The streets of the small town were very clean, and the houses stood side by side in neat rows.
The streets behind were residential, while the street in front, separated from the academy by only one road, was a commercial street with food stalls, bookstores, cloth shops, general stores, teahouses, snack shops, and so on—a wide variety of shops and shops.
Jiayin clung to her brother's back, asking for snacks one minute and a small wooden carving the next, as excited as a little mouse that had fallen into a rice jar.
Dongmei was about to take out the silver to pay, but Jiahuan stopped her, saying with a simple smile, "Aunt Mei, Grandma gave me some change when I left."
Jiayin wasn't asking for anything valuable; a few coins were enough to make her beam with joy.
After wandering around for half an hour, and with Li Laosi and the others still not out, Jiayin decided to get down and rest.
There happened to be a food stall on the west side of the commercial street, with a sign that read "dumplings and wontons".
Jia Huan led her younger sister inside and ordered three bowls of wontons.
The owner, who was sitting behind the counter, was half asleep. Hearing the noise, he quickly got up and started making wontons and boiling water.
Jiayin pretended to be naughty and played around the room. She noticed that there was a layer of dust on the table in the corner and that the chair leg was broken and had not been repaired. She knew what was going on.
Sure enough, when the wontons were served, Dongmei and Jiahuan both frowned as they ate them.
It wasn't that they had become picky because they were used to Tao Hongying's cooking; it was just that the wontons were really mediocre.
Jiayin only tried one bite before putting down her spoon, unwilling to deprive herself of food.
She secretly whispered a few words in her brother's ear.
Jia Huan hesitated, but still asked the shop owner, "Sir, is this shop rented or owned? Are you looking to sell it?"
The owner's eyes lit up immediately. "I rented this shop, but it's too remote. Not many people come here to eat, and I'm actually starting to regret it. You're asking about this because you want to sell it? That's perfect! You can't sell food here, but you could open a calligraphy and painting shop or sell some general merchandise. That would definitely be great."
Jia Huan smiled憨厚ly and replied, "My family runs a general store. My brother came here to study, so I was thinking of opening a store here too, so we can look after each other."
"Yes, yes, that's perfect." The shopkeeper was even more excited. "Most of the shops on this street started this way. The young master is studying at the academy, and the manager runs a shop here to help out."
After saying that, he looked Jia Huan up and down. Seeing that he was dressed plainly and was not very old, he was somewhat disappointed and lost interest in talking.
Jiayin waved her little hand at the right moment, and the golden bell jingled. The boss was stunned for a moment, but immediately regained his enthusiasm.
"I rented this shop for three years for one hundred taels of silver, but it's only been open for three months. There are still two years and nine months left. If your family rents it, you'll give me... eighty taels!"
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth, looking very pained. "Eighty taels is a great deal. I've lost a lot of money. I really can't go any lower."
Jia Huan, of course, couldn't make the decision himself, and vaguely replied, "I'll go back and discuss it with my family. If they agree, I'll come back to discuss it with the boss in detail."
The shopkeeper was disappointed, but still said, "Alright, young man, you must come soon. I'll spread the word tomorrow, and I'm afraid many people will want to rent it. By the time you come, it might not be available anymore."
In the past, Jia Huan might have believed it.
But after the hot spring valley has been open for so long, and after observing and listening to many things, he's no longer the naive boy he used to be.
So he didn't say much, paid for the wontons, and left with his sister.
At this moment, Li Laosi and Jiayi finally came out, both with excited expressions on their faces.
Li Laosi said, "The scenery in the academy is simply wonderful, and the teacher is also very kind. We couldn't help but wander around inside for a while longer."
Seeing that it was getting late, and that Jia Huan and Dong Mei had already eaten, Jia Yi went to buy a dozen or so meat buns, quickly divided them up, and the group ate as they walked home.
Jiayin held a steamed bun and ate it with relish, taking bite after bite. Thinking back to the shop she had just visited, she felt it was a perfect fit.
It's almost 50 miles from home. My older brother is all alone here. If something happens to him, his family won't even know.
If we could open a food stall, not only would it provide an additional source of income for the family, but we could also keep an eye on our elder brother nearby.
As for the candidate, there is already one available. Jia Huan is very talented and loves to cook, so he can definitely handle the job of being the head chef.
If we send my third uncle and aunt over to help out, it will be perfect.
The more she thought about it, the happier she became. She chuckled as she ate her steamed bun, which aroused everyone's curiosity, but they couldn't help but laugh along with her.
Meanwhile, in the hot spring valley, Li Lao Er finally met Wang Yuanwai. He hid behind her, handed over the registration task to Liu Saozi, and then ran home to report the news.
Old Mrs. Li and her husband, Li Laosan, arrived at the valley. Tao Hongying pointed inside and whispered, "My eldest brother only took a five or six-year-old boy and a middle-aged couple of servants inside. They're staying in the second wooden house on the left. Jia'an and Jiaxi have already led them to the pool; I wonder if they can see it..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood.
After years of waiting, when the time finally came for them to recognize each other, Old Lady Li felt weak in the knees. She helped her daughter-in-law sit down and then chased away Li Laosan.
"Your second brother shouldn't go over there anymore, but you should go and check on him. Jia'an and Jiaxi are impulsive; what if they're wrong?"
Li Laosan quickly agreed and went to get it. Tao Hongying was afraid that the old lady would faint, so she brought over a basket of wild vegetables.
"Mom, help me pick out some ingredients, then mix them up in a bit. I'll make it as a complimentary dish for lunch. We don't find it surprising, but these city guests seem to really enjoy it."
Old Mrs. Li understood her daughter-in-law's good intentions, picked up a wild vegetable, and slowly peeled off the withered leaves.
But her eyes still couldn't help but keep looking into the valley, and she often tore off the tender leaves.
Time seemed to move so slowly that an hour felt like a year. After waiting for who knows how long, Li Laosan finally brought An Jiaxi out.
With red-rimmed eyes, Li Laosan nodded emphatically and choked out, "Mother, the birthmark is definitely my eldest brother, it's my eldest brother!"
Old Mrs. Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears, “This unfilial son, he still knows how to show his face! I’ve been waiting for him for so many years, afraid that something might happen to him out there. I burned paper money for your father, hoping that he would see his son and appear in my dreams. But your father won’t appear in my dreams, sob sob!”
The Li family members all wiped away tears. Although the old lady couldn't even bear to hear her eldest brother's name at home, as if she hated him terribly, it was actually because she was too worried and hurt too deeply!
What mother doesn't worry about her son and feel sorry for him?
"Mother, are we going to go and acknowledge our eldest brother?" Li Laosan rubbed his hands, somewhat anxious.
“Go and ask Doctor Zhang to take a look at your elder brother first.” Old Mrs. Li wiped away her tears. “Your elder brother has a head injury and doesn’t recognize us. Even if we wanted to recognize him, we couldn’t.”
Everyone nodded, and Li Laosan was about to rush back to the village, but when he pushed open the door, he was so surprised that he quickly retreated.
"Mother, eldest brother...eldest brother is here!"
"What?" Everyone was both surprised and delighted, not knowing what to do.
Unable to bear it any longer, Old Lady Li staggered and pushed open the door, rushing out.
While his son was enjoying himself in the hot springs, Master Wang went to the valley entrance to inquire about how to find a miracle doctor.
As soon as he got closer, an old woman rushed out of the house and almost fell in front of him.
He instinctively reached out to help her up, and was about to speak when he saw the old lady looking at him with tears streaming down her face.
It felt like a knife had slashed his heart, and his head was throbbing with pain as if it were about to explode!
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