After Transmigration, She Sold Herself to a Man as a Wife - Chapter 172

At this time, in the provincial capital.

Luo Family Medical Clinic.

“Head of the household, Madam, Young Master, Young Madam, Young Young Master…” Seeing the people coming down from the carriage, the clinic manager was startled and hurried to welcome them.

“Accommodations have been arranged. Why don’t you rest for a bit after your journey before having something to eat?”

Seeing Luo Juan enter, the manager inquired, as he had already made arrangements after receiving news that the head of the household would be coming.

Hearing this, Lady Qian grasped her palms together and looked toward Luo Juan, who waved his hand in response.

“That’s not urgent. Tell me about the news of that tavern first – where is it located?”

Hearing him, Lady Qian, Luo Shiyan, and the others all looked toward the manager, waiting attentively for his words.

Seeing this, the manager was momentarily stunned but nodded compliantly.

“This humble one has been unable to learn much. The people at that tavern are very tight-lipped and cautious. So far, we’ve only discovered that their proprietor was originally from Yiyang Town.”

“This ‘Drunken Fragrance Tavern’ started in Yiyang Town first, and the two locations in the city are branches.”

“The proprietor of the ‘Drunken Fragrance Tavern’ has the surname Gu. He rarely comes here, and his visits are irregular.”

So they haven’t been able to inquire further.

Even if they went to the tavern in Yiyang Town, it would be useless, as those people are even more tight-lipped.

They don’t divulge any information about the main proprietor or the tavern.

Hearing this, Luo Juan nodded and grasped Lady Qian’s trembling hand.

“Where are the two tavern locations? Can you take us there now?”

“Of course. Both are not far from here, with the one on South Street being closer. Shall we go to South Street first?”

Knowing the importance of the matter for the family, the manager did not dare delay further.

“Good.”

“Let’s go take a look first. Heng’er is unwell, Ling Yun, you take him to rest first, and wait for us here.”

Before leaving, Lady Qian said to her daughter-in-law and grandson.

Since receiving the news, they had immediately packed up and rushed over.

The adults could withstand the arduous journey, but the child was exhausted.

Now that they had arrived, it was best to let the child rest first.

Hearing this, Ling Yun looked at Luo’s Father and Luo Shiyan before nodding.

“Alright, Mother, please take care.”

“Mm.”

…..At this time, the Drunken Fragrance Tavern was as lively as ever.

“Waiter!”

“Coming! Another bowl of soup for the customer, right away.”

For this bustling environment without empty tables, the tavern staff were well accustomed, and though busy, they were adept at their tasks.

Only Er Zhu at the counter recording and settling bills seemed a bit overwhelmed.

He had just finished tallying an order and closed the ledger when he looked up to see a group of well-dressed customers standing at the entrance.

He promptly put on his standard welcoming smile and went to greet them.

“Esteemed guests, our signature hot pot is savory, aromatic, and unforgettable. For new customers, we offer a complimentary dish and tea. Would you like to come in and have a seat?”

Hearing this and seeing the scene inside with the hot pot style, Luo Juan and Lady Qian exchanged a glance involuntarily.

Their hearts were shaken and anxious.

Coming back to their senses, Luo Juan nodded to Er Zhu: “Three.”

Indicating the number of people – himself, Lady Qian, and Luo Shiyan. The clinic manager who had guided them did not follow inside.

Hearing this, Er Zhu grinned: “Wonderful, this way please.”

They had arrived at an opportune time, with a table available and no need to wait.

Seeing everyone busy, he took it upon himself to serve them.

He delivered the tea, water, and menu together.

“Please take a look and order as you wish. Our signature is the hot pot – here are the set menus for two. Or feel free to order individually from the regular menu.

Apart from hot pot, we also have many popular main dishes like water-boiled fish fillets, water-boiled meat slices – very well-received by our guests. You can try those as well.”

“For staples, I recommend the salted egg and lean pork congee, or the crab meat congee – both are deliciously fresh and fragrant. Give them a try.”

These dishes were unique to their establishment. For new customers, he would always introduce them.

What he did not know was that with every item he mentioned, Lady Qian became more unsettled.

Hot pot, set menus, water-boiled fish fillets, water-boiled meat slices, salted egg and lean pork congee, crab meat congee – the menu style.

Each one clearly told her that these were things from the modern era.

Finally regaining her composure, she turned and smiled at Er Zhu.Expplôre 𝒖ptod𝒂te stories at no/𝒗el//bin(.)c𝒐m

“Then let’s have the hot pot, your most popular set menu.”

Hearing this, Er Zhu smiled and nodded: “Certainly. May I ask if the honored guests prefer a spicy broth base or a clear soup?”

“Both broths are made from simmered bones – one with chilies added, and one without.”

For the new customers’ understanding, Er Zhu explained further.

“Or you could have a divided hot pot with both flavors to sample both styles.”

