Even though Xu Qinyu had already made plans for her great-grandmother's passing, she still felt a pang in her heart when she heard her fourth brother say that the old lady had passed away. She was stunned for a long time before she said, "Okay, then I'll go tell Cheng Ge'er and the others that there are no guests at Mushi right now, so we won't be receiving them. I'll go to Osmanthus Lane with my fourth brother first."

Pei Weixuan nodded and waited for Yu Niang at the door of the restaurant.

Xu Qinyu went back to the backyard and said to everyone, "Old Madam Zhu just passed away. I have to go to Osmanthus Alley. Dongqian, there is still one table of guests in front. You can cook all the dishes they ordered. Please help me entertain them. I will go to Osmanthus Alley first."

Dong Qian said seriously, "Okay, Master, then you go ahead. You don't have to worry about the restaurant. We are here to take care of it."

Mrs. Wen was still in the restaurant at this time. When she heard about her grandmother's death, her eyes were red, but she still tried hard not to cry. She stood at the door and waited for Yu Niang with her son.

Everyone at Xu's Restaurant knew Old Madam Zhu. When they heard that the old lady had just passed away, they felt sad and planned to go over to pay their respects to the old lady later.

Pei Weixuan had already sent a letter to Governor Zhu via flying pigeon. He raised a flying pigeon specifically to deliver letters to Governor Zhu.

After Yu Niang came out, Pei Weixuan drove the donkey cart and took Wen and Yu Niang to Guihua Lane.

Along the way, Wen couldn't hold back her tears.

Xu Qinyu knew that her mother-in-law was a thoughtful and gentle person. When the old lady passed away, Wen and Zhu must be the saddest.

After arriving at Osmanthus Lane, the three of them entered the yard.

The old lady was still lying in the room. She passed away in her sleep. Zhu was standing by her side. Before she passed away, the old lady suddenly felt much better. She asked Zhu to come over and gave her the box on the bedside. She smiled and said, "This is what I have accumulated in my life. I leave it all to you. Your brother is an official and has his own family business. He doesn't need me to give him anything. But it's different for you, Shu Niang. I owe you everything in my life."

Zhu had anticipated something at that time, and said with a red-eyed smile, "Mother, you don't owe me anything. In fact, I have been very content these years. Not only do I have Yan Niang, but I also found you and my brother."

Although she was sold to be a maid and then made a concubine by her mistress, she had Yan Niang, and in the end, she was able to find her blood relatives, so she did not blame anyone, she was just grateful. Like Old Lady Zhu, she had nothing to regret in her life.

Old Lady Zhu wiped her tears and handed the box to Zhu, "Please keep the things."

"Okay, I'll keep them all and leave them to Yanniang and Yuniang in the future." Zhu took the wooden box. Old lady Zhu patted her daughter's hand and told her many things. They were all about her childhood before the age of five. She was fair and tender when she was born, and she didn't like to cry. She liked to laugh, especially to laugh at her parents. She also had the cute appearance of babbling and toddling.

Zhu didn't remember these things at first, but when my mother mentioned them, every detail of her childhood seemed to emerge before her eyes, forming pictures in her mind, and she couldn't help but laugh along with my mother.

Old Madam Zhu talked to Zhu for nearly an hour, and then called Pei Weixuan in.

These days, knowing that the old lady was preparing for her funeral, Pei Weixuan did not go to the island and continued to stay in Yuanbao Town, intending to accompany his great-grandmother for a while. So he stayed with Zhu in Guihua Lane during this period.

Seeing that old lady Zhu suddenly regained her spirits, Pei Weixuan knew that her great-grandmother was about to pass away. She watched her great-grandmother call her grandmother in and chat for a long time, then called him in and talked to him, asking him to take care of the women and children at home, and said that Yu Niang was very good and asked him to treat Yu Niang well. Then she called Zhu in again and said to her, "Shun Niang, I'm a little sleepy. I'm going to sleep for a while. Can you stay with me?"

"Okay." Zhu smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes.

Pei Weixuan went outside and wrote a letter to Governor Zhu by flying pigeon.

About an hour later, the sound of grandmother crying was heard from the room. Pei Weixuan entered the room and saw his great-grandmother lying on the bed with a peaceful face.

…

Arriving at Osmanthus Lane and entering the room, Xu Qinyu saw her great-grandmother.

The old lady passed away peacefully, with a smile on her face. Her expression was very peaceful and kind.

Zhu's eyes were very red and swollen, and it looked like she had been crying for a long time.

