The three ruffians begged Xu Qinyu for mercy. The only thing they were thankful for was that the white snake and the black panther were both human-like and would not be aggressive towards the leopards and snakes in the mountains. They also thought that the white snake must have been raised by Xu Dongjia, otherwise Xu Dongjia would not be afraid at all when he saw it.
It's really scary to raise this thing and make it so human-like.
Hearing the three men begging for mercy, Xu Qinyu said nothing. She first found a hemp rope to make the three men sit up, intending to tie them up again.
They were scoundrels, and he absolutely wouldn't trust their words. Even if he had no food, wouldn't he go home to eat? There was always food for them at home, but they chose to do such petty thefts. Furthermore, although their clothes were a little worn and dirty, they were not patched, so their family wasn't so poor that they couldn't afford to eat. They weren't beggars. When Xu Feng and his friends were beggars, they couldn't stand the hunger, so they wouldn't steal.
It was because Xu Feng was afraid that Xu Shun, who was ill at the time, would die of illness or starvation that he snatched the steamed bun from Gong Ge'er's hand.
Xu Feng and his group of beggars were so starving they never thought of stealing.
Xu Feng and the others are all physically disabled. They are in their teens and have healthy hands and feet. Even if they go to the dock to move goods, which is hard work and tiring, they will not starve.
It's nothing more than being neither high nor low, not wanting to do hard work, so doing some petty thefts. He thinks that stealing a little doesn't matter, and as long as he doesn't steal much, he's not a bad person.
In fact, it is not so. He is just lazy and cunning.
The youngest one wanted to beg for mercy, "Master Xu, we really know we are wrong. We had no choice but to steal some bacon. We will never dare to do it again. Please be magnanimous and let us go."
Xu Qinyu suddenly said, "I'm not even as old as you are, so don't talk about being magnanimous. If they hadn't caught you this time, you might have stolen a ham and thought it was nothing. But next time you're hungry or short of money, will you come and steal again?"
If Baiyu and Moyu hadn't discovered them this time, and let them steal a ham and sell it, they would have been able to keep themselves fed for a few days. After a few days, they would have been hungry again and come to steal again, thinking they would just steal one more. In this way, they could steal all her hams!
So Xu Qinyu did not show any mercy. She tied up the three men and reported them to the authorities to see how they would punish them.
With Bai Yu and Mo Yu around, the three men didn't dare to resist at all and let them tie them up.
The three of them were silent for a moment. Even they themselves knew that what Xu Dongjia said was right. This was indeed not the first time they had stolen something.
Xu Qinyu said, "Don't do evil, no matter how small. The same principle applies to stealing. Don't think that stealing a little is okay. The more you steal, the bigger your heart will become. By then, a small profit won't satisfy you anymore, and you'll have to steal gold and silver. Since it's stealing, I will naturally report it to the police."
The three men were tied up and stopped talking.
Xu Qinyu turned around and touched Bai Yu, and Bai Yu rubbed her.
Even Xu Qinyu saw a hint of grievance in Bai Yu's eyes, and couldn't help but turn around and ask the three people, "How long have you been harassed?"
One of them replied in a muffled voice, "It should be two hours."
Xu Qinyu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that Bai Yu had been pestering them for two hours. No wonder she felt so aggrieved.
She guessed that Mo Yu must have gone back to call her and found her sleeping soundly. Knowing that she was tired during the day and had to go to the restaurant to work at dawn, he didn't want to wake her up and waited until she woke up naturally before dragging her over.
In fact, if Bai Yu went back and called her, the result would be the same.
Mo Yu knew he was wrong, so he went over and rubbed Bai Yu to please her.
Bai Yu turned her head towards Xu Qinyu and ignored Mo Yu.
Mo Yu meowed and lowered his black head.
The three hooligans were all a little stunned.
This is so human.
How did Miss Xu teach this?
After trapping the man, Xu Qinyu instructed Baiyu and Moyu, "Baiyu and Moyu, stay here and guard him. I'll go to the government office to report to the authorities."
The three of them had sad faces, but this time they didn't beg for mercy.
Xu Qinyu glanced at them and finally said, "When you come out of the government office, if you stop stealing, you can find Xu Feng in my restaurant and ask him to take you to work. I have a few acres of grapes to plant. You can help me. The daily wage is 20 wen."