“Then let’s have the divided pot, please.” Seeing Lady Qian’s state, Luo Juan spoke up and nodded to Er Zhu.

“No need for formalities, esteemed guests. Your order will be ready shortly.”

With that, Er Zhu turned to arrange the order. As he approached the kitchen entrance, he glanced back at Lady Qian.

“That lady looks so much like the proprietor’s wife,” he muttered under his breath.

Hot pot was served swiftly. Before long, it was ready.

In this era, taverns only served cooked dishes rather than providing raw ingredients for customers to cook themselves.

So after the food was served, Er Zhu had intended to explain the process first.

But to his surprise, Lady Qian had already started helping herself. Er Zhu was momentarily stunned but seeing most other guests doing the same with their hot pots,

he assumed they were merely following suit and did not speak up.

“Please enjoy, honored guests. Let me know if you need anything else.” With that, he smiled and prepared to return to the counter.

“Wait a moment.”

Lady Qian called out, and when Er Zhu turned back with a puzzled look, she smiled politely.

“I notice that the fare here is quite unique. I’ve never heard of anything like it before, and on our way here, I overheard many people praising how delicious your food is.”

“So I’m quite curious – may I ask who created these dishes?”

Lady Qian’s tone was gentle, her expression one of simple curiosity, without any apparent ulterior motive.

Seeing her face somewhat resembling that of the mistress of the East House, Er Zhu hesitated for a moment, but did not hide the truth.

“This was the idea of our mistress of the East House, but she said she was not the creator of the dishes. These delicacies are what she learned in her hometown.”

Those were Luo Ge’s exact words, but as for the hometown she mentioned, they had never heard her speak of it.

Upon hearing this, Lady Qian felt a tightness in her throat, but she smiled without changing her expression. “If that is so, then this mistress of the East House must be a remarkable person. I would truly like to meet her if I have the chance.”

Hearing Lady Qian’s words, Luo Shiyan couldn’t help but turn his head and look at her.

There were indeed many stories about his mother’s past deeds, and people all said she was an exceptionally remarkable and stunningly talented woman.

But from what he could remember, after the incident with his sister, he had never seen his mother venture out of the manor to interact with others, nor had he seen her display her talents.

Based on those few words and his mother’s current demeanor, he was surprised in his heart.

Although his mother did not ask any questions directly and showed no hint of emotion on her face, she was actually quietly probing for information from the other party’s words without making a sound.

Er Zhu held great respect for their mistress of the East House, and upon hearing someone praise Luo Ge, his smile became even more sincere.

“Our mistress of the East House is currently with child, so I expect it won’t be long before we welcome a few little masters to the family. For now, I’m afraid there’s no chance to meet her.”

Seeing that Lady Qian had no ulterior motive or ill intent, Er Zhu offered this information. The main reason was that Lady Qian’s face resembled Luo Ge’s, and looking at that face made him feel more favorably inclined.

So he said that, but he did not reveal any more details.

It was not appropriate to divulge too much about the affairs of the East House to outsiders.

Upon hearing Er Zhu’s words, Luo Juan and the others were stunned and shocked.

It was Lady Qian who reacted first, nodding towards Er Zhu: “In that case, congratulations.”

Er Zhu nodded in response: “Indeed!”

The arrival of little masters in the East House family would be a joyous occasion for their entire tavern.

Just as he finished speaking, more customers arrived, and Er Zhu hurried to greet them.

“Please make yourselves comfortable, honored guests. I’ll be busy, but feel free to let me know if you need anything.”

Watching Er Zhu’s retreating figure, Luo’s father and son exchanged a resigned smile.

It was evident that the people at this tavern were very cautious. Although the other party had exchanged a few words with them, they had not divulged a single useful or important piece of information.

But that was fine. If the mistress of the East House truly was Ling Yun, then it was better for the subordinates to be so discreet.

“Let’s return and head to Yiyang Town. We’ll stay in Yiyang Town tonight.”

Lady Qian spoke up after regaining her composure. They had inquired about the information, and the journey from the city to Yiyang Town was not too far.

They should be able to reach it before nightfall today.

From what they could see, they would not obtain any useful information here, so they might as well go directly to Yiyang Town.

By narrowing the search area, they might have a better chance of finding clues.

Upon hearing this, father and son nodded: “Very well.”

…There was no time to waste, so after leaving the Drunken Fragrance Tavern, they headed straight for Yiyang Town.

After rushing at a steady pace, they finally entered Yiyang Town before nightfall.

However, Yiyang Town was currently just a remote and obscure small town that the Luo Family Medical Clinic had not yet reached.

So, they would be staying at an inn tonight.

“We’ll have to make do for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll find a small courtyard residence to stay in.”

This time, they intended to stay for an extended period, as their only goal was to find their daughter.

…Meanwhile, unaware of all these events, Luo Ge remained in Gu Family Village, which was only a dozen or so miles away from where the Luo family and Gu Family Village were located.