In the northwest, there are only a few days in April when the temperature is just right and comfortable.
As soon as May arrives, it feels like a different world. I shiver with cold in the morning and evening, and I feel so hot around noon that I hang my arms.
Therefore, no matter where the merchants came from, once they entered the Northwest, they had to follow the local customs and always wear a half-torn jacket around their waists, wearing it when it was cold and hanging it around their waists when it was hot.
Qiao Shengwen was weak and not very accustomed to this style of clothing. When he was invited to the Jufu Restaurant by a group of bronze-armored guards in the middle of the day, even though he had his jacket around his waist, he was still sweating all over his face.
Zhang Sanzhuang, who came over, wanted to take it off for him, but Qiao Shengwen just waved his hand and said, "No need. Is your Excellency in the backyard?"
He just felt that he didn't sweat enough to show his fear and timidity.
Zhang Sanzhuang nodded with a pale face, his voice trembling a little, "In, in the host's kang room."
He had never seen such a scene before. He was still confused at the moment. He even forgot to collect the money when the customer was driven away. Now he didn't even dare to feel sad.
When the weather gets hot, grilled meat and fish are replaced by the equally addictive barbecue.
There was no beer, but there were cold milk tea and cold tea cooled in well water, which had a unique taste. As for iced drinks, Miao Wan had not found saltpeter yet, so she asked Bayin to find it for her.
The Yu family's charcoal showed results by the end of April. Even Zhang Sanzhuang, who earned several thousand taels of silver every month, felt distressed about the money spent. It cost more than seventy taels of silver to complete a charcoal kiln alone, which was enough to sell a respectable courtyard in Xining Town.
But Miao Wan only had one word: flower!
Barbecuing consumes too much charcoal, and ordinary black charcoal produces too much smoke and is prone to carbon dioxide poisoning. Charcoal is slightly better indoors and the smoke is not as heavy.
With the support of charcoal, the two apprentices trained by Sun Laohuo can now barbecue directly in the open air in the backyard without having to deal with complaints from neighbors, and the food can be served quickly.
As soon as Qiao Ruichen entered the backyard, he saw Sun Laohuo and his three pale-faced apprentices making a barbecue there, surrounded by bronze-armored guards.
There were no new vegetarian dishes on the grill, only meat skewers. It was obvious that they were meant to serve the gentlemen in the military camp who loved to eat and drink.
A dark-skinned soldier wearing only thin clothes walked out of the kang room reserved for Bayin. When he saw Qiao Ruichen and his son, he raised his eyebrows.
"Hey, isn't this Qiao Zicheng, Deputy Commander Qiao? Long time no see."
Qiao Ruichen recognized that this was Chen Zhisheng, Chen Sixu's most trusted adopted son. He had once been arrested and thrown into prison by the Yulin Guards in Yuejing for snatching Hua Niang and injuring the saint's uncle, Prince Jin.
Later, Chen Sixu's brother, the current Duke of Chen, went to ask the saint for help and gave a big gift to Prince Jin to get the person out.
It was certain that the other party disliked him at this moment, so Qiao Ruichen just lowered his head.
"I don't deserve the title of deputy commander from General Chen. I am only a captain of the defense team now. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me for any offense I may have committed in the past."
Chen Zhisheng sneered and stepped forward to kick Qiao Ruichen. "I've never seen the sea before, so don't bother talking nonsense to me. Hurry up and get in. Your godfather is waiting for you."
Qiao Ruichen followed his force and calmly helped his father stagger into the house and kneel in front of the kang.
Chen Sixu looked a little chubby, leaning against the kang. A fair-skinned and beautiful young lady was sitting on the edge of the kang. She took the barbecue, peeled it carefully with chopsticks, and fed him with a seductive look.
After a long while, Chen Sixu smiled and patted the young lady's chest and asked her to go out. He turned his head as if he had just seen the father and son.
"Hey, isn't this Minister Qiao and Zicheng? What are you kneeling for? Get up quickly."
Chen Sixu smiled and got off the kang, personally helping the two of them to their feet. "Before returning to the northwest, Concubine Jin specifically asked the Imperial Concubine to bring me a message, saying that Minister Qiao was also possessed by evil spirits at first, but now that he's been in the northwest and gotten some fresh air, he'll surely sober up and won't dare to have any foolish thoughts again. He begged me to help you."