Farming is a bit tiring, and twenty cents is a normal price, so she didn't pay too much.
The three of them were delighted and hurried to thank Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu drove a donkey cart to the yamen to report to the authorities.
When County Magistrate Yang learned about this, he asked the yamen to come over and take the three people back to the yamen.
Yamen followed Xu Qinyu to the workshop and was also shocked when he saw the white jade and black jade inside. Fortunately, one of them was coiled on the other side of the window, and the other was squatting under the window. They did not make any attacking gestures when they saw them.
Xu Qin said, "Don't be afraid, sir. They won't hurt anyone. They're just here to help me watch over the ham."
Several yamen runners stepped forward cautiously and pulled the three people up from the ground. They found that the thick white snake and the leopard really ignored them and did not move at all. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
The bailiff took the men and said, "Master Xu, let's take them over first."
For a petty thief like this who didn't steal anything, if he went to the yamen and refused to confess his crime, he would be released after being detained for a few days. If he confessed his crime, he would be released after being beaten with a few sticks on his buttocks.
After the bailiffs took the people away, Xu Qinyu touched Baiyu and Moyu and told them to go back first as she was going to the restaurant to make breakfast.
Neither Baiyu nor Moyu wanted to go back.
In fact, they don't want to walk outside in broad daylight because it will easily make people scream.
Bai Yu, in particular, absolutely dislikes meeting strangers.
Xu Qinyu did not force them. She touched the two of them before driving the donkey cart to Xu Ji.
Xu's has already opened and everyone is busy working.
Feng Ge'er was also there, so Xu Qinyu went to tell him that if there were three young men in their teens or twenties looking for him to do work, he should hire them first.
Feng Ge'er nodded in response. He asked someone to apply some fertilizer on the acres of land first. Grape seedlings could not be transplanted for the time being. It would take a few days, so he did not hire anyone to plant grape seedlings for the time being.
At the yamen, County Magistrate Yang knew these little rascals. They were not that bad. They didn't steal things every day. They only stole things from other people's homes when they were so hungry that they hadn't eaten for two or three days. They might steal a chicken, a duck, or some vegetables. These were not valuable things.
But they would rather steal something than do heavy work to earn money to support themselves.
If you ask him, he is just lazy and likes to eat.
When they were caught before, the three refused to plead guilty. This time, County Magistrate Yang asked them why they went to steal ham from the owner of Xu's Restaurant. He thought the three would not plead guilty, but unexpectedly, the three admitted it readily this time and said that they had been taught a lesson by the owner Xu and would never do such sneaky things again.
County Magistrate Yang had also heard from the yamen runners that there was a white snake over two meters long and as thick as a calf, and a leopard near the workshop.
He knew that the leopard was raised by Miss Xu. Yang Zhizhi often talked to him about how the leopard looked so majestic, with shiny fur, and was well raised by Xu Qinyu. He never expected that Miss Xu also secretly raised a python.
These three little rascals must have reacted like this because they were scared by the python.
County Magistrate Yang had no choice but to have the yamen runners beat him with a few boards.
The beatings on their buttocks were not too severe, and they could still endure a few blows. It was just a bit painful, but no broken bones. They left on their own after the beating.
The few of them had been hungry for two or three days. They didn't steal anything, but they were scared and taught a lesson. They didn't get angry with their families anymore. They went home to eat something and planned to go find Xu Feng from Xu's tomorrow. They wanted to help Mr. Xu with his work.
The next day, the three of them went to Xu Ji to find Feng Ge'er.
Feng Ge'er was only thirteen, younger than all of them, and he knew what the three of them had done. When he saw them, he just had a stern face and said that they could work, but they couldn't be lazy. If he found out that they were lazy, he wouldn't pay them a penny. The three of them hurriedly agreed, and Xu Feng then led them to the fields.
The fertilizer has almost fermented and you can start transplanting grape seedlings.
Knowing that this thing was expensive, the three of them were very careful. They could plant an acre of land in a day. After working for half a day, they were so tired that their backs and waists ached. After a whole day, they just wanted to go back and lie down and not move at all, but the three of them finally persisted for a day.
