Chapter 112 Garden Party
After returning to Wanglai Residence, Si Li let out a long sigh. Wang Ting looked at her strangely, and was glared back at. Si Li sat in the yard, holding her pounding heart. She couldn't tell whether she was regretful or lucky that she was not caught up.
Xiao Que and Xiao Qi were going to take the winter exam on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. As the time approached, they became more and more nervous. Si Li did not ask Xiao Que to help and only asked the students in the academy who were willing to work to copy 20,000 pieces of paper. The price of beans in the market rose slightly with the arrival of the Laba Festival. Since no one was good at making porridge, the price change did not affect Si Li, who did not plan to make Laba porridge as usual for the garden party.
There were diners who came to ask whether Wanglaiju would launch any new products during Laba Festival. After the waiters sent by various restaurants to help left before curfew at night, they were always asked what they had done that day when they returned to the restaurants. The old-fashioned restaurants despised and mocked Wanglaiju, but were curious about it at the same time. This was a classic example of saying one thing and thinking another.
Si Li pretended not to know and directed Bai Li's employees to work, pushing the repetitive work of assembling bamboo cups and making flower card grids to the backyard of Wuweilou, which was borrowed from the company, and no one could find out what Wanglaiju was doing at home.
The lemon daifuku that Guan Ji just sent tastes good, and with the orange powder recommended by Si Li sprinkled on the white skin, a daifuku that looks like both orange and lemon is enough to make your teeth sour. And when you take a bite of the glutinous rice cake, the sweet and sour orange flavor brings a rare sense of freshness in winter. The soft lemon cream inside is sweet but not greasy, and the sour taste is just right, as if you have arrived in the sunny summer.
Herbivorous snacks are one part of the menu. For potential carnivorous customers, Si Li has also prepared lemon pineapple feet snacks, and the newly launched limited edition tomato and scorpion hotpot, making sufficient preparations for the business on Laba Festival.
The winter exam of the Qunying Academy was also scheduled for Laba Festival. Xiao Que was a new student this year and did not have many subjects to take the exam. In the morning, he ate porridge with pickled pepper chicken feet and bamboo shoots that Si Li had tried to make before the promotion. In his left hand, he held a corn cake that he had found from the Guanji Cake Shop as a test product. He ate it very sweetly, but Wang Ting, who was watching next to him, was a little worried. He held it in for a long time and said, "Eat so much, don't fall asleep when the time comes."
"Well, no matter how Xiao Que did in the exam, he is also Ah Xiang's little teacher. Don't let him starve because of the exam. It's cold in winter." Si Li blocked Wang Ting's complaints, looked at them meaningfully, and asked Ah Xiang and other children who were preparing honey lemonade in an orderly manner, "Let Wang Guanshi and Mr. Xiao Que go to the garden party, what do you think?"
Ah Quan, who was being treated as a half-apprentice by Tang and Wang Ting, no longer had the cautiousness and calculation he had when he first arrived. He laughed especially loudly, "Okay! The shopkeeper can go shopping too. Uncle Tang and I will take care of the shop!"
Si Li smiled and stuffed two more glasses of lemonade into Xiao Que's lunch box so that she could take them to Xiao Qi.
The students went to the academy in the still dim morning light. After a while, the bell from the Huguo Temple on the opposite bank announced the start of the Laba Festival. Outside the Huguo Temple with their backs to Wanglaiju, devout believers lined up to drink Laba porridge, and all of them were attracted by the sign of Wanglaiju.
Yesterday, Si Li asked Ah Fu to help paint a flower with lemon berries on the signboard that was rewarded by the system with erasable paint. She was worried that it would affect the "attractive enough" effect that the system gave to the signboard, but she felt relieved when she saw the pilgrims waiting to burn incense.
"You are welcome to participate in this garden party hosted by Wanglaiju. The flower collection card is valid in all restaurants in the city and can be redeemed for the 'Young Mu Ai' set meal. If you pay a little more, you can also choose the 'Reeds and Cang Cang' set meal and the 'Que Shang Xin Tou' set meal. In addition, the tomato lamb and scorpion hotpot specially launched for this garden party is the most suitable for a few people like you to taste together. Come in and take a closer look?"
Just after checking the situation in the front hall, Si Li heard A Zhuang's attentive and polite introduction behind the curtain. If it weren't for the quaint house in front of her, she almost thought she had returned to a modern shopping mall event scene.
"Hey, these three... sets? What's the difference?" the girl asked. Ah Zhuang explained the differences in the sets in detail, emphasizing the exclusive limited-edition tomato and scorpion hotpot. Si Li listened for a while, confirmed that the front-line staff could handle the series of reception procedures, checked the situation in the kitchen again, and then took out Queen Yun Sheng's note and went back to her room to continue fishing.
