The profit that Qianjinlou gave out last month, along with the deeds to the entire shop and the deeds to the two shops in the county town, were quickly delivered to the Qiao family by Bayin.
Miao Wan had never been to the county town and didn't know where the shops were. She had to ask Zhang the butcher and the others before she found out that the locations of the two shops were actually very good, both relatively close to where the nobles lived. It was obvious that Bayin did not take advantage of them secretly this time.
The Yu family sent the money two months ago, so they must have been impatient.
Although the weather is not cold yet, the autumn harvest is approaching.
After the autumn harvest, the northwest will be frozen in a few days, and the temperature will soon drop below zero, with water turning into ice. Therefore, it is urgent to expand the production of down jackets, cotton coats, sweaters and trousers.
Miao Wan didn't waste any words and confirmed that there was no problem with the land deed and that the Gan Li had been returned in full. In addition, Bayin and others didn't even mention the 20,000 taels of silver that had just been cheated out of them. At least their attitude made her very satisfied.
The loom and spinning wheel were like dynamite to the second branch of the Ruan family. Miao Wan threw the correct drawings to Bayin without hesitation.
But she was a little unsure whether to tell Bayin about General Dingbei's plan to silence her.
Logically speaking, the fewer people who know about such a big thing, the better.
But Miao Wan felt that if the plot of "Spring" developed according to her speculation, if what she speculated was true, if the Duke of Chen's Mansion was afraid that the eldest Li might leak the secret to the Qiao family or the Wuliangha family, the Qiao family might be unsafe and it would also bring disaster to the other party.
So before giving the loom away, she asked her father-in-law.
Qiao Shengwen pondered for a long moment. "Let's not talk about it for now. This matter is of great importance. I have already secretly sent a letter to the Saint. I must await his will."
As for whether the loom was in danger at the Wuliangha clan's place, Qiao Shengwen didn't say much, only reassuring his daughter-in-law, "It should be fine. Bayin is surrounded by skilled Northern Mongolian fighters. Even if someone wants to do something, they can't get to him. Regarding the attack on Qianjin Tower, I will specifically remind him that no one will antagonize the Northern Mongolians in Xining Town."
Qiao Shengwen and Qiao Ruichen had both reminded Bayin about Chen Sixu's covetous eyes on the Wuliangha clan.
Moreover, Dayue and Northern Mongolia had an alliance, and no one dared to bear the crime of destroying the alliance and putting Dayue in danger, and openly attack the Wuliangha clan.
The Wuliangha clan was also a large tribe in Northern Mongolia, with many servants and guards. If the Wuliangha clan could not even protect themselves from a sneak attack, revealing the secret that they only guessed would only become a catalyst for everyone to be silenced.
Miao Wan always felt a little uneasy, especially when she thought about the plot.
She remembered that the Empress Dowager was not able to be buried in the imperial mausoleum after her death, and Concubine Chen was directly demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the cold palace. Even if the Chen family did not kill the mother of the old saint, it would definitely be a terrible disaster.
Then it is even less likely that the other party will let go of anyone who might leak the information. The fact that there is no movement at the moment is even more worrying.
The weather in the northwest is obviously mostly dry, but for some reason, she always feels that the air pressure is particularly low recently, making it hard to breathe. The feeling of impending storm makes her heart beat unsteadily.
Qiao Shengwen knew that his daughter-in-law was timid, and since Qiao Ruichen was not at home, Xining Town had to rely on him to communicate with the spies.
Qiao Shengwen had to be busy late at night, and he also had to keep calm during the day so that no one would notice any clues. He really had no energy to comfort his daughter-in-law.
It would be better to find her something else to do.
"Aren't you going to arrange to trade those mysterious crops with others? In two months, more merchants will enter the border, and it will be inconvenient to travel in the freezing weather. Now is a good time. Besides, Wuliangha just gave you two shops. What are your plans? Do you want to sell them out for rent or start something on your own? There should be some rules, right?"
Although Miao Wan didn't know that her father-in-law still had to act like a burrowing mouse at night, she could see that he looked much more tired than before, so she didn't ask too many questions.
Hearing this, he suppressed his uneasiness, forced himself to cheer up, and said with a smile, "Dad is right. I will go back and think about it carefully, and come up with a set of rules as soon as possible. While the weather is warm, I might even go to the county town."
