The three naughty little hooligans begged Xu Qinyu for mercy. The only thing they were thankful for was that the white snake and the black panther were both human-like and would not attack the leopards and snakes in the mountains. They also thought that the white snake must have been raised by Xu Dongjia, otherwise Xu Dongjia would not have been afraid at all when he saw it.
It's really scary to raise this thing and find it so human-like.
Hearing the three people begging for mercy, Xu Qinyu didn't say anything. She first found a hemp rope to make the three people sit up, intending to tie them up again.
They are scoundrels. I will definitely not believe them. Even if there is no food, won't they go home to eat? There will always be food for them at home, but they have to do some sneaky things. Although the three people's clothes are a bit old and dirty, they don't have any money, so the family is not so poor that they can't afford to eat. They are not beggars. When Xu Feng and his friends were beggars, they were so hungry that they couldn't stand it, but they didn't steal things.
It was because Xu Feng was afraid that Xu Shun, who was ill at the time, would die of illness or hunger that he snatched the steamed bun from Gong Ge'er's hand.
Those beggars like Xu Feng were so hungry that they never thought of stealing.
Xu Feng and his friends are all physically disabled, but these people are in their teens and have healthy hands and feet. Even if they go to the dock to move goods, which is hard and tiring, they will not go hungry.
It's nothing more than being neither high nor low, and not wanting to do too tiring work, so they do some sneaky things. They think that stealing a little doesn't matter, and as long as they don't steal too much, they are not bad people.
In fact, it is not so. It's just that he is lazy and likes to eat and is cunning and treacherous.
The youngest one still wanted to beg for mercy, "Mr. Xu, we really know we are wrong. We had no choice but to steal some bacon. We will never dare to do it again. Please be magnanimous and let us go."
Xu Qinyu suddenly said, "I am not as old as you are, so don't talk about being magnanimous. If they hadn't caught you this time, you would think it was nothing to steal a ham. But next time if you are hungry or short of money, will you continue to steal?"
If Baiyu and Moyu hadn't discovered them this time, and let them steal a ham and sell it, she would have been warm and full for a few days. After a few days, they would be hungry again and come to steal again, thinking that they would only steal one more ham. If they kept stealing like this, they would have stolen all her hams!
So Xu Qinyu had no mercy. She tied up the three men and reported them to the authorities to see how they would punish them.
With Baiyu and Moyu around, the three men didn't dare to resist at all and allowed the three men to tie them up.
The three of them were silent for a moment. Even they themselves knew that Mr. Xu was right. This was definitely not the first time they had stolen something.
Xu Qinyu said: "Don't do evil even if it's small. The same goes for stealing. Don't think that stealing a little is okay. You will steal more and more. By then, a small profit will not satisfy you. You should steal gold and silver. Since it is stealing, I will report it to the police."
The three men were tied up and stopped talking.
Xu Qinyu turned around and touched Baiyu, and Baiyu rubbed her.
Even Xu Qinyu saw the grievance in Bai Yu's eyes, and couldn't help but turn around and ask the three people, "How long have you been harassed?"
One of them replied in a muffled voice, "It should be about two hours."
Xu Qinyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that Bai Yu had been pestering them for two hours. No wonder she felt so aggrieved.
She guessed that Mo Yu must have gone back to call her and found her sleeping soundly. Knowing that she was tired during the day and had to go to the restaurant to work at dawn, he didn't want to wake her up and waited until she woke up naturally before dragging her over.
In fact, if Bai Yu went back and called her, the result would be the same.
Mo Yu knew he was wrong, so he went over and rubbed Bai Yu to please her.
Baiyu turned her head towards Xu Qinyu and ignored Moyu.
Mo Yu meowed and lowered his black head.
The three hooligans were all a little stunned.
This is so human.
How did Miss Xu teach this?
After trapping the person, Xu Qinyu told Baiyu and Moyu, "Baiyu and Moyu, stay here and guard the person. I will go to the government office to report to the authorities."
The three of them had crying faces, but this time they did not beg for mercy.
Xu Qinyu glanced at them and finally said, "When you get out of the government office, if you stop stealing, you can find Xu Feng in my restaurant and ask him to take you to work. I have a few acres of grapes to plant. You can go and help me. The salary is 20 cents a day."
