The Cuihua shop next door originally didn't take Shen Qing's small snack shop seriously. Although he knew that the shop was opened by the landlord himself, Cuihua Shop had some background and thought it was stronger, so he did not take the landlord seriously and did not intend to make friends with him.
It was only when the chief clerk sent a congratulatory couplet on the opening day that the owner of Cuihua Shop became a little uneasy, feeling that he had failed to recognize a great man. Once the business got going, it wasn't long before the place was packed, and the aroma of the flower sausage filled the entire street, making the shopkeeper no longer dare to underestimate this small shop.
After waiting for a long time, the shop finally closed and the customers went home one after another. The shopkeeper then discussed with the owner behind him and came to the door with his employees, carrying gifts.
However, Shen Qing had no intention of meeting him at all. The other party is just a shopkeeper, why should I, as the host, personally receive him? Shen Qing looked at Shopkeeper Xiaomiao and said, "Just go and receive them. If they give you any gifts, just accept them. I don't think they are too expensive. I'll find a chance to return them in a few days. It doesn't matter how expensive they are. I'll return them anyway."
He yawned. After a busy day, Shen Qing was actually very sleepy, but he still had to force himself to be alert: "I have an appointment with the Golden Tooth Man to go to the south of the city to check the shop. If you want to stay here tonight, it's fine. If you go back, remember to drive, don't walk back."
Shopkeepers Tieshan and Xiaomiao agreed. Two days ago, Shen Qing took them to see the house where they were temporarily staying in the yard. At first, the two men thought that the house belonged to a nobleman, and they felt a little embarrassed and did not dare to stay overnight. However, Shen Qing thought for a while and directly admitted to them that the house was his.
Shopkeeper Xiaomiao and Tieshan's eyes widened, unable to speak clearly: "This, this house is yours? That, that shop on the street..."
"It's mine too." Shen Qing paused and said, "The business belongs to you, but the property is mine. I have worked for you for so long, and I have done business many times, so buying this house is nothing. If you work hard with me, you will be able to buy a big house sooner or later."
Shen Qing has actually been very hesitant these days. As the business between the village and the county town was connected, his secrets were being exposed bit by bit. Shen Qing knew rationally that he should stop these secrets from being exposed, which would be the safest thing to do. But he felt a strong desire in his heart and didn't want to continue lying or covering up.
Little by little, he slowly revealed his other face in front of Shopkeeper Xiaomiao and Tieshan. But after opening it, he felt a little flustered and said, "I'll tell you about this. Don't tell anyone in the village, or there will be a lot of trouble."
Tieshan nodded seriously: "I won't even tell my mother!" He knew very well what kind of people in the village were like. If people knew that Qingger had such a big house, there was no guarantee that someone would come to ask for money or borrow money.
However, Shopkeeper Xiaomiao did not think about these things. Instead, he carefully considered what Shen Qing had just said in his mind and was very convinced: because he could read and do math, Shen Qing would offer him a higher salary, and he could get one string of money a month. Even if you save for two or three years, you can't buy this big house, but can't you buy a small courtyard?
"Also," Shen Qing rubbed his forehead, feeling more and more troubled: "Don't call me Brother Qing anymore, call me Boss. When I'm out there, you guys called me names that exposed my identity, and it will be difficult for me to do business with others in the future."
"If I call you boss, what should I call the distinguished guest when he comes?" Tieshan scratched the back of his head stupidly, wondering from the bottom of his heart.
"Call the boss." Shen Qing continued to patch: "... Generally speaking, the nobleman will not come. The nobleman is busy."
I'm so tired.
After that, Tieshan and Shopkeeper Xiaomiao often rested in the yard. Tieshan is already married, but his children are still young, so he usually goes home to spend the night. However, the shopkeeper Xiaomiao is young and unmarried, but he heartlessly moved a lot of belongings here, as if he was planning to live here permanently.
At this time, Shopkeeper Xiaomiao went to greet the shopkeeper of Cuihua Shop. Shen Qing simply packed up and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and reminded Mudan, "Change the oil every day. Never reuse the oil used in frying today. Put a basin at the back and pour the daily oil into it. After it settles, take out the clear oil on top and distribute it to the poor living nearby for free every once in a while. This oil is not suitable for cooking anymore, but it can be used to light oil lamps as long as you don't mind the smell."
How could a poor family complain? It is a luxury for poor families to turn on the lights for a little longer at night!
