Chapter 108 (Taro Stewed Beef Brisket...)
When Yan Qiushu received the things sent from Leping, she just thought they were gifts from Zhou Zhaoqin and Shen Pingyu.
However, after opening it, she saw a jade pendant leaking out from the letter. She took it subconsciously and was stunned by the contents of the letter.
[Sister Shu, this is a token my father's conspirator gave me, saying that I can use it to withdraw money from multiple banks...]
This was not the first time Zhou Zhaoqin had sent her a letter. Before she was conferred the title of county lord, the fifth prince, Prince Shun, had reminded her to write to him.
She also wrote and sent things every month. The child was so pitiful and she couldn't forget about it.
But I never expected to receive such a great gift.
He said that it was a keepsake left by his father. He didn't know how much silver was in it, but according to the counselor, this was the trump card he kept for himself to turn things around. However, the counterattack from the Xiao family came quickly and fiercely. Before he could fight back, he was completely trapped in a desperate situation, so he gave this thing to him.
In the letter, Zhou Zhaoqin said that he would give this token to Yan Qiushu as her dowry for her future marriage, hoping that she would not be bullied after she got married.
He didn't want this thing. His father had gone to great lengths to get it, but it cost the lives of hundreds of people in his maternal grandfather's family, so he asked her not to return it.
This letter was hidden in a package and sent by the Shen family. It was safe on the way, and no one knew about it until it reached her hands.
But Zhou Zhaoqin's letters used to be sent individually.
This means that he might know that what he has in his hand is very dangerous. If others knew about it, he might get involved again. But he still asked the Shen family to send it.
After reading it, Yan Qiushu didn't know what to do for a moment and wanted to return it, but he also said that he didn't want it.
Furthermore, that person gave this token to Zhou Zhaoqin with some intention, such as using the identity of a victim to overthrow the Xiao family. He is a weak person now, and many people will sympathize with him. If he does something, the Xiao family and Prince Chang may be in trouble.
After all, it was these two parties who were responsible for the execution of the Third Prince.
Yan Qiushu wasn't even sure whether the things inside were real.
She felt that she could not handle this matter. After a brief thought, she decisively asked Shui Yu to help pack the carriage. Zhao Shuhong stayed at the manor to entertain the newly arrived guests, and she went to the Xiao family.
When leaving, I asked Xiao Huaiya if she wanted to go, but she refused, fearing that she would be left at home if she went, and she wanted to stay a little longer.
When Yan Qiushu arrived, Mrs. Xiao was painting. When she heard that Yan Qiushu was coming, she asked someone to take her directly to her yard.
When Yan Qiushu arrived, she saw her waiting at the door. She ran over with a smile and took her hand: "Aunt, please go back to the room. It's still a little hot now."
Summer hasn't completely passed yet, the heat is still there, and I start sweating after standing outside for a while.
"I know. Come over here too." Mrs. Xiao also smiled and took her hand and went back into the house.
There is also a basin of ice in the room, which is much cooler than outside.
Yan Qiushu wiped the sweat off her forehead and said with a smile, "I am here to bother you again. There is something I don't know what to do, so I came to ask for your advice." As she spoke, she made a hint with her eyebrows.
Madam Xiao understood quickly and asked the servants to leave, leaving only Madam Huang behind. She also closed the door and said, "Everyone has left. Tell me, what brought you here specially?"
Yan Qiushu took out a piece of letter paper and handed it over: "Please take a look. I'm not sure what to do."
Mrs. Xiao took it and glanced at it. The smile on her lips disappeared, and her expression became more and more serious. After reading it, she said to Madam Huang, "Go and call the eldest brother over."
"Yes." Nanny Huang ran over quickly.
Madam Xiao looked at Yan Qiushu and asked, "What do you think?"
Yan Qiushu smiled embarrassedly and said, "I want to keep it. I think what he meant is that he really doesn't want the money. Besides, he is still young and he will definitely not be short of money in the future. The money left by the Third Prince will do him harm instead of good. Not to mention that the person who gave him the token may just want to use his identity to do something..."
Mrs. Xiao nodded and said, "I think so too. This child is definitely not the same as his father. I was soft-hearted at first and didn't misjudge him. But when the eldest son comes over, let's see what he says. This sum of money should not be a small amount."
