Morning Light
A familiar oxcart stopped outside the door. Qi Jiami, her fingers bandaged, was helped down from the cart by an old woman. Taishi Zheng and Yi Zishi stood by the door, watching Qi Jiami slowly approach. Zheng, surprised by the scene, asked, "Eleventh Lady, what happened to you?"
Qi Jiami held up her cloth-wrapped hands, feigning pity. "Zheng, look at my hands..."
"Leave her alone, she's looking for trouble again."
Yi Zishi noticed something was going on, turned around and pulled Tai Shi Zheng's sleeve, telling her not to pay attention to Qi Jiami.
Seeing this, Qi Jiami chased after him, raised all ten fingers in front of Yi Zishi, and said, "Yi Zishi, do you still have any compassion? My hand is already bandaged like this. It's fine if you don't care about me, but why are you instigating Zheng to ignore me?"
Yi Zishi rolled his eyes at Qi Jiami, then reached out and pinched her fingertips without saying a word.
Qi Jiami angrily withdrew her finger and warned Yi Zishi, "Go away, don't touch it. If the Impatiens gets on your fingertips, I'll never let you go—"
Seeing the person in front of him was exposed, Yi Zishi sneered and looked at Taishi Zheng. "Zheng, look at her. She's completely fine. If she was really in trouble, wouldn't she have told us to take our supplies to the Prince of Bei's mansion to check on her long ago? How could we still have no news? You underestimate our grandson of the Prince of Bei."
Grandson of Prince Bei?
This, this is such a royal relative...
I believe that even the Princess of Lingshan County would have to bow down and obey the man in front of her.
Cang Yi and Song Mingyue, the sisters-in-law, were still sitting at the table, bewildered, when they suddenly stood up and stood still, not daring to overstep their bounds. Zheng, on the other end, glared at Qi Jiami with disdain and angrily said, "...Qi Shiyi, how dare you lie to me? You've made me worry for nothing."
Seeing Taishi Zheng's anger, Qi Jiami immediately changed her tone, "No, I didn't. She was the one who interrupted me. Zheng, you can't blame me like she did. I was painting my nails here, and when I heard about you, I immediately came here without a care in the world, wrapping my fingers. But, why did you invite us here today..."
As she spoke, Qi Jiami glanced at the people standing behind Tai Shi Zheng. She pointed casually and asked, "Who are they?"
Yi Zishi slapped her hand away, "Don't be rude. This is Zheng's sister-in-law, the daughter-in-law of the Bo family."
Qi Jiami had no ill intentions, nor was she arrogant; she was simply used to being unrestrained. Seeing that she was still afraid of Yi Zishi, she simply uttered an "oh" after being patted, and said nothing more. Zheng then hurriedly turned back to introduce them to each other.
"Sister-in-law, Mingyue, this is the young lady's niece, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, Yi Zishi. She is my childhood friend."
Little lady?
What kind of royal relative is this...
After all, Taishi Zheng was so kind and friendly in his daily life that they actually forgot Zheng's identity.
Suddenly meeting Taishi Zheng's friends and family, Cang Yi and Song Mingyue were visibly flustered. They nodded timidly and said hello. Yi Zishi, however, was generous; after all, she had to give Zheng some respect. "Don't be so reserved, you two. Just treat me and you as equals. I've only heard Zheng say that her sisters-in-law are very friendly, and seeing you two chatting and laughing today, I know what she said is true. So, I'll have to ask you to take good care of me from now on."
"Of course, of course." Cang Yi didn't dare to say much, and Song Mingyue just followed Cang Yi and agreed.
But when it came time to introduce Qi Jiami, she interrupted Taishi Zheng and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Qi Jiami, and Zheng and I have been friends since childhood. If you don't mind, you can just call me Eleventh Lady. I don't have so many rules, so feel free to do as you please."
Qi Jiami's introduction was as simple as she was, completely surprising Cang Yi and Song Mingyue.
They imagined that a prince like Qi Jiami would be even more arrogant than a county lord like Qi Yijun. He might even look down on them. But the respect Qi Jiami and Yi Zishi showed them gradually lowered their guard. They smiled amiably.
It turns out that they are not far away from each other. What is far away is only the imaginary prejudice between them.
But before Zheng called them over, she had never felt worried for a moment.
Because she knew they were all very good people.
-
There is no need for too many words to introduce each other.
Just start with a first name or last name.
Qi Jiami sauntered over to the table, looked at the dinner party that had just begun, and said, "Zheng, why didn't you tell me earlier that you had a dinner party today? If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have worn armor today. It seems like you're just trying to piss me off, picking on me when you have something to do—"
"Tell me, what bad things do you want to do to me today?"
Yi Zishi was afraid that Qi Jiami's outspokenness would scare the person on the other side, so she quickly took over the conversation, "Qi Shiyi, keep your mouth shut today. What do you want to eat? I'll feed you. See if I can stop you from talking."
Qi Jiami curled her lips.
I thought to myself that this man was becoming more and more domineering, controlling everything in the world and even controlling what I said.
Then, Qi Jiami reluctantly sat down and raised her head and nodded to the side, "You said it. Xiaoyi, this prince wants to eat fresh fried long beans, ah——"
Yi Zishi narrowed his eyes and glared at the complacent Qi Jiami.
You're eating long beans, right? Eat more.
She was holding back her anger, and only because they were in a crowd did she let it go. Then Yi Zishi picked up a long bean with wooden chopsticks and shoved it down the throat of the person in front of her. Qi Jiami retched at her seat, biting the bean and complaining, "Yi Zishi, are you trying to kill me?"