Qiao Shengwen's heart moved, "Okay, if you want to go, make arrangements for Taotao and Xiaorui in advance. You've been away for too long, and these two troublesome ones are really disturbing."
Miao Wan didn't catch her father-in-law's hint and said without thinking, "Then let mother take us to the county town for a tour. There must be a lot of things in the county town that Xining Town doesn't have. We can buy some and share them with our family when we get back."
Qiao Shengwen smiled, "Okay, get a few more strong men to come with you. It's okay to close the Jufu Restaurant for a day. You haven't been to the county town yet, so it's nice to have some fun before it gets cold."
At that time, the secret guards can also hide among the servants and enter the county town together. We must find out the news about Ruichen and cannot wait any longer.
Miao Wan nodded in agreement.
But if a group of people want to go to the county town, it is obviously not possible to go there whenever they want. They must make arrangements in advance and cannot leave immediately.
Miao Wan was still thinking about asking Ruan Qi to go as well. "Will Uncle take all his disciples and leave the Northwest? Or are they willing to take root in the Northwest and open their own shops?"
Ruan Qi had asked his apprentice about this matter. "Ruan Da and Ruan Er are willing to stay. Ruan San has relatives in Jiangnan and he wants to return to Jiangnan in the future."
If Ruan San had not yet learned the culinary skills, and if the master was like another father to the apprentice, he might not have followed the Ruan family. He had made up his mind to leave Jiangnan. As long as his parents were still alive, he must return to his roots.
Something flashed through Miao Wan's mind. Jiangnan is also a good place, with beautiful mountains and rivers, fertile land, the people live a good life, and there are many wealthy families.
But she didn't think much about it at the moment, and just asked Ruan Qi, "Can Uncle pick two people from the Jufu Restaurant to teach us the skills of fast food? I'm thinking of leaving the shop in Tile City to our family in the future, and the two shops in the county town will also serve fast food. If we want them to become long-standing brands, we must let our own people run them."
Ruan Qi hesitated for a moment, "If Old Sun has no objection, then I naturally have no problem with it."
In fact, frying food and roasting duck are not difficult to do as long as you master the skills and heat. The key lies in the heat, sauce and seasoning powder.
Ruan Qi and Sun Laohuo both knew the sauce recipes. The spicy seasoning was Sun Laohuo's secret recipe, and the sweet seasoning was the Ruan family's secret recipe. These would never be taught to a disciple who had not formally apprenticed.
But if you choose people from Ju Fu Restaurant, it would be equivalent to poaching people from Sun Laohuo's subordinates, which is a bit unfair for a chef.
Miao Wan didn't quite understand the sensitivity of this, but she wasn't shy. "Sun Ada is a straightforward person. Just ask him directly. He'll give you a firm answer whether he's willing or not. In fact, it's fine for you two to split it up. I also plan to send out Sun Ada's three apprentices in the future."
Fast food restaurants are originally about small profits but quick turnover. Chain stores are not only good for the brand, but also can form a fixed industrial chain, so that all the ducks in northern Mongolia can be eaten in the future.
Otherwise, with only two or three stores, if there are too many poultry and livestock raised in northern Mongolia, I am afraid they will not be able to digest them.
Miao Wan did not ask Sun Laohuo herself. Sun Ada knew that Sun Yaozu would take the examination for the status of a scholar next spring, and her family was no longer short of money. She regarded the Qiao family as her benefactors. No matter what she said, Sun Laohuo would definitely agree.
This is unfair to Sun Laohuobing, so it would be better if the cooks talked to each other and she was only responsible for coordinating behind the scenes.
Ah, there are not many Miao Shiren as considerate as her.
When Miao Shiren was mentioned, Miao Wan thought of Qiao Bailao, about whom there had been no news, and she felt depressed again.
She asked her eldest uncle to go to Jufu Restaurant to confirm the apprentice's assignment with Sun Laohuo so that they could decide who to take to the county town. She and Uncle Geng went to Qianjinlou to find her second uncle.
"This is the plan my father-in-law and I agreed on. Please write it down on the blackboard. During the day, as long as it's not windy or rainy, place them by the door. No matter who comes to exchange crops, if they come across the crops in these paintings, they can leave them there and I'll come over to talk to them."
