Even with a heart as hard as iron, Zhao Qingyan couldn't bring herself to lose her temper when she saw the two little ones' ingratiating smiles. She stepped aside to let the two little ones in.
"Speak up, what's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night?"
After closing the door, Zhao Qingyan poured a glass of honey grapefruit water for the two children.
"Thank you, sis." The two little ones took the cups from their older sister and gulped down a big mouthful.
Perhaps it was the sweetness that emboldened them, but little Zhao Qingbei was the first to speak.
"Sister, dear sister. My brother and I are hungry and would like to ask you for something to eat."
Qingbi spoke in her usual sweet, coquettish voice.
"Straighten your tongue before you speak. You're seven years old and still acting like a baby. Tell me, what do you want to eat? In the middle of the night, how did you two even come up with this idea?"
Zhao Qingyan yawned, seemingly annoyed, but she didn't refuse the two little ones.
"Hey sis, I just dreamt I was eating roast chicken, but I didn't get to eat it. I want to eat roast chicken too."
"Sis, could you get us a roast chicken, and a glass of that sparkling water for each of us?"
Zhao Qingyan looked at the two brothers with a sharp gaze.
"Did you two even think before you said that? Where am I supposed to get you two roast chicken in the middle of the night?"
"You want me to conjure it with magic? I'm not a god."
When Qingyang saw her older sister's expression change, she knew she was in the wrong.
"Sister, we misunderstood. We were just having a really good dream and forgot it was the middle of the night."
"Sis, do you have anything to eat? Could you get us some? Okay? You're the best sister in the world."
Well, another lackey has appeared.
"Hehe, I know I'm the best older sister, but you guys aren't necessarily the best younger brothers."
This guy came to my place in the middle of the night wanting roast chicken. What would people think if they found out?
Will people suspect that there's something strange about me?
Otherwise, why didn't his own brother consider whether this request was reasonable?
Are you guys so upset that no one's burning me alive like a monster? We siblings don't have any grudges, do we?"
Zhao Qingyan retorted sharply, and the two little ones turned pale.
"Sis, I really didn't mean it that way. I just felt that you were the best, that you always had good food here, so I came over without thinking. Sis, we were wrong."
I will never be so reckless again.
Qingyi and Qingyang quickly expressed their determination.
They were both genuinely terrified; they never imagined their reckless actions would harm their sister.
Seeing that her two younger brothers had realized the seriousness of the problem, Zhao Qingyan softened her tone and said,
"From now on, I must think twice before I act."
Especially when you're out in the world, you can't see into people's hearts, and sometimes a careless remark can lead to trouble.
Our family is different from other families, and I think you all know that to some extent, so we should be more careful in our dealings, you know?
"Since you're hungry and have found your sister, I can't let you two go out hungry. Wait here."
Zhao Qingyan went up to the second floor and took down a basket containing beef jerky, biscuits, apples, and a bag of popcorn chicken.
"Here, take this and eat it. Don't tell anyone else, understand? Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth right after you finish eating."
The two little ones obediently agreed and happily carried their baskets back to eat.
Back in Qingyang's room, the two little ones had a quiet little meeting, giving each other a deep self-criticism for their reckless behavior that day.
No matter how profound the self-criticism, it cannot resist the temptation of delicious food.
"I'm a treasure trove! Look, when it comes to hiding delicious food, no one can beat me."
The little boy with green lipstick sighed.
"Yeah, sis is the best."
Qingyang agreed. He was too preoccupied to speak; the beef jerky smelled amazing, and the apples were incredibly sweet.
Early the next morning, everyone in the Zhao family, except for Zhao Qingyan, went to town.
Huang went to town to buy people, as her family business was growing larger and larger.
Qingshan Xiaozhu needs to be patrolled. The nine people at the foot of the mountain are already too busy to manage everything except raising pigs and taking care of the village's fields.
Therefore, adding more people is necessary.
The shops in town are the same; they'll definitely continue to expand their business in the future. They can't just rely on the girls at home.
Spending all day in the kitchen isn't enough; we need to train a few more cooks who can handle all the kitchen work.
Once we find a suitable shop in the county, we'll have to open another branch.
After the family's status changed, the girls still needed to learn how to manage the household affairs.
The important thing is to learn some business acumen.
As for knitting and needlework, none of that matters; you can just buy them if you have the money.
Who dares to say that wealthy grandmothers make all the clothes they wear themselves?
Only when a woman marries into a poor family is it possible to ask her to have a good skill in embroidery to supplement the family income.
It's not that the Zhao family's daughter necessarily has to marry into a wealthy family, but if her standard of living drops several levels after marriage, then it's better not to marry at all.
The Huang family had this confidence before, and they have it even more now.
Therefore, teaching her granddaughter how to improve her abilities has become Huang's top priority.
Upon arriving in town, we went to a brokerage firm and hired several able-bodied young men to handle security at Qingshan Xiaozhu.
Of the several women skilled in cooking, three stayed at the shop to help, while the other two were to be taken back to Qingshan Xiaozhu to be responsible for cooking and cleaning the courtyard.
Even if the family members don't need anyone to cook for them, the guards still need someone to cook for them. Otherwise, the master can't possibly cook for the servants.
Just then, two cooks arrived, so they could also take care of the meals for the nine people down the mountain.
Huang had previously visited the restaurant where those people had prepared the food.
The ingredients were provided by the Zhao family, but the food these people cooked was truly indescribable; they just threw everything into the pot to cook.
The Huang family had thought of this when they were buying people today.
Let's spend a little more money; it's a good deed. The women have a home, the men have food to eat, and the old lady who is in charge of the household can relax.
The Zhao family bought a total of seven people at their Qingshan Xiaozhu.
The seven men had assumed that Huang was just an old woman from the countryside, and they didn't know what she would make them do after buying them. They were filled with unease the whole way.
Upon arriving at Qingshan Xiaozhu, the seven were astonished.
I never expected to find such a manor in this remote mountain village.
Whether it's the location or the layout, ingenuity is evident everywhere.
Even the wooden gatehouse at the foot of the mountain, though small in size, is fully equipped and feels comfortable inside. You'll feel a strong urge to stay; this is home.
Of these seven men, three had previously worked as guards in other people's homes. When their masters committed crimes, the servants were sold off. The other two were brothers.
The other two used to run a security escort agency.
During one escort mission, not only did he lose the goods, but he also lost the lives of several brothers. After losing all his money, he went bankrupt. When his mother fell ill, he had no choice but to sell himself.
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