The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 24

After Bai Li left and the door closed behind him, Bai Shu sighed, “Two tigers cannot share one mountain. One must always give way. Keep a close eye on Manager Lu and see where his true loyalties lie.”

He wondered if the child had discovered something. Manager Lu had always been his man, but now it seemed that might no longer be the case.

The room was empty, and there was no response, as if he were talking to himself.

Meanwhile, Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan left the main hall without speaking a word.

It wasn’t until they returned to their room that Bai Zhi finally had the chance to ask, “Is there something between you and Second Sister…?”

“Something not quite right?” Wei Ziwan casually sat down, finishing Bai Zhi’s sentence.

Bai Zhi nodded faintly. That was exactly what she wanted to ask.

Wei Ziwan’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Didn’t you see it clearly? Do you still think your Second Sister is a good person?”

Bai Zhi pursed her lips. She didn’t fully understand the tense atmosphere in the hall earlier, but she had vaguely sensed something off about Bai Luo.

It didn’t seem like pure goodwill.

At first, her words had been kind, but they subtly positioned her on Elder Brother’s side, making Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan seem unreasonable.

And later?

Later, it seemed like she and Wei Ziwan had been exchanging veiled remarks.

Wait a minute! Standing on Elder Brother’s side, making them seem unreasonable—how did that feel…?

Bai Zhi suddenly remembered their original plan and felt a chill in her heart. Luring the snake out of its hole!

Suppressing her shock, she looked at Wei Ziwan. “Could it be…?”

Wei Ziwan smiled faintly. “Do you understand now?” At least she wasn’t completely clueless.

Bai Zhi nodded, her heart heavy with complexity. “But what does she gain from this?”

As the saying goes, no one gets up early without a reason. What could Bai Luo possibly gain by targeting them in secret?

Seeing Bai Zhi’s confusion, Wei Ziwan sighed softly. “Bai Luo causing trouble for us in secret can only mean one of three things. First, she stands to gain something from it. Second, our arrival has interfered with her interests.”

“What’s the third possibility?” Bai Zhi nodded slightly, pressing further.

The first two possibilities didn’t seem to fit, so perhaps it was the third.

Wei Ziwan raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “The third possibility? Perhaps she’s jealous of my beauty.”

Of course, it could also be that this Second Sister Bai had nothing better to do and simply enjoyed making trouble for others.

Bai Zhi’s mouth twitched, and she nearly rolled her eyes on the spot. “It’s probably one of the first two.”

As for the third, this troublemaker’s brain must have been flooded. Always suspecting others of being jealous of her beauty—what kind of illness was that?

Wei Ziwan didn’t take it to heart and smiled. “You’re right, husband.”

Bai Zhi sipped her tea in silence, feeling like the troublemaker was just humoring her.

Meanwhile, after leaving the hall, Bai Luo instructed her maid to spread the word. Within an hour, everyone in the manor knew that Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan had somehow sold their soybeans at double the price.

And the buyer was none other than Manager Xi from Lou Shang Lou.

Everyone knew what Lou Shang Lou was—the largest restaurant chain in Baiyue, with branches everywhere. Its reputation and influence were immense. Why would they pay double the price for soybeans unless there was something special about them?

Oh, right. That Miss Wei looked like a fox spirit, with eyes that could charm anyone. Maybe she had used some kind of seduction to make Manager Xi willingly become the fool.

The rumors grew wilder. By the time the people from Lou Shang Lou arrived to collect the soybeans, everyone was subtly glancing at them. And when they saw that it was Manager Xi himself who had come, the gossip only intensified.

Manager Xi had originally planned to send a few servants, but after presenting the osmanthus-fermented tofu recipe to the regional manager in charge of Ninglin Prefecture, he had been instructed to go personally.

Thinking of the regional manager’s orders, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Did these two have some kind of powerful background?

The arrival of Lou Shang Lou’s manager was a big deal. Bai Li, as the young master of the manor, thought for a moment and, remembering his father’s attitude toward Lou Shang Lou, decided to personally greet the guest at the manor gates with a group of people.

After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation turned to business.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Bai. I’m here to fulfill our agreement and purchase the soybeans from your Bai Zhi. The restaurant is quite busy, so I won’t stay long.” Manager Xi said with a smile, stating his purpose.