Miao Wan handed Ruan Qin and his son the crop map drawn by her mother-in-law and the secret recipe exchange regulations revised by her father-in-law.
Ruan Jialin stared at the crop map with wide eyes. "Just this round thing with a few yellow grains is worth our secret recipe? Even if these things were made of gold, they wouldn't be worth much."
If it is called a crop, it means it is edible. With this size, I am afraid it must taste as delicious as an elixir to be worthy of its weight.
Miao Wan looked at where Ruan Jialin was pointing. He was talking about tomatoes and corn.
She thought of ketchup. If it were in a restaurant... slurp~
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, corn pancakes... slurp slurp~
Thinking about the terrible yield of corn, she sighed, "Don't underestimate this thing. If it could really be exchanged, ten thousand-gold mansions wouldn't be able to buy even one of it."
Ruan Jialin looked strange, "Did these come from your dream?"
If it was really taught by my great-grandmother, with these things, how could she have fainted from hunger and been picked up by my great-grandfather?
Miao Wan's radar moved. Although she couldn't think of the logic at the moment, she felt that the lies had to make sense.
She didn't even blink. "Yes, they say it was seen by the soul when it was traveling. It's a pity that my great-grandmother couldn't taste it. She missed it even more and kept talking about it with me all the way to exile."
This...there's nothing wrong with always being restless about what you can't get.
Ruan Qin was, after all, a seasoned businessman. He picked up a pen and slightly modified the charter before handing it back to Miao Wan.
"Awan said that rare plants can be exchanged for gold, and if there's something the master needs, it can be exchanged for Qianjinlou's prescriptions. This isn't a good idea. If this gets out, everyone will know what Qianjinlou is looking for, and how priceless it is. Who knows, merchants might follow suit and stockpile it, either to study it themselves or to make a killing in the future."
Miao Wan saw Ruan Qin directly change this one to——
Qianjinlou celebrates the autumn harvest and will share the beauty of hundreds of flowers and plants with everyone. Every day, you can send flowers and plants to Qianjinlou for selection. The winner of the daily flower queen and plant king will be given a set of all the goods in Qianjinlou. The monthly winner will receive a hundred silvers and the qualification to purchase at half price in Qianjinlou. The annual winner will receive a hundred golds and the qualification to purchase at half price in Qianjinlou.
Miao Wan opened her mouth wide, her almond-shaped eyes wide open as she looked at her second uncle who was so scared that he broke his leg. She wanted to shout "The King of Heaven and the Tiger of Earth".
Could her timid second uncle, the one despised by her second aunt, be her fellow villager?
"How did my second uncle come up with this idea?" she couldn't help but ask.
This is simply the most common and useful cyclical public relations marketing for major shopping malls or businesses, which can greatly improve brand promotion and product market exposure.
She couldn't help but doubt it, and even broke out in a cold sweat. If her second uncle was from the same hometown as her, then wouldn't her troubles in the past few years have clearly told her second uncle where she came from, and it would be of little use.
Ruan Qin didn't understand why her niece was so shocked and incredulous. "What's so strange about this? There are so many prostitutes in Jiangnan. There are countless pleasure boats and brothels along the Qinhuai River and the Pingjiang River. They elect the best and the best of all kinds every month. There are so many ways to do it."
As soon as he said this, Miao Wan and Ruan Jialin both had subtle expressions on their faces.
Miao Wan felt that she was frightened for nothing, and wondered in her heart whether the marketing activities of later generations were the wisdom passed down from the Qinlou and Chuguan of ancient times?
Ruan Jialin's expression was much more complicated, a mixture of sourness and envy. His tone was like a pot of vinegar, "So Dad never told us to go to the river, but he went there quite often!"
He then told his mother, "Dad, don't even think about sleeping on the kang for a while!"
How could a father not know his son's temper? As soon as Ruan Jialin stuck out his butt, Ruan Qin knew that he was not well. He lifted his leg, which had just healed, and kicked his son in the butt.
"Stop talking nonsense. I'm a decent person and never go to places of prostitution. Qianjinlou produces the Hundred Flowers series. It was your mother who reminded me of this. Why are you asking your mother about this too?"
Ruan Jialin covered his butt and dared not speak out. Of course he dared not... get angry.
