The leader of the bailiffs with a curly beard rolled his eyes. Although Shengjing was large, there were also many people. Anything that happened in any city, as long as there was an intention to spread it, it would spread like the wind.

Moreover, Count Jing 'an's residence was a noble family. When the commoners had nothing better to do, they would like to find out about the interesting matters and secrets of the noble families.

A few days ago, Third Madam Jing 'an's residence had been personally conferred the title of Jinyi Village Lord by the imperial edict. Chu Lian stayed in Count Jing' an's residence and didn't pay attention to the outside world, but the news had already spread throughout Shengjing.

Although many members of the imperial family had been conferred titles, Third Madam Jing 'an's residence was the first woman from another clan to be conferred a title by the imperial edict in recent decades. How could people not be shocked?

Even many important officials, noblewomen, and mistresses of the aristocratic families were waiting for a chance to meet this newly conferred Jinyi Village Lord!

Just because of a mere fifth-grade title, Chu Lian was pushed to the top of the rumors in Shengjing and became famous.

The bailiffs weren't stupid. The leading bailiff immediately realized Chu Lian's identity. He glared at Manager Wang fiercely, wishing he could break his bones.

Damn it, he was the son of Count Jing 'an's family. How could he not recognize his own mistress? He deserved to be unlucky!

The leader of the bailiffs became even more respectful, and there was even a hint of flattery in his tone. "Noble Sir, let me deal with this evil servant who doesn't know what's good for him, lest he becomes an eyesore."

Chu Lian frowned. She really didn't like this bailiff's sudden change in attitude. She said calmly, "There's no need to trouble you. I will send someone to send them back to the residence and let the housekeeper handle them personally."

No matter how immature Manager Wang's family was, they were still the Matriarch's dowry slaves. How could she just hand them over to a few bailiffs just because of her status?

The leading bailiff looked a little embarrassed, but he could only shut his mouth.

The moment Chu Lian said this, the three people from the Wang family seemed to be scared out of their wits. They quickly knelt in front of Chu Lian and begged for mercy.

Chu Lian disliked this family. She had the servants gagging them and tying them up before sending them back to the housekeeper.

Wenqing politely sent the bailiffs away.

The main hall of Guilin Restaurant was finally empty. Only Chu Lian's men remained.

At this moment, the sound of slow footsteps could be heard from the backyard. Chu Lian raised her eyebrows. She didn't think that there would be people in Guilin Restaurant.

The door curtain moved slightly, and a white-haired old man wearing a coarse robe walked out.

The old man raised his head and met Chu Lian's gaze. He was slightly startled before he smiled amiably.

"Old servant, may I ask if you are the young master of the Dong family?"

Wenqing and Wenlan exchanged confused glances with one another.

Wenqing stepped forward and helped the old man to Chu Lian's side. "Old lady, this is the third mistress of the fu. The matriarch has already handed this restaurant over to third mistress to manage."

The old man's eyes shone brightly, and his wrinkled face looked like a dried orange peel.

"There's finally hope for Guilin Residence. There's hope!" The old man laughed with tears in his eyes. He wiped his tears with his sleeve.

Chu Lian was puzzled. "May I know who you are?"

The old man hurriedly calmed himself down and said, "Please forgive me, Third Young Mistress. This old servant was inconsiderate.

This old servant is the accountant of Guilin Residence … "

The old man's surname was also Wang, but he wasn't from the same branch as Manager Wang's family. He was also a servant of Count Jing 'an's estate.

Twenty years ago, he had been sent to Guilin Residence to work as an accountant. He had been conscientious and conscientious his entire life. At this age, he should have returned to Count Jing 'an's estate to retire. However, after Guilin Residence's business plummeted, it fell into the hands of the Wang family. The old man was unwilling to let it go, so he stayed.

Accountant Wang was an injured soldier that the old man had saved in the past. Because he was old, he didn't marry after he recovered from his injuries. He also didn't have any relatives in Count Jing 'an's estate, so he couldn't go against the Wang Clan. He could only endure in Guilin Residence.

"Third Young Mistress, please wait." Accountant Wang walked to the backyard with his walking stick. Not long after, he returned with a wooden box.

He held the wooden box in front of Chu Lian. "Third Young Mistress, this is the account book that this old servant recorded in private. Please take a look."

It turned out that Manager Wang didn't need Accountant Wang to take care of the accounts anymore. The account books that he had handed over were all forged by him. Although Accountant Wang had no choice, he could only make another copy in private and wait for the day to hand it over to his master.

Chu Lian didn't expect that this old man would go this far. Although she knew that these account books were of no use, she still received them solemnly. No matter how big or small the fruits of one's hard work were, whether they were sweet or sour, they all deserved the attention and respect they deserved.

"Thank you, Sir Accountant Wang." Chu Lian thanked him sincerely.

Accountant Wang's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. "Third Young Mistress, what are you saying? This is my duty."

Following that, Accountant Wang led her around Guilin Residence.

In the backyard of Guilin Residence, there was an old woman in her forties who did manual labor. It was all thanks to her taking care of Accountant Wang that he was able to survive until now, despite being exploited by the Wang family.

Chu Lian stood in the backyard of Guilin Residence and looked at the layout.

