Chapter 186 Don't cry, don't be afraid, I'm here!
(Thanks to reader 20190622214042012 for casting 2 monthly tickets.)
The carriage stopped in front of Li's Paper Shop on Shuyuan Street. Dog Lao San, who was standing at the door, spotted Li Shiyue immediately and said to Li Qiutian and the others who were resting inside, "Shiyue is back!"
After thanking the groom from the General's Mansion, Li Shiyue turned to Li Qiutian and the others and said, "Come on, lend a hand and carry it inside. It was all given by the General's wife."
Li Shiyue and Li Qiutian worked together to lift a wooden box, while Gou Laosan and Shitou worked together to lift another wooden box and carried them into the house.
Actually, Li Shiyue could lift the box herself, given its weight.
But this was, after all, a marketplace, and she really didn't want to attract so much attention.
Upon entering the house, Li Shiyue immediately noticed that the tables, chairs, and benches left inside must have been thoroughly cleaned by Li Qiutian and the others.
The ground itself looks a little damp.
"Third Brother, how is it?"
Dog Lao San was stunned by Li Shiyue's sudden question, but when she saw Li Shiyue raise his hand and point to the top and bottom of the shop, she understood that Li Shiyue was asking her what she thought of the shop.
"good!
I had already checked it out. Although this shop is a bit out of the way, it's still on Shuyuan Street. We sell paper, so being near the academy means we can still make a living.
Moreover, only the front part of this shop gets sunlight, which is perfect since we sell paper.
If you were selling other things, you would inevitably feel that the sun is not strong enough.
But we sell paper, so the paper can't be stored in the sun; a cool, well-ventilated place is best!
In October, I saw that this shop was truly excellent!
Li Shiyue gave Dog Lao San a thumbs up: "Third Brother, it's only been an hour or two since we last met, and you've already become so good at saying nice things."
Haha, I think you'll be able to keep this shop running for the next ten days!
Joking aside, this shop really does live up to what Dog Lao San said: it might not be good for selling other things, but it's quite good for making paper.
Over the next few days, Li Shiyue and his team thoroughly cleaned the shop, from top to bottom, front to back, inside to outside, and every nook and cranny.
If there's something that needs repairing, I'll fix it myself if I can, and if I really can't, I'll pay a craftsman to fix it.
"We're going to be selling paper here in the future, so the place where we store the paper really needs to be waterproof and fireproof."
Li Shiyue hired a craftsman to repair the roof. When the craftsman heard that they were going to open a paper shop, he suggested that they keep a cat to keep the rats away.
"With a cat, not only can it catch mice at night, but it can also bring wealth to the shop during the day!"
Li Shiyue became interested in what the craftsman said and asked him for details. What the craftsman said also attracted Li Qiutian and the others to listen attentively.
Seeing that Li Shiyue was easy to talk to and very supportive, the craftsman immediately started talking.
"There was a raccoon dog kept in Wang's calligraphy and painting shop up ahead."
That raccoon is really something. Not only does it guard the shop and catch mice at night, but it also lies on the counter during the day to attract customers.
Scholars who love raccoons love to visit Wang's calligraphy and painting shop.
Shopkeeper Wang often said that he was able to support his family thanks to this raccoon dog.
Upon hearing what the craftsman said, Li Shiyue, who loved small animals and even kept dogs in Liujiatun, immediately wanted to hire a cat.
While waiting for the cat to be hired by the bookstore, Li Shiyue also received a message from the General's Mansion that Liu Tan's men had secretly taken Yan Jiuniang onto the Jiang family's small cargo ship.
Li Shiyue told Li Qiutian and the others about Yan Jiuniang on their first night in the prefectural city.
At the time, Li Xiatian remarked, "Even the daughter of a prince has to be manipulated."
Apart from Shi Tou remaining silent, Li Qiutian, Li Xiatian, and Gou Laosan all expressed their support for Li Shiyue's choice, feeling that they should help Yan Jiuniang if they could, since she had helped them before.
If it weren't for Yan Jiuniang's boat, they wouldn't know where they would be now, and whether they would even be alive is another matter.
As for Li Shiyue's scheming and calculations of self-interest, she only explained them to Li Qiutian and Li Xiatian little by little when they slept in the same bed at night.
Li Xiatian was stunned by this; she really hadn't expected Li Shiyue to have so many schemes in her heart.
"October, you have so many thoughts on your mind, it must be exhausting."
You've suffered for us.
Upon hearing Li Xiatian's words, Li Shiyue didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Whether he cried or laughed, Li Shiyue harnessed his horse and left the prefectural city for the main road that evening.
She deliberately left the city gate when it was getting dark.
Although she was just a nobody, she had indeed been to the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion and knew Liu Tan and Liu Shu.
To keep this from the eyes and ears of the Prince of Zhenbei, one could not be too careful.
She rode her horse at full speed, and before dawn, she arrived outside Sanshan County.
Ten miles away from Sanshan County, she made contact with Liu Tan's people.
Li Shiyue followed the two men to Sanshan Port. By the time they arrived at the dock, the sky was already turning light, and in about 15 minutes, it would be completely bright.
Horses were hidden in the alley outside the dock. Li Shiyue followed the two men into the dock, and after many twists and turns, they finally stopped in front of a slightly smaller boat after several large Fujian ships.
Li Shiyue obediently waited to the side, smelling the fishy, pungent smell of the sea, and waited quietly.
She thought she would wait for someone, but instead she saw boxes being unloaded from the ship.
Just as Li Shiyue was thinking that after moving all the boxes, people should come out, the two men suddenly picked up a box and called to Li Shiyue to leave.
At this moment, Li Shiyue realized that the box the two men were carrying must contain Yan Jiuniang.
Li Shiyue's face tightened. No, this big wooden box doesn't look like it has any ventilation holes. Is it safe for a person to be inside?
Don't suffocate!
After the three of them avoided people and arrived at the alley where they had tied their horses, the two men put down the wooden box and took out their daggers to cut off the lock on the box.
Upon opening the box, Li Shiyue saw Yan Jiuniang curled up inside with her eyes closed!
She rushed forward and whispered, "Ninth Sister? Ninth Sister? Are you alright?"
As she called out, Li Shiyue reached out and touched it. The first thing she felt was warm skin, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Then Yan Jiuniang raised her head and opened her eyes. Having been in darkness for so long, Yan Jiuniang's eyes were somewhat blurry at the first moment of opening them.
However, after a breath or two, her vision cleared, and she saw Li Shiyue speaking to her with a look of anxiety on her face.
Upon seeing Li Shiyue, Yan Jiuniang's anxiety, which she had been hiding all along, suddenly erupted.
"October?
October!
October!
I...I, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, large, glistening tears welled up in Yan Jiuniang's eyes.
Li Shiyue couldn't bear to see her daughter cry. As soon as she saw Yan Jiuniang like this, she immediately used all her strength to pull Yan Jiuniang out of the wooden box by inserting her hands under her armpits.
As soon as Yan Jiuniang was brought out by Li Shiyue, she was held in Li Shiyue's arms. Li Shiyue imitated his mother and gently stroked Yan Jiuniang's back, whispering in Yan Jiuniang's ear, "Jiuniang, don't cry, don't be afraid, I'm here!"
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