ATP Chapter 38

All the Protagonists I’ve Scummed Came To Me For Revenge Chapter 38: Abandoned Daughter of a Rich Family (9)

October is the season for hawthorns to ripen and be picked. Xia Yu specially asked someone to buy a lot of hawthorns and also a lot of sugar.
“This fruit is very sour.”
Xin’er followed Xia Yu and saw that she had bought so many hawthorns. She hesitated to speak. She recognized the fruit. She had picked it on the mountain before. Although it was not as big or good-looking, she thought it probably didn’t taste very good and would make her hungrier the more she ate.
“But you’ll definitely like what I make,” Xia Yu said mysteriously.
“But I don’t like sour foods.”
“It’s not too late to test it after we’ve made it.”
Hawthorn is a great ingredient. It can be used to make candied hawthorn skewers, hawthorn cakes, hawthorn rolls, and it can also be cut up, dried, and eaten dry, although the taste isn’t very good.
Xia Yu was busy making all kinds of delicious food, and her business was booming. However, many people outside were envious, as she was like someone who owned a gold mine and was making a fortune.
Many people have eaten hot pot, and those who have eaten it often think that the restaurant is bound to be successful, and that it will only make more and more money if it continues on this trend.
No one is immune to envy, and few who become wealthy are fools; they are extremely sensitive to the scent of business opportunities.
Some members of the Xiao family were no exception.
The Xiao family is a prominent family, a large family composed of many smaller families. Some had good times, while others had not, depending on their social status.
Xiao Tianci became increasingly certain of his aunt. Xiao Wenjin, the head of the Xiao family, was very interested in Xia Yu, who had saved them, otherwise she wouldn’t have put him in charge of the investigation.
This investigation actually led him to discover quite a few interesting things, such as Xia Yu’s sudden appearance, supposedly because she was saved by that Xin’er.
She has a very good business sense and makes a profit by buying and selling at high prices in Le’an County, which disrupts the market. However, she does so in a measured way, so the impact on the market is not significant.
Furthermore, Honglou from Le’an County had feelings for her and secretly hired some thugs to try and capture her. However, she managed to drive them all away, and then ran off with Honglou’s money to Yunzhou.
Her sudden appearance made Xiao Tianci even more suspicious that she was from the Wang family of Yangzhou, and that ‘Xia Ran’ was just an alias used by people traveling the martial arts world.
However, there has been no news from Yangzhou yet, so he cannot be 100% certain.
“That Piaoxianglou restaurant is doing very well?”
Hearing his aunt’s question, Xiao Tianci lowered his head and replied, “Yes, I also went there once with someone, and the taste was indeed very good.”
Xiao Wenjin has no intention of marrying or taking a husband, so the next head of the family will definitely be chosen from within the family, and Xiao Tianci is a strong candidate for the next head of the family.
Compared to others, his biggest advantage is that he is stupid. Because of his stupidity, he is valued by Xiao Wenjin, and Xiao Wenjin’s appreciation is his greatest help.
“Oh,” Xiao Wenjin said with a half-smile, “How good is ‘very good’?”
“It looks delicious, smells great, and tastes amazing, plus the way it’s served is really novel. It’s perfect for going out with a group of friends,” Xiao Tianci thought. “If Aunt is interested, I can go and buy some hot pot base. Hot pot is very easy to eat; the essence is in the broth. Aunt doesn’t like spicy food, but Piaoxianglou recently released a non-spicy broth that tastes pretty good too.”
“It’s said that Xia Ran was responsible for all of this.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Tianci was surprised when she discovered that Xia Yu had done all of this. She had thought Xia Yu was just a ‘brute,’ but she never expected her cooking skills to be so good.

Whoever marries her will truly enjoy a lifetime of happiness.

Thinking of Xia Yu’s terrifying fighting power, he silently added, “She just can’t straighten her back.”

“Alright?” Xiao Wenjin said, “How about we buy everything from her shop?”

Xiao Tianci really wanted to ask Xiao Wenjin if she was still thinking about Xia Yu’s combat prowess, seeing how happy and fond she was of her; otherwise, why would she pay so much attention to her?

He also thought that Piaoxianglou was being targeted, and whether he should step in to warn those who had ulterior motives.

But Xiao Wenjin doesn’t like others speculating about her.

If he were to speak, it would definitely displease Xiao Wenjin. The reason he could stay by Xiao Wenjin’s side was because he was ‘foolish’ enough to assess the situation and know what he couldn’t say or ask.

Xiao Wenjin wouldn’t know that Piaoxiang Tower was being targeted.

She must know, but she hasn’t taken any action, so I can’t be foolish enough to bring it up myself.

“I’ll go there myself right away.”

While it would be better to leave the shopping to the thief, Xiao Tianci always did it himself, which made a better impression on Xiao Wenjin. Although he was a bit simple-minded, as a member of the Xiao family, how could he be completely ignorant?

Even if he doesn’t understand, there are plenty of people who can teach him.

After Xiao Tianci left, Xiao Wenjin smiled with narrowed eyes, her eyes full of coldness, but she still couldn’t be completely sure.

That’s why I haven’t taken action yet.

ia Yu had also successfully made several strings of candied hawthorns. The candied hawthorns, drizzled with syrup, were crystal clear and looked very appetizing.

“You can’t move it yet; you have to wait for the syrup to solidify.”

“Will it really taste good?” It looks good, but Xin’er, who has eaten wild hawthorn before, still has doubts.

