Chapter 7 The Refusal of "Little Cousin"

"Who?"

"What is true love?"

Before Pei Jian opened his mouth, the other two people in the school yard heard his voice and asked.

They were all boys of eighteen or nineteen years old. If they were not studying in the Imperial College, they would have been old enough to get married, so they were naturally interested in such topics.

Qin Lang looked at Gu Ci and made a face, "Which lady could win over our high-minded Mr. Gu?"

Wen Qingheng just came back from home.

His sister was not at home, so he returned to the Imperial College early today. However, he had only lived in this courtyard for a short time, so he was not very familiar with the other three classmates, so he just listened with a smile.

But it was precisely because of Wen Qingheng that Gu's urge to complain was hard to relieve. It was difficult for him to treat his future brother-in-law as an ordinary roommate.

So, as was rare, he became awkward and embarrassed, with two suspicious blushes on his face.

He cleared his throat, turned to Wen Qingheng, and said seriously, "I will treat her well."

Wen Qingheng was puzzled by Gu's seriousness. Qin Lang even let out two strange cries, his eyes darting back and forth between Wen and Gu:

"No way, Qingye (Gu Ci character), even rabbits don't eat grass near their kennels, and we can't attack people near their kennels!"

Qin Lang's voice was quite loud. Pei Jian took two steps away from him in disgust, and then looked at Gu Ci:

"Whose girl is she?"

On the day of Shangsi Festival, Gu Ci said that he met a very special girl by the Qushui River. Pei Jian didn't pay much attention to her at first and didn't ask her name.

Later, Gu Ci asked him for a horse, saying that he wanted to teach the girl how to ride.

Both Gu Ci and he are horse lovers, but Gu Ci prefers fat and strong horses, while he likes to collect various precious horses.

Walking on snow is one of them.

Given their friendship, a horse was no problem.

Pei Jian had many things to prepare for after his rebirth, so he didn't have much energy to pay attention to his good brother's movements. But Gu Ci had been very active these days, so even if he didn't pay attention, he still heard and saw a lot.

Thinking of the disaster that happened in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion at the end of the year, Pei Jian felt that if this girl had good character and family background, even if she refused, she would still have to guard the border in the end. Having a beautiful woman by her side might help ease her loneliness.

That's why I ask this question.

There was nothing to hide from his good brother Pei Jian.

But with his future brother-in-law standing by his side and his future father-in-law Wen Siye in the Imperial College, he dared not let the news leak out at all.

Although he is as loyal as a man, Nianxi still feels for him...

I'm not sure about the resignation.

She is like a mystery.

At first I only thought she was beautiful and gentle, but when I really got to know her, I realized she was smart, considerate, and full of wit.

When he was with her, he was just a fool.

In this situation, Wen Qingheng certainly couldn't be allowed to know that he coveted someone else's sister!

So he could only answer vaguely, "They are a family from the south who just moved to Beijing. You don't recognize them."

He felt guilty and was afraid that Wen Qingheng would hear something strange, so he added, "It's... my distant cousin."

Pei Jian was stunned for a moment when he heard "going to Beijing from the south", but when Gu Ci said it was a distant cousin, he quickly calmed down.

"Why does everyone have a cousin?" Qin Lang beat his chest and cried, "I'm the only one who doesn't have a cousin!"

"Shi Zhang has a cousin named Xu, Qing Ye has a distant cousin, Jing He (Wen Qing Heng's pen name), do you have a cousin?"

Wen Qingheng was as his name suggested, a very gentle and polite gentleman. Upon hearing this, he said, "I don't have a cousin, but I have a younger sister."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Jian and Gu Ci's eyelids jumped at the same time.

Without waiting for Qin Lang to utter anything else, they all said in unison, "It's getting late, Jinghe, go back to your room and rest."

Wen Qingheng: "...Oh, okay."

Qin Lang: ???

…

At this moment, Nian Xi was frowning at her dressing table.

Cousin Mu is getting married next month, but she can't even afford a decent dowry gift.

