisfiedly:
"No more?"
“No more!”
Zhao Paner nodded, looked at Yuan Xudong and said:
"I've already praised you for being a good person, what else do you want from me?"
“Who wants to be a good person?”
Looking at Zhao Pan'er who was smiling, Yuan Xudong exerted a little force on his hands. He grasped Zhao Pan'er's fingertips, pulled her into his arms and said with a smile:
"I just want to be a bad guy in my life and bully you every day, okay?"
"Okay, then you can bully me if you're willing!"
Being held in Yuan Xudong's arms, Zhao Pan'er slightly puffed out her chest, raised her eyes and looked at him and smiled:
"Are you willing to do that?"
"Of course I'm willing to do that!"
Looking at the arrogant Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled and said jokingly:
"I'm willing to bully you in bed and make you cry!"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Hearing Yuan Xudong's dirty talk, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but glare at him. She snuggled in Yuan Xudong's arms and murmured:
"Sometimes you are very good, but sometimes you are very bad. I often tell Yin Zhang that people in this world are like the puff pastry made by Sanniang. They all look the same on the surface, but there are thousands of layers inside. Only by tasting it yourself can you know what it tastes like!"
"Yeah?"
Looking at Zhao Pan'er who was expressing her true feelings, Yuan Xudong lifted her chin with his right fingertips and said with a smile:
"So after you tasted me, did you find out what I taste like? Do you like it?"
Hearing this, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but roll her eyes at Yuan Xudong, staring at him with her big black and white eyes and smiling:
"You are a leftover shortbread. You are so disgusting, okay?"
"You still dare to scold me?"
Looking at the charming Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong turned her face, kissed her lips twice and said jokingly:
"It doesn't matter if it tastes bad, as long as you like it. I like cherries the most. They are not only fragrant, but also smooth and tender!"
After being with Yuan Xudong for a long time, Zhao Pan'er could immediately understand whatever dirty talk he said. At this moment, she couldn't help but spit and curse:
"Bah, you filthy rascal!"
"What's wrong with me? Is it not okay for me to like eating cherries?"
After taking a look at Zhao Pan'er, whose pretty face was blushing, and then at the empty teahouse, Yuan Xudong smiled slightly and said:
"Forget it, I won't argue with you. Seeing that your teahouse business is so bad, how about I postpone the bet for another month? After two months, if your shop can make a profit, I will listen to you from now on. Otherwise, you will listen to me and be a good and obedient little woman. How about that?"
Looking at Yuan Xudong who was certain that he would lose money, Zhao Paner looked at him with her head held high, refusing to admit defeat easily.
"Don't pretend to be a nice person here. I, Zhao Pan'er, am also a famous tea seller in Jiangnan. Just wait and see. Within a month, you have to come here and line up obediently!"
"Okay, I'll wait and see!"
…
The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was falling. The teahouse business was still very bad. From early morning till now, there were only a dozen customers in total, and most of them drank loose tea, which cost one cent for a large bowl. The total profit was less than two hundred cents. Excluding the tea cakes made by Sun Sanniang and the one cent rent for the shop, Zhao Pan'er had lost more than two cents today. Although Zhao Pan'er and the others were still cheering themselves up and looked confident, their eyes betrayed them. The frustration and annoyance in their eyes were clearly visible.
As there was no business, Zhao Pan'er closed the door early and planned to go back to think of a solution. Sun Sanniang and Yinping girl packed some fruits in baskets to take back to eat, and distributed the rest of the tea and fruits to the children playing nearby. By the way, they were asked to help promote the teahouse, which was better than nothing.
When she got home and saw Song Yinzhang still sleeping in the room, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but feel worried. In the morning, she thought that Song Yinzhang was spoiled since childhood and couldn't endure hardship, but now it seems that she might really be unwell. Yuan Xudong naturally knew what was wrong with Song Yinzhang, but he couldn't tell Zhao Pan'er that your sister is fine, just tired from serving the emperor during the day, right?
Zhao Pan'er and a few others went to Song Yinzhang's room to see her. Yuan Xudong did not follow them, but went to his alchemy room, ready to continue studying those elixirs with magical effects and how to reduce the cost and efficacy of the elixirs. Take Shuiyun Dan and Huoqi Dan for example, they require many precious medicinal materials, such as century-old ginseng, Tianshan snow lotus, etc. Although they are expensive, their efficacy is unexpectedly good. Yuan Xudong got unprecedented satisfaction and pleasure from Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang, so much so that he dared not sell them to others casually without reducing the efficacy. What if they were used by bad guys to hurt lovely girls?