Wen also went over and knelt in front of the bed.

Not long after, Governor Zhu also arrived on horseback. His face was pale. When he entered the house, he saw that my mother looked peaceful. Even though he knew that my mother had no regrets in her heart and that it was thanks to the Pei family's care that my mother had recovered and lived for more than a year, he still couldn't help feeling sad and tears rolled down his eyes.

It would take at least an hour for Zhu and other descendants of the Zhu family to come here by carriage.

At this hour, Governor Zhu and Madam Zhu washed the old lady's body and changed her clothes. Madam Zhu, Madam Wen, Xu Qinyu and other descendants of the Pei family, including Sister Ning, Sister Yuan and Brother Feng, also returned and all knelt in front of the old lady to mourn.

Now the blood relationship between the Zhu and Pei families cannot be made public, so Zhu can only observe mourning for her mother in this way. When other descendants of the Zhu family come, they will transport her back to Raozhou City. After the funeral, they will also transport her coffin to the Zhu family's hometown and bury her with her father.

According to the laws of the Dasheng Dynasty, officials did not need to worry about their parents' marriage, but they had to observe a three-year mourning period for their deceased parents. During these three years, they were not allowed to eat meat, wear plain clothes every day, and were not allowed to attend banquets or drink alcohol. They did not need to resign from their official positions and observe a three-year mourning period in front of the graves.

Therefore, Governor Zhu does not have to go back to his hometown to worry about Ding You for the next three years.

Xu Qinyu and the others knelt in front of the old lady for an hour. Only when Zhu and other descendants of the Zhu family arrived did the Pei family stand up.

When the other descendants of the Zhu family saw that Zhu, Wen, and the Pei family had red eyes, they did not think much about it for a moment. They just thought that their grandmother and great-grandmother had stayed in Yuanbao Town for more than a year, and the Pei family had taken care of her, so they naturally had some feelings for her, so they were sad when the old lady passed away.

The descendants of Zhu family came and entered the house to cry. There was another round of crying. These descendants of Zhu Taishou were actually very filial. They were really sad when their elders passed away.

Governor Zhu spoke a few words to Zhu and Pei Weixuan, then carried the old lady into the carriage and set off back to Raozhou City.

The coffin for the old lady in Raozhou City had already been prepared.

They are going back to Raozhou City to hold the funeral.

Watching the Zhu family leave, Zhu was relatively okay.

Neither Mrs. Zhu nor Old Lady Zhu cared about these rules after death. They had enjoyed family happiness for more than a year and had no regrets. In the future, she would be able to secretly pay homage to her father and mother who were buried together, so apart from being sad, Mrs. Zhu's other emotions were relatively calm.

By the time the Zhu family left, it was already midnight. Everyone packed up the yard where Old Lady Zhu had lived for more than a year and returned to the house in Laixi Lane.

Xu Qinyu felt a little depressed all the way.

Birth, aging, sickness and death are the norm in the world, but apart from birth, aging, sickness and death, there are three things that people in the world are unwilling to accept easily.

She was an ordinary person, and she could not withstand the shock of seeing her relatives and friends pass away, so she was naturally very depressed.

Back in Laixi Lane, Pei Weixuan saw that Yu Niang was sad, but he didn't know how to comfort her.

He should have been sad about his great-grandmother's death, but he was calm, neither sad nor happy. He just did everything he was supposed to do.

It was Yu Niang who patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be sad, Fourth Brother. Great-grandmother's death is a happy one, and it's a good thing. Fourth Brother, go back to your room and sleep early."

Pei Weixuan hesitated, then nodded and said, "Yuniang, you should also go back to your room and rest as soon as possible."

Xu Qinyu was not sad for several days, because as she said, her great-grandmother's death was a happy one and it was something worth being happy about.

At the end of her life, her children and grandchildren were filial and obedient, and she had her children by her side. She didn't have any serious illness, and she passed away peacefully in her sleep. What's so sad about this? She also hopes that she can die like this in the future!

So Xu Qinyu quickly came to her senses, her mood improved, and she started to get busy with Xu's affairs again.

As the weather got warmer, Xu Ji added three dishes made with ham.

One dish is pickled fresh radish, one dish is stir-fried ham with vegetables, and the other is steamed ham slices.

As expected, the new food is also very popular.

But even these new foods were limited in daily supply, because there were not many hams, so she asked Mrs. Lu's caravan to bring ten to the capital, and she had to keep thirty for herself to eat raw next year. Two were eaten during the New Year, so there were more than fifty left, so the supply could only be limited.

