Li Man'er walked out of the clothing shop and deliberately glanced back at the sign of Li Family Clothier, which read "Rui He Xiang."
The name sounded like an old establishment, and it might even become popular in the future!
Having completed two important tasks, Li Man'er happily strolled through the streets with her two maids, as she had nothing else to do.
"Miss, aren't we going to look at other shops?"
"No," Li Man'er said. "My move today is to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys. With this incident at Pin Ming Ju, other shopkeepers will have to think twice before causing trouble."
"Ah! I understand now." Lu Yi immediately showered her with praise, "Miss, your move is brilliant."
Zi Yan couldn't help but laugh, "Miss, are we going home now, or are we going to wander around more?"
"Since we're out, of course we'll play until we're satisfied before going back," Li Man'er said. "Are you two hungry? I'll take you to eat something good later."
"Miss, we don't want to eat anything fancy. Could you just buy some snacks to take back?"
"What, are you worried about my money?"
Zi Yan said sheepishly, "Miss, we know you have money, but it's not from the wind. You didn't charge for the consultations or the medicine earlier."
Li Man'er couldn't help but laugh. "Silly girl." Was she seeing patients to make money? If she really wanted to make money this way, it would only take a moment.
The key was the influence, the influence, did they understand?
A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. She wanted everyone in the imperial city, when they mentioned Li Man'er, to give her a thumbs-up and call her a divine physician.
Exceptional medical skills would be her most powerful and formidable protective charm in this world. Who in this world doesn't get sick? From royalty to commoners, everyone cherishes their life.
She, Li Man'er, didn't want to cause trouble; she just wanted to build her career!
"Let's go, I'm treating."
"Then, Miss, what are we eating?"
Li Man'er looked at the various banners fluttering in the wind on the street and her sharp eyes spotted a place selling fish soup.
"Let's eat fish soup."
Whatever she liked to eat, the two maids would naturally eat too. Who would go against their mistress?
Li Man'er strolled to a fish soup stall and saw that the tables and stools were spotlessly clean. The stall owner was also very neat. Although quite old, her hair was tightly tied up with a headscarf, her nails were neatly trimmed, and even her shoes were clean.
It was pleasing to the eye.
For such a small stall to be so clean, it showed that the owner was a clean person.
This is the place.
Li Man'er directly chose an empty seat and sat down, then beckoned Lu Yi and Zi Yan to sit down as well.
Lu Yi even took out a handkerchief to wipe the table, but it didn't leave any dirt. She showed it to Zi Yan with a little surprise, only to see Zi Yan slightly lift her chin, indicating her to look further away.
The owner was cleaning a table not far away. The rag was very light-colored. After wiping the table once, she put it in a bucket to wash, then wrung it out, and wiped it a second time.
She wiped very carefully, even the edges of the table.
A combination of obsessive-compulsiveness and germophobia made diners feel extremely at ease.
"Boss, three bowls of fish soup."
"Alright, coming right up." The proprietress's voice clearly carried a slight regional accent, sounding soft and sweet, likely from Jiangnan.
This cook was not tall but was very strong and agile. In no time, three bowls of fish soup were served.
Eating fish soup on such a hot day, the two maids didn't understand their mistress's reasoning.
However, the fish soup was truly delicious. The fish was tender and smooth, with a golden hue. It was incredibly savory and a rare delicacy.
"Wow, this fish soup is so fresh. It must be made with fresh fish, right?"
"Obviously," Zi Yi said. "But Miss has good taste. The place she picked at first, the fish soup tastes exceptionally good."
Hearing the compliment, the proprietress couldn't help but come over to thank them and said, "This fish was caught fresh this morning and brought here immediately. It's been kept in a bucket to purge sand, and it's cooked and killed fresh, which is why it's so tender."
Li Man'er gave a thumbs-up, her praise evident.
Seeing that the diners were satisfied with her food, the proprietress felt deeply honored and said, "Eat it while it's hot, I need to get back to work."
The cheerful proprietress also revealed a hint of shyness. Even though she had been in the north for quite some time, the gentleness inherent to the Jiangnan water towns was still evident.
Before finishing a bowl of fish soup, some troublemakers arrived at the stall.
"Why are you eating fish soup on such a hot day? Go home and throw it away!"
"Exactly, what are you drinking? Are you not afraid of drinking yourself to death?"
"Leave! Didn't you hear? Go home!"
These people were all fierce and menacing, clearly there to cause trouble for the stall owner. The customers were ordinary folk and didn't want to provoke people like them, so they turned and fled, not even paying for their fish soup.
The stall owner was furious and immediately rushed forward with a fish-slaughtering knife. "What do you want? Are you lawless even in the capital?"
"Oh, the little lady is quite feisty," the leader said, intending to make a few more taunting remarks. However, his subordinate signaled that there were still customers at another table.
When the man saw that they were three young women, a more sinister smile appeared on his face. Compared to the cook making fish soup, he was now more interested in teaching these ungrateful girls a lesson.
"You three, you have quite the nerve. You can still eat with all this going on." Just as the man and his underlings were about to go and harass them, a faster shadow intercepted them.
The petite and delicate fishmonger desperately blocked Li Man'er's front, "This is my stall. If you have a problem, come to me. Don't bother my customers." As she spoke, she whispered to Li Man'er, "Leave quickly, I won't charge you."
Li Man'er smiled, put down her spoon, and asked, "Who are they, and why are they bothering you?" It seemed this wasn't the first time.
"A bunch of ruffians," the woman gritted her teeth. "You should leave quickly, this has nothing to do with you."
Li Man'er stood up and said, "How can it have nothing to do with me? He's disturbing my fish soup! My good mood for the day is all ruined."
"I don't know which mansion they're from? Little people, Ma Quan'er."
Li Man'er asked, "Who is your master? What is your intention in causing trouble here?"
The fish soup vendor said, "These people are unreasonable. Miss, you should leave quickly! They want me to sell myself into their master's household to serve him, but I don't want to be of low status, so they harass me incessantly every few days."