The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

“Seeing you chatting with Miss Zhuang, I decided to wait before calling you. But my stomach became unbearable again, so I had to visit the latrine,” Feng Yongkang said, clutching his stomach and rushing off.

So, it really was a stomach discomfort, not some deliberate disregard for Zhuang Qingning.

Zhang Yongchang relaxed his brow and ordered Lian Rong, “Bring him a bowl of sugar-salt water. If this stomach disturbance continues, he won’t last long. Drinking sugar-salt water should make him feel better.”

“Later, make a scallion pancake with sourdough, not a hard one, as it’s not easy to digest. I’ll make tofu soup and see if he can keep it down.”

“All right,” Lian Rong replied, hurrying off to complete the tasks.

Feng Yongkang almost ran to the front hall, slowing down and looking increasingly gloomy.

He had noticed Zhang Yongchang’s inclination to side with others. Now, he was blatantly favoring the outsiders. Did he intend to act only after everything was ready on their side, so as not to create an awkward situation where he had a falling out here but couldn’t go there?

If that was the case, he should brace himself for retaliation.

An old saying goes, ‘tooth for a tooth, eye for an eye.’ If you act in such a way, don’t blame me for reciprocating in kind.

Feng Yongkang couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

Zhuang Qingning returned to her shop, tended to her business as usual, and ate lunch when it was time.

Mrs. Cao cooked flat noodles made of cornmeal mixed with flour, cut into diamond shapes and boiled with vegetables, much like noodle soup. But she sauteed it with dried red chili segments and added a generous amount of vinegar before serving. The sour and spicy taste was appetizing and delicious. Having eaten a lot for breakfast, Zhuang Qingning, not particularly hungry, gave into Zhuang Qingsui’s insistence to eat lunch. After eating half a bowl, she found it so delicious that she ladled another full bowl and only stopped eating when she felt full.

Seeing this, Mrs. Cao couldn’t help but beam from ear to ear.

Zhuang Qingning was correct, saving her a few bites of food wasn’t what she wanted. Cooking delicious meals, selling more goods, and earning more money were much more important.

In the future, she mustn’t focus on such minor matters; she needed to look at the bigger picture.

Mrs. Cao resolved privately.

In the afternoon, they returned home as usual on Zhuang Sifu’s bullock cart. The next morning, when Dong Dazhu came to transport the tofu, Zhuang Qingning brought out the prepared salted duck eggs.

“These are newly pickled salted duck eggs. I wouldn’t say they’re exceptionally tasty, but they’re certainly better than ordinary ones. Normally, we sell them in our town shop and they’re in high demand. So, they should taste good.”

“I’ve noticed the shops purchase quite a lot of tofu from me. I’m giving these salted duck eggs to each shop as a token of appreciation for our loyal customers. Taste it and please don’t mind the small quantity.”

“Alright!” Dong Dazhu nodded again and again in agreement. “Miss Zhuang, your tofu is very delicious, and I’m sure your salted duck eggs are excellent too. I’ll pass on your message when I return, and thank you on behalf of the other managers for your kindness.”

Though the gift was small, Dong Dazhu, being a tactful man, responded graciously.

Zhuang Qingning chuckled, “Thank you, Brother Dong. These ones are for you to enjoy with your meals.”

“Thank you, Miss Zhuang,” Dong Dazhu gratefully accepted. He was genuinely thrilled and somewhat surprised to receive a share for himself.

The salted duck eggs, good enough to be presented as gifts, were bound to be tasty. They were free, so he was naturally going to accept them.

Moreover, Zhuang Qingning had a portion prepared for him, just like the other managers. Didn’t that mean he held an equal status to them in her eyes?

That was something to be proud of.

“Don’t worry, Miss Zhuang. I’ll remember this and be sure to convey your message,” Dong Dazhu said cheerfully, promising wholeheartedly.

“Thanks for your hard work, Brother Dong.”

After expressing her gratitude, Zhuang Qingning, along with others, loaded the tofu onto the cart for Dong Dazhu to transport. She watched him leave before organizing the remaining tofu, dried tofu, tofu sheets, and started her journey to the town.

The soybean sprouts had grown well. They looked fresh and juicy with a stout stem, unlike the thin, dried, and unappetizing sprouts usually seen. The sprouts had a fresh aroma and tasted delicious when chewed raw, with a hint of sweetness instead of the slight bitterness common in sprouts.

Even raw, they were tempting enough to be eaten as a snack. If used in cooking or soup, they would surely taste great.

Indeed, this introductory bean sprout production recipe is excellent.

[That’s because…]

Yes, yes, anything produced by the system must be high-quality.

Message received, no need for incessant babbling.

[Hostess, you’re a big meanie! Wahhh…]

Get used to it… and it will be fine.

As Xiaowu retreated entirely from her mind, Zhuang Qingning turned her attention back to the bean sprouts.

At first, she only wanted to see how the sprouts would grow and didn’t cultivate too many. The bean sprouts now weighed only a bit over ten pounds.

She gave some to Zhuang Yonghe for him and his family to enjoy and instructed him to share some with Zhuang Jingye. She took the remaining sprouts to town, using part of them as filling for steamed buns for lunch and gave the rest to Zhang Yongchang.

“A few days ago, Uncle Zhang, you mentioned that if I could grow some bean sprouts, you would have all the necessary ingredients. Now I’ve brought you the sprouts,” Zhuang Qingning quipped.

Her words resulted in joyful laughter from Zhang Yongchang and Lian Rong, who gladly accepted the basket of bean sprouts.

“Miss Zhuang, your bean sprouts have a fresh aroma,” Lian Rong sniffed and smiled, “They smell good and will undoubtedly taste delicious when cooked.” “Master, I’ll cook a dish of soybean sprouts and garlic sprouts with dried tofu from Miss Zhuang’s shop for lunch. I’ll use plenty of red chili and vinegar for a spicy and appetizing flavor. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Lian Rong was concerned about Zhang Yongchang’s decreased appetite and wanted to make a meal to please him.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but…” Zhang Yongchang glanced at Lian Rong, “…no, don’t bother. With your culinary skills, I’d rather you not waste the fine bean sprouts that Ning has specially brought over..”