In addition to Shuiyun Pill and Huoqi Pill, there are also Beauty Pill and Longevity Pill, which have even more miraculous effects. The former can make men more handsome and women more beautiful. Of course, it still requires a certain foundation. If you are too ugly, taking Beauty Pill will have no effect. You need to take a magical pill with even more miraculous effects. That requires medicinal materials such as thousand-year-old ginseng and ten-thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, which are hard to come by.
The latter can allow people to live ten or twenty years longer, but if you want more, it is not possible. There is also the elixir of immortality that emperors and generals want, but the raw materials for refining the elixir of immortality are even more exaggerated, such as the feathers of the phoenix, the reverse scales of the five-clawed golden dragon, etc. It is better to forget it and go to bed.
In addition to these powerful pills, there are also some ordinary pills that have the effects of nourishing yin and yang or detoxifying and beautifying the skin, and can be sold as general health products. In addition, there are some banned drugs, such as drugs that can make girls feel hot all over. Yuan Xudong is very interested in them. He has no bad intentions. He just wants to test it out. Can human willpower overcome the effects of drugs?
It is said that true love is loyal and faithful, but what if you take a powerful drug?
…
Just as Yuan Xudong was refining the elixir and wanted to use Gao Hui to test the forbidden drug that made girls feel hot all over, Zhao Pan'er was sitting at the head of Song Yinzhang's bed and said gently:
"Yin Zhang, are you feeling unwell somewhere? How about I ask a doctor to come over and take a good look at you?"
"Sister, don't worry, I'm fine, I was just a little tired, but I'm completely fine now!"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang, and Yinping girl all gathered around her bed, Song Yinzhang couldn't help blushing. She got off the bed in a white dress, and said with a shy smile:
"Look, I'm fine now. By the way, how's the business in the teahouse today? Is it busy?"
"Business wasn't very good, so we just sat around in the teahouse all day, basically doing nothing!"
Sun Sanniang said as she glanced at Song Yinzhang, whose face was radiant with moisture. She looked lazy and her eyes were as gentle as water. A smile flashed in her eyes. This was not a sign of physical discomfort. It was clearly that she was just greedy and stole the feast, okay?
As if she sensed the smile hidden in Sun Sanniang's eyes, Song Yinzhang lowered her head in embarrassment. While putting on her clothes, she said with concern:
"Wasn't it fine yesterday? Why is it not working today?"
"It's okay, I know why the business is not doing well!"
Looking at the weak Song Yinzhang, Zhao Paner understood at this time. It must be that in the morning, after she, Sanniang, and Yinping went out, Yuan Xudong dragged Song Yinzhang to play crazy all morning, plus the strange elixir, Song Yinzhang's fragile body, after Yuan Xudong's rough treatment like a bull, it would be strange if he didn't lie in bed all day. This bad man didn't know how to pity Yinzhang. He was like a bull, only thinking about his own comfort. Thinking about the interesting things in the women's boudoirs, Zhao Paner looked at Song Yinzhang and said jokingly:
"Yin Zhang, did Fan Lang bully you when I was away?"
"Sister~~"
After hearing Zhao Pan'er point out his embarrassing story, Song Yinzhang blushed with shame and said:
"You're making fun of me, I won't talk to you anymore!"
"Okay, let's talk about these boudoir things later!"
Compared to Song Yinzhang's greed and stealing, Sun Sanniang was more concerned about why the teahouse's business suddenly went bad. After all, she was much older than Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang, and had long passed the age of being young and ignorant and knowing the taste of food. She looked at Zhao Pan'er and asked directly:
"Pan'er, what do you think is the reason why the business is not doing well?"
"Here's what happened..."
Zhao Pan'er told Sun Sanniang, Song Yinzhang, and Yinping the tea-drinking habits of Tokyo residents that she had learned from Yuan Xudong. After listening, Sun Sanniang suddenly realized:
"So that's what's going on!"