Yan Qiushu responded.
The two waited for a while, and Xiao Huaiqi came. He was sitting in a wheelchair. After coming in, he asked the servant to get off and then asked the two what was going on.
After learning about this, Xiao Huaiqi said, "When the Third Prince's house was confiscated, only 10,000 taels of gold and silver were found inside. It was said that he had used all of it to bribe other people. But according to the testimony of the Qiao family and related people, he still had at least 500,000 taels of gold that he hadn't taken out. If nothing unexpected happened, this is the money."
Five hundred thousand taels is already a lot. Some petty officials could only embezzle one hundred thousand taels after years of corruption. If it weren't for the high status of the Qiao family and the wealth of Jinzhou, how could they give so much money to the third prince?
If used as military pay, it can keep the army well fed and well fed for a long time.
I still remember that when I interrogated the Qiao family and the third prince before, he was unwilling to hand it over no matter what. He felt that the emperor would not kill him. With this money, he could make a comeback. But he did not expect that something bad would happen later, so he sent someone to hand the jade pendant to Zhou Zhaoqin.
Xiao Huaiqi was just thinking about it when he saw the little girl in front of him directly push the jade pendant to him: "Then this is for you, young master. If you have to go to war and the military pay is insufficient, you can take it out and use it."
Xiao Huaiqi looked at the jade pendant with shock in his heart. He did not reach out to take it, but reminded in a deep voice: "Are you really going to give it to the Xiao family like this?!"
Yan Qiushu pursed her lips and smiled: "This is taken from the people. I don't feel at ease with it. Zhou Zhaoqin doesn't want it either. It would be best to use it on the people, but I don't trust others. It's most appropriate to give it to the Xiao family as military pay."
This way, every penny will be spent wisely and it will greatly alleviate the difficulties that the Xiao family will encounter in the future.
Xiao Huaiqi was moved, but he didn't reach out for the jade pendant immediately.
Five hundred thousand is not a small amount for two people.
Mrs. Xiao was much more generous and said with a smile: "You are a grown man but you are not as courageous as Ah Shu. Take this. Ah Shu is right. This money originally came from the people. It is most appropriate to use it on the people."
Xiao Huaiqi then took the jade pendant with both hands, his jade-like face showing a somewhat cautious look: "Thank you very much, I promise not to waste a single cent of this money."
Yan Qiushu smiled lightly: "Of course I believe you, don't worry."
Xiao Huaiqi also laughed and said, "Speaking of which, this was the dowry that the child gave you. Now it has become a military supply, so I will prepare the dowry."
"No, no..." Yan Qiushu hastily refused. It was really unnecessary. The betrothal gift given by the Xiao family was quite a lot. If they really got married, it wouldn't be shabby. A little less wouldn't be a big deal. She was single and open-minded and didn't care what others said.
"Yes!" Xiao Huaiqi waved his hand to settle the matter, and then said: "Speaking of which, this is really just in time. Our Majesty has made some moves again. I guess this year's New Year, the Sixth Brother will not be able to spend it at home."
Speaking of this, Madam Xiao and Yan Qiushu were both shocked: "Why is this happening? Are we going to fight again?"
"Is it with Qi State?"
Xiao Huaiqi nodded.
Yan Qiushu's face changed slightly and she clenched her fingers.
According to the plot, this battle should take place in the second half of next year, which is almost a whole year in advance!
However, she has been in this world for so long that many things have changed. King Chang is powerful, so it is understandable that King Shun and King Huai can't wait. Moreover, King Xuan has become a cripple and can no longer be an obstacle to King Chang. King Shun's behavior during this period does not show that he will compete for the throne. This may not be a bad thing.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense. Mrs. Xiao did not look very well. She was naturally uneasy about her son going to war, but the Xiao family was in such a state that she could not persuade her son not to go.
Seeing this, Xiao Huaiqi changed the subject: "Ah Shu is here, so let's have lunch together?"
Yan Qiushu also smiled and said, "Okay."
A girl's clear voice came from outside: "Sister Shu!"
Wan'er is here!
Yan Qiushu's eyes lit up, and Mrs. Xiao also smiled.
Naturally, lunch was also eaten in Mrs. Xiao's yard.
