I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 508: Pei Zuo Comes to Cause Trouble

Now we can only find another shop to open Lingxi Pavilion in the inner city of Kyoto. That way we'll have shops in both the outer and inner city, and the money will flow in like water.

Fang Xiaoxiao, along with Li Wan'er and Hongxiu, walked out with their heads held high and head held high to the most bustling central area of ​​the long street to look for a shop.

As Fang Xiaoxiao entered a rather impressive-looking shop, she had just asked about the rent when the shifty-eyed landlord glanced at them and said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, this shop has a monthly rent of one thousand taels. Don't even think about renting it for a penny less!"

Fang Xiaoxiao snorted coldly: "Your shop may have a good location, but it's not worth this price. Are you deliberately making things difficult for me?"

The landlord, hands on his hips, arrogantly declared, "Hmph, this is the price. Take it or leave it. There are plenty of people vying for it!"

Fang Xiaoxiao laughed angrily, "I think you're obsessed with money. Just wait until the shop is a complete disaster!" With that, she turned and left.

Then they went into another shop. The landlord was a greasy, fat man. As soon as he heard that Fang Xiaoxiao wanted to rent a shop, he made an outrageous demand: "Eight hundred taels of silver a month, no bargaining!"

Fang Xiaoxiao's eyes turned cold: "Are you trying to fleece people like idiots?"

The landlord sneered, "You poor wretch! If you can't afford it, don't waste my time here!"

Li Wan'er's face turned bright red with anger: "How dare you talk like that!"

Fang Xiaoxiao stopped her and said coldly, "Let's go. This kind of shady shop will go out of business sooner or later!"

Just as they were feeling somewhat disheartened, they spotted a shop in an excellent location. The landlord, a well-dressed middle-aged man, glanced at Fang Xiaoxiao and her companions with a hint of disdain.

Fang Xiaoxiao asked, "Boss, how much does it cost to rent this shop?"

The landlord said lazily, "The monthly rent is five hundred taels, no bargaining!"

Fang Xiao chuckled: "Your price is way too high. Three hundred taels would be more reasonable."

The landlord scoffed, "Little brat, if you don't know the market, don't cause trouble here. Five hundred taels, take it or leave it!"

Fang Xiaoxiao's eyes narrowed: "You'd better not regret this!"

After that, he turned around and left.

A short while later, a group of well-dressed people arrived in front of the shop, pointing and gesturing at the landlord. It turned out that these people were wealthy businessmen friends that Fang Xiaoxiao had invited, pretending to want to rent the shop, but being extremely picky about the price.

The landlord was getting anxious. Just then, Fang Xiaoxiao slowly walked back and said, "Two hundred taels, rent it to me, otherwise your shop will just sit empty!"

The landlord's face darkened, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll rent it to you for two hundred taels!"

Fang Xiao smiled smugly, having successfully rented a satisfactory shop.

Originally, the plan was to buy a shop, but considering that he didn't have much working capital, apart from the thousand taels of silver notes he got from Li Fu, he had less than two thousand taels left in his savings. As for where the money went, it was because the Lingxi Pavilion in the outer city was destroyed by fire, causing all the original capital to be lost.

Fang Xiaoxiao lay on the table of the shop she had just taken over, sighing and thinking about these troubling things.

"Ouyang Tuoba promised to pay for the repair of Lingxi Pavilion, but in the end, I had to bear all the burden myself." Fang Xiaoxiao muttered, feeling wronged.

Time flies, and before they knew it, it was evening. After cleaning, the three women were too exhausted to move.

Li Wan'er said weakly, "Sister Fang, this is really exhausting."

Hongxiu slumped into a chair: "Miss, what should we do next?"

Fang Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth: "What else can we do but bite the bullet and go for it!"

After cleaning the house, Fang Xiaoxiao and the other two decided to make hot pot. Hongxiu and Li Wan'er had never heard of it before and were full of curiosity.

Li Wan'er blinked and asked, "Sister Fang, what is this hot pot?"

Fang Xiao said mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough, I guarantee you'll enjoy your meal."

Fang Xiaoxiao instructed Hongxiu to prepare the ingredients, while she began to prepare the broth. Soon, the table was filled with various fresh vegetables, meats, and bean products.

The bottom of the pot bubbled and simmered, releasing an enticing aroma. Fang Xiaoxiao carefully placed the ingredients into the pot one by one and patiently waited for them to cook.

"Okay, we can eat now!" Fang Xiaoxiao said excitedly.

Li Wan'er and Hongxiu looked at the food bubbling in the pot, somewhat at a loss.

Fang Xiaoxiao demonstrated how to scoop out the cooked food, dip it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.

Li Wan'er cautiously took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up: "Wow, it's so delicious!"

Hongxiu nodded repeatedly: "Miss, this hot pot is really novel and delicious."

The three of them ate until they were sweating profusely, their laughter echoing throughout.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and the First Prince, Pei Zuo, appeared. Pei Zuo curiously looked at everyone and the hot pot. Fang Xiao's heart tightened, and she asked in confusion, "First Prince, what brings you here?"

Although the guy opposite her was ruthless and extremely vicious, he was a prince, so what could she do but force a smile?

Pei Zuo frowned and said, "I was passing by when I heard that the house was bustling with activity, so I came in to take a look."

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly said, "Your Highness, please have a seat. This is hot pot we are eating right now. Would you like to try some?"

Pei Zuo snorted coldly: "What is this? It looks rather strange."

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly explained, "This hot pot is a special way of eating. You put the ingredients into this boiling pot to cook them, and then dip them in the sauce. It tastes amazing."

Pei Zuo sat down with some skepticism, looking at the bubbling hot pot in front of him with a somewhat complicated expression.

Fang Xiaoxiao picked up a slice of cooked meat, dipped it in the sauce, and handed it to Pei Zuo: "Your Highness, please try this."

Pei Zuo hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth and ate it. Instantly, his eyes widened, his face flushed red from the spicy and savory taste, and he began to cough incessantly.

Fang Xiaoxiao quickly handed over a glass of water: "Your Highness, please take your time."

Pei Zuo took a sip of water, recovered, and said, "This taste is quite peculiar."

He tried to put some food into the pot himself, but accidentally burned his hand and couldn't help but cry out.

Fang Xiaoxiao suppressed a laugh and said, "Your Highness, please be careful, the food in this hot pot is very hot."

Pei Zuo glared at her and continued trying.

After eating for a while, beads of sweat appeared on Pei Zuo's forehead, but he kept stuffing food into his mouth, muttering, "Not bad, not bad."

Fang Xiaoxiao found it somewhat amusing to look at him like this. This usually imposing prince was now acting like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

However, she didn't dare to show it, and just carefully stayed with him.

“Fang Xiaoxiao, your hot pot is quite interesting,” Pei Zuo said.

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and replied, "It is my honor to be favored by the Crown Prince."

Pei Zuo put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and suddenly changed the subject: "I heard you've been making quite a few moves in the capital recently. What exactly is your purpose?"