"...Fortunately, Jian Bingde has some business sense and caught up with the bidding for the shipbuilding. I hope the money I invested in shipbuilding will not be wasted. The Age of Exploration may be ushered in under my leadership. It's exciting to think about it."
Turning to a random page, it happened to be about the Jian family. Si Li read along the page and confirmed that the temper of the Jian family's uncle was not much calmer than before. The time in the notebook seemed to be that Si's father had already entered the court. The queen was really troubled by this "stubborn and stubborn" old-fashioned man. She complained twice and couldn't understand why Jian Yue Niang, who could get along with her, would marry him.
Perhaps this is the magic of love. Si Li found some interest in Si Baifu, who although still had a reputation for being old-fashioned, had not caused any trouble for the Crown Prince after taking the throne.
If Si Baifu really didn't do anything behind the scenes to suppress the Queen's reforms, and he has been respecting his uncle for ten years, is it because of the money in the Jian family's pockets, or because he decided to realize Jian Yueniang's ideals after his "beloved" Jian Yueniang passed away? Unless you ask Si Baifu or Jiang Hengyun, I'm afraid there is no answer to this question.
I turned another page of my notebook. The sky outside was completely bright, and the sun broke through the clouds. In the gloomy and snowy winter, the sun was particularly bright today. It was a pretty good day. The sound of firecrackers came from afar, and loud shouts came one after another, drowning out the shouts in front of Wanglaiju. "Wanglaiju Garden Party opens here——"
Si Li chuckled, and the other shop assistants who had been well fed and well fed in Wuweilou for a few days started to work according to her arrangements, hoping that the shop owners who had taken the initiative to choose them to work here would not be scared.
"Shopkeeper?" Wang Ting poked his head in. "Why don't you go take a look? If there's a problem with the layout of any store, there's still plenty of time to fix it now."
"If you have something to say, please say it."
Wang Ting coughed dryly, trying to cover his face, "Xiao Que should have finished her exams, I want to go..."
Tsk, the sour smell of love.
"Okay, shut up and go by yourself." Si Li sent Wang Ting away three times in one breath.
After being disturbed by Wang Ting, Si Li no longer had the mood to continue reading the legendary stories of her predecessors who traveled through time. She found the men's suit she had bought before, changed a few clothes herself, and told Ah Xiang and Ah Quan to change the tomato pot to a reservation model. After confirming that there was no work for her to do, she left Wanglaiju through the back door.
As the last month of the lunar calendar approaches, the festive atmosphere of the New Year gradually grows stronger in the capital city. Lanterns and paper flowers compete with each other in beauty and even the sugar figurine stalls display designs of Fuwa and Niannianyouyu.
No matter what kind of shop in the East Market, there are more or less some bacon on display, some for home consumption, some as products that are vigorously promoted. Si Li noticed that a small restaurant at the entrance of the alley had a sign hanging in front of it that said citron bacon. If they dare to sell it, it must taste good. I wonder how they developed and produced the finished product in just a few days.
When I took a closer look, I realized that it was made from lemon-flavored pork jerky, with a little lemon juice on top of the crispy pork jerky. Although it had some potential for dark cuisine, it tasted surprisingly good. Si Li bought one or two pieces of pork jerky. The custom-made paper box that she had envied at the Dharma gathering was replaced by a self-pasting paper tube at some point, with a lemon fruit painted on it.
"Girl, take the card and ask the employee at Qiao's Hot Pot and Helmet Shop over there to stamp it. If the quantity is enough, you can go to Lai Ju to exchange it for food." The shopkeeper was a toothless old woman, but her smile was sincere. "This year, the shopkeeper didn't ask me for money and gave us this card. It's just that my shop is not big enough, so no one can stamp it for you."
At least the restaurants participating in the meeting on how to organize the garden party were from Zhongda, and the employees who stayed were naturally from their families, but there were also small restaurants like this in the East Market, and since they wanted to participate in the event, they would participate together. In previous years, Wuweilou hung some similar decorations for them, but Si Li did not intend to let these small businesses spend money. Now, listening to the old woman's words, it seems that the employees did a good job.
Si Li took the card and thanked him, pretending to be an ordinary customer, and walked to Qiao's shop. The shopkeeper inside the shop didn't look too good, but two waiters who had been specially trained by Lai Ju were guarding the door. They were very enthusiastic when they saw people coming, "Are you here to collect flowers? Which store are you from, Si——?!"
The waiter recognized the disguised Si Li and swallowed his exclamation, and was scolded by the store owner in disgust. Si Li touched her nose, realizing that her makeup skills were not good enough, and responded vaguely, motioning for the waiter to stamp it.
"And mine." Under the eager gaze of the staff, a familiar voice sounded from behind. The voice like a clear spring is not something that ordinary people can have. Si Li froze for a moment, picked up the stamped card and turned away.
