Chapter 46 The new resident of the new house is Du Zai...
Lu's business was booming until night, and they even stayed open for the afternoon without closing. Lu Qiong repeatedly rubbed her back and sighed, "Luckily, we still managed to keep two helpers..."
Perhaps due to the consistently tight seating, it had a bit of a "hunger marketing" feel to it, with diners willing to wait in long lines. Not only were there not enough pots, but ingredients were also in short supply; she had underestimated the diners' fervor for the food.
Sister Yang dared not stop, and complained to Lu Qiong: "Today is so tiring, my hands and feet have not stopped."
She deliberately peeked out and saw that Third Sister's place wasn't as lively as usual. She couldn't help but smile smugly: "This time I've finally managed to steal her thunder. I've finally won some credit!"
People kept calling for the shopkeeper, and Sister Yang was still "complaining." Lu Qiong shook her head as she listened, but this could be considered a happy kind of trouble.
"Manager Lu, your shop can't hold so many people anymore. Aren't you planning to expand?" asked a customer who had just finished his congee hotpot. His face was flushed from drinking a little alcohol.
Lu Qiong counted the copper coins in front of her, nearly a hundred coins, and with a flick of her wrist, they all fell into the money box with a "clang".
She clapped her hands before smiling at the diners, "We'll talk about it when we have more money in the future. Besides, we still need my husband's support to run this restaurant!"
Upon hearing this, the diner felt a sense of satisfaction. Who doesn't love to hear praise? This really struck a chord with him, and he liked Lu Ji's even more.
I've decided to introduce Lu Ji to more friends.
By the time the diners had left, it was already midnight, an hour later than usual, and only a few exhausted people remained in the shop.
Sister Yang went even further, slumping back in her chair, head tilted back, no longer as smug as she had been in the afternoon, only sighing, "Never again... It's too tiring..."
Lu Xuan was so exhausted that she could fall asleep leaning against the wall.
Only two helpers were still diligently cleaning up the remaining tables and emptying the dirty water.
After resting in a chair for a while, Lu Qiong took out the account book. Today's income was more than three times that of yesterday. Even after deducting costs, there was still a profit of almost double.
The account books that used to be so difficult to read have now become quite appealing, especially as each page turns, signifying an increase in money.
Given that the craze for "congee hotpot" might last for a few days, Lu Qiong decided to hire more helpers for a few more days and even gave them a raise.
After they all left, Lu Qiong woke up Lu Xuan, who was fast asleep: "Aren't you getting up? There's roasted lamb leg to eat..."
"Where's the lamb leg?"
Lu Xuan opened her eyes, not yet fully awake, her soul still lingering.
Lu Qiong patted her head and laughed at her, "It's in your dreams, hurry up and go, or you won't wake up tomorrow."
We got back later than usual, and with the cold weather, the streets were even quieter. However, the brothels, restaurants, and pleasure boats were still bustling with revelry every night.
They huddled together for warmth, laughing all the way home.
As they approached the courtyard, Lu Qiong realized something was amiss. Why was there a person sitting outside the courtyard?
"Sister?" Lu Xuan was frightened, thinking of something scary, and tugged at Lu Qiong's clothes.
Lu Qiong stretched out her finger, made a "shh" sound, and then tiptoed in, carrying the lantern, almost making no sound.
The man seemed to sense something, and suddenly looked up. Having not seen the light for a long time, he even covered his eyes with his hand until he could see the person clearly. Then he exclaimed in surprise, "Young lady? You've finally returned!"
Lu Qiong finally saw the man's face clearly, and in disbelief, she hesitated before asking, "Ago?"
After deciding to move to a different house, Lu Qiong took the opportunity to visit A Ge at Baiya Pavilion. At the time, she only said she would help find him as soon as possible, but she did not expect to get results so quickly.
Although it was a bit far from here and the rent was one or two taels more expensive than before, the yard was much bigger, and there was a small plot of land suitable for growing vegetables. A well had also been dug, and the kitchen, water room, and latrine were all complete, which met her expectations.
Ago sat at the octagonal table next to the kitchen, having waited quite a while, and now finally had a chance to drink water to moisten his dry mouth: "It wasn't by chance that I found it, and also..."
“What is it?” Lu Qiong’s fingertips rubbed against the rim of the cup.
Ago hesitated, then finally scratched his head and said, "Could you please move out as soon as possible, young lady? I have other guests who have come to stay at your house."
Lu Qiong could understand that more business meant more money, but Lu Ji was busy recently and would have to wait a few more days before he could free up time, so she gave a timeframe: "Would three days be alright? I've been busy lately and can't find the time."
Even though it was too late, Ago could only agree, but at least he was able to give the other guests an answer.
In the following days, while busy entertaining guests, Lu Qiong also took the time to visit the new house. The stone steps outside the courtyard were clean and free of moss, and there were no weeds in the yard. All the large items inside the house had been moved out, leaving only some insignificant odds and ends.
"Sister!" Lu Xuan ran around the whole courtyard. She saw something and came running over, her skirt billowing behind her.
Lu Qiong was also walking slowly when she called out to her, "Did you see something? Why are you so happy?"
Lu Xuan was visibly excited, her eyes brimming with joy: "There's a jujube tree here, and it's bearing quite a lot of fruit!"
