Xu Qinyu was so excited when she heard the little girl calling her auntie that she couldn't help but hug the little girl and bite her cheek twice. The nibbling made Yan Jieer feel a little embarrassed, and she stammered, "Auntie, auntie, this was taken away by Xiao Xiaoqiang."
She hadn't spoken for a long time, so she couldn't help stammering, but she also told Xu Qinyu what Xiaoxiao had done.
Xu Qinyu told Yan Jie'er seriously, "Don't be afraid, Yan Jie'er. If anyone bullies you in the future, you can tell your aunt, your grandmother, and your aunt. No one will bully us here anymore, so don't be afraid, Yan Jie'er." The little girl watched her family die, and there was a shadow in her heart. Even if she was bullied in this rural area, she still didn't dare to resist.
Sister Yan looked at Xu Qinyu with red eyes, and finally she lay in her arms and cried, her small body twitching.
Xu Qinyu did not stop her. She hugged the little girl, patted her back silently, and let her vent.
Later, Xiaoxiao brought Yan Jie'er's hairband and ran away again.
After that, when Yan Jie'er went out to play with her friends, she would occasionally say something. The boys were very happy for her when they learned that she could speak.
When Xiaoxiao learned that she could speak, she was very panicked and worried, fearing that Yan Jie'er would tell Xu Qinyu about her stealing her hairband and bracelet, and Xu Qinyu would tell her mother. So Xiaoxiao didn't dare to play with Yan Jie'er during that time, and would hide whenever she saw her.
Yan Jie'er is more attached to Xu Qinyu, and Feng Ge'er is actually also quite attached to Xu Qinyu. He is the seventh prince and was only two years old when he was exiled. When he came to the border town, it was Xu Qinyu who made delicious food for him. In his heart, Xu Qinyu is probably closer to him than Wen.
Although the two brothers and sisters were excited to see Pei Weixuan, they were also a little shy, after all, they hadn't seen him for more than a year.
Both children were very smart. Even though Fengger was only three years old when Pei Weixuan left, he still remembered it.
Yan Jie'er called out "Uncle" and stood beside Xu Qinyu. Feng Ge'er was born dumb and could not speak, so he just followed Feng Jie'er and hid behind Xu Qinyu, revealing half of his delicate face to look at his fourth brother.
Pei Weixuan was not surprised when he heard Yan Jie'er calling him. He just nodded and said that Yan Jie'er and Feng Ge'er had grown taller.
After calling out to the two little ones, Pei Weixuan looked at Sister Ning again, "Sister Ning has grown taller too."
Wen smiled and said, "The children have good food and have grown taller and healthier. Only you have become thinner. Yu Niang cooked noodles for you. Please eat them quickly."
"good."
Pei Weixuan glanced at Yu Niang, then sat down with the noodles and started eating.
The noodles were chewy, the soup was light, the fried egg was tender, and the yolk was still soft. He liked eggs with soft yolks, and she always remembered that.
The bean sprouts are crisp and tender. One bite will make your stomach and body feel comfortable.
He hadn't eaten the food cooked by Yuniang for more than a year. In those countries overseas, he often dreamed of the food cooked by Yuniang and Yuniang calling him "husband".
Thinking of this, Pei Weixuan's eyes darkened.
Xu Qinyu cooked him a large bowl of noodles, and the whole family gathered around him to watch him eat. Then, Wen said, "Sister Ning, take Brother Feng and Sister Yan to bed first. Your fourth brother must be tired from the journey, so he should wash up and go to bed right after he finishes eating."
Sister Ning nodded and led Sister Yan and Brother Feng back to the house.
Wen asked the children to go to bed first because after Xuan Ge'er finished eating, she wanted to ask him where he had been for the past year. Even if the caravan was far away, it would not take more than a year to return.
After Pei Weixuan finished his noodles, he took his bowl and chopsticks to wash the bowl and put it back in the cupboard. The hot water on the stove was still boiling.
Seeing Wenshi looking at him, he knew that some things could not be hidden. After thinking for a moment, he told Wenshi and Yu Niang, "I have worried you for more than a year. I went out to sea with the caravan and went to a country called Erlai."
Xu Qinyu thought she had misheard and looked stunned.
"Fourth brother, what did you do?"
Pei Weixuan said calmly, "Go out to sea."
Wen still didn't quite understand what going out to sea meant and was a little confused.
People of this era did not know that there were countries overseas, that the end of the sea was not the sea, and that going out to sea meant only fishing.
