None of the Jiaren brothers avoided looking away; they looked over openly.
Originally, this was somewhat impolite, but ever since the "selling oneself to bury one's father" incident, Lu Zong and Jia Xu have become dependent on the Li family.
I was with my brothers almost all the time, eating, sleeping, and traveling.
On the way back to the city, they did rough work together, smelled the fishy smell, felt the cold wind, wiped their noses together, and squatted on the deck eating dry rations. Lu Zong and Jia Xu never complained.
Both of them were well-read, insightful, and lacked the spoiled and arrogant airs of young noblemen.
Gradually, they became familiar and harmonious with each other, and their relationship was closer than that of brothers, but also much closer than that of friends.
At this moment, it was clear that Lu Zong's men had sent the message, and they were also curious.
As a result, Lu Zong took the letter delivered by the servant, glanced at it, and then handed it to Jia Ren.
“Jiaren, take a look at the news from Kyoto. Something minor happened in your family, but it's over now, so there's no need to worry.”
Jiaren was startled. He quickly read through the text, then frowned and told everyone, "Wait a moment, I'll go and say a few words to my uncle."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er became increasingly curious, but after reading it, they were so angry that they jumped up.
Cat Brother cursed, "How dare they! What kind of bullshit Chen family is this, daring to bully us right at our doorstep!"
Li Ge'er also sneered, "To make Fu Niu'er so angry that she buried someone alive, it must have been very dangerous at the time."
Jia Xu was completely confused, and since no one could explain it to him, he could only snatch the letter and read it once.
He laughed and said, "My brother is usually a simple and honest person, but I didn't expect him to have such courage this time, taking guards to help at Broken Gold Beach."
"Looks like joining the army wasn't such a bad thing after all; he's really made something of himself!"
At this moment, Jiaren and Li Zhensheng had already walked over.
Li Zhensheng carefully read the letter and said to Jiaren, "If you are concerned, you can take the land route instead of the water route and get home a day earlier."
"Just be careful on the road. When you get home, tell the Marquis that we will need to use the military camp's dock this time. Otherwise, the fleet may not be able to dock during the New Year."
“Yes, Uncle, we will definitely pass on the message,” Jiaren replied.
Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er nodded in agreement, looking somewhat excited.
Although they went out for study and training, they didn't have the opportunity to act alone most of the time. They didn't expect that they would be able to travel alone when they were about to get home.
Lu Zong and Jia Xu will definitely be going with them!
With five people and five servants, even if two people ride together, it would still require five horses.
Just as Jiaren was planning to leave the dock and head into the county town to find a security escort agency or something similar to rent a few horses, the messenger steward had already brought the horses over.
Cat Brother happily perched on Lu Zong's arm, repeatedly promising countless delicious treats.
Lu Zong laughed so hard, but worried that Cat Brother was too young and not good at riding, so he tied Cat Brother to his waist.
Traveling like this, not only can he block the wind, but Cat Brother can also take a nap.
The group quickly set off, braving the light snow that had started falling sometime earlier, and with burning hearts, headed home!
After a night of wind and snow, the white cotton-padded coats on Suijintan became even thicker.
Jiayin had been cooped up at home for a few days and was starting to miss her mother, so she chose to take a bus into the city for a stroll when the sun was high in the sky and it was the warmest time of day.
Even amidst the white clouds, business remains extremely booming.
Perhaps because the Lunar New Year is approaching, there is more visiting between families, and the snacks and white cloud cakes in the shop are in short supply.
Manager Peng was busy in the front hall, as bustling as a diligent little bee.
But he didn't feel tired at all, and his smile stretched from ear to ear.
Upon seeing his master arrive, he quickly led him to the backyard and eagerly reported the news.
"Boss, business has been booming these past few days. I did a quick calculation, and our income these past few days is double what it used to be!"
Jiayin was naturally happy too.
This is a truly lucrative business, making a fortune every day.
She gestured for Shui Ling to put down the box she had brought, and said with a smile, "Let's invite the head chef in charge of snacks over for a chat. It's almost Chinese New Year, and we'd like to add two new items to our shop."
"Really?" Manager Peng was overjoyed. "These past few days, customers have indeed asked about this. Today, the boss has sent over the new products. This is wonderful!"
After saying that, he went to call the head chef himself. Chen Xi, who had some free time at the moment, also came over to listen to the excitement.
Actually, Jiayin hadn't thought of anything too unusual to eat; it was just fried chicken popcorn and roasted sweet potatoes.
To make popcorn chicken, select chicken pieces, marinate them with seasonings, coat them in batter, and then deep-fry them.
Apart from the marinade recipe being a bit complicated, everything else is very simple.
Roasted sweet potatoes are a common dish.
However, the sweet potatoes were produced in Yunzhou and were cheap, so no caravans were willing to transport them...
Jiayin loves roasted sweet potatoes. Ever since Lao Hei and the others brought back sweet potatoes, they planted several acres of them in the space. Now they have a bumper harvest, filling more than a hundred bags.
Even if she eats alone, or even with her family, she still can't finish it all.
So they took it to the shop and exchanged it for silver.
Manager Peng and Chen Xi both favored the popcorn chicken, but didn't have high expectations for the sweet potatoes.
After all, sweet potatoes are cheap, and farmers are reluctant to eat much of them unless they are extremely hungry.
Unexpectedly, after baking the sweet potatoes, peeling them, placing them on a white porcelain plate, and scooping out a mouthful of their reddish-gold flesh with a small silver spoon, they were surprisingly sweet!
The two exchanged a glance and immediately decided to put it in the shop for sale.
At the beginning, each guest in a private room could receive one for free.
Once customers get used to and like it, then we'll set a price for it...
Jiayin couldn't resist eating half of it, and then, while she was flipping through the account book, Manager Peng came up to her and started gossiping.
"Boss, business at the branch is getting worse and worse. We're not getting even half the usual amount of goods lately!"
"Customers say they all lost their appetite because the branch sold spoiled cloud cakes that time. So they'd rather walk a little further to buy freshly baked ones from us than go to the branch!"
Jiayin nodded and instructed, "That's why the most important thing for food sellers is their reputation. We must manage our shop strictly."
"You can never be too strict about quality and hygiene, since it's something that goes into your mouth!"
"Don't worry, boss. I tell everyone this every day, so it can't be wrong," Manager Peng quickly assured him.
Jiayin followed up the conversation and began to paint a rosy picture.
"It's almost the end of the year, and our shop is special, so we can only close on the 30th."
"On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we pay New Year's visits; on the second day, we visit the wife's family. The peak season lasts until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and everyone has to continue working."
"Here's what we'll do: in addition to the year-end bonuses and New Year's gifts, we'll give everyone double wages in the first month of the lunar calendar. Starting in February, everyone will take turns on leave when needed."
"Of course, if someone has a family emergency and needs to take time off for the New Year, don't try to stop them. Let's be considerate and understanding of each other."
Manager Peng was delighted to hear this and quickly agreed on behalf of everyone.
"Don't worry, boss. No one has any urgent matter that requires us to go back and deal with it."
"Everyone can have a New Year's Eve dinner during the 10-day holiday, and then come back to work on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I guarantee there won't be any problems!"
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