Ning Yuan, who was feeding Ah Bai, coughed lightly and said, "My cousin has a dormitory at school."
Seeing Rong Zhaonan leave with them, Wei Heng felt relieved and went to the guesthouse with Manhua and Huazi.
Ning Yuan and Grandma Xia saw Wei Heng, Man Hua, Hua Zi and a few others out.
Rong Zhaonan walked at the back, then suddenly turned to Ning Yuan and said in a low voice, "Get some rest. Grandma and the others have bad backs. Let's go grocery shopping together tomorrow. You can also go to my dorm to get some New Year's goods."
His gaze was deep as he stared intently at Ning Yuan.
Ning Yuan was taken aback, feeling as if his eyes were misty, gently enveloping her, and her heart felt soft and tender.
She understood immediately and softly said, "Let's go to the Wujiao Market... Grandma said the vegetables there are fresh and you can bargain."
She finally began to understand why, when two people are deeply in love, they become so inseparable that they don't want to be apart.
I want to kiss and hug the other person.
Now that their older brother is here, they can only find opportunities to sneak away for a while.
Seeing that she agreed, Rong Zhaonan smiled and turned to follow them before Wei Heng could turn to look at him.
Back in the room, Grandma Xia raised an eyebrow and patted Ning Yuan's shoulder: "You brat, you're really dating that boy Nan?"
Ning Yuan felt a little embarrassed, her round face flushed, and she hummed in agreement.
Grandma Xia looked at the bruises on her throat that hadn't completely faded and felt a pang of heartache. She spoke to her in a rare gentle tone, "You child, you've had so many misfortunes. Nan has never been with a woman before and doesn't know how to get along with girls, but he's a smart and good boy."
"You just need to guide him well. That kid has good character and is trustworthy. You two should support each other and there's no hurdle in life that you can't overcome!"
Ning Yuan knew that Grandma Xia always scolded Rong Zhaonan, but in fact she loved and helped him from the bottom of her heart and treated him like her own grandson.
The old lady also loves me very much. When I argue with Rong Zhaonan, the two elders feel bad but don't say anything, just because they don't want to make things difficult for me.
She hugged the kind, nagging old woman in front of her, feeling warm and tender inside: "I know, Grandma, don't worry about us, Anan and I will take care of you until the end."
Who says she doesn't have family? They are all her family.
...
The next morning.
Ning Yuan got up, and Rong Zhaonan got up early, bringing over Nanxiang steamed buns, tofu pudding, and fried dough sticks.
Seeing the steaming hot xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), the old lady quickly picked some scallions from the balcony and cooked a big bowl of fragrant seaweed and dried shrimp wontons for him.
The brat loves the wontons she makes.
With a small dish of stir-fried pickled green beans from next door, the family of four enjoyed a comforting and plentiful breakfast in the main room.
"I never imagined I'd be living like this back in the village," Grandpa Tang remarked, pushing up his glasses as he ate a steamed bun.
Ning Yuan snatched a wonton from Rong Zhaonan's bowl without hesitation: "Life will definitely get better and better. After the New Year, once I restock the goods, the coffee shop's business will be even better!"
Grandma Xia complained irritably, "Those foreigners act like they've never had coffee before. They call their friends and family, and when they don't have classes, they just squat in our shop drinking coffee and chatting. I'm exhausted!"
Grandpa Tang said proudly, "That's because our Epoch Heart is a cultural salon with a lot of style, and many senior professors are willing to come!"
Ning Yuan's eyes lit up when she heard that!
In just over half a month, business at the Heart of the Era has been booming, bringing her closer and closer to her goal of creating a cultural landmark!
With her big, smiling eyes, she comforted Grandma Xia: "Once the business here is on track, we'll hire a few more classmates to work part-time. You don't need to worry about the sparkling water business anymore. Just help Grandpa Tang manage the Heart of the Era."
Grandma is getting old; she can't overwork herself.
Before she left, she had already discussed the sparkling water business with Chu Hongyu and Yan Yangyang, handing it over to them to execute, while she would participate in the planning.
Jin Bianjiang, a top student in the law department, also "voluntarily" helped with this deal, which can be considered a social practice activity.
After finishing breakfast, Ning Yuan and Rong Zhaonan went to the market to buy groceries.
I passed by Aunt Liu's house, who runs the public telephone service.
Aunt Liu was eating a bowl of white noodles when she suddenly saw Ning Yuan and called out, "Ning Yuan, come here! Someone left a message for you!"
Ning Yuan was taken aback, looking at the note that Aunt Liu had handed her—
Comrade Xiao Ning, the emerald green woolen skirt you requested is almost finished — by tailor Lao Fang.
Ning Yuan paused, then her eyes lit up.
This is Uncle Fang's message!
Rong Zhaonan looked at the note, then raised an eyebrow at her: "Are you going to Uncle Fang's place?"
Ning Yuan had already told him about Uncle Fang's identity.
Ning Yuan nodded, and seeing that no one was around, she whispered, "I want to go. Uncle Fang probably means that the matter of the jade chili pepper that I asked him to investigate has already yielded results!"
Uncle Fang is even more cunning than Uncle Liu, and he rarely leaves her messages on his own initiative.
Rong Zhaonan pondered: "You asked him to investigate the Jade Chili Pepper before because you wanted to know about your background. Now that you know you are a daughter of the Ning family, do you still want to go?"
