Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Meeting alone...

Inside the room, several people looked up at Xiao Xun, and then some looked at Lin Qiuran.

Lin Qiuran stood up and said to Xiao Xun, "Why are you back at this hour? Have you eaten yet?"

Xiao Xun shook his head. Seeing this, Shopkeeper Shi immediately picked up the bowl and said, "I'll go to the side. You sit here and eat."

There were quite a lot of people. Xiao Xun was tall. Although he was not fat or thin and had a thin waist, his shoulders were broad, so others had to squeeze in when he sat down.

Lin Qiuran: "No need, we'll go to the side."

Manager Shi sat down again. Since they were family, he didn't want to join in the fun.

Lin Qiuran brought the bowl over. There were not many pre-prepared dishes in this season, otherwise she could cook him a bowl of wontons. So she handed some of the dishes over. After a busy day, Lin Qiuran was too lazy to cook, so he just had a simple meal tonight.

Lin Qiuran finished dialing, "Everyone, let's eat."

Xiao Xun went to the kitchen to get some dishes and sat down next to Lin Qiuran. Lin Qiuran was slightly startled. She remembered the last time they had breakfast at the restaurant, Xiao Xun had sat across from her. Before that, Xiao Xun had come back three times. Once, she hadn't made any glutinous rice balls and had gone straight to confinement after childbirth. The other two times, they weren't familiar with each other. Once, he ate with Manager Shi and his friends, and the other time, Sun's Xiao Dashi was also there. Although they sat next to each other, there were more people.

Now that the table was so big and they were sitting next to each other, Lin Qiuran inexplicably felt that the relationship between them was somewhat intimate.

Xiao Xun saw that Lin Qiuran looked tired and his nose was slightly oily from cooking all night. He said, "Eat quickly."

He picked up a piece of meat for Lin Qiuran and said, "Eat more."

He saw that Lin Qiuran had lost weight, but fortunately his complexion looked good.

Lin Qiuran nodded, and after a while, he looked again and saw Xiao Xun still looking at him. "Why are you looking at me? Eat. If it's not enough, I'll make more for you."

If Xiao Xun was any later today, he would miss the trip again. Lin Qiuran asked, "Did you receive the letter?"

Xiao Xun: "I received it. I replied a few days ago, but it seems that the courier was slower than me."

The person has arrived, but the letter has not.

He learned from the letter that the neighbor had bought it, and there were also glutinous rice balls, and he was learning to lift his head. When he was not at home, the house changed with each passing day. Every time Xiao Xun came back, he could find that the house was different from the last time.

Whenever he saw these, Xiao Xun felt like something was tickling his heart. He felt that Lin Qiuran was powerful, but he also felt that he was not good enough for her.

Xiao Xun took two mouthfuls of rice. Lin Qiuran looked up at him and asked, "Oh, how long will you be back this time?"

Xiao Xun: "On the third day, we will leave in the afternoon of the ninth day."

Lin Qiuran briefly told him about the major events that had happened at home in the past month and a half: someone from Xuzhou had come, the family had hired three people, and the land in the village had been planted. The more Lin Qiuran spoke, the happier he sounded. "And Tangyuan, he can hold his head up for a while now, but he can't hold it up for too long."

Tang Yuan looking up was naturally a big deal. Xiao Xun's eyes were bright. Lin Qiuran knocked on him and felt like a father, feeling very happy. She said, "But I definitely don't recognize you now."

Tangyuan is just a child. Apart from not crying and loving to laugh and be pleasing, Lin Qiuran doesn't think he is different from other children. He was just born when Xiao Xun left home and didn't even like to open his eyes, so how could he remember anything?

Shopkeeper Shi interjected, "Ah, blood is thicker than water, how could I not recognize him?"

Xiao Xun smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, I left right after Tangyuan was born. I only held him twice, and he's not even two months old yet."

Xiao Xun: "Don't blame Tangyuan if he doesn't recognize me, blame me. If I could come back more often, he would definitely recognize me."

Manager Shi was just trying to smooth things over, but now he admired Xiao Xun very much. He was also a father, and if he heard that his son didn't recognize him, he would definitely be angry. Xiao Xun even started to explain to the child.

Manager Shi and Xiao Xun didn't spend much time together, but he seemed to have a good temper.

Xiao Xun looked at Lin Qiuran, "I also brought something for Tangyuan." He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a small wooden bird.

