Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 725: Chapter 727: The First Buffet in Beiyu City

Qiao Qiyu bowed once again to Bai Ruozhu, and said, ”Miss Bai has given me a chance to start over. I swear to you that I will never gamble again, and I will never step foot in a gambling hall, otherwise, I will be plagued by painful death.”

People in ancient times took oaths seriously. Given the severity of the oath Qiao Qiyu made, it seemed like he was determined. However, whether he could stick to it or not, depended on his own behavior in the future.

Bai Ruozhu lightly smiled at Qiao Qiyu and his father, and said, ”There is no need to thank me. It was the Hao family’s insatiable greed that should be exposed.”

Qiao Qiyu took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Bai Ruozhu, saying, ”You helped us reclaim the shop, and we are not ungrateful. We want to transfer the ownership of this shop to you.”

”Mr. Qiao, there’s no need for that. I trust your character, and I will continue to lease from your family,” Bai Ruozhu smiled and pushed the deed back.

Mr. Qiao, however, refused to take it back and said, ”We plan on leaving Beiyu City. I would feel more at ease if we transfer the shop to you, Miss Bai.”

”Yeah, Miss Bai, please accept it. We won’t tell anyone about this. You can just say that you’re still leasing the place to avoid any gossip. Both my father and I believe that dealing with the Hao family is too much of a hassle. It would be better for us to move to another city,” Qiao Qiyu also said.

Bai Ruozhu thought that the considerations made by Mr. Qiao and his son were reasonable. Ordinary people shouldn’t fight with officers, and the Hao family could always find a way to trouble them in the future. Leaving Beiyu City seems safer, and Qiao Qiyu could focus on studying and striving to be a scholar. With this in mind, she finally agreed.

At this point, her elder brother returned home. As soon as he entered the main hall, he greeted the others. Seeing Bai Zepei, Qiao Qiyu immediately stood up nervously, ”Hello, Bai Zepei. I’m Qiao Qiyu from Class B. You might not know me, but I’ve always admired you for being ranked first in Class A.”

Qiao Qiyu was really nervous, as if he had met an idol. Bai Ruozhu was stunned – she didn’t know her elder brother was so famous in the academy. He wasn’t only a high achiever, he even had fans.

Bai Zepei took a glance at Qiao Qiyu and said indifferently, ”I know you. My little sister has been worrying about your family’s affairs recently and I’ve heard about it. Your academics are good, but you’re not diligent enough. If you could be more focused, you should be able to pass the Imperial Examination.”

Mr. Qiao stood up excitedly and said, ”Really? In that case, Qiyu, you must study harder so that you can compete in the same subject as Mr. Bai in the future.”

Qiao Qiyu’s eyes also lit up. He gave a deep bow to Bai Zepei and said, ”I will remember your words and study hard. I will not waste my time anymore.”

Bai Ruozhu watched all this and thought, after going through all these experiences, Qiao Qiyu should have matured a lot.

After setting a date with Bai Ruozhu to officially transfer the shop ownership, Qiao Qiyu and his father bid their farewells. The next morning, Bai Ruozhu completed the paperwork for the transfer of the shop with Qiao Qiyu and his father. They used the same price she had originally offered. Mr. Qiao felt awkward, so before leaving Beiyu City, he gave the Bai Family a gift. To make sure Bai Ruozhu accepted it, he asked a friend to deliver it, claiming it was for Bai Ruozhu’s child.

Once the deliverer left, Bai Ruozhu opened the box and found a weighty, gold necklace inside. Bai Ruozhu almost ran after the man who delivered the gift. The necklace was solid gold and worth a considerable amount. With this gift, it seemed that the Qiao family had effectively only received half the price for the shop.

Dengdeng was overjoyed, holding onto the gold necklace and refusing to let go. Bai Ruozhu was forced to get a red string and tie the necklace around his neck. Her plan was to keep an eye on him and when he got bored after playing with it a few days, she would put it away. But of course, that was for later.

Afterward, Bai Ruozhu was busy packing up. Despite the possibility of returning in less than two months, she still wanted to prepare as thoroughly as possible, especially when it came to the child’s stuff.

In a blink of an eye, the day of her farewell banquet had arrived, and it was also her first time trying out the concept of a buffet in Beiyu City. Consequently, she was feeling a mix of melancholy, excitement, and anticipation.

The shop was closed for business in the early morning to prepare for the buffet. By midday, guests began to arrive. A notice was posted outside stating that the shop was booked for a private event until noon and would reopen to the public thereafter.

Many passersby stopped out of curiosity. Some even wondered who was capable enough to book the renowned shop for a private event. Ever since it became the most popular pub in Beiyu City, there had never been any news of it being booked for a private event.

The main gate of the shop remained open, allowing people outside to clearly see the buffet set up inside. This prompted even more curiosity. What was going on? Why were the tables in the main hall removed and a few scattered around in some corners? Was this really a banquet?

Bai Ruozhu, when sending out the invitations a few days ago, had already stated that it would be a unique buffet based on the customs of the overseas western royal family. It was meant to facilitate better conversation over food and drink, with no limits on what they wished to eat, offering them the freedom to indulge and have fun.

So, those who received the invitations were extremely curious and even more so once they arrived at the shop.

The waitstaff at the shop first served tea to the guests, patiently attending to them. As more people arrived, Bai Ruozhu stepped forward and spoke.

”Those who have come today are my friends and family. As you know, I will be heading to the capital for some work in a few days. So, before I leave, I wanted to treat all of you to a different kind of buffet. I hope everyone has a good time and will keep me in your thoughts.” As she said this, she adoringly winked at everyone, making all the ladies and young girls below burst into laughter.

This time she invited her master Lin Zhenghui, her business partners Shen Lu and Deng Gongquan, Mrs. Meng and the Meng sisters, everyone from her yard, as well as the well-acquainted Xie family, Ji Ziyan, Xu Huilin, Tu Ying, Tu Bai and others. Additionally, she also invited the ladies and young girls she had a good relationship with from previous banquets.

Of course, this also included her second brother’s classmates from the academy, the couple from Ronglang Pastry Shop, and the entire Qiao family.

Now that almost everyone had arrived, Bai Ruozhu put up a large porcelain plate as a demonstration. These plates were made according to her specifications, larger but very lightweight, so it wouldn’t tire out their hands.

”Everyone has a plate. You can pick whatever you like to eat from the different stations. We also have a variety of drinks and teas to choose from. You can arrange with familiar friends to get food together, then chat and eat. Today, please let’s forget about formality and enjoy.” Bai Ruozhu looked at the crowd, broke into a smile, showing her white teeth.

Seeing her teeth, everyone couldn’t help but think about the current trend in Beiyu City, where women display their white teeth when they laugh. Having a set of white teeth is almost a symbol of aristocracy. The better the woman’s teeth, the more noble her status seems.

Perhaps Bai Ruozhu would set a new trend for banquets, just like the buffet in front of them?

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Dear readers, I am sorry that today’s updates are late. I, Mouka, am afraid if some people would say that I am making excuses again, but I am genuinely running a fever. My head feels heavy which makes writing a slow process. I have no idea why my health has been poor recently, with nosebleeds and a sore throat just a few days ago, which I thought was due to a common cold, but now even fever has kicked in. I will continue to try my best and update another Chapter later. I definitely won’t be able to publish five Chapters today, so I am letting you all know first. I will try to catch up tomorrow.