With half a month left before the Lunar New Year, Su Qinghe gave a few instructions to the men in her family, bought a horse, and hurriedly headed to Sanchuan, a large city south of Tianhe County.
A few days ago, she arranged for someone to scout the location, and now she has received a message saying that the new restaurant and all the necessary arrangements are ready.
Sanchuan was still quite a distance from Tianhe County, and Su Qinghe rode for three days straight before finally seeing the city gate.
By the time they arrived at the new restaurant location, it was completely dark, and there were hardly any people on the streets.
Su Qinghe led her horse into the restaurant. The candles were still lit inside, and the hall was empty except for a person sitting at the counter, writing something with their head down.
"Master."
Hearing the noise, Zhong Rou looked up from the ledger and immediately saw Su Qinghe standing at the gate.
She quickly put down her pen and went out from behind the counter to greet him.
"Master, you must be tired from your journey. Have you had dinner yet?"
She walked quickly and excitedly to Su Qinghe, took the reins, and led her inside.
I received your letter in the afternoon, but I didn't know exactly when you would arrive, so I had the kitchen keep food on hand.
As Su Qinghe listened to her speak, she looked up and surveyed the facilities in the hall.
"I haven't eaten yet. Take the horse to the backyard and feed it some food. Then you can bring the dishes directly to the main hall."
"Yes, please have a seat."
Zhong Rou first pulled out a stool for Su Qinghe, and then led the horse to the backyard.
Su Qinghe didn't sit down immediately, but instead wandered around various corners of the lobby.
After touring all the different areas, she went to the kitchen and finally sat down, satisfied.
The newly acquired restaurant is indeed as Zhong Rouxin described; its area is more than twice that of Tianhe County. Just now, when she stood outside looking at the exterior, she noticed that it had one more floor than the original one.
Although it looks quite old, it's well-preserved and doesn't feel dilapidated at all. I just don't know if the private rooms upstairs will satisfy her as much as the lobby.
"...The boss?"
A middle-aged man carrying a bowl of soup walked over and, seeing Su Qinghe sitting in the center of the room, called out to her somewhat uncertainly.
Su Qinghe turned her head and nodded at him.
"Are you one of Manager Zhong's new hires?"
The man nodded when he saw her respond.
"Reporting to the employer, I only arrived yesterday."
"This is mutton soup that was stewed early this morning. Please drink it first to warm yourself up. The other dishes will be served shortly."
He placed the bowl in front of Su Qinghe, and only after she responded did he turn around and return to the kitchen.
Holding the spoon, Su Qinghe sipped the food in small, delicate bites.
Actually, she didn't like eating mutton because she couldn't stand the smell of mutton, but the soup tasted excellent. She didn't know how the original mutton smell was suppressed so well that she couldn't taste it at all.
Zhong Rou returned before she had even finished half of the soup and all the dishes had been served.
While Su Qinghe ate her meal, she listened to her report on the restaurant's preparations. The middle-aged man who had served the dishes earlier also stood aside after finishing his work.
Su Qinghe asked a few questions about his identity and learned that he was someone Zhong Rou had specially bought to cook for her these past few days, and not someone hired from outside. She was speechless.
Zhong Rou is thoughtful in her work, but she makes a mountain out of a molehill.
However, she did find someone with excellent cooking skills, and all the dishes on the table suited her taste perfectly.
After dinner, Su Qinghe had Zhong Rou show her around the entire restaurant. After pointing out some areas for improvement, she returned to her room, which had already been cleaned, to rest.
Over the next few days, Su Qinghe prepared for the opening of the new restaurant. With the first restaurant as a prototype, she was much more at ease with the preparations this time. Apart from finding a reliable supplier, everything else went very smoothly.
Having arranged everything and instructed Zhong Rou to open the business on the fourth day after the New Year, Su Qinghe returned to Tianhe County just two days before the New Year.
Outside the window, everything was covered in white. It had started snowing when she was on her way back. The snow wasn't heavy, but it had been falling for several days, and now the entire county was covered in white.
“My lady, why rush to move there tomorrow? You’ve just returned; why not take a good rest tomorrow?”
Inside the room, Su Qinghe lay face down on the couch, while Lin Xi knelt beside her, massaging her back and waist.
It was already time to rest, but Su Qinghe still entered the city just as the city gates were closing.
Winter days are short and night falls early. Lin Xi and the others had already tidied up and gone to bed early. When they learned that Su Qinghe was coming back, they got up to greet her and got busy again.
Feeling the just-right pressure on her back, Su Qinghe squinted comfortably, feeling most of the fatigue from the past few days of travel disappear.
She smacked her lips, her voice sounding very languid.
"We have a lot of things to move. The day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and we also have a lot of things to buy. We'll be busy for a while once we get to the new house."
"Get there early and make arrangements early. Then stay home and rest well the day after tomorrow. You'll be full of energy on the first day of the new year, right?"
She spoke softly, noticing the pressure on her back gradually lessening. Knowing his hand must be tired, she quickly waved her hand and turned back around.
"My lady, let me massage you for a little longer!"
Seeing her turn around, Lin Xi offered words of comfort.
"No need, Xiao Xi's massage was very comfortable, I feel much better now."
She gently pulled him into her arms to lie down, signaling him to rest.
Apart from the six days before they ate the fertilizing fruit, she had not had intercourse with them for almost a month.
This is a rule that has been discovered by generations of people in this world. The first six days are the critical period for the fertility fruit to take effect, so as not to harm the unknown child. Generally, one will not have intercourse with the husband who has taken the fertility fruit afterward.
Lin Xi knew that Su Qinghe was a woman of her word, so she didn't insist anymore. Nestled in her arms, she felt her eyelids getting heavy and fell asleep soon after closing her eyes.
She heard even, long breaths coming from her arms, and gradually Su Qinghe fell asleep. However, she was woken up in the middle of the night, and the culprit was... the low snoring of the man in her arms.
"..."
Su Qinghe raised her hand to rub her groggy head, then looked down at Lin Xi in her arms with surprise.
He never used to snore, although it's very quiet now.
She moved her arms, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes.
She can actually fall asleep, after all, she could fall asleep just like that even in noisier environments during missions.
She was just a little uncomfortable in the quiet environment for too long.
...
The next day, a horse-drawn carriage swayed away from the entrance of Shili Xiang, followed by three oxcarts.
Inside the car, Lin Xi and Su Qinghe sat on one side, while Ji Yuan and Ji Qingyu sat opposite her.
"Did you not sleep well last night, my lady?"
Seeing the slight bruising under Su Qinghe's eyes, Ji Yuan asked with concern.
"?"
Hearing his words, Lin Xi tilted her head and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Did you go to bed late last night and get up early today, that's why you're like this?"
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