Xiao Xun explained, "There's a spring on the tail. When it's wound up, the wings will vibrate. There's also a hole on it for a rope, so it can be hung on the crib."

Tangyuan can't move now and spends most of his time lying in bed. It wouldn't be so boring if there was someone who could move.

Lin Qiuran said, "It looks a bit like the puppy you sent back last time. Did you buy these?"

Yu An doesn’t have these things, and Lin Qiuran has never seen them outside.

Xiao Xun shook his head. "There was a man in the military camp who used to be a carpenter. I asked him to make the dumplings."

Lin Qiuran was slightly stunned. Xiao Xun did not hide the fact that he was married and had children in the military camp.

Although she was still hesitant and did not dare to entrust him easily, many outsiders felt that Xiao Xun had a bright future and was good-looking, making him a good candidate for a son-in-law.

Although Lin Qiuran is busy all day now and didn't even go out during her confinement period, she didn't know what people in the alley were talking about, but she could feel it when she talked to Aunt Yu and Liu.

Aunt Yu had always told her that after all the hardships came happiness, that the clouds had finally cleared and the moon was shining, that Xiao Xun had become an official, and that good things were coming. Even Liu had said that although she was the one taking care of the family when Xiao Xun was gone, he was an official after all, and that if he didn't get the chance, he would never get it again, so she had to bear the consequences.

Liu felt that it was good enough to be able to get money when she was not at home. What's more, it would not be a big deal if she could take a concubine in the future and still have Lin Qiuran as the main wife.

In this era, it seems that as long as a man doesn't beat his wife, he is a good man.

The people in the military camp had never seen her, and probably thought that since he had a wife who had shared his hardships with him at home, Xiao Xun had a bright future. Lin Qiuran didn't believe it, so no one acted as a matchmaker for Xiao Xun.

Who cares if he's married or not? He can still have three wives and four concubines. Even if Xiao Xun really keeps another one in Xuzhou, Lin Qiuran wouldn't know. Even if Xiao Xun had good character and good looks, Lin Qiuran wouldn't dare entrust him with anything.

Lin Qiuran felt slightly satisfied that Xiao Xun was not shy. They ate while talking and finished their meal quickly.

Shopkeeper Shi and his men packed up and left. Lin Qiuran called over Lin Ming and the other two, "They were brought here by Brother Zhao. After the next door is finished installing, we're afraid we won't be able to handle it, so we'll let them take over."

Xiao Xun patted Lin Ming's shoulders and arms, "Very good, I'll teach you some Kung Fu tomorrow morning."

This will also allow you to better protect your home.

Lin Ming nodded. The three of them thought that the Xiao family was just an ordinary family doing business, but they didn’t expect that there was an official in the family.

There was no guarantee that the family business would grow even larger in the future, even surpassing the Qian family. However, the Qian family was greedy, unlike the Xiao family. They didn't have to worry about their property being confiscated and then sold off. That feeling, once, was enough.

Lin Qiuran couldn't help but think that Lin Ming had said during the day that he used to be a punching bag for the young master of the Qian family, so he probably knew some kung fu. It would definitely be better if he learned more. Xiao Xun came back at the right time.

After packing up, several people went home. Lin Qiuran and Xiao Xun walked in front, and they talked about what happened at home.

Lin Dong and the other three walked behind. The three kept asking Lin Dong about the Xiao family, but Lin Dong was a taciturn person. She didn't say anything she shouldn't say, and answered most of the questions with "I don't know", "I don't know", and "I'm not sure".

The three of them were worried. Lin Qiuran seemed easy to talk to, and the Xiao family didn't have many rules, but servants were servants and they must never do things that they shouldn't do.

Arriving home, Lin Qiuran called out into the house, "Mom and Dad, Xiao Xun is back."

Sun came out of the wing room in a hurry, and Xu Niang also came out with tangyuan in her arms. Xiao Dashi came out of the room, but he was too embarrassed to look at Lin Qiuran, so he immediately looked away.

The night was dark, and a warm light shone through the house.

Tangyuan's grape-like eyes looked at Lin Qiuran and he happily stretched out his hand. Lin Qiuran went to wash his hands, then held Tangyuan up to show Xiao Xun, "Look, it's a little different, isn't it? Can you still recognize it?"

I guess if I met him outside, I wouldn’t recognize him as my own child.