Wen couldn't help but ask, "Why is Brother Xuan going out to sea? Isn't he following the caravan?"
Pei Weixuan said, "Mother, I went on a voyage with a merchant caravan. There are other countries overseas. I went to a country called Erlai. The people there are different from us. They have blond hair and blue eyes, and the culture and food are completely different."
He only went to Erlai and did not continue sailing far away, otherwise he would have encountered other countries.
Xu Qinyu heard it clearly and took a breath.
She never expected that her fourth brother would go on a long voyage.
In this dynasty's environment, navigation systems were underdeveloped, and ships could only rely on wind and sails. And the ships were probably not even big enough. Fourth Brother actually set out to sea? And even sought out foreign countries? She didn't know what to say. She could only say that Fourth Brother was lucky not to encounter a major storm, otherwise he would have been dead.
Mrs. Wen was not aware of the dangers of sailing. She just didn't expect that Xuan Ge'er would go out to sea after being away for more than a year.
Pei Weixuan didn't plan to say too much, and simply told Yu Niang and Wen Shi, "We have stored some crops in Erlai, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as seeds of peppers, tomatoes and other crops."
Xu Qinyu was completely stunned.
Fourth brother found these crops when he went out to sea!
She remembered that before her fourth brother went out to sea, she knew that there was a snowstorm in the north. She chatted with her fourth brother while cooking, saying that she had mentioned in some rare travel books that there were countries overseas, and those places had very high per-acre yields. Her fourth brother asked her what those crops looked like, and she even used a charcoal stick to draw them for her fourth brother to see.
So Fourth Brother went out to sea specifically to look for these crops?
But she only told her fourth brother about potatoes and sweet potatoes, and did not mention crops like peppers and tomatoes.
Come to think of it, it's unlikely. Fourth brother was just following other caravans out to sea. It might just be a coincidence.
But no matter whether it was a coincidence or her fourth brother did it, she couldn't help but feel happy. Those were potatoes and sweet potatoes, with a yield of up to four to five thousand kilograms per mu. If potatoes and sweet potatoes could be grown on a large scale in all parts of the Dasheng Dynasty, even in a year of disaster, as long as the family had enough food, they would not starve to death or flee from famine.
For people who are used to eating beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes are just delicious grains, and they don’t mind their monotonous taste.
On the contrary, potatoes and sweet potatoes can be cooked in a variety of ways and taste very good. Potatoes can be used as a staple food or as a dish, and sweet potatoes are sweet and sticky, and can be used as a staple food or to make various desserts.
Moreover, the fourth brother also brought back peppers and tomatoes, and said that there were some other crops. The peppers alone were enough to surprise Xu Qinyu. She could only use dogwood instead of pepper to make spicy dishes, but the taste of dogwood was still a little worse. If there were peppers, the taste of the dish would be more prominent.
There are also tomatoes, which also occupy a very important position in cooking ingredients or seasonings.
Although these crops cannot be grown for the time being and it will take time, Xu Qinyu couldn't help but feel happy.
Wen Shi didn't know what these crops represented, but was worried about something else. "Xuan'er, is it dangerous to go to sea? Do you want to continue going to sea in the future?"
This trip to the sea would take more than a year, so she was still a little worried.
Xu Qinyu also looked at her fourth brother.
Fourth Brother was lucky on this trip to the sea, but she was also worried.
Pei Weixuan said: "I won't go out for the second time for the time being. If allowed in the future, I may have some trade exchanges with overseas." This is just his idea, and it will take a lot of effort to realize it.
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but think that he was worthy of being a prince, as he could see the economic benefits that maritime trade could bring to his country, but his fourth brother was right, the conditions were indeed not mature enough now.
In addition, any trade with overseas must be approved by the imperial court. If Fourth Brother goes out to sea secretly for a long time and is noticed by the imperial court, it will not be good. Fourth Brother is an exiled prince, and the entire caravan may be implicated.
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but sigh. If her fourth brother could become the emperor, perhaps the Great Sheng Dynasty would usher in a prosperous era.
Wen also asked about what he encountered when he went out to sea and whether it was dangerous on the sea.
Pei Weixuan also said that it was okay, as long as there was no big storm, everything would be fine.
When he went out, he encountered several storms. He would observe the weather and avoid them all. There was only one time when he failed to avoid it, but he managed to get through it safely. But when he came back, it was relatively smooth. He did not encounter any big storms, but the wind direction was not right, so the voyage took a long time, and it took several months to return to Dasheng.
