After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 101 A Pile of Grandma

When Zeng San Niang went to find Er Zhu, she passed by the lotus pond and heard the Tao sisters chatting there.

She smiled and stepped forward to greet them: "Miss Taoyao, Miss Taozhi, what are you talking about!"

Tao Yao smiled and said, "Hello, Sister Zeng. Tao Zhi had a nightmare during her afternoon nap and has been lying in this pavilion ever since."

"What kind of nightmare? What happened?"

"No, it's nothing," Momo said somewhat awkwardly.

“Tell me, and I’ll interpret your dreams and tell you what it means.”

Upon hearing that she could interpret dreams, Momo stopped being coy and quickly said, "I dreamed of snakes."

Zeng San Niang laughed and said, "What's the big deal? I dreamt that a huge yellow vertical pupil was staring at me. My mother took me to see a fortune teller, who said it was a good thing, that I would meet a reasonable and kind mother-in-law. Later, I married Er Zhu's father and found that my in-laws were really easy to get along with. My mother even took me to Jiangnan to fulfill a vow."

Momo asked in a panic, "Then what did it mean when I dreamed of a bunch of colorful snakes crawling out of the pond at the Snow God Temple...?"

Tao Yao's face showed uncertainty: "A bunch of mothers-in-law with different personalities?"

"..."

Zeng San Niang didn't dare to respond. She laughed it off and quickly changed the subject: "Well, well, Er Zhu has disappeared somewhere. I'll go look for him. That brat doesn't study properly and just loves to play..."

She cursed and swore as she made her way out of the scene at lightning speed.

Tao Yao asked timidly, "If all else fails, shall we find a fortune teller to do a divination?"

"That won't do. Everyone in Duzhou believes in the Snow God; no one else can get in. Can we really expect the white jade statue in the main room to speak up?"

Tao Yao chuckled, "That's really unrealistic."

"But what can you gain by just sitting here in a daze after waking up?"

"At least, if the snakes manage to escape, I can notify Miss in advance..."

"Then why don't you just tell the young lady and have someone investigate?"

"It was just a dream that came out of nowhere. Would you believe it, Miss?"

"Yes! After all, there are many people coming and going here, so Miss will definitely have to eliminate any potential safety hazards."

Tao Yi thought for a moment and exclaimed, "That's right!" She quickly pulled Tao Yao along and rushed to the backyard, saying, "Alright, let's go tell Miss right away."

……

Two days later, Xia Li selected two bolts of cloud brocade and visited the city lord's mansion.

Yunjin (Yunnan brocade) is named for its bright and beautiful colors, resembling the clouds in the sky. It is made with high-quality materials, fine weaving, exquisite patterns, gorgeous brocade textures, and elegant style. It was developed on the basis of inheriting the excellent traditions of brocade weaving in previous dynasties, and also incorporated the valuable experience of other silk weaving techniques, reaching the pinnacle of silk weaving technology and is known as the "crown of brocade".

Even the emperor's dragon robe was made of exquisite brocade.

This demonstrates its preciousness.

Xia Li is now the leader, and he brought such a precious gift, so the city lord was naturally overjoyed and personally greeted him.

He looked very warm and friendly, acting like a kind elder: "Oh, it's Ali, come in quickly."

Xia Li quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord City Lord. I apologize for disturbing you."

"Oh dear, you are Yan'er's good friend, so I will treat you as my own nephew. There's no need for formalities between us."

"Then this junior will shamelessly call you Uncle City Lord."

Through this back-and-forth, the two finally narrowed the distance between them considerably.

"Look at what you're saying." The city lord laughed and chuckled. Based on his investigation over the past few days, it was obvious that he had latched onto a powerful figure.

The city lord's inner thoughts: It's not too late for me to start currying favor now, right...? Maybe I started doing it a long time ago?

Fortunately, because of Zhou Yan'er, the city lord was relatively friendly to Xia Li.

Perhaps many years later, the city lord will be grateful for his kindness back then, which allowed him to avoid decades of detours and reach a peak that others might never achieve in their entire lives.

However, he still tried to get closer to Xia Li: "I told you before, someone who can partner with others to do such a big business in the capital must be extraordinary! Look, it's only been half a month since we arrived in Duzhou, and the business is booming. In particular, I heard that your new Twelve Flower Goddess limited edition has attracted countless people from other places, adding a lot of economic resources to Duzhou."

Xia Li quickly expressed his gratitude: "This is all thanks to my uncle, the city lord. That location was truly excellent. Also, my uncle, the city lord, got me a spot in the competition. Otherwise, Jin Yu Man Tang wouldn't have become known to everyone in just a few days... In short, it's all thanks to my uncle, the city lord."

"Oh, don't be modest. The location is great. Why wasn't it this popular before? There were so many contestants, but you did the best promotion. It's no exaggeration to say that this is the most successful fashion competition in history."

"Hehe, Uncle City Lord, you flatter me."

"Ah Li is truly a promising young man."

"..."

After going through the standard procedure, the two were completely speechless and could only sit there staring at each other: "..."

The city lord had held a high position for many years and had always been fawned over by others. Xia Li, on the other hand, did not seem inclined to speak. Her past experiences made her somewhat averse to being in the same space with men, especially middle-aged men.

So at this moment, the two of them really couldn't find any other topics to talk about, and could only sit awkwardly, one drinking tea and the other burying his head in eating snacks. They really had nothing to say.

Fortunately, fate didn't leave them embarrassed for long, and Zhou Yan'er's voice rang out:

"Uncle, I heard Ali is here, she..." Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Yan'er, who had just entered the room, saw Xia Li and exclaimed with delight:

"Ah, little Ali, you finally found some time to come see me! I've missed you so much, but unfortunately you've been so busy lately, and your uncle wouldn't let me bother you."

Xia Li: ...Hehe!

She didn't believe it; she thought it was just a tall tale.

However, Zhou Yan'er was still needed at the moment, so Xia Li took the opportunity to suggest going to the backyard with Zhou Yan'er to have a private talk.

The city lord was also eager to leave the scene of the tragedy, and quickly waved for the two to leave: "Go, go."

Zhou Yan'er pulled Xia Li along for a stroll in the courtyard. She explained, "Actually, the reason I haven't come to see you these past few days is because I've been hanging out with a really interesting friend I just met. By the way, his name is Yu Yang. Come on, let me introduce you to him!"

Xia Li: "..."

Is it possible that I know that person better than you do?

However, seeing Zhou Yan'er's excited appearance, she could only smile helplessly and tease her in a half-joking manner: "Oh~ I knew how could you not have time to come see me? You know I'm busy but you don't come to see me. So you've found a new love and forgotten your old one."

"Hey! Don't talk nonsense!" Zhou Yan'er stopped her, both embarrassed and annoyed, but two suspicious blushes appeared on her face.

Xia Li was stunned by her reaction: "What? You haven't really fallen for him, have you?"