Xiao Xun was indeed surprised. His memory of Tang Yuan was still stuck on the time when he was just born, red and skinny. Now he had gained a lot of weight, was fair and clean, and looked good. One could even see the shadows of him and Lin Qiuran in his face.

Xiao Xun was moved, "Give me a hug quickly."

Lin Qiuran placed the glutinous rice balls in Xiao Xun's arms. At first, the glutinous rice balls were well behaved, but then they began to twist and turn, from their head to their waist to their legs, like a large carp that had just been fished out. Fortunately, Xiao Xun had a steady hand and only glanced at Lin Qiuran in confusion.

Lin Qiuran couldn't help but want to laugh. Sun wanted to say that Tangyuan was just shy of strangers, but the child had a good temper. As long as Lin Qiuran was around, he wouldn't cry even if he was shy, but he would definitely not stay still if he felt uncomfortable.

But considering that Xiao Xun was her biological father, Sun didn't say anything.

Lin Qiuran said, "It's because I don't recognize you. Just hug me more, otherwise I won't recognize you when you come back next time."

Xiao Xun was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly. Tang Yuan saw that his thighs couldn't twist his arms, so he stopped moving. Xiao Xun took him back to the house and watched him for a while.

Lin Qiuran: "If you put it on the bed, you need to put several layers of diapers on it."

"Well, he is really small." Xiao Xun's expression was very soft and he smiled at Lin Qiuran. He looked down at Tangyuan again and played with the bird for a while. Tangyuan blinked from time to time and looked like he was about to fall asleep.

Xiao Xun said: "Tangyuan is sleepy, it's time to go to bed."

Lin Qiuran said, "Give it to Madam Xu."

Xiao Xun hummed, picked up Tang Yuan and went to the side room. The child was soft in his arms, breathing softly. Xiao Xun felt that time had passed too quickly. He had only been with her for a short while.

Sun looked cheerful tonight and didn't ask any questions. It was good that Xiao Xun was back, so he could look after the children and help with some chores around the house.

It was already late at night. Xiao Xun touched Tangyuan's little hand and went back to the room. Lin Qiuran said, "Your quilt is in the cabinet. Wash up before going to bed."

Xiao Xun nodded, and rummaged through his pockets again, pulling out a silver hairpin. "I saw that Yu An didn't have this style, so I bought it."

Lin Qiuran didn't expect that there would be one for her. In fact, she was very happy that Xiao Xun was thinking about Tangyuan.

Lin Qiuran saw that the hairpin had peach blossoms on it, the jade flowers were shiny and lustrous, and the hairpin looked like a peach branch, which was nice to wear in spring.

Yes, it is beautiful. Lin Qiuran has not been to Xuzhou yet, so he doesn’t know what it is like. I think it is better than Yu’an, with more things and more prosperous and lively.

Lin Qiuran said, "Next time you come back, don't just buy things for me and Tangyuan, buy some for mom and dad too."

Xiao Xun nodded slightly. Lin Qiuran knew that Sun didn't care about these things, but she would be happy if she bought it.

Xiao Xun looked into Lin Qiuran's eyes and didn't speak for a long time.

Lin Qiuran asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Xiao Xun immediately shook his head and said, "No, I will buy them next time I come back."

Lin Qiuran saw that Xiao Xun was worried about something, but she didn't ask any further questions. If he wanted to say something, he had already said it a long time ago, so there was no point in her asking.

After washing up, the two of them lay down on the bed, each with their own quilt. Lin Qiuran closed his eyes early. Xiao Xun said nothing and did nothing. When Lin Qiuran fell asleep, Xiao Xun sighed softly.

The next day, it was drizzling on the street. Lin Qiuran took the time to make a millet pumpkin cake. This was very simple as long as you had a mold and baked it in the oven. To beat the egg liquid, you could also use a simple egg beater made of bamboo and wind it up, which was quite easy.

After it was done, Lin Qiuran shared some with the restaurant staff to taste. The taste was not unforgettable, but it was delicious. It had a light pumpkin aroma and the shape was pleasing.

Manager Shi couldn't bear to eat it, saying he would take it home for his children. Wan Niang's daughter Ying Jie was still young, but she kept it for Zhao Shi.

Seeing that the response was good, Lin Qiuran asked Zhao Xing to go to the Xu family and invite Manager Xu over.