Pei Weixuan also told Wen and Yu Niang that the fact that the caravan brought back these crops should not be announced to the outside world.
Some things can be told to them, but some things must be kept secret from them, otherwise they will be worried every day.
Wen and Xu Qinyu knew the interests involved, so they naturally would not say anything to outsiders for fear of attracting the attention of the court.
After Pei Weixuan finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a hairpin from his bosom. It was a crabapple-colored glass hairpin that seemed to be flowing with golden light. There was also a cloth bag. He poured the contents of the cloth bag onto the wooden table. There were several strings of glass bead bracelets and a ring. They were all made of glass and had different colors, but none of them were red. There was no golden light flowing in the glass beads. He bought these strings of glass bead bracelets in Erlai and gave them to other people in the family.
Wen's eyes were immediately drawn to the glass hairpin and the glass bead bracelets. She murmured, "What are these? They are so beautiful."
Even though there are already techniques such as filigree inlay, gold and silver inlay, and engraving here, which can make extremely beautiful jewelry and objects, there is no kingfisher feather inlay, blue burning, and even less glass crafts. It is this colorful glass, with its hazy transparency and beautiful colors, that makes no one able to take their eyes off.
Even Xu Qinyu, who had seen all kinds of colored glaze and glass products, couldn't help but hold her breath when she saw this hairpin.
This hairpin is so beautiful. It has a thick texture yet is hazy and clear. The crabapple color and the golden light inside are intertwined, as if it is alive.
Pei Weixuan's eyes fell on the wooden hairpin on Yu Niang's bun. He handed the glass hairpin, which was interwoven with golden and crabapple colors, to Xu Qinyu. "These are Erlai's handicrafts. They can also be used as jewelry. This hairpin is for Yu Niang."
In fact, the glass ornaments sold in Erlai Country do not include hairpins, but only bracelets and rings. The women there do not use hairpins and other jewelry.
Although the hairpin was borrowed by Yu Niang to let her watch how to make glass, it was also for his own selfish reasons. He wanted to give Yu Niang a hairpin, a unique hairpin.
Without waiting for Yu Niang to take the hairpin, he reached out and handed the bracelets and rings to Wen Shi, "These are for mother, Ning Jie'er, and Yan Jie'er. The ring is for Feng Ge'er, but it's a little big, so you can wear it when Feng Ge'er is a little older."
Wen subconsciously took these things.
Xu Qinyu didn't bother to be polite with him. She took the hairpin and thanked her fourth brother with a smile. She also took off the wooden hairpin on her head and inserted the glass hairpin into her bun. She asked with a smile, "Fourth brother, does it look good?"
She is not stunningly beautiful, but her face is fair and her eyes are lively, and she is also bright, charming and innocent.
"nice."
Without anyone knowing, his voice had deepened.
But neither Wen nor Xu Qinyu noticed, and Xu Qinyu touched the glass hairpin.
She and Wen knew in their hearts that neither the hairpin nor the bracelets could be taken out.
Colored glass crafts have never appeared in Dasheng. If they appear in the world, they will be rare treasures that are unique. After all, they are one-of-a-kind and will definitely attract the attention of the court. Their family has this kind of relationship with the two people in the palace. If they are involved in anything, the two people in the palace will not let them go. Therefore, even if they are exiled to the frontier as commoners, their family can only be cautious.
They can only take these glass crafts out if they can be found in large quantities.
Xu Qinyu and Wen Shi both assumed Pei Weixuan's caravan was sailing for the glass, using it to make money. As for the crops, Xu Qinyu thought she might have mentioned them casually, so when her fourth brother saw them overseas, he mentioned them to the caravan and brought some back.
Mrs. Wen planned to put away these strings of glass beads and rings and tell Sister Ning about it tomorrow. Sister Ning had grown up, and Mrs. Wen would discuss any family matters with her.
After putting the things away, Wen told Pei Weixuan about the matter between Old Lady Zhu and Zhu.
Pei Weixuan didn't expect such a coincidence, but it was also a good thing that his grandmother and great-grandmother could meet each other.
Wen also told her son about other things happening at home. The biggest things that happened at home, apart from Old Lady Zhu and Yu Niang opening a restaurant, were the diarrhea epidemic last summer.
After listening to Wen's story, Pei Weixuan knew that the preventive measures against diarrhea were not thought up by County Magistrate Yang, but by Yu Niang.