Even cooking oil will produce smoke when used in oil lamps. Not only does it smell bad, it also easily sticks to clothes. I wonder if the oil used to fry starch sausage will have a meaty aroma! Lamp oil was not a cheap thing at that time, so everyone tried to save as much as possible, and giving it to poor people for use was considered a good deed.
Although Mudan didn't understand why the oil couldn't be reused, since Shen Qing had given the order, he naturally followed it and flattered, "The boss is really kind."
Shen Qing watched him pour the oil into a small basin before leaving, went out through the back door into the courtyard, and then left through the corner door, avoiding the owner and the clerk of Cuihua Shop who came to visit him at the door.
However, he didn't know that when he was talking to Mudan just now, the servant following the shopkeeper kept looking up at him secretly.
After leaving the Flowering Sausage Shop, the shopkeeper's face turned a little unhappy: "The boss of this shop is too arrogant. He was clearly in the shop, but he only sent the shopkeeper out to receive us. He himself left through the back door without even saying hello!"
Although he is just a shopkeeper, how can he compare with Shopkeeper Xiaomiao! Their shop occupies two storefronts and has deep roots in the city. How can that small shop compare to them? However, after he spoke for a while, the guy behind him didn't respond at all. He was immersed in his own world and no one knew what he was thinking.
The shopkeeper felt even more unhappy: "I'm talking to you?"
The clerk came back to his senses and said, "The boss of that shop looks very familiar. Do you remember where you have seen him before?"
The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "He has walked on the street before. He was quite generous. I have never met him before, but I have seen him on the road a few times."
The guy felt something was wrong. He should have seen Shen Qing more than once on the street. However, he couldn't remember how. He slapped his head twice and asked, "Where did I see him before?"
This time, the house that the Gold Tooth Man found for Shen Qing was near the county government office in the south of the city. This side is different from the north of the city. There are mostly rich people here, including officials and businessmen. There are also several streets dedicated to shops with few residential areas. The two places that Jin Ya Ren took Shen Qing to see this time were a two-courtyard building near the back door of the county government office and a restaurant.
The restaurant is a three-story wooden building facing the street, with a wide courtyard at the back. At the other end of the courtyard is a two-story building where the waiters can live. The Gold Tooth Man recommended enthusiastically: "This restaurant is really good, but the previous owner was unlucky. The few boys he gave birth to were useless and quarrelsome, which ruined the family business. Fortunately, their family has other businesses, so selling a restaurant for emergency use won't be a big deal."
Shen Qing looked at the restaurant and thought it was good. Mother Tang has a lot of recipes, and any one or two dishes picked out can be considered secret recipes of this world. Now Shen Qing felt very comfortable using the peony and jadeite. The servant's indenture he bought was in his hand, so he was not afraid of the secret recipe being leaked. If there is enough manpower in the future, it would be nice to open a restaurant. Unlike the popular restaurants such as starch sausage and grilled gluten, this restaurant can be more high-end and have a few signature dishes.
"How much does this restaurant cost?" Shen Qing touched the small building casually. It was made of high-quality wood.
"They need it in a hurry, so they have lowered the price a lot. Now it only costs one thousand two hundred taels, and all the tables and chairs in the building are included." Although this restaurant is much smaller than the house in the north of the city, it is different in the city center and the price is several times more expensive.
Shen Qing nodded: "Okay, come to me tomorrow to get the money."
Knowing that Shen Qing was rich, he bought the house for 1,200 taels of silver without bargaining. The man with the gold tooth was so surprised that he sucked his teeth. After a while, he asked, "Should we go to the second courtyard?"
"Go? Why not?" The house was close to the government office and safe. It was also close to this small building and convenient. Shen Qing was quite interested in it. But in the end it all depends on what the yard is like, whether the seller is difficult to deal with, and so on.
The man with the gold tooth was even more speechless.
Shen Qing walked around the small building carefully several times and checked and explored every place. One of the two next door restaurants is a liquor store. The Gold Tooth Man said that this restaurant used to have a cooperation with that store and the quality is pretty good. Another store, across a small path, is a grocery store that sells oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, cheap tea, and dried goods collected from the village.
Shen Qing was standing on the second floor and looking down when he suddenly saw two young men being blocked by a well-dressed man in a small alley beside the grocery store. The man brought four or five followers with him. Although he did not do anything physical at the moment, he and his followers surrounded the two boys and did not let them leave. He also approached one of the boys and kept saying something.
The alley is behind the grocery store, a bit remote and not many people pass by. Even if someone occasionally passed by and saw this scene, they would lower their heads and walk away quickly, not daring to take another look.