After Ruan Qin finished cleaning up her son, she was still very gentle with her niece. She smiled and continued to explain, "This way, people outside will just think this is our Qianjinlou's business tactic and won't think of anything else. If there are those who want to take advantage, we will be more active than anyone else."
Miao Wan felt that the business wisdom of the ancients was no less than that of modern people, especially their cunning, so she just nodded.
"Just do as my second uncle says. You and my cousin are definitely more familiar with these things than I am. But it would be better to invite a doctor to Qianjinlou. Flowers and plants can easily contain poisonous substances, so you should be as cautious when handling them as you would when boiling chili water.
Regardless of whether it's us or someone sending flowers and plants, we must remind them to deal with any problems promptly. Don't come in with a straight face and leave with a straight face, or your reputation will be ruined."
While the two of them were talking, Uncle Geng poked his head in from behind. "Awan, the second Wuliangha master has sent that boy named Agong to come over. He wants you to come over. Several of our cooperating merchants are here, and we'd like to discuss the winter clothing issue with you."
Since Qiao Shengwen was not there, Miao Wan couldn't go there by herself.
When Ruan Qin heard that there were traveling merchants, he thought he knew more about this than the Qiao family's master, "Let me go with you. It wouldn't look good if you went alone."
Miao Wan thought about it and decided it was okay. Anyway, her father-in-law would never talk about business matters outside. Her second uncle had turned from being even more timid than her into a local fox in a short period of time. When it came to business, it was more reliable to have an old hand.
When Miao Wan and Ruan Qin arrived at Bayin's tent, they were still wearing sun-protective veils. Bayin stood up to greet them as soon as they entered.
The Jiangnan merchant named Zheng and the Dengzhou merchant named Liu were surprised. They didn't know how a woman could be worthy of such enthusiasm from the second master of Wuliangha.
After greeting Miao Wan and Ruan Qin, Bayin introduced Boss Zheng and Boss Liu, "Let me introduce you two. This is Madam Qiao, the owner of Jufu Restaurant and Qianjinlou, whom you've been looking forward to meeting. Now that their owners are not in Xining Town, Madam Qiao is in charge of all business."
Boss Zheng and Boss Liu looked at each other. They couldn't understand why the owner of Jufu Restaurant and Qianjinlou was an old man who loved romance the most.
What’s going on? Is this... keeping a mistress in Xining Town, overshadowing the other?
Although Miao Wan didn't understand what the two people were doing with their eyes, she still remembered the rumors about the owner of Ju Fu Restaurant. Fortunately, she was wearing a veil, so she didn't feel embarrassed at all.
After exchanging polite greetings with the two, the group sat down. Miao Wan, unable to remain reserved, spoke first, "I heard that after acquiring the loom, will Jiangnan handle the weaving business? Beimeng will be responsible for the yarn, and will both Beimeng and Dengzhou raise ducks?"
Boss Zheng knew Ruan Qin and nodded with a smile. "That's my plan. Jiangnan has plenty of water, so we can raise ducks. It's just that the distance makes it inconvenient to transport them. If we could acquire Jufu Restaurant's roast duck recipe, that would be a great opportunity. It would also make our business much better in the future."
Boss Liu also agreed with a smile, "That's exactly the point. This roast duck can also be made in Dengzhou. Even if the recipe is a bit more expensive, Boss Zheng and I can buy it together."
Miao Wan finally understood why they invited her over. It was like a weasel wishing a happy new year to a chicken.
She looked at Bayin. If Jiangnan and Dengzhou could raise ducks, there would be no need to raise ducks in Northern Mongolia. They could just get duck down directly from merchants in Jiangnan and Dengzhou. After all, animals could easily freeze to death in Northern Mongolia in winter.
What puzzled Miao Wan was that Bayin had invited her over to buy her roast duck recipe, so he could break the shackles of the one-third price. Where did he get the confidence to take advantage of her?
Bayin seemed to know what Miao Wan was thinking. "Doesn't Qianjinlou make down jackets and cotton-padded clothes anymore? Since we've benefited from Qianjinlou, we naturally can't compete with them for profit."
Ruan Qin mouthed the word "Chen" to Miao Wan, and Miao Wan immediately understood. With the Dingbei General's Mansion there, Bei Meng would raise ducks whether Miao Wan needed them or not.
But she didn't want to sell the roast duck recipe. Since they were unwilling to pay, she would just give them the goods.
