As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Sheng stuck her head out and said, "Who's fat? Who's fat?"
Xu Mo immediately changed his tune, "That cute little girl outside is the youngest sister in my family."
Yaomei means the youngest sister.
Jiang Sheng then angrily withdrew her head and continued to stand as punishment.
Qi Huai patted him on the shoulder teasingly, "I didn't expect Brother Xu to have younger brothers and sisters, and such adorable ones at that. You're truly blessed."
Xu Mo thought of his flamboyant second brother, his martial arts-obsessed third brother, his tearful fourth brother, and his cunning and deep fifth brother.
I'm quite convinced.
"How wonderful it would be if I had a younger brother like him." Qi Huai was still observing Chang Yan when he noticed the extraordinary demeanor of the young man, and a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.
Xu Mo turned his head in surprise and looked at Qi Yue, who was still in a daze.
Qi Huai then realized he had let something slip and awkwardly tried to cover it up, saying, "My younger brother... he's not very capable."
Fortunately, Xu Mo did not press the matter. He turned to An Jun and said in a deep voice, "Brother An, I'm afraid we can't stay here anymore. You'll have to find another place."
If two men in black can't silence them, then four will likely come, and then eight.
That's when they'll really be difficult to deal with.
An Jun knew he had offended a behemoth, but instead of being afraid, he felt a surge of pride. "I am just an ordinary student. Although I have no background or status, I am an upright person with my own integrity and pride. These powerful families have gone too far. They have stolen my talent and want to take my life. I swear to fight them to the death!"
If there's no way to retreat, then don't retreat.
There's always a way out; after all the twists and turns, a new path opens up.
Xu Mo pondered, seemingly considering where it would be safest for An Jun to go.
Qi Huai, standing to the side, made up his mind, "I have a separate courtyard that is not known to outsiders. I may have to trouble you to stay there for a few days, Brother An."
He then looked at Xu Mo and said, "I will pick up Brother Xu tomorrow and then proceed as agreed."
The matter has been basically concluded at this point.
Jiang San and Jiang Si tied up the man in black and sent him to the Qi family, where Qi Huai had someone interrogate him to find out who was behind it.
Xu Mo then took his younger siblings home to prepare his speech for tomorrow's events.
The group then parted ways.
After clasping his hands in farewell, Qi Yue finally came to his senses. Looking at the three siblings leaving hand in hand, his face was full of envy. "Brother Xu is truly a good older brother."
"What, am I not a good older brother?" Qi Huai glared.
Qi Yue pursed his lips, "Don't you know what's going on in your heart?"
Qi Huai choked, his expression indignant.
He just doesn't have the gentleness and patience of Brother Xu, so how can he not be a good older brother?
But he forgot that a truly thoughtful older brother would not want his younger siblings to take risks.
Just like Xu Mo leading her younger siblings to find Aunt Zhang.
On the way, Changyan asked softly, "Why did you look for the Qi brothers, elder brother? Why didn't you look for me and fourth brother?"
“You’re still young,” Xu Mo said gently. “This matter involves a wide range of people. I have official rank to protect me, but you have nothing. It’s not good for you to get involved.”
If he could, he wished he could grow five pairs of wings to protect his younger siblings, preventing them from being swept away by the storm and from being bullied by outsiders.
Unfortunately, life in Fengjing is truly difficult.
Xu Mo knew he couldn't protect everyone. The only thing he could do was to become stronger, the stronger the better, until one day he could become a solid support for his younger siblings.
"Third brother, when are you coming back?"
The boy's voice was too soft; he was carried away by the wind in the blink of an eye.
My longing drifts northward, carrying it to my family.
Before long, the three siblings stopped in front of the master chef's three-courtyard house.
Xu Mo patted the bronze door first.
The door was opened, revealing the master chef's round face and Aunt Zhang's slightly shy expression.
“I told you it was the children.” Zhang Xianglian sighed. “I need to discuss the pastries with the children and get back to you the next day.”
The head chef agreed and led the group to the carriage.
Watching them board the carriage, she seemed to remember something and thanked them, "Thank you so much, Xianglian, for helping me tidy up earlier. The house was really a bit messy."
Zhang Xianglian didn't want to say more, so she had Xu Mo drive the carriage away.
On the way, three children looked at you with six eyes.
Zhang Xianglian emphasized the important point: "The head chef said that Youranju genuinely wanted to cooperate, and also said that it wasn't simply about selling pastries to Youranju."
The pastries sold at Jiuzhenfang for 100 coins per half catty could not be sold at the original price at Youranju.
At this point, we need to apply the same tactic Zheng Ruqian used to raise the price of jujube cakes—using more exquisite designs to command higher prices.
However, a more beautiful design means more meticulous production, which requires more production time.
Zhang Xianglian did not agree immediately, also because she was afraid of delaying Jiuzhenfang's original business.
Fortunately, the master craftsman offered another suggestion: while shaping by hand is certainly exquisite, it is too wasteful of manpower and cannot be mass-produced. It would be best to use molds, which can ensure stability and save time.
Think about the mooncakes made by our ancestors; they relied on molds to ensure stable and clear patterns.
Zhang Xianglian could easily sell molded pastries at Jiuzhenfang, specifically supplying Youranju with its exquisite handmade pastries.
The master chef remarked, "Your hands are so skillful; only the exorbitant prices of Youranju are worthy of them."
Zhang Xianglian was both shy and timid, unsure of how to respond.
Fortunately, the children's knocking saved her.
Inside the carriage, Zhang Xianglian said softly, "Master Chef is very sincere, and I think we can cooperate. However, the specifics still need to be finalized when Ruqian returns."
As the big boss of the pastry shop, Zheng Ruqian, that scoundrel, hasn't shown up for a long time.
Jiang Sheng looked distressed, her eyes welling up with tears.
She sniffed, "That scoundrel of a second brother will decide when he comes back for the New Year. If he doesn't come back, we'll decide for ourselves. Auntie, you should work on some new ideas in the meantime."
Zhang Xianglian nodded slightly.
In the following days, the second courtyard returned to its previous state.
Aunt Zhang was extremely busy, Xu Mo appeared and disappeared unpredictably, and Jiang Sheng waited anxiously.
But time waits for no one, and with only two or three days left until the New Year, Zheng Ruqian still hadn't returned.
However, a rumor suddenly spread in Fengjing: Zhu Zhi, a third-generation member of the Zhu family, obtained his status as a Juren (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) through illegitimate means, by having someone else write his name on his behalf.
At first, only two or three people whispered among themselves, but as time went on, it gradually spread throughout Fengjing, making those who had cheated uneasy, and finally shocking the imperial family.
Cheating in the imperial examinations!
How dare you!
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