The next day, Gu Yanqing was heading back to C City, and Qiao Wanqing accompanied Tang Yueyue to the Matchmaker Temple to get a divination.

Since it was cold and the weekend, the temple was crowded with tourists.

It wasn’t just for single people anymore; many married couples and even older folks came to worship here.

It seemed many people visited the temple out of curiosity, simply to worship whoever was there, believing that any offering was good.

Therefore, there was always a lot of incense and visitors.

Qiao Wanqing’s vegetarian restaurant was also very popular.

Over the past six months, her restaurant’s reputation had grown, attracting many people who came specifically to eat there.

In fact, some people didn’t even come to worship the Matchmaker but drove up just to try her vegetarian dishes.

Due to limited space, the two rooms that were originally reserved were all converted into private dining rooms.

The empty space at the back was rented out, with bamboo flooring and a canopy set up to accommodate over a dozen tables.

The kitchen staff, originally just one and a half people, had expanded to four.

The number of waitstaff grew from one to four, and there were now two dishwashers.

With the addition of a manager, her restaurant had a team of ten.

So, it wasn’t surprising that people referred to her as a wealthy landowner.

Additionally, the government had started implementing a plan for developing local guesthouses, which meant she would never have to worry about a lack of business once the area was developed into a tourist destination.

By late spring this year, the villa Gu Yanqing had been building next to the vegetarian restaurant had been mostly completed.

The renovation was finished, and the furniture was in place, but it couldn’t be occupied just yet.

The villa isn’t very large—it’s a two-story small western-style house.

Inside, it’s well-designed and cozy, not inferior to multi-million-dollar villas in the city.

Gu Yanqing originally built this villa to get closer to Qiao Wanqing.

He thought she would primarily focus on her vegetarian restaurant, so he built the villa here.

Initially, they could be neighbors, and later, they could be family. It was only a few minutes’ walk to her workplace—a perfect arrangement.

However, due to the unexpected situation with Nong Tao, Qiao Wanqing changed her career path.

Now that the vegetarian restaurant was handed over to someone else, the villa, which is far from the city, was of little use.

Fortunately, because of its remote location, the villa only cost around a million yuan to build from the land purchase to completion, which was insignificant to Gu Yanqing.

They decided to rent out the villa as a retreat.

People with respiratory issues or those seeking fresh mountain air might need a stay in such a place.

Although it’s on a mountain, the transportation is convenient, and there’s a vegetarian restaurant nearby for healthy food.

There’s also the option to take walks to the local shrine.

The villa is ideal for such needs.

Most importantly, it won’t go to waste, as they clearly wouldn’t be living there.

Tang Yueyue was stunned by their plan.

Her limited imagination couldn’t fathom casually building a villa and then deciding not to live in it—only the wealthy could be so extravagant.

Moreover, when they arrived at 10:30, the vegetarian restaurant was already bustling with customers.

Tang Yueyue looked at the bustling scene and said, “Boss Qiao, you could start a chain of restaurants instead of focusing on Taobao. You could make a fortune just with this restaurant business.”

She understood Qiao Wanqing’s desire to build her own career and not rely on her husband, but Tang Yueyue thought that starting a chain of vegetarian restaurants across the country would be more lucrative than struggling with Taobao.

“A chain of restaurants? Let’s see how it goes first. If the reputation is good, then maybe we’ll open another one,” Qiao Wanqing replied.

Her vegetable garden couldn’t support a chain of restaurants with continuous supply.

While they did buy many ingredients like tofu and mushrooms from elsewhere, their own produce was in high demand.

There were also transportation costs to consider.

If her restaurant’s reputation was strong enough, she could open another one in C City, possibly hiring top chefs like the Luo couple, who specialized in high-end dining.

However, a restaurant catering to the general public would likely have higher costs and prices.

Qiao Wanqing wasn’t sure if people would be willing to pay for expensive vegetarian dishes, especially when they could spend the same money on meat.

Therefore, expanding the vegetarian restaurant chain nationwide was still a plan in progress.