"I can give you the recipe for roast duck, but this is a secret recipe left by the Ruan family's ancestors. It is impossible for us descendants to sell it." Miao Wan said with a smile.
"But if you can sign a contract with the Qiao family, providing them with 2,000 kilograms of duck down, 2,000 kilograms of wool yarn, and 2,000 kilograms of cotton yarn each before September every year for ten years, I wouldn't mind giving you this recipe."
The three men were shocked. This young lady was so arrogant. One duck could only produce two taels of duck down. Two thousand kilograms of duck down would require five thousand ducks to provide for her. They would have to raise at least three times the amount to provide for themselves.
Bayin's face darkened slightly. "Mrs. Qiao, your request is a bit too high. If you are not sincere in discussing business, there is no need to make this trip."
Miao Wan was not in a hurry. "You know, the cost of a roast duck is about five hundred coins, but it can be sold for five taels of silver. It must be more expensive in Jiangnan, right?
Whether you're making a profit or a loss is up to you, you know for yourself. I'm going to make this contract, but there's a prerequisite: if the goods you provide can be guaranteed to be of good quality every year, I'll reduce the contract by six months each time. If they fail inspection, I'll add one year, for a total of fifteen years, and you'll have to pay me one million taels of silver."
Boss Zheng frowned. "Who has the final say on whether something is good or not? There are too many variables involved. This is not the way to do business."
Ruan Qin continued, "I came from Jiangnan. Each workshop also has inspections. It has always been the case that the two businesses supervise each other. What are the variables?"
Boss Liu slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "Shipping it to the northwest, it's a long journey through wind and rain. Who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong? Not to mention the bandits and robbers that are roaming around. What will we do then?"
"You shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. You older people should understand this better than a little girl like me." Miao Wan smiled gently, then revealed her true intentions.
"If we have workshops in the northwest, Jiangnan, and Dengzhou, we can open a new business while trading other goods. For the ducks in the northwest, do you want to open your own roast duck restaurants or sell them to Jufu Restaurant? Wouldn't you all like to make more money?"
Boss Zheng and Boss Liu both frowned and thought, isn't that equivalent to settling down part of their assets in the northwest?
However, in this way, their concubines and illegitimate sons in the northwest will have other ways out, so it is not impossible.
Bayin then vaguely understood what Miao Wan meant. She wanted to keep the two people and revitalize Xining Town regardless of profit or loss, instead of letting the common people watch the merchants coming and going and only be able to do some manual labor.
This is not good news for Northern Mongolia. The people in the Northwest are tough. It is okay if they are poor, but they are stable if they are rich. If Northern Mongolia wants to do something privately in the future, it will not be so easy because there are so many rich households.
He calmly probed, "Mrs. Qiao wants so many things, are you planning to do charity like you did with the cotton-padded jacket?"
Miao Wan was extremely surprised. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not a good person, just like you."
Everyone: “…”
"Didn't you just give me two shops? Doing business in the county town is always a fear of losing money. If I have down jackets and cotton-padded clothes as a backup, at least I won't be afraid of losing money, right?" Miao Wan smiled at the three of them, "Besides, the capital is also in need of these new things."
Bayin was shocked. What evidence did they get?
He suddenly stared at Miao Wan and Ruan Qin, glanced left and right at them, but couldn't see anything from their faces. However, his mind was confused and he no longer had the mood to deal with Miao Wan.
"This matter requires further consideration. It's too late to do it this year. I guess we have to wait until spring, at least after the New Year, to start making arrangements." Bayin said in a deep voice, "How about giving Madam Qiao an answer before Brother Zheng and Brother Liu leave?"
Miao Wan achieved her goal and stood up to say goodbye without delay. "Then I will wait for your good news."
It was not until she returned home that Miao Wan, like a boneless person, washed up and lay on the kang, holding Taotao, who had fallen asleep after eating and drinking, and was distracted for a long time.
Her father-in-law wanted her to have something to do, but no matter what she did, she was thinking about Qiao Bailao. As time went on, making money could no longer alleviate her worries.
Now she only had a vague idea about how to make the Northwest more powerful, and she couldn't calm down and think carefully, so she came up with the method of bartering for food.
In addition to wanting to keep the two big merchants in the northwest, what he said to Bayin was to use the power of the Wuliangha clan to find Qiao Ruichen.
