Why could Wang Yan hear these two people talking? Because they came out through the main entrance.

After delivering the groceries, they went straight back through the front door. Why did they go back through the front door?

The main kitchen heated up the Huangshan sesame cakes they had brought and invited them to the front hall for some tea and food.

Otherwise, after they get their food from the main kitchen, they can take the shortcut through the back door instead of going around in circles.

But didn't they want to say a few more words to Manager Lin? So Manager Lin led them to the front to settle their accounts and pay the bill.

They were also given some hot water to drink and warm up before leaving. The two water bags they were carrying had been filled with hot water and they had been holding them to warm their hands ever since, without even taking a sip.

Wang Yan was standing outside admiring the snow, so why did she come in to listen to them talk?

Because the two bags of Huangshan sesame cakes they were carrying smelled so good, they were incredibly delicious.

Wang Yan couldn't bear to look at the snow anymore, so she stepped inside and stared at the two of them.

Now that the two of them had finished talking, he was ready to start eating the bite-sized sesame cakes.

Wang Yan rushed over quickly, "Uncles, what are those things in your hands?"

The two men took one look and said, "This is a Huangshan sesame seed cake that we bought in our town."

He then gave one to Wang Yan, who took it and took a bite; it was a crab shell sesame seed cake.

What do you think? It smells just like that. It smells so good! Why didn't she think of that?

I heard that this is a unique skill of a family in the town.

Wang Yan felt embarrassed to ask the head chef to make the pancake for her, since the head chef didn't know how.

Call Fatty Wang to the main kitchen and ask him to use it for a while.

Soak a bundle of dried bamboo shoots and dried mustard greens until softened, then drain and squeeze out the excess water. Finely chop the bamboo shoots and dried mustard greens.

Choose pork fat that is entirely fatty, cut it into small cubes, and add salt, sugar, rapeseed oil, and chili powder. Then add the chopped minced pork and mix well.

The flour needs to be mixed into an oil dough, which means adding oil and a small amount of sugar to the flour before kneading.

Add another small bowl of flour and some oil to make a flaky pastry.

Let the prepared dough rest for 15 minutes, then roll it out into a large, thin sheet, spread a thin layer of oil paste on top, and roll it up.

Roll out the rolled-up dough again until it's thin, and repeat this step nine times.

Divide the dough into small portions, then wrap the preserved mustard greens and pork filling inside.

Place the wrapped crab shell-shaped yellow sesame cakes into the kiln and bake for 15 minutes.

Savory, slightly spicy, and with a satisfying crunch with every bite, the aroma of preserved mustard greens and fermented pork fat explodes in your mouth. So delicious!

Wang Yan held a sesame seed cake in one hand and caught the crumbs that fell with the other, eating four or five in one go.

Fatty Wang made a lot, enough for two food boxes. They can use this as a snack on the way.

The next morning, I originally planned to stay here for another day before leaving.

However, the driver came over and said that the snow was getting heavier and heavier, and if they delayed any longer, they would have to stay here for five or six days until the snow stopped and melted before they could leave.

Let's ask them if they want to rest here for a few more days, or if they want to leave now.

After thinking it over, Wang Yan and the others decided to leave now. They had been out for so long and wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Chaolu poured several hot water bottles, lit several small hand warmers, and added two more layers of soft blankets to the carriage.

In the carriage behind them, a small stove was also lit for brewing tea, and the tea was prepared. After everything was ready, they set off again.

After getting into the carriage, Wang Yan didn't need the soft stool anymore. She simply put it away, spread a blanket on the ground, and sat directly inside the carriage.

With another blanket placed behind them, she and Yingjie sat side by side against the blanket. Outside, the wind was biting cold, but inside the carriage it was very warm.

If you're thirsty, have a cup of jujube tea; if you're hungry, have a few small sesame cakes to tide you over.

The small sesame cakes made by Wang Yan and Fatty Wang played a big role. With the weather so bad now, it wasn't very convenient for Chaolu to heat up their food from behind.

One reason is that charcoal is used for heating, so a large amount is needed. Another reason is that the car needs to be stopped for a while when heating food.

Parking would have been a hassle, but now it's much better. I can eat a couple of small sesame cakes and drink some water when I'm hungry.

Fifteen days later, two carriages arrived at the carriage and horse trading post in the capital.

They've gone home!

Chaolu was very perceptive and realized that Wang Yan had brought them here because she didn't want them to visit her home.

Being quite sensible, she said goodbye to everyone here. Wang Yan waved as she left, and Chao Lu gave a curtsy behind her.

As soon as he got off the carriage, he ran back to the Marquis's residence after only a few steps.

They were saying that Manager Rong had granted him such a long leave, but he should go back to work as soon as possible without delay.

Just as I entered the gate of the Marquis's mansion, intending to go around to the side gate, I discovered that the Second Master's family had also returned today to celebrate the New Year.

Fatty Wang hid around the corner and waited until his family went inside before going around to the side gate to return and cancel his leave.

Lu Qi was relieved to hear that Wang Yan and the others were alright. She had been working non-stop in the kitchen these past two days, and she was relieved that Fatty Wang would be of great use when he returned.

In Ronghua Garden, the second wife, Zheng Jin, was talking with the old lady. In the days since the family division, Zheng Jin had been in a much better mood, and her complexion and spirits had improved considerably.

Back when they were in the manor, the Second Master was always causing trouble. Whenever the second branch of the family made a mess or caused a laughing stock, Zheng Jin would be the first to suffer.

