Chapter 883 A Dream of Youth 415

Chen Yuncheng and his group went together to help with the experiment. Officials of higher rank were the ones who reported to the emperor. The reason they spoke to Xie Ning at this time was because it was Xie Ning who had suggested it.

This was just a small experiment. The terrain and environment of each city are different, and we have to adapt to local conditions. Xie Ning's suggestion was just a small reference, which led them to pay more attention to the defense of cities.

The plan was laid out from the very beginning.

Chen Yuncheng did not like poetry and songs. He was of high status and wealthy, and generous in his manner. Therefore, the people in the Ministry of Works were very kind to him, and they were willing to teach him any questions he had.

Therefore, Chen Yuncheng studied a wide variety of subjects. A few years ago, he was just a minor official who designed textile machines and the like. Now, he has gradually become involved in the design of cities and the planning and design of docks.

Xie Qi secretly wrote to me, saying that he wanted to lure Chen Yuncheng to Jiangyin, as he wanted to open a new dock.

The older official glanced at Xie Ning, wondering if the Ministry of Revenue could afford to repair the city on a large scale.

Xie Ning had to work in the evening, so she didn't have dinner with them. Chen Yuncheng snorted and then forced Xueqiu to stay and eat meat with them!

He specially bought a whole lamb to roast!

The others breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't very familiar with Xie Ning, and there was a significant difference in their official ranks, so they were a little nervous about having dinner with their superior.

Eating in such a rush that you don't appreciate the flavors and thus miss out on the delicious food is truly a pity.

The people who are close to Chen Yuncheng all love to eat. When they are on business trips, if they are together, they will go out to find delicious food together. If they are not together, they will bring back all the local specialties and delicacies they can for each other.

Later that evening, Qing Le brought them some soup to help them digest; it was sweet and sour and very refreshing.

Because the two houses were connected, Qing Le returned to the courtyard directly through the side gate.

Upon entering, you'll find a small garden with artificial hills and strange rocks, interspersed with green bamboo and pear trees. If it were springtime, the snow-white pear blossoms would flutter down, and strolling along the green shade and flower-lined paths would be a truly enchanting experience.

Passing through the small main room, there is a clear pond on the side, dotted with green lotus leaves, which glow with a slightly warm color under the garden lamp.

From afar, Qing Le could see Qing Xu and two little girls sitting on a bench in front of the artificial hill opposite, chatting. Behind them, a small waterfall flowed slowly down, the sound of the water murmuring, making it impossible to hear what they were saying, only their smiling faces could be vaguely seen.

"What are you saying, you seem so happy?"

Qingyue, who was always more lively, lifted her skirt and crossed the small stone bridge in front of her, heading towards the artificial hill.

"It's from the young ladies at Yunxia Pharmacy. They brought some Jade Cream, which is newly made. Although it's hot now, it's almost autumn. It feels cool when you apply it. Try it."

The young woman with thick eyebrows nodded in agreement, "We added silver cinnabar grass, so it not only feels cool when applied, but also smells refreshing."

The bottom of the wide-mouthed, blue porcelain bottle is inscribed with the characters "Yunxia" in an ancient style. Moreover, this porcelain bottle was made in the small porcelain kiln that Chen Wanniang acquired.

The young woman took Qingxu's hand and said, "Sister Qingxu, you promised me that you would bring a few guards to my house the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, but does your mother really want a divorce?" Qingxu asked again, uncertainly.

"I do think about it, but my father is holding my younger brother hostage. He's still young and still breastfeeding. If my mother doesn't want him anymore, my father can just sell him to a casino."

Don't say that boys aren't sold; when this guy gets into gambling, he'll sell anything.

Gambling dens are forbidden in the capital, but there are plenty of places that the authorities don't know about. Ordinary people don't dare to report them, since it's useless anyway. Those who dare to run gambling dens all have connections.

"Alright, you wait here. But I won't be able to go with you the day after tomorrow. I'll send an old woman to take some people with me."

"Thank you, Sister Qingxu."

After everyone left, Qing Le asked Qing Xu what had happened.

"...She worked in the pharmacy with her mother when she was little. During this time, her mother went back to have a baby. Before she had even finished her postpartum confinement, her father gambled away all the family's money and even took the dowry her mother had saved for her to gamble."

Her mother had a gentle nature, but after this incident, she no longer wanted to live with her father. However, her father refused to agree to a divorce; if they did, he would have to give her money, otherwise he would sell their youngest son and her.

Qing Le gasped in astonishment. "He actually dared to do that? One is his newborn son, and the other is his daughter who earns money to help support the family..."

She knew that this young lady's father was idle all day long, only occasionally going to the docks to move goods. After the mother and daughter were able to earn money, he stopped even moving goods.

“Why wouldn’t she be willing? This guy gambles like a mad dog. I’d even sell my own mother, let alone my daughter and son. That’s why she begged me to send a few strong guards to scare her father.”

It would be best to beat him up and scare him into submission.

The girls at Yunxia Pharmacy had encountered similar situations many times. After all, those who were able to make a living on their own generally came from poor families, either extremely impoverished or unloved by their parents.

Both Xie Ning and Deng Yin taught them to be brave, not to be submissive, and that protecting themselves was the most important thing.

Deng Yin, in particular, spent the most time with the girls and personally taught them to read. As a result, the girls at Yunxia Pharmacy were exceptionally brave and united, and they were never afraid of anything.

If you can't solve it by yourself, just ask the pharmacy staff to help you figure it out.