My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 33

“Huh? Ah?” Lu Jiahe reacted as if a startled kitten, her hairs standing on end.

Cheng Yi glanced at Lu Jiahe upon hearing her exclamation. “What are you ‘ah-ing’ about? That’s your father, shouldn’t you be thinking of a solution?”

Frowning, Lu Jiahe pondered the matter seriously. “How about we just tell the truth? Didn’t my grandmother say she’d personally talk to my father about this? You don’t need to worry.”

“How can I not worry? Did you see how your father looked earlier? He was ready to hit someone over that nonexistent child. And all his kindness toward me lately has been because he suspected I was carrying the Lu family’s heir. If he finds out it’s all a lie now, I’ll have to keep my head down in your household from now on.”

Lu Jiahe rested her chin on her hand, unsure what to do. “But we never actually said you were pregnant, they just assumed it. If you’re still uneasy, why not come with me to the capital in a few months?”

Those words struck a chord with Cheng Yi. Right, neither she nor Lu Jiahe had ever confirmed the existence of a child. If others jumped to conclusions, what did it have to do with her.

“Why are you going to the capital?” Cheng Yi turned to look at her, thinking that if Lu Jiahe left, she’d truly be in a tough spot alone in the Lu household.

“To take the imperial exams,” Lu Jiahe replied, her face weary. After everything that had happened that day, all tied to her, she suddenly felt utterly drained.

The capital?

Cheng Yi thought back to all the books she’d read. The capital was essentially the nation’s capital. If she could expand her business, “Yiju,” there, she’d surely make a fortune.

“When are you going?”

Noticing Cheng Yi’s interest, Lu Jiahe answered, “In a few months. My father has already arranged a residence there.”

Hiss—property in the capital?

Cheng Yi narrowed her eyes, studying the golden child before her. She’d never been to any city besides Bianjing and had assumed the Lu family was merely well-off locally. Who’d have thought they owned property in the capital too!

“What about the shop? I worked so hard to get it started.” Though Cheng Yi was eager to see the world in the capital, she’d only just established herself in Bianjing with the Lu family’s help. The idea of abandoning her newly opened store didn’t sit well with her.

Lu Jiahe grinned and patted Cheng Yi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. My grandmother used to run businesses in her youth. We’ll only be gone for two or three months at most, you can leave the shop in her hands during that time.”

Two or three months? That was worth considering.

Cheng Yi mulled it over but wasn’t ready to commit to joining Lu Jiahe in the capital just yet.

“You’ve got it all figured out, huh? How old is your grandmother? Should she really be worrying about shop affairs at her age, when she ought to be enjoying her retirement?”

Having spent so much time with Cheng Yi, Lu Jiahe was long accustomed to her constant chattering. “It’s fine. The Lu family has plenty of managers. Just explain your operating methods to them, and they can help oversee things.”

Cheng Yi pretended to think for a moment. “Let me consider it first. Once I’ve settled the shop’s affairs over the next few days, we’ll go talk to your grandmother about these matters.”

“Alright.” Seeing that she hadn’t refused, Lu Jiahe felt a faint sense of relief.

“It’s getting late. I should head back now. Remember to come to the shop for lunch tomorrow.” With that, Cheng Yi stood up and left Lu Jiahe’s room.

The next morning, they opened the shop as usual. The only difference was that Yiju had introduced a new business model today: a membership system.

“Esteemed guest, as part of our grand opening promotion, if you deposit funds to become a member, you’ll not only enjoy member discounts but also participate in our monthly member day. On member days, all dining customers can receive a complimentary surprise gift.”

Panda Eyes and Cui’er, who were in charge of attending to the customers in the shop, recommended the Yiju membership card to every new customer they encountered.

“Does the discount apply to all the dishes in the shop?”

“Yes, esteemed guest. Not only do the dishes come with discounts, but we also offer an additional discount at checkout based on your deposit amount. Moreover, if you’re studying at the academy, you can come to Yiju at noon to enjoy an exclusive member-only buffet lunch.”

Although the customers were tempted by such offers, Yiju had only been open for two days. What if they bought the membership card and the shop owner ran off with the money?

“That all sounds good, but what if you take our money and then shut down the shop?”

“Rest assured!” Panda Eyes took out the small wooden tokens used as membership cards and showed them to the skeptical customer. “Take a close look, these bear the emblem of the Lu Family Bank. Our owner has partnered with the Lu Family Bank. If we ever run off, you can go to the bank to withdraw the remaining balance from your card.”

The man took the wooden token and examined it carefully. Only after confirming the Lu Family Bank’s mark, he did feel reassured.

“Alright then, I’ll deposit some money and give it a try.”

“Excellent!”

Throughout the morning, Panda Eyes and Cui’er energetically sold quite a few membership cards. By the end, they even sent Que Ke Ya to the carpenter to have more membership cards made.

At noon, Lu Jiahe returned to the shop for lunch. Not wanting his identity as the owner to be discovered, he entered through the back door into the courtyard.

“Where is everyone? Is it really that busy today?” Hearing the bustling noise from the front, Lu Jiahe thought to himself that Cheng Yi truly had a knack for business.

