After sending Su Rina away, Miao Wan picked up Taotao and kissed her twice on the little face without saying anything. This little girl is more useful than her father, a tool to drive away customers.
Geng came in with a soup of soapberry and white fungus, and saw her granddaughter being woken up by a kiss. She was so confused that she let her mother kiss her face into half a pancake, making a funny expression of disgust.
She was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, so she put down the Tremella soup and picked up Taotao. It was time to help him pee.
"Madam, are you here to try your hand at the new shop?"
Geng was once the mistress of the household. Although she was not very good at business, she was very shrewd at judging people. It was obvious at first glance that Su Rina was a shrewd person with strong tactics.
It is said that they are from the Northern Mongolian royal family. If they were not thinking about the prescription in Awan's hand, they would definitely not come to their Aliba family.
Miao Wan held her chin with worry, not even in the mood to drink the sweet Tremella soup.
"She wants to control our goods so she can control her customers. Whether she wants to manage the shop or buy our goods at cost, it's all wishful thinking."
Before leaving, Su Rina said that it would not be possible to keep the shop there forever. In the business world, accounts must be settled clearly. Even if the shop is rented, it is impossible not to pay rent forever.
The implicit meaning of his words was to urge her to start paying the 40% profit as soon as possible. The other party was quite considerate and suggested that she not pay the money but continue with Bayin's method and use goods as collateral.
Miao Wan instinctively felt that something was wrong. If it was true as Su Rina said, and she had been doing business in the county city for a long time, even if Miao Wan's goods were better, cheaper, and more plentiful, she could not possibly get involved in the county city's business.
Qiao Shengwen was listening at the door and frowned. Could it be that Agula and Bayin did not explain clearly to Su Rina the reason for opening the shop now?
Or... Wuliangha wants to hold the initiative in his own hands, so that whatever Ruichen wants to do will have to go through Wuliangha. In this way, Wuliangha can advance or retreat, and can fall on both sides.
That's a good plan.
While changing Taotao's diaper, Geng suggested, "How about letting Aunt Geng be the shopkeeper? You've got some training, and the shop won't open until at least next month. In less than a month, Aunt Geng will definitely learn something."
Miao Wan said, "Of course. After Changshou and Donkey went to the private school, Aunt Geng is now more active in her work than before. She will definitely be willing."
Moreover, when working, it was mostly Miao Wan who did the talking while Aunt Geng did the hands-on work, and they knew more about the products than anyone else.
But when Aunt Geng was called over, she knew what to do and just kept waving her hands.
"I can't do it. I'm just like my husband, I can't talk. I can do some work, but when it comes to dealing with those nobles, my legs go weak just thinking about it."
Miao Wan thought, there is no one else, so we can only try our best to save the dying horse.
She encouraged Aunt Geng, "Aunt, Donkey Egg said Changshou has been praised several times by the teacher in private school. I see that he has a talent for tracing large characters. If he wants to take the imperial examination in the future, the wages you and Uncle Geng earn won't be enough, right?"
Qiao Shengwen also nodded at the door. "My family sold a lot of land to support me in the imperial examination. The roads are not safe in the northwest, and we have to hire a security company. Just for the Tongsheng and Xiucai, the round trip would cost at least twenty taels of silver. If I live long and strive to succeed, the money needed to pass the Juren and Jinshi exams would be at least ten or twenty times more."
Aunt Geng was stunned: "God, does it take so much money? Even if he lives longer, he may not be so ambitious."
That being said, one's own children are always the best. Aunt Geng would wake up laughing in her dreams after hearing Donkey Egg and the others talk about longevity and intelligence several times.
Geng was thoughtful and added, "Let's not talk about longevity and intelligence for now. He'll have to marry and have children, right? If he achieves some fame and fortune in the future and marries a respectable daughter-in-law, a betrothal gift is essential. With Awan backing you up, what are you afraid of? We don't seek to achieve anything great, but rather to avoid mistakes."
As a mother, she is strong. Aunt Geng mustered up her courage and said, "Then I, I will try."
Just try it... Miao Wan almost wanted to cry.
Aunt Geng is really good at her job. She memorized the benefits of facial creams and rouge when asked to do so.