He already knew in his heart that Yu Niang was not the second daughter of the Marquis of Dechang's Mansion, so he was not surprised. However, he was still curious about her origins. Would there be a day when she would leave just as suddenly as she arrived?
Thinking of this, Pei Weixuan's heart seemed to be tightly gripped by something, and he could hardly breathe.
Wen added, "Then go over and have breakfast with your great-grandmother tomorrow. She's been thinking about you a lot these days."
"good."
Pei Weixuan lowered his eyes, hiding all emotions in them.
Xu Qinyu also planned to ask Cheng Ge'er to go to the restaurant and put up a notice tomorrow saying that tomorrow is a day off. However, since he was supposed to rest the day after tomorrow, he could just rest in advance and write it clearly on the notice.
It was already late and the hot water was ready, so Mrs. Wen asked her son to bring some water into the house to wash up.
Xu Qinyu also said to Pei Weixuan: "Fourth brother, I will go back to my room and sleep first. I will make you whatever you want to eat tomorrow morning."
"It's all right."
He likes anything made by Yu Niang.
Xu Qinyu thought about it and realized that her fourth brother had never eaten the custard buns she made, so she planned to make some dairy products for him as breakfast tomorrow.
Uncle He will definitely continue to send her milk and fish tomorrow. The fish will be kept for Cheng Ge'er to make fish balls and sell at the restaurant tomorrow, and the milk will be left for the family to eat. It just so happens that Ma Liu is leaving for home tomorrow, so she will make some more custard buns for Ma Liu to eat on the road.
Before Pei Weixuan went to wash up, he took out a thousand taels of silver from his pocket and gave it to Xu Qinyu.
This was what he asked for from Huo Ye. Huo Ye was in charge of the black-armored guards and had some silver and money in his hand, which he took away.
When Huo Ye gave it to him, his face twitched with pain, and he muttered, "This is all the wealth we have left. Fortunately, Your Highness has learned how to make glass, otherwise we would never have the money to recruit soldiers."
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but exclaimed when she saw the 1,000 taels of silver: "Fourth brother, did the caravan give so much as a reward?"
Although it was a sea voyage, one thousand taels of silver was a lot. The bodyguards in an ordinary caravan only earned a few dozen taels of silver a year.
"Yes..." Pei Weixuan was a little helpless. "Although the restaurant makes a lot of money, you should keep these banknotes. You can use them if you want to open a bigger restaurant in the future."
It seems that all Yu Niang has in mind is cooking, running a restaurant and making money.
Xu Qinyu took it. She knew that Wen Shi would not want the 1,000 taels of silver. Even if her fourth brother gave it to Wen Shi, she would only give it to her and let her keep it.
When Wen saw Xuan Ge'er give the banknote to Yu Niang, she was stunned for a moment. She didn't think much about it, but a strange feeling spread in her heart.
Even if Xuan Ge'er gave her the banknote, she would definitely give it to Yu Niang.
But this was given to Yu Niang by Xuan Ge'er on his own initiative. The other things Xuan Ge'er gave to them were bracelets and rings, but Yu Niang only got a hairpin.
Could it be that Brother Xuan is against Yu Niang...
Wen couldn't help but feel happy. She liked Yu Niang and naturally wanted her to be her daughter-in-law. It was really great that Xuan Ge'er was interested in Yu Niang. With her son's cold-hearted appearance, she thought her son would never fall in love with anyone in his life.
Just looking at Yu Niang, it seemed as if she really treated Xuan Ge'er as her fourth brother.
Forget it, let's wait and see. Even if Xuan Ge'er really likes Yu Niang, she will still follow Yu Niang's feelings.
Pei Weixuan carried water back to the house to wash up, and Xu Qinyu also went back to the house to wash up and go to bed. After a while, Ning Jie'er also went back to the house to sleep with her.
Ever since Zhu moved in with the old lady, Wen slept with Feng, Ning slept with Yan, and Yu Niang slept in her own room.
Now that Pei Weixuan is back, he naturally has to sleep in the same room with Feng Ge'er. Wen will sleep with Yan Jie'er, and Ning Jie'er will go back to sleep with her.
Xu Qinyu thought that as the family had more people, it was time to buy a new house. It didn't have to be too big. She could start with a house with two courtyards. Most of the houses in Laixi Lane in front had two or three courtyards. Then the family would be able to live in a separate house. Ning Jie'er was grown up and should have her own room.
As she was thinking, Xu Qinyu fell asleep in a daze.