Bai Li’s heart stirred, but he didn’t correct Manager Xi about Bai Zhi being a woman. “Manager Xi, please wait a moment. I’ll have someone bring the soybeans over.”

As they waited, Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan hadn’t arrived yet, but Bai Luo, hearing the news, rushed over first.

She gave a slight bow and pretended to be curious. “I heard that Lou Shang Lou bought my sister’s soybeans at double the price. I was wondering if your restaurant might need more. Our manor still has some soybeans left.”

Manager Xi’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately became wary. This woman was up to no good.

He remained calm on the surface but replied cautiously, “Second Miss, you must be joking. We paid double the price because those soybeans were worth it. We can’t afford to buy more at that price, haha.”

He made a light-hearted joke.

Bai Li frowned at his sister. “Second Sister, don’t be rude to our guest.”

Bai Luo, however, felt a surge of excitement. There was definitely something fishy going on. She continued to play innocent. “Elder Brother, I’m just curious. Manager Xi, why were those soybeans worth double the price, but no more?”

Manager Xi, unsure if Bai Zhi had told anyone about the osmanthus-fermented tofu recipe, didn’t answer directly and instead pretended to be troubled.

Seeing this, Bai Luo’s face lit up with joy. That fox spirit must have used her looks! Hmph, let’s see how you act so high and mighty now.

Bai Li, noticing Manager Xi’s discomfort, stepped in to smooth things over. “My younger sister is naive. Please forgive her.”

Manager Xi smiled and shook his head, then looked toward the figures approaching in the distance, clearly not wanting to engage further.

Lingjue Manor, while sizable, held little influence. To outsiders, it was just a well-run farm, far inferior to Lou Shang Lou. He didn’t need to bother with it.

If it weren’t for the regional manager’s orders, he wouldn’t have come personally.

When Bai Zhi approached, Manager Xi greeted her warmly. “Brother Bai, Miss Wei, I’m here to fulfill our agreement. Here’s the remaining ten taels of silver.”

In front of others, Wei Ziwan remained proper and didn’t move, so Bai Zhi reached out and took the silver, tucking it into her robe.

At the same time, she sighed inwardly. Once they returned to their room, this troublemaker would surely take the silver from her. She could only hold onto it for a little while. The thought made her heart ache.

“Manager Xi, here are the twenty dan of soybeans. Please check them.”

Manager Xi waved his hand, signaling his servants to load the soybeans onto the carriage. “I trust you, Brother Bai.”

Seeing that it was time to make her move, Bai Luo smiled and said, “I’m so curious how my sisters managed to sell these soybeans at double the price.”

Bai Zhi paused and looked at Wei Ziwan.

Wei Ziwan replied calmly, “It’s nothing special. My husband developed a recipe for a sweet soup. We gave the recipe to Lou Shang Lou for free, and Manager Xi, out of goodwill, offered to pay double the price for the soybeans.”

“A sweet soup recipe?”

Bai Luo was about to ask more when Bai Li interrupted, his tone displeased. “Second Sister, we can discuss this later.”

Their father had told him not to interfere too much with the affairs of his younger sisters, but bickering in front of guests was inappropriate. Second Sister was being unusually out of line today.

Manager Xi pretended not to hear anything and watched as the soybeans were loaded onto the carriage. Then, as if sighing with emotion, he said, “With the recent assassination of Prince Ping, Ninglin Prefecture won’t be holding any major celebrations this year. Life is hard for the common folk. Brother Bai, Young Master Bai, I’ll take my leave now.”

As he finished, he glanced at Bai Zhi. What had Second Miss Bai said earlier? Two sisters?

He must have misheard. Ah, he still didn’t understand what the regional manager had meant by casually mentioning Prince Ping’s death. It was all so confusing.

As everyone watched the Lou Shang Lou carriage depart, Bai Luo immediately pressed the issue. “Did you two really come up with a sweet soup recipe?”

Wei Ziwan smiled faintly. “Yes. In a few days, when Lou Shang Lou starts selling it, my husband plans to invite everyone in the manor to try it.”

“You gave the recipe to Lou Shang Lou?” Bai Luo’s expression darkened.