Shen Qingyu was completely oblivious and kept urging, "Why aren't you eating? It's been washed."
Qi Yunxiao: "Okay, I'll eat now."
Taking a bite of the peach, the taste is indeed very good, sweet and juicy, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Qi Yunxiao remembered that back in Shenjia Village, Shen Qingyu had also brought out similar delicious peaches, about the same size and color, and she said she bought them at the market...
As a businessman who traveled all over the country, Qi Yunxiao knew very well that all fruits, vegetables, and even livestock varied slightly from place to place.
This peach...
After quietly finishing the peach, Qi Yunxiao tossed the pit aside and said casually, "Such a delicious peach is best enjoyed by just the two of us. Let's not share it with outsiders."
Shen Qingyu paused in wiping the peach juice, glanced at Qi Yunxiao, but didn't notice anything unusual.
What did he realize? Was he reminding himself?
Or was it just a thoughtless remark?
After a two-second silence, Shen Qingyu nodded in agreement: "Okay."
In the days that followed, the couple led the Dragon Guards, traveling day and night, and soon returned to Tongxin Prefecture.
Autumn is a time of harvest.
In previous years, at this time, after the people harvested the new grain and paid their taxes to the emperor, they would sell the rest and exchange it for coarse grains.
If there's any extra, they'll buy a few feet of cloth or a few pounds of cotton for the children who are growing taller, to patch up short clothes, and to mend quilts with holes...
Unfortunately, due to a poor harvest, everything came to nothing.
A sense of dread permeated both inside and outside Tongxin Mansion.
With soaring grain prices, people in tattered clothes became emaciated and looked distressed.
There's no grain in the fields, and the people can't afford to buy grain... How are they supposed to survive?
As the convoy laden with goods passed by, the refugee-like civilians stared intently at it. If it weren't for the imperial guards accompanying them, they would have pounced on it and tried to steal the goods.
There were quite a few children and girls with straw markers stuck in their hair.
There were also two or three housekeepers from wealthy families who would go and look at the dolls of all sizes, and buy them if they were suitable.
Buy it now, it's cheaper.
Shen Qingyu felt depressed.
Even though she had taken in many refugees before, seeing them like this now still made her feel bad.
Qi Yunxiao patted the top of her head: "Don't overthink it, you're just a person too."
Shen Qingyu knew, of course.
But it was precisely because of this that Shen Qingyu felt even more powerless.
"Our soap factory needs to be expanded. How about we buy these children who are being sold?"
Qi Yunxiao knew she was kind-hearted and had just shown kindness. His heart softened, and he called Gao Er over and whispered a few instructions to him.
Before long, you could hear the second-year high school student shouting at the top of his lungs into the street: "Anyone who wants to come and work with us can bring their kids. We promise you won't starve."
Shen Qingyu went to see Qi Yunxiao.
Qi Yunxiao smiled and patted Shen Qingyu's head: "Do as much as you can. The rest is beyond our ability to help with."
The refugees, now that they have water and the Dragon Guards to maintain order and management, will soon be able to get back on track.
With the charter in place, everything becomes much easier.
If these people go back with them, they can be integrated into the management of the refugee group.
Anyway, the Imperial Guards are watching, and Qi Yunxiao doesn't intend to hide it from the new emperor, so His Majesty can rest assured.
Hearing that they wouldn't starve, families who had brought their children to buy dolls flocked to inquire.
After receiving instructions from Qi Yunxiao, Gao Er first sent people to buy steamed buns, mantou, and porridge from the steamed bun shop and porridge shop. Then he left people behind to gather those who wanted to go outside the city gate.
Anyone who's willing to go can register and receive a large steamed bun or baozi, plus a bowl of porridge.
Although we're not getting enough to eat, at least we won't starve to death.
People arrived in droves.
Once everyone has gathered, the remaining guards will lead the group to Hengshui Town.
Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao's convoy rolled forward, not traveling with them.
When Cheng Ping came out of the Qian residence, he saw a new wave of refugees swarming towards the city gate.
"Is someone distributing porridge outside the city gate?" Cheng Ping asked the guards accompanying him.
The servant immediately went to inquire and returned a moment later with a reply: "It is the Dragon Guard who are gathering refugees and leading them to Hengshui Town."
Cheng Ping's eyes flickered slightly, he nodded, and glanced at the direction of the city gate with a complicated expression.
He had his own information channels and knew that Qi Yunxiao and Shen Qingyu had returned from the capital.
At the same time, he also learned that Qi Yunxiao had been granted an official position, Shen Qingyu had been granted the title of county princess, and that she was actually the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei's mansion.
By a twist of fate, Qi Yunxiao managed to escape from the Qingping Marquis's residence, and just then, the Qingping Marquis suffered a stroke...
I never expected that the brother I met once back then would be so lucky!
And yet, this incredibly lucky man also has such a wonderful wife…
That's infuriating!
Unfortunately, he had already been sidelined.
Cheng Ping lowered his eyes, suddenly losing his desire to go out, and turned to walk back to the Qian residence: "Back home."
The first thing Shen Qingyu did upon returning to Hengshui Town was not to go back to Shenjia Village, but to go to the dock.
The soap workshop by the dock was so busy that people were practically steaming!
Inspired by Shen Qingyu's mooncakes, everyone in the workshop is now working with full enthusiasm.
Because of the increase in orders, many more people were added, making the originally spacious courtyard completely full.
As soon as Shen Qingyu arrived at the soap workshop, she immediately ordered someone to send out the soap destined for the general store of the Duke of Wei's mansion in the capital.
The most expensive goods sent to the capital were goat milk soap and tea seed oil soap with added floral water, accounting for 10%; soap without floral water accounted for 20%; and plain soap accounted for 70%.
Seeing the containers fully loaded onto the carriage, ready to depart as soon as Shen Qingyu returned to check the goods, Shen Qingyu knew that Qi Yunxiao must have summoned the Dragon Guards in advance to inform them.
The Duke of Wei's mansion has its own general store. Although Hu Jinxiu's Jialefang also has a store in the capital, doesn't Hu Jinxiu's Jialefang not have soap?
The newly renamed Yu Ji Grocery Store of the Duke of Wei's Mansion took this opportunity to overtake its competitors.
Shen Qingyu suddenly decided she could no longer tolerate Hu Jinxiu, who repeatedly coveted her man.
Smacking her lips, Shen Qingyu was unwilling to admit that it was because Qi Yunxiao was... too useful.
It's a bit addictive.
After sending out the goods from the capital and confirming that the remaining outstanding goods had been shipped, Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao began discussing how much soap they should prepare to send to Xia Kingdom.
The new ruler of Xia mentioned this before: since we're going to buy grain, it would be best to bring soap along as well.
Shen Qingyu secretly asked Qi Yunxiao, "Do you think they would agree if we traded soap for food?"
Qi Yunxiao discovered that ever since Shen Qingyu had become intimate with him again, she no longer concealed her girlish nature.
She has become much less gentle and graceful than before.
As if stripped of its disguise, it becomes even more...within reach.
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