Chapter 38: Spring Outing
Yu Wan and her team worked in the county town for nearly ten days and have now basically completed the project.
On this day, a day when the restaurants in town were closed, He Jing led everyone to visit the county town.
Yu's mother followed her daughter around the restaurant and then went to the backyard, where there was a large garden.
Yu Wan explained one by one, "After the restaurant in front opens, the backyard will be our daily living area. The garden will not be open to the public. I have planted a lot of flower seeds, and they will grow in a few days."
Yu's mother couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Awan, is Mother dreaming?" she asked uncertainly.
Yu Cheng was extremely excited, running around up and down the stairs and inside and outside several times, hugging his older sister and shouting loudly.
"Sister! This place is so big! Sister, you're amazing!"
Mother Yu cautioned, "Acheng, don't run around! It would be terrible if you broke something. This is something your older sister earned through her own hard work. We can't help you much, so don't cause any trouble, understand?"
She grew up in a farming family and later married into another farming family. She had never even seen such a grand restaurant before, let alone lived or ate there. After her husband and son went to war, her life became even more miserable. Therefore, she found it hard to believe this wonderful surprise and treated everything here with utmost care.
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Mom, it's alright. The things here are all of very good quality and not so easy to break. Besides, even if they break, it's okay. If they can be repaired, we'll repair them; if they can't be repaired, we'll replace them."
Even with that in mind, Yu Cheng didn't dare to go too far.
"Sister, is this grand restaurant yours from now on?"
Yu Wan nodded, saying confidently, "Yes! Not just here, there will be more in the future."
Yu Cheng clapped his hands and cheered, "Wow! Sister, your dream can come true!"
Yu Wan pinched his nose, "Our family will be rich from now on!"
Yu Cheng happily spun around, when suddenly he heard his sister change the subject.
"Acheng, I've already found out. There's a pretty good school nearby. I'll go and arrange your enrollment in the next few days. You can start school as soon as you and your mother move here."
"Huh? Is it okay if I don't go to school?" Yu Cheng asked with a bitter face. "These days, besides teaching me martial arts, Brother A-Su has also taught me to read. I can already recite a lot of things. I also want to stay with Mother and Sister forever. Besides, Brother A-Su teaches me martial arts every day. What will I do if I go to school?"
Yu Wan never expected that He Suzhi would take such good care of her casual remark, even taking care of her basic literacy skills.
For so long, she had never cared about how far he had progressed in martial arts, nor had she ever asked. She had never had high hopes from the beginning, and only wanted Yu Cheng to exercise to improve his health and reduce illness.
"It's not enough to just know how to read; you also need to learn principles and write essays. Even if you can't compose poetry fluently, you still need to be able to understand the principles. As for the schedule, go to school during the day and practice martial arts from early morning to late at night. Ah Cheng, let's work together, brother and sister!"
"Ah! No! Sister! Help!" Yu Cheng cried out, collapsing onto the smooth floor, his body giving way.
Mother Yu smiled, "Get up quickly, what kind of behavior is this? Just listen to your sister. I'll add one more thing: from now on, you're not allowed to eat until you've finished your homework after school!"
Yu Wan knew that the child was still very sensible, so even though he complained, he would still do what he was supposed to do.
Ignoring her younger brother's wails, she needed to find He Suzhi to inquire about the restaurant's current situation.
Where are they?
After searching for a while, I finally saw the familiar boy's back. I don't know what he was talking about with another boy. Both of them looked very serious. Even the usually talkative Xue Xiujun had become a bit more reserved.
The two men were equally alert and noticed her approaching almost simultaneously, so they ended their conversation and looked over at the same time.
Xue Xiujun felt uneasy under the boss's scrutinizing gaze, so he made up an excuse and slipped away.
Yu Wan focused her gaze on the remaining boys' faces. "What were you talking about just now? You were being so secretive."
He Jing pursed his lips. "Nothing, you wanted to see me?"
"Well, how's the restaurant? Are you managing to keep up?" Yu Wan didn't press the matter further; since they weren't going to answer, she didn't press them.
Let's focus on our own restaurants first.
"Yes," He Jing replied softly, "Everything is fine. Those few people have basically mastered it. It's all thanks to your thoughtfulness in teaching them the popular dishes first. For those who don't know how to make them, just follow your instructions and have them come to the county town in a few days. Many people are looking forward to the opening of this store."
Yu Wan nodded in satisfaction. Everything went smoothly, that's good.
"Thanks for your hard work."
By the way, I need to ask Xue Xiujun how the recruitment of new staff is going. Why hasn't she been interviewed yet?