The restaurant's bean paste, pickled vegetables, fermented bean curd, and preserved eggs were almost used up, so Xu Qinyu hurriedly pickled another batch.

The bean paste contains dogwood, so the taste is not authentic. Xu Qinyu is eager to see that the peppers at Fourth Brother's place can be grown on a large scale and sold to the outside world, so that she can eat authentic Sichuan cuisine, bean paste and other spicy dishes.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Pei Weixuan told his family that the caravan was about to set off, so it was time for him to go out as well.

In fact, the workshop for making colored glaze on the island was still missing the last important step. He needed to go back to supervise. Once the workshop was built, they could start making colored glaze.

Pei Weixuan left on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Needless to say, Xu Qinyu prepared a big bag of food for him. This time she made braised pig's trotters. Coincidentally, Xu Ji also added a dish of braised pig's trotters, so she added more sauce and let the fourth brother take it on the road.

Pei Weixuan ate one of the braised pig's trotters himself and took the rest back to the island.

When the children on the island saw him, they couldn't help but shout, "Brother Pei is back!"

"Brother Pei is back with some delicious food."

Pei Weixuan was stunned and felt helpless.

After the people left, Xu Qinyu suddenly remembered that she seemed to be planning to discuss the divorce with her fourth brother and Mrs. Wen after the new year. After all, the two of them were forced to get married. After the divorce letter was written, she and her fourth brother could treat each other as brother and sister, or she could recognize Mrs. Wen as her godmother. But even so, she did not plan to stay in the Pei family any longer. She was going to buy a house outside and move out by herself.

This is also for the sake of Fourth Brother's future marriage.

The two have no blood relationship. Even if they recognize each other as siblings, they still have no blood relationship. No girl can accept that her husband has an adopted sister living in his house.

So once we talk it out, she will definitely move out, and we will just visit each other as a relative during festivals and holidays.

Now my fourth brother has gone out again, so there is no time to tell him.

Forget it, let’s wait until Fourth Brother comes back.

…

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Yue Weimin finally returned from Raozhou City.

After returning to Dong's house, he was still absent-minded and did not notice anything unusual about Dong.

Dong looked at her husband in front of her, her heart went cold and her face was icy.

Yue Weimin didn't notice his wife's abnormality, he just asked: "Where's Qian'er? It's almost the end of the evening hour, why hasn't he come back yet? The boss of Xu's is almost treating him like a mule, saying that he is teaching him to cook, but he doesn't usually cook a few dishes he learned from Xu's for us to try. I don't know if the young cook is really teaching him or is just fooling him. When Qian'er comes back, let him go to the small kitchen, I will test him and see how well he has learned from Xu's."

After he finished speaking, he saw that Dong didn't say anything. He looked up and saw his wife looking at him strangely.

"Madam?" Yue Weimin was a little surprised. He didn't think much about it for a moment, not knowing that his family already knew about his situation outside.

"Well, let's wait until Brother Qian comes back." Dong's tone was also indifferent.

Yue Weimin said yes without saying anything else and lay down on the imperial concubine's couch to take a rest.

Dong suddenly said, "You just came back, why don't you go and see Xi Ge'er? He misses you too."

Yue Weimin muttered, "What's so good about this? Xi Ge'er is already so old. I'm so tired after just coming back. Let me rest for a while."

Dong sneered. As expected, he didn't even truly love Xi Ge'er, who had his surname. He felt that Xi Ge'er also had her blood. As long as he was contaminated with her blood, he would not forget the fact that he was married into the Dong family, which made him feel extremely inferior. He only loved the child that Liu Niang gave birth to him.

Dong said calmly, "Since you are so tired, don't go back to pay respect to your parents next year. Or, let your sons and daughters go with you. Your two sons are grown up and can help you a lot."

"No, no." Yue Weimin's body froze, and he said, "The journey is long, especially for Sister Yu, who has been spoiled since she was a child. How can she bear this hardship?"

Dong didn't continue talking and just sneered again.

Not long after, Dong Qian came back from Xu Ji. When he saw Yue Weimin, he felt very complicated.

Yue Weimin saw his eldest son and said, "Brother Qian is back. Let's go to the kitchen now and cook two dishes that Xu taught you. Let me see if she is sincere in teaching you. We are your relatives and will not cheat you. If the cook at Xu's is just looking for a laborer and doesn't teach you well, I will not let her off."