Farming is a bit tiring, and twenty cents is a normal price, so she didn't pay too much.
The three of them were delighted and hurried to thank Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu hurriedly rode a donkey cart to the government office to report the incident.
When County Magistrate Yang learned about this, he asked the government officials to come over and take the three people back to the government office.
Yamen followed Xu Qinyu to the workshop and was also shocked when he saw the white jade and black jade inside. Fortunately, one of them was coiled on the other side of the window, and the other was squatting under the window, so they did not make any attacking gestures when they saw them.
Xu Qin said, "Don't be afraid, sir. They won't hurt anyone. They are just here to help me watch over the ham."
Several yamen runners stepped forward cautiously and pulled the three people up from the ground. They found that the sturdy white snake and the leopard really ignored them and did not move at all, so they breathed a sigh of relief.
The bailiff took the men and said, "Master Xu, let's take them over first."
For a petty thief like this who didn't steal anything, if he went to the yamen and refused to confess his crime, he would be released after being detained for a few days. If he confessed his crime, he would be released after being beaten with a few sticks on his buttocks.
After the bailiffs took the people away, Xu Qinyu touched Baiyu and Moyu and told them to go back first as she was going to the restaurant to make breakfast.
Neither Baiyu nor Moyu wanted to go back.
In fact, they don't want to walk outside in broad daylight because it will easily cause people to shout and scream.
Bai Yu, in particular, doesn't like meeting strangers at all.
Xu Qinyu did not force them. She touched the two of them before quickly driving the donkey cart to Xu's.
Xu's shop has already opened and everyone is busy working.
Feng Ge'er was also there, so Xu Qinyu went to talk to him and told him that if there were three young men in their teens or twenties looking for him to do a job, he should hire them first.
Feng Ge'er nodded in response and asked someone to apply some fertilizer on those acres of land. Grape seedlings could not be transplanted yet. It would take a few days, so he did not hire anyone to plant grape seedlings for the time being.
At the yamen, County Magistrate Yang knew these little rascals. They were not bad at all, and they didn't do petty thefts every day. They only stole things from other people's homes when they were hungry and hadn't eaten for two or three days. They might steal a chicken, a duck, or some vegetables, which were not valuable things.
But they would rather steal something than do some hard work to earn money to support themselves.
To put it simply, it's just delicious but not easy to make.
When they were caught before, the three refused to plead guilty. This time, County Magistrate Yang asked them why they went to steal ham from the owner of Xu's Restaurant. He thought that the three would not plead guilty, but unexpectedly, the three readily admitted it this time and said that they had been taught a lesson by the owner Xu and would never do such sneaky things again.
County Magistrate Yang had also heard from the yamen runners that there was a white snake more than two meters long and as thick as a calf, and a leopard near the workshop.
He knew that the leopard was raised by Miss Xu. Yang Zhizhi often talked to him about how the leopard looked so majestic, with shiny fur, and was well raised by Xu Qinyu. He never expected that Miss Xu actually secretly raised a python.
These three little brats must have reacted like this because they were frightened by the python.
County Magistrate Yang could only let the yamen runners beat him with a few sticks.
The blows on their buttocks were not too severe and they could endure a few blows. It was just a bit painful but no broken bones. They walked away on their own after that.
The few of them had been hungry for two or three days. They didn't steal anything, but they were scared and scolded. They didn't get angry with their families anymore. They went home to eat something and planned to go find Xu Feng from Xu's tomorrow. They wanted to help Mr. Xu with his work.
The next day, the three of them went to Xu Ji to find Feng Ge'er.
Feng Ge'er was only thirteen years old, younger than all of them, and he knew what the three of them had done. Seeing the three of them, he just had a stern face and said that they could work, but they couldn't be lazy. If they were found slacking off, they would not be paid a penny. The three of them hurriedly agreed, and Xu Feng then led the three of them to the field.
The fertilizer is almost gone, and you can start transplanting the grape seedlings.
Knowing that this thing was expensive, the three of them were very careful. They could plant an acre of land in a day. After working for half a day, they were so tired that their backs and waists ached. After a whole day, they just wanted to go back and lie down and not move at all. But the three of them finally persisted for a day.
