A moment later, she came out with a heavy money bag. "Xiaoyun, when you go back today, please be sure to take this money to Yunxiang for me."
Shen Yun knew all about Meng Zhao and Li Yunxiang's scheme. She took the money bag and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. "Didn't Er Ya only borrow fifty taels back then? How come there seems to be so much money in this bag?"
Meng Zhao explained, "Besides the fifty taels, three taels were given to me by Yunxiang later, and another ten taels were added by myself."
“The interest rates charged by the lenders in the county are not low, and three taels of silver is certainly not enough to feed them. So give all sixty-three taels to Yunxiang, and make sure to tell her that this money must not be left unpaid and must be paid off in full at once.”
Meng Zhao had seen some people in modern times who owed money. After they made money, they didn't pay it back all at once, thinking they would leave some to pay back slowly later. But the result was often that they were dragged down by high interest rates and became worse and worse until they could never pay it off. So she had to make Li Yunxiang pay off the money all at once.
Carrying so much money made Shen Yun a little nervous. Since Aunt Su Yun's house was very close to Li Yunxiang's house, she followed Meng Zhao's instructions and went back to Aunt Su Yun's house with her under the pretext of getting radishes.
After getting the radish, he went out and turned directly into Li Yunxiang's yard.
"Sister Yunxiang, this is what Sister Mengzhao asked me to bring to you. The extra ten taels in here were also added by her. Sister Mengzhao said that you should pay back all the money you owed to those lenders. You don't need to pay interest on the money she lent you; you just need to pay back the principal as soon as possible."
Li Yunxiang gripped the money bag tightly in both hands, her eyes welling up with tears of emotion, unsure of what to say.
It took her a while to come to her senses. She asked Shen Yun to tell Meng Zhao that she would definitely repay the money as soon as possible and would never let Meng Zhao down.
After handing the money to Shen Yun, Meng Zhao returned to her courtyard on Tongfu Street. These days, she had been busy with the new shop and had entrusted everything here to Gu Shi.
Fortunately, the Gu family was extremely meticulous and thoughtful in their work, and there had never been any problems. Moreover, probably because it was the end of the year, everyone was spending money more generously, and the turnover of shops on Tongfu Street had increased significantly.
When Meng Zhao returned to the courtyard, Wei Jingyun was teaching the three children to read and write. When they saw her return, Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu's eyes lit up, and they rushed over to hug her waist and wouldn't let go, rubbing their little heads against her chest.
However, the two of them were already quite grown up, and they held Meng Zhao tightly, making it impossible for him to move. He could only helplessly call out, "You two little ones, do you want me to stay outside and freeze with you?"
Hearing the commotion in the yard, Madam Gu, who was busy in the kitchen, walked to the kitchen door and raised her voice considerably, "What are you two doing? Quickly let your sister-in-law come inside and warm up. It's so cold, don't let her get too cold."
Hearing this, the two children finally let go, but still followed closely behind Meng Zhao. When they entered the house, they almost stepped on Meng Zhao's heels. After Meng Zhao sat down, the two children stared at her intently, making Meng Zhao feel guilty.
"What's wrong? Missing your sister-in-law?"
Shen Qingyu nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly reddening. "Sister-in-law, you haven't been home for several days. I miss you so much."
The little girl pouted, her eyes filled with tears, looking especially endearing. Meng Zhao couldn't help but pinch her cheek. "Your sister-in-law went to the new shop to make money, but she'll be staying here for the next two days. Qingyu, would you like to sleep with your sister-in-law tonight?"
Upon hearing the news, Shen Qingyu cheered excitedly and then happily circled around Meng Zhao, almost making Meng Zhao dizzy.
Shen Qingze, who was standing next to Meng Zhao, knew that he had grown up and could no longer sleep with his sister-in-law, so he could only sneak up next to Meng Zhao and get closer to her.
Seeing the three of them talking, Wei Jingyun gently pulled Xiao Chuan to go to the kitchen with her to help.
The two children hadn't seen her for a long time and had so much to say. They excitedly recounted the fun things that had happened in the courtyard these past few days, and then chatted about their studies. Before, there was only one tutor in their shop, but now that Wei Jinglan had come, she had also become a tutor and had been teaching Gu Shi and the children to read and recognize characters on a regular basis.
As soon as Shen Qinghe stepped into the courtyard, he felt the lively and cheerful atmosphere, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. Seeing that the room was not bright enough, he took a candle and lit it, and then arranged the table and chairs.
Just then, Madam Gu came in carrying the cooked porridge. "The fragrant Laba porridge is ready. Please sit down and eat."
This Laba porridge has many ingredients, including rice, millet, barley, lotus seeds, peanuts, red dates, and longan. They are stewed together in a pot, emitting a rich aroma of heat.
Seeing Xiao Chuan carrying a stack of bowls over, Meng Zhao took them and then picked up a wooden spoon from the shed to fill each bowl.
Then a few side dishes were placed on the table. Meng Zhao sat down and first tasted a mouthful of porridge. The Laba porridge was soft and tender, and the flavors of various ingredients blended together perfectly. It was sweet but not greasy, and soothing to the stomach.
"Mom, your Laba porridge is so delicious."
Hearing Meng Zhao's praise, Gu Shi smiled with satisfaction. "Don't just drink porridge, there's also this Laba garlic. I've pickled it in advance. Qingze, hand it to your sister-in-law."
The Laba garlic was soaked in vinegar in advance, and the pickled garlic was not spicy at all. It still looked bright green. Meng Zhao ate more than half a clove before stopping. If she wasn't afraid of getting heartburn from eating too much, she could have eaten another half clove.
Because the Laba garlic was so delicious, everyone who had eaten too much garlic brushed their teeth twice in the yard before going inside in the evening.
When Gu saw Meng Zhao holding Shen Qingyu, she knew that the two of them would probably sleep together tonight, so she presciently took the quilt that Shen Qingyu was covering herself with to Meng Zhao's room.
"Zhao Zhao, don't let her small size and cute appearance fool you. She's actually quite restless at night. You absolutely mustn't share a bed with her, or you're unlikely to get a good night's sleep."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyu, who had already taken off her cotton-padded coat and was sitting on the bed, immediately looked downcast and said with great displeasure, "I don't want to. I just want to sleep in the same bed as my sister-in-law."
Madam Gu gently patted her little head, "You little rascal, you toss and turn all night. What if you take your sister-in-law's blanket away? Listen to me, you two sleep separately."
Seeing that she couldn't resist, Shen Qingyu could only whine a few times in grievance and reluctantly agree to sleep in the same bed with him.
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