It's no wonder that he was anxious. He had planned to divorce Dong at the end of last year, but he didn't expect his son to go to Xu's. He was also thinking about Xu's recipes and formulas, so he was delayed. Now he just wanted to get the recipes of Xu's several flavor-enhancing seasonings as soon as possible. It didn't matter if he didn't get the recipes of those recipes, as long as he got a few flavor-enhancing seasonings. He felt that the delicious food of Xu's food had a lot to do with those seasonings. Once he got the recipes of a few seasonings, he could divorce Dong. He didn't want to wait any longer and wait until Qian left Xu's house two years later before getting the recipes. It was too long. He just wanted to take Liu Niang and his children to the capital as soon as possible and start a new life.

After staying in Yuanbao Town and Donglaiju for one day, he remembered that he had entered the house of Yudong and it was full of humiliation.

Dong Qian had a complicated expression and asked, "Father, how could you treat me and mother like this?"

Yue Weimin looked confused, "Qian'er, what are you talking about? I just want you to learn from the chef Xu Ji..."

At this time, he was still thinking about his master's recipe. Dong Qian smiled bitterly and interrupted Yue Weimin, "Father, mother and I already know that you have a concubine in Raozhou City. And the child named Ji Ge'er, who is your bloodline with Liu Niang, is almost thirteen years old. Father, why do you want to do this?"

Yue Weimin's face changed drastically. He sat up from the imperial concubine's couch and stared at Dong Qian. He didn't expect that his wife and son already knew about him and Liu Niang.

He gritted his teeth and said, "When did you know?"

Dong Qian turned his face away and said, "Just before the New Year, someone I know ran into you in Raozhou City."

Yue Weimin sneered and turned to look at Dong. "Since you all know, I won't hide it. Over the years, I have worked hard for Donglaiju and your Dong family. But how do you treat me? You have to check the accounts every month, and even Donglaiju's monthly profits are in your hands. Without me, Donglaiju would have collapsed long ago. Dong Yonglan, do you really think you don't owe me?"

Dong said coldly, "Without you, my father would have found another son-in-law for me, and let him inherit our Dong family's recipes and Donglaiju. You would still be just a poor boy from the countryside who followed my father to learn the craft. Yue Weimin, you are mistaken. It is our Dong family who has treated you with kindness and righteousness. Even Xi Ge'er took your surname. It is you who betrayed me and your own family."

Yue Weimin stared at his wife and eldest son, and suddenly sneered, "Forget it, since this is the case, we are tired of each other, so let's get divorced. I know that Donglaiju is the family business of your Dong family, and I can't take it away. You give me 50,000 taels of silver. I want to divide the money I earned for the Dong family in these years equally. After giving me 50,000 taels of silver, we will get divorced. I will take Liu Niang and Ji Ge'er away from Yuanbao Town and go to the capital, and Donglaiju will still be yours. Now Donglaiju also has other chefs. Even after I leave, Donglaiju can still open as usual, and you will not lose out."

Hearing this, Dong suddenly smiled. She looked at Yue Weimin with some pity, "You mean, you did something to let me down, and you still want to take 50,000 taels of silver from me, take your mistress and bastard away to the capital to start a new life?"

"Dong Yonglan! How can you talk like that!" Yue Weimin was so angry that he felt ashamed.

It was also the first time he knew that his wife had such a sharp tongue.

In the past, Dong Yonglan had a very gentle personality and was very caring towards him. In fact, to be honest, Dong Yonglan was a very good person, but he felt that marrying into a royal family was a great shame and humiliation. If Dong Yonglan really loved him, she should not have let him marry into a royal family. She should have persuaded Dong's father to teach him the cooking skills and let him marry Dong in a normal way.

Dong said, "Yue Weimin, it's easy for you to take your mistress and bastard away to the capital. Just give me the money you have embezzled from Donglaiju. I know that the Donglaiju account books you gave me are all fake. The profit that is missing half is real. Give me the profit. Otherwise, you will never meet your mistress and bastard again."

Yue Weimin asked angrily, "Why, do you still want to imprison Liu Niang and Ji Ge'er?"

Dong Yonglan smiled strangely, "You guessed wrong, I won't care about her. If you don't spit out these profits, don't even think about leaving the Dong family!"

When Dong said this, she immediately shouted, "Someone, come in."

Immediately, several old women and servants rushed in and tied up Yue Weimin.

These are all servants of the Dong family, and they all listen to Dong's words.

