There are also some rules to follow when giving gifts; it's not good to give something too expensive without careful consideration.
After thinking it over, Wang Dagui brought two catties of red dates and one catty of longan. They weren't expensive, but the quantity looked nice. Xia Chunmei and her sisters were young and at the age where they were prone to cravings, so these two things would be perfect as snacks for them.
When the Wang family arrived, Xia Chunmei was steaming shumai.
"Chunmei, Village Chief Wang is here." Xia Mingshi led Wang Dagui into the house and called out to the kitchen.
"Dongmei, go and call the friends who helped us fight earlier. Give each of them a shumai." Xia Chunmei said as she washed her hands, then carried a plate of shumai into the main room.
"Village Chief Wang, what brings you here today?"
"Miss Xia, what delicious food have you made this time? I can smell the aroma from far away." Wang Dagui laughed heartily.
"These mushroom shumai are fresh out of the pot, have a taste," Xia Chunmei said. "Grandma Ming, Uncle Huohua, you should try some too."
"This is the first time I've ever seen this before, so I won't be polite." Wang Dagui picked one up and ate it. "Mmm, delicious. Miss Xia, your cooking skills are good enough to open a restaurant. The business would definitely be booming."
"Opening a restaurant in the county town would probably require a lot of capital. My sister and I just built a house and don't have any extra money."
“If Miss Xia really wants to open a business, my family has a small storefront in the county town that we can rent to you cheaply. You can pay the rent when you have more money.”
"Thank you for your kind offer, Village Chief Wang, but I don't have that plan for the time being. As you know, my younger sister is still quite young. If I go to the county town to do business, I won't know anyone there, and I won't even have anyone to help me. In the village, my neighbors can lend a hand."
The city is more complicated. Without connections, doing business here is too risky. This isn't a society governed by the rule of law.
In the countryside, running a kitchen may not earn as much as opening a restaurant in the city, but life is more stable.
Apart from that one bad apple, most of the people in this village are good.
Xia Chunmei has another lucky charm; every year during festivals, "Xia Ping'an" will appear in a dream and manifest again, leading the whole village to catch big fish and feast. How could the villagers not help the sisters?
"Your considerations are not wrong."
“If Village Chief Wang wants to open a restaurant, I can sell you the recipes for shumai and longevity peach buns at a low price.”
Upon hearing this, Village Chief Wang was taken aback, then asked, "Are you serious?"
"Of course it's true, Village Chief Wang is interested."
Wang Dagui is a businessman himself, so he has some understanding of the customer flow and spending power in the county. In addition, Xia Chunmei's cooking skills are also excellent. This business is sure to be a success.
However, if he wants to make money through technology, the person who arranges the training must be reliable. Wang Dagui needs to think this over carefully.
"I'll think about it some more," Wang Dagui said. "Actually, I came here today mainly for my eldest sister's birthday banquet, Miss Xia, do you remember?"
"Don't worry, I won't forget. The time has already been arranged."
"You'll arrive in the city a day early, and we'll arrange your food and lodging, so you can rest assured."
“I don’t trust anyone else, but I can definitely trust you, Village Chief Wang.”
Wang Dagui chuckled upon hearing this. Putting everything else aside, he genuinely loved listening to Xia Chunmei's words; she truly deserved to be a master's beloved disciple.
"Then I'll head back first. We'll go into town together in an oxcart the day after tomorrow."
"Wait a moment." Xia Chunmei quickly took a plate, filled it with eight shumai, and then put the plate and shumai into the basket.
"This is my first time making this today, and there aren't many left. You can take them back for An'an and Xiuxiu to try."
They brought so many gifts when they came; it's only right to reciprocate. We can't let them go back empty-handed; that would be incredibly impolite.
"Your cooking is great, this stuff is delicious, so I won't stand on ceremony with you." Wang Dagui said with a smile as he accepted it.
Xia Chunmei had just seen Wang Dagui off when Constable Zhang came knocking on the door.
"Miss Xia, I've finally found you..."
"Officer Zhang, is there any new progress in the case?"
"Our county magistrate said that the court session will be held tomorrow at 9:45 AM, so please go there early," Constable Zhang added.
Xia Chunmei was surprised by how quickly the county magistrate acted.
Were officials in ancient times really that efficient?
That was a real surprise.
During this meeting, Constable Zhang's attitude was unusually respectful, addressing Xia Chunmei with "you" repeatedly, leaving her completely bewildered.
"I understand. Thank you for making this trip, Officer Zhang." With that, Xia Chunmei pulled out a handful of copper coins. "A little something for tea, Officer Zhang..."
Before Xia Chunmei could finish speaking, Constable Zhang was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly, not daring to accept the money: "Miss Xia, you are too kind. This is just my duty. You are too kind."
He might not have known before, but now the people in the government have all heard the news and know that Xia Chunmei has someone backing her up. He doesn't know exactly who that person is, but they are definitely someone he can't afford to offend.
Xia Chunmei was even more surprised that they didn't even want the "filial piety" anymore!
It wasn't until Xia Ping'an floated back that Xia Chunmei realized it was the Jin family who had made the move!
As for that mysterious big shot from the capital, Xia Chunmei didn't know why she thought of the guy who almost turned her into an airplane tarmac.
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