Chapter 223: Lively Zhu Residence

After meeting Ouyang Ye and Yan Yuze, Zhu Qingyan left Longchang Academy and hurried home.

She hadn't seen her mother for two months and she missed her mother terribly.

Unexpectedly, when he returned to the door and knocked for a long time, no one answered. Zhu Qingyan's heart suddenly rose to his throat and he became panicked.

Su was not in good health. Could something have happened while I was away?

At this time, the neighbor's aunt heard the knock on the door, stuck her head out and recognized Zhu Qingyan.

"Girl, your mother just went out this morning!"

Zhu Qingyan then breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked where Su had gone.

The aunt next door smiled and said, "Where else could he go? He must have gone to that Madam Pei again."

…

Zhu Qingyan arrived at the door of Zhu's house. Ah Cai recognized her and nodded with a smile on his face, saying, "Miss Qingyan is back. Your mother is waiting for you inside!"

Ah Cai's attire was somewhat different from before. He used to wear ordinary cloth clothes as a servant, but now he had changed into better quality satin, and looked like a butler of a wealthy family.

Zhu Qingyan was somewhat puzzled as to when the relationship between the Su family and the Zhu family had become so good, but he still walked towards the inner courtyard.

She had been to Zhu's house several times and knew the way. However, this time, she felt a little strange. She found that not only Ah Cai's clothes had changed, but there seemed to be more servants in the house. The courtyard and porch showed signs of renovation, and the flowers, plants, trees and stones were more abundant. It felt like a new place.

As soon as he stepped into the inner courtyard, he heard women talking in the side hall, which was very lively. Zhu Qingyan followed the sound to the closed door, and heard Su's voice from inside, so he knocked on the door carefully.

Soon, the door was opened and Su's face appeared from behind the door.

As soon as she saw Zhu Qingyan, she was extremely happy and excited, and asked her many questions in succession. Only then did she remember that there were other people present.

"Qingyan, come quickly and meet Madam Pei and Madam Du first."

Su smiled and pulled the bewildered Zhu Qingyan in, then closed the door to keep the cold wind of the winter out.

There was a charcoal fire burning in the room, with only two windows left open for ventilation, and it was warm as spring. In the middle was an eight-person table with various snacks and fruits on it. In addition to Pei Yue and Du Lanfang sitting at the table, Zhu Lan was also there, holding a porcelain bowl and waving at Zhu Qingyan with a smile.

"Come on, come on, this is peach-flavored iced plum yogurt, newly developed by Yuxiang Pavilion!"

Although Wang Yuchu went to the capital, Yuxiang Pavilion is still open and run by Wang Yuchu's former apprentices. Relying on the recipes that Zhu Lan sent back then, the business is still booming.

When Wang Yuchu was leaving, he thought about how much favors Zhu Lan had given him and felt guilty about it. He offered to give Zhu Lan 15% of Yuxiang Pavilion's future profits as dividends, and Zhu Lan naturally did not refuse.

For a restaurant as big as Yuxiang Pavilion, Zhu Lan didn't have to worry about anything except the huge labor and operating expenses. She could get a 15% dividend without doing anything, which was very considerable. However, her mind was still mainly on the imperial examination. It was useless for her to have so much money, so she simply handed it over to Pei Yue to manage.

This was not the first time Zhu Qingyan came to the Zhu residence, but every time she came here, she would seem a little embarrassed. She followed behind Su, respectfully greeted Pei Yue and Du Lanfang, and then sat down.

Su seemed much more at ease than her.

Before Pei Yue could speak, Du Lanfang laughed first. She looked at Zhu Qingyan and said, "The last time I saw Sister Yan, she seemed like a young girl who didn't know much about the world. I didn't expect that she has grown into a big girl so quickly. Look at her little appearance. She and our Sister Lan really look like sisters!"

Zhu Qingyan and Du Lanfang were not familiar with each other, and he did not know how to respond for a moment, but Su had already taken over the conversation, "Chao'er is growing very fast. By the way, he should be dismissed from school now, right?"

"It should be ready soon." Du Lanfang was cracking melon seeds. Seeing that the one in front of Su had been eaten, he grabbed a handful for her.

Zhu Qingyan sat there in a daze, not sure what was going on.

Why are we already so familiar with each other even though I’ve only been away for two months?

"Qingyan, don't be surprised." Pei Yue smiled very gently and handed a bowl of ice plum curd to Zhu Qingyan. Zhu Qingyan quickly stood up and took it with both hands.

"You and Lan'er are not here these days, and Chao'er is old enough to go to school. We women are really bored at home, so we often get together to drink tea and chat, just to relieve each other's boredom."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qingyan felt grateful again.

Du Lanfang enthusiastically grabbed a handful of melon seeds for Zhu Qingyan, and said as she ate them, "We've all heard what happened on your trip from Sister Lan. Fortunately, the world is peaceful now, and Daliang is a country of peace and prosperity. You two didn't encounter any danger when you went so far away, otherwise your mothers would have been scared to death."

Zhu Qingyan was slightly startled, looked at Zhu Lan, and saw her winking at him cunningly, and immediately understood what she meant.

"Yes, the journey was not only smooth, but also gave me a lot of knowledge. By the way, the steamed buns in mutton soup in Yunzhou taste very special, without any mutton smell at all. The customs and habits of the northern border are really different from here."

"Really? Then I would really like to try it if I have the chance. Alas, it's too far away." Du Lanfang sighed.

"By the way, Qingyan, your mother will come to Zhu's house often in the future to discuss the shop matters with us. When the academy has a holiday, you can also come back here with Lan'er." Pei Yue said to Zhu Qingyan.

"Shop?" Zhu Qingyan looked at Su in confusion.

Du Lanfang said, "Yes, your mother's embroidery is first-rate. Madam Pei invested money to help her open a shop, and now she has made back her money with interest. Many ladies in Jiangzhou City are lining up to buy the fabric samples embroidered by your mother!"

She spat out a mouthful of melon seed shells and continued, "I say, why don't you two just move in? It's more lively with more people. Once the house is expanded, it will seem deserted with just a few of us living in it. What do you think, sister-in-law?"

Anyway, in our family now, you are in charge of the household affairs and overall affairs, I am in charge of the few acres of land outside, and Sister Su helps to look after the shop, so it is more convenient for us to live together."