The Marquis' Wife
The tea offerings and Li Yaoyao's intentions

The next day, as Miao Sheng and Li Yaoyao promised to visit Lu Xiang's house, they Lu Xiang, Adelia, Miao Sheng and Li Yaoyao gathered in the living room.

Lu Xiang and Adelia sat on a chair with two cups of tea placed by Lu Mei before them. Miao Sheng took the teacup and knelt down to throw the tea at Lu Xiang even though his heart was not willing because it felt that he was far below the man. "Speaker-in-law, please have some tea".

"Thank you sister-in-law" Lu Xiang received the teacup and gave the red envelope as an allowance given by the seniority in the family to his junior.

Miao Sheng accepted with a forced smile and then gave Adelia tea which then also gave her pocket money, a feeling of humiliation lingering in his heart. 

Li Yaoyao who saw her husband's reaction wanted to turn the eyeballs off guard, Miao Sheng had never thought long and far and was very easy to show his feelings, she said, did he not think that Lu Xiang and Adelia could figure out what he was thinking?.

Li Yaoyao was not very fond of her husband who was thinking narrowly and did not know how to take advantage of the situation, if not the persuasion of his father then he will not send a proposal to a man who does not have a bright and long future, considering the purpose of coming here, he said, he smiled cheerfully and offered the tea to Lu Xiang and Adelia and received a red envelope.

"Miao Sheng's. How's Grandma Miao doing? Is grandma in good health?". Although not wanting to build a good relationship with his maternal family, pleasantries must still be applied.

"Grandma's good and healthy news is Adelia, grandma misses you after you go to Fucheng and never come home to Miao village".

Adelia breathed a sigh of relief and then stared guiltily. "Sorry Miao Sheng, I'm so busy managing the store and taking care of this house, especially when I'm pregnant I can't make a long trip".

Miao Sheng's eyes flashed in his heart he smirked cynically but his face smiled as if it was no big deal. "It's okay, brother, I understand and understand your situation".

The answer contained two different meanings but Adelia chose to pretend not to hear it and returned to breathing a sigh of relief making Miao Sheng's lips throb in annoyance.

"Sister Adel, the cake at De Xiang's shop is so delicious and interesting, I just understood why De Xiang's store has so many customers every day. Where did you get that idea, brother?". Li Yaoyao shifted the topic of conversation.

"Thank you. I myself did not expect that the tarts would be so famous in the city of Fucheng". Adelia answered with a resigned face but her smiling lips showed her true feelings.

"So how did you get the idea of making a cake?". Li Yaoyao repeated the question again despite knowing that she was acting disrespectfully by asking such a personal thing but her innocent face made people think that she was just a girl who was just curious about something unique and has no hidden purpose.

Lu Xiang who was sitting beside Adelia looked at Li Yaoyao with cold eyes but her lips were smiling, either pleased with the question or scorned the questioner.

"It's all thanks to Lu Xiang" Adelia turned her head to Lu Xiang's side, a sly look and manipulation shining in her eyes making her husband smile amusedly.

"Lu Xiang found a book about cooking sponge cake and how to make cream cake tarts and passed it on to me. I tried several times and was able to develop the ideas that were in the book".

"Well! sister-in-law is so great and lucky!!". Li Yaoyao stared in admiration at Lu Xiang, a gaze like the gaze of a little girl meeting her idol, so pure and holy. Actually he is more interested in handsome and mighty men and has a noble nature but he knows very well that he and Lu Xiang are so impossible that he just wants to build a good relationship and if you need to be like your own sister, it is more useful than thickening your face and dreams that do not make sense like being a wife or concubine.

 Lu Xiang simply nodded lightly then turned his gaze to Miao Sheng and asked about the academics and what steps his sister-in-law would take later on.

"I want to work in the mayor's office in Qincheng City".

"You don't want to continue school and prepare for Sheng-shih's next exam?".

Miao Sheng shook his head weakly. "I will still prepare for Sheng-shih's next exam but don't want to continue my studies at the academy. My father-in-law offered me a secretary in the mayor's office and I was interested in the job". 

Miao Sheng explained with a feeling of pride and pride that he could barely cover up, he thought that although Lu Xiang graduated and ranked first but he was the one who first built a career.

"So you're not going to stay in Fucheng?" Adelia realized that the reason Miao's grandmother did not come to Fucheng was not because of Li Yaoyao but because there was no need to do so.

"Yes Adelia, Li Yaoyao and I will return to Qincheng later this year". He did not know what Li Yaoyao meant by trying to establish a connection with an influential family in Fucheng even though they would not stay in Fucheng for long but his wife told his father-in-law to do so so he could not argue anything.

Adelia looked at her husband and nodded at Miao Sheng. Lu Xiang seemed to know that his wife was relieved and happy not to be close to the Miao family, he only knew that Adelia was so afraid that the Miao family would bring him trouble, he smiled amusedly but lovingly and grasped the hand of the woman who always made her day bright.

"Sister Adel, do you think I can open a tart cake shop in Qincheng?".

Adelia's eyebrows shot up. "You're interested in buying a tart recipe?".

That unexpected question made Li Yaoyao's smile freeze for a moment. "I.actually I want to help big brother build a branch in Qincheng just like you did in Cheng city, maybe it can help develop the reputation of De Xiang's store and make you know more about your store".

 Li Yaoyao's explanation not only sounded like selfless help but also reminded Adelia that she could do that with strangers who were not family and of course she also did that more with her relatives.

So you want a free recipe? hehe, interesting.

If Adelia was a person who thought highly of face and reputation then that explanation would melt and please her but Adelia in front of Li Yaoyao was not such a woman, either, he did not care much about the response of others as long as it did not concern Lu Xiang and he was also more sensitive so that he knew the purpose of the girl before him.

"Wow!! it did help Li Yaoyao a lot but you know for yourself that Lu Xiang and I will move to the capital after Lu Xiang takes the hui-shih exam. It would be very troublesome for you to build a branch of De Xiang's shop in Qincheng, traveling far every month would be inefficient for you who are married".

Li Yaoyao put on a disappointed face but inwardly she was very upset by Adelia's refusal. "W-What about the branch in Cheng town? I mean, is it okay to leave the store to someone who's not a relative of the family?".

The simultaneously insinuating question made Lu Xiang's lips throb in annoyance.

"Of course I won't do that, I told Xiaowen about it before and agreed to buy the shop and the recipe for the tart from me so there won't be any problems".

"Oh. Good then". The explanation that also sounded innuendo made Li Yaoyao barely able to maintain her smile. So Adelia wanted me to also have to pay for the cake recipe if I wanted to open the same cake shop.

But that recipe was worth 10,000 silver coins!!! and that does not include the new menu in Fucheng. Where did he get that kind of money?!!.