Shen Qing knew in his heart that he shouldn't meddle in other people's business.
The man who stopped the people was well-dressed and brought four or five followers with him. I guess he must be rich or noble in Anping County. Although he now has some respectability in the county, Shen Qing knows in his heart that all that respectability and identity are fake, which he made up. After all, he is just a guy in the village. If he offends such a person, what can he use to confront others head-on?
But looking at the helpless looks of the two boys and the tears in their eyes, Shen Qing suddenly thought of Yu Le. I thought of many, many girls and boys whose faces were blurry.
Shen Qing went downstairs.
The man with the golden tooth looked at Shen Qing in surprise as he tore off a piece of tablecloth and tore off a long strip to wrap around his head and face. He then wrapped the rest around his body and tied a few knots. He then walked towards the alley with a few more tablecloths in his hands. "Wait for me here."
He ran over quickly and attacked from behind, knocking over several followers unexpectedly, and kicked away the man who was entangled with the young man. He covered their heads with a tablecloth, and while they were lying on the ground wailing and frantically trying to peel off the tablecloth, he grabbed the two stunned young men and ran away.
This is a downtown area with many roads and they don't need to run far. They just need to be led to the crowded main road. Shen Qing specifically led them in the direction of the yamen.
What surprised Shen Qing was that when he saw the two delicate and weak little brothers were being pulled by him to run wildly, they actually managed to keep up with him without any complaints of being tired.
They stopped at the corner of a cloth shop near the front gate of the yamen. Shen Qing pointed at the shop and said, "You guys go there by yourselves. There are always yamen officers patrolling there. It will be safer. I won't go there." He wanted to find another place to change his clothes secretly. Shen Qing was a little impulsive today. Although he did not regret it, he also wanted to minimize the possibility of getting into trouble and do things as perfectly as possible.
One of the boys nodded frantically, but the boy who was entangled by the man looked at Shen Qing's face that fell down under the cloth as he continued to run, and whispered: "...It's you."
Shen Qing:? ?
He is wrapped up like this, how can he still be recognized? Isn't this disguise in vain?
Besides, do they know each other?
However, the young man didn't say anything else. He smiled at Shen Qing and walked quickly towards the cloth shop with his friend.
Shen Qing was a little confused.
But the person is gone, there is no point in thinking about it. Shen Qing looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he took off the tablecloth and mask he was wearing, went home to change his clothes, and then went back to look for the man with the gold tooth.
After all the trouble, it was already dark. The Gold Tooth man was running around in the restaurant in a panic. When Shen Qing went back, he saw a group of officials gathered at the entrance of the alley, holding torches and lanterns, making it very lively.
Shen Qing took a detour out of guilt and jumped into the restaurant through the window, which scared the man with gold teeth.
"Sir, you are finally back! You are so brave!" Jin Ya Ren was trembling with fear. If he hadn't wanted to use Shen Qing's financial resources to form an alliance of interests with the chief clerk and Yang Shuban, he would have turned around and left: "Why didn't you discuss it with me before saving people? Do you know who you hit?"
"It's an emergency and I don't have time to think about it." Shen Qing touched his nose: "I don't know."
"That's County Lieutenant Gao's youngest son!" He's also a bit of a gangster. If Gold Tooth Man said, he really deserves a beating, but who can blame him for having a father who is a county lieutenant? Their backer is just a chief clerk!
Shen Qing had never expected this, and only then did he regret it: "So those people from the government office who came to the entrance of the alley, were they hired by him to arrest people?" He panicked for a moment, but soon calmed down and began to collect the same tablecloths in the house, while comforting himself: "It's okay, I covered my face and had a tablecloth on my body, they shouldn't be able to recognize my appearance and figure, I'll be more cautious and throw away these tablecloths... At worst, I can hide somewhere else for a few days."
He and Song Kaiji hadn't seen each other for some time. Even if the people in the government investigated, they could probably only find "Master Chen", but they would never think of young brother Shen Qing.
Unexpectedly, the man with the golden teeth had a strange look on his face: "...That's not the case." He glanced at Shen Qing and felt that Shen Qing was quite lucky: "The one he molested was the son of the county magistrate. After he got away, he went back to file a complaint. Now these runners were sent by the county magistrate to arrest the son of the county lieutenant."
Shen Qing: “Ah?”
Shen Qing: “Ah???”
No, the county lieutenant’s youngest son is really brave.
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