When they returned home that night, their family saw them covered in dirt and thought they had done something outside again. Their faces turned cold and they scolded them, "Did you go out and do something sneaky again? You had to do such a shameful thing with them, didn't you? You've brought shame upon your father."
Because their son was always stealing, the neighbors all disliked their family.
The three of them wanted to argue back as before, but after thinking it over, they confessed honestly, "We are working for Mr. Xu. He has some fields that need grapes planted, so we went to help. We pay twenty cents a day."
The parents of the three people were all skeptical, "Really?"
"Of course I take it seriously. If you don't believe me, go ask Xu Ji."
The parents of the three people didn't say anything, but they were still skeptical.
After a night's sleep, the three of them felt much less tired. They were hesitant about whether to continue growing grapes, but in the end they gritted their teeth and persevered.
In this way, five days passed and all the grape seedlings in the five acres of land were planted.
Xu Feng gave them each 200 coins and said, "The rest is a reward from the boss."
The master told him that if the three of them could persist in planting all five acres of land, his wages would be doubled.
When they received the two hundred coins, the three of them were a little bit unbelieving. Originally, when they were so tired that their hands and feet were sore from work, they even blamed Xu Qinyu a little. In fact, in the past, if the three of them felt tired, they would never go to work in the fields the next day. The main reason was that they were scared by the big white snake named Baiyu. For several nights in a row, they dreamed that the big white snake was staring at them coldly and aggressively in their dreams.
The deterrent power of a python is much more terrifying than that of a leopard.
Snakes always appear silently, and they are afraid that if they don't want to work, the boss of Xu's family will call a big white snake and sneak into their house to scare them.
So I have been able to persevere these past few days by gritting my teeth.
But unexpectedly, Xu Jiadong's family was quite nice. They said they would give them twenty cents a day, and after they worked, they gave them an extra twenty cents a day.
When the three men received the two hundred coins, they had a different feeling for the first time. The money they earned with their own hands without stealing seemed to be really different. They felt satisfied and no longer had to worry.
The three of them were a little excited, and they put their hands on Xu Feng's shoulders and shouted, "Brother Feng, if you have any work in the future, just tell us and we will do it."
Now they really want to make money with their own hands.
Thinking that these people were older than him, Xu Feng felt a little helpless in the eye that was not covered by the eye patch, "Don't call me Brother Feng, I'm younger than you."
The three of them laughed and said, "But Brother Feng, you are amazing. You are Mr. Xu's apprentice and you help Mr. Xu manage hundreds of acres of land. You are capable and you deserve to be called Brother Feng."
They are all from the same town with a population of only a few thousand people. Any major event cannot be concealed. Naturally, the fact that the owner of Xu's family bought hundreds of acres of land in one go cannot be concealed.
Xu Feng remembered that her master had told her that if they still wanted to find work, they could go to the winery.
There was no shortage of craftsmen who could build houses at the winery built by Mrs. Lu, but there was still a shortage of people to do some odd jobs, such as moving bricks and mixing yellow mud. This kind of work only paid twenty cents a day, which was thirty cents less than the wages of a craftsman. Some people did it, but it was hard work and was done by farmers nearby. It was just the beginning of spring, and people were busy planting crops. They could only do odd jobs when they had time, so there was naturally a shortage of laborers.
When the three heard this, they also decided to go and give it a try.
When the three of them returned, they gave the two hundred coins to their family.
Everyone in the family was a little surprised. "Did he really go to work for the owner of Xu's? He only planted grapes for five days, and the owner gave him two hundred coins?"
That means the daily wage is forty cents.
The three said, "Originally our wages were only twenty coins a day, but the owner of Xu's shop gave us a little more. We plan to go to Dagu Village to work as laborers in the brewery tomorrow, and we'll be paid twenty coins a day."
The families of the three men were very pleased. They didn't expect that the owner of Xu's restaurant would help them correct their bad habits.
How could they know how deep the three people's memories of the white snake were.
Xu Qinyu felt that if they could endure this hardship, they should be able to correct their mistakes and be useful in the future. Although there was no shortage of manpower in the kitchen, there would definitely be a shortage of manpower when the winemaking season started in the summer. They would have to go to the mountains to pick grapes. Although she didn't have to worry about the winery, one or two people would have to go and help her look after it.