Qiao Shengwen's heart raced. Concubine Jin? Wangshu was made a concubine, and even asked Concubine Chen to speak for her. This meant she must have gained the Empress Dowager's trust, and there must be some hint in her words.
Bewildered...confused...
A light bulb went off in his head, and he knelt down again, his face pale. "Forgive me, General. I'm unworthy of the title of General's Assistant Minister. I believed your words and had foolish thoughts. Who knew you would betray me? I got involved in something I shouldn't have gotten involved in, and the consequences I have today are all my own fault. I dare not trouble you, General."
Chen Sixu's eyes flickered. "Noble? Isn't that the Regent?"
He knew that Concubine Jin had been stabbed to death, which coincided with his elder sister's guess.
He laughed heartily and pulled Qiao Shengwen up. He glanced at Qiao Ruichen again and jokingly said, "What are you talking about? Concubine Jin and my niece are good friends. Our Chen and Qiao families should help each other to live up to the friendship of the two ladies. But I see that Zicheng has married a virtuous wife. You are living a comfortable life and don't need my help."
Qiao Shengwen nodded in agreement but could not speak, and Qiao Ruichen raised his head and bowed at the right moment to continue the conversation.
"The Qiao family is barely surviving, and we have the good fortune we have today, so we must be grateful to the general for his kindness.
The garrison commander in the town gave the Qiao family the opportunity to be loyal, and Zicheng could also kill enemies for the general in the army and atone for his father's sins.
Without the general's help, the Qiao family would never have come this far. Although the general never said it, your kindness will be remembered by the entire Qiao family!"
Chen Sixu smiled with satisfaction.
Although Qin Mao is greedy, he is not very courageous. Qiao Ruichen took the initiative to surrender to him and gave him a very profitable business. Qin Mao did not dare to hide this.
With the essential oil that Qin Mao sent back at full speed, Chen Sixu won the favor of his mother and the Empress Dowager in the palace and gained a lot of benefits. On his way back, he naturally had to investigate the Qiao family thoroughly.
Qiao Shengwen nearly died in the government mine. He was weak and had to stay at home to recuperate. Seeing him shivering and sweating profusely, he must have been scared out of his wits.
As for Qiao Ruichen, he was a reckless man who relied on the money earned by his wife to win people's hearts. Fortunately, he had some kung fu skills and killed some enemies, which led to his promotion by Qin Mao.
The most interesting thing is that the new bride that the Qiao family married is a blessed one. She is happy as soon as she enters the house, and she also has prescriptions left by her in-laws and her deceased mother.
Bayin and Qin Mao both made a lot of money, but Uncle Yangyang was simply a loser who was fooled around by women and missed out on this blessing.
Chen Sixu did not intend to miss this blessing. He had to support so many soldiers, take care of Yue Jing and the whole northwest, and take care of so many beautiful women in the mansion. He needed money the most.
However, he is a suspicious person, so of course people have to pass his test before they can be hired.
If it can be used, then just wait for the money to be delivered to your door. If you are ignorant, just like before, it is not a bad idea to kill the chicken to get the eggs.
Chen Zhisheng brought in the grilled skewers. The big pieces of lamb were still sizzling with fat and sprinkled with a thin layer of red. The spicy smell was almost as good as the young lady's ability to light a fire, which made people's hearts burn with excitement.
Chen Sixu lay back on the kang again, "Okay, get up and talk."
Qiao Shengwen just staggered and shrank to one side, but Qiao Ruichen was perceptive and attentively brought over soap and a copper basin, helped the father and son wash their hands, and then quickly wiped the table.
"General Chen, are you sitting down to eat too? I'll serve you two. These skewers are more delicious if you eat them directly from the skewers. You don't have to worry about getting your hands dirty. Soap is very convenient for washing your hands."
Chen Zhisheng got a look from his adoptive father and chuckled as he asked, "I heard you sold the scented soap, soap, and the soap recipe to Bayin, and then opened this shop with him?"
Qiao Ruichen bowed and said, "Actually, the bulk of the money belongs to Second Master Wuliangha. My wife's in-laws only do manual labor to earn money to buy a few acres of thin land."
