After Yan Xia paid, the two went home separately.
Yan Xia breathed a sigh of relief after walking through the alley until Su Anjiang's figure was out of sight.
She had also suffered through that meal. Brother Su barely ate any food, but wasting food was a sin, so she forced herself to finish all the dishes, and her stomach was really full.
For three consecutive days, Su Anjiang has not come to the pastry shop to buy flower cakes.
Yan Xia didn't mind. On the fourth day, she rented a carriage and took La Mei to Jiangnan County.
Yan Xia had originally planned to go alone, but La Mei insisted on going with her. Since her youngest daughter had never left the county town in her life, Yan Xia simply took her along.
Because the bridge across the river hadn't been repaired yet, we set off early in the morning and didn't arrive until evening.
Yan Xia found an inn and checked in with her daughter.
Jiangnan County is very prosperous, unlike Shuangqiao Town, where there are hardly any people on the streets when it gets dark.
The nightlife here is vibrant.
As soon as it got dark, all the shops lit up their lanterns.
The lanterns were colorful, with yellow, green, pink and white colors, but most of them were red, and their light illuminated the entire Jiangnan County.
If you climb up to the courtyard, you can see the lights of thousands of homes.
The cacophony of hawking, chatting, and storytelling blended together in a remarkably harmonious way.
Yan Xia and her daughter were wandering aimlessly. La Mei was holding a string of sugar figurines with a bird painted on them, but unfortunately, La Mei ate the head off.
Both women had charming smiles on their similar faces.
They were like sisters.
Yan Xia glanced around and saw stalls selling late-night snacks, tea, and jewelry and handkerchiefs on the street.
It has everything.
It's not much different from modern ancient towns.
After walking around for a long time, Yan Xia was a little tired.
After eating a lot of street food, the mother and daughter were very full.
They sat by the river and admired the scenery.
The river runs from the city gate to the end of the city. Every now and then, a few small boats float on the river, carrying several young men, some of whom are with charming and beautiful girls.
They leisurely sipped their wine.
There were also groups of men who looked like scholars, reciting poems together.
Yan Xia, after all, had transmigrated here, so she treated it like she was just strolling around in modern times.
But Lamei was a complete country bumpkin; she had never seen anything like this before. From the moment she arrived in Jiangnan County, her mouth never stopped.
He would often exclaim in amazement to Yan Xia.
"Mother, Jiangnan County is so prosperous! You can hardly find anyone on the streets of Shuangqiao Town at night. If we opened a shop here, wouldn't we be able to sell from morning till night? Wouldn't we be able to earn more money?"
Yan Xia was speechless.
This girl.
I thought she wanted to live here, but it turns out she was only thinking about making money.
That's good; it's always better for a woman to have ambition than to always think about being a good wife and mother.
“Mother came here for the shop. Deng Qiuzhi, who sold you the land before, left you his address. We’ll go find him tomorrow. We don’t know anyone here. If we open a shop rashly and run into a tough customer, we won’t get away with it. It’s better to cooperate with Brother Deng.”
Yan Xia has recently started to guide her children, intentionally or unintentionally, and discusses everything with them.
I will no longer take matters into my own hands and then notify them after I have finished.
After all, they're all grown up now, and the family business will eventually have to be handed over to them.
If she's always the one doing all the work, she'll be exhausted.
"Mother, what if he doesn't cooperate with you?"
Wax Plum licked the sugar figurine she hadn't finished eating and looked at Yan Xia, asking a question.
“He will definitely cooperate, Mother is confident. Look at our shop’s business, when has it ever been bad? Nobody dislikes money, everyone wants more money. If he’s not a fool, he will definitely agree.”
Her pastry shop also has customers in Jiangnan County.
Three people have already ordered cakes from her.
They also send flower cakes and peach shortbread once a month. If they do, Zhao Dali will even use public funds to stay overnight at the inn.
I rushed back the next day.
The mother and daughter sat by the river chatting for half an hour. The evening breeze was a bit cool, making their faces feel cold.
"Let's go back to the inn. Get some sleep. We have important business to attend to tomorrow. Once we're done, Mom will take you out for a fun day."
"Yes, Mom is the best. Let's go back now."
Lamei affectionately linked arms with Yanxia. She still had half a sugar figurine left in her hand, and she couldn't bear to throw it away. So, she put the sugar figurine into her mouth.
They chewed it raw, making a 'crunch crunch' sound.
It didn't even last a minute.
This tiger-like strength is a true inheritance from Yan Xia.
The two walked through the bustling streets and then down an alley to reach the inn.
As I walked into the alley, four or five slovenly young men came towards me.
He was dressed in a brocade robe, with a valuable jade pendant hanging at his waist.
They're obviously a bunch of dissolute rich kids.
"Oh ho, so you're a pair of twin beauties. What are you two doing wandering the streets so late? Are you doing that kind of business? In that case, come back with me. Five taels for both of you."
"Brother Zhao, you're being a bit stingy. I'll give you eight taels!"
"Haha, since you've all put down prices, I'll give you 10 taels. I like the older one, and you can have whatever you want with the rest. Girl, come with me, here's 10 taels of silver for you."
"Brother Wang, that's not fair of you. I offered the price for two people."
"Alright, what's the point of just playing with one person? How about this, you two sisters serve together? Tonight, it's my treat, you can both go to my villa."
"Brother Xu is a true friend."
The group laughed lewdly.
Yan Xia's face was somewhat gloomy.
She shielded her daughter behind her, ready to teach them a lesson.
Taking advantage of the darkness in the alley, Yan Xia picked up a stone from the ground, intending to smash it.
But as soon as she stood up, the stone in her hand was taken away.
The man whispered something in Yan Xia's ear.
"Don't use force. One of them is the county magistrate's only son. If things get out of hand, it won't be good for you. The county magistrate is very protective of his own."
He was a young man dressed in a black robe, with shimmering gold patterns visible through the moonlight, likely sewn with gold thread. He had a dashing air about him, but his eyes were cold and aloof. His profile was chiseled, and his upturned phoenix eyes made him appear both male and female, while his thick eyebrows and high nose accentuated his masculine features.
The young man was a full head taller than Yan Xia, and he lowered his body slightly when he spoke.
His voice was languid and rather pleasant.
"Oh, isn't this Meng Yu? I heard you were beaten so badly by your father the other day that you couldn't get out of bed. Is your injury healed?"
One of them saw the boy and began to mock him.
"Brother Xu, these two are my friend's younger sisters. They came out for a stroll today but accidentally got separated from us. Please do me the honor of taking them back. Another day, I'll host a dinner at Wan Hua Lou and pick out a few pretty girls for you to enjoy alone. How does that sound?"
Meng Yu ignored the man.
Instead, he went to Xu Jiahao, the son of the county magistrate, and spoke to him.
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