Chapter 113 Glazed Tiles

The Laba Festival garden party ended successfully. Si Li, who had planned to make a profit at a loss, finally settled the accounts with Guan Ji Tang's family and not only did she not lose money, she even made a lot of money. She immediately decided to give New Year's red envelopes to the current partners of Wanglaiju. The money she prepared alone was obviously enough for all the children in Yuyingtang to have a good year.

The only one who didn't smile when seeing the bonus was Xiao Que, who had just received her test results. She entered school late and had a weak foundation. No matter how hard she tried, she only ranked third from the bottom in the class. When she saw Xiao Qi, who ranked first in their class, she was eager to ask Xiao Qi to give more lectures.

Xiao Qi was so embarrassed that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was not cut out to be a teacher. She went back to the academy and brought Liu Weiling, who had only average grades in the past but came second this time, to give lessons to Xiao Que. She also taught the shop assistants to learn a few more words.

Xiao Qi, who got first place in the exam, continued to live her life like a dandy, carefree and carefree. However, Si Tang, who fell from the top to the third place, had a hard time. He never came to the academy after the results were announced. It was said that he was confined at home to cultivate his temper. He even didn't go to some small banquets that were common in winter. Si Li could only sigh when she heard about this. Her revenge was actually over. She also pointed out a clear way for Mrs. Si last time. Now it was Si Tang who was not doing well, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Liu Wuling and the other two young ladies who used to surround Si Tang came to visit more often. The children in the nursery hall didn't know their past, but when they saw that Si Li had agreed to let them teach, they respectfully called him "Master". The girls who came were all girls who had not yet reached the age of marriage, and they didn't have to get involved in the many housekeeper's affairs of preparing for the New Year. When the housekeeper's wives heard that they were looking for Si Li, they all smiled: Although they didn't hear whether the last marriage proposal was accepted or not, it was always good to be friends with the talented and capable Miss Si.

It was only after Si Li met Lin Ying and Lin Ruying who followed Jiang Rufei and apologized quietly that she realized that Lin Ruying, who looked like a maid, was actually the princess's companion. Her father died on the battlefield following the prince, and she was the only one left in the family. She loved to wield guns and sticks, and did not get along with her uncle's family who had inherited the title. That's why she simply followed Jiang Rufei.

"I'm living well with the princess. Just report this to your uncle and auntie." Lin Ruying didn't want to pay any attention to Lin Ying. She just walked back and disappeared. Si Li knew that she must still be nearby, but no one could find Lin Ruying, who was skilled in martial arts. Lin Ying, who was left standing, saw Si Li looking at her and smiled awkwardly, a little at a loss, like a mouse seeing a cat, "Miss Si, Miss Si."

After Si Li finished checking the children's course progress and left, Lin Ying patted her chest and turned around the corner to return to An Yao and Liu Wuling, "Oh my God, if I had known this day would happen, I would never have dared..."

"So, do your job well and have a clear conscience." After Liu Wuling was expelled from the clan, his temperament became more peaceful, and even his words sounded meditative.

Their literacy class is only held for a short while at Wanglaiju at noon every day. The rest of the time, Wanglaiju has to prepare for business. Si Li treats the children well, and they pay more and more attention to the business of Wanglaiju, so Si Li doesn't have to worry about anything except teaching the chef and preparing limited dishes every day.

Time flies in the beginning of Ramadan, and in a few days it is the 23rd of Ramadan. Tomorrow is the day for the sacrifice of the stove and the closing of the gates. Walking on the streets of the capital, no matter whether it is a restaurant or a grocery store, most of them are busy preparing the last wave of sales before the New Year, and the shouts of hawkers can be heard one after another.

Guan Ji sent over some freshly brewed maltose, which he placed together with the half-used osmanthus honey. It was definitely enough for offering sacrifice to the Lord of the Burning Tomb. Although Si Li didn't believe it, she saw that everyone around her was looking forward to this day, so she didn't care and just followed the custom to get some joy.

It seemed that the 24th day of February was going to pass uneventfully, but Si Li was startled as soon as she stepped out of the door that day.

The shop was originally a blue-tiled bungalow. Although it was low and ugly, it looked respectable after the last renovation and the walls were newly painted. But in the blink of an eye, the blue-tiled roof was gone. In the dim skylight, the translucent glazed tiles reflected the candlelight that fell on the ground, making the whole house look colorful and extravagant.

No? Who is so wicked as to tear off the roof?

