Chapter 44: The smile was fake, but sweet.
Yu Wan just wanted to sit down and rest, but the young man picked her up and carried her away.
"Wait, wait!" she called out hastily.
Seeing that she was quite frightened, He Jing wanted to take her away quickly.
"What's wrong? Did you drop something? Let's leave this place first, and I'll come back to get it for you."
Yu Wan pointed to the snake nailed to the tree, "This doesn't seem to be a venomous snake."
He Jing glanced back and said, "Yes, that's not it."
"Put me down," Yu Wan said.
The snake just now attacked her face-to-face; it was the first time in both of her lives that she had ever witnessed such a powerful attack. It was truly shocking.
I was scared because it happened so suddenly, but I'm much better now.
He Jing hesitated for a moment, not understanding what she was going to do, but still put the person down.
The girl ran off excitedly as soon as her feet touched the ground, leaving the boy standing there staring at his own hands.
It's strange, when my hands are empty, it feels like my heart is empty too.
Yu Wan walked to the tree, intending to pull out the dagger with the snake embedded in it, but found herself lacking the strength.
"Come and help me out!"
He Jing came to his senses and saw the girl gripping the dagger handle with both hands, one foot braced against the tree trunk, straining with all her might, her face flushed red.
"Why didn't you retrieve the weapon after you killed the snake?" the girl asked.
He Jing came to her side, took out the dagger, and the snake fell to the ground naturally.
Yu Wan felt as if he hadn't exerted any effort at all, and praised, "You're really amazing!"
She looked the boy over and suddenly smiled sweetly.
He Jing was stunned. "What...what are you doing?"
"Could you help me carry it back to the restaurant?" Yu Wan asked softly, her voice carrying a hint of coquetry.
He Jing frowned as he looked at the snake, clearly disgusted.
Yu Wan, fearing he might be unwilling, explained with a smile, "Snake meat is a good thing. Since it's already dead, it's a waste to leave it here. Why not take it back and make a snake soup to nourish everyone?"
He Jing stood motionless, his whole body resisting. "Can't you just not have it?"
Yu Wan didn't insist: "Never mind, I'll think of another way."
She grabbed the snake's tail, but just as she was about to drag it away, the boy snatched it away.
"If you keep dragging this out, you won't be able to get down the mountain until dark."
Yu Wan wasn't surprised at all; her smile grew even sweeter.
Thank you!
He Jing: "..."
Although the smile looks fake, it is... actually quite sweet.
The boy carrying a snake—the scene is rather…beautiful yet eerie.
"Wait!" Yu Wan quickly called out to them.
“We just passed a stream, let’s go there and tidy up first, otherwise you look a bit strange like this.”
While Yu Wan was cleaning up the snake by the stream, the boy sat on a large rock nearby, watching her silently.
It was already noon when I got home.
Yu Wan spent two hours making a snake soup. At first, Yu's mother dared not eat it, but when Rong Lao said it was good for her health, she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes to eat it.
The remaining snake meat was all taken by Elder Rong.
When Yu Wan and the others returned to the county town, it was already dark.
Just then, Xue Xiujun returned, but for some reason, he didn't look well.
He saw that He Jing had also come to the county town, so he hurriedly pulled him out the door.
Yu Wan had no idea what the two of them were up to, but since it was a holiday, she figured she could do whatever she wanted.
With nothing else to do, she picked up the account books of the head office and branches and carefully read through them.
Now, she has made a net profit of five thousand taels of silver, and the two shops are worth a total of one thousand taels.
Indeed, seizing opportunities is very important.
While everyone else was looking to protect themselves, she stepped up and made money.
When I first came into this world, I was penniless, just like yesterday.
As she was sighing, Jin Yifei came over and said that Lord Zhu had invited her.
Lord Zhu still invited her into his study alone, and without beating around the bush, "Now that the farming task is over, some people are free. Awan, do you have any ideas on how to encourage everyone to find more things to do?"
Yu Wan knew his intention was to boost the economy, and smiled, "Sir, with years of war, the rich are hoarding their silver, while the poor have neither the cost nor the opportunity to do anything. Moreover, most people are rather conservative. Besides, we are a small county town in a remote area, and there may not be many truly wealthy people. Relying solely on the people in the county town will not result in a qualitative leap in the economy."
Lord Zhu nodded in agreement, "You're right, so how do we break this deadlock?"
Yu Wan replied, "We need more people to come here."
Lord Zhu sighed, "But most of the locals have left, so why are there still outsiders coming?"
"Whether it's a country or a small county, without population, everything is just empty talk," Yu Wan said.
"To be effective, we must first have something to offer to attract people here, but this is not something that can be done overnight. For example, we need to improve the image of our county, such as the cleanliness of the streets and alleys, the security and order in public places, and the shops that can promote consumption and provide opportunities for the poor to make money. In addition, we need to provide more value to attract people from other places."
I think we can create a buzz, and then invite famous or influential people to come and spread the word about our unique features, attracting even more people. That's what's known as the "celebrity effect."
Lord Zhu pondered carefully, "Your restaurant does fit the gimmick you just mentioned."
