Qi Huan clapped her little hands, delightedly saying, "Perfect, we need someone to wash dishes at our noodle shop!"
"......"
But Tao Su didn't want to wash dishes.
In the freezing cold weather, soaking her hands in water all day washing dishes was not a pleasant task.
Her mother had said, "People walk upwards, while water flows downwards."
She rolled her dark, glossy eyes and suggested with a smile, "Hire a maid to wash dishes. I'm an expensive lady bought for a hefty price, so I should be put to better use!"
"What use?"
"I can warm the young master's bed!" Their next-door maid Yadan was sold to be a servant for the landlord. Yadan said—
Lower-ranked maids do chores, while higher-ranked ones warm beds!
She wanted to be a higher-ranked maid!
Her mother had also said, "Live with ambition in this life!"
Qi Huan was speechless. "It was my money that bought you, so why don't you warm my bed?"
"......"
Tao Su was dumbfounded and blankly replied, "I don't have that preference."
She imagined herself warming Qi Huan's bed and shuddered.
She hastily reached for Li Shuchen's sleeve, intending to pull it and shake it. Her mother had said, "A whining woman has the best fate."
But soon, she realized her mother was wrong.
Before she could touch Li Shuchen's sleeve, his palm strike flung her away.
Li Shuchen withdrew his hand, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes as he coldly said, "Sell her off."
How could human warm lips utter such icy words?
For the first time, Tao Su doubted her beauty.
She lay on the cold ground, slowly accepting reality.
Her mother had said, "If this path doesn't work, take another."
Tao Su looked at Qi Huan with conflicted eyes. "Miss, warming your bed is not out of the question."
"......"
Seeing her agree, Qi Huan could only seriously reply, "I don't need that. I just need someone to wash dishes."
"......"
After a while, Tao Su compromised again.
"Alright. I'll wash dishes well and make your dishes sparkle."
Qi Huan didn't like her constantly suggesting to warm beds, but she had already bought Tao Su and selling her again might not fetch a good price.
Unless she sold Tao Su to an old lecher or a brothel.
But she, born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze, couldn't bring herself to push a young girl into the fire pit.
At this moment, the system provided a friendly reminder:
"Don't worry, host. Tao Su is not a bad person, otherwise you wouldn't gain a point, but rather lose one!"
Qi Huan: ?
So helping bad people would deduct points?
"Of course, I'm the Daily Act of Kindness System, not the Daily Act of Evil System. You can always trust my judgment! I am the light of righteousness!"
"Host, do you believe in light?"
"Are you some idiot sent by Ultraman? How does joking with me benefit you? ...Don't tell me you want to inherit my points?"
The system had no response to her three consecutive questions.
*
With Tao Su washing dishes, Qi Huan wanted to hire another person to serve tables.
But all the applicants were men, and they couldn't share the servants' quarters with Tao Su, so she had to add a gender restriction to the job posting.
Two days later, a young woman named Nuan Dong finally applied for the job.
With everything in place, Qi Huan consulted Xiu Wen to pick an auspicious day to open Qi's Noodle Shop.
The eleventh day of the winter month.
Qi's Noodle Shop hung a red silk banner, with red couplets pasted on both sides of the door. Amid the crowd's attention, it finally opened for business.
Amidst everyone's gaze, Qi Huan cleared her throat and announced loudly:
"Dear fellow villagers, hello everyone. Today is the first day of business for my noodle shop. You're all welcome to try a free bowl of noodles!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd erupted.
"Did you hear that? Miss Qi said free tasting, meaning no money, right?"
"Little Qi is doing this tasting promotion, just like when she sold pickled cabbage before. Who knows how Doctor Qi taught her when he was alive? Doing business like this, she'll be lucky not to lose money."
"I don't know if she'll lose money, I'm just wondering if the noodles are any good?"
"Little Qi really... instead of running a clinic, she opens a noodle shop."
"Who cares if it's a clinic or noodle shop? As long as we can eat for free and fill our bellies, it's a good shop."
"I'll go try it first, you guys keep chatting."
After the discussion, everyone rushed in, thinking it would be foolish not to take advantage of the free offer.
In the kitchen, Qi Huan was busy beyond measure.
She kept making noodles and pouring on various pre-prepared toppings.
The toppings were diverse, and the ingredients' sources might raise eyebrows, but she had no fear.
If she could fool them, she would; if she couldn't, she'd reincarnate.
