The villagers from Baihua Village filled five tables.
Wang Zengshi and Zhu Qiumei were childhood playmates. Last month, when Zhu Qiumei came back, the two played together again.
She only brought her to the full moon celebration after Zhu Qiumei begged her for a long time.
Who knew that this would happen before I left?
Wang Zengshi glanced guiltily to her right, where the table where the men were sitting was. She saw her father-in-law and the father of her child staring at her.
Wang Zengshi's heart skipped a beat.
I'm afraid I'll get a scolding when I get home tonight.
Today, her whole family came over, bringing generous gifts, hoping to please Yan Xia. After all, the family relies on her father-in-law's wages from raising cattle. She had even been thinking that if Yan Xia hired more people, she could try to get her husband to raise cattle as well.
Zhu Qiumei did this.
She regretted it terribly.
Even if Yan Xia were to hire someone, she probably wouldn't consider her man.
"I must have been blind to believe your nonsense. From now on, don't come to my house anymore, and let's stop playing around. You're such an old man, yet you talk like a child without thinking. You almost killed me."
Wang Zengshi stopped paying attention to her.
Zhu Qiumei clenched her teeth so hard they made a grinding sound.
I wonder what he's thinking.
She didn't say a word.
After it got completely dark, all the guests had left and been seen off.
"Sister Xia, everything has been arranged. Five gentlemen were too drunk to wake up, so they've been placed in the right wing of the courtyard. The rest have all been sent back, the tables and chairs have been put away, and the place has been thoroughly cleaned. As for the people from Baihua Village, many of them were also drunk, so I sent servants to rent a carriage to take them back to the village. Also, I just instructed the kitchen to make some hangover soup. Would you like a bowl, Sister Xia?"
“I’m not drinking anymore. The rest of the drinks were fruit drinks. The wine I drank earlier was all gone by now. You can take a bowl to Chang Fu, Chang Lu, Xiao He, and Jing Shui. Those silly kids will drink whatever anyone offers them. Where are Chang Yu and Chang Yi? I didn’t see them earlier. Where did they go?”
Yan Xia asked.
"Mom, while we were eating, several aunties pulled my second sister and me aside, saying they wanted to introduce us to potential husbands. They even said we're both so old and still not married, or we'll become old maids. It's so annoying! After I finished eating, I went back to my own courtyard with my second sister. Mom, you didn't drink too much, did you?"
Just as Jin Yu was about to answer, Chang Yi walked over from the connecting corridor.
"She didn't drink too much, and it's good that she's going back. From now on, if anyone says something unpleasant to you, if you can handle it, then talk back to them. If you can't handle it, then stay away. My daughter, Yan Xia's daughter, can get married whenever she wants. Let them meddle in other people's business. I hope your sister didn't take it to heart. She's thoughtful and tends to overthink things."
"No, my second sister is reading a storybook." Chang Yi shook her head.
"That's good. Go back, wash up, and go to bed early. If you get hungry tonight, go to the kitchen and cook something for yourself. The kitchen staff have been very busy today, so don't wake them up. Let them get some sleep."
"Okay, Mom."
After watching her daughter leave, Yan Xia walked to her own courtyard with Jin Yu.
The two sat at a stone table in the courtyard, with Yan Xia listening to Jin Yu report on matters large and small.
I just returned from Jiangnan County the day before yesterday.
These past two days, the family has been busy with the full moon celebration, and she hasn't had a chance to talk to Jinyu.
Now I'm done with my work.
Of course, I need to ask clearly.
"Sister Xia, after the pastry shop was built, I transferred a group of people there to make pastries. They all performed very well. We also added three more delivery personnel. At the beginning of the month, two more branches joined the franchise. I interviewed them in Jiangnan County. They passed the character test and signed written contracts. Here are the money received and the bills. Please take a look. Starting tomorrow, we will deliver the goods uniformly."
There are currently ten branches in the towns surrounding Jiangnan County and within Jiangnan County itself. Rose jam is running low; we can only last another ten days at most. At the end of July, I went to check on the dryland rice fields; the rice is growing very well. As for the land in Shoucheng Village, Xiaobao is in charge. He reported to me yesterday that the autumn harvest will begin in early September, and he will personally go to collect the grain. You appointed Xiaoyu as the team leader, and she's doing a great job. After the cakes were introduced to the three Jiangnan branches, customers have already made reservations for next summer…”
It was half an hour later when I finished reporting.
"Hmm, not bad. I let Xiaoyu and the others stay at my house. Are they getting used to it? No one in Jiangnan County would dare to bully them, right?"
Xiaoyu is her niece after all, and she is kind and sensible.
Yan Xia was quite concerned.
"I'm quite used to the place. The innkeepers all treat them well and wouldn't dare to bully them. As for the guests, they're even more so. Nowadays, wealthy families in Jiangnan County consider it an honor to celebrate birthdays and eat cakes. Who would be so foolish as to offend them? Besides, every family in Jiangnan County with a bit of wealth knows that you, Sister Xia, have a relationship with Old Madam Xu, so no one would dare to go out of their way to bully them."
Jin Yu already knew about this.
I told him when Yan Xia came back in July.
I'm not upset about anything.
He believed that Yan Xia must have her reasons for doing so.
"Jinyu, I have something to show you, but you have to promise me you won't act impulsively."
Yan Xia looked at Jin Yu, who had a sincere expression on his face, and hesitated.
After much deliberation, she decided to show the letters to Jinyu.
"What is it?" Jin Yu asked, somewhat curious.
"I'll go inside and get it for your father. Wait for me." Yan Xia said, then got up and went back inside.
The letter was actually in her storage space, but today she was wearing a light gauze coat, so there was nowhere to hide it and she couldn't take it out of her clothes. She could only go back to her room and pretend to read it.
Jin Yu was stunned when he heard this.
Yan Xia returned several minutes later.
She placed a stack of letters on the stone table in front of Jin Yu.
"Sit down and read it slowly. Remember, don't act impulsively. You've endured so much for so many years, don't break your composure." Yan Xia was afraid that Jin Yu would secretly run away at night and go to the capital to file a complaint, only to end up complaining to Magistrate Xu's protector.
He was eventually silenced.
Worried that this might happen, she gave him another word of advice.
As night gradually fell, the lanterns in the Yan family courtyard were lit one by one by the servants as early as dusk.
Although not as bright as during the day, it still illuminates the entire mansion clearly.
With trembling hands, I carefully opened the letter.
He read it carefully, line by line, word by word.
"So, it turns out the Minister of Revenue colluded with the Governor of Jiangnan! No wonder my father was falsely accused by Xu Wenyan. They're in cahoots. Because my father refused to go along with them, the entire Ministry of Revenue, from top to bottom, is full of their people. My father, my father..."
Half an hour later, I finished reading it all.
His eyes were filled with sorrow, and his voice was broken and trembling.
He couldn't even finish his sentence. He put down the letter, slumped onto the table, and didn't even lift his head.
It looks like she's crying.
Yan Xia had not finished reading the letter before.
Therefore, the letter written by the Minister of Revenue to Xu Wenyan at the very bottom was not found.
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