“As for Taobao…” Qiao Wanqing continued, “You can never have too much money.”

“……” Tang Yueyue gave her a thumbs up. “You’ve really come a long way. I almost forget what you were like two years ago.”

Qiao Wanqing smiled softly, also finding it hard to remember her past self.

Because… it wasn’t her at all.

“Let’s go to the shrine first, and then we’ll come back for a meal,” Qiao Wanqing said as she picked up Kou Kou.

“Walk by myself, Kou Kou wants to walk by himself,” Kou Kou squirmed in Qiao Wanqing’s arms, wanting to walk on his own.

Qiao Wanqing had no choice but to set him down and said, “Okay, but you mustn’t run off. If there are too many people later, Mommy will hold your hand.”

“Okay,” Kou Kou agreed cheerfully.

But as soon as Qiao Wanqing set him down, the little guy tried to run off.

Qiao Wanqing let him take a few steps before catching up, grabbing his hat and saying, “Trying to trick Mommy, huh?”

Caught by the hat and unable to run further, Kou Kou protested, “No, KouKou is very, very good.”

Qiao Wanqing thought to herself that he was far from good, but said, “Alright, Kou Kou is a good boy. Come on, hold Mommy’s hand.”

Kou Kou: “……”

As a good child, Kou Kou couldn’t disobey his mother.

He pouted but reluctantly put his hand in hers for her to hold.

Tang Yueyue watched the whole scene and laughed, “You really know how to handle kids.”

“It’s the only way,” Qiao Wanqing said. “Nowadays, you can’t bear to hit or scold them, so you have to coax them.”

When Qiao Wanqing and her siblings were young, their parents generally believed in the saying “spare the rod, spoil the child,” and they had been disciplined more than once for being disobedient.

Nowadays, parents are so indulgent with their children that they wouldn’t even lift a finger against them.

The Matchmaker Temple was crowded with people.

As they reached the temple’s entrance, Tang Yueyue became visibly nervous, gripping Qiao Wanqing’s hand and saying, “What should I do? I’m so scared.”

Even though Tang Yueyue had said she would accept whatever outcome, it wasn’t easy to let go.

She hoped for a favorable result to reassure herself and stop the endless worrying.

Qiao Wanqing patted her hand and said, “Just use it as a reference. What matters most is what you and he decide. Don’t worry, I’ll have Yanqing discreetly find out more for you.”

“Okay,” Tang Yueyue’s eyes brightened, but then she added, “But make sure he doesn’t realize I’m the one who asked. I don’t want him to think I’m pressuring him or anything.”

Qiao Wanqing laughed, “Don’t worry. Even if he knows, it’s not a big deal. It might actually help him understand how you feel.”

“No, I don’t want him to feel pressured,” Tang Yueyue said.

Qiao Wanqing thought, love and relationships are indeed complex.

After they finished burning incense, they went to the area for drawing lots.

There was already a line of people waiting.

The way they drew lots was similar to what’s shown on TV.

After burning incense and offering prayers, they would shake a bamboo tube containing sticks.

Each stick would indicate a fortune or misfortune, along with a poem or saying.

After drawing a lot, they could take it to an elderly man who specialized in interpreting the fortunes.

The interpreter was an old man.

Although this place wasn’t officially a temple—since the Matchmaker is a Taoist deity—it was commonly referred to as the Matchmaker Temple out of habit.

So, the old man who was interpreting the divination wasn’t a monk.

He wore a dark robe, had grayish short hair, and a long goat-like beard.

His kind appearance resembled those sage-like figures often seen in TV dramas.

Qiao Wanqing waited with Tang Yueyue for a while, but Kou Kou grew restless in his mother’s arms, wriggling around and wanting to play.

Tang Yueyue suggested that Qiao Wanqing take Kou Kou for a walk while she waited in line and would call her when it was her turn.

Seeing that Tang Yueyue’s wait would take at least another half hour, Qiao Wanqing decided to leave first.

Kou Kou, being a little rascal, definitely wouldn’t last that long.