However, when Miao Wan and Geng were the guests and came to test Aunt Geng about unexpected situations, they only used one-third of their skills in the restaurant, and failed the test.
If she showed any sign of embarrassment, she would break out in sweat, turn pale, and not know how to respond.
Miao Wan carried Taotao around the room, looking up and sighing, "Oh my God, please give me a shopkeeper!"
After all, she is a time-traveling girl, so can't she be given some golden fingers or something?
"Awan, someone's looking for you..." Aunt Geng whispered as she stood at the door. Her calves cramped whenever she saw Miao Wan these past few days. "They say it's a relative of yours."
Relatives? Miao Wan was filled with questions.
It's impossible for the Miao family's relatives to come, and according to the letter brought back by the merchants, the Ruan family said that the restaurant was doing very well, so it's impossible for them to come either.
She carried Taotao out and saw a couple standing in the courtyard, with two children, one big and one small, sitting beside them.
How to say it... beggars are better off than them. They are in rags, look haggard and sunburned. Not only are they dark, but their faces are also covered with peeling skin.
Standing there, even the gust of wind swayed me, it was so miserable.
Taotao was so shocked that she forgot about the stench. She hugged Miao Wan and kept blinking her big eyes, mainly looking at the two children sitting on the ground. She had never seen children of this color before.
"You are..." Miao Wan was even more unsure who this person was, as she couldn't match him to her original memory.
The tallest beggar stepped forward excitedly, "Cousin Awan? I'm your second cousin Ruan Jialin!"
The various hardships he had endured all the way to the northwest, especially when he thought of his little cousin who had also come all the way here, made Ruan Jialin overwhelmed with grief, and tears fell when he saw Miao Wan.
"Wow, cousin, it was only after coming all the way to the northwest that I realized that you--" But even through his tearful eyes he could see that Miao Wan was living...very well.
The little face was chubby, almost the same as the little ball in her arms. They both stood there with white skin and were all wearing new clothes. They looked a bit like the young ladies of a landlord's family.
His original sigh turned into—
"Cousin, I am suffering so much, wuwuwu..."
Miao Wan: “…”
Qiao Shengwen and Geng were originally at Zhang's house. When they heard Maodan say that they saw a beggar entering Qiao's house, they hurried back.
As soon as I entered the door, I heard Ruan Jialin crying loudly.
The woman next to him, who had the worst sunburn, also sobbed. "This isn't what we agreed on. Cousin, we've all suffered so much. How did you get through it?"
Qiao Shengwen: "..." Who would be stupid enough to travel under the scorching sun? The escorting soldiers are not stupid either. They must have avoided traveling when it is the hottest.
Geng quickly stepped forward and said, "Why is the child sitting on the ground? Did he have a heat stroke? Hurry and bring him inside to drink a bowl of salt water. Uncle Geng, please go get a doctor to take a look."
Miao Wan also wanted to say a few polite words, but her daughter's mysophobia came back.
As soon as Ruan Jialin approached, Taotao turned his head and buried his head in her neck. Maybe because he was scared or because of the smell, but he cried even louder than Ruan Jialin.
There was no other way, Miao Wan could only ask her parents-in-law to help entertain Ruan Jialin's family first. She went to the kitchen to boil water and cook with Aunt Geng, and asked them to wash up and eat before talking.
The doctor came to see the two children and said that there was nothing serious wrong with them. They just didn't eat well, which damaged their spleen and stomach, and they had diarrhea and were very weak.
On the contrary, Miao Wan's second cousin-in-law, Mrs. Li, showed some signs of heatstroke and had to take some cooling medicine.
By the time we finally finished cleaning up and were able to sit down and talk, the sun was almost setting.
Miao Wan really didn't understand. "Second cousin, I received a letter saying, 'Don't you own a restaurant in Jiangnan?' Why are you here? Were you robbed on the road?"
Ruan Jialin yawned tiredly. "My family was worried about you, so they sent me here to check on you. I didn't ask anyone to rob you. I'm not a fool, your cousin. I don't show off my wealth. I deliberately begged all the way here. I have all the money with me."