When they returned home in the evening, their family members saw that they were all dirty and thought that they had done something outside again. Their faces turned cold and they scolded them, "Did you go out to do something sneaky again? You had to do such a shameful thing with these two? You made your father lose face."
Because their son was always stealing, the neighbors all disliked their family.
The three of them wanted to fight back as they had done before, but after thinking it over, they confessed honestly, "We are working for Mr. Xu. He has some fields that need to be planted with grapes, so we went to help. We were paid twenty cents a day."
The parents of the three people all doubted it and asked, "Really?"
"Of course I'm serious. If you don't believe me, go ask Xu Ji."
The parents of the three people didn't say anything, but they were still half-believing and half-doubting.
After a night's sleep, the three of them felt much less tired. They were hesitant about whether to continue growing grapes, but finally they gritted their teeth and persevered.
In this way, five days passed and all the grape seedlings in the five acres of land were planted.
Xu Feng gave them two hundred coins each and said, "The rest is a reward from the boss."
The master told him that if the three of them could persevere and finish planting all five acres of land, his wages would be doubled.
After receiving the two hundred coins, the three of them were a little bit unbelieving. Originally, when they were so tired from working that their hands and feet were sore, they even blamed Xu Qinyu. In fact, in the past, if the three of them felt tired, they would never go to work in the fields the next day. The main reason was that they were scared by the big white snake named Baiyu. For several nights in a row, they dreamed of the big white snake staring at them fiercely and coldly in their dreams.
The python's shock power is much more terrifying than that of a leopard.
Snakes always appear silently, and they are afraid that if they don't want to work, Xu's boss will call a big white snake to sneak into their house and scare them.
So I have managed to persevere these past few days.
But unexpectedly, Xu Jiadong's family was quite nice and said they would give them twenty cents a day, and if they worked, they would give them an extra twenty cents a day.
The three of them got the two hundred coins and for the first time they had a different feeling. The money they earned with their own hands without stealing seemed to be really different. They felt satisfied and no longer had to worry.
The three of them were a little excited, and they put their hands on Xu Feng's shoulders and shouted, "Brother Feng, if there is any work in the future, just tell us what to do, and we will do it."
Now they really want to make money with their own hands.
Thinking that these people were older than him, Xu Feng felt a little helpless in the eye that was not covered by the blindfold, "Don't call me Brother Feng, I'm younger than you."
The three of them laughed and said, "But Brother Feng, you are amazing. You are Mr. Xu's apprentice and you manage hundreds of acres of land for Mr. Xu. You are capable and you deserve to be called Brother Feng."
They are all from the same town with a population of only a few thousand. Any major event can't be concealed. The fact that Mr. Xu bought hundreds of acres of land in one go naturally couldn't be concealed either.
Xu Feng remembered that her master had told her that if they still wanted to find work, they could go to the winery.
There was no shortage of craftsmen who could build roofs at the winery built by Mrs. Lu, but there was still a shortage of people to do odd jobs, such as moving bricks and mixing mud. This kind of work only paid twenty cents a day, which was thirty cents less than what a craftsman paid. There were people who did it, but it was hard work and was done by farmers nearby. It was just the beginning of spring and people were busy planting crops. They could only do odd jobs when they had time, so naturally there was a shortage of laborers.
After hearing this, the three of them also decided to go and give it a try.
When the three of them returned, they handed the two hundred coins back home.
Everyone in the family was a little surprised. "Did he really go to work for the boss of Xu's? He only planted grapes for five days, and the boss gave him two hundred coins?"
Isn't it that the daily wage is 40 cents?
The three said, "Originally we were only paid twenty cents a day, but the owner of the Xu family gave us a little more. We plan to go to the wine shop in Dagu Village tomorrow to work as laborers for twenty cents a day."
The families of the three were very pleased. They never expected that the owner of Xu's restaurant could help them correct their bad habits.
How could they know how deep the three people's memories of the white snake were.