At this moment, Sun Sanniang suddenly had an idea. She remembered that when she lived in Sanyuan Inn, every time Song Yinzhang played the pipa, many guests would stop and watch. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at Song Yinzhang and smiled:
"Yin Zhang, bring your pipa to the teahouse tomorrow and play it five or six times a day. It will surely attract a lot of business!"
"Play the pipa for those tea drinkers?"
After taking a look at Sun Sanniang, Song Yinzhang felt unhappy. She was the best pipa player in Jiangnan and was proficient in music. She used to play pipa for dignitaries like the Concubine Dowager Qian. Moreover, she was not short of money at all. She had money of her own, and Yuan Xudong gave her a lot of betrothal gifts. She was richer than the average businessman. As for the small business in the teahouse, the people who came into the shop to drink tea were all peddlers who earned their money through hard work. She would not do such a thing that was beneath her status. These thoughts flashed through her mind. She looked at Sun Sanniang and Zhao Pan'er and shook her head to refuse. She puffed her cheeks and said a little aggrievedly:
"I won't go. My music is for people who understand music, not for peddlers and hawkers!"
"What happened to the peddlers?"
Hearing that Song Yinzhang was unwilling to play the pipa in the store to attract customers, Sun Sanniang frowned slightly and said:
"You played the pipa at the Sanyuan Inn before, didn't you say you wanted to play the pipa for the guests when the teahouse first opened?"
"But I..."
Song Yinzhang was speechless for a moment. She had indeed said such words, but this was completely different from what she had originally imagined. She imagined that she would be like the courtesan Zhang Haohao, who had a great following, where customers would spend a string of coins and have to wait for half a month to have a chance to hear her pipa music, instead of having a bowl of loose tea for a penny and her pipa music being available for them to listen to at will. In this case, wouldn't her pipa music be worthless?
Zhao Pan'er was afraid that Song Yinzhang and Sun Sanniang would have a dispute, so she tried to smooth things over:
"Yin Zhang's status is different now, and it would be beneath his status to play the pipa again. Although Fan Lang said he didn't care, if Yin Zhang really went to the store to play the pipa in public to attract customers, he would definitely be unhappy!"
Song Yinzhang did not say anything, but Sun Sanniang was a carefree person. She slapped her head and laughed:
"I almost forgot that you are the young wife of the Xiao family now. You have to be more stable. It is hard for others to find a good husband like Mr. Xiao. You really have to cherish him!"
Then, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhao Pan'er and suggested:
"Pan'er, since people in Ma Xing Street don't like our tea, why don't we just sell loose tea instead? It'll be easier this way!"
Hearing this, Zhao Pan'er was still thinking about Sun Sanniang's proposal, but Song Yinzhang next to her rejected it outright:
"I don't agree!"
Seeing that Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were both looking at him, Song Yinzhang explained weakly:
"Selling loose tea is just catering to the peddlers. Our teahouse is so elegant, how can we do something so unethical?"
Seeing that Sun Sanniang's face was not looking good, Zhao Pan'er quickly tried to smooth things over:
"Quality is important, but you can't ignore the preferences of tea drinkers. Otherwise, sell loose tea and light tea at half price each!"
After hearing what Zhao Pan'er said, Song Yinzhang frowned slightly and said:
"But even if we add loose tea, won't business still be bad if customers don't come into the store? In my opinion, we should just move the store to the Tea Soup Lane that Fan Lang mentioned. This way, we can solve the problem once and for all!"
"Moving store?"
After being rejected twice by Song Yinzhang, Sun Sanniang became a little angry. She immediately retorted:
"We've only been open for a few days, so the rent is going to be wasted? Besides, you don't usually do housework, so you don't know how expensive it is!"
When Song Yinzhang heard Sun Sanniang always use this excuse to provoke him, he couldn't help but raise his head and said angrily:
"I have never done business before, but this time I invested the most capital!"
"What's wrong with you today? You just refute me when I say something?"
Hearing Song Yinzhang mention the capital for opening the store, Sun Sanniang's voice unconsciously lowered, but the anger in her heart became even stronger. She had nothing and came to Tokyo alone. She still lived in Yuan Xudong's garden. Normally, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but now hearing what Song Yinzhang said, she just felt helpless and sad. This was probably the feeling of living under someone else's roof. She just felt uncomfortable in her heart and tried hard to hold back the tears in her eyes.