Why didn't they let the idle Lin Ming go? It was because Lin Ming and the other two had just arrived and didn't know their way around. They also had to familiarize themselves with the area before assigning work, otherwise it would be a waste of time. Lin Qiuran would assign work in two days.

Talk to Manager Xu and sell this at Wufangzhai. Xu Yuanheng has given her a lot of advantages, so Lin Qiuran won't insist on taking too much profit this time. Besides, County Magistrate Li will definitely teach the county residents how to make this thing in the future, so it won't be sold for long.

But if you want to sell to other counties, you will definitely need a big dim sum shop, and you will definitely make money in the end.

If you don't do business, you'll lose money. Just figure out how to set the price to make more money.

Zhao Xing went out to look for someone, and Lin Qiuran continued to prepare lunch. There were two tables on the second floor at noon today, so it wasn't too busy.

Xiao Xun was chopping wood and pouring water in the yard. Usually, these were done by either Xiao Dashi or Lu Fan, but today he took care of it all.

At three quarters past nine, Manager Xu came with Xu Yuanheng, holding a gift. Since he often came to the restaurant, and the restaurant was not busy at the moment, he just walked in.

Manager Xu placed the gift on the table. Xu Yuanheng nodded to Shopkeeper Shi. Zhao Xing was still wondering who this was. When Xu Yuanheng walked towards the courtyard, he asked quietly. Shopkeeper Shi then said, "He's a big customer. Madam Lin has done a lot of business with him. Just do what you need to do and don't ask."

Zhao Xing hummed.

Xu Yuanheng lifted the curtain with a folding fan. Lin Dongwan's mother was washing and preparing vegetables in the yard, but he saw the man chopping wood next to the firewood shed at a glance.

Manager Xu was stunned at the back, and Xu Yuanheng smiled but didn't move forward.

Lin Dongwan's mother raised her head, and Xiao Xun also turned to look over. Xu Yuanheng smiled and said, "Is Madam Lin here?"

Lin Dong stood up and said, "Yes."

She went to the kitchen and called out. Lin Qiuran came out. She didn't expect Xu Yuanheng to come over. She said, "Second Master Xu, please wait a moment. I'm not done here yet. Xiao Xun, please entertain me."

Lin Qiuran was still frying sugar color in the pot, so he had to hurry up or it would get burnt. Xiao Xun put down his axe and dusted off the sawdust on his body. "Mr. Xu, please go sit upstairs first."

Xu Yuanheng nodded, "You are Madam Lin's husband, right? This is the first time I've met you."

Xu Yuanheng walked behind, but he didn't need Xiao Xun to lead the way. He was familiar with the route. He said, "Hearing is believing. I thought I would see you on the full moon of Tang Yuan."

Xiao Xun smiled apologetically and said, "I really can't come back."

Xu Yuanheng said, "I understand being busy."

Arriving at the main room on the second floor, Xiao Xun asked Xu Yuanheng to sit down first while he went to get some tea. Xu Yuanheng said, "Don't bother. It's just a business talk. Go ahead and do your thing."

Xiao Xun said: "I don't have anything to do."

Lin Qiuran asked him to entertain the guests, so he had to treat them well and not neglect them.

Xu Yuanheng fanned himself twice. He had only just met Xiao Xun today. Manager Xu had once said Xiao Xun was a reliable man, but he hadn't thought much of it then. But today, he found him quite interesting. For one thing, Xiao Xun was working in the courtyard when he entered, and he wasn't acting like a big shot at home, relying on his position as an official.

Secondly, he was very tactful in his words. Xu Yuanheng did not intentionally act close to Lin Qiuran. The two were just partners and had not crossed the line. If Xu Yuanheng said something ambiguous, Xiao Xun might be anxious, or he might quarrel with Lin Qiuran as he wished, but this would be bad for Lin Qiuran's reputation, and Lin Qiuran would stay away from him.

But Xiao Xun was a man. If Xu Yuanheng were Xiao Xun, even if he had come specially to celebrate his son's full moon, he would have felt uneasy. Whether he had no feelings, or was truly open and trusting, or perhaps Lin Qiuran hadn't said it yet, Xu Yuanheng didn't know for the time being.

Zhao Xing brought over tea, and Xiao Xun poured a cup for Xu Yuanheng, "Mr. Xu, have some tea."

Xu Yuanheng took a sip and asked casually, "When did you come back?"

