Chapter 123
Of course, Gu Ran would not consider staying in the capital.
First of all, although this Gu Ran is not the original Gu Ran, she is still carrying the shell of the original owner.
In the past, when the original owner was raised as the legitimate daughter of the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, she represented the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion in the social circle of noble ladies in the capital. However, many people were familiar with the original owner's style. Now, she has returned to the capital in glory, and with the title of General Qiao's granddaughter, many people have sent invitations to her to reminisce about the past.
Why did she disappear?
Besides wanting to be quiet, isn't it just because you're afraid that someone among them might notice something different, arouse suspicion, and cause trouble?
She no longer has any contact with the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion and has rejected the olive branch extended by the Ningyuan Marquis, thus offending him. If she stays in the capital, isn't she afraid that the Gu family will make trouble for her?
People don't dare to touch her now only because of General Qiao. However, General Qiao is leaving Beijing to return to Damao City. If General Qiao leaves and she stays, who knows if they dare to touch her?
In order to prevent such troubles, it is naturally better to be as far away from the capital as possible.
Secondly, she had worked so hard in Jianzhou to save up so much property, so of course she had to go back to take care of it. With those properties, she could live a vacation-like life for the rest of her life, so why would she want to stay in the capital?
If she stayed in the capital, how would she survive? Just the money she had received as a reward? The thank-you gifts from General Qiao?
Living in the capital is not easy.
First of all, she would have to spend a lot of money to buy a house. If she wanted to live in a nicer house in the capital, she might not have enough money, so she would have to find other money.
Then she had to find another way to make a living, and she was alone - oh, no, there were also those gentlemen introduced to her by General Qiao, but she had to start from scratch in the capital city where every branch was filled with relatives of the powerful people in the court and they were all suspicious of her. She was unfamiliar with the place and didn't want to get involved with them again.
There is a ready-made business where she can just sit back and collect profits and reap the fruits of her labor. How could she be so desperate as to want to stay in the capital?
She can't adapt to the climate either!
She likes to go back, live in the orange grove, and stroke an orange tree with one hand.
Gu Ran, who had no lofty ambitions and just wanted to live a stable life, naturally passed the option of living in the capital. On the sixth day of April, he, Pei Liu, Xu San, and General Qiao boarded a boat and set sail for Damao City.
Gu Sanniang, who was seeing off her second sister at the port, had to express regret and loneliness.
"Mom, mom!" Youyou, who came with her mother, grabbed Gu Sanniang's hand and shook it.
"What's wrong, Youyou?"
Youyou looked up at her mother, and with a smile, she took out two red envelopes. Just as she was about to hold them out to her, she gestured again, and after confirming, she handed one of them to her: "Second Aunt gave it to me when she left. She said, this one is for me, and this one is for mother!"
Gu Sanniang was stunned.
"Mother?"
Gu Sanniang reached out and took the red envelope from Youyou's hand. She opened it and caught a glimpse of two hundred-liang silver notes inside. Her eyes immediately welled up. She looked up at the official ship sailing away on the sea and murmured, "Second sister!"
"Second Aunt is so nice! Mother, Second Aunt, and Aunt Pei all told me that when I grow up, if I can go to their place to play, I'll have endless oranges to eat!" Youyou grabbed another red envelope with her little hands and quickly put it in her arms, "Mother, mother, let's go see Second Aunt together then!"
"Okay, Dad and Mom will definitely take you there in the future." Gu Sanniang lowered her head and said to her daughter with a smile, her eyes shining.
At sea, it is the busiest time of shipping in early summer, with large and small ships, passenger ships and cargo ships coming and going in an endless stream.
Gu Ran and Pei Liu stood on the deck, holding onto the side of the boat, feeling the early summer sea breeze gradually warmed by the sun. Their mood was as clean and sunny as the clear blue sky.
Just behind them, General Qiao was sitting on a stool, squinting his eyes and looking at the rippling sea with a calm expression. Naturally, he still had the little golden flower he brought from Xiaxi Village in his arms.
Xiao Jinhua, who has been taken care of by General Qiao for a long time, is now very close to General Qiao. She is a familiar customer who is taking the boat for the second time and is not nervous at all.
Xiao Jinhua was a cat slave brought into the palace. Compared with other cats, she not only had a trip to the capital to broaden her horizons, but was also completely gilded. Look at her expression, she is more arrogant than any other cat.
It is great to have a backer.