At this time, Song Yinzhang was about to cry and said:
"I used to listen to you, but my business still didn't improve. Besides, I paid the money, so I can't say a word?"
"That's enough, calm down, there are always ups and downs in business."
Seeing that Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang were arguing and even started crying, Zhao Paner was angry and amused, and advised:
"We've only been open for a few days, and we've already been in such a mess over such a small matter. Should we continue to do this? Or should we just disband now while the loss is minimal?"
Although she was older than Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang still obeyed Zhao Pan'er out of habit. When she heard Zhao Pan'er say that they wanted to disband, she couldn't help but raise her head, looked at Zhao Pan'er and whispered:
"We can't break up!"
Although she had a few quarrels with Sun Sanniang, Song Yinzhang did not want to really break up. She was not stupid. If they really broke up, it would not be the twenty or thirty strings of cash that would be lost, but the feelings between the sisters. Therefore, she was weak and silent. Seeing the two of them like this, Zhao Paner was the first to criticize Sun Sanniang:
"You, you say you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are until you run a household. If it were me, I would have to talk to you too!"
After criticizing Sun Sanniang, Zhao Pan'er naturally had to criticize Song Yinzhang. She glared at Song Yinzhang who was still crying and said helplessly:
"And you, you burst into tears after just a few words. You made it sound reasonable even when it didn't make sense. If Fanlang saw it, he would think that I, as your elder sister, was bullying you!"
After being scolded by Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang calmed down. At this time, Sun Sanniang explained:
"Pan'er, you know me well. I have a sharp tongue but a soft heart!"
"A person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart is just a bad mouth. It's okay if you tell it to others, but if you tell it to your friends, won't it hurt their feelings?"
Zhao Pan'er took the opportunity to criticize Sun Sanniang. Even if she had good intentions, her words would still hurt others. After hitting someone with a stick, she would naturally give him another sweet date to taste. Zhao Pan'er looked at Song Yinzhang, who was keeping his head down and saying nothing, and spoke well of Sun Sanniang:
"Yin Zhang, you too, paid the most for opening the shop this time, but didn't Sanniang contribute? Aren't all the fruits in the teahouse made by her alone? If you want to say whoever pays has the final say, then Chi Yanei should be the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture. Sanniang has taken care of us for so many years, have you forgotten all of that?"
These words touched the hearts of Song Yinzhang and Sun Sanniang. Song Yinzhang thought she was not an ungrateful person. She quarreled with Sun Sanniang just because of her temper. Thinking of how good Sun Sanniang had been to her in the past, she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Sun Sanniang was the same. She had always treated Song Yinzhang as her own sister, but now she had a dispute with her sister. Thinking about it, it was really wrong. At this time, Song Yinzhang suddenly stood up, bowed slightly to Sun Sanniang, and apologized sincerely:
"Sister Sanniang, I was wrong. I got into a bad temper again. I'm sorry!"
As she spoke, Song Yinzhang actually wanted to kneel down and apologize to Sun Sanniang. Sun Sanniang hurriedly supported her and said:
"Get up, it's all my fault, it's my fault for not being able to control my words!"
Song Yinzhang was helped up by Sun Sanniang. With tears in her eyes, she ran to a nearby place, knelt down, and kowtowed to Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang to express her gratitude:
"After so many years, I still haven't thanked you two sisters for your kindness. Thank you for taking care of me since I was a child. Thank you!"
"Yin Zhang, what are you doing?"
Zhao Pan'er had never thought of asking Song Yinzhang to be grateful to her. Her life was exchanged for Song Yinzhang's sister's own life. It was natural for her to take care of Song Yinzhang. There was nothing wrong with it. She just wanted to teach Song Yinzhang to be grateful to Sun Sanniang. At this time, seeing Song Yinzhang kneeling on the ground and kowtow to her and Sun Sanniang to express her gratitude, Zhao Pan'er felt distressed and inexplicably moved. For so many years, she always thought that she took care of Song Yinzhang so much out of gratitude, but now she really understood that Song Yinzhang was her own sister!
Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang hurriedly ran towards Song Yinzhang who was still kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. Perhaps because she was too anxious, Zhao Pan'er was not paying attention and tripped over the threshold on the ground, and was about to fall to the ground.