My father was an honest official, and their family's daily expenses were not very generous.

In her previous life, her cousin Mu took great care of her, and Nian Xi wanted to give her a generous gift at her cousin's wedding to show her gratitude. But her current savings were not enough to buy a decent piece of jewelry at Treasure House.

Speaking of which, Pei Jian is not a good husband, but he is very capable as an official. His daily wear is all exquisite, with precious beds, pearl curtains, jade plates and golden cups. Nianxi has never worried about these material things.

Just when he was at a loss, the maid Lanzhi came in with a cup of starch water:

"I have made osmanthus and rose water according to the recipe that Miss taught me a few days ago. Do you like it?"

People at that time loved to drink.

Not only can it make tea, but it also has various kinds of pulp, thirst quencher, primer, etc., which are deeply sought after by people in the capital.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, everyone from the royal family to the peddlers and hawkers loved to have a bowl of it in their spare time. The only difference was the costliness of the ingredients.

There are many drink shops in both the East and West Markets.

Nian Xi couldn't conjure up any money for the moment, so she could only put her worries aside for the time being.

After drinking a bowl of sweet and sour rose water, my mood improved a lot.

Lanzhi stood aside and said with great admiration, "Miss, you are really ingenious. You can even come up with such a delicious soup."

Nian Xi didn't take it seriously, "How can it be so delicious?"

In her previous life, she was used to drinking these drinks.

"Of course!"

Lanzhi almost raised her hand to swear, "I have never drunk such pulp before. The aroma of rice, honey, flowers and fruits are intertwined. It is sour, sweet and refreshing. I can't describe the taste. I just feel very satisfied after drinking it."

Nian Xi then remembered that in her previous life, because Pei Jian liked drinking and always hated summer heat, she had put a lot of effort into this.

It's not just pulp, there are also ice and snow, crispy mountain, cold pulp, cooked water... She looked through ancient books and recipes, and also innovated many flavors.

But Pei Jian was always indifferent to the things she had put so much effort into making.

Nian Xi thought it was not to his taste.

Until she accidentally heard cousin Xu talking to the nanny beside her, "My cousin said that only the drinks I made personally tasted like home. He couldn't get used to the drinks made by others."

Only then did I realize that it was not to his liking.

She once thought about opening a drink shop that catered exclusively to female customers, specifically as a place for ladies to while away their time.

At that time, Pei Jian had just been promoted to the Minister of Revenue. She had only started to speak when Pei Jian coldly blocked her words, "You don't need to show up in public to supplement the family income."

now……

"Lanzhi, make two new ones and send them to the main room."

Nian Xi's eyes lit up as she thought about where the money for her cousin's makeup came from!

Main House

"...Want to sell pulp in our satin shop?"

Mrs. Li listened to her daughter patiently and said casually, "Of course you can."

If you have your own cloth shop, you only need to set aside a small area to sell the slurry. What's the problem with that?

Nian Xi had prepared a lot of things to say, but she hesitated after hearing this, "...Is it that simple?"

"What else?"

Li laughed, "What's the point? You can sell pulp with an umbrella or a cart, why do you need to go through so much trouble?"

However——

"Why are you suddenly interested in selling pulp?"

Li tapped her forehead and said, "You looked listless recently and you seemed to have no energy for anything. Are you feeling better recently?"

Nian Xi was stunned when she heard this.

People who truly care about you can detect even the slightest change in your emotions.

She had just been reborn a few days ago, and she was depressed and sad. It turned out that her mother saw everything. Nianxi suppressed the tears that were about to burst out and lay in her mother's arms.

"I just think it's good like this now," she muttered.

Live again and do things that the 28-year-old Wen Nianxi never did.

Li smiled and said, "I said there are many good men in the capital!"

Nianxi was puzzled and poked her head out from her mother's arms, "What do you mean?"

Li was also shocked. "You were unhappy some time ago. Wasn't it because we went to Beijing and would never see the neighbor's kid again?"