Xiao Que, who had just woken up, rubbed his eyes, yawned and went back into the house, "I must be dreaming..."

Si Li was not sure whether it was done by Jian's uncle or someone else. Just as she was staring at him, she heard a knock on the small door on the courtyard wall. Well, no need to guess, the culprit has appeared.

Seeing that Si Li did not open the door, the person on the other side paused and knocked again, repeating this three times, as if finally making sure that Si Li would not come to open the door. Then, there was a slight sound of wind, and a person was sitting on the wall.

The handsome man in brocade clothes was smiling, and his eyes flickered, making him look like a fox demon walking out of a painting. One leg was bent on the wall, and the other leg was dangling down, acting carefree and unrestrained. He actually learned the style of a dandy boy climbing a wall to the letter, but he was not annoying at all.

Si Lixia had never thought that he would sit there without a mask and not care about his image. The residence was close to the city wall, and the soldiers patrolling the city saw that time was almost up. If they really found out that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had climbed the wall, that would be really...

"What are you doing?! Get out." Si Li was furious at Jiang Hengyun who was letting himself go after taking off his mask. Before she was dazzled by his beauty, she quickly asked him, "Why did you replace the tiles in my house?"

Jiang Hengyun landed lightly without even raising a dusty cloud, and walked to Si Li's side with his long legs. "I remember you said that the shop was not bright enough."

"...That was a long time ago." Si Li remembered this incident only after he reminded her. It was just a casual remark when she agreed to let Jiang Rufei stay, but he remembered it now. She couldn't tell what she felt in her heart, and forced to change the subject, "This is too exaggerated."

"It's not bad. With the accumulated experience and old craftsmen of the Jian family, the glass supplied to the two academies has arrived. When they return to the school at the beginning of the new year, they will be able to see it. The Ministry of Industry has taken over the production of colored glaze, and the Jian family has been named the Royal Merchant of Colored Glaze. The price has dropped. If the mine can be found, the national treasury will be even more abundant, and it should be available to ordinary people in the next two years."

Jiang Hengyun casually mentioned the arrangement for Liuli, and Si Li added the following words for him: and before the common people use it, they can still make a good sum of money from the nobles and wealthy businessmen.

With the Ministry of Industry behind them and the Crown Prince backing them up, the Jian family's glass business wouldn't attract attention. Si Li felt relieved. Jiang Hengyun looked down at her, her eyebrows relaxed, and a few fluffy hairs on her temples playfully poking out of her long hair. He felt a little itchy in his heart, and he reached out his hand but stopped, coughing lightly, "I'm a little abrupt here, this place..."

Si Li then remembered that he hadn't washed up yet. His face was hot. He stepped on the candles on the floor and ran to the kitchen to get some hot water. After a chaotic mess, Si Li returned to the courtyard. The more he looked at the transparent roof, the more he liked it. He couldn't say the annoying words that he had to be dismantled and then restored, "Does this count as misusing public property for personal gain?"

No, he is the crown prince. According to ancient concepts, the whole world belongs to him. How can there be a distinction between public and private? Si Li felt a little annoyed.

“I cooked it.”

"Ah?" Si Li was extremely surprised. The last time she went to the glass kiln, she saw the equipment for making glass. The old masters would have a few bubbles on their hands from time to time, not to mention the novices who had never been exposed to it. Her mind was instantly confused and she reached out to pull Jiang Hengyun.

The young man's hands were as slender and well-proportioned as she had seen from a distance before, with joints as smooth as bamboo, and perfect as a work of art. However, a burn mark on the back of his hand completely destroyed the beauty.

"Compared to the swords on the battlefield, it doesn't hurt at all." Si Li was too close, and Jiang Hengyun touched her head as she wished. His tone of coaxing a child made Si Li annoyed and distressed. She raised her eyes and glared at him fiercely, but she burst into a full smile. Jiang Hengyun said softly, "There is also a glass plate. I painted a pattern on it. Come and see if it looks good?"

The pattern carved on the glass plate was not the Chinese character for happiness that Si Li had imagined, nor was it the more common pattern of water waves, flowers and birds, but rather the three Chinese characters "Wanglaiju".

"Who wants this?" Si Li was led by him into the front hall of her house. She looked at the extra set of bowls and plates that appeared overnight. The bowls and plates and the glazed tiles were not exquisite, but the thought was so heavy that she didn't know how to respond. She simply said to him, "Today is the 24th day of the lunar month. Xiao Qi and the others have gone to the palace for a banquet. Why are you still here? My shop is about to open."

