There was no point in saying more, so Meng Zhao simply opened the door and left the house, leaving Shen Qing alone in the room. She knew in her heart that only he could figure this out on his own.
The best course of action now is to cut the Gordian knot and get rid of Shen Qinghe as soon as possible. After making up her mind, the first thing she did was to go back to her room and write down the recipe for braised pork.
Previously, Meng Zhao prepared the braising spice packets herself. Later, when Meng Jianqiu and He Jianxia arrived, the two of them took over. Now, they are in charge of the Treasure Pavilion, and the task of preparing the braising spice packets has been handed over to Xu Yunrong and her team.
Gu Shi had never known the recipe. At first, Meng Zhao was a little wary, but later, the ingredient packets were convenient to use, so he didn't think about it anymore. At this moment, Meng Zhao handed the paper with the recipe written on it to Gu Shi.
Gu Shi could now recognize most of the characters, so she immediately knew what it was and asked in surprise, "This, isn't this a recipe for braising sauce? Zhao Zhao, why did you give me this?"
“Mother, the capital is far away, and if we supply the ingredients in advance, it might not be timely. So I’m giving this to you. In the future, when you go to the capital, it will be convenient whether you want to open a shop or cook for yourself.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu frowned slightly. "Zhaozhao, are you determined not to come to the capital with us?"
Meng Zhao nodded slightly, then took out a package from his pocket and handed it over. It was a package of small gold ingots, which would be worth a full five hundred taels of silver.
Upon seeing this, Madam Gu quickly refused, "Zhaozhao, what are you doing? I have money in my hands, I save my monthly wages, and Qinghe will also have a salary in the future, why would I need your money?"
Meng Zhao pushed it back, "Mother, you don't know, the expenses in the capital are high, and there are many high-ranking officials and nobles. Although my second brother is a scholar, his salary is only enough for the family's expenses in the countryside. It won't be enough when we go to the capital. Consider this money as a loan to you. When my second brother has money in the future, he can pay me back."
Madam Gu always knew that once Meng Zhao made a decision, he wouldn't easily change it, so she asked, "When will you come to the capital to find us?"
"Once I've settled everything at hand and the time is right, I'll come to the capital to find you. I still want to eat my mother's delicious cooking."
Meng Zhao's eyes were sincere, which made Gu Shi's eyes red. She held Meng Zhao's hand and said with a sob in her voice, "Zhao Zhao, I am Qing An's mother. There are some things I can't say, but this is really what I think. You are still young, and your mother sincerely wants you to remarry into a good family as soon as possible."
Meng Zhao knew this, of course. She often met with men outside the home while doing business. If it were a calculating mother-in-law, she would have said a lot of sarcastic things. But Madam Gu never said anything like that. On the contrary, she always supported all of Meng Zhao's actions.
"Mom, why are you bringing this up?" Meng Zhao hadn't expected that the marriage-urging team would have another member, and it turned out to be her mother-in-law. Being pressured to get married by her mother-in-law was truly a rare thing.
"Your mother is only doing this for your own good. Before, I saw that your in-laws were always thinking of helping you find a partner, but for some reason this year, they seem to have given up on that idea. I don't know what you're thinking, so I can only worry. You're still young, how could your mother bear to let you be a widow alone? I definitely hope that you can find someone who cares for you as soon as possible, have a son or daughter, and enjoy a happy life."
Thinking of Shen Qinghe in the room, Meng Zhao thought it would be good to have Gu Shi pass on a message, so she stopped refusing and nodded, "I know, Mother. If I meet someone I like in the future, I will seize the opportunity."
To everyone's surprise, Madam Gu became even more excited when she saw her nod. "Then Zhao Zhao, what kind of person do you like? I'll keep an eye out for you. I've seen many of Qing He's classmates when I delivered his meals before. They are all good-looking and of good character. It's a pity that if he wants to find a scholar, he'll be too old and not good enough for you."
After saying that, he slapped his thigh and said, "Zhaozhao, why don't you come to the capital with us? There are definitely more talented young men in the capital. You can pick one carefully then."
Meng Zhao had a terrible headache. How did the topic of going to the capital come up again? She quickly changed the subject, "Mother, let's not talk about this for now. The important thing now is who will take care of this shop when you go to the capital."
Gu's attention was indeed diverted, and she began to discuss the shop with Meng Zhao. In addition, there was the day-long banquet that Shen Qing had held when he passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai. Now that he had passed the provincial examination and become a Juren, they had to celebrate. There were still many things to arrange.
On the day of the feast, almost the entire village of Shenjia came. The village head was flushed from drinking, but that didn't stop him from talking. He picked up a gong and started shouting.
"Thank God, our Shenjia Village has produced a golden phoenix! Not only has he become successful, but he also remembers to take care of the villagers! Erlang asked me to announce something: his family is moving to the capital, but their household registration will remain the same, and they will still be from our Shenjia Village! Now that he has become a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), the land under his name will be exempt from land tax. Apart from the land he uses himself, there will be fifty mu left, and he asked me to decide how to distribute it to the villagers!"
Upon hearing this, the people sitting below were extremely excited. That meant tax exemption! They could save dozens of kilograms of grain per acre. If a family had a few acres of land, they could save enough for one person's food rations in a year.
The village head continued, "Since Erlang entrusted this allocation to me, I will make the decision! Twenty mu will be allocated to the childless and widowed villagers; the remaining thirty mu will be allocated by drawing lots from each household in turn, and those who draw the marked lot will receive two mu of land tax-free!"
After saying that, he brought up a box, which made the already lively atmosphere even more intense. The villagers rushed over and crowded around. The village headman quickly came out to maintain order. "Draw one by one, whether you draw or not depends entirely on luck. If anyone doesn't draw and keeps complaining, just wait for me to kick him."
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