Ning Yuan chuckled lightly: "It's different. Uncle Fang investigated from the source. He knew at a glance where the jade chili came from, who carved it, and how it ended up in the Ning family's hands."
She narrowed her eyes slightly: "These are things the Ning family won't tell me right now, but what I want to know is the secret hidden inside the jade chili pepper."
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to winning every battle.
Rong Zhaonan squeezed her hand and said calmly, "I'll go with you. I'm worried about leaving you alone."
Uncle Liu was no pushover; since Uncle Fang was one of Uncle Liu's superiors, he would have to meet him eventually.
If there really is a problem, he has to give him a talking-to.
Ning Yuan thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, you can get to know people too. Uncle Fang is a local bigwig in that area, you haven't met him yet."
She'll inevitably have to deal with Uncle Fang in the future, so it's good for him to get to know her.
The two of them then each took their bicycles and rode towards Uncle Fang's tailor shop.
After riding for about twenty or thirty minutes, Ning Yuan led Rong Zhaonan to park their bicycles in front of an old-style building in a lane.
Several families lived in the small building. On the first floor was a small tailor shop. With the Chinese New Year approaching, Spring Festival couplets were pasted on the door.
The wind chimes by the door were still swaying in the wind, ringing out as soon as the door was pushed open.
A thin, middle-aged tailor, in his late forties or early fifties, with a tape measure around his neck, was sweeping with a feather duster.
Hearing the wind chimes hanging at the door, he said without turning his head, "We're closed today for a big cleaning. We'll reopen on the tenth."
Ning Yuan's clear voice rang out: "Uncle Fang, is my emerald green woolen skirt finished?"
Uncle Fang turned his head and was somewhat surprised that Ning Yuan had arrived at this time. Then he saw the tall figure behind her.
A strange light flashed in his eyes: "It's Xiao Ning? It's been a while. And this is...?"
Before Ning Yuan could speak, Rong Zhaonan, with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, said calmly, "I'm an employee hired by Boss Ning."
Uncle Fang's eyes flashed slightly as he looked Rong Zhaonan up and down: "Xiao Ning has really struck it rich after going to Guangzhou. A guy with such a good appearance probably knows some martial arts too. I wonder what the price is?"
Old Liu said this girl had an unusual background, and sure enough, the bodyguard she was with was clearly no ordinary person.
Ning Yuan smiled at him, her eyes crinkling, and said, "Uncle Fang, my tools are very expensive; most people can't afford them."
Uncle Fang said meaningfully, "Looks like you only listen to you. As usual, come with me to the inner room for a cup of hand-ground coffee?"
After saying that, Uncle Fang turned and walked into the inner room. Ning Yuan glanced at Rong Zhaonan and gestured for him to follow her in.
Rong Zhaonan followed Uncle Fang and Ning Yuan through a room that looked like a living room, with an inner room at the very back.
He saw that the old counters inside were piled with all sorts of messy old goods, making it look like a general store or a storage room.
On the yellowish glass cabinet sat a glass jar filled with pretty imported candies.
Uncle Fang turned around and took a book from the counter for Ning Yuan to look at.
Ning Yuan looked down—it was an old edition of "Sheng Xuan's Family Letters" written in traditional Chinese characters.
Uncle Fang didn't play games with her and asked directly, "The chili pepper in your hand belongs to the Ning family. Do you know what the surname of the deceased matriarch of the Ning family was?"
Ning Yuan shook her head: "I don't know."
Uncle Fang said leisurely, "The old lady of the Ning family is surnamed Sheng. She is the illegitimate daughter of Sheng Xuan, the 'money bag' of the Qing Dynasty, the richest man in the late Qing Dynasty, and a confidant of Li Hongzhang."
Ning Yuan was taken aback. Sheng Xuan was a legendary figure who had a significant influence in modern economic history.
It can be said that he was the one who single-handedly promoted the industrialization of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. He was powerful, rich, and a business genius.
Unfortunately, almost all of his descendants were spendthrifts, squandering their enormous wealth in just over ten years after Sheng Xuan's death.
The fourth young master of the Sheng family lost what was rightfully his—Huanghe Road in Shanghai—in one night of gambling.
“Sheng Xuan had eight children in his lifetime, but it is said that the old lady of the Ning family was his most beloved illegitimate daughter. The ‘Sheng Xuan Family Letters’ subtly mentions that this youngest daughter, born in his old age, was most like him and had great talent, but unfortunately she was not born a boy,” Uncle Fang said.
Ning Yuan had a guess in her mind: "You don't mean to say that the Sheng family's money hasn't actually been squandered..."
Uncle Fang smiled and pushed up his glasses—
“Clever. After Sheng Xuan died, almost all of his children in the family tree died or went insane in a short period of time.”
"The speed of their decline was far too fast, and rumors began to circulate that the Sheng family's real assets had disappeared."
Ning Yuan, with a gossipy look on her face, rested her chin on her hand and said, "Could it be that the Sheng family's wealth was all transferred to the Ning family by that illegitimate daughter, Miss Sheng, and that's how they became rich?"
She never imagined that her grandfather was so powerful, having married the youngest daughter of the Sheng family, the legendary richest family in the late Qing Dynasty.
Could it be that the old man ate up the last of Grandma's family's heirs to enrich his own family?
But what does this have to do with jade chili peppers?
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