"Having you is enough for me. The shopkeeper Si is sitting in the front hall, and I, the boss's wife, have to wait in the backyard for the shopkeeper to finish his work." Jiang Hengyun spoke nonsense seriously, looking only at Si Li.

"You weren't like this before!" Si Li was amused by his rogue look and said seriously, "Is it really okay if you don't go?"

"What does it have to do with me if the palace people hold a banquet? Your Majesty has clearly stated that I will not be seen, so I will not go to offend him." When Jiang Hengyun talked about the banquet, a strange sense of irony emerged on his face, but it disappeared when Si Li looked closely.

The son rejected by his father, he said he was the crown prince, but he seemed like a lonely man excluded from the emperor, concubines and the second prince.

"I have you, that's all." Before Si Li could come up with words of comfort, Jiang Hengyun interrupted her thoughts. Si Li guessed that he and his father didn't have a good relationship, so she couldn't say anything more. She tried to keep a straight face and act businesslike, "Your Highness, please go to the backyard for dinner, don't delay my business."

"Okay." Jiang Hengyun's voice was gentle, which made Si Li feel that she had gone too far.

As a result, the employees who came one after another saw a person in the backyard. Almost everyone was stunned by the beauty of the fallen immortal at first sight. They stood at the junction of the front hall and the backyard in a daze, not knowing what to do.

When Jiang Hengyun's face turned cold, he still had some of the coldness that Si Li had seen in the past. But when he met her eyes, his coldness melted instantly. This difference in treatment made Si Li's heart beat faster than ever, not to mention the employees who had never seen his true face. Seeing that this man was about to affect the business without doing anything, Si Li left the mutton soup pot in the kitchen and stood in front of him to block other people's sight, "Put on your mask."

"You're not angry anymore?" Jiang Hengyun put on his mask obediently. Si Li rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Sit still."

The rubber-like creature stuck to his face, and in the blink of an eye, he was replaced by another person. Wang Ting, Ah Quan and others who woke up were shocked. After careful identification, they found that it was clearly the same person! They didn't dare to ask more about the secret behind it, so they all shut up and continued to work obediently.

“Break out the old and usher in the new, good luck and good fortune!”

It was the last day of business before the New Year at Wanglaiju. With Si Li's help, the staff put more food in the paper tubes. They were beaming with joy and congratulated the diners who came.

On the last day, Si Li allowed the purchase of limited-edition dishes, and she also had to teach Ah Xiang how to cook. When she came out of the kitchen, it was almost noon. The staff running between the front hall and the back yard were all running fast, and in the bustle, their calm and gentle gazes always stayed on her.

The distance is neither far nor close, like a silent promise of waiting.

Si Li walked slowly to Jiang Hengyun and cleared her throat, "You——"

Jiang Hengyun looked at her with focused and sincere eyes.

"You can't lie to me again." Si Li got angry when she thought about the time when she was kept in the dark and fooled. However, Jiang Hengyun didn't do it on purpose. When in love, one should still look forward.

Jiang Hengyun stood up and looked down at her, "Okay." He stretched out his hand and gently hooked it around Si Li's hand. Seeing that she had no objection, he clasped her hand in his palm.

Obviously he didn't do anything too outrageous, not even a hug, but Si Li already felt her face getting hot and she almost couldn't breathe. Before the pink bubbles made her head dizzy, she quickly said, "I can agree to the marriage proposal, but we have to make three rules. You are not allowed to lie to me, you are not allowed to stop me from visiting you, and if one day we break up, well, I want a divorce, you have to let me go."

Hearing the word "divorce", Jiang Hengyun paused for breath and spoke word by word, "We will not divorce."

"Who knows? If you don't agree, I will run away to the ends of the earth and never get married." Si Li felt that she was being childish, but she still said it angrily. Maybe this was the feeling of being arrogant because of being spoiled. He put aside his identity and status in front of her and was just an ordinary person, so she was sure that he would agree.

"Okay." Jiang Hengyun whispered, "Don't divorce. Don't leave." He bent down and looked directly at Si Li, his eyes full of pity. His eyes, like deep pools, were covered with mist and he looked extremely pitiful.

Si Li narrowed her eyes and shook her interlocked hands, "It depends on your performance."

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The author has something to say:

Lili, you are playing with fire!