Chapter 192 She is not like someone from this world (Part 1)
Because the Japanese pirates in Fujian Province invaded again, Pei Xingju and a group of court officials began to get busy again. Although the court had not yet started, the government office was already bustling with activity.
The emperor first issued an imperial edict to escort the Southeast Navy Master Shen Mingchang to Beijing, then urgently discussed with the ministers the new candidates to fight against the Japanese pirates, and secretly sent people to investigate the affairs of Minzhou.
In this way, Pei Xingjujing was busy for two days without realizing it. When he came to his senses, he found that he had not seen Zhuang Wan for a long time.
That afternoon, as he was leaving the government office, the driver asked, "Sir, are you going back home?"
"No." After thinking for a moment, he ordered, "Go to Xifeng Street."
"yes."
A quarter of an hour later, the carriage arrived at Xifeng Street. It wasn't long; one could see the other from one end. But it was bustling and bustling with shops and a dazzling array of goods.
The most eye-catching shop is the one with a banner reading "Zhuang's Seafood Snack Shop" hanging at the entrance. The shop consists of three connected storefronts, spacious and impressive, and to those unfamiliar, you might mistake it for an upscale restaurant or teahouse.
Once you enter the hall, you can see rows of neatly arranged solid wood shelves. All goods are divided into small portions and placed in exquisitely woven bamboo baskets. The prices and product details of the goods are also posted under the shelves.
In addition, there is a long table in the center of the lobby, on which are placed dozens of exquisite small plates filled with various snacks for guests to try. Next to the small plates are teapots and teacups for guests to quench their thirst.
It's said that all the products here are carefully selected and packaged, and each one is half a pound, so there's no need to weigh them separately. After trying the flavors, customers can directly purchase the ones they like, which is convenient, fast, and time-saving.
The novel business model attracted many people to come and watch.
The waiter standing at the door carried a basket filled with brand new embroidered handkerchiefs. He announced, "Come and take a look! Zhuang's Seafood Snack Shop is opening! Come in and get a free exquisite embroidered handkerchief from Furong Cloth Shop. Come and take a look!"
Someone passing by asked, "Are you really giving out handkerchiefs? What if I go in and don't buy anything?"
"Hey!" the waiter laughed. "Our boss said that all customers who come into the store will receive a handkerchief even if they don't buy anything. And not only that, but there are also plenty of snacks to sample."
"Is there such a good thing?" The man smiled and said quickly, "Then I'll go in and take a look."
Pei Xingju stood at the door, looking at the shop full of people, searching for Zhuang Wan in the crowd.
Guard Lu standing by said, "Sir, would you like me to go look for it?"
“No need.”
Pei Xingju walked straight into the shop. The clerk standing at the door didn't recognize him, but his extraordinary demeanor immediately caught his eye and he immediately went to greet him warmly.
"Sir, today we're opening our Zhuangji Seafood Snack Shop. Here, this is a gift for you." He added, "We have samples to try. If you're satisfied, you can buy them. We're having a big opening promotion today: spend a hundred and get thirty free."
The waiter stuffed the handkerchief into Pei Xingju's hand, gave him a passionate explanation, led him to the sample tasting table, and then continued to busy himself with greeting other new customers.
Pei Xingju glanced at the snow-white handkerchief in his hand. There was a plum blossom embroidered on it, and a quirky fish embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief, with a few small words under the fish - "Zhuang's Seafood Snacks".
He couldn't help but smile.
He looked around the store with his hands behind his back, and in a moment, someone squeezed in as if they had seen a ghost.
Because the store was so busy, Lixia had to be sent over to help. She came over with a basket of snacks to restock the store, and was startled to see Pei Xingju there.
She hurried over to Pei Xingju, bowed, and whispered, "Master, the young lady is in the back room."
Pei Xingju asked, "What are you doing in the wing room?"
"The girl is checking the accounts."
Pei Xingju nodded, handed the handkerchief to Guard Lu, and then walked towards the back room.
As he reached the door, he heard the clattering sound of abacus beads in the room and stopped.
Inside, Zhuang Wan was busy checking the accounts. The shop had just opened, and there were all sorts of things to prepare. Many accounts had piled up, and she hadn't had time to check them until now. She'd been working on the abacus since morning, so busy she hadn't even had a sip of water.
After a while, after finishing a bill, she couldn't help but stretch. However, she was halfway through stretching when she caught sight of someone standing at the door and slowly paused.
At the door, Pei Xingju stood there looking at her with a smile.
"Yuzhi, why are you here?" She stood up and pulled him in.
After not seeing him for two days, he had some stubble on his chin. He raised his hand to touch it and asked, "Did you just come back from the office?"
"Yeah." Pei Xingju let her pull him, and they walked to the bench and sat down.
"Have you had lunch?" Zhuang Wan asked.
"I used it in the government office."
They had been busy for the past two days. Pei Xingju was busy with court affairs, while Zhuang Wan was busy with his shop. They were so busy that they even realized they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Zhuang Wan got up to make tea for him, but found that the tea was cold, so she walked to the door and asked someone to make hot tea again.
She walked back and sat down next to Pei Xingju: "Are you not busy today?"
"Don't be busy this afternoon."
Pei Xingju glanced around the room, finding it neatly furnished. To the west stood a row of bookshelves, filled with account books, books, writing instruments, and other supplies. On the desk sat a pot of black orchid, in full bloom, a single, small, pure white flower emerging from the emerald green leaves, emitting a delicate fragrance. On the table lay a stack of account books, along with abacus beads and a tea tray and utensils.
From this perspective, it seems quite elegant. However...
Pei Xingju turned his gaze to the east wall, and a piece of calligraphy on the wall made his mouth twitch - "Getting Richer Day by Day".
He looked away and asked, "Didn't they say they were repairing it a few days ago?"
"The shop was already relatively new," Zhuang Wan said. "We just had it repainted with tung oil and put up shelves. It was a simple job."
"Sister Liu is truly capable. She's managed all the business in Luyang County perfectly. Not only that, she's also contracted the entire fishing industry in Luyang County. If it weren't for her quick and efficient actions, my shop wouldn't have opened so quickly."
"Sister Liu?" Pei Xingju asked in confusion, "Who is she?"
".......Liu Ningyan, don't you remember?" You were the official couple in your previous life.
Pei Xingju said "Oh" lightly, and then he remembered that Zhuang Wan had mentioned this matter when he first returned to Beijing.
Zhuang Wan was impressed by Liu Ningyan. She had seen her versatility at Zuishenglou, and now she had even more experience with her business skills.
"Sister Liu is incredibly dedicated to her work. With her overseeing product quality in Luyang, I can rest assured about expanding into the capital." Zhuang Wan said, "I've made plans. I'll open a few stores this year to test the market, and then continually adjust our product mix..."
Pei Xingju listened quietly to her talk about her grand plan.
She talked incessantly, her eyes gleaming with passion and confidence, like the bright morning glow, dazzling and beautiful.
Suddenly, the familiar feeling deep in her heart emerged again - Zhuang Wan was different from the current girls in the boudoir. She was rebellious, imaginative, frank and intelligent. She grew up in a strict etiquette but was unrestrained and bold. She rebelled against secular rules, lived in this era but was transcendent of this era. She didn't even seem like... a real person existing in this world.
After a while, Zhuang Wan finished speaking, but saw Pei Xingju looking at her with deep eyes, probing and admiring.
She asked, "What's wrong? Am I wrong?"
"Not really," Pei Xingju said, "I'm just curious, why do you know so much?"
Zhuang Wan blinked and said playfully, "Because I'm smart."
Pei Xingju smiled.
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