As for Xiao Douhua, Pei Liu locked him in the cabin for fear that he would fall into the water if he wasn't paying attention. However, he still acted like a curious baby, jumping up and down to explore the new world.
Xu Sanlang, who had boarded the official ship with them, came out at this time carrying a pot of hot tea and sat down next to General Qiao with a smile. The two servants he brought with him immediately brought a small table in front of the two of them, fixed it with ropes, wooden dowels and iron sheets, and placed tea cups and cakes on it.
She then took the hot tea from Xu Sanlang's hand and filled the cups for her husband and General Qiao respectively.
General Qiao was not polite either.
He had heard of this person as early as when Gu Er Niang told him that the young master of Fusheng Trading Company intended to accompany him when he left the capital.
Gu Er Niang has done a lot of business with Fu Sheng over the years, including the current orange grove. Not only was it Fu Sheng who was commissioned to buy the orange trees, but she was also one of the most important customers of Gu's Xiaoju.
Since he was an important person who took care of his granddaughter, General Qiao would not neglect him. He took the tea offered by the Xu family without refusing. He took it and chatted with Xu Sanlang while drinking. Seeing Xiao Jinhua watching him eat with her round cat eyes, she couldn't help but feed him a few mouthfuls.
"General Qiao's raccoon cat looks really cute. Where did you buy it?" Xu Sanlang couldn't help asking.
General Qiao stroked Little Jinhua, who was busy eating, and smiled, "You don't know, right? This Little Jinhua was kidnapped from my second mother's family."
"oh?"
Xu Sanlang thought about it and realized that there were quite a few cats raised in Gu Erniang's little house. It turned out that General Qiao also liked these little toys!
"Indeed, a few years ago, I was doing business with Er Niang and went to Xiaxi Village. When I stayed at his cottage, I saw a few raccoons. It seems that they have been keeping them ever since. I guess..." Xu Sanlang said, his eyes drifting to the two women who were looking at the scenery at the side of the boat. "I guess there are quite a few raccoons in the cottage, right?"
"A lot." General Qiao nodded.
"Then when I return to Xiaxi Village someday, I'll ask for one when I visit you," Xu Sanlang said. "Cats bring wealth, they're a good omen."
Xu Sanlang glanced back at General Qiao, smiled, and then looked at the two people on the side of the ship.
In recent years, I have been in frequent contact with Gu Er Niang for the sake of my livelihood. I am not surprised to see that Gu Er Niang is now graceful and elegant. However, I am surprised to see that Pei Liu Niang is different from three years ago.
Although she still has an outstanding appearance, her stature is incomparable to that of ordinary people.
His Xu family often lived in Zhengzhou, but he had never heard that the Pei family had such a tall and beautiful young lady.
Moreover, Pei Liuniang is always by Gu Erniang's side, and she prefers to dress like a man. When the two of them stand together, if others don't know the truth, they look like a perfect couple.
Just as Xu Sanlang was thinking this, he saw Gu Erniang saying something, and Pei Liuniang lowered her head and stared at Gu Erniang with a smile.
When Xu Sanlang saw the tender look in Pei Liuniang's eyes when she looked at Erniang, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
What's wrong with Pei Liuniang?
Maybe I saw it wrong.
Xu Sanlang withdrew his gaze, took a sip of tea, and saw General Qiao playing with the cat slave as if no one was around. He couldn't help but look back at the two people on the side of the boat.
Gu Er Niang, I never thought that she would become General Qiao's adopted granddaughter. I also heard that General Qiao actually introduced Gu Er Niang to several important officials in the court.
The rumor was indeed true. Each of the adopted relatives that Gu Er Niang had found was better than the other.
In the past, the Ningyuan Marquisate was in the emperor's favor. She was the favored adopted daughter of the Ningyuan Marquisate and enjoyed wealth and glory for more than ten years. She was also married to the Qin Xiangfu.
Although Prime Minister Qin was later convicted and exiled, he rescued General Qiao a few years later.
He returned to Beijing in glory at this time, and the new emperor came to the throne. General Qiao had been wronged for many years, but now he was also a favorite in the eyes of the new emperor.
Gu Erniang, you have found a great backer for yourself!
Not to mention, the third daughter of the Gu family, with whom she had a blind date, was the daughter-in-law of the Cheng family. Cheng Jiulang was a Jinshi who had passed the imperial examination and was also a civil servant with an official position in Jingzhao Prefecture. In a few years, his future would be immeasurable.
