Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 828 - 109 An Yixiang (second update)_2

Seeing Shopkeeper Wu like this, An Yixiang rolled her eyes and cocked her leg, "So you poisoned my son! Humph!"

Lin Yuan’s mouth twitched, this An Yixiang, just after a few words managed to infuriate Shopkeeper Wu to the point of tipping over, truly, the heart of a woman was the most poisonous.

Xia Zheng’s mouth curved into a slight smirk, and he backed away two steps behind Lin Yuan. Upon receiving a puzzled look from someone, Xia Zheng chuckled and mouthed, "This is your ’dish’."

Now even Lin Yuan’s face twitched. What did he mean by her ’dish’? Did he see her as an unreasonable, aging woman?

At this moment, Xia Zheng, unaware of Lin Yuan cursing him in her heart, crossed his arms and watched with the demeanor of someone who’s about to enjoy a good show. A young ruffian, an old ruffian, he wondered who would outdo the other?

Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng’s silent exchange escaped An Yixiang’s notice; in fact, she had received news early on that two particularly formidable individuals had arrived at Fragrant Full Building, individuals whom even Wang Hong did not take lightly, and who had even secured Shopkeeper Wu’s release from custody.

The moment she saw them, she knew they must be the ones.

Glancing at the two out of the corner of her eye, An Yixiang furrowed her brow. They were just two kids. Although the young man was trying to conceal it, she could still feel there was something extraordinary about him. As for the girl, aside from strangely bright eyes, there didn’t seem to be anything worth a second glance.

Yet, such an unremarkable girl had earned the admiration of a woman who’d weathered numerous storms, something she hadn’t seen coming. Of course, all this came to light later.

"Master of An Family, these two are the owners of Fragrant Full Building. They specially visited today to resolve the matter of your son’s poisoning," Shopkeeper Wu, seeing he wouldn’t get the better of An Yixiang in a war of words, sensibly stepped back, pushing forward Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng.

Lin Yuan stepped forward with a slight smile and had just uttered, "Master of An Family," when the woman cut her off, "Owners? Two milk-nosed brats are the owners of Fragrant Full Building? Shopkeeper Wu, your joke is a bit too much. If Fragrant Full Building doesn’t intend to resolve this, then you might as well go back to jail. If you’re sincere, bring a steward, not a couple of brats thinking they can dismiss me so easily!"

If it hadn’t been for their apparent status, An Yixiang would’ve kicked them out already, rather than allowing them to speak further.

Though the woman spoke without mincing words, Lin Yuan found herself oddly fond of her, preferring An Yixiang’s straightforwardness to the insidiousness of others who hid numerous traps in their words.

Thinking along these lines, Lin Yuan concluded that Shopkeeper Wu’s claims about her conspiring against family elders must have been accidents. She couldn’t imagine such a forthright woman engaging in dark conspiracies behind the scenes.

Shopkeeper Wu’s complexion changed—he might not be as quick on his feet as An Yixiang, but that didn’t mean he’d allow her to bully his bosses.

"An Yixiang, what nonsense are you spouting!" Perhaps because of the frustrations of the past few days, Shopkeeper Wu’s temper had flared, and while ranting, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

An Yixiang stood up just as fiercely, red in the face with anger and urgency, "What? Ready to fight? Hmph. Fragrant Full Building has harmed my son, and now you come to bully a lone woman! How shameless to spread such a word!"

Shopkeeper Wu’s mouth twitched, uncertain whether to lower his arm or keep it raised.

Lin Yuan quickly pulled him aside and kicked Xia Zheng, who was snickering, "Stop laughing! Aren’t you going to do something?"

They had come to solve problems, not deepen conflicts!

Xia Zheng shrugged, pulled Shopkeeper Wu closer, and whispered something in his ear, making Shopkeeper Wu turn various shades of red and white as he looked at Lin Yuan with complicated eyes.

No need to guess, Xia Zheng had obviously thrown her under the bus. Lin Yuan placed a hand to her forehead, speechless at the situation.

An Yixiang glared at Shopkeeper Wu, then plopped back down in her chair, breathing heavily. One couldn’t blame her for being harsh to Lin Yuan and the others; after all, her son had nearly died at the dining table of Fragrant Full Building. If Lin Yuan and her group had evidence to prove their innocence, it would be one thing—but with no such evidence, of course An Yixiang was furious.

Realizing this critical point, Lin Yuan’s resentment towards the devoted mother lessened. She smiled and bowed, neither servile nor overbearing, "Although Lin Yuan is not from Yecheng, I have heard of Master of An Family’s life story. You took over the An Family’s business at the age of fifteen, shouldering the entire family industry with your delicate shoulders. As a woman myself, I deeply empathize with your determination and the injustices you’ve faced."

Seeing An Yixiang’s expression soften, Lin Yuan knew her words had taken effect and continued, "My parents are frail and we have no relatives to rely upon, so I bear all the household burdens. I thought my own struggles were difficult, but when I consider how Master of An Family, at such a young age, had neither parents to lean on nor siblings to depend upon, yet managed to keep the family property and even run it so capably, my admiration knows no bounds."

Flattery works wonders, and no one dislikes compliments—An Yixiang included. Moreover, finding her own experiences so strikingly similar to Lin Yuan’s, An Yixiang seemed to see a reflection of her former, helpless, and solitary self in the young woman, which naturally cooled her anger considerably.

"Who says I have no one to rely on? My dear son has never left my side," An Yixiang’s lips curled into a brief, blissful smile, which Lin Yuan caught.

"Enough with the flattery, you just want to see my son, right?" An Yixiang, a perceptive woman, had guessed as much even though Lin Yuan hadn’t said it outright, but clearly, she wasn’t inclined to cooperate.

"I advise you to go back and await Magistrate Tang’s judgment. My son’s survival is due to Fragrant Full Building’s past good karma."

An Yixiang’s lips twitched as though about to have the guests shown out.

"Wait!" A faint voice suddenly interrupted, bringing a glimmer of hope to Lin Yuan and her companions.