After returning to the courtyard and entering the house, Ye Diao poured a glass of wine for Xue Huan and said, "Xiaoxian, this time it's all thanks to you."

Xue Huan clinked glasses with him and said, "I'm just paying you for the job. You don't have to take it to heart."

Ye Diao took out another exquisite wooden box and handed it to him, "Open it and take a look."

Inside the box was a shop deed. The shop was located on the most prosperous main street in the city and had a yard. The price of a shop like this would definitely not be less than five thousand taels, and might even be more.

"Brother Ye, what are you doing?"

"Didn't you give our Ye family a big gift before? These days I've been thinking about how to return the favor. After much thought, I decided to give you a shop. Whether you rent it out or open your own shop, it's up to you."

These days, Ye Diao has been watching people experiment with the saltpeter ice-making method, until yesterday he finally confirmed that saltpeter ice-making is indeed feasible. According to the above method, a large amount of ice can be produced.

Such a prescription is worth a fortune.

Therefore, the Ye family could not directly accept such a big gift no matter what.

Xue Huan pushed the box back. "Brother Ye, this gift is too valuable. I can't accept it. The saltpeter ice recipe was originally given to me as a thank you for saving me. How can I ask for something else in return?"

Ye Diao shook his head: "Xiaoxian, take it. Compared with that prescription, this shop is nothing."

Seeing that he was determined to give it, Xue Huan hesitated for a moment, "Okay, I'll take it. I'm planning to start a small business, are you interested in investing in it?"

This shop is perfect for opening a store.

"Oh? What business?"

"snack."

After Feng Xian returned home, he heard from the housekeeper that the county magistrate had come with his daughter to apologize and had been waiting for a long time.

He was originally humming a tune in a good mood, but when he heard this, the smile on his face disappeared.

At this time, Cai Kuo, who was waiting in the living room, had already seen Feng Xian coming in. He hurriedly stood up from his chair and walked forward. When he was still a few steps away, he bowed and said, "Student greets you, sir."

Feng Xian's dislike for him grew even stronger upon hearing this. "I don't have a student like you. Besides, I've already retired from the court and am now just a commoner. I don't deserve such a generous gift from the county magistrate."

Cai Ling was brought here by Cai Kuo to apologize, and she was already reluctant. After hearing his words, she couldn't help but say, "Since you know you are just a commoner, why don't you bow to my father?"

Feng Xian didn't seem to mind after hearing this. After all, he didn't need to bother with a little girl. But Cai Kuo was frightened and scolded her harshly, "Shut up!"

What had he told her before coming? He'd told her to be respectful to Mr. Feng, and she'd forgotten it in the blink of an eye! It was obvious that he'd ignored her words.

Cai Kuo pulled Cai Ling over, clasping her wrist tightly with his large hand, staring at her gravely, "Ling'er, kneel down and apologize to Mr. Feng."

The other hand pressed her shoulders and forced her to kneel down.

Feng Xian stepped aside and said, "No, since the founding of the Daqi Dynasty, we have only kneeled before Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, our parents, and our teachers. There is no reason to bend our knees at every turn."

Hearing this argument again, Cai Kuo's face twitched. It was not right for Cai Ling to kneel down, nor was it right for her not to kneel down.

Cai Ling didn't want to kneel down in the first place, so she naturally took the opportunity to stand up.

However, under Cai Kuo's sharp gaze, he had no choice but to apologize to Feng Xian: "Mr. Feng, I was ignorant and didn't know your identity before, so I bumped into you. Ignorance is not a crime. I hope you can forgive my mistakes and don't hold it against me."

How could this be an apology? The resentment in his words was almost overflowing.

Feng Xian's face was indifferent. He didn't want to bother with the father and daughter any more, so he picked up the teacup to show his regards.

The housekeeper came over and asked the two to leave.

Cai Kuo: "Then I won't bother Mr. Feng anymore. I'll come visit you another day."

After coming out of Feng Mansion and getting on the carriage, Cai Kuo's expression changed in an instant and became gloomy.

Cai Ling didn't notice, still muttering to herself, "Hmph, I don't think he's as powerful as you say. The Crown Prince was deposed by His Majesty. He's a former tutor to the Crown Prince, so he must have been disliked by His Majesty a long time ago, which is why he resigned and returned home..."

Cai Kuo glanced at her fiercely, as if he wanted to kill her. Cai Ling was frightened and shrank into a corner of the carriage, not daring to speak anymore.

Cai Kuo closed his eyes and rested. He originally thought that it was okay for a girl to be spoiled a little, but now it seems that she is a little too spoiled, and if he is not careful, she may bring him trouble.

This is still under his rule. If he goes further and comes to the capital in the future, who knows what kind of trouble she will cause!

As soon as he returned to the mansion, Cai Kuo confined Cai Ling to her home and forbade her to go out for a month.

Qingtong Courtyard.

Ye Diao asked, "What are snacks?"

Xue Huan explained to him, "Snacks are relative to regular meals. Anything other than regular meals can be considered a snack. For example, candied haws, sugar figurines, and preserved fruits can all be considered snacks."

Ye Diao understood, "But selling these foods is a low-cost business, and the profit is not much."

Xue Huan: "These snacks are all sold individually by small vendors. Have you ever seen anyone open a special snack shop that sells these snacks?"

"No."

"So, now I'm going to open a shop like this, and the snacks I'm going to sell are unique in this world, or they're better than what others sell, with more variety and higher prices. Do you think a shop like this can make money?"

Ye Diao imagined for a moment, "Of course there's money to be made! Xiaoxian, you're really smart, why didn't I think of that?"

Given her cooking skills, how could her food not be delicious? With a little publicity, wouldn't customers flock to her?

"But what are you planning to sell? Can you tell me a little bit in advance?" Ye Diao moved closer.

"Let's do it another day. I'll make a batch of samples then, and you can come and help me taste them. It would be best if you bring Ah Mao along too. After all, our snack shop is aimed at children, and as a child, he has the most say."

"Okay, no problem. Let's go to the government office and complete the transfer procedures for the shop before we leave."

"OK."

With Ye Diao's help, the transfer procedures were completed quickly.

Xue Huan now has another property under her pseudonym.

Ye Diao sent Xue Huan back home. As they were about to get out of the car, Xue Huan said, "From now on, when you teach the chefs at Yingxianlou how to cook, let's set the venue at my house. After all, there are too many people in the restaurant and it's a bit crowded. Let Chef Ding and the others come to my house tomorrow. This time, I'll teach them how to make spicy crayfish. Remember to bring some crayfish."

"good."

After breakfast, Ye Diao brought Ding Er and another chef named Xiao to Zhao's house. They were followed by a carriage with several baskets of crayfish on it.

The two chefs and Ye Diao's long-time attendant Ye Qing brought the crayfish down and followed Ye Diao into the Zhao Mansion.