At first, he had never thought that Gu Erniang, who was far away in Minzhou, would have such good fortune in the future. If she knew...
Xu Sanlang filled his own cup of tea and glanced at Gu Erniang again.
But now, perhaps, it's not too late?
Xu Sanlang thought it would not be too late. Naturally, it would not be too late to consider marrying Gu Er Niang at this time.
Their Fusheng Trading Company has now become very famous thanks to the goods that he has opened up to be shipped from Minzhou to the north and the capital. Among them, the most popular southern goods include the konjac and tangerines made by Gu Er Niang, as well as the Gu family's tangerine jam and canned tangerines that are out of season in May and June.
When the manager advised him to include Gu Er Niang as a marriage candidate, he was thinking that if Fusheng Trading Company wanted to consolidate its momentum in the capital and take the lead among all the imperial merchants, he, as the young master, naturally wanted to find a wife who could help him in the capital.
Just like his elder and second elder brothers, their marriage partners were all wives of officials who were carefully selected by his father in the capital and who would be of benefit to the business in all aspects.
Although its status is not as prominent as that of the wealthy and powerful marquisates in the capital, it can indeed support Fusheng Trading Company to stand firm in the capital. Otherwise, Fusheng has found so many rare southern goods and made a fortune over the years, and has repeatedly attracted troublemakers, but he can always turn big things into small things and small things into nothing.
If Gu Er Niang was still an ordinary housewife who was isolated and helpless in Xiaxi Village and relied on her own abilities to fight, his thoughts would not have changed, but Gu Er Niang's current identity has changed.
First of all, her identity as General Qiao's adopted granddaughter gave her connections with several important figures in the capital, and even with other aristocratic families in Damao City, which she was about to arrive in, who had been on good terms with the Qiao family for a hundred years.
Secondly, even if we don't consider the attitude of the Ningyuan Marquisate towards her, we must also consider that with her identity as General Qiao's only adopted granddaughter, when she was raised as the legitimate daughter of the Ningyuan Marquisate, she knew the noble ladies and wives of the powerful marquisates. As long as she is willing, she will probably be able to reintegrate into this upper-class social circle.
Finally, let’s not talk about the Cheng family. Cheng Jiulang of the Cheng family is Gu Erniang’s brother-in-law. Both the Cheng family and Cheng Jiulang hold real power.
Even if Gu Er Niang was unwilling to stay in Beijing to seek any benefits, with the title of General Qiao's grandson-in-law and the connections behind it, she could reduce the difficulty of entering the powerful circles in Beijing with just the title, without Gu Er Niang having to show up.
In this way, Gu Er Niang became his best marriage partner.
Now is the time when officials, common people, and even the emperor all over the world value General Qiao the most. The timing is good, and it is also the easiest time to accomplish things by using the name of the Qiao family.
Therefore, it is best to take advantage of this period of time to accomplish this good thing.
Xu Sanlang sipped his tea silently and happily, glancing towards the other side of the boat from time to time.
Soon, Pei Liu, who had been accompanying Gu Ran on the other side of the ship, noticed the gazes coming over from time to time. He turned around inadvertently and saw General Qiao and Xu Sanlang on the deck.
So, the one who looked over frequently was Xu Sanlang.
When he confirmed that it was really him, Pei Liu couldn't help but frown.
This guy seems to have suddenly become a little clingy towards Er Niang?
Why?
Pei Liu has always been hostile to Xu Sanlang.
Before she arrived in Xiaxi Village, Er Niang had already been in contact with Xu Sanlang.
It wasn't just jealousy that he hadn't gotten to know Er Niang earlier than him, but also a deep-seated defensiveness.
At first, he didn't understand where this defensiveness came from. When he gradually realized his own feelings, Pei Liu understood that this was a man's natural hostility towards potential opponents who could pose a threat.
It was just like the hostility that the second wife of the Yang family had towards him back then.
Therefore, every time he saw Er Niang and Xu San chatting and laughing, he felt a little unhappy in his heart.
But he held himself back.
After all, Xu San was the young master of Fusheng Trading Company, and many of Er Niang's businesses were done with Xu San.
He also didn't realize that Xu San had any other thoughts about Er Niang, so he felt a little relieved.
But after returning to Beijing, why did his attitude suddenly change?
After observing secretly several times, Pei Liu confirmed that it was true that the young master of Fusheng Trading Company suddenly had his eyes on Er Niang.