After they left, no one criticized Zheng Jin for not disciplining his second wife properly.

The second master continued to cause trouble, but no one cleaned up his mess. After suffering a few losses, although he couldn't control his antics, he didn't dare to go too far!

Zheng Jinzheng was discussing with the old lady that they planned to separate the family property for Gu Jing and his two brothers in the spring.

Now that the family has separated, the old lady can't really interfere in other people's affairs. Hearing this, she just smiled and nodded, "It's good that you know what's going on."

Xu Shaoqing sat below with a long face. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't that she disagreed with Zheng Jin's words, but rather that she had another conflict with Gu Ting.

Isn't the second wife going to divide the family property? The house on Xilou Street will definitely be given to Gu Jing.

Gu Ting then decided to use Xu Shaoqing's money to buy another house.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Jiang Shiyi was called home by Xu Shaoqing.

As soon as she got home, Jiang Shiyi came over and slapped her twice.

"If I hear you spending my Xu family's money to pave the way for Gu Ting again, you'll see what happens."

This dowry is for you to spend alone. If Gu Ting really wants to spend it, he should use it to buy a house.

Tell him to marry into your family, and I'll set up a separate household for you, specifically for women.

Xu Shaoqing was completely bewildered by the beating; her mother had finally agreed to see her.

Who would have thought that more than a year later, the first thing they would do upon meeting again would be for him to hit her?

“Mother, I didn’t! I didn’t intend to use my dowry money to buy a house.”

Jiang Shiyi looked at her suspiciously for a while.

"That's great. Now you should use your brain too. If the second branch of the family wants to divide the property, the legal wife will definitely give him a share of the family assets."

"The expenses for the house you're going to live in after the family division should be covered by Gu Ting."

“I know, but my husband said there’s a house outside Xilou Street that’s been discounted before the New Year.”

This is an opportunity that won't come again, so I'm thinking of borrowing two portions of my dowry. But I don't want to spend it.

Jiang Shiyi then calmed down her anger. "Sit down, have a meal before you go back."

Xu Shaoqing was delighted. "Mom, are there any other businesses we can invest in this time? Gu Ting isn't making much money right now."

"..."

After the meal, Xu Shaoqing took Guixiang home, and couldn't help but feel a little angry on the way.

"Guixiang, I want to buy a house. Did you contact Mother about this?"

Gui Xiang remained silent. Xu Shaoqing glanced at her again and sighed helplessly.

However, after returning this time, Xu Shaoqing firmly rejected Gu Ting's idea of ​​using her money to buy a house.

The truth is, she didn't have much of her own dowry. Last time, she recklessly squandered 10,000 taels of silver, which Xu Shaoqing found very distressing.

This whole house thing sounds so unreliable.

Such a prime location on Xilou Street, and they're even lowering the price of houses by 3,000 taels during the Lunar New Year.

Don't fall for that again! That would be bad.

Gu Ting was furious. The last one was a lie, but this one was real news.

It's a small courtyard with two sections, and they're only asking for 17,000 taels of silver. Why aren't you buying it right away? What are you thinking?

Xu Shaoqing refused to contribute any money, and he didn't have much money of his own either, leading to another argument between the two.

That's why Xu Shaoqing had such a long face when she returned to the Marquis's residence for the New Year.

Gu Ting went to find Gu Xiao and asked, "Where is the ten thousand taels of silver, Aunt?"

Gu Xiao refused, saying, "Didn't you already return the ten thousand taels your wife gave you last time? Why are you scheming against your aunt?"

“I didn’t do anything suspicious. When I visited my aunt last time, she made it clear that the money was for me.”

Gu Xiao waved his hand, "Where did she get her money? It's all thanks to me working for her, and I rewarded her with it. Get lost! She's even trying to scheme against me! What an unfilial brat!"

Gu Ting was still slightly inferior to Gu Xiao, that scoundrel, and didn't spend a single penny.

"Then I said, let's not divide this family yet. Go and persuade the second wife!"

Gu Xiao didn't really want to split up the family business. Although he could make a profit during the split, he didn't get along well with Gu Jing and Gu Yan.

If you end up living with the eldest son and conflicts arise, it would be terrible to suffer mistreatment without anyone to help you.

"Okay, I'll try to persuade him. Gu Yan is still young, not married or established yet, he still needs your two older brothers to help him, why is he dividing the family property at this time?"

Zheng Jin is also a brainless idiot!

Gu Ting finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn't separate from the family, he could still stay in the second branch of the household, and even get closer to the Marquis's mansion.

After the family separated, things certainly wouldn't be as good as they are now. Putting aside everything else, the money we've received over the past year can now be directly withdrawn from the public funds.

After the family splits up, the second wife will receive a share of the assets, but if she doesn't make money, she'll have to spend a lot of money every year just on bribing her colleagues, not to mention the cost of housing, food, and other necessities.

The second wife wouldn't cheat anyone. Although they had just separated from the Marquis's mansion, the old lady had agreed that the second wife could take things from the shops under the Marquis's name according to a certain share.

However, things were not as good as before, so Gu Ting was unwilling to separate from the Marquis's mansion or the second branch of the family.

Especially since Xu Shaoqing's side was clearly unable to get any help, not to mention other things, even finding a place to stay became a problem after leaving the mansion.

Seeing that Gu Xiao had agreed, he stopped arguing about the ten thousand taels of silver from his aunt.