Since the heavens gave her a delivery system, what was the point of living repressed and miserable?
One should live life to the fullest.
If she happened to die at the start, perhaps she could reincarnate back to the modern era sooner. Otherwise, if she went back too late, the rapid development of the times might leave her unable to keep up...
As she pondered, the system kept reminding her: "Act of kindness +1, points +1."
"Act of kindness +1, points +1."
......
Qi Huan set down the ladle in her hand and sincerely asked, "System, can I temporarily mute you?"
"Of course, my dear host."
"Mute!"
"As you wish, my heartless host."
The system finally fell silent, but the cries for orders from the main hall kept pouring into her ears.
"Miss Qi, a customer finished the Yangchun noodles and wants to pay for a bowl of egg noodles. Could you make another bowl of egg noodles?"
Hearing Nuan Dong's words, Qi Huan was delighted. She hadn't expected to have returning customers on the first day, and her energy instantly surged.
One bowl after another, from midday to late afternoon, there was a constant stream of people coming and going.
While boiling noodles, Qi Huan kept an eye on the empty bowls sent back from the front.
Almost all the noodles were eaten clean, and seeing this, she gradually put her mind at ease.
As long as the taste matched the customers' preferences, she wouldn't have to worry about lack of business in the future, and the purpose of today's tasting event would be achieved.
Unlike her joyful expression, Tao Su crouched under the kitchen eaves washing dishes with a puzzled look.
"Miss Qi, who does business like this? On the first day, you let customers eat for free. Not only do you not earn money, but you also have to foot the bill."
Due to the free promotion, many people came to eat noodles, stacking bowl after bowl for Tao Su to wash until her hands were red and swollen.
She thought to herself that it would be better to charge customers so there would be fewer people and fewer dishes for her to wash.
Seeing through her selfish thoughts, Qi Huan smiled. "Just focus on washing the dishes well. As for how to run the noodle shop, I have my own plans. Remember, you said you'd wash the dishes until they sparkle."
Tao Su thought about it and continued scrubbing the dishes vigorously.
After the meal rush, there were fewer people, and Qi Huan finally took a break.
She didn't idle, but walked towards the main hall.
The main hall was fully seated, with customers at every table. Some were waiting for companions, while others were eating noodles with their heads down.
Among them, a few people noticed Qi Huan entering and greeted her.
"Miss Qi, your noodles taste really good!"
"Yes, yes, so delicious!"
Meanwhile, some people were whispering:
"Don't you think it's strange? The variety of toppings is a bit too rich..."
"Why bother? As long as we can eat, that's enough!"
"Miss Qi's father was a highly skilled doctor. My old ox was nearly dead, but Doctor Qi gave it one shot, and it suddenly became lively again. Compared to Doctor Qi's ability to bring the dead back to life, Miss Qi just sells some unusual food, which is nothing extraordinary."
"Old Li is right. This is the specialty of Qi's Noodle Shop. Don't ask so many questions, they're not stupid enough to tell you."
The discussion reached Qi Huan's ears, and she twitched her lips.
These people were quite adept at self-rationalization...
The main reason was because Qi Huan's father was regarded as some sort of supernatural being by some people, and she herself had benefited from his reputation.
Qi Huan was filled with gratitude in her heart.
She smiled sweetly and said with a smile, "You are all correct, this is the secret of Qi's Noodle Shop, and it's not convenient to disclose the details. In general, our principle at Qi's Noodle Shop is to let everyone enjoy a delicious bowl of noodles at an affordable price."
"Miss Qi is right, good taste and affordability are the most important!"
"I'll come again tomorrow."
Another customer was inspired by a sense of competition, "I'll come both tomorrow and the day after!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Huan couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curve up into a crisp smile, and she replied, "Thank you all for your patronage. I'll be here tomorrow, looking forward to your visit."
After bidding farewell, she couldn't help but glance towards Li Shuchen behind the counter.
Since the first bowl of noodles was free, there were only a few people going to him to pay the bill.
Amidst the bustling voices, he sat alone in a corner of the noodle shop, engrossed in reading a history book that Qi Huan had given him.
His posture was as upright as a pine tree, and his lowered brows and eyes were as beautiful as a Chinese ink painting. Qi Huan couldn't help but silently praise him, truly a man favored by the Creator!
The Goddess Nüwa must have put in a lot of effort when sculpting him, right?
After this thought, she noticed that she was not the only one admiring Li Shuchen.