It's not that they were more interested in each other when they were in Xiaxi Village, but why did they pay so much attention to Er Niang after they came to the capital?
After all, he was once the number one thief in the world, and he quickly realized the direct reason why Xu Sanlang looked at Er Niang differently. Pei Liu couldn't help but snorted coldly.
But it turns out that he is also a speculator!
But as long as he is there, he will never let Er Niang be deceived by this guy.
So from the first day the official ship sailed, Pei Liu was on high alert against Xu Sanlang, who was deliberately looking for an opportunity to get close to Gu Ran. No matter where Gu Erniang went or what she did, Pei Liu would accompany her and would never give Xu Sanlang the opportunity to show his affection.
Xu San really wanted to build a relationship with Gu Er Niang and take their relationship to the next level, but every time he wanted to find Gu Ran and say a few more words, Pei Liu Niang, who was inseparable from Gu Er Niang, would blatantly give him a cold look, interrupt the conversation, change the topic, and even become the topic of conversation, so that in the end, the topic was always about Gu Er Niang and Pei Liu Niang being sisters, leaving him unable to get a word in and being at his wit's end.
Gu Ran naturally also noticed the subtle tension between Pei Liu and Xu San.
At first, she didn't know the reason. When she realized that Xu San's attitude towards her seemed different from usual, and Liu Niang was aggressive towards Xu San because of this, she misunderstood at first. She didn't expect that Xu San was targeting her.
Gu Ran knew why Xu San did not immediately return to Minzhou with Fu Sheng's cargo ship, but wanted to wait for them to set sail for Damao City together.
Xu San probably wanted to use General Qiao's influence in Damao City to make the opening of Fusheng Trading Company in Damao City smoother. To put it bluntly, he wanted to rely on General Qiao's power and the banner of the Qiao family to find a backer for himself in Damao City.
She had also inquired about it. Damao City was the second largest city after the capital. It was originally the imperial capital when the Great Sheng Dynasty was first established. The powerful families in the capital might not have influence in Damao City, and the connections and resources in the capital might not be available in Damao City.
The aristocratic families in Damao City are two different factions from those in the capital. Therefore, it is not easy for a business that can establish a foothold in Damao City to gain a foothold in Damao City.
Fusheng Trading Company can open stores in Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Jianzhou, but it may not be able to open stores in Damao City.
That's why Xu Sancai set his sights on her and General Qiao.
In fact, Gu Ran was not very disgusted with Xu San's behavior. When doing business, one should be good at seizing every opportunity.
Just like she was in Xiaxi Village, taking advantage of the severe damage to the Liu and Zhu families' orange orchards and quickly and quietly developing her own orange grove, Xu San wanted to expand the business scope of Fusheng Trading Company and planned to open the company in Damao City, but suffered from the fact that he had no foundation in Damao City. He happened to meet General Qiao who could bring him to Damao City, so he immediately seized the opportunity. It was the same principle.
It was only natural that Xu San would be attentive to me.
But why did Pei Liuniang become unhappy when she saw Xu San being a little enthusiastic towards her?
Could it be?
That day, Gu Ran accepted the cakes that Xu San had sent over by his servants, divided them into plates, and brewed some tea. While handing one portion to Pei Liu, he glanced at the sullen Pei Liuniang and asked tentatively, "Liu Niang, are you interested in Xu San?"
Otherwise, wouldn't he have frowned just because Xu San held him up a little?
If Liu Niang admired Xu San, she would have said it out loud. However, she and Xu San probably had no such intention. Otherwise, after years of working together, no matter how dull and disabled their brains were, sparks would have flown between them.
When Pei Liu heard this, his face became even darker. He glanced at the snacks that were delivered to him and pushed them away in annoyance.
Gu Ran shrugged his shoulders, not taking it seriously, picked up the cake that was his share and took a bite.
Mm, delicious.
It is said that Xu Sanlang brought four guards and two servants on board. One of the servants was his family's cook. She spent most of her time in the kitchen these days, taking care of three meals a day. Even General Qiao praised his cooking skills, and she also enjoyed the treat.
Over there, Pei Liu and the others calmed down and thought calmly about their respective situations and their own current identities. They finally understood and covered their chins in irritation and embarrassment before asking sinisterly, "Who's interested in him?"
"and you……"
Why do you always look at him with a bad face these days?
"Don't you see?"
"What do you see?"
"That sycophant wants to take advantage of you."
"I know." Gu Ran didn't take it seriously. Didn't he just want to use her and General Qiao's identities to facilitate the opening of Jianfu Sheng Trading Company in Damao City?
