Chapter 146 - 146: Lost All Face (Extra chapter for monthly ticket, fourth update)
“If you don’t believe me, the tofu shop is grinding tofu right now. It should be ready soon so you can go and try it. Then you’ll know everything.”
“Besides, I remember Qingning mentioned before, the reason why such a temperamental woman like your aunt allowed her to rent the tofu shop without paying any rent was because she liked the taste of the tofu Qingning made.”
“This…”
Zhuang Yutian and Zhuang Yucheng glanced at each other, both stunned.
They understood what Zhuang Yonghe was saying.
If Zhuang Qingning’s tofu does taste better than Mrs. Wen’s, then Zhuang Qingning can’t have tricked Mrs. Wen into revealing her tofu secret recipe.
They had to verify if the tofu, as Zhuang Yonghe said, tasted better than the tofu traditionally made in the tofu shop.
Yet Zhuang Yonghe looked so certain. There was no way he was lying.
The tofu shop used to do quite well, but only within the nearby village. Even when compared to Changji tofu shop in town, it didn’t have a clear advantage, let alone taking over Changji tofu shop completely.
But now, the tofu Zhuang Qingning makes is capable of completely driving Changji tofu shop out of business, which means her tofu is indeed different from what was made before in the tofu shop.
“Why didn’t we think of this?”
Zhuang Yutian scratched his ear, looking at Zhuang Yucheng: “After Qingning rented the tofu shop and made so much money, we can tell her tofu is different from the tofu made in our shop.”
“And why didn’t our mother tell us about this?”
“I don’t know…” Zhuang Yucheng was also confused at this point. “Yeah, why didn’t our mother explain this to us earlier? If she had told us earlier, we wouldn’t have made a fuss.”
“This…”
They felt ashamed to have made such an accusation in front of a younger relative.
“Let’s go. We need to go back and ask our mother why she didn’t tell us and made us lose face…”
Zhuang Yucheng pulled Zhuang Yutian, ready to leave.
“Wait a minute…” Zhuang Yutian stopped Zhuang Yucheng. He walked to Zhuang Qingning, gave an awkward chuckle and started rubbing his hands, “We are truly sorry, Qingning. We, your uncles, misunderstood you…”
“Well… because we didn’t fully express our concerns, it caused a misunderstanding, which is rather unpleasant. We want to apologize to you. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“What I said earlier was too harsh. I understand you’re a young lady and this incident might harm your reputation. We, as the two uncles, should not have treated you this way. Please accept our apologies…”
Zhuang Yutian pulled Zhuang Yucheng as he said this.
Although Zhuang Yucheng felt embarrassed to apologize to their young relative Zhuang Qingning, they had indeed misunderstood her.
Moreover, they didn’t even ask for clarification and started blaming Zhuang Qingning as soon as they saw her. It was indeed their fault.
Since they were in the wrong, they had to apologize.
“Qingning, we are really sorry for our actions…”
However, his voice was quite low.
“Uncle Yutian, Uncle Yucheng.”
Zhuang Qingning, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke, “This incident indeed was a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding shouldn’t result in a big deal once it’s clarified. You guys are Aunt Wen’s family. Initially, thanks to Aunt Wen agreeing to lease me the tofu shop, Qingsui and I were able to live a comfortable life. Even out of respect for Aunt Wen, I shouldn’t pursue this matter too much.”
“But being yelled at right off the bat and accused of being deceitful would make anybody feel uncomfortable. If the roles were reversed, I don’t think you guys would easily let go of this either.”
“It’s like driving a nail into a wooden board. Even if you realize the nail is placed in the wrong spot and you remove it, the hole in the board will still remain.”
“Uncle Yutian, Uncle Yucheng, don’t you agree with my analogy?”
After Zhuang Qingning spoke, she looked at Zhuang Yutian and Zhuang Yucheng.
The two brothers glanced at each other again, both with a sense of guilt on their faces.
“Qingning, it was indeed our fault in the first place. We understand how much this has bothered you. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, we can…”
Zhuang Yucheng said gently, “Tell us what we can do to make things right for you. Whatever you ask, we will do.”
After speaking, he pounded his chest, looking eager.
He was quite polite in his response.
Zhuang Yonghe couldn’t help but look at Zhuang Qingning.
If he were in this situation and the other person sincerely apologized to him, he might have let it go.
However, this was just a hypothetical scenario. When this doesn’t directly affect you, it is easy to advise others to be generous. However, when it comes to your own issues, you’d want to dig up the roots of the other person’s ancestral tomb.
Therefore, it’s not feasible to counsel on this matter, it depends on what Zhuang Qingning plans to do.
No matter how she decides to handle it, he will support her.
After hearing Zhuang Yucheng’s statement, Zhuang Qingning smiled and said, “Since Uncle Yucheng has said so, I won’t hold back. You have to promise me two things.”
Upon hearing this, the faces of Zhuang Yutian and Zhuang Yucheng slightly changed.
Seeing her mischievous smile, reminiscent of a cunning fox, it was obvious that her condition was not something trivial, and there were two of them.
Zhuang Yutian glared at Zhuang Yucheng resentfully.
Look at you, being impulsive, and even now speaking without thinking, you have given her the chance to grab hold of. What if she demands a large amount in return?
However, considering that they both were indeed in the wrong, even if they agreed to her conditions, it would be their own doing. Zhuang Yutian could only sigh.
There’s a saying that ‘debts must be paid’, they owed a favor this time, so they have to repay this favor. There’s really no other way around it.
“Alright, go ahead.” Zhuang Yutian’s energy seemed to drain away as he worried Zhuang Qingning might make some outrageous demands.
“First, Uncle Yutian and Uncle Yucheng, you must tell me who planted the idea in your heads that I had deceived Aunt Wen and stolen her tofu secret recipe and incited you both to confront me?”