The jujube tree... There's a jujube tree next door. I don't know if the ones here are sweeter or the ones next door are sweeter.
When leaving Tongjifang, the person I was most reluctant to part with was Sister Shuang.
She squatted down, stroking Xue'er's head, tears streaming down her face. Xue'er nestled obediently in her arms and burst into tears, crying out, "Can't you just stay?"
Lu Qiong felt guilty as she was being stared at so expectantly, but she didn't know how to comfort her.
Jinniang felt embarrassed and pulled Shuangjie up, saying, "What are you doing? Qiongjie is in a hurry. If you keep doing this, I'll have to give away the pastries they gave us later..."
Only food can cure it, and only Jinniang understands Shuangjie'er's temperament.
Upon hearing that the food was to be given away, Shuangjie wiped away her tears, got up from the ground, and hugged the food box in Jinniang's hand tightly. Although she didn't say a word, she made her choice clear.
Xue'er was left lying on the ground alone. Sensing her "little master's" resolute decision, her tail stopped in the air, as if she were somewhat confused.
Lu Qiong's guilt disappeared, and she smiled incessantly while holding Jin Niang's hand: "Shuang Jie'er is really interesting."
Jinniang: "..."
In preparation for the move, Lu Qiong had entrusted the shop to Sister Yang to manage. Now that she knew how capable Sister Yang was, Lu Qiong felt very reassured.
She even hired people to help move her belongings, making several trips before finally getting to the last one. Lu Qiong then checked the house inside and out to make sure nothing was left behind before leaving the courtyard.
However, they ran into Du Zai, who was rushing here, and Du Yan as well?
For the past six months, Du Zai has been busy with one thing: moving to a different house.
Their current living space is not only small, but also inconvenient. It is close to their neighbors, offering no privacy whatsoever, and is prone to conflicts with others.
Even Du Yanping didn't have enough space to study, so he could only use the pavilion at Yingtian Academy to read more books.
Although he never complained, Du Zai saw it all. Whenever there was a noise from the neighbors, he would frown. Just as he was about to calm down and study again, new noises would come from elsewhere, disturbing his peace.
So Du Zai started saving money to find him a quieter place. But who would have thought that the person who had previously lived there was the manager of Lu's restaurant?
Du Zai was shocked when he saw Lu Qiong for the first time, and thought to himself, "Oh no!"
Before anyone could stop them, Lu Qiong spoke up, pointing at the two of them: "Du Zai, Du Yan? Why are you two here together?"
After saying that, he realized that they must be brothers, since they shared the same surname and looked so alike.
However, Du Yan seemed somewhat puzzled: "Does Manager Lu know my brother?"
Lu Qiong hadn't expected such a coincidence, and said with a smile, "Previously, Mr. Lu..."
Even though Du Zai stopped her, he gave a forced smile and said, "Brother! Didn't you say before that Lu Ji's pastries were delicious? So I secretly took money to buy some a few times, but I didn't expect Manager Lu to remember me."
He even winked at Lu Qiong, "Right, Manager Lu?"
Lu Qiong then realized something was amiss and readily agreed, pretending not to remember: "It seems like that's how it happened..."
Just then, the driver urged her on, so she pointed to the luggage beside her and said, "I'm in a hurry to move my things. Let's talk another time?"
After saying that, she quickly ran away. Only after she had gone far away did Lu Qiong dare to turn around, where the two people were still talking outside the courtyard.
But for her, that matter is over now; moving is the priority!
The new house is next to Zhen'anfang, where the Xie family lives. However, her house is rather simple, and it's separated by an alley. She just had to pass by the Xie residence to go to Lu's shop.
When we came before, Lu Xuan and I cleaned up the mess and washed the floor tiles. It's much cleaner now.
Lu Xuan had stayed here to tidy up. Since the belongings were inevitably dusty during the moving, she drew water from the well to wipe them clean.
As soon as Xue'er arrived at her new home, she ran around everywhere. When she got tired, she would rest under the jujube tree and doze off with her eyes half-closed.
The kitchen was the first to be tidied up. Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Qiong used the flour she had brought to make some pancakes, which she dipped in egg wash. They were golden and crispy on the outside, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, making them even more fragrant.
Lu Xuan rushed over as soon as she smelled the aroma. As soon as she reached the kitchen door, she couldn't help but sniff and squint her eyes: "It smells so good...and I'm so hungry..."
Lu Qiong was also hungry, but she could hold out longer than Lu Qiong. She smiled as she brushed a layer of oil onto the pancakes in the pan, flipped them over, and they sizzled.
Once the food was cooked, the two of them didn't care about their image or the heat. Lu Xuan was yelling and stuffing food into her mouth, unable to say a word.
After settling into the house, they took a walk around the neighborhood to familiarize themselves with the environment. Lu Qiong had been there a few times before, so she was quite used to it.
It was no different from Tongjifang, except that prices were higher in this area. They bought two cotton-padded coats at a clothing store and then decided to go back.
The setting sun shone on the street, and the number of pedestrians gradually decreased.
Lu Qiong was carrying a package in each hand. She wanted to tell Lu Xuan, who was walking ahead, to slow down, but then she saw a familiar figure in the distance.
Is it Xie Xun?
It seems like they just came from the Xie residence.
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