“Try one after it solidifies and you’ll know if it tastes good or not.” Xia Yu neither said it was good nor bad; she was afraid of making a mistake, so she just smiled.

“Master, your friend has arrived.”

Xia Yu nodded and said, “I understand, I’ll be right there, you can go ahead and do your work.”

Xin’er pouted unhappily: “What’s that annoying guy doing here again? Why didn’t he tell you he was coming?”

“You probably have something to tell me, right?”

After calming Xin’er, who had no good feelings towards Xiao Tianci, Xia Yu washed her hands, took off her custom-made apron and placed it on a bamboo pole to the side, and then walked outside.

Although Xin’er didn’t want to see Xiao Tianci, she still followed closely behind Xia Yu, never leaving her side.

Xiao Tianci was directing Zhang to install things. Judging from the packages of oil paper containing the items, it seemed that he had bought everything in the store.

“Heroine, you’ve arrived!”

“Don’t call me a heroine.” Xia Yu corrected him again, speechless. She had already said this three times.

Xiao Tianci simply nodded and said, “The patriarch seems quite interested in these things of yours, so I thought I’d buy some to take back for her to try.”

Xia Yu nodded: “Mm.”

“By the way, heroine, do you… need my help?”

“I told you not to call me a heroine, I’m not a heroine.” Xia Yu made him change his address again before answering his question: “Don’t worry about it for now, I’ll ask you for help when the time is right.”

“Okay, then you absolutely must remember to let me know.”

Xiao Tianci was referring to the fact that those people coveted her formula, and that this matter would only become more and more troublesome. Therefore, Xiao Tianci asked her if she needed his help to support her.

Xia Yu looked at the packages and suddenly said, “These are for Xiao Wenjin.”

“Yes, the head of the family is quite interested.”

“Then come here. I just made a new snack. I heard that she has a poor appetite. Take the snack back and let her try it. It’s good for her appetite.”

Xiao Tianci became interested: “What snacks?”

Xia Yu made it herself, so it must be pretty good!

Are they releasing new products again?

Filled with excitement and anticipation, Xiao Tianci followed her to the backyard to see Xia Yu’s ‘new work’.

When they arrived at the backyard and saw Xia Yu’s ‘new creation,’ Xiao Tianci was a little confused. He picked up a candied hawthorn and said in astonishment, “This is it? Isn’t it just hawthorn coated with syrup? How can it taste good?”

Xia Yu rolled her eyes, too lazy to explain anymore, and said, “Try one, the candy has solidified. Xin’er, you try the taste too.”

Xin’er didn’t have many concerns. Whether it tasted good or not, it was Xia Yu who made it, so she had to give her some face and try it.

With a gentle bite, a thin layer of sugar crumbles, the sweet taste blending perfectly with the hawthorn’s tartness, bringing a feeling of happiness.

Sweet and sour, Xin’er couldn’t resist taking a bite of one. Suddenly, she realized that hawthorns weren’t so bad after all.

Why aren’t these hawthorns very sour?

“It’s coated with sugar, how could it be sour?” Xia Yu said. “Besides, I bought these hawthorns myself. They can’t possibly sell me inferior ones with big pits and little flesh, can they? Honesty is the key to doing business.”

“Heroine, what on earth is going on in your head?!” Xiao Tianci tried one as well, and couldn’t help but eat a second one. He said, “Those chefs can’t come up with many innovations in their entire lives, but you can come up with one so easily, and it’s simple and delicious. Are you the God of Cookery descended to earth?”

“I told you not to call me a heroine.”

Xia Yu waved her hand at him and said, “Take it back, it’s all yours.”

Xin’er’s eyes widened immediately.

“Don’t rush, I’ll make it for you if you want to eat it.”

Xiao Tianci asked, “Heroine, are you still selling this?”

She stroked her chin and said, “Probably? We sell a little each day, not too much. If you’re interested, you can buy some, or you can make it yourself. It’s very easy to make anyway.”

It’s like a street vendor selling candied hawthorns without a soul. Now that there are even roasted chestnuts being sold on the street, how can there be no candied hawthorns?

Hearing that it was for sale, Xiao Tianci felt relieved. This stuff tasted pretty good, and its sweet and sour flavor was indeed very appetizing. It would be a shame not to sell it.

After Xiao Tianci left, Xin’er couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you give all the remaining candied hawthorns to that guy, sister?”

Xia Yu smiled and said, “This is, after all, Xiao family territory. Have you forgotten what he said when he came?”

He said he would buy it for his family’s head.

“Yes.” Xia Yu nodded.

“There are so many intricacies inside.”

“No rush, learn slowly. Piaoxianglou’s reputation isn’t good enough yet. We need to wait for it to build up. When people can’t sit still anymore, that’s when we’ll make a fortune.”

Xin’er didn’t quite understand what Xia Yu was trying to do. Although Xia Yu had taught her a lot, there wasn’t enough time, and she hadn’t fully grasped it all yet.

She smiled, but there was a hint of coldness in her eyes. Xiao Wenjin kept sending people over, and she couldn’t quite figure out what she meant.

Some were unintentional, and some were intentional.

Did she really see the birthmark and begin to doubt my identity?

Back then, it was a suicide by jumping into the river; the remains were unlikely to be found, and survival was almost certain. But perhaps an accident occurred, and good fortune might come, allowing one to escape death.

Xiao Wenjin, that ruthless guy, is really hard to deal with. She’s already betrayed me once, does she still want to cause trouble again?