Chapter 2194: Aunt Hong's Refusal (Patreon)

Chapter 2194: Aunt Hong's Refusal

Aunt Hong sat down in front of Shu Yu and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Well, you see, I've opened a shop on Futai Street in the capital, and it will open for business in a few days. During this time, I've found a shopkeeper and assistants, but I'm still looking for someone to cook in the backyard. I wanted to ask if Auntie is interested."

Aunt Hong was someone Shu Yu had thought of from the beginning, but she had hesitated because of the personalities of the other members of the Hong family.

Later, she felt that Mrs. Feng, who was helping with cooking and cleaning at the Southern Courtyard, was also good. She worked quickly and didn't talk much, so there was no problem with her work.

However, the Southern Courtyard was a bit far from Futai Street, and walking there would take too much time. The shop's backyard could serve as accommodation, but Mrs. Feng needed to go home because her family couldn't do without her. She had to return home in the evenings.

So, Shu Yu was still considering. However, when she saw Aunt Hong selling vegetables in the morning, sitting in a corner for a long time without any customers, she came over decisively to ask for Aunt Hong's opinion.

Aunt Hong was somewhat surprised by her words. "You've opened a shop on Futai Street?"

"Yes."

Aunt Hong genuinely didn't know about this. Since Shu Yu had visited her home with Song Le, her son, daughter-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law had occasionally asked her to find Shu Yu. They mentioned maintaining good relations and how it was rare to see Song Le, encouraging her to reunite with them.

Aunt Hong knew that her family wanted her to ask for favors.

She didn't want to do as her children wished, so she simply refused.

However, she did visit the Southern Courtyard secretly when her family wasn't paying attention, just to see Song Le.

Seeing Shu Yu, Aunt Hong suddenly remembered that she still didn't know what her nephew was doing in the capital this time. So she casually asked.

Song Le mentioned that he had come to take the imperial examination and had been busy studying recently.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hong decided not to visit Meng Yunzheng as she had originally planned. Moreover, she hadn't visited Song Le again after that visit. She didn't want to disturb his studies. She also knew that the imperial examination had ended, but she didn't know the results, and she didn't want to upset her nephew by asking.

She had always thought that Shu Yu had come to the capital to accompany her nephew.

Little did she know that in such a short time, Shu Yu had opened a shop in the capital.

Aunt Hong swallowed and asked, "What kind of shop is it?"

"It's a shop that sells various snacks."

Aunt Hong thought it was a general grocery store. Even if it was a small one, the rent in Futai Street would still be quite expensive.

"How about it, Auntie? Have you thought about it? There isn't much work, and it's not very tiring. For cooking, you'd just need to prepare meals for four people, nothing too complicated. Cleaning is limited to the backyard, while the front will be handled by the shopkeeper and assistants. As for the salary, you'd get one or two taels of silver per month, and it may increase in the future if things go well."

Aunt Hong immediately understood that Shu Yu was clearly looking out for her.

She was quite tempted, but after careful consideration, she shook her head and refused, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, Miss Lu, but I'll pass. You see, as long as I see Xiao Lele doing well, I'm at ease. I'm living a comfortable life now, so there's no need for me to take on additional work."

She didn't want to mention that she might bring trouble to Shu Yu, but she figured that once she had this job, her family would definitely pester Shu Yu.