Chapter 38 Going Home to Celebrate Birthday

After saying it hundreds of times on his pillow at night, Chen Qi was so entangled by him that she finally gave in and said that she completely believed in his vow to be together forever, and asked him not to swear on her body anymore.

As winter arrived, the north wind grew stronger. Sun's health worsened, and she stopped coming to the kitchen to eat. The old lady had three meals a day delivered to her room, and she would take a few bites of each before sending them out.

When he woke up in the morning, the ground was covered with white frost, and he was breathing heavily when he spoke. It happened to be Shen's mother's birthday today, so Shen Qi had to go home to celebrate her mother's birthday.

A large cart of gifts, big and small, had already been prepared. Chen Qi put on her embroidered jacket with thin velvet, told Xiao Ling to take good care of the house, and went to wait for Xiao Wu to come with the carriage.

As soon as I walked into the corridor, I saw Xie Yuduo personally leading a big blue horse over.

Seeing him coming, Chen Qi hurriedly asked, "Didn't you say that the shop is very busy these days? Just let Xiaowu accompany me back."

"Yes, I'm busy, but everything has been arranged in advance. Besides, today is my mother-in-law's birthday, not his mother-in-law's, so I won't let him go."

Chen Qi was afraid that he would delay the business, so she said a few more words, but he insisted on not doing it, so she let it go.

Chen Qi got on the carriage, and Xie Yuduo skillfully drove the tall horse and slowly pulled the carriage out of Pingshan County. When they reached a less crowded road, the two began to talk side by side again.

Chen Qi looked at the steady horse steps and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, I also want to learn how to ride a horse and drive a carriage. When you are busy in the future, I can go back by myself, and I don't have to bother Xiao Wu."

"If you want to learn, I'll teach you. But don't even think about running back on your own. Our home isn't far, and I can't help but worry about you. Even if the shop is closed, it won't affect anything important. Your business is the most important thing."

Chen Qi smiled, and seeing that the big blue horse was very docile, she asked, "Can I try it now?"

Xie Yuduo let her sit in his arms, and taught her step by step how to hold the reins tightly, shaking them lightly and steadily, and the big blue horse really started to trot.

Chen Qi tried to imitate it very well, but the big blue horse suddenly snorted, which frightened her so much that she tightened her grip. The horse felt the pain and ran away wildly.

At this moment, Chen Qi was so scared that her face turned pale. Fortunately, Xie Yuduo was sitting in the back, holding the reins steady and whistling. The horse gradually slowed down and the carriage stabilized.

Seeing Chen Qi's pale face, Xie Yuduo smiled softly to comfort her and hugged her tighter. After a long time, her complexion looked better.

After that, the two of them whispered to each other all the way, and they felt that the carriage was moving more briskly than usual.

When they arrived at Baihe Town, the Shen family knew that their daughter would definitely come back today, so they were already waiting at the main street entrance, happily welcoming the girl and her husband into the house.

In the Shen family hall, Chen Qi and Xie Yuduo and his wife bowed together and kowtowed to their mother to wish her a happy birthday. Zhang was so happy that she hurriedly helped one up and supported the other, and pulled them to sit down and talk, and exchanged warm greetings again.

While Xie Yuduo was out talking to his brother and father, Zhang took her daughter and daughter-in-law aside to talk about some private matters.

"Girl, you came back at the right time. We have some good news to tell you." Zhang smiled from ear to ear.

Chen Qi leaned on her mother's arms and said with a smile, "What's the good news? Mother, tell me quickly."

Zhang pulled her daughter-in-law's hand and said with a smile, "Your sister-in-law is pregnant! She saw the doctor a few days ago, and he said she's almost three months pregnant. By May or June next year, you'll be an aunt!"

Qiao also smiled and nodded, with a hint of shyness on her face.

Chen Qi was surprised and happy. Her brother and sister-in-law had been married for several years and loved each other very much. Now they were pregnant with a child, which was really a great joy.

The mothers were all delighted. They held hands and chatted for half a day, sharing a lot of private conversations.

Because of this happy event, Chen Qi and his wife did not return to the city that night and stayed at her mother's house for another night.

In the evening, Zhang relented and allowed the men in the family to have a few drinks. Father Shen hurried to prepare the meal, and together with his eldest son, he accompanied his son-in-law to drink some Jinhua wine.

My younger brother Shen Ji was young, so the adults only allowed him to drink honey water with osmanthus flowers, and asked him to add tea and water at the table, and walk back and forth, which was very helpful.

When Mr. Shen learned that the Xie family's herbal medicine shop had opened a new branch, he asked about it in detail, and Xie Yuduo also gave a brief explanation.

"This shop is on Paoma Street in the east of the city. It was originally a small shop, but business had been poor for years, and they had long wanted to sell it. This time, his son was not paying attention and accidentally accepted stolen goods, so the government ordered the shop to be closed for three months. His father panicked and even closed the shop, wanting to sell the entire business. My eldest brother was very thoughtful. When he heard about this, he took over. He also made connections and renovated the shop and it went smoothly."

After listening to the whole story, Chen Cong nodded.

"Well, you young people are more active in thinking. But with the elderly and children at home, it's better to be stable. As the saying goes, wealth is hard to come by without hard work. Don't be impatient, you have to take it step by step."

As a father-in-law who has been in business all his life, it is rare for him to pass on his business experience to his young son-in-law.

"Well, Dad is absolutely right."

Xie Yuduo nodded very respectfully and offered Chen Cong another glass of wine.

Shen Shao stood up with a smile and personally added wine to his brother-in-law.

"Dad, the Xie family's business is much bigger than our town's. How could they not know this?"

The old man was happily drinking the Jinhua wine his son-in-law had offered him. "Hey, there's no harm in talking more. By the way, you always said you wanted to open a small shop in the county town. Duo'er is here, you young people should discuss it."

"Oh, what kind of business do you want to start, brother?"

"Cloth sales have been booming lately, and I'm planning to open a clothing store in the county town. What do you think? Clothing and food are essential for ordinary people."

Xie Yuduo thought about it and nodded.

"In the south, there are whole streets of ready-made clothing shops, but we haven't seen any in our county yet. Although there are a few tailor shops, firstly, it's very troublesome to buy cloth, find a tailor, take measurements, and have clothes made. Secondly, it takes a long time. You won't be able to wear new clothes for at least ten days or half a month."

"Exactly. A tailor shop doesn't require much capital. All you need to do is rent a shop and hire two tailors. They can make clothes based on the latest fashions from the south, and they're sure to be great."

"I was riding by a few days ago and saw a small shop at the intersection west of Xiuqiu Street. It had two storefronts and was about to be rented out. I'll go back tomorrow to inquire about the price. If it's suitable, it would be a good place to open a clothing store."

Shen Shao said hurriedly: "As long as the location is good, it doesn't matter if the rent is higher. I have some capital in my hand, so I will give it a try this time. It's not a big deal."

Xie Yuduo smiled and said, "It just so happens that I have a friend who just came back from Linqing with a boatload of cloth. I'll go talk to him and buy the cloth from him, which will save me some money."

After hearing this, Shen Shao was overjoyed and never expected that it would go so smoothly. He pulled Xie Yuduo aside and started talking to him about the ins and outs of opening a store.

The three of them drank with good friends and continued drinking until the moon was above the willow branches without getting up.