Last time Dongdong and his friends had a day off, but because it happened to rain for two days, they couldn't go to the farm. Now Yan Qiushu came over, and when Wan'er heard about it, she ran over and sat beside her.
As the dishes came up one by one, Wan'er pointed at one of them and said with a smile, "Sister Shu, this dish is so delicious!"
Yan Qiushu took a look and smiled, "Yeah, I like it too."
This dish is beef brisket stewed with taro. Beef brisket is a piece of meat with tendons, meat, and fat. Compared with pure lean beef, beef brisket has a softer texture. After a long time of stewing, it has already become soft and tasty. It is now served in a large black casserole, and the taro inside looks particularly tender.
The taste of taro is somewhat similar to that of potato, but it is a bit sweeter than potato. It can also be used to make desserts, and it is still delicious when made into this dish.
Yan Qiushu nodded, and Wan'er immediately added a piece of meat and a piece of taro to her dish: "Would you like to try it?"
Mrs. Xiao, Xie Qingyun, Xiao Huaiqi, Xiao Huaiyu and others at the table all looked over, a little surprised. Wan'er had a good relationship with her before, but she had never taken the initiative to pick up food for her.
Because Wan'er was still an eight-year-old child, she occasionally needed a wet nurse to help her pick up food.
"Thank you, Wan'er~" Yan Qiushu took it with a smile, and noticed their eyes at a glance. Her little face turned red and she avoided them a little.
Since the last time these kids felt that she was bullied, they have been very nice to her. She thought it was just a temporary thing, but who knew Wan'er had such a good memory and was still thinking about taking good care of her.
Mrs. Xiao smiled and pretended to complain: "Alas, I have no one to help me pick up the food."
Wan'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up and served food to everyone one by one: "Grandma, you eat, uncle..."
The adults were at a loss whether to laugh or cry when they saw this, and both the old and the young had to follow her lead, so one by one they moved their bowls next to her chopsticks to make it easier for her to put down the food.
Yan Qiushu narrowed her eyes, picked up the beef brisket in the bowl and took a bite.
The beef brisket, which had already absorbed a lot of thick soup, bloomed between her lips and teeth, and the salty and slightly spicy juice overflowed. The taste was different from ordinary soup. The starch in the taro made the soup thicker. The taro was obviously stewed for a long time and was very soft. There seemed to be some taro pieces in the soup, which disappeared after a sip.
Then she picked up some taro and ate it. The taro was as soft as Yan Qiushu had expected. There was no need to chew it. Just apply a little pressure and it would melt in the mouth. The taro should be very tender, without any tendons and with a great taste.
After Yan Qiushu finished eating, she saw Wan'er gnawing on a piece of beef brisket and looking at her eagerly. She raised her lips and smiled: "It's especially delicious. Your cooking skills are getting better and better!"
Wan'er was eating meat and couldn't say anything. She could only smile and nod vigorously to show her agreement.
She's gained some weight!
Fortunately, her uncle said that at her age, it is the right time for her to grow, otherwise she would have to reduce her food intake.
The Xiao family does not have a rule of not talking while eating. Everyone would talk about other things while eating. For example, Xiao Huaiqi, due to his status and health reasons, could not visit Yan Qiushu often. Now that he had the chance, he told her how many branches had been opened in the food court.
There is only one store in Kyoto, and it is a little overwhelmed. Although the stores in other cities have not adapted to this, resulting in not being as popular, it is also very good and can make a profit in a short time.
Yan Qiushu, a little waste, could only sigh in admiration: "You are so amazing!"
“It’s great that the business can be so successful!”
Xiao Huaiqi was so pleased with himself that he couldn't control his smile.
Yan Qiushu suddenly remembered and said, "Oh, by the way, if Kyoto doesn't want another food street like this, we can transfer the rights of individual stores and open stores on other streets."
Xiao Huaiqi raised his eyebrows, quite interested: "What do you mean?"
Yan Qiushu said: "It means that people who want to open a store will pay you a large sum of money to buy the right to open a store. We provide the ingredients, such as chicken fillets, and provide marinated chicken fillets. They only need to fry them and sell them..."
With this method, we can get the franchise fee and raise a lot of money in a short time. When Xiao Waiting goes to the battlefield, even if someone withholds the military pay, the Xiao family will be able to deal with it calmly, right?