Pei Yao felt that Gu Mingqian said this as calmly as if he were saying, "Give me two pounds of cabbage and five pounds of potatoes..."
Pei Yao had a general idea of Kyoto's weather; it should get cold in Kyoto in two or three months.
"Young Master Gu, I'm afraid this ice jelly won't sell well if the weather gets cold..."
Pei Yao subtly reminded him, after all, Gu Mingqian was his major client, and she was doing business with integrity, which was why she thought of reminding him.
Gu Mingqian had naturally thought of this as well, but his family's restaurant was always warm, even in winter.
After a meal, a bowl of chilled ice jelly is a great choice.
In previous years, it was common for the nobles of Kyoto to enjoy a bowl of cool tea after their meals in winter.
So he thought it was acceptable.
Seeing that Gu Mingqian had no objections, Pei Yao didn't say anything either. However, Gu Mingqian wanted a lot of goods, and Pei Yao needed time to collect them.
"Young Master Gu, could the delivery date be the same as last time? Give me ten days," Pei Yao said, trying to negotiate.
Gu Mingqian naturally understood and agreed. He had come to ask for a lot of goods urgently, and he had given the Pei family enough time to ship them out.
After saying that, Gu Mingqian had the butler bring the deposit to Pei Yao.
However, Gu Mingqian wanted two thousand jars at once. If they were all packed in the same small jars as before, even a merchant ship might not be able to hold them all. Therefore, Gu Mingqian asked:
"Miss Pei, could this lychee wine be stored in a large jar? I can have it divided into smaller jars myself once we get to the capital?"
Pei Yao nodded: "Of course."
Pei Yao had no reason to disagree with Gu Mingqian's proposed solution, as it would save her both effort and cost.
After discussing the important matters, Pei Yao explained the storage method for the Thunderbolt Fruit seeds.
If they don't sell well in winter, they can be saved and sold next summer.
After they had finished chatting, Lin Shaoqing and Gu Mingqian prepared to get up and say goodbye.
Gu Mingqian was always tactful in front of his elders, and at this moment he just stood up to bid farewell to Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang.
"Uncles, Miss Pei, we'll take our leave now and won't bother you any longer."
Lin Shaoqing stood up and followed suit, bowing respectfully, then said to Pei Yao:
"Miss Pei, my cousin and I will be leaving now."
Pei Yao smiled politely and prepared to escort the two out of the courtyard.
Just then, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen...
Lin Shaoqing, a food lover, smelled the aroma immediately, sniffed, and said, "It smells so good..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingqian sniffed the air and then asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Chen Fang had just come out of the kitchen. She and Yunniang had gone in to cook because it was getting late.
Thinking that these two young masters had come to their house at this time, they probably hadn't had dinner yet. Since they were so considerate of their business, the two decided to invite them to stay for a simple meal.
Chen Fang walked over and tugged at Pei Yao, whispering in her ear, "Yao girl, please invite the two gentlemen to have a simple meal..."
Chen Fang spoke very softly, but it was enough for Pei Yao to hear.
Pei Yao nodded. Lin Shaoqing had helped her many times before, so it was only right to treat him to a meal.
So she looked up at the two of them: "Young Master Lin, Young Master Gu, I suppose you haven't had dinner yet?"
Lin Shaoqing nodded vigorously: "No!"
Gu Mingqian nodded as well. Heaven knows how tempting the aroma wafting from the kitchen was.
Yunniang's cooking skills have improved a lot these days, all thanks to Pei Yao's hands-on teaching.
Seeing that they agreed, Pei Yao smiled and asked them to sit in the courtyard for a while before going to check on the kitchen.
Yunniang stir-fried salt and pepper razor clams, braised pork, and some other dishes that Pei Yao had made before.
Pei Yao glanced at the dishes and soup; all that was missing was a cold dish.
So he took the empty bowl and went to the Shen family's house. Shen Yu happened to be home on his day off.
Pei Yao knocked on the door, and Shen Yu opened it. Pei Yao was in a good mood today and greeted Shen Yu warmly.
"Hey, Shen Yu, you're here? Is Aunt Hui home?"
Shen Yu shook his head indifferently, without any further expression.
Pei Yao even sensed a faint hint of resentment on Shen Yu's face...
"What's wrong? It's the same if you come to me."
Pei Yao looked at Shen Yu's handsome face with a puzzled expression, wondering who had offended him.
“Okay, Aunt Hui isn’t here… Do you have any freshly made cold seaweed salad?” Pei Yao asked Shen Yu, holding a bowl in her hand.
Shen Yu nodded. His mother had made extra seaweed salad that morning.
"Yes, I'll go get it for you." Shen Yu said expressionlessly and turned to get it.
Shen Yu moved quickly and soon brought out a bowl of cold seaweed salad.
"I'll bring it to you."
"No need, it's not heavy, I can carry it myself." Pei Yao reached out to take the bowl from Shen Yu's hand, but Shen Yu held on tightly.
Pei Yao looked at him, somewhat confused, and then said, "Thank you, but I can do it myself."
After saying that, he tugged hard at the bowl in Shen Yu's hand, and Shen Yu reluctantly let go.
Pei Yao held the bowl and looked at Shen Yu with a puzzled expression, wondering what was wrong with him today.
Strange and weird...
Shen Yu was usually quiet and had an easy-going look, so Pei Yao couldn't help but wonder if he had been bullied in the county.
Since they were neighbors, Pei Yao still asked with concern, "Shen Yu, are you alright? Did someone bully you?"
Faced with Pei Yao's questioning eyes, Shen Yu shook his head, but his expression remained largely unchanged.
Pei Yao was in a hurry to get back, so she didn't ask any more questions.
As he left, he added, "I'm going back now. If anyone bullies you, just tell us. We're all neighbors, and I can ask my uncle to come and beat him up for you."
After saying that, Pei Yao raised her fist in a very serious manner: "My uncle is really fierce when he beats people up."
Shen Yu looked at Pei Yao, who had a serious expression on her face, and his expression seemed to soften a little.
"Mm." Shen Yu nodded.
Pei Yao then ran home relieved. She was too busy today and would have to come back another day to ask.
Shen Yu watched the girl's departing figure, his dark eyes fixed intently on the Pei family's courtyard.
Qiaohui, who had finished her work in the kitchen, came out and saw her son standing there blankly, staring at the gate. She asked him, puzzled:
"Was that Yao'er just here? I heard her voice."
Qiaohui was busy in the kitchen when she heard Pei Yao's voice. By the time she put down what she was doing and came out, Pei Yao was no longer there.
Shen Yu glanced back at his mother, then nodded calmly, "She came, but left again."
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