Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 1324 - 182, Life-saving Grace (Second Update)_2

"You are the legitimate daughter of the Han mansion, while she is just a second wife brought up by a little concubine. It’s natural for her to value and treat you well."

Although Lin Yuan said this, Han Huijuan simply smiled, looking at Lin Yuan gratefully, "Yuanyuan, I know I am gentle by nature, but I am not foolish. When she suddenly started treating me well, I understood what was happening. So, I still want to thank you. In the Capital city, other young ladies look down on me, saying my mother is inferior even to a concubine. They say I am no good either. It’s only you who were willing to help me when I was down. Yuanyuan, I will never forget your kindness, and I will definitely repay you."

"Hey!" Lin Yuan scolded her with a stern face, "What is this talk of repaying and kindness? Are we not friends? If you see me as a friend, then there’s no need for talk of repaying or owing favors. We should naturally help each other without keeping such distance."

Watching Lin Yuan never mention the incident at the Yao Mansion and instead address her as a friend, Han Huijuan’s tears came again; she picked up a handkerchief to wipe them away.

Seeing her alternating between crying and laughing, Lin Yuan shook her head. This was a person who had walked back from the Ghost Gate, how could she still be so sentimental? Ah, all those stories of changing drastically after a major calamity, they weren’t reliable after all.

As they were talking, Xiao Linshuang suddenly ran in from the outside. Seeing Han Huijuan, she paused, but quickly greeted her with a smile before turning to Lin Yuan, "Big sister, I’ve got the new recipe nearly ready; let’s choose a good day and open up! The ladies outside can’t wait!"

It wasn’t those people who couldn’t wait; it was clearly Xiao Linshuang who couldn’t wait!

"Alright, go and discuss a good day with your Master, and we can open then! Don’t too early, though, as the shop renovations won’t be ready until next month."

"Okay!" Xiao Linshuang said with a laugh, waving her hands like a joyous rabbit before running out.

Han Huijuan sighed with envy and asked curiously, "Yuanyuan, are you opening a new store? I’ll definitely come and support you!"

"Sure!" Lin Yuan smiled at her, "Speaking of it, I have to thank you. If it hadn’t been for Sister Rong bringing people to cause trouble at my sister’s stall, her Condensation Dew wouldn’t have become famous so quickly. It was that incident that alerted me that something was wrong and made me go to the Han mansion to find you."

After waking up, Han Huijuan had heard about these events from Xue Ge, and she couldn’t help but marvel at the unpredictability of life. If it had not been for Sister Rong’s greed in trying to extort Xiao Linshuang with her tainted Condensation Dew, Han Huijuan’s troubles might have never come to light, and she might have lost her life in that courtyard.

"I really envy you, being able to do what you want," Han Huijuan sighed, looking at Lin Yuan with a smile that became increasingly joyous, "Actually, Yuanyuan, do you know why the ladies in the Capital city don’t like you?"

Because their dream lover only had eyes for this village girl! Lin Yuan secretly scoffed in her heart, but then she suddenly realized that she had long regarded Xia Zheng as her own, even feeling a bit jealous at the thought of Xia Zheng being someone else’s dream lover.

"Second Young Master Xia is indeed one reason, but there is another."

Han Huijuan smiled mysteriously, sparking Lin Yuan’s curiosity until she finally couldn’t resist urging her to speak with a laugh, "Actually, they are envious of you, just like me. Even though you don’t have as noble a birth as them, you have loving parents, kind siblings, and most importantly, you have freedom."

Yes, freedom.

Perhaps, in Lin Yuan’s eyes, opening a store or selling skincare products was something she did out of necessity, but to those noble ladies, these were freedoms they desired but could not have. They too wanted to engage in the marketplace, to open a store of their liking, but they could not.

They could only find a trusted person to manage their stores. How profitable these were, they did not know; what to sell, they could not decide; even visiting their own store required their parents’ permission.

Understanding this aspect, Lin Yuan also somewhat grasped the strict rules of the noble families in the Capital city.

Seeing the sparkle in Han Huijuan’s eyes as she spoke, Lin Yuan teased her, "What about you, Huijuan? Do you also wish to open your own store?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Han Huijuan hesitated, and her smile slowly faded, "Ah, actually my mother left me a few stores, meant to be my dowry when I got married. But after her death, Maternal Aunt Bai used some means to take over those stores. Not just the stores, but several estates as well."

Although Han Huijuan did not continue, her bitter smile said it all.

Lady Bai, originally a serving maid, was quite shortsighted. How could those estates and stores do well in her hands? In just a few years? Most of the estates had already been sold, and only two stores were left, rumored to be underperforming and soon to be sold as well. As for the money, it was naturally squandered by her only son.

Han Huijuan’s maternal family had moved out of the city before she was born, and after her mother died, the contact was severed, leaving her with no maternal backing to reclaim those properties.