As she turned to leave, she found herself enveloped by a tall shadow.
She looked up at the boy's stern face and wondered if he had grown taller again.
"What's up?"
He Jing stared intently at the girl's face, pursing his lips.
"Don't you have any other questions?"
After careful consideration, Yu Wan realized she had nothing more to ask.
This person is very reliable and trustworthy; it might not be the same if it were Xue Xiujun.
"No, that's all."
The glimmer of expectation in He Jing's eyes instantly dimmed. "Never mind if you don't have it."
Xue Xiujun, hiding in the corner, was encouraging him.
“Oh, right,” Yu Wan suddenly remembered that there was something she really wanted to ask.
He Jing's eyes lit up again. "What's wrong?"
"Where is Elder Rong? Is he still searching for treasure on the mountain?" Yu Wan had felt something was missing before, and only then did she realize that the old doctor hadn't come.
He Jing's face darkened. "Hmm."
Yu Wan looked at him curiously, "Are you alright?"
Why does this person always look so gloomy? Was it because of an unhappy childhood or a deep-seated hatred?
He Jing pursed his lips, but swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Remembering his injury, Yu Wan asked, "How is your injury? Did Elder Rong heal it?"
The boy's brows relaxed abruptly, and a faint smile unconsciously curved his lips. "That's about it."
Just as he was about to say something more, he saw Jin Yifei walking gracefully towards him.
The boy's eyes were sharp, and he rolled his eyes.
Jin Yifei felt as if he were being locked onto by an unseen blade, his life or death entirely in the hands of the other party.
That look in his eyes gave him a sense of déjà vu.
However, there were more important things to do at the moment, so he temporarily put aside his doubts.
"A-Wan, why did you call me here?"
Yu Wan took out a silver note and handed it to him.
Jin Yifei looked puzzled. "What does this mean?"
"This is the money for the tables and chairs from last time, Young Master Jin. I already know that you bought them back from the old employees of Fumanju with your own money. They wanted to use these to pay their wages, but they couldn't sell them until you found them."
Jin Yifei didn't accept it, but smiled awkwardly, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, nothing much. Consider it my opening gift to you, okay?"
Yu Wan handed the silver notes to him; one hundred taels of silver was no small sum.
"Don't do that again next time."
Jin Yifei smiled wryly: "Okay, I was wrong about this. I apologize to you, please don't be angry."
"I'm not angry, I just feel this is inappropriate, and I hope you can understand," Yu Wan said with a smile.
These days, Jin Yifei comes over to help every few days. Although they have become friends, one thing is one thing, and she will never accept anything that is not rightfully hers.
Jin Yifei asked with a smile, "By the way, when is the opening date? Do you need me to find someone to help you choose an auspicious day?"
Yu Wan thought about it. Although she trusted herself more, there was no harm in choosing an auspicious time.
"Then please help me look for it, thank you."
Jin Yifei then asked, "I see the restaurant is almost ready. If we're free tomorrow, how about we go on a spring outing together?"
Upon hearing this, He Jing glared at him angrily.
Xue Xiujun, who was in the distance, also became anxious.
Yu Wan politely declined, saying, "I have other things to do, I'm sorry."
Back in town, Yu Wan began to inspect the restaurant inside and out, and sure enough, every corner was spotless.
She was very satisfied.
Noticing that He Suzhi had been following him, and guessing that he had something to say, he asked:
"What's wrong?"
He Jing's eyes flickered, as if there was something he was ashamed to say.
"What...what do you have planned for tomorrow? I'll go take care of it for you early, and then we can go on a spring outing together."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Then let's go on a spring outing to the back mountain tomorrow. Anyway, we can't go any further than that right now."
He Jing looked surprised and delighted, "You agreed?"
Yu Wan nodded: "That's right! That's what I was thinking too. We're on the same page, and we're quite in sync."
He Jing stared intently at the girl's small face, too excited to speak, until he was left alone, at which point he couldn't help but jump up and down twice.
The next day, He Jing changed into the new clothes he had made a few days earlier. He looked in the mirror before leaving the room and saw Yu Wan wearing coarse linen clothes that she hadn't worn for many days.
Yu Wan's eyes lit up when she saw the young man. She had to admit, he was a perfect clothes hanger. Not only did he have a great figure, but he was also very handsome. He was really pleasing to the eye.
that is……
He Jing looked puzzled. "Why are you dressed like this?"
Yu Wan retorted, "Didn't we agree to help me with the work first before the spring outing? The land behind the mountain needs to be cultivated. Let's plant the crops this morning, and then we'll have time to play this afternoon."
