The auspicious day for the opening of Ruyi Pavilion was chosen to be the seventh day of the third lunar month at the hour of Si (9-11 AM).
On this day, the weather was fine and sunny, with a clear blue sky. The willows hanging over the water quietly sprouted green buds, swaying back and forth on the lake waves stirred by the spring breeze.
Soon after, deafening firecrackers rang out, and gray smoke drifted from the eaves of the distant pavilions.
After the firecrackers went off, Chen Ping'an stood at the door, nervously and excitedly scanning the guests who had come at the sound. He then pasted a large red paper on the door and struck a gong.
"Today is the grand opening of Ruyi Pavilion. Customers who spend 200 coins or more at our store will receive a free latest trendy hair ornament."
Looking at the familiar faces of Li Xiuju, Yang Xi, Baoyu, Shen Yunzhi, and Chen Tongsheng outside the crowd, Zhou Chenyu smiled brightly and said happily:
“That’s right. As long as you spend 200 coins, we will give you a set of my new floral hair ornaments.”
The girls in the crowd saw what Zhou Chenyu was holding and started whispering among themselves:
"Wow, I've never seen this kind of thing anywhere else."
"More than that, I looked at all the rouge in their shop, and not a single one of them was old-fashioned. I liked every single one of them."
"Once it opens, we're going to have a good look around. I've long since stopped liking the styles in other stores, so I'm sure we can find a lot of good things here."
Zhou Chenyu and Chen Pingan exchanged a knowing glance upon hearing the conversation, then both looked at Zhou Wanqiu. "Wanqiu, we're done talking. Now it's your turn."
Wanqiu slowly walked out, carrying the tea and snacks that Zhou Chenyu had carefully prepared a few days ago. Standing at the door, she smiled with her eyes narrowed: "In addition, our Ruyi Pavilion has also arranged some exquisite pastries for everyone. Everyone who enters the store, whether they buy anything or not, can have a taste."
"Oh my, the manager of Ruyi Pavilion is really generous."
"Yes, yes, they not only send gifts, but also snacks."
"And those pastries look really good, I wonder how they taste. We'll definitely go in and try them later."
Without further hesitation, everyone agreed to go into the store for a stroll. Soon, Ruyi Pavilion was filled with customers who were either buying things or tasting snacks.
With more and more customers at Ruyi Pavilion, Zhou Chenyu and Chen Ping'an had no time to pay attention to what was happening outside the store.
Zhou Wanqiu stood in front of the door for a while. Seeing that there were fewer people, she carried the plate of snacks, crossed the crowd, and walked to the other side. "Aunt, Baoyu, and a few brothers, please have some snacks too."
Several men stood there, but none of them made a move.
Li Xiuju smiled kindly and urged, "Yes, all the late autumn dishes have been served. Please try them. These are all pastries made with our own ingredients, so they didn't cost any money. You don't need to be polite with us, please try them."
Seeing this, Baoyu ran up to Wanqiu and whispered something in her ear.
Upon hearing this, Wanqiu smiled and walked up to Yang Xi, saying in a low voice, "Chief Yang, these pastries were made by my sister and me. Please try them."
Yang Xi originally didn't want to eat it, but upon hearing her words, he chuckled helplessly, "Fine, I'll try one."
Late Autumn laughed happily, "Okay!"
After Yang Xi took it, Wanqiu walked up to Shen Yunzhi and said, "Doctor Shen, here you go."
Shen Yunzhi looked at her, who had only said that one sentence, and glanced at her sideways with displeasure: "Little girl, you're being biased. Why don't you say anything nice when it's my turn? You clearly said a lot to this guy just now. What? You look down on me?"
"This..." Wanqiu was speechless at the question. Yang Xi looked at him coldly and said, "Wanqiu, he has said so much, he must be full. Since he doesn't want to eat, you can take it away."
Shen Yunzhi's beard bristled. "Hey, hey, hey, this is food that Ruyi Pavilion treated me to. What's it to you?" After saying that, he immediately took a piece of pastry, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and raised his eyebrows: "Wow, this pastry tastes pretty good."
Yang Xi crossed his arms and smiled, "This is made by Chen Yu, so it tastes good naturally."
Shen Yunzhi looked at the man in front of him and narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Look at this man! He keeps calling me 'Shen Yu' (a character from the novel *Dan Yu*). ...
Yang Xi suppressed his smile and gave a cold warning, but just then, he inadvertently caught sight of the carriage parked not far away.
His gaze instantly turned cold when he met the woman's eyes in the carriage.
Qian Sijin, dressed in a magnificent purple robe with gold patterns, sat in the carriage, leaning slightly forward, revealing a section of her fair and flawless hand adorned with a jade bracelet.
Qian Sijin calmly raised her eyes, staring directly into Yang Xi's cold gaze, and said with a light, lazy laugh, "I really didn't expect that we would meet again."
Standing to the side, the maid Yuqin, with a harsh expression, asked, "Miss, shall I go and inquire about this?"
"Investigate?" Qian Sijin glanced at the signboard of Ruyi Pavilion, then lazily looked away. "They just opened today, let them be smug for a few days. Have you taken care of everything regarding my meeting with that brat?"
Yuqin nodded crisply, "Reporting to Miss, I've taken care of everything."
Qian Sijin numbly lowered the curtain. "Let's go see this bastard."
The carriage then immediately went to the prison in Qingshui Town where serious criminals were held. The driver changed into black clothes and was secretly led by his own men to Qian Rushan's cell.
"Young Miss, the Second Young Master is locked up here. I'll inform him right away," the jailer said respectfully.
Qian Sijin slowly raised her hand to stop the jailer, and stood motionless in place, her unfathomable eyes looking inside.
Qian Rushan, dressed in a filthy prison uniform, his hair disheveled and straw-stuffed, leaned against the wall in a sorry state, repeatedly shouting, "You bunch of bastards, let me out! Do you hear me!"
"If you don't let me out now, my father will definitely not let you off the hook! My father is the prefect of Pingzhou, and none of you people from the county government will escape! At that time, I will grind you to dust and tear you to pieces!"
Qian Sijin closed her eyes in disgust, took a deep breath, then opened them and slowly walked to the front of the cell.
The jailer quickly unlocked the lock, and Qian Rushan heard the cold, metallic clanging sound. He crawled forward like a madman, desperately trying to escape.
When he climbed to the iron gate, he met a figure standing still as a mountain. He looked up in disbelief and saw a face under the brim of a black hat. His eyes, which had been dry from crying, suddenly overflowed with tears of grievance. "Sister, you've finally come to save me."
Qian Sijin looked down at him, listening to his intermittent sobs, her eyes showing no emotion.
She coldly raised her hand, aimed it at his face, and slapped him without blinking, cursing:
"Useless trash, you still have the nerve to cry in front of me!"
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