Wu Meiniang was overjoyed. The price wasn't high, and with the county magistrate Xie as a witness, she signed the deed and officially sold the shop to Li Jingyun.
Her three elder brothers, including Wu Huaiyun who came in the end, gritted their teeth in hatred.
How could it be such a coincidence? How could those words be heard by Princess Chengyang?
How could that money end up in Wu Meiniang's hands?
"Thank you, Princess."
Before leaving, Wu Meiniang thanked seriously.
Li Jingyun, like a little adult, waved her hand imitating Empress Zhangsun, "You're welcome. I like this place very much."
She was so great today! She had helped others!
With the money she gave, Meiniang shouldn't be scolded by her elder brothers anymore, right?
Li Mingda was more cautious. The Wu family was so strange. She would ask her elder sisters when she got back. There should be someone who knew about the Wu family's feuds.
This Wu Meiniang didn't seem easy to deal with. Facing three unreasonable elder brothers alone and still holding her own, even calling the county magistrate for help. She was afraid that her silly younger sister would be deceived.
On their way back to the imperial city, two beautiful young ladies walked by, chatting and laughing. They only heard one of them say, "I didn't expect the Warm Building to open tomorrow. I must go and have some fun."
"Open tomorrow?"
Li Jingyun and Li Mingda looked at each other in surprise. Had they prepared so quickly?
It had been less than ten days!
"Wait! Two elder sisters!" Li Jingyun called out before she even thought, directly stopping the two young ladies who had just passed by.
The two young ladies were also surprised. Whose child was this, so fair and lovely? Judging from her clothes and her smartness, she must come from a non - ordinary family.
"What do you want to tell us?" The young lady with twin buns asked with a charming smile. She bent down specifically to talk to Li Jingyun and her sister.
"Did you just say the Warm Building is about to open? Is it the one in Pingkangfang or the one in Anyifang? Don't tell me they're opening both at the same time?"
The more Li Jingyun thought about it, the more surprised she became.
On her way to the new mansion, she often passed by Anyifang. The shop stood out among the small stores. It was spacious and imposing. Just one look at it made people feel comfortable and like it. It was obvious that Princess Xinxing had spent a lot of effort. She didn't arrange things casually just because the main customers in Anyifang were ordinary people.
If the one in Anyifang was like this, how magnificent the one in Pingkangfang would be! Maybe her elder sister had put all the good things there.
She just realized that her elder sisters were all very capable. Princess Gaoyang's Ice Building was a great success before, and Princess Xinxing's Warm Building was not only no less impressive but even seemed to be better.
"You little kid, how do you know so much? Must be your family told you. They're opening both. But Anyifang is a bit far away. I heard the price there is low, so the materials used are ordinary. We'll just go to the one in Pingkangfang. When the Ice Building opened, what a grand occasion it was! The Warm Building must be the same." The other young lady with a cloud - like bun exchanged a look with her companion and laughed.
The young lady with twin buns nodded, "The manager of the Warm Building also said that they would send out several masters to teach families how to make milk tea. But there are so many wealthy families in Chang'an. I don't know when it will be our turn."
"I see. What time tomorrow? I'll sneak out of the house and must go and have a look."
Li Jingyun's eyes sparkled. She looked up at the two young ladies.
"It should be around the beginning of the fourth watch." The young lady with twin buns thought for a while.
"Thank you, two elder sisters."
Li Jingyun thanked gracefully. So what if they were just two strange young ladies? She had met civil and military officials before. This was nothing!
On the contrary, Li Mingda was a bit restrained and uneasy. She didn't understand. They didn't even know each other. How could Li Jingyun stop them and chat so happily, calling them elder sisters so intimately?
Thinking about it, if it were herself who stopped the two young ladies, wouldn't she want to dig a hole and hide in it?
"We just got two pieces of rock sugar. We'll give them to you. Where do you live? Why are you out by yourselves?" The other young lady with a cloud - like bun took out a small purse and handed it to Li Jingyun.
Li Jingyun pointed in the direction of the imperial city, "We live over there. Thank you. Then we'll leave first?"
"Okay."
After Li Jingyun and her sister left, the two young ladies just realized that Li Jingyun didn't just point casually. That was the imperial palace!
They were royal princesses. No wonder they were so imposing.
The two pieces of rock sugar they gave were very precious at that time. It came from Tianzhu. The Tang Dynasty didn't have the technology to make it for the time being. It was as hard as rock and as sweet as honey, thus getting its name.
They didn't go back to the imperial city. Instead, they turned a corner and went to the Warm Building in Pingkangfang. It was already lunchtime, but they had eaten too many snacks in the Eastern Market. And they had just received the rock sugar from the two young ladies. So they weren't hungry at all.
Before they reached the Warm Building, they felt a tightness around their collars and were picked up. Looking back, it was Li Ke.
"Third brother?"
"Third brother!"
They exclaimed in surprise.
Li Jingyun stared wide - eyed, "Third brother, aren't you going to Songzhou?"
"Father said winter was coming soon. He asked me to start my journey next spring. I just wanted to see what new tricks you could come up with." Li Ke carried his two younger sisters. After answering, his face immediately turned gloomy, "Why aren't you going back to the imperial city at this time and wandering outside? What if you meet bad people and get abducted tomorrow?"
Didn't he know they had bodyguards? He just wanted to scare these two silly younger sisters who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, who ran outside every day, trusted everyone, and ate anything given to them.
"Third brother, what are you doing? We're fine. Why are you scolding us?" Li Jingyun pouted.
Li Mingda chimed in, "Yes, third brother. Don't keep a straight face. It makes you look much older."
"Hey, when I say one thing, you two have a thousand things to say back to me, right? It'll be too late to talk if something happens." Li Ke was rebutted by his two younger sisters and had no temper at all. He simply carried them into the Warm Building.
The manager of the Warm Building was a woman in her thirties. She looked honest, but there was a glint in her eyes from time to time.
Seeing Li Jingyun and the others coming, she quickly greeted them, "This humble woman pays respects to Your Highnesses. Princess Xinxing is on the third floor. Shall I lead you up?"
"Great! Maybe we can have a meal prepared by Princess Xinxing today!"
Li Jingyun got excited.
The decoration here was very similar to a milk tea shop in later generations. There was a counter half a person's height. There were at least twenty copper stoves. The waiters making milk tea were all busy behind the counter. Wolfberries, rose petals, chrysanthemum petals, red dates, white fungus, and sugar cane syrup were neatly arranged.
As soon as they got close, they could smell a fragrant smell.
Li Jingyun, who had just eaten the rock sugar, felt hungry again when she smelled the aroma.
Someone came out from the third floor and called out from above with an obvious smile in the voice, "Who's here? I seem to hear someone talking."
"It's us! We're here to have a meal at elder sister's place!" Li Jingyun shouted loudly.