Meanwhile, Eunuch Feng made a trip to Suijintan and gave Jiayin the deed for the branch of the pastry shop.
Jiayin had just returned from the city when she suddenly got a shop. It was like a pie falling from the sky, leaving her completely bewildered.
So, while Eunuch Feng was sitting in the greenhouse, eating grapes and watching the eunuchs "fleecing" him, Jiayin quickly asked why.
Eunuch Feng lived up to the reputation of the bunch of dark purple grapes in his hand, and while eating them, he recounted how the Third Princess was scared half to death, and then suddenly realized her mistakes and grew up instantly.
Finally, he added, "Princess, this shop was a gift from the Emperor, which the Princess herself requested."
"The Third Princess said that Bao Lei is dead, and the shop has been given to the Princess. That means the feud between her and the Princess is over."
Jiayin really wanted to roll her eyes. The way the Third Princess was talking made it sound like she was the one who had beheaded Bao Lei.
Although she did play a catalytic role in the process, ultimately it was the princess's family who brought about their own downfall...
However, in any case, it's a good thing that the Third Princess won't cause trouble anymore.
Therefore, Jiayin personally picked a basket of various fruits for her and carefully wove many flowers around the basket, making it very beautiful, and asked Eunuch Feng to take it back.
After all, she was a princess, while she was just a minor county princess. When someone extended an olive branch, she should accept it with a smile.
Moreover, this fruit basket wasn't just for the Third Princess; it was also for the Emperor and Empress to see.
Sure enough, when Eunuch Feng brought the "wool" he had gathered back to the Imperial Study, the Emperor asked him in detail.
I heard that Jiayin personally prepared a fruit basket for the princess, and the two maids turned hostility into friendship, which pleased the emperor.
As luck would have it, a batch of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones was presented as tribute from the south. The Emperor generously gifted Jiayin, this good girl, a whole box of them!
Jiayin was inexplicably struck by a string of good fortunes that day.
So much so that when the Marquis returned that evening, she was the first to rush out and report the good news.
The Marquis was afraid that the smell of blood on him would offend his family, so he had just taken a bath and changed his clothes, and his hair was still slightly damp.
Jiayin quickly pulled her godfather to sit by the brazier.
Just then, Li Laosi returned from the hot spring valley, his cotton shoes soaked through by the newly melted snow.
So Jiayin pulled her own father over and made him sit next to the Marquis.
The lords and generals who were so imposing in public were now like little children sitting in a row, waiting to be fed fruit, in front of the housekeeper's daughter...
Grandma Li, Second Brother Li, Tao Hongying, and others found it amusing.
Grandma Li has always doted on her granddaughter without thinking, praising her as soon as she opens her mouth, "Our Fu Niu'er is so filial, she can't bear to see her father and godfather suffer even a little bit."
Jiayin ran over and gave her grandma a big hug, then busied herself giving each of her two fathers a bowl of hot tea.
After finishing her work, she began to show off her newly acquired shop and the Four Treasures of the Study.
Upon hearing the location of the shop, Li Laosi secretly gasped.
Even if he saves up his military pay for several years, he probably won't be able to buy half a house. When he goes to war again, he should try his best to kill barbarians and seize more spoils of war!
Otherwise, he, as a father, would really have to rely on his daughter to support him in his old age.
The Marquis was not surprised, because the Emperor had already mentioned it when he went to the palace that afternoon.
Jiayin smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and said, "It just so happens that my mother is opening a pickle shop, and I think the location of the branch is just right."
"The one I saw last time was pretty good, but unfortunately someone snatched it away at the last minute. This time it's our own shop, so we can do whatever we want with it!"
After saying that, she called her mother over and asked with a grin, "Mother, I'll provide the shop, you provide the recipe, and we'll split the profits 50/50, how about that?"
Tao Hongying glared at her daughter reproachfully, then laughed and scolded, "You little money-grubber, you even calculate things so clearly with your mother."
"Alright, let's go into town and check out the shops tomorrow."
Grandma Li agreed and spoke up to support her granddaughter, saying, "Fu Niu'er is right. Even brothers need to keep clear accounts. You two are mother and daughter, so you need to be clear about things too."
At this moment, the Marquis called his personal guards outside the door and brought in a fat man.
This fat man is the one who redeemed himself earlier; his name is Wang Fugui.
Unfortunately, his mother, whom he desperately wanted to rescue, was secretly imprisoned by those people in Yaochi and died within a few days.
Wang Fugui was heartbroken and had barely eaten or slept for the past few days, which made everyone feel sorry for him.
The Marquis had previously promised to help him save his mother, but now that he had failed, he felt a little guilty.
After thoroughly investigating Wang Fugui's background, he informed the Emperor and proposed that Wang Fugui be settled in the Second Village to continue working as a cook.
The veterans and wounded soldiers in the second village usually ate communal meals.
The cooking was done by women from the village, so the food was palatable, but not exactly delicious.
Having a cook is a benefit for veterans and wounded soldiers.
Furthermore, the person behind Yaochi has not yet been found.
Today, some are beheaded, and others are exiled to hard labor.
They kept only Wang Fugui, who could be considered a "traitor," in case the person behind him got angry and sought revenge later, and they could seize the opportunity to get some leverage and clues.
Wang Fugui looked very haggard, so thin that he looked almost unrecognizable, but you could tell that his eyes were clear and honest, and he didn't seem like a wicked person.
So the Li family comforted him for a while, and then had their personal guards take him to the second village to be settled in by Xiao Cui and her husband.
From then on, Wang Fugui's wages were recorded in the Hou family's accounts.
But during holidays and festivals, he always gets a share of any food or treats distributed by the village...
Soon, dinner was served, and everyone sat down to eat together.
When asked about the events of the day, Old Lady Li said, "I heard that the Hibiscus Cream, a small box of which is worth a hundred taels of gold, was burned today. There must have been at least several hundred thousand taels."
"If only this gold could be cashed out, it would be enough to support the expedition to recover Jiangbei."
Everyone nodded, and Li Lao Er also said, "Yes, several hundred thousand taels is enough to settle tens of thousands of refugees."
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, after settling their family affairs, Chen Chuan and Master Chen returned with their families to continue their hard labor.
I don't know what they went through after they got home, but they were obviously working more diligently, with less of their previous resentment and perfunctory attitude.
The villagers saw this and, although curious, did not ask any further questions.
People must always take responsibility for their mistakes!
On the second day of the second lunar month, we stew pig's head and eat pig's trotters.
After enjoying their delicious meal, every household officially begins preparing for the spring season.
Wenjuan's due date is in the next two weeks, so the family is busy preparing the delivery room and supplies.
Li Zhensheng has completely taken over Cyclamen, and Jia Huan comes back every night.
Zhao Yuru even moved back from Luo'an to prepare for welcoming her grandson and taking care of her daughter-in-law during her postpartum period.
Li Laosi also wanted to see his nephew's face before leaving, but unfortunately the military camp was busy.
Moreover, Li Yong has been holding the fort for almost a month, and he needs to hurry over to take over so that Li Yong can come back and stay for a few days, otherwise the twins won't recognize their father anymore...
As a result, no sooner had Li Laosi left than Jiaren returned from Luo'an.
Mr. Wen has already visited the academy and personally requested Dean Zhou to grant Jiaren permission to commute.
Dean Zhou had high hopes for Jiaren and was well aware of his academic progress, so he naturally supported his further development.
After all, Jiaren will still have to return to the academy to prepare for the imperial examination. The academy will definitely receive the honors it deserves!
But after Jiaren went home and had a meal with his grandmother and family, he expressed his desire to live permanently in the small courtyard in the city...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com