She didn't know whether the evidence had been found, but she wanted Bayin to think that the evidence had been found.
She didn't tell her father-in-law about this.
He was afraid that Bayin would inform Qiao Shengwen and his father-in-law would scold him.
After getting Ruan Qi's approval and knowing that Ruan Er and a waiter from Jufu Restaurant were willing to go to the county town, Miao Wan quickly arranged for Jufu Restaurant to take a break, and the group hurried to the county town.
Geng took Taotao and Qiao Rui with her, and Madam Zhang had nothing to do at home. When Ludan heard about it, she insisted on going too. Since Ludan's Ada was going too, she simply took her grandson and two granddaughters to the county town to join in the fun.
There’s actually nothing great about the shop. The location is good, but it can’t compare to Wu’s Rouge Shop, and it’s empty inside.
As the skit said, Bayin had people clean up the place, leaving only the load-bearing walls, which was extremely stingy.
So they had no place to stay.
"Eat first before going out to play. It's almost time for lunch. Taking a walk after eating is a good way to help digest the food." Miao Wan suggested.
As long as Mrs. Geng and Madam Zhang have no objections, it’s useless for others to have any.
Miao Wan simply chose a larger restaurant, asked for two private rooms, and everyone had a banquet together at a high-end restaurant in the county town.
Zhang Sanzhuang also wanted to try out the level of the county town, and Ruan Qi thought so too, so they ordered two full tables of dishes and spent a total of thirty taels of silver.
When the waiter was serving the dishes, his constant footsteps attracted the attention of a master and servant in the private room next door.
The master and servant listened attentively and heard Zhang Sanzhuang muttering after the waiter left.
"It's more than my monthly salary, and the food here isn't even half as good as at Jufu Restaurant. Is this the standard of the county town?"
Madam Zhang scolded him, "You're a scabby son, but you're the best. They can run such a big restaurant, so there's nothing you can't learn from them. We're going to open an inn after the New Year. Are you sure you can do better than the restaurant owner?"
Zhang Sanzhuang stopped talking. Miao Wan had originally planned to open an inn at the beginning of this year.
However, Qiao Shengwen suggested waiting for another year. Sun Laohuo knew everything about the kitchen, and Zhang Sanzhuang had just taken over the management of the restaurant. If he took too big a step at once and had too many merchants coming and going, he might not be able to hold on.
After all, if there is a connection between the inn and Qianjinlou, maybe the traveling merchants will have bad intentions and start with the inn.
Zhang Sanzhuang is still a little young.
Miao Wan specially invited someone to teach Zhang Sanzhuang how to manage the inn. Now during the ten-day break, while others are learning martial arts, Zhang Sanzhuang is taking lessons with the teacher.
When a group of people were talking, laughing, eating and drinking, the eyes of the master and servant in the private room next door lit up. This was really a case of searching for someone everywhere but finding one. They were worrying about how to find him, but they didn't expect to run into him in the county town.
After dinner, Miao Wan smiled and suggested, "I think the county town is indeed more lively than our Xining Town. If there's anything you want to buy, why don't we split up and go out for a walk?"
Mrs. Geng and Mrs. Zhang both shook their heads. "We're just here to check out the shop. The child is tired after dinner, so we'll wait here. You guys go out for a walk and come back quickly. Don't leave it too late, or you'll have to travel back at night and it's unsafe."
Miao Wan was unwilling to do so. The two of them had come all the way here with great difficulty, and they must have wanted to go out and join in the fun. She didn't want to go out because she was afraid that too many people would disturb the children.
"Then let your uncle and third brother hold one each to their chests, and you can follow them out to see if there's anything you want to buy."
Geng set out early in the morning and wandered around all the way. She had no intention of going out. She came here just to take care of her daughter and granddaughter, and to keep an eye on Miao Wan to prevent her from eating too much.
Mrs. Zhang wanted to go out for a walk, but she was worried about Lu Dan and Zhang Sanzhuang, the father, being together. Children like to make noise, and Zhang Sanzhuang doesn't have the patience.
Besides, she wasn't as strong as before. "Forget it. We are old and exhausted after walking all morning. You guys go out for a walk. We can see far away from here in the restaurant."
