Chapter 91 The Rules Behind
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Ganping Wujia
"Would you like a pie? With onions and eggs?"
Su Cheng took the copper coin handed to him by a passerby and wrapped the pie in oil paper. "Here, take it."
Xie Jinyu sat on a small stool, kneading the dough with her hands.
"I never thought you two, at such young ages, could handle the hard work of setting up a stall. You're much better off than my son and his wife!" A passing aunt took a bite of a pie and looked surprised. "It's quite delicious. You even put eggs in your coarse flour pie, so why are you selling it for only three cents?"
"Our stall is mobile, with small profits but quick turnover, and we have many repeat customers." He didn't know which of his words pleased Xie Jinyu, and he picked up another piece of pie and handed it to her, "I think you like it, Auntie, so this is my treat."
"Oh my!" The passerby was even more surprised and thanked her repeatedly. She also praised Su Cheng who was watching the show on the side, "Girl, your husband looks good and has a good temper. It's really hard to find such a good husband!"
Xie Jinyu curved her eyebrows and glanced sideways at the woman beside her.
Su Cheng responded to the aunt with a smile, and pinched the man's waist hard behind his back.
Pretentious.
Xie Jinyu's smile grew even more hearty. He waved goodbye to the aunt who kept looking back. Then he turned back to look at her, deliberately lowering his voice, "The Wu family is different from the previous two families. The head of the family, Wu Baoquan, started out in the rice and flour business. The King Qin wanted to win him over, probably to prepare military rations."
"If we want to run the army, the Wu family alone is definitely not enough. I wonder how many places the Qin Prince has visited and how many people he has won over." Su Cheng sighed softly, his brows furrowed. "The Qin Prince was made a king of a different surname based on his military achievements. He knows how to train troops, and the Queen Mother promised her niece to him. I specifically asked my husband, and most of the Huo family members are civil officials in the court. The Qin Prince's wife's father served in the cabinet."
"He controls both civil and military affairs. If the emperor is not on guard, how can there be any chance for you, my dear?"
As they were talking, a man hurried into the Wu family house. The two men exchanged glances and went about their business as before.
Not long after, the man left Wu's house and got back on the carriage, disappearing around the corner of the street.
Xie Jinyu's hands kept moving. He glanced at the woman and said softly, "Ah Cheng, do you want me to follow you?"
Su Cheng shook his head, his eyes deep, "No need, just keep an eye on the Wu family."
The sun was setting in the west and the surrounding vendors had packed up their things. Seeing that it was getting late, Su Cheng also made a move to close his stall.
Su Cheng looked at the man's profile and said softly, "You watch here. I'll go buy some vegetables up front, and then we'll go back and report the news."
"Okay." Xie Jinyu agreed to her words and guarded his things obediently, but his eyes were fixed on her back.
Su Cheng walked around and finally stopped in front of a vegetable stall. "Auntie, how much are these shepherd's purse and Chinese toon?"
"It's almost time to collect. I'll give it to you at a lower price, five cents, and some locust flowers for making cakes."
"Okay, thank you, auntie." Su Cheng's sweet words made the vendor very happy. He put the purchased vegetables into the basket and then turned around and walked towards the man.
Just at this moment, a carriage came around the corner at a very fast speed, knocking over two or three stalls without stopping.
"Ah Cheng——"
Xie Jinyu's pupils suddenly shrank, and he ran towards her without caring about the things around him.
Seeing the carriage approaching in an instant, Su Cheng quickly stepped back and barely avoided it, but his waist hit a wall of people behind him.
"Girl, be careful."
Su Cheng looked over when he heard the voice and met the man's half-smiling eyes. He subconsciously took two steps back and distanced himself from him.
The man was wearing a black and gold-patterned cross-collared gown, with a snake-patterned jade pendant hanging from his waist. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a cold expression, and a strong smell of cigarettes.
Su Cheng looked at the man, and he was also looking at Su Cheng.
The man's gaze was like that of a snake or scorpion. Being stared at by him felt as if several poisonous snakes were crawling around in your body, making you extremely uncomfortable.
"Young lady..." The words stopped at the tip of his tongue. The man looked at the bun on her head and smiled, "Madam, don't forget to watch your way in the future. There won't always be someone to catch you."
Su Cheng lowered his eyes, looked at the sunken ground, and pulled the corners of his lips, "Thank you."
"Acheng, are you okay?" Xie Jinyu rushed to her with a worried look on her face.
"It's okay." Su Cheng shook his head and handed him the basket of vegetables. Without even glancing at the man beside him, he said softly, "Let's go."
Xie Jinyu slowly raised her head and exchanged glances with the man. The smell of gunpowder filled the air.
It was not until Su Cheng turned around and called him that Xie Jinyu withdrew his gaze and followed her away.
The man's mouth corners raised, his eyes showed a little more interest, and he said quietly, "Mo Wei, go find out where that woman lives and what her name is."
"yes."
"Ah Cheng..." The man gently twisted his fingertips, and the woman's fragrance seemed to still linger on his body. "How can such a remote town have such a beautiful person?"
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That night.
The moon was hidden under the clouds, hazy and unclear. The evening breeze blew, and waves rolled up on the sea, with the tide showing signs of rising.
The fishing port is surrounded by stalls selling seafood or merchants doing business at sea. It is very lively during the day, but at this hour, there are only a few empty fishing boats left in the port, and not even a ghost can be seen.
The Gao family was the first to arrive, followed by the Wu family, and the Zhong family arrived late. The three families were all represented by the heads of the families, which was enough to prove how much they valued the people they were about to meet.
An incense stick of time passed in the blink of an eye, and the person who was supposed to organize the party still hadn't arrived. The three family heads were obviously a little anxious.
Su Cheng and Xie Ming, who were hiding behind the wooden box, were also anxious.
Su Cheng bit her lower lip and whispered, "Why haven't you come yet..."
Xie Ming stood in front of her and moved closer to her while speaking. "Good things are worth waiting for. Let's wait a little longer."
Su Cheng lowered his eyes and saw a small wooden stick thrown at his feet. He suddenly felt a chill on his back. He hurriedly picked up the stick and put it in his pocket. He looked around and made sure that there was nothing around him before he breathed a sigh of relief.
All the novels and TV dramas she had read over the years were not in vain. If anyone eavesdropped, they would definitely make a noise and be discovered, and eventually be killed.
She would never allow such a melodramatic scene to happen to herself!
When the dark clouds that obscured the moonlight dispersed, the man's figure came from afar, his steps slow, as if he was walking in the hearts of the three families.
Su Cheng looked at the figure, frowned slightly, and murmured, "This person...can't be such a coincidence."
Although she couldn't see the man's face, there were not many people of that height.
"Three Patriarchs, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The three family heads knelt down before him. Just seeing his face made them break out in cold sweat. "Your humble servants pay their respects to His Majesty!"
"Get up, no need for formalities." The man raised his chin lazily, his eyes interested. "I came here today to test the sincerity of the three family heads. You three have bought a lot of peach blossom wine, so I believe you know the rules behind it."
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