Xu Qinyu felt that if they could endure the hardship, they would be able to correct their mistakes and be useful in the future. Although there was no shortage of manpower in the kitchen, when the winemaking season came in the summer, there would definitely be a shortage of manpower to go to the mountains to pick grapes. Although she didn't have to worry about the winery, she would still need one or two people to help her look after it.
The three men really persevered and worked for more than half a month. The winery was built and they earned another three or four hundred coins in wages.
The three men had earned six hundred coins, but their family members did not want them and kept them for themselves.
Especially for Tao Qi, who is already 21 years old, his family members have repeatedly warned him, "You are not young anymore, you are already over 20, and your children at this age should be able to make soy sauce, so you should save the money you earn and see if you can get married and live a good life in the future."
For the first time, Tao Qi did not refute his parents' words, but just listened quietly.
It's not easy to make money, so Tao Qi and the other two were reluctant to spend it recklessly. Except for having breakfast at Xu's, they saved the rest.
We went to Xu Ji for breakfast and it was still eight cents for a roujia steamed bun at the door. The three of us were a little dazed after eating it. It was just that the roujia steamed bun at the door tasted like this, so how delicious must the boxes of custard buns, crystal shrimp dumplings, and steamed wheat inside be?
After breakfast, the three of them squatted at the door without saying a word, with only one feeling in their hearts.
They also want to have such delicious breakfast every day.
They had never eaten evening food, so they didn't know what it tasted like, but they thought it would definitely taste better than breakfast.
They became more motivated and wanted to make money. Only money earned cleanly would they feel comfortable using it to eat at Xu's. They also hoped that one day they could taste Xu's restaurant's delicious food.
…
After the grape seedlings are planted, the winery is built, and then the wine tanks, bottles and barrels have to be ordered. A well has to be dug in the winery. All these will probably take another month or two.
Digging wells also required laborers, so Tao Qi and the other two continued to work in the winery.
This time, none of the three complained at all. Perhaps it was because they were used to carrying bricks and tiles all day, so they didn't feel too tired when digging wells and carrying soil.
Xu Qinyu didn't know that the food she cooked gave the three people such great motivation. She added a signature dish of pickled ham to her restaurant. A serving of pickled ham was priced at three hundred coins. Because the process of pickling ham was complicated and it took a year to ferment, the price was slightly higher than other signature dishes.
Moreover, this pickled seafood dish is limited to three servings per day, and it will be gone once all three are ordered.
Even if you only sell three servings a day, that will only last for six or seven days, and the remaining ham will be enough to make about twenty servings.
Upon learning that it was a new dish, the gourmets who often come to Xu Ji naturally wanted to try it.
Once you taste it, you will understand why it is Xu Ji’s signature dish.
The pickled ham soup is thick and white, with a salty and fresh taste. The ham is crispy and fatty, but not greasy at all, and has a very strong flavor.
After just a few days, all the pickled fresh seafood was sold out.
Gourmets who have eaten it can't help but ask, "Mr. Xu, why are you only selling this pickled fresh fish for a few days? We have just become addicted to it and want to eat it for a few more days. Why don't you continue to sell it?"
Xu Qinyu also told them truthfully, "Please forgive me, it's not that I don't want to sell it, but the most important ingredient in pickled fresh ham is ham. This ham is different from ordinary bacon. It needs to be pickled with salt twice, and then fermented for half a year to a year before the taste is good. If the fermentation is good, ham that is more than two or three years old can be eaten raw. The skin is very thin. Peel off the skin on the ham, and the ham meat inside is bright in color. The lean meat is bright red, and the fat is milky white. The fat and lean meat are alternating. A thin slice is delicious and fragrant."
The diners were drooling at what Xu Qinyu said and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Xu, when can this ham be eaten raw? Do you have any?" They decided to try it no matter how expensive it was.
Xu Qinyu said helplessly, "I only had one ham left, so the ingredients for the next few days will be gone. As for the ham to be eaten raw, forget it. I only pickled 100 hams in June last year. If you want to eat it raw, you have to wait at least another two years. But next spring, the pickled ham can be eaten, but the ham meat is not good enough to be eaten raw."
The diners were a little disappointed. Knowing a delicacy but not being able to taste it is the most painful torture for gourmets who love delicious food.