Li curled her lips and retorted quietly, "Come on, you're the one who got cheated out of his rations. Wasn't that silver meant for Awan?"
Ruan Jialin: “…” No, wife, you’re already ruining my show as soon as you get here!
Miao Wan felt warm in her heart. In her original memory, she had only been to her maternal family once, which was three years after her mother passed away.
My grandmother was still alive at that time. When she heard that Wang was very ill, she was afraid that Wang would torture her to death, so she sent someone to take her back to Suzhou to live with her for nearly a year.
If Wang had not sent someone to take her back in order to force the Ruan family to continue giving her money, the original person would probably have had a very happy childhood.
After only such a short period of contact, her in-laws were willing to give up most of their wealth in order to let her marry into the Qiao family. It can be seen that the Ruan family values Ruan as their daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Even Qiao Shengwen and Geng's eyes softened. No matter whether the Ruan family was too soft-hearted or not, at least their sincere attitude towards their closest relatives could not arouse any resentment.
But Qiao Shengwen still felt something was wrong. He was worried about Miao Wan, so he sent his family to check on her. It was not right to bring Li with him, so why did he bring the child with him as well?
The Northwest has been a place of exile since ancient times. As he said before, the road is not so peaceful.
Miao Wan spoke more directly when she recognized the Ruan family. "Second cousin, I remember when I was a kid, you picked dates for me to eat. I fell from the tree and broke my tailbone. You cried your heart out and insisted that the dates were too sour. You tried to walk back home by yourself and lay there for more than two months..."
Ruan Jialin: "..." Well, a biological daughter-in-law and a biological cousin, can't they give him some face?
Miao Wan was a little worried after noticing Ruan Jialin's tendency to brag and boast. "Second cousin, did something happen to my uncle and the others? Is it the Wang family..."
Ruan Jialin touched his nose. "Not really. The Wang family has made us so embarrassed in Jiangnan that we have no place to stand. With the help of the people sent by the second master of the Wuliangha family, the Wang family has gone to the Jingyang Earl's Mansion. My eldest brother is going to enter the Imperial College, and the Ruan family is also going to the capital. My father will take care of the business matters, so he asked me to come to you."
With the recipe that Miao Wan gave to the Ruan family, most of the business of Wang's restaurant was taken away. Wang's advice should still be to engage in a price war.
The food and drinks at Wang's Restaurant are as cheap as those at street stalls, so they want to squeeze Ruan's Restaurant out of business first.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they lowered the price, rumors began to spread in Suzhou City: Wang Shi looked like Jingyang Bo's deceased mother, and used this to seduce Jingyang Bo to kill his wife and even seize his wife's dowry. The rumors were spread in every street and alley.
To put it more seriously, seizing the first wife's dowry violates the laws of Dayue. Even if we don't talk about the laws, in this world, moral ethics prevail. Uncle Jingyang slept with someone who looked like his deceased mother... his spit could drown someone.
In response to the Wang family's troubles, Ruan spent money and, with the help of local gangs, fought the Wang family to the death. He even went to Beijing to file a complaint with the emperor, which frightened Wang Baogen so much that he was scared out of his wits.
Then everyone would know about it, and the rumor must be true.
Now no one dared to associate with Wang. What if her reputation was ruined? There were so many scholars in Jiangnan, and they were very particular about it. How could she live her life in the future?
The Suzhou Chamber of Commerce even expelled the Wang family from the chamber of commerce. Later, people sent by the Wuliangha family, perhaps inspired by Miao Wan, realized that the Wang family restaurant had to make money by stealing business at low prices, and the fact that they used inferior or even spoiled ingredients was exposed.
Some diners who had stomach upsets but had nowhere to turn to angrily reported the matter to the authorities. After the incident became a big deal, the local state government followed public opinion and closed down the Wang Family Restaurant.
Now the Wang family could no longer stay in Suzhou. They bought all kinds of shops and properties, fled overnight, and went to the capital to seek refuge with the Marquis of Jingyang.
Ruan Jialin's face turned particularly grim when he said this. "My eldest brother's classmate leaked some information to our family. That Wang actually dared to sell my aunt's dowry shop to support her family. The Ruan family must seek justice for this."