Chen Sixu naturally found out about Miao Wan's land purchase. After hearing this, he took a sip of wine and asked, "You've married your wife, and you gave the recipe for the aromatic oil to Qin Mao. Why do I hear that you're also planning to take over the Wuliangha family's rouge and powder business?"
Qiao Ruichen was secretly shocked. Chen Sixu was very well-informed. There must be a traitor in Wuliangha.
He quickly explained, "The general misunderstood. We don't want to cooperate with the Wuliangha clan. I..."
After hesitating for a moment, Qiao Ruichen gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground, "Zicheng, I'm so bold as to want to serve the general. If I can, like General Chen, acknowledge the general as my adoptive father, and only ask that the careers of my wife and children will not be affected in the future, then the Qiao family's ancestral graves will be filled with smoke. Zicheng is willing to serve you until his death!"
Chen Zhisheng pouted, "You're dreaming."
Chen Sixu narrowed his eyes and said, "Zicheng, there's nothing wrong with this idea."
Chen Zhisheng frowned: "Godfather, no..."
"The Chen and Qiao families are closer, so Concubine Jin will probably feel more comfortable working for the Imperial Concubine." Chen Sixu interrupted Chen Zhisheng and looked at Qiao Shengwen with a smile, "What do you think, Brother Qiao?"
Qiao Shengwen smiled flatteringly and readily agreed, "This is a blessing for Zicheng, and also for our Qiao family. We, the Qiao family, are marrying up, marrying up."
On the way back to the Dingbei General's Mansion in the county city, Chen Zhisheng got into Chen Sixu's carriage and said, "Foster father, Qiao Zicheng is very likely one of the saint's men. He is the saint's companion. He might ruin your plans."
"Even the saint can't take care of himself and can't protect others. How can anyone with a heart not find a way out for himself?" Chen Sixu didn't avoid his adopted son. He put his hand into the young lady's clothes and made trouble with a playful look in his eyes.
"However, even if he has ulterior motives, it doesn't matter. I'll keep the gold and silver and send people to keep a close eye on him. If he behaves abnormally, I'll only spare the daughter of the Marquis of Yangyang's mansion and kill everyone else. We can just throw them into any corner."
Chen Zhisheng wanted to say something when the carriage suddenly staggered and he almost fell headfirst into the arms of the new bride.
He steadied himself awkwardly, got out of the carriage and asked fiercely, "Don't you want to live? How do you drive a carriage?"
The driver shrank his neck and said, "Da Lang, a man who looked like a blood gourd ran over and was almost crushed under the wheels. It scared the horses."
"Are you in such a hurry to reincarnate? Go and catch him back for me. If he doesn't die, I'll give him a ride!" Chen Zhisheng snorted coldly.
When the man was caught, he knelt down before he could say anything, begging for mercy, "Sir, please spare my life! Please spare me! The restaurant is yours, it's yours. I don't want it anymore!"
Restaurant? Chen Zhisheng got the idea.
He jumped off the carriage and kicked the man. "Raise your head and answer. What restaurant?"
The disheveled fat man looked up and saw Yu Maocai, who was frightened out of his wits.
He looked around and saw the flag of the Gubei Army. Then he burst into tears and fell to the ground, crying loudly.
"General, please help me! Bandits stole my land deed in broad daylight and wanted to kill my entire family. I was the only one who escaped. Wuwuwu..."
Chen Zhisheng was impatient. "Isn't it the middle of the night? How can you say that in broad daylight? Did you see who it was?"
It is impossible to make the decision, but there are people who are so bold as to plunder the people's wealth before my adoptive father. They are really tired of living. If I kill this old guy, I can also kill all the people who robbed the restaurant.
Chen Sixu lifted the carriage curtain and noticed Yu Maocai's eyes darting around. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Okay, tell me who stole your land deed and whether someone really wants to silence you. I'll have someone investigate. If it's true, I'll take care of you. If you're lying, I'll skin you alive and burn you to death. How about that?"
Yu Maocai was so scared that he couldn't even breathe and peed his pants.
After a while, Chen Zhisheng got the answer clearly and went to report to his adoptive father.