The three men actually persevered and after working for more than half a month, the winery was built and they earned another three or four hundred coins in wages.
The three men earned six hundred coins these days, but their family members didn't want them and let them keep it for themselves.
Especially for Tao Qi, who is already 21, his family members repeatedly warned him, "You are not young anymore, you are already over 20. At your age, your children should be able to help with the housework, so you should save the money you earn and see if you can get married and live a good life in the future."
For the first time, Tao Qi did not refute his parents' words, but just listened quietly.
Making money is not easy, so Tao Qi and the other two were reluctant to spend it carelessly. Except for having breakfast at Xu Ji, they saved the rest.
We went to Xu Ji for breakfast and had a roujiamo for eight cents at the door. The three of us were a little dazed after eating it. The roujiamo at the door all tasted that way. How delicious must the baskets of custard buns, crystal shrimp dumplings, and steamed buns inside be?
After breakfast, the three of them squatted at the door without saying a word, with only one feeling in their hearts.
They also want to eat such delicious breakfast every day.
They had never eaten evening food, so they didn't know what it tasted like, but they thought it must be better than breakfast.
They became more and more motivated and wanted to make money. Only the money earned honestly would be used by them to eat at Xu Ji. They also hoped that one day they could taste the evening meal at Xu Ji Restaurant.
…
After the grape seedlings are planted and the winery is built, we have to order wine jars, bottles, and barrels, and also dig a well in the winery. This will probably take one or two months.
Digging wells also required laborers, so Tao Qi and the other two continued to work in the winery.
This time the three of them didn't complain at all. Perhaps they were used to carrying bricks and tiles all day, so they didn't feel too tired when digging wells and carrying soil.
Xu Qinyu didn't know that the food she cooked had given the three people such great motivation. She added a signature dish of pickled pork with preserved vegetables in her restaurant. A serving of pickled pork with preserved vegetables was priced at three hundred coins. Because the process of pickling ham was complicated and it took a year to ferment, the price was slightly higher than other signature dishes.
Moreover, this dish of pickled pork with preserved vegetables is limited to three servings per day, and once all three are ordered, they will be gone.
Even if only three portions are sold every day, they can only be sold for six or seven days, and the remaining ham is enough to make about twenty portions.
Upon learning that it was a new food, gourmets who often come to Xu Ji naturally wanted to try it.
Once you taste it, you will understand why it is Xu Ji’s signature dish.
The broth of pickled pork with preserved vegetables is thick and white, and tastes salty and fresh. The ham is crispy and fatty, but not greasy at all, and has a very strong flavor.
Just a few days later, the pickled pork with preserved vegetables was sold out.
Even the gourmets who had tried it couldn't resist asking, "Mr. Xu, why did you only sell this pickled pork with preserved vegetables for a few days? We've just become addicted to it and want to eat it for a few more days. Why don't you continue to sell it?"
Xu Qinyu also told them the truth, "Please forgive me, it's not that I don't want to sell it, but the most important ingredient in pickled pork with preserved vegetables is the ham. This ham is different from ordinary bacon. It needs to be salted twice and then fermented for half a year to a year before the taste is good. If the fermentation is good, ham that is more than two or three years old can be eaten raw. The skin is very thin. Peel off the skin on the ham and the ham meat inside is bright in color. The lean meat is bright red and the fat is milky white. The fat and lean meat are alternating. A thin slice is delicious and fragrant."
The diners were drooling at what Xu Qinyu said and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Xu, when can this ham be eaten raw? Do you have it?" They decided that they wanted to try it no matter how expensive it was.
Xu Qinyu said helplessly, "I only have one ham left, so the ingredients for the next few days will be gone. As for eating ham raw, forget it. I only pickled a hundred hams in December last year. If you want to eat it raw, you have to wait at least two more years. But next spring, pickled pork with preserved vegetables can be eaten, but the ham meat is not good enough to be eaten raw yet."
The diners were a little disappointed. Knowing about a delicacy but not being able to taste it is the most painful torture for gourmets who love delicious food.