It just so happened that Ruan Jiasheng took part in the provincial examination twice and was on the second list both times. The Dayue law stipulated that if one was on the second list twice, he could go directly to the Imperial College to study.
As long as you can complete the course successfully, you can take part in the metropolitan examination together with the successful candidates in the spring, and you don't have to take part in the provincial examination in the autumn.
The Ruan family, who had originally planned to move to Beijing, learned about this and immediately decided to sell their property and move to Beijing with their entire family.
However, although the Ruan family is not very ambitious, they still have some self-awareness.
Ruan Jialin whispered, "My uncle and father thought that even though my eldest brother was able to enter the Imperial College with the help of his classmates, it wasn't our own business after all. And the Miao family is a noble family in the capital... That's why they asked me to bring my wife and children to the northwest to seek refuge with Awan."
After making the decision, Ruan Qi and Ruan Qin gave one-third of the money from selling their property to Ruan Jialin, asking him to give part to Miao Wan and use the rest for living in the northwest.
In this way, even if going to Beijing to seek justice is like an egg hitting a stone, at least the Ruan family can leave a root.
Ruan Jialin took out the letter he had taken out from the beggar's inner clothes and handed it to Miao Wan.
"My uncle is now the head of the Ruan family, and my eldest brother is the next head. My uncle, my father, my eldest brother, and I all agree that Awan can do whatever she wants with the Ruan family's prescriptions. If she needs to atone for her sins in the underworld, we will bear the responsibility. They asked me to tell Awan that nothing is more important than living a good life."
Miao Wan took the letter. In the letter, Ruan Qi allowed Miao Wan to handle the so-called "Ruan family secret recipe". There was also the signature of the second wife at the bottom. Ten silver notes worth one hundred taels were also attached to the letter.
Her nose felt sore and her eyes became hot and blurry.
She didn't know how long it had been since she had felt such unconditional love in her two lifetimes.
Woo woo woo, she was so moved. How could she just watch them die?
Of course... She has to coax them all to come to the Northwest to work for her!
Miao Wan secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, "Second cousin, when you left, your uncle and the others hadn't set off yet, right? I don't think it's feasible for the Ruan family to come to Beijing at this time. It would be better to ask them all to come to the northwest!"
Ruan Jialin was stunned: "Ah? But..."
Miao Shiren interrupted his cousin, "No buts, you don't know how disgusting Wang is. Most people want to save face, but Wang is just a fishing girl. To achieve her goals, she'll do anything. She's not a gentleman. If she knew that my uncle and his men were going to the capital to file a complaint, she would kill them immediately."
Ruan Jialin's face turned pale. "The problem is that my eldest brother still wants to enter the Imperial College..." He can't give up the imperial examination, right?
Miao Wan immediately stood up and walked to Qiao Shengwen, "Cousin, do you know who my father is?"
Ruan Jialin: "You bastard!"
Miao Wan: "...Ahem, that father is dead. I'm talking about my father-in-law!"
She placed her hands in front of Qiao Shengwen and said, "My father-in-law is a child prodigy. He passed the imperial examination at the age of nine, became a scholar at the age of twelve, and became a juren at the age of eighteen. At the age of twenty-two, he was personally named the top scholar in the imperial court by the late emperor.
The late emperor originally wanted to grant you the title of Tanhua (Three Scholars) for your handsome appearance, but later he was truly impressed by your talent and directly appointed you as the No. 1 Scholar. Even now, you are still the most handsome No. 1 Scholar in Dayue!"
Qiao Shengwen felt flattered by the compliment, though a little embarrassed, but he understood what his daughter-in-law was thinking.
He coughed lightly a few times and lowered his head humbly, "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed. Dad has only been to each examination room once. I can certainly teach people how to take the exam, but I can't compare to the experience of those gray-haired gentlemen in the Imperial College who are still in the examination room."
Ruan Jialin: “…” Wow, after carefully pondering the meaning of the words, he wanted to give full marks to his cousin’s father-in-law for showing off.
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Please comment, please comment, today I will continue to drop red envelopes, 嘤嘤嘤~
Second update around 22:00~
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