Xue Xiujun looked helpless and secretly gave He Jing a wink, indicating that he was powerless to help.
Yu Wan urged, "He Suzhi, go change into your usual clothes. Wear this new outfit on the opening day of the new store. Oh, and Axiu, your clothes are almost finished too. You all need to dress up nicely then, okay?"
The sun was about to rise, and she didn't want to wait any longer. After giving her instructions, she left first.
"Yes, boss lady." Xue Xiujun, with Yu Wan on his back, shrugged at He Jing.
He Jing went back to his room to change his clothes with a dark expression.
Upon arriving at the back of the mountain, they discovered a thatched hut that had appeared out of nowhere.
An old man walked out of the house; it was none other than Elder Rong.
"What brings you all here? What do you think of the house I built?"
Yu Wan never expected that the old man would live in the mountains in search of American ginseng, and even build himself a house.
"Old Rong, there won't be any more American ginseng on this mountain. Why don't you look for it elsewhere?"
“Who said there isn’t one?” Old Rong pointed to a spot not far away. “I’m doing an experiment. If the American ginseng you gave me can survive, then I’ll have a lot of American ginseng. So I planted it in the soil. I’m going to cultivate it carefully. Maybe it will work.”
As they were talking, they noticed a large group of people heading up the mountain and heading towards them.
Chen Lie, Aunt Li, and more than twenty others came up the mountain, their faces beaming with simple smiles. They carried farm tools, drove cattle, and greeted everyone warmly.
"Madam Yu, we heard you need to plow the fields, so we've come to help!"
Yu Wan greeted them one by one. She recognized some of them from the restaurant, but not others. She guessed that Chen Lie had helped her borrow a cow and a plow yesterday, which is why people knew she was going to farm.
"Thank you everyone. I'll treat you all to dinner when I'm done with this!"
Everyone hurriedly said they had brought their own food, and fearing she wouldn't believe them, they all opened their bundles to show her.
Yu Wan is different now than when she first came to this world; she can still afford a meal.
Let alone twenty-odd people, we'll be feeding even more people in the coming months.
"If you help me with the work, I'll definitely provide meals. It's getting late, let's hurry up and get to work!"
Everyone was delighted to hear this and worked even harder.
But as they worked on it, everyone noticed a problem.
This Mrs. Yu seems to know a lot about farming!
She even plans and lays out many things in advance, which is really forward-thinking and more professional than the farmers among them.
For example, people cut bamboo to divert water for irrigation, and crops such as vegetables and fruits are divided into different zones, with a wide variety of types.
Her seeds also looked like high-quality seeds, each one plump and full, and they looked like they would produce a good yield, so many people wanted to buy them from her.
What should have been a day's work was completed in just two hours thanks to the help of these people.
Yu Wan was in a good mood, so she shared some seeds with them for free. Everyone was so happy that they had boundless energy. Seeing that Rong Lao's self-built thatched house was suspected of being dilapidated and would definitely not withstand wind and rain, they helped him reinforce it.
Old Rong ran all over the mountain, and when he came back, he saw that his house was much better than before. He smiled and thanked them.
Since she didn't have enough ingredients, and it wasn't convenient for Yu Wan to get ingredients from the system, she instructed He Suzhi and Xue Xiujun to go back to the restaurant to get more.
Xue Xiujun looked at He Jing with a hint of schadenfreude, and asked knowingly:
"Boss lady, are we still going on the spring outing later?"
Yu Wan smiled and retorted, "Isn't this what a spring outing is like?"
Xue Xiujun said, "This is the busy farming season, which is very different from the spring outing that many people imagine!"
Yu Wan assumed he was just tired from working. "You haven't suffered enough. We're not rich, so we don't have time to waste. Hurry up and come back. They've finished their work and are waiting for their meal. Don't neglect them."
Everyone has helped so much, we can't let them wait on an empty stomach.
He Jing said nothing and turned to go down the mountain.
Xue Xiujun quickly caught up, "This proprietress only cares about making money, she can't see anything else! I'm worried for you!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" He Jing said coldly. "I just wanted to thank her for saving me. Seeing how tired she is every day, I wanted to help her relax a bit. Since she doesn't want to, then forget it. By the way, I've already received news that the imperial court is about to make a move. You need to step up your efforts as well, because it's hard to say what the situation will be like later."
"Why do you keep denying it? Do you think I'm blind?" Xue Xiujun grabbed a branch with newly sprouted buds from the roadside and waved it in the air.
"You don't even tell me the truth? We're practically friends."
He stared at the branch in his hand, a look of worry on his face. "My situation isn't good either. I don't know how much longer I can hold on."
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