She and Geng brought their child with them, and since they were unfamiliar with the place, they just stayed in the restaurant to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
Geng took charge and asked Uncle Geng to wait with them in the restaurant. The two guards who had recovered and the waiters accompanied Miao Wan and Qiao Rui who wanted to go out and see her.
It was rare for Qiao Rui to be so lively, and Geng didn't want to stop her. Miao Wan pulled her sister-in-law and went to the most lively place with great enthusiasm.
The two people didn't notice that the guest in the private room next door thought about it and followed them out.
After leaving the restaurant, Miao Wan asked Qiao Rui, "What do you want to buy?"
Qiao Rui looked around, then moved closer to Miao Wan and whispered, "I actually wanted to accompany my sister-in-law out to look for my brother. I heard you say you missed him."
"I don't know where your brother is either." Miao Wan's heart softened, and she pinched Qiao Rui's little face, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Mom is right. You have super hearing. You can hear everything."
Qiao Rui raised her head proudly and whispered in Miao Wan's ear, "That's right, I even heard you crying and calling your brother a bad guy. It's not that I don't want to help you scold your brother, it's just that mother didn't let me go."
Later, she noticed that her mother's ears were red, as if something similar had happened in her parents' room. She couldn't remember it clearly, but she knew it was not something worth gossiping about, so she never told anyone about it.
But you can tell the real person. Qiao Rui praised herself for being smart in her heart, but she was suffocating.
Miao Wan: "..." No, what on earth did you hear? !
The master and servant following behind almost stumbled, even though the aunt and sister-in-law spoke very quietly, they both knew internal martial arts.
Miao Wan looked at Qiao Rui expressionlessly and whispered, "I was planning to give you ten strings of cash today to buy you beef jerky, roast goose, dog urine, and some fresh clothes from the county town, but now it's all gone."
Qiao Rui regretted her decision, "Sister-in-law, I was wrong! I promise I won't hear it again!"
"It's okay, it's good that you heard it. You will be married in less than ten years. Don't worry, no one will be smart enough to save you even if you scream at the top of your lungs!" Miao Wan whispered in her ear.
Qiao Rui: “…”
"Cough cough cough..." The master and servant behind him couldn't hold it in any longer. They were trying to hold back their laughter so hard that they almost laughed out loud. They couldn't help but laugh like a lunatic, so they couldn't stop coughing.
Miao Wan and Qiao Rui were talking about obscene things that young ladies shouldn't say. They were very sensitive to the sounds around them, and when they heard the cough, they immediately turned their heads to look.
Then Qiao Rui was stunned. Although the master and servant looked quite ordinary, she always felt that the young man in front looked a little familiar.
She whispered to Miao Wan, "Sister-in-law, I think I've seen this young man before."
Miao Wan thought, this sentence sounds familiar, could it be that her sister-in-law's surname was Lin in her previous life?
Before she could figure out how to answer her sister-in-law, the young man, who seemed to have met her before, stepped forward and said, "Excuse me, ladies. My last name is Jia. I am sorry to both of you for a moment."
Miao Wan: “…”
Zhang Sanzhuang was looking carefully at the inn not far away when he was poked by the waiter and realized that someone was molesting his sister.
He was a little excited. He had finally encountered the plot in the storybook. They were numerous and powerful, so they could be heroes and save... his sister!
Before he could rush forward, Miao Wan interrupted the young master Jia and said, "Sorry, our surname is not Lin, we don't believe in Buddhism or Taoism, it's our first day here, we're married, we have no money, and we're not good people. Do you have anything else to say?"
Master Jia and his servant: "..." You have blocked all possibilities, what else can happen to us?
Also, what does it matter whether your surname is Lin or not?
Master Jia wanted to struggle a bit, "I just thought the two young ladies looked familiar, I have absolutely no bad intentions."
"Oh, what a coincidence, you look familiar to my sister-in-law too." Miao Wan said with a smile.
Master Jia looked relieved and happy, but Miao Wan's next words confused him. "She said you look like a bad guy, maybe even a wanted criminal. If you report it to the authorities, you might get a reward. How about we go somewhere else and talk about it in detail?"
For example, the government office or something.
Master Jia almost choked himself to death. When they were talking about the bad guy just now, they clearly said it was Qiao Zicheng. What did it have to do with him, Si Hongxuan!