Xu Qinyu also wanted to give it a try. Seeing that pickled ham was selling well, she thought she could pickle more ham this winter. When the time comes, she would notify Tian the butcher in advance and ask him to tell the pig farm to reserve 500 pig hind legs for her.
By the end of spring, the winery was finally built, the well had been dug, and all the wine bottles and barrels inside were ready. They were just waiting for summer to come, when the wild grapes would ripen and they could be picked, washed, and dried in the sun.
Less than two days later, at the end of the You hour again, the Pei family's courtyard gate rang.
Xu Qinyu and Wen had just returned when they heard a knock on the door. They looked at each other with joy on their faces, thinking that it was Pei Weixuan who had returned.
When they opened the gate, they saw that the person outside was not Pei Weixuan, but Ma Liu.
Ma Liu was very happy to see Miss Xu, and he didn't notice the disappointment on the faces of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Ma Liu said excitedly: "Sister Xu, I'm here again. My boss and I haven't been to the southwest this year. The exiled criminals and prisoners were sent to other places. Just over a month ago, another batch of serious criminals were sent to the southwest, so I also took the time to come here."
Xu Qinyu sighed in her heart, then smiled and said, "Sixth brother, come in quickly."
Ma Liu followed him into the yard.
It is almost summer now and the sky is getting dark late. However, the sky is not completely dark yet and Xu Qinyu is entertaining Ma Liu in the yard.
There are wooden tables and benches in the yard. When the weather gets warmer, the family eats in the yard.
Wen went to make tea and brought up some fruit.
Ma Liu took out two letters from his pocket and handed them to Xu Qinyu, "Sister Xu, these are letters from your parents and your uncle. They asked me to bring them to you last summer, but they were not delivered until this year."
Xu Qinyu took the letter and opened it.
One was from her parents, and the other was from her uncle on her mother's side.
In the letter, her parents asked her to take care of herself. There were also a few lines of crooked handwriting that looked like the child's own. They said, "Sister, I am Li Ge'er. I miss you so much. Sister, please wait for me. I will save you when I grow up."
Xu Qinyu laughed, and tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed.
This is Xu Li, the original body’s younger brother. He was only five years old when the original body was exiled, and he is already seven years old this year.
The letter from my parents was not thick, just one simple page, but it showed the feelings of the second branch of the Xu family towards the original body.
In addition to the letter, there was a three hundred tael banknote in the envelope.
Last summer, Xue and her brothers from her natal family planned to give Xu Qinyu some silver notes. Originally, the total amount was only over one hundred taels, but Xue Liang had earned a lot in the past six months, so he added another hundred taels. Xue also added the share her brothers from her natal family had given her in the past six months, and exchanged them for silver notes for Ma Liu to bring to Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu looked at the three hundred taels of silver, and her heart was filled with sorrow and distension.
Of course she would not accept these banknotes. She accepted the 150 taels before because she was short of money for the restaurant. Now she can make 5,000 taels of profit from the restaurant alone every year. She is going to open a winery this year and can make more money. Of course she will not accept money from her original mother's family and uncle's family anymore.
Not only did she confiscate it, she also planned to take out another 2,000 taels of silver notes and put them together with the 300 taels in a reply letter for Ma Liu to take back.
Two thousand taels are enough to buy a nice five-story house in the capital. If the Xu family is unwilling to split up, the second branch can use the two thousand taels as private money.
Not only that, she planned to give one or two thousand taels of silver notes to the second branch of the Xu family every year.
The reason why she gave so much was that she felt a little guilty.
She is not the original body, but she has indeed accepted the original body's emotions and has kinship with the second house.
This family relationship is very complicated. She is alive, but her original self may have died. Even if she doesn't want to come here, she is still living in her original body. She feels a little guilty, so she wants to make up for something.
Xu Qinyu finished reading her uncle's letter. Her uncle's letter was also very simple. It was a thank you letter. He said that he had changed the tea stall into a barbecue stall and could earn fifty or sixty taels of silver every month, and seventy or eighty taels when it was more. He also told her not to worry about the family, as he would help take care of it, and asked her to take care of her health first, and maybe they would have a chance to see each other again in the future.