Chapter 792 --792

Chapter 792: Chapter-792

"Just a humble general store," Heena answered seamlessly. "Groceries, simple household supplies, some stationary. Nothing that will make me a billionaire overnight, but enough to feed a family honestly."

"A grocery store?" The men perked up instantly, their domestic instincts taking over.

"Oh, that is wonderful! We desperately need a reliable place to buy rice and ink without walking all the way to the West District!"

"Will you carry the good mountain garlic?"

"You must stock date-wood charcoal, My Lady, the cheap ash ruins the winter linens!"

Surrounded by the enthusiastic chatter of the neighborhood elders, Heena smiled, letting their gossipy, comforting noise wash over her. Her back was screaming in pain, and she was dead on her feet, but as the older men enthusiastically debated the best brand of rock sugar she should stock, she knew her disguise was flawless. The East Market had officially adopted her.

Heena nodded smoothly, committing the inventory requests to memory. "Of course, ma’am. I will make sure to stock all of it."

The broad-shouldered, pipe-smoking woman waved her hand dismissively, letting out a loud, booming laugh. "Aiya! What is this ’ma’am’ and ’sir’ nonsense? We are all neighbors here! Call us grandma. Call me aunt!"

Heena offered a faint, teasing smile. "But you all keep calling me ’My Lady.’ How can I comfortably call you aunt if you insist on treating me like a visiting magistrate?"

The elders looked at each other, registering the logic, before bursting into a chorus of delighted laughter.

"My bad, my bad! Aiya, you cheeky girl!" the broad-shouldered woman chuckled, reaching out and giving Heena a hearty, affectionate smack on the shoulder.

Heena barely suppressed a wince as the heavy hand connected with her healing scabs. She casually rubbed her shoulder to soothe the sting, her smile never wavering. "It is good to meet you properly, Auntie Guo."

The older woman’s pipe nearly fell out of her mouth. "Don’t force it—wait. You know my surname?"

"Of course," Heena replied warmly. "I am living here now, building my household on your street. How could I possibly not know the names of my own neighbors?"

The group was completely charmed. Instantly, the other elders eagerly leaned in, pointing to themselves like excited children. "Me? What about me?"

Heena didn’t miss a beat. She pointed to the plum-veiled man, the elderly woman with the cane, and the man in the gray shawl, flawlessly reciting each of their surnames based on the brief snippets of market chatter she had filed away in her memory over the past four days. The women beamed with pride, while the men fluttered their fans, absolutely thrilled that the mysterious Lu daughter had paid such close attention to them.

Now that the ice was thoroughly broken, the boundaries of polite society completely vanished.

"Say, Lu girl... now that we are all friends," Auntie Guo leaned in, her voice dropping into a greedy, conspiratorial whisper. "Tell us the truth. Does the high nobility really keep as many mistresses as the tavern singers claim? I heard a rumor that you were born to a concubine. Is the inner courtyard really that wild?"

Heena looked at the circle of eager, anticipating faces. If they wanted high-society tea, she was going to drown them in it.

She leaned forward, perfectly matching their gossipy, dramatic energy. "Oh, Auntie Guo, ’wild’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. My mother currently has one main husband, five official concubines living in the estate, and about ten other mistresses she keeps in private courtyards on the outside."

A collective gasp sucked the air right out of the tea stall.

"Ten outside? Five inside?!" the plum-veiled man clutched his chest, utterly scandalized. "Heavens above! How does she even handle all those men?!"

"She doesn’t," Heena whispered, her eyes wide with feigned scandal. "She spends time with one, moves on to the next, and while she is busy, the rest of them just fiercely scheme and fight with each other out of sheer jealousy! It is an absolute madhouse. It is mostly the poor main consort’s job to run around trying to control all of them while they argue over silk and hairpin allowances. Because they are always fighting, Mother has plenty of free time to slip away and do whatever she wants."

The elders were completely enraptured, leaning so close they were practically falling off their wooden benches.

"But how does she divide her time fairly?" the elderly man in the gray shawl asked, genuinely baffled by the sheer logistics of a fifteen-person harem.

"Oh, it’s very strictly scheduled," Heena said, waving her hand dismissively. "One concubine is assigned to serve breakfast. Another one pours the afternoon tea. A third one is designated to serve lunch, and a fourth prepares dinner."

Heena paused, letting a wicked, knowing smirk cross her face.

"And when bedtime finally rolls around?" Heena finished, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "Mother just ignores the schedule entirely and chooses absolutely anyone she wants."

The elders erupted into a chaotic chorus of scandalized gasps, delighted giggles, and furious fan-fluttering.

"Shameless! Absolutely shameless!" the plum-veiled man squeaked, turning bright red as he fanned himself so fast his pastel veil whipped around his face. "To ignore the schedule! What is the point of the main consort writing the ledger if the Matriarch just picks whoever she pleases at night? Oh, the poor husbands, their nerves must be completely frayed!"

"No wonder they are constantly fighting," Auntie Guo cackled, slapping her knee so hard the ashes danced in her pipe. "If I had a courtyard full of pampered men constantly squabbling over who gets to pour my tea, I’d probably drink at the tavern! Aiya, high society is a complete circus!"

"It truly is," Heena nodded, letting a gentle, tired smile touch her lips. "And that is exactly why I am perfectly content sitting right here. I would much rather deal with the honest price of winter cabbage than navigate a dozen poisoned hairpins."

The elders murmured in vehement agreement, looking at Heena with a newfound, fierce protective affection. In their eyes, she wasn’t just a disgraced noble anymore; she was a survivor who had bravely escaped a venomous snake pit to live an honest, hardworking life among them.

As the laughter settled, a deep, bone-rattling ache radiated from Heena’s spine. Despite her best efforts to maintain her charming persona, a small, involuntary yawn escaped her lips.

Auntie Guo caught it immediately. The older woman tapped her pipe out on the heel of her boot and waved a calloused hand.

"Alright, alright, that is enough gossip for one night," Auntie Guo declared, shooing the others like a mother hen. "Look at the girl, she is dead on her feet. You go home and rest, Lu girl. If you are going to open that grocery store of yours, you need your strength. Don’t worry about the neighborhood; we’ll make sure no thugs bother your storefront while you build your shelves."

"Thank you, Auntie Guo. Goodnight, everyone," Heena said, rising from the bench.

"Sleep well, My Lady!" the men chorused warmly, already leaning back together to frantically dissect the Lu Matriarch’s scandalous bedroom habits.

Heena turned and walked back up the moonlit street, her steps significantly heavier now that the adrenaline of the performance was fading.