"Yingzhou?" This time it was Jiang Shizhi's voice, which was a little deeper and hoarse.
Si Li was annoyed and embarrassed by being chased by him. She turned into the alley she had just come out of and stopped, "I don't know you."
Jiang Hengyun held her shoulders and released them immediately. He said softly, "We have to have fun at the Laba Garden Party. Why don't we pretend to be someone we don't know?"
The maid who had borrowed Jiang Shizhi's makeup skills was indeed extraordinary. Si Li curled her lips and said, "I don't recognize you when you changed your face, and you don't recognize me when I changed it. It's really interesting."
"No matter what you look like, I will recognize you." Jiang Hengyun was considerate and didn't get too close. "If you go out like this, you'll be in trouble if those shopkeepers recognize you."
"Well, the last person who came was called Bai Zhi or..." Si Li muttered and turned around. The rest of the words were caught by the fingers resting on his eyebrows and he couldn't say a word.
Jiang Hengyun, who was standing opposite him, was obviously not wearing a mask today, but he had applied so many layers of tanning foundation on his face, and a scar was drawn on his eye socket. He had a beard and wore shorts, and his handsome face had become fierce. Si Li's heart tightened when she saw the scar, so she grabbed Jiang Hengyun's sleeve and pushed it up. She was relieved when she saw the scar on his forearm and his skin that was as white as jade as always.
"Why is it drawn like this? You wiped off all my eyebrow powder." Si Li realized her own gaffe, touched her eyebrows that had been pressed just now, took a step back and almost stood against the wall, complaining in a low voice.
"Look up." Jiang Hengyun's fingers moved closer to her, and his warm fingertips touched her slightly cold cheeks. The touch was very subtle. The handkerchief that wiped her face and the black pen that drew on it brought Si Li, who was a little stunned, back to her senses. "Don't draw me as an ugly monster."
"Isn't it just so that no one can recognize it?"
Si Li was about to protest, but when he met those smiling eyes, he suddenly realized how childish he was. Jiang Hengyun smiled, his fake beard trembling, his eyes twinkling with stars, "I went there specifically to ask for advice, don't worry."
His fingers danced on his cheeks. Si Li had no idea how such soft fingers could wield a sword to kill an enemy. He treated her so gently, as if she were a unique and fragile treasure in the world.
"Okay." Jiang Hengyun withdrew his hand, took a step back and looked at the old woman who had been watching in the shop for who knows how long, "Auntie, is this young man handsome?"
"You are so kind to me, you can't tell from the painting." The old woman laughed and handed over half a tube of pork jerky. "I wish you good luck and happiness. The garden party is very lively this year. You two should have a good time."
Si Li's face froze. She wanted to explain but felt that it was deliberate. She turned out of the alley in a huff and went to the front of Qiao's shop. This time, the waiter didn't recognize her at all. He greeted her a few times and saw that she was not interested, but the shopkeeper inside sneered. The waiter smiled and said, "Hey, my dear, we don't have any other intentions. Please take your time to shop."
In order to avoid conflicts between the shopkeeper who looked down on Wanglaiju and the employees who were already inclined to Wanglaiju, Si Li did not stay for long. She never expected that the employees trained in this garden party would switch to Wanglaiju one after another in the future. They had seen equal treatment and a good life, and they were no longer willing to stay and suffer inexplicable humiliation, leaving sufficient human resources for the expansion of Wanglaiju.
Shangguanji in Dongshi has put out its new product, lemon daifuku. The waiter next to it saw Si Li stopping by and introduced it to her, "If you want to buy daifuku, you can check out the 'Jiangjia Cangcang' set meal at Wanglaiju. That one is more affordable."
Si Li waved his hands, collected the seals, and went to the next shop. Guan Zhiyu, who was patrolling the shop, happened to see Si Li leaving. The thin boy was much shorter than the rough man chasing him. The man always walked on the outside with his waist bent. They seemed to have no communication, but they also showed some tacit understanding inexplicably.
He seemed to recognize the young man, but couldn't remember who he was. After a moment of silence, Guan Zhiyu withdrew his gaze.
At the end of East Market Street, the door of Wanglaiju, which was only half-open a few days ago, has now been fully opened. Even the dessert shop next door has opened its doors to welcome customers. The place is bustling with people, as if the bustle of the entire East Market has been concentrated in one place. The line in front of the door is not long, it only goes around twice, and is one-third shorter than the line of people who went to Huguo Temple to worship in the morning. Standing in the line, the ears are filled with surprised and lively discussions. Si Li just stumbled because of the girl in front of him who suddenly retreated, and he felt someone holding his shoulder.
"Don't be afraid." Jiang Hengyun said softly, stretching out his long arms to block the crowd from the front, back, left and right.
Si Li didn't answer, but touched his ear uncomfortably.
