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The Qian family has long divided their household. He is the fourth branch. He’s the only one who hasn’t married or had children, while the others have many offspring.

He doesn’t want to argue with that stubborn old man of his anymore. In this era, living past seventy is considered lucky. A few months after the old geezer passes away, he will propose to Lu Sanniang.

Someone asked him why he didn’t care for his father, who was dying of illness.

Why bother? If he goes, the old geezer’s remaining time will be shorter, so he doesn’t want to add to his troubles.

Because of Lu Sanniang, the father and son had long lost their affection for each other.

It’s not that Shopkeeper Lu is not good, but Mayor Qian’s father looks down on her for being poor. Just because of this, he wouldn’t let him marry her.

Mayor Qian is also stubborn. He wouldn’t marry anyone else but her, staying single all this while.

That old geezer was even more stubborn than him. He wouldn’t let Mayor Qian marry Lu Sanniang although he stayed single. So these two men continued in this deadlock, dragging the matter out.

Qiao Mai knew what Shopkeeper Lu was doing and didn’t want to interfere. If Lu Sanniang needs her, she will help. But if not, she will focus on managing household affairs.

As for Ruyi’s dowry, she will provide the same amount as she did for Ruxin. As for the recipe, she doesn’t want to get involved in it too much to avoid future troubles she can’t explain.

Thinking about Ruxin’s dowry in her space, Qiao Mai threw it into the courtyard where Ruxin lives on a dark night.

With a loud thud, everyone in the courtyard woke up. Ruxin’s maidservant came out and was almost ecstatic upon seeing the dowry.

“Miss, miss, it’s your dowry!”

Ruxin couldn’t believe it. She came out and checked carefully. It was indeed her dowry. Tears welled up in her eyes like a dam breaking.

“Could it be Master?”

By now, she seems to understand what she has lost.

Qiao Mai once said that she would stand up for her. That scoundrel betrayed her. Her master would seek justice for her.

Qiao Mai has martial arts skills, and she has done it. She helped protect her dowry from falling into the wrong hands.

“Master, Xin’er is sorry.”

Hidden in the shadows, Qiao Mai watched coldly. She has a principle of seeing things through, and now, she has closed a chapter of her master-disciple relationship.

In mid-May, the weather became scorching hot, especially in the southern regions, where fires are more likely to break out.

People fleeing disasters often appeared on the roads, guided by government officials to settle in various villages. Qiao Mai had her people set up porridge stalls along the road. Her kitchen staff kept steaming buns tirelessly.

The porridge stalls opened once a day, serving two large pots of porridge and several hundred buns. Once they ran out, they closed for the day.

Mayor Qian didn’t want to be left behind either. He set up a porridge stall at his doorstep. Some well-off families followed suit.

These porridge stalls provided a meal for the fleeing peasants, allowing them to catch their breath. Once they had settled in nearby villages, Qiao Mai promised that anyone who came with their household registration could receive fifty catties of cornmeal from her.

Qiao Mai’s name quickly spread throughout the surrounding area.

Many struggling families also wanted to come and claim their share. After a thorough check by Mayor Qian, they didn’t leave empty-handed either.

This made the Qiao, the Tian, and the Yuan family harbor deep resentment towards Qiao Mai.

She would rather assist strangers than let them benefit in any way.

She was adamant about not giving anything to them. She ensured that nobody from the Lihua Village, Apricot Blossom Village, and Peach Blossom Village would receive assistance.

No prior goodwill was established, so why should they reap the rewards?

The three families attempted to send family members with household registrations to collect, but as soon as Qiao Mai’s maids saw where they came from, she immediately turned them away.

“Mistress said we won’t give anything to our enemies.”

These three families could afford to feed themselves. It was understandable that the Tian family was tight on money to support someone’s education, but the Qiao family did nothing, relying on their few acres of land. Even taking up occasional odd jobs made them lose face. As for the Yuan family, those two old folks were always looking for a bargain.

They would constantly incite people against the Qiao family to cause trouble for them. But who could be as foolish as these two?

How could they stand up to the Qiao family? Not even her parents could do anything, so how could they deal with Qiao Mai?

Many people avoided them as soon as they saw them. Nobody was willing to engage with them.

They seemed to have too much free time on their hands.

During their free time, they would come to Tianshui Town to wander around. Even the two troublemakers from the Qiao family did the same. Once they knew they could be in-laws, they started engaging in conversation.

It was rare for the old Yuan couple, known for being stingy, to spend money. They set up a stall near the entrance of the Qiao family’s shop, right under Qiao Mai’s nose.

They ordered a few cups of milk tea and offered them to the elderly couple from the Qiao family. It seemed like they wanted to provoke a reaction from Qiao Mai and Yuan Jiaqi.

When the news reached Shopkeeper Niu, he mentioned it to Qiao Mai, who laughed it off.

“Let them be. It’s fine as long as they pay for the milk tea and don’t cause trouble.”

“Yes, Mistress. With the weather getting hotter, what should we do about our milk tea?”

“It can be served as a cold drink. Put in a few ice cubes. It’ll be quite refreshing.

Also, have the staff switch to using green tea for the base.”

“Understood.”

Shopkeeper Niu left. Qiao Mai had an idea for a delicious cold drink. She entered her space and picked up half a basket of lemons, small green oranges, passion fruits, and a jar of honey.

She went to the kitchen and started working on a jar of passion fruit lemonade with honey. She planned to test it out in her shop.

Once it was ready, Qiao Mai carried it to the store, passing by the two troublemakers outside.

Her staff were busy cutting ice, so she placed the jar inside the counter. She grabbed a bowl and a spoon, scooped a spoonful of the passion fruit mixture, added some ice cubes, and poured cold water.

“I’m really annoyed that we don’t have any straws. What can I use as a substitute?” Qiao Mai thought.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. Reeds had hollow centers, making them perfect as makeshift straws. They were long and could serve the purpose well.

However, the reeds in the nearby wasteland wouldn’t be suitable. They were unclean and short, not meeting the required standards.

She decided she would need to grow her own reeds. With one acre of land available, it would be sufficient.

For now, she had to make do with a spoon and tried a sip.

“The taste is decent. It’s especially refreshing.”

Shopkeeper Niu and the five staff members couldn’t help but gulp as they watched. Qiao Mai quickly instructed them.

“Everyone, get a bowl and try it like I did. Besides those troublemakers outside, everyone else gets a serving.”

“Thank you!”

After enjoying the refreshing passion fruit lemonade with honey, many couldn’t resist wanting more.

Qiao Mai instructed Shopkeeper Niu, “Starting tomorrow, anyone who buys items in our store will get a complimentary bowl of this cold drink. It will be priced at fifty coins per bowl.”

“Yes, Mistress!”

The five staff members at Qiao’s Small Eatery each held several recipes. Now, these recipes have become the backbone of the store.

Shopkeeper Niu contemplated hiring two more staff specifically for selling at the front and having the existing five focus on production behind the scenes.

Their boss kept introducing new and unique items too frequently.

It was a bit risky to have all the knowledge in the hands of one staff member. He wasn’t afraid they would leak it, but because they could be poached by someone else.

This wasn’t about buying or digging; it was a blatant theft.

Currently, the row of shops hasn’t been rented out yet. Even the one at the southern end had been vacated to accommodate beggars. Shopkeeper Niu planned to expand the shop.

Qiao Mai agreed as long as the business continued to thrive. She allowed Shopkeeper Niu to make the decisions as he saw fit..