"Oh, this old fellow is so greedy, he deserves it! Bayin wanted to buy his shop and sent someone to negotiate the price. He asked for a certain amount and the other party agreed immediately. He felt it was too little and raised the price three times. In the end, he raised the price again and asked the other party to exchange it for the shop in the county town, otherwise he would not sell it to the other party. The person who wanted to buy the shop was the princess of Beimeng..."
Chen Sixu understood this. Su Rina was open-minded and good at doing business, but she had a quick temper and would only kill someone after negotiating a price. This was considered giving Yu a bad face.
"He is a talented person." Chen Sixu is cunning and greedy for money. He likes Yu Mao and has made enemies with Wuliangha. If he keeps him, there might be unexpected surprises in the future.
He knocked on the window and said, "Send him to the county town and then back to Xining Town. If he's dead, get the silver back for him. If he's alive, send it to him. No matter what he does, I'll take half of the profit."
Chen Zhisheng nodded, "I understand. I'll do it right away."
The Qiao family had no idea what had happened at the Tiaojie Restaurant. By the time Miao Wan received the letter from Bayin saying that the Tiaojie Restaurant had been cleaned up and was ready to open, the northwest had already entered midsummer.
Although the Northwest is called a bitterly cold place, it is really cold when it is cold, but when it gets hot, the scorching sun is even hotter than in the inland.
The scorching sun on the body can make the mildest skin dark, while those with delicate skin may get sunburned just like after spending too long in the seaside sun.
Therefore, Miao Wan rushed out early in the morning and evening, and stayed in the house with her daughter during the day.
Taotao is more than four months old. He should be able to turn over and crawl a few steps.
The braised egg born by Mrs. Sun next door can now use both her hands and feet to draw a map while peeing on the kang.
Miao Wan poked her daughter, who was chewing her toes with gusto, and said worriedly, "Mom, Taotao can lift his head earlier than Lu Dan, but why can't he roll over and crawl?"
After saying that, she pushed Taotao's butt. Taotao turned his head to look at her, loosened his foot and kicked her, "Ah, ah..."
"Oh, you still scolded me and kicked me? You unfilial daughter, do you believe that I can push you down?" Miao Wan rubbed her hands and muttered, deciding to manually help her daughter form some muscle memory.
Taotao was pushed over and froze for a moment. He raised his neck tremblingly and looked at his mother in confusion, then looked at his grandmother and aunt who were smiling beside him.
Seeing that no one turned her over, she didn't even try and just lay on the kang without moving.
One side of her chubby little face was squeezed like a duckling, and her saliva was flowing out. She couldn't eat her feet, so she lowered her head to gnaw on the mattress, and soon a puddle of food was left.
Qiao Rui quickly explained for her niece, "Braised Egg used urine on the kang to draw the map, and Taotao used saliva to draw the map. It seems that our Taotao is more tidy."
Miao Wan patted Taotao's butt helplessly, "I think she's just a lazy bum, I don't know who she takes after!"
Qiao Rui covered her mouth and chuckled, "I asked my third sister-in-law, and she never lies down to feed. Many times you fall asleep faster while feeding than Taotao does. Isn't it obvious who you take after?"
Miao Wan: "...Well, I'm very diligent when it comes to eating. Do you see how active she is in breastfeeding? I have to coax her for a long time every time, and she's always looking around, I don't know what she's doing."
Ever since the first time Taotao did this, Miao Wan scared herself and failed to stop him, and since then this little guy has been getting ahead of her.
Every time Hui feeds, it's like she's on a picnic, so leisurely. If she's not fed, she'll cry, which makes Miao Wan so angry that she wants to bite her, but she can't do anything about it.
"Awan, a waiter from the restaurant came to deliver a letter, saying that he wants you to go to the restaurant." Aunt Geng handed over an envelope, which had a faint smell of barbecue.
Without waiting for Miao Wan to speak, Taotao, who was lying on the ground biting his hand, raised his head, took aim at the envelope in his mother's hand, crawled over, stuck his head... on the envelope, and started biting it with his little lips smacking.
While chewing, he showed a toothless smile, "Ah, ah!" So cheesy~
The author has something to say:
Taotao: He’s not very active in drinking milk, that’s because... it’s a bit bland, I like it to be more flavorful!
Miao Wan: ...
The second update will be around 22:00~
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