Yes, this is the old saint who went on a secret visit. According to legend, he once ate from the same pot with Qiao Ruichen.
Originally, the sage and Qi Wangshu were arguing about who was more suitable to go to the northwest, but after arguing for a long time, they could not reach a conclusion.
Qi Wangshu tentatively told the Queen Mother that the Saint wanted to go to the hot springs, and the Queen Mother thought that she and Concubine Chen would go too.
Why bother taking a hot spring bath? That's for the dragon seed.
When one plan failed, Si Hongxuan was at a loss. Bei Meng happened to send a New Year gift, and he suddenly had an idea. He ordered that this year Qiu Di should have an emotional exchange with Bei Meng.
Empress Dowager Chen and Concubine Chen were not happy about such a bumpy journey and being exposed to the wind and sun on the grassland, but they were also worried about Qi Wangshu going with them to Mei Chong.
He only asked a few young talents with unremarkable talents to follow him to the enclosure, which was exactly what the saint wanted.
After arriving at the enclosure, he received a message from Qiao Ruichen's secret guards, saying that Qiao Ruichen had obtained evidence of collusion between General Dingbei and the Xiban people. Qiao Shengwen also wrote a letter saying that he had lost contact with his son.
The saint was now completely unable to sit still. If he could suppress the Duke of Chen's Mansion and leave only the Regent's faction, with the power that the saint had secretly accumulated, the noble families would never be as rampant as they are now, and Dayue would be able to truly have long-term peace and stability.
So he asked his substitute to pretend to be sick in the imperial tent, and he and the eunuchs, along with a group of royal secret guards, rode at full speed to the northwest.
Upon learning that Qiao Ruichen was missing in the county town, he came directly to Xiping County.
But after arriving, he found that it was not difficult to find Qiao Ruichen's residence, but he was seriously injured, and his residence was full of people left by General Dingbei's Mansion to watch him. It was simply wishful thinking to want to sneak in secretly.
The saint did not want to alert the enemy, so he could only find a roundabout way to meet Qiao Ruichen. The most convenient way was to go to Qiao's house and wait.
But he was afraid that someone was watching the Qiao family, so he wanted to say hello to the Qiao family first and ask them to leave the door open for him at night. At night, he would learn from the secret guards and crawl through the dog... ahem, rat hole.
Of course, since the saint was on a secret visit, he naturally couldn't let people call him by his original name. He was too lazy to think of a name, and since it was a fake identity anyway, he just called him Master Jia.
Unexpectedly, I ran into Miao Wan and Qiao Rui, and got into a lot of trouble.
On the way back, Miao Wan was still boasting to her mother-in-law, "I tell you, that man is not a good person at first glance. He is either after your beautiful daughter-in-law, or he is a pervert who is obsessed with delicate children. People like him should not be given the opportunity to open their mouths. If they open their mouths, they will be slapped."
The secret guard who was ordered by the saint to follow closely: "..."
Geng was just listening with a smile when Taotao, who was chewing a piece of beef jerky in her arms, suddenly said, "Bad guy, pervert!"
Geng's face immediately hardened. "From now on, watch over the child and don't let him say such nonsense."
"Actually, it doesn't hurt for children to know more. It's better than having someone cheat them out of a piece of candy in the future, right?" Miao Wan hummed as she looked at Taotao, whose eyes lit up at the mention of candy.
Qiao Rui added, "I definitely won't be fooled by a piece of candy!"
"Oh, what if I give you a particularly beautiful colorful dress, or a piece of gold?" Miao Wan asked her.
Qiao Rui didn't say anything, but the struggle on her face said it all. If that was the case, she could just follow him first, get the candy coat back, and then sneak away.
Miao Wan probably knew what she was thinking, and Liangliang reminded her, "What if they drugged you? What if they took you away on a boat? Or what if they sold you to the mountains as a child bride?"
Qiao Rui was stunned when she heard this. She leaned weakly against her mother and didn't say anything.
Geng found it very funny and did not stop Miao Wan from saying these things.
Taotao, who is almost two years old, asked in a puzzled voice, "Child bride? What? Is it delicious?"
Miao Wan pinched her face and said, "You only know how to eat. Child brides are delicious, especially delicious. That's why people will grab you and sell you off when they see you!"
Taotao pouted unhappily, "Taotao, no, mom is bad!"
"You're the worst!"
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