Chapter 212 Take the opportunity to open more rice shops
As the fire gradually consumed his storeroom, Master Yu was so anxious that he pounded the ground, crying out, "All of this rice belongs to the Yu family! If it burns down, how will we run our rice shop!"
The butler grabbed him and said, "Master, if the things are burned, so be it. If you rush in, you might lose your life."
After hearing this, Master Yu gritted his teeth and gradually calmed down. He could only look up and watch helplessly as the fire continued to burn his rice.
The fire burned all night, and by the next morning, the entire Yu family home was reduced to ruins.
Old Master Yu sat at the doorway, looking dejected and with a blank stare.
At this moment, the servants who had set fire to Changliu Village at night also arrived.
They looked at the scene before them in astonishment. "Master, what's going on?"
Master Yu slowly raised his head to look at them. "Last night, the candle in my study accidentally lit the bed curtains, and it caught fire."
The servants sighed in dismay, "What are we going to do now!"
Master Yu stood up and asked them, "How was last night?"
The servants immediately came to their senses, lowered their heads, and stammered, "Master, we did not burn down the Zhou family's fields last night."
"No?" Master Yu was shocked.
The servants bowed and replied timidly, "Yesterday we went to the Zhou family's land, and just as we were about to light a fire, we discovered a pack of wolves."
"A pack of wolves?" Master Yu asked in surprise.
The servants all nodded.
Master Yu was so angry that he vomited blood. He hadn't set fire to the other party's fields, but he accidentally set fire to his own house.
He leaned against the wall and collapsed to the ground.
Soon, news of the fire at the Yu family's house reached Changliu Village.
Aunt Zhou sighed, "A perfectly good rice merchant like him is probably doomed now."
Du Wanchun, holding the child, walked to the door and looked outside. "Yes, I heard that all the rice in the warehouse is gone."
Aunt Zhou had a sudden inspiration: "The Yu family's rice shop in Qingzhou Prefecture is out of grain. Why don't we go there now and open a rice shop to fill the gap?"
Du Wanchun listened and thought it was a good idea. "That works too. Ruiyuan and I will go to Qingzhou Prefecture again tomorrow. We just happened to have our eye on a few shops yesterday."
Aunt Zhou laughed and said, "Okay, I'll go to the rice warehouse and take another look to see how much rice is left."
Du Wanchun went with her.
There was more rice in the rice barn than they had imagined. They had thought it wouldn't be enough to sell, but now they realized it was just right.
Aunt Zhou sighed and said, "If Zhao'er were here, maybe our rice would be ready to harvest again soon."
Du Wanchun smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. In a few days, I will hire some farmhands to plant some more rice."
Aunt Zhou smiled and nodded.
The next day, Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan went to Qingzhou Prefecture again and bought the two shops they had their eye on the day before.
As they were leaving, they happened to run into the down-on-his-luck Master Yu.
Because his family ran out of rice, Master Yu not only couldn't continue his business, but also owed his long-term servants a lot of money. To pay this debt, he decided to go to the capital to ask his cousin, who was a concubine, for help.
The two carriages happened to pass each other.
Du Wanchun turned around and looked back. "Husband, that's Master Yu's carriage."
Zhou Ruiyuan noticed this and raised an eyebrow, saying, "It seems he's preparing to go to the capital."
Du Wanchun replied, "Even if we go to the capital, it probably won't save him."
Zhou Ruiyuan continued driving the carriage, and slowly asked, "Wanchun, do you want to go to the capital?"
Du Wanchun turned to look at him and said with a smile, "Yes."
Zhou Ruiyuan looked ahead and slowly said, "I will take you with me when we go to the capital for the imperial examination next month."
Du Wanchun's face immediately lit up with joy, "What about Mianmian and the others?"
Zhou Ruiyuan held the reins in one hand and put his arm around her with the other, saying, "Don't worry, with my mother and Granny Zhuang here."
Du Wanchun leaned on his shoulder, her face full of smiles.
In the capital, Zhou Feng was about to marry Miss Han.
The emperor increasingly valued his adopted son, not only arranging his wedding but also opening several spice shops for him in the capital.
These were all things Zhou Feng had not anticipated.
However, it doesn't seem to do him any harm.
Zhou Feng put all the money he had earned during this period into a box, planning to send it home after a while.
Because of the emperor's favor, many merchants in the capital were trying to curry favor with him, sending him paintings or jade every day.
Zhou Feng didn't stand on ceremony and collected them all, intending to send them all home.
With the wedding day fast approaching, Zhou Feng received a letter from Zhou Ruiyuan.
Zhou Ruiyuan planned to bring Du Wanchun to his wedding ceremony, which coincided with her taking the college entrance examination next month.
Zhou Feng was slightly surprised; it seemed his elder brother was also preparing to meet the emperor.
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