Yue Weimin was of average height and build. When several people swarmed over him, he resisted fiercely. He watched helplessly as he was tied up by the servants in the mansion. He was so angry that he almost fainted. "Dong Yonglan, how dare you! Let me go quickly. At worst, I don't want the 50,000 taels of silver. As for the profit you said I embezzled from Donglaiju, there is no such thing. The accounts I gave you are all true."

Dong said, "You have deceived me for more than ten years. Why should I not dare? You can never leave the Dong family unless you return the money. If the account book you gave me is true, where did you get the money to support your mistress and bastard all these years?"

She actually didn't need these tens of thousands of taels of silver, but since he dared to do such a thing, she would not let Yue Weimin have an easy time. If he wanted to leave, she would have to return everything she had taken from the Dong family over the years.

Yue Weimin was speechless and stared at Dong.

Dong waved her hand and asked the servant to take the man to the chamberlain and lock him up under guard. No one except her was allowed to open the chamberlain door on weekdays.

Dong Qian would be lying if he said he didn't feel sad when he saw his father being dragged out. Even as the servants dragged the man out, he could still hear Yue Weimin's cursing from outside.

"Mom, Xi Ge'er and Yu Jie'er will know about this." Dong Qian was a little worried.

Dong said, "It doesn't matter. This matter cannot be kept secret. Let them know it."

The reason why I didn't tell Xi Ge'er before was because I was afraid that he would side with his father and run to Raozhou City in a moment of confusion to inform Yue Weimin.

Dongqian hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Mom, do you really want father to spit out half of the profit?" He felt that it would be better to resolve this matter as soon as possible, and let his parents reconcile. See if he is willing to take it with him. Whether the person goes to the capital or wherever, the two sides have nothing to do with each other.

Dong said: "Naturally..."

She looks weak, but she is not really weak and gullible, otherwise she should have been deceived by Yue Weimin all these years and transferred the title deed of Donglaiju to him.

She said, "Since the past ten years, your father has been coaxing me to transfer the title deed of Donglaiju to him, as well as some other shops under my name. Guess what he wants to do with these things? Is he going to leave them to you or to someone else?"

Therefore, Yue Weimin never thought about Qian Ge'er, Xi Ge'er and Yu Jie'er. He just wanted to make the Dong family's business completely his own, and then leave it to Liu Niang and the children there.

Dong Qian then stopped talking.

Dong Shi really locked Yue Weiming up.

But Yue Weimin was a living being who could shout and scream, so Xi Ge'er and Yu Jie'er definitely couldn't hide it.

The two naturally came to ask Dong, and Dong told them the truth, including the fact that Yue Weimin wanted to take away the Dong family's property, and the fact that she tricked Dong Qian into learning the recipes and seasoning formulas from Xu Ji, all of which were kept secret from the two children.

Yu Jie'er was fine. After hearing what her mother said, she also cried a lot, but she understood her mother and let her mother handle the matter.

However, Xi Ge'er didn't believe it at all and wanted to release his father. He went to ask in person.

Of course Dong wouldn't let him ask. If he asked at this time, Yue Weimin would only coax Xi Ge'er.

Dong also sent people to Raozhou City to find out clearly that Yue Weimin did not provide them with a lot of property in Raozhou City, just a two-story house. It was obvious that he had no plans to stay in Raozhou City in the future.

In the past, he had coaxed the Dong family into giving him their fortune, and he probably wanted to take it, sell it, and then go to the capital.

Moreover, the woman and the child always wore gold and silver jewelry, silk and satin whenever they went out, and ate delicious food. The monthly expenses for food and drink alone were at least two hundred taels of silver, not to mention the jewelry and clothes bought for Liu Niang. It was obvious that he really treated her like a treasure.

This matter could not be concealed, and it spread throughout Yuanbao Town. Everyone was shocked. Some felt that Yue Weimin had gone too far. He married into the Dong family and still had a concubine and a child. Moreover, Dong had let their son take his surname, but he was still not satisfied. Others thought that Dong had gone too far, and it would be better to let him leave through a divorce, so that they could part ways amicably. There was no need to make such an embarrassing scene.

Xu Qinyu also heard about this. She knew that Dong had locked up Yue Weimin and forced him to return the profits he had previously made from Donglaiju. She still admired Dong very much. This was how it should be. Why would she let the scumbag take even a single cent?

Xu Qinyu also guessed that Yue Weimin would not be able to bear it and would compromise within a few days.

She guessed correctly. Within ten days, Yue Weimin compromised and was willing to return all the profits from Donglaiju that he had embezzled.

Because he realized that the Dong family was serious about this, and if he didn't hand over the money, the Dong family would really dare to lock him up for life.