"You know?" Pei Liu's pupils trembled.
"Well, it's about business. As the young master, he's had a pleasant cooperation with me over the years. He wants to open Fusheng Trading Company in Damao City and take advantage of the Qiao family's connections. And I just happen to be Grandpa Qiao's adopted granddaughter. He wants to use me to get close to the wealthy families in Damao City who are on good terms with the Qiao family!"
I heard that Grandpa Qiao's ancestor was one of the ten founding generals of the Dasheng Dynasty. He was well-known throughout the Dasheng Dynasty and was a powerful official stationed in Damao City. He was previously framed by Du Jiang and died. Now that Grandpa Qiao has returned to Damao City, he is bound to revive the Qiao family's prestige and status.
Pei Liu snorted coldly: She doesn't know, so just make it clear to her.
"I mean, he wants your attention."
Gu Ran was startled and looked up at Pei Liu: "Are you sure?"
"Why don't you ask yourself?"
Impossible?
Gu Ran carefully recalled Xu San's actions after he got on the boat, and then looked at the exquisite pastry in his hand: Oh, it seems, seems, a little, like?
"But..." Gu Ran looked at Pei Liu's slightly nervous face and smiled: "Then why is Liu Niang unhappy that he has his eyes on me?"
"He..." Pei Liu paused and said with difficulty: "He is not a good match."
It is clear that he had been in contact with Er Niang before, but he had never expressed such feelings. But now that Er Niang has returned to Beijing to receive the reward and has transformed herself into the granddaughter of General Qiao, he has begun to look at Er Niang with new eyes just because Fusheng Trading Company is going to open in Damao City. Isn't this a snob who changes his attitude according to the situation?
Er Niang is so good, he doesn't deserve her.
Pei Liu looked at Gu Ran, who smiled silently and continued to eat the cakes that Xu San had brought. He felt a little embarrassed and a little uneasy: "Could it be that, Second Mother, you like him?"
Gu Ran swallowed the last bite, took a sip of tea, and then looked at Pei Liu with a smile: "If I really like him, will Liu Niang treat him better?"
Pei Liuru was struck by lightning, his face turned pale, and he stretched out his hand and grabbed Gu Ran's arm: "You, how is it possible?"
Gu Ran looked at the hand that was holding his arm in surprise. He raised his head and saw that Pei Liu's face had changed and he was surprised for a moment.
Why does Liu Niang react so strongly when I like someone else?
Didn’t she say that she doesn’t like Xu San?
"Sixth Lady?"
"I don't like Xu San, and you are not allowed to like him either." Pei Liu said a little angrily.
He didn't expect that Er Niang would admit that she liked that kind of guy.
Seeing Pei Liu's panicked expression, Gu Ran laughed again: "I was joking. If he really liked us, he would have liked us years ago. However, although he wanted to use us, he did it openly and without any tricks. He was quite honest. Besides, the business we have done with Fu Sheng over the years is fair. He is also a major customer of our Gu family's Xiaoju. Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth!"
"Then explain it clearly to him!" Pei Liu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and slowly loosened his grip on Gu Ran's arm. "I can't stand seeing him fawning over others with hidden agendas."
"Listen to Liu Niang, listen to Liu Niang."
Indeed, if Xu San really had this intention, it would be better for him to say it out loud first, so as to avoid making both of them feel uncomfortable and to avoid disrupting the deep affection between her and Liu Niang.
So when they went to the deck to get some fresh air that day, Gu Ran asked Pei Liu to stay and went to see the scenery alone, and also left some time to ask Xu San for clarification.
Xu Sanlang was secretly delighted to see that Gu Erniang was leaning on the side of the boat to enjoy the scenery, a rare sight today. He thought it was a godsend opportunity and approached her leisurely without changing his expression.
"Gu Erniang!"
"Xu Sanlang!" Gu Ran looked at him with a smile, and then looked at Xu San again.
Well, actually, Xu San is a handsome man with a nice demeanor and decent character. If Liu Niang didn't dislike him, she wouldn't actually dislike him.
It's not necessary to get married, just talking is fine!
Xu Sanlang also glanced at Gu Ran with a smile, and was just considering what to say to her when he suddenly heard her say, "Xu San, you've been doing so many things these days, are you trying to please me?"
Xu Sanlang was stunned.
Did she realize her painstaking efforts?
But, how can I say that?
How can he answer this?
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