“Yes, but it’s far from enough,” Yu Wan said sincerely. “I’m confident that I can spread the restaurant’s reputation beyond the county town, but if people come to the county town just to have a meal, it’s far from enough. I can make money, but it won’t be enough for the county town.”
After a moment of deep thought, Lord Zhu said, "I understand."
Yu Wan was secretly pleased; this magistrate was indeed a clever man, understanding things immediately.
"Hahaha..." Lord Zhu laughed and pointed at her, "You little girl, you're really ambitious. I just realized that you always have a plan in mind, waiting for me to come to you."
When Yu Wan's thoughts were exposed, she admitted directly, "To put it selfishly, I don't want my family and I to starve to death, and I don't want everything I have gained to vanish. So I want to bravely change the environment around me, but it's not enough for me to do it alone."
Lord Zhu gave her a thumbs up, "You're truly remarkable, young lady. To be honest, I had considered your method before, but it was just wishful thinking because I lacked the resources to support my ideas. If it weren't for your restaurant's sudden emergence and your courageous nature, which gave me this opportunity, I really wouldn't have dared to do it."
Yu Wan asked, "So, what are your specific plans for the next step?"
Yes, just daydreaming won't do. We need to come up with feasible plans and put them into action!
This also relates to her restaurant's next steps.
Lord Zhu pondered for a moment, “I plan to spend the first two months improving the overall image of the county. After that… although I am just a minor official and cannot invite influential figures, I do know some famous friends. I will invite them to come and visit. Perhaps through them, they can help us.”
After saying this, he suddenly looked sorrowful and let out a bitter sigh.
"Of course, the premise for doing these things is that this place has not yet been affected by the war."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "My lord, don't be so pessimistic. At least not yet. What if one day we suddenly make peace and stop fighting?"
Master Zhu laughed heartily, thinking to himself that this girl was still young enough to say such fantastical things.
But on second thought, it was probably more of a way to comfort him.
As they left Lord Zhu's study, Jin Yifei suggested, "Wan, it's still early, how about we go for a stroll? You haven't really had a proper time to relax since the branch opened, have you?"
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Sure, I was just thinking of taking a walk. Are there any deserted places around the county town? Take me for a stroll."
Jin Yifei was baffled and said with a wry smile, "When other people go shopping, they go wherever it's lively. Why are you doing the opposite? It's okay, you can go anywhere you want. Let's go!"
The two boarded the carriage and drove around the county town along the main road.
The area to the east of the county town is desolate, belonging to private property, the ancestral estate of a high-ranking official.
The terrain to the north and west is not good and does not meet Yu Wan's requirements.
Finally, they arrived in the south, Jin Yifei explained.
"As far as I know, this is public property, and the management rights are with the county government. It could have been provided for the people to build houses. A piece of land could have been bought at a very low price, but not many people bought it because it's too remote. Look at the distance, that direction is Liang State, and the battlefield is 300 miles ahead. So the people are very afraid to live here. If the enemy invades, they will definitely start their attack from here."
Yu Wan looked in the direction he was pointing, but it was too far away to see clearly.
A battlefield?
Her adoptive father and adoptive brother must be in that place right now, right?
The renowned young general He Jing also killed the enemy's crown prince there.
Because of him, the war came to a standstill. It has to be said that this move gave many people a breather, perhaps including the soldiers on the battlefield.
Otherwise, who knows how badly the fighting would have turned out; their entire county might have been razed to the ground.
With its formidable strength and the allied forces of several other smaller neighboring states, it seemed only a matter of time before Liang defeated Jin, the kingdom she belonged to.
But didn't General He and the soldiers on the battlefield know this?
They knew their chances of winning were slim, but they persisted, protecting their country with their bodies.
She didn't understand warfare, but she could imagine what General He's feelings were, that he was willing to pay any price to kill the enemy's crown prince and win this brief period of peace.
Jin Yifei seemed to have guessed her intention and tentatively spoke.
“Awan, now you have a main store in town and a branch in the county. You have enough ability to start a new life in a different place. After all, there are many unstable factors here. My aunt and uncle have been urging my cousin to leave. You... why don't you consider it?”
The young man's eyes held a kind of restrained longing and expectation, but reality disappointed him.
Yu Wan smiled slightly, "Perhaps one day I will leave here, but not now. I feel that given the current situation, it doesn't really matter where I go. In fact, my situation might be worse than here if I went somewhere else."
She finally managed to establish herself here, and now she has to start all over again in a strange place. That's all manageable, but finding a group of people she gets along with is very rare.
The staff at her shop are all very nice, and everyone gets along well, so she will definitely not give up this place.
Besides, how many county magistrates in the world are as obedient as Lord Zhu?
Anyway, she thought it was quite rare.
"But..." Jin Yifei became somewhat agitated in his haste when he saw her reject his suggestion.
"But have you considered that this war will break out again soon? General He's fate is currently unknown. If our army can't resist, the enemy will attack. And General He may already be..."
"What if he's not dead? Wouldn't it be like disappearing without a trace?" Yu Wan laughed.
Jin Yifei, however, was not optimistic, shaking his head and saying, "That's because you don't know what's going on inside the court. I've heard rumors that some people don't want him to live. His fate will either be to die on the battlefield, or to be framed on trumped-up charges and executed, or to be assassinated..."
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