Are You Still Forcing Respectable Women to Become Concubines?

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

"It's true, food delivery is very convenient, it just depends on whether you like it or not."

I haven't had breakfast yet. Are you guys hungry? I'll order some takeout.

Shen Tao asked curiously, "So what kind of food is included in your takeout?"

Zhou Wanwan took out a menu and said, "Look, so many dishes! And you can also specify what you want to eat."

Shen Tao looked at the menu and said, "Wow, seafood? You guys actually serve seafood for takeout?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at Shen Tao and said, "You're interested in seafood? Then you can give it a try!"

Shen Tao swallowed hard.

"Let's give it a try. We'll start with braised sea cucumber in abalone sauce, steamed grouper, braised prawns, stewed chicken with fish maw, steamed scallops with garlic, braised swimming crab with ginger and wine, braised seasonal vegetables with scallops, braised abalone, stewed pork ribs with dried cuttlefish, and shark fin soup."

How much are these dishes?

Zhou Wanwan said, "A total of 100 taels of silver."

"What? 100 taels of silver? You're eating so well?"

Zhou Wanwan said with a smile, "Ordering takeout is all about affordability!"

Zhao Botong sneered and said:

"100 taels of silver for such good food? I bet the seafood is all rotten!"

We're several days' drive from the beach here. What seafood wouldn't rot here?

Over the years, I haven't eaten much seafood.

Even if there is seafood, it needs to be transported by horse-drawn cart filled with ice to get it over.

Your table alone would cost over 500 taels of silver in our restaurant, wouldn't it?

The key point is that even with over 500 taels of silver, you might not be able to get such a good meal.

Why are you so cheap?

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "You'll only know about these things after you've tried them. What I say now is useless."

Zhao Botong said:

"In that case, let's add a dozen or so more dishes!"

Let everyone try it out. If your takeout is really that delicious, the Zhao Family will order from you from now on.

He picked up the menu and said:

Garlic lobster, boiled geoduck, steamed grouper, steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, braised eel, and Furong.

Braised sea snails, braised baby squid, steamed razor clams with soy sauce, stir-fried clams, steamed sea urchin with egg, salt-baked whelks, pan-fried sea bream, stir-fried jellyfish head with vinegar, and casserole-baked Fugui.

"How much silver is it in total, including these dishes? I'll pay for it."

Zhou Wanwan calculated and said:

"That'll be 135 taels in total. Of course, you can also order a pot of milk tea."

I'll send you a fruit platter later.

Everyone looked at her and asked, "How do you order takeout?"

Zhou Wanwan said:

"Inside the border city, there's a restaurant and also the Drunken Immortal Restaurant where you can order."

There are also a few other common restaurants listed on the menu; you can choose any of them.

Shen Tao fanned himself with his fan and said, "So this Drunken Immortal Restaurant is yours?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said, "That's right!"

Shen Tao looked at it and said, "You own 12 shops in Xin'an County? You're quite wealthy!"

Zhou Wanwan smiled and said:

"It's alright! My main strategy is to sell more at a lower profit margin. As you can see, these dishes are all made with real ingredients."

"Who would be willing to sell a meal like this for less than several hundred taels of silver?"

Shen Tao nodded and said, "That's true. If your seafood is exceptionally good, it's definitely worth the price."

"She's just filling in the numbers; don't have high expectations for her cooking."

Zhao Mingzhu couldn't help but scoff, "What takeout? It's a scam for kids. I don't believe they can get any seafood. Who has that kind of ability?"

The Great Qi of Qi, standing to the side, remarked, "She really does have that skill; indeed, her takeout is quite good."

The delivery was very fast; it arrived in just one hour.

The waiter at Drunken Immortal Restaurant greeted them with a smile, "Gentlemen, your dishes have all been prepared. Where would you like to put them?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Of course it's on the table. Didn't you bring a table?"

The waiter at Drunken Immortal Restaurant smiled and said, "Yes, yes, I'll bring the table in now."

He waved his hands, and saw the waiters from Drunken Immortal Restaurant carrying in a long table.

There are not only tables, but also more than a dozen chairs.

Zhou Wanwan said, "Wow! Your service is pretty good!"

The waiter said, "Our service is five-star; we guarantee your satisfaction."

Zhao Botong scoffed, "Five-star? I'd like to see just how delicious your takeout is."

The waiter waved his hand, and about twenty girls came in from outside carrying dishes.

The girls were dressed in work uniforms and were well-trained.

Everyone was stunned; these girls were no less beautiful than the palace maids.

The third princess said softly, "Your Highness, these girls are all so beautiful. I think they're even prettier than the palace maids."

Zhou Wanwan said, "You all sit down and eat together!"

Zhao Mingzhu looked at her and said, "Zhou Wanwan, what right do you have to sit here? Is there a place for you here?"

Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched, and Zhao Mingzhu said:

"Get out of here, this is my spot."

"This feast belongs to the Zhao Family. What right do you, a lowly concubine, have to sit here?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at Zhao Mingzhu and said, "What do you mean by 'lowly concubine'? If you want to be a lowly concubine, then you go be one. I'm not going to be anyone's concubine."

Zhao Mingzhu retorted angrily, "Don't push your luck! I told you, you'll be betrothed as the Crown Prince's concubine tomorrow. What more do you want?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at her and said:

Please don't say it again. I've told you countless times.

"I don't want to be the Crown Prince's concubine. If you want to be the Crown Prince's consort, then go be one. Why are you taking me with you?"

Shen Tao, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but say:

Are you still forcing women to become concubines?

"She's a perfectly good young lady, and she doesn't want to become a concubine. Why are you forcing her?"

Zhao Mingzhu snorted coldly and said, "How can this be called coercion? She's already become the Crown Prince's concubine, what more does she want? That's not something just anyone can do."

Zhou Wanwan sighed and said:

"Is this Zhao Family girl not thinking straight?"

Are you insisting that I become the Crown Prince's concubine? Is this how it is in your Great Qi Kingdom?

"Does that mean you'll snatch any pretty girl you see and take her home?"

Shen Tao quickly replied, "We don't have such a custom here. I wonder what the Crown Prince is thinking."

The Crown Prince said calmly:

"If she doesn't want to be a concubine, then she doesn't have to be! I haven't even set my sights on her yet!"

"So young, yet so full of mischief. I don't like that."

Zhou Wanwan looked at everyone and said, "Everyone has to be a witness. The Crown Prince has said he won't force me to become a concubine, so don't go back on your word!"

The crown prince looked at her coldly and said:

"Zhou Wanwan, you're just a country bumpkin."

"Being able to become my concubine is already an immense blessing for you; don't be ungrateful."

Zhou Wanwan glared back at the Crown Prince and said, "I, a commoner, don't want such good fortune. You should save it for someone else!"