She had been a wanderer since childhood, and her head was as hard as iron. She fell headfirst without feeling anything, but the person who was hit let out a soft groan.
"Ouch... is this a rock?"
Jiang Sheng raised her head in a daze and saw a young face with striking eyebrows and temples. The face seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was.
Manager Hao from upstairs ran over in surprise, his face full of worry, "Young master, are you alright?"
Jiang Sheng belatedly realized who the person in front of her was.
The only person who could be so respected by the manager of You Ran Ju was probably the young master of the Jiang family. She had seen him twice in Xiyang County when she was seven years old, so it was no wonder he looked familiar.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." The boy rubbed his chest, his gaze falling on Jiang Sheng with a hint of reminiscence, "You little girl, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
Jiang Sheng was a little embarrassed to start a conversation.
Manager Hao remembered that she was Zheng Ruqian's sister, and explained with a smile, "Miss Jiang and Young Zheng are both from Xiyang County, and they have been delivering goods to the two Youranju restaurants."
Jiang Chengyuan suddenly realized, "I remember now, I saw you in Xieyang County. So you also have the surname Jiang. We are destined to meet."
“No, young master.” Jiang Sheng shook his head. “My surname is not Jiang as in Jiangshui (river water), but Jiang as in ginger.”
Jiang Sheng couldn't remember who gave her the name. She only knew that the reason she was surnamed Jiang was because she secretly ate a piece of ginger, which made her vomit from the spiciness, but she couldn't bear to throw it away, so she could only take a bite and drink some water, then take another bite and drink some water.
Although ginger is unpalatable, it can ward off the cold and even gradually soothe those on the verge of freezing to death. Therefore, Jiang Sheng is willing to take the surname Jiang and is also willing to be a girl like ginger.
"So we don't share the same surname," Jiang Chengyuan said regretfully. "You came in such a hurry this time, is there something you need?"
Jiang Sheng then remembered the cured meats on the carriage, and slapped her forehead, "I've come to deliver goods."
After saying that, he called to the familiar waiter, "Brother Shunzi, carry the goods."
Shunzi shouted and quickly rushed to the carriage, skillfully unloading the cured fish, cured meat and sausages.
Jiang Sheng also went over to help lift the curtain and struggled to lift a bag of fish pieces.
"These brother and sister are incredibly clever. They started by just delivering vegetables, then they made cured pork, and now they've made sausages and cured fish. Their flavor is unique in the entire Anshui County. Many people come to Youranju just for this cured meat." Manager Hao stroked his beard, praising sincerely. "Give them some more time, and they'll be amazing, truly amazing."
Jiang Chengyuan stared in astonishment at Jiang Sheng, who was barely taller than the carriage shaft.
This little girl is about the same age as her younger sister. Cheng Huan is still arguing with her parents about her identity, but the little girl has already started doing business and making money, and has even traveled from Xieyang County to Anshui County.
At this moment, Jiang Sheng walked to the entrance of Youranju carrying a bag of fish pieces.
Because he didn't have enough strength, the fish-shaped bag slipped slowly from his arms and was about to fall to the ground.
In her haste, Jiang Sheng lay down on the ground and used her body to catch the fish bag.
Jiang Chengyuan was shocked. He grabbed the package, threw it to the waiter, and pulled Jiang Sheng up from the ground.
"Thank you, Young Master Jiang." Jiang Sheng scratched his head, feeling extremely embarrassed.
She has embarrassed herself here several times already.
"Why would you rather fall than not catch this package?" Jiang Chengyuan asked, puzzled. "If it falls to the ground, just let it fall. Why not just pick it up?"
“That won’t do,” Jiang Sheng explained seriously. “The fish pieces are delicate, and they won’t look good if they fall on the ground. Besides, this is food, and it wouldn’t be good if the guests saw it fall on the ground.”
So she would rather fall down and catch the fish with her own body than let the fish pieces touch the ground.
Jiang Chengyuan couldn't quite describe his feelings; he only felt a complex mix of emotions that he couldn't put into words.
Jiang Sheng ignored him and followed him inside to check the weight, waiting for Manager Hao to settle the bill.
Three hundred jin of cured meat, weighed without any problems, the Zanhua Xiaoyuan workshop is as conscientious as ever.
With a beaming smile, Manager Hao used his abacus to calculate the total amount, then deducted the deposit paid earlier, and finally handed over one hundred taels of silver to Jiang Sheng.
He carried five large silver ingots, each weighing twenty taels, in his bosom, bulging as if he were secretly hiding something.
Manager Hao couldn't help but chuckle, and under Jiang Sheng's protest, he exchanged the money for silver notes.
The hundred-tael silver note was much easier to collect. He folded it up and put it in his purse, then tucked the small purse into the deepest part of his sleeve. Jiang Sheng was finally satisfied and skipped away, saying, "Manager Hao, I'm leaving. Brother Shunzi, I'm leaving."
Passing by Jiang Chengyuan, she thought for a moment and waved her hand, "Young Master Jiang, Jiang Sheng is leaving."
The little girl hopped onto the carriage like a rabbit, pulled the horse, which was much taller than her, and swayed away.
Jiang Chengyuan belatedly realized, "She even calls Shunzi 'brother,' so why is she calling me 'young master'?"
“The young master doesn’t lack sisters, why would he care about this?” Manager Hao chuckled. “Miss Jiang is probably afraid of offending you.”
I hope so.
Jiang Chengyuan turned his gaze away from Jiang Sheng and onto the newly arrived preserved meat, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"What brings the eldest young master to Anshui County?" Manager Hao stroked his beard and inquired. "Is he here to relax, or does he have important business to attend to?"
Jiang Chengyuan's smile faded, and his gaze gradually deepened.
Even if he wanted to relax, he wouldn't be able to reach Anshui County.
The reason I left Fengjing was on my grandmother's orders to find my long-lost younger sister.
But the world is vast, how could a child who has been missing for ten years be found so easily?
Besides, even if we find them, can we guarantee that the child will be willing to go back and integrate into the Jiang family?
Jiang Chengyuan was depressed but could not disobey his grandmother, so he simply came to Anshui County. One reason was that he was familiar with the area, and the other was that the reputation of the preserved meats from You Ran Ju in Anshui County had spread to Fengjing, which aroused his curiosity.
"Give me some of these sausages, cured meats, and cured fish." He pointed to the newly arrived cured meats, "This young master wants to have a good taste and see what's so special about them."
Manager Hao chuckled and went to call the head chef to cook.
The next day.
The Imperial Examination Hall announced the exact dates for the provincial examinations—starting from March 28th, with one session every three days for a total of three sessions, ending on April 5th.
The entire Zanhua Courtyard quickly sprang into action, preparing Xu Mo's luggage, food, drink, and even a chamber pot.
As Jiang Sheng tidied up, she cursed Zheng Ruqian, "You stinky second brother, you promised to come back early, you promised to be home before your eldest brother's exam."
But with March 28th fast approaching, there wasn't even a trace of Zheng Ruqian.
The little girl was both angry and anxious. After packing her things, she stood on tiptoe and peered out from the entrance of the flower-adorned courtyard.
Finally, two skinny, monkey-like figures came into view.
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