Guo’er set the reheated dishes on the table one by one. “Yes, young master. The young mistress introduced some kind of membership card, and many people are buying it!”

“Membership card?” Lu Jiahe frowned upon hearing this. “What is that?”

“I’m not sure either. I only know that whoever deposits money into those tokens can get discounts when they dine here in the future.” Although Guo’er had accompanied Lu Jiahe to many places, this membership card system of Cheng Yi’s was something she had never heard of before.

Lu Jiahe only half-understood, so he decided to wait for Cheng Yi to come and ask her about it in detail.

Creak—

The back door of the shop opened, and Cheng Yi and Que Ke Ya entered the courtyard, each carrying a cloth bag.

“What were you two doing?” Seeing Cheng Yi drenched in sweat, Lu Jiahe quickly stood up and took the cloth bag from her, holding it in his arms.

“Whew!” The moment she let go, Cheng Yi felt as if a weight had been lifted. “We went to pick up the membership cards.” She walked to the table, picked up Lu Jiahe’s teacup, and took a big gulp of water.

“Guo’er, quickly take the membership cards to Qianmian. You and Cui’er need to record the membership information together, make sure not to make any mistakes.” Cheng Yi didn’t have time to explain much to Lu Jiahe. Putting down her water cup, she immediately instructed Guo’er and the gap-toothed girl to get to work.

“You should eat first. Let them handle these things for now.” Lu Jiahe had been looking forward to having lunch with Cheng Yi ever since leaving the academy, especially since something major had happened there today that she wanted to discuss.

Cheng Yi had initially planned to go help the others with their tasks, but feeling weak and exhausted, she accepted Lu Jiahe’s suggestion and sat down to have lunch with her.

“What are these membership cards for?” Lu Jiahe’s curiosity got the better of her, and she blurted out the question before Cheng Yi could even catch her breath.

At the mention of this, Cheng Yi remembered the special membership card she had tucked in her bosom. “This is for you,” she said, pulling out a wooden card engraved with a star and placing it in front of Lu Jiahe.

“What’s this?” Lu Jiahe picked up the wooden card and examined it carefully.

“It’s a custom-made membership card, just for you,” Cheng Yi explained between bites of her meal. “Even though you’re the owner of this shop, every expense must be recorded in the accounts. From now on, aside from sharing staff meals with me, you’ll have to pay for any other meals you have here. But don’t worry, I’ll tell Guo’er and Cui’er to give you extra discounts.”

Lu Jiahe looked at her, puzzled. “Do I not need to preload it with money?”

“Pfft!” Cheng Yi couldn’t help but laugh at Lu Jiahe’s question. “The money you have is all from me. The minimum preload amount for each membership card is fifty taels. Do you even have that much?”

“I.” Lu Jiahe fell silent. Cheng Yi only gave her thirty taels a month, so she truly didn’t have the funds.

“Alright, since you’re the boss, I’ll let it slide this time.” As she spoke, Cheng Yi picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in Lu Jiahe’s bowl. “Hurry up and eat. Don’t you have to go back to the academy for classes this afternoon?”

“I do.” Although Lu Jiahe wasn’t entirely pleased about having to pay to eat at her own shop, she reasoned that the meals were personally prepared by Cheng Yi, unlike those served elsewhere, so it wasn’t unreasonable to pay a little.

“By the way, Wang San dropped out of the academy today,” Lu Jiahe mentioned, recalling the incident and sharing it without thinking.

Cheng Yi glanced up at her. “Why?”

“He said it’s due to health issues and that he won’t be attending the academy for a while. But everyone at the academy is gossiping that his father gave him a severe beating last night, so bad that his backside is torn up. He’s probably too embarrassed to face his classmates and can’t even get out of bed.”

Cheng Yi nodded. “Serves him right. He got what he deserved.”

“Lu Jiahe, we must do more good deeds from now on, understand? Your mother and my parents are watching us from the stars. Let’s not disappoint them.”

“I know.” After saying this, Lu Jiahe paused, her chopsticks hovering over the dishes. “But does the pregnancy count as a bad deed?” The moment the thought crossed her mind, her brows furrowed unconsciously.

Why did she have to bring that up?

Cheng Yi took a sip of tea and took a deep breath. “That doesn’t count. We were just protecting ourselves, weren’t we? Besides, this matter is nothing but a rumor someone spread thoughtlessly. We’re the ones whose reputations have suffered, right?”

Lu Jiahe pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I suppose so.”

“Let’s not dwell on this. Hurry up and eat, you still have to return to the academy later!” Cheng Yi had no desire to discuss the matter further, especially since she had no idea how Lu Zhengliang might react if he learned the truth.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as the two were about to settle down for their meal, the back door suddenly rattled with urgent knocking.

Frowning at the sound, Cheng Yi glanced toward the back door and motioned for Lu Jiahe to answer it.

Concerned that Cheng Yi had just done strenuous work, Lu Jiahe didn’t argue. He set down his chopsticks, stood up, and went to open the door.

Creak!

Lu Jiahe pulled the door inward by the handle to find a woman dressed in a pale blue gown standing at the doorstep, holding a food container.

“Master Lu, it’s been a while,” the woman greeted him shyly, bowing slightly with the food container in hand.