Xu Qinyu also wanted to give it a try. Seeing that pickled pork with preserved vegetables was selling well, she thought she could pickle more ham this winter. When the time comes, she will contact Tian the butcher in advance and ask him to tell the pig farm to reserve 500 pig hind legs for her.
By the end of spring, the winery was finally built, the well had been dug, and the wine bottles and barrels inside were all ready. They were just waiting for summer to come, when the wild grapes would be ripe, and they could be picked, washed, and dried.
Two days later, at the end of the You hour, the door of the Pei family's courtyard rang.
Xu Qinyu and Wen had just returned when they heard a knock on the door. They looked at each other with joy on their faces, thinking that it was Pei Weixuan who had returned.
When they opened the gate, they saw that the person outside was not Pei Weixuan, but Ma Liu.
Ma Liu was so delighted to see Miss Xu that he didn't even notice the disappointment on the faces of his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. He said excitedly, "Sister Xu, I'm here again. My boss and I haven't been to the southwest all year. The exiled criminals and prisoners have been sent to other places. Just over a month ago, another batch of serious criminals were sent to the southwest, so I took the time to come over."
Xu Qinyu sighed inwardly, then smiled and said, "Sixth brother, come in quickly."
Ma Liu followed him into the yard.
It is almost summer now and it gets dark later. At this moment, the sky has not yet completely darkened, and Xu Qinyu is entertaining Ma Liu in the yard.
There are wooden tables and benches in the yard. When the weather gets warmer, the family eats in the yard.
Wen went to make tea and brought up some fruit.
Ma Liu pulled out two letters from his pocket and handed them to Xu Qinyu. "Sister Xu, these are letters from your parents and your uncle. They originally asked me to bring them to you last summer, but they were only successfully delivered this year."
Xu Qinyu took the letter and opened it.
One letter was given to her by her parents, and the other was given to her by her uncle from her mother's side.
In the letter, her parents asked her to take care of herself. There were also a few lines of crooked handwriting that looked like the child's own. It said, "Sister, I'm Li Ge'er. I miss you so much. Sister, please wait for me. I'll save you when I grow up."
Xu Qinyu laughed, and tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed.
This is Xu Li, the original body’s younger brother. He was only five years old when the original body was exiled, and he is already seven years old this year.
The letter from my parents was not thick, just one simple page, but it showed the feelings of the second branch of the Xu family towards the original body.
In addition to this letter, there were three hundred taels of silver in the envelope.
Last summer, Xue and her brothers from her natal family planned to give Xu Qinyu some silver notes. Originally, the total amount was only over one hundred taels, but Xue Liang had made a lot of money in the past six months, so he added another hundred taels. Xue also added the share given to her by her brothers from her natal family in the past six months, and exchanged them for silver notes for Ma Liu to take to Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu looked at the three hundred taels of silver and felt a pang of pain in her heart.
Of course she would not accept these banknotes. She had accepted the 150 taels before because she was short of money to open a restaurant. Now she could make 5,000 taels of profit from the restaurant alone every year. She was going to open a winery this year and could make even more money. Of course, she would not accept money from her original mother's family and uncle's family anymore.
Not only did she confiscate it, she also planned to take out another 2,000 taels of silver notes and put them together with the 300 taels in a reply letter for Ma Liu to take back.
Two thousand taels of silver is enough to buy a nice five-story house in the capital. If the Xu family does not want to split up, the second branch can use the two thousand taels of silver as private money.
Not only that, she planned to send one or two thousand taels of silver notes to the second branch of the Xu family every year.
The reason why she gave so much was that she felt a little guilty.
She is not the original body, but she has indeed accepted the original body's emotions and has family affection for the second house.
This family relationship is very complicated. She is alive, but her original body may have died. Even if she doesn't want to come here, she is still alive by using her original body. She feels a little guilty, so she wants to make up for something.
Xu Qinyu finished reading her uncle's letter. Her uncle's letter was also very simple. It was a thank you letter. He said that he had changed the tea stall into a barbecue stall, and could earn fifty or sixty taels of silver every month, and sometimes seventy or eighty taels. He also told her not to worry about home, because he would help take care of it, and asked her to take care of her health first, and maybe they would have a chance to see each other again in the future.
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