Although Guilin Residence's exterior was inconspicuous and couldn't be compared to the luxurious restaurants on Vermilion Bird Street in Shengjing, it had its own unique characteristics.

The layout of Guilin Residence was like a gourd. The entrance was small, but the entrance was large. Furthermore, there were two entrances to the backyard. Although it didn't have a second floor, it could be made up for with the large backyard.

There were residential houses on both sides. According to Accountant Wang, after people moved away from Xi City, the courtyards in Anle Square became worthless. There was even an empty house next to it.

Manager Wang led Chu Lian into the second courtyard, only to hear Manager Wang say: "Originally, this courtyard was reserved for guests to use as a wing, but ever since business plummeted, it has been forcibly occupied by the Wang family."

Chu Lian walked into the courtyard and saw that the layout was exquisite. There were some Xiangfei bamboos planted in the corner of the courtyard and a small rockery beside it. There were stone tables and stone stools beside the rockery.

On the other side, there was a small banana bush. The long corridor leading to the house was filled with wisteria. The most amazing thing was that there was a small piano room in the house next to the banana bush. Although the piano stand and incense burner were long gone and the place was filled with miscellaneous items, Chu Lian could still imagine how Guilin Residence looked like ten years ago.

Guilin Residence, which had been a loss-making business for many years, was completely beyond Chu Lian's expectations.

Chu Lian chatted with the old accountant for another half an hour before she boarded the horse carriage and left with a wooden box filled with account books.

Accounting Manager Wang and the old woman sent them to the entrance of the alley. Accounting Manager Wang, who had a head full of white hair, looked at the carriage entering the busy street and finally let out a sigh of relief. However, his pair of muddy old eyes did not have much hope.

He turned around and walked towards Guilin Residence step by step with the help of his walking stick. The old maid who was supporting him could only hear a faint sigh.

The old maid didn't understand. "Mr Wang, the residence sent Third Mistress to reorganize the restaurant. Why aren't you happy at all?"

The old accountant stopped in his tracks and raised his head to look around. He laughed bitterly. "How can such an undeveloped place be like it was in the past!"

In reality, the old accountant didn't believe that Guilin Residence could return to its former glory. He could be considered a shrewd old man who had lived for many years and worked as an accountant for Guilin Residence for twenty to thirty years. He had experienced the ups and downs of Guilin Residence.

As the world changed, it wasn't without reason that Guilin Residence had developed to its current state.

In all of Shengjing, all the famous teahouses, restaurants, and gold and silver shops were located in crowded places. There was an old saying that good wine was afraid of a deep alley.

Moreover, this was a restaurant that relied on human traffic.

The old maid beside him didn't quite understand what the old accountant meant. She was short-sighted. In her opinion, as long as the owner had money, anything could be done. What couldn't be done with money?

"Sir, you're wrong. Look, Third Grandma dealt with the Wang Family as soon as she arrived. That's really delightful!" Obviously, this rough old woman had been tortured by the Wang Family a lot in her daily life.

"Old Li, you don't understand these things. Just wait and see!

Sigh … "The old accountant didn't say anything more to the old maid. He slowly walked towards the plain signboard of Guilin Residence.

To tell the truth, this Third Young Mistress was only a young girl who had just reached marriageable age. Even if she had been pampered by her family and had the looks and talents of a young lady from an aristocratic family, it wasn't easy for her to run a restaurant, especially an old restaurant in a common street.

It was easy to deal with people, but it didn't mean it was easy to revitalize a restaurant!

Chu Lian, who was in the carriage, didn't know that the old accountant didn't have any confidence in her. She lifted the curtains from time to time to observe the scene outside!

It wasn't easy for her to come out alone. Wouldn't it be a pity if she didn't take a walk back?

Wenqing and Wenlan, who were also in the carriage, also noticed Chu Lian's interest. They smiled and looked at each other.

Wenqing said, "Third Mistress, why don't you let this servant explain?"

Chu Lian stared at Wenqing in surprise. "Are you all familiar with these places?"

Wenlan pursed her lips into a smile. Compared to Wenqing, she was more introverted and didn't talk much. If she could keep her mouth shut, she usually didn't like to talk. If she was with Wenqing, it was always Wenqing who answered.

"Third Mistress, Wenqing and I grew up in the streets and alleys of Shengjing. Although we lived in the manor with Senior Servant Zhong for the past two years, we often come to Shengjing to buy things. We know Shengjing like the back of our hands."

Chu Lian blinked. Her eyes were filled with surprise.

Ah! This was a ready-made living map!

"Then hurry up and tell me."

Although the original Chu Lian had also grown up in Shengjing, she was the legitimate daughter of a noble family. She rarely went out, so she wasn't as familiar with the streets and alleys as Wenqing.

As the carriage swayed slightly, Wenqing smiled and began to explain to Chu Lian.

"Third Mistress, we're about to leave the boundary of Changping Lane. Look, after this small street, we'll reach Pingkang Lane …"

This Pingkang Lane had a significant background. It was adjacent to the east market to the left, Xuanyang Lane to the south, and Chunming Avenue to the north. This was where the mansions of important officials were located. There were also some officials and candidates from other places who lived in the capital.

For example, Official Yang's mansion was located in Pingkang Lane.

Chu Lian lifted the curtains and looked out curiously. Suddenly, a figure entered her line of sight.