The next day, she woke up still a little dazed. She put on her clothes and went out. She found the oil lamp in the kitchen was on. She went over to see that it was Pei Weixuan. She smiled and said, "Fourth brother, why don't you sleep a little longer after you got back?"
Xu Qinyu hadn't washed up yet and had just woken up. Her eyes were a little hazy, and there were marks on her face where she had pressed on the quilt.
Pei Weixuan raised his lips and smiled, "I couldn't sleep, so I got up."
He had already boiled some hot water and filled the water tanks in the kitchen, but he hadn't chopped the firewood in the yard yet for fear of disturbing everyone.
Xu Qinyu muttered, "Fourth brother went through so much hardship on this trip, he should rest more when he comes back."
After saying that, she thought of yesterday's crops of potatoes and sweet potatoes and asked Pei Weixuan, "Fourth brother, what are you going to do with the crops you brought back from overseas?"
She couldn't just sell them as seeds, could she? Should she sell them directly to the imperial court? After all, it wasn't Fourth Brother's caravan, so he wouldn't have the final say, right? She didn't want the caravan to sell these things to the imperial court. She felt that even if they did, the new emperor and the empress dowager, who could slaughter the victims at will, wouldn't care much about these two crops. It would be a shame if they destroyed them.
It would be better to find someone to try planting in the southwest first. We only have one boat, and we brought back some glass. The crops we brought back should not be many. It will definitely take two years to implement large-scale planting.
Pei Weixuan said, "The owner of the caravan should be planning to find someone to plant it first."
Not many of these crops were brought back, so the people on the island could only grow them first. By the time they could be planted in large quantities, the southwest should be in his hands.
But before that, he had to set up a workshop to make glass and earn some money.
So he couldn't stay at home for long, and he would have to go and meet up with Huo Ye and the others in a few days.
Hearing that it was the caravan owner who had people plant the crops first, Xu Qinyu felt a little relieved.
Before these things are grown in large quantities, she has no way to ask her fourth brother to help her negotiate business with the boss and purchase these ingredients. So now even if Xu Qinyu is itching to have them, she can only wait. After another two years, she will be able to use these ingredients to cook.
Xu Qinyu chatted with her fourth brother for a while, then went to the Wen family to find Cheng Ge'er. Together with Cheng Ge'er, they drove the donkey cart to the restaurant.
After arriving at the restaurant, Xu Qinyu wrote a notice and posted it, saying that the restaurant would be closed today but would be open the day after tomorrow, and that fish balls and fish heads would be sold during the evening meal.
The space at home is too small to make too many breakfasts and custard buns, so it’s more convenient here at the restaurant. The big steamer can steam dozens of them at a time.
Soon, Uncle He brought the fish and milk, as well as other river delicacies such as shrimp, crabs, and eels.
Xu Qinyu kept all of them and cooked them for her fourth brother at dinner time.
The extra shrimps, crabs and eels can be made into pepper and salt flavor, and the meat of the snails can also be made into dry-fried pepper and salt flavor. Ma Liu was asked to take them all to the group of officers and soldiers to eat.
Unfortunately, the capital city is quite far away and it would take several days to travel by water, otherwise she would like to ask Ma Liu to help send some of the food she cooked back to her family.
Now that the weather is getting hot, these foods will go bad in two days and there is no way they can be delivered to my family.
For breakfast, Xu Qinyu made custard buns, steamed buns with milk, cooked a pot of rice porridge with brown sugar, fried tofu, and stir-fried leeks, snails and wild rice slices.
The whole family had breakfast together. Xu Qinyu first asked Cheng Ge'er to deliver the breakfast to Old Lady Zhu in a cart.
Pei Weixuan, Wen, and Ning Jie'er had already gone to Old Lady Zhu's place. When Old Lady Zhu learned that Pei Weixuan had returned and saw her daughter's grandson for the first time, she was very excited and shed tears. She held him and talked to him for a long time.
The whole family started eating breakfast only after it was served.
Pei Weixuan had never tasted the brown sugar yin rice porridge and custard buns for breakfast, and he had never tasted even the pickled vegetables and fermented bean curd that came with it.
Needless to say, the taste is amazing, and only Yu Niang can make such a delicious dish.
Xu Qinyu noticed that her fourth brother actually liked sweets, and he drank three bowls of brown sugar rice porridge in one breath.
After eating and drinking, Pei Weixuan and Xu Qinyu returned the kitchen utensils to the restaurant.
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