Although the line was long, it was not slow at all, so people would not feel impatient waiting. Soon Si Li stood in front of the door with a stamped flower collection card. Ah Sheng, whose lips were chapped from busy work but could not hide his excitement, shouted, "'Young Mu Ai' set meal for one person——"
She didn't feel embarrassed when she named it herself, but when she became a customer, she felt a little ashamed and her ears felt slightly hot.
Ah Zhu walked over and led Si Li in to sit down. The store was lit up with lanterns and crowded with people. There were only two tables left in the corner. Si Li hesitated for a moment, turned around and said, "The one in the back, sit with me."
"It's great that you're willing to share a seat. Please call me for a refill of lemonade later." Ah Zhu smiled sweetly. "The gentleman in the back, please come over here."
After sitting down, Si Li did not speak to Jiang Hengyun, thinking that she was just sharing the table. When the tray with drinks and snacks was delivered, Si Li saw that there was only a glass of lemonade opposite her. She was stunned for a moment, and pulled Ah Zhu to ask, "Is there a mistake?"
"I just ordered one cup."
"The remaining portion of this guest's package can be redeemed today or within seven days by continuing to visit LaiJu."
Jiang Hengyun and Ah Zhu's explanations rang out at the same time. Si Li coughed and said, "Hmm. Let me see what my lucky poem is."
She quickly unrolled the scroll on the cup and was stunned when she saw the words. She looked up at Jiang Hengyun suspiciously, "The two cups were delivered together just now. Maybe I got the wrong one. I want your lemonade."
The light was reflected in Jiang Hengyun's eyes, and Si Li saw her slightly red cheeks. He pushed the cup in front of him to Si Li, and Si Li lowered her head as if to divert her attention and continued to unroll the scroll.
The same verses as before appeared before my eyes.
Jiang Hengyun looked at the light red on the girl's cheeks that extended all the way to her collar. He chuckled, took both cups and unrolled the scrolls.
On the scroll was the same sentence, written in a somewhat messy handwriting, revealing a sense of naivety and carefreeness, "I will hold your hand and grow old with you."
"Li Li, can you please forgive me?" Jiang Hengyun placed the unrolled scroll in Si Li's palm, pressed her fingers to tighten the paper little by little, wrapped his slender hand around Si Li's palm, and his voice was as gentle as water.
I wrote a lot of poems, but this line of poetry was not included in the list of poems provided by Si Li. I just wrote two of them out of selfishness after collecting them and put them in. I didn't expect that I would get it. What kind of coincidence is this?
"I..." Si Li did not struggle to break free from his hand. Being held like this, the empty space in her heart seemed to be filled. The pair of eyes opposite her were bright and gentle under the disguise, and the beauty of the melting ice and snow was revealed only to her.
Surrounded by playful boys and girls or married couples whispering, the ambiguous and exciting atmosphere infected Si Li, and the answer was on her lips.
"Wait." Si Li looked at the thin bamboo stick exposed from Jiang Hengyun's sleeve with suspicion, followed his hand holding hers, and reached into his narrow sleeve.
"Li Li." The girl's fingers fumbled on her wrist. Jiang Hengyun's voice was a little hoarse. He looked at her with a helpless but flattering smile, "You know, I don't believe in gods and coincidences."
"I don't know you!" Si Li almost laughed out of anger. She took out two paper scrolls with bamboo sticks from her sleeves and threw them into his arms. They were almost exactly the same as the scrolls in Wanglaiju's cup. She didn't even drink the remaining honey lemonade and strode out the door.
After going out, the line outside seemed to be the same as before entering. Si Li suppressed the curl of her lips and walked back to the backyard of Wanglaiju in a serious manner.
Jiang Hengyun was indeed prepared to cheat, but... the poems written on the four scrolls were all the same.
She encountered a coincidence with a probability of one in fifty million.
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The author has something to say:
According to the data, the population of the capital city in the Ming Dynasty was 96,000 in the early Ming Dynasty, and then rose to hundreds of thousands, and then to hundreds of thousands of households. Here we take the population of 100,000+. In ancient times, those who had money to spend and could read were a minority, so I think one-fifth is a more reasonable number.
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Today is a fat chapter, one update~
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Garden Party Menu↓
Free redemption of the Young Muai Set: Honey Lemonade + Lemon Flavored French Fries + Lime Flavored Popcorn
Jianjia Cangcan set: honey lemonade + lemon daifuku + lemon pork floss basil
The most delicious meal: honey lemonade + lemon-flavored pork floss scallops + lemon-flavored spicy pheasant feet
Limited Edition: Tomato and Scorpion Hot Pot
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Lili: Money-making Master (X) Dog Food Distributor (√)
Prince: Among the 20,000 notes, two said "Grow Old Together with You". One in ten thousand times one in ten thousand is a coincidence of one in fifty million. Please call Lili and I a match made in heaven.