Yi Zishi sneered without saying a word, then sat down next to Qi Jiami with his chopsticks raised.
She looked up at the three people staring at each other in a daze, and immediately turned around and smiled, "Don't worry, everyone. She has a shallow throat. It's just an old problem. Don't bother her. Please take a seat, please."
Upon hearing this, Tai Shi Zheng hurriedly invited Cang Yi and Song Mingyue to sit down.
The five of them gathered around the table, half reserved, half at ease. Qi Jiami didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, she asked Taishi Zheng, "Zheng, you didn't call us here today just to have a meal together, did you? What's going on? Tell me quickly."
Zheng put down her chopsticks and told them the purpose of their visit.
Afterward, Qi Jiami and Yi Zishi listened attentively to Taishi Zheng's story, nodding their heads in silence. They knew Zheng's kindness well. Therefore, they didn't need to ask too many questions; all they needed was a word from Zheng, and they would go all out for her.
"Sister Yi, Eleventh Lady, this is what's going on. I want to open a shop and hope to get everyone's help. I think in the future, not just me, but many people who can benefit from this will be grateful to everyone today."
Zheng said it sincerely.
Yi Zishi looked at her and smiled. She felt that Zheng had grown up. "If that's the case, I'm willing to help those in need."
Qi Jiami took the opportunity to belittle Yi Zishi and elevate herself in order to avenge her earlier grudge. "Tsk, what if you can't help others? You won't help Zheng? Zheng, don't pay attention to her. I'm different from her. As long as you can raise any problem that doesn't violate the law, I will do my best to help you."
"Tell me, how much money do I need to open a shop——"
Qi Jiami boasted of her wealth, but Taishi Zheng wasn't far behind. Zheng shook her head. "No, no, I can handle the money myself. I need you to help me with something else, like...something to save my face."
"Saving face?"
Yi Zishi wanted to laugh when she heard this, "How can she have any dignity?"
Qi Jiami angrily raised her elbow and nagged Yi Zishi, "Shut up! I'm the grandson of the Prince of Bei. I don't have dignity, but do you? You're quite funny. Zheng, go on. As long as it's not so embarrassing that I'll get scolded by Big Daddy, I can handle it."
Zheng waved her hand. "Eleventh Lady, this isn't that complicated. I just want you to help me get to the government office and apply for a business license. I think with you, Prince Bei, stepping in, those people won't dare to make things too difficult. And things will go more smoothly."
Qi Jiami understood what Taishi Zheng meant. "Is it that simple? Then just wait and see. If I don't get this done for you, you can go and complain to Big Daddy."
Zheng was deeply relieved and immediately grabbed Qi Jiami's hand and thanked her repeatedly. However, Qi Jiami looked at her tightly held palm in astonishment and said bitterly, "Zheng, thank you so much! Now the Impatiens will definitely stain my fingertips—"
Upon hearing this, Zheng hurriedly let go of Qi Jiami's fingers. Qi Jiami kowtowed her head on Yi Zishi with tears in her eyes.
Yi Zishi was amused by their reactions. "Alright, you deserve it. Who told you to wear armor today? Zheng, tell me quickly, what do you want me to do? I may not have as much prestige as the grandson of Prince Bei, but I can still get something done."
Zheng Ru said, "Sister Yi, I have an important favor to ask of you. The noodle shop needs a lot of flour as raw material. I know your maternal grandfather started out in the grain and oil business, so could you please help me negotiate the supply? The price is negotiable, I just want the quality guaranteed. No fraud."
Yi Zishi thought Taishi Zheng had the right person to ask about this matter, so she confidently agreed to the matter. "The supply issue is of course no problem. I'll go to my grandparents' house tomorrow to discuss it with my uncle. Zheng, don't worry. I'll get back to you as soon as I have any news."
Zheng nodded, "Well, I trust Sister Yi to do things."
After Taishi Zheng had finished his request, Cang Yi mustered up the courage to ask, "Zheng, what do you think Mingyue and I can do? Although I can't help with anything big, I can always help with the little things."
Song Mingyue also said, "Yes, Second Sister-in-law. Whatever you say to do, we will definitely help. After all, it is a good deed."
Zheng responded immediately, "How can you say I can't help much? Sister-in-law, you are the most important person. The success of this store depends entirely on you. From now on, we have to study the recipes carefully when we have nothing to do. From now on, the recruitment and training will all depend on you."
"As for Mingyue—" Zheng kept it a secret, actually asking a lazy person like Song Mingyue to expect someone to assign her some work for the first time. "Of course, I'll do my own thing!"
"Old profession?" Song Mingyue was puzzled.
Zheng smiled slightly, "You said you don't need to promote the new store. Even good wine needs no bush. When the noodle shop opens, I hope you can give us a front-page spot in your tabloid so that our store can also be prosperous."
"Publicity? Then you've found the right person. I'll take care of it." Song Mingyue vowed.
Zheng then raised her eyes and looked at everyone.
She was so grateful that she couldn't express it in words. She thought that just meeting these people in her life was enough.
Qi Jiami remembered something important and asked, "Zheng, now everything is ready. Have you thought of a name for this noodle shop?"
That's a good question.
Tai Shi Zheng needs to think about it carefully.
She stood up and walked to the door unconsciously. Zheng looked up at the sky. The light was warm and clear, making people feel full of strength.
So Zheng blurted out, "Chao Guang."
She thought, from this day forward, she would walk towards the light with so many others. She would no longer regret the past, because from now on, they would have a future filled with hope...
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