Xiao Xun wasn't used to it. It was the first time he and Xu Yuanheng met, and they weren't even close enough to talk to each other. But due to the etiquette of hospitality, he still said, "I came back yesterday."

Xu Yuanheng said, "It's hard, but it's also a blessing to be reunited with my family. I haven't seen Tangyuan for a long time. How is Tangyuan?"

Hearing Xu Yuanheng talking about Tangyuan, Xiao Xun smiled and said, "It's fine. He can lift his head for a while now. Children grow with the wind. Tangyuan was just born when I left home, so I feel that he has changed a lot. If Mr. Xu misses Tangyuan, he can go to his house to see him."

Xu Yuanheng nodded.

As the two were talking, Lin Qiuran came up from downstairs. She brought some snacks with her. "Second Young Master, it's just a small business, but you've troubled me to come here in person."

Xu Yuanheng stood up and said, "I just happened to be back, so I came to take a look. Besides, business has no boundaries, big or small. I also thought spices were a small business at first, but now it's growing bigger and bigger."

Xiao Xun saw that the two wanted to discuss something, "You guys chat, call me if you need anything."

Lin Qiuran nodded, sat down and said, "Second Young Master is right. This snack was suggested by Lord Zhao, the governor of Xuzhou, to be made into a Yu'an specialty. I just made it. Please try it."

Xu Yuanheng took a look and asked, "Why does it look so much like a gold ingot?"

Lin Qiuran nodded. "Yes, it looks festive. Lord Zhao said it shouldn't be too expensive. From now on, it will be a specialty of Yu'an."

Lin Qiuran briefly explained the whole story, and Xu Yuanheng became more and more interested as he listened. "Did you come up with this idea?"

Lin Qiuran quickly denied it, "This is what Magistrate Li asked me to do. It's just that I made it too early, and the weather was getting hotter, so I accidentally let it go bad."

She didn't dare say that she did it early on purpose and let it go bad.

Xu Yuanheng said: "Not bad."

Lin Qiuran smiled. "The key to making dim sum is novelty. It's fine to make half the profit, but not too expensive. County Magistrate Li will definitely tell the people how to make it later. Let's see if we can spread the word outside."

Xu Yuanheng: "That's easy. Let's keep the profit sharing as before."

Xu Yuanheng thought this should sell well. Lin Qiuran said the taste was mediocre, but he had never tasted such a snack before. Plus, the shape was attractive, so small profits and quick turnover would be very profitable. If it wasn't a Yu'an specialty, then why not sell it in Xuzhou? Since Zhao Jinshan had brought it up, he wouldn't ignore it.

Lin Qiuran said, "There's no need for a 50-50 split. This recipe will be given to the county government later, and other shops will also make it. Excluding me providing the recipe, a 30% share is fine."

Xu Yuanheng nodded, "Okay."

The two talked for a long time, and Xu Yuanheng said, "You go ahead and do your work. I brought some gifts for Tangyuan. I'll go see him tomorrow when I'm free."

Lin Qiuran nodded, "Thank you for your consideration, Second Young Master."

Lin Qiuran sent Xu Yuanheng out and said, "Second Young Master, if you are not busy, please stay for lunch."

Xu Yuanheng glanced at the yard and said, "Since you still want to do business, I won't cause you any more trouble."

It would be fine if he just ordered some food, but Lin Qiuran would definitely take the trouble to prepare it.

Lin Qiuran and Xu Yuanheng talked for about quarter of an hour and signed the documents. They were about to open the store for business, so after seeing them off, she went to the kitchen.

Xiao Xun chopped all the firewood in this time. He watched Lin Qiuran go straight to the kitchen. He suddenly felt a little annoyed, but not because of Xu Yuanheng.

Xiao Xun bent down to arrange the firewood on the ground. Lin Qiuran came out of the kitchen again, "Xiao Xun!"

Xiao Xun stood up, his eyes shining, "What's wrong?"

Lin Qiuran said, "When you're done here, take away the gifts that Master Xu brought. We'll be doing business soon."

Lin Qiuran just remembered that Manager Shi and the others would definitely not do anything, so Xiao Xun had to do it.

Xiao Xun smiled and said, "Okay."

For some reason, Lin Qiuran felt as if a tail suddenly appeared behind Xiao Xun.

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The author has something to say: Thank you for your support~[Panda Head][Cat Head][Crying]