"What did you say? Fu Zhihe, the former clerk of the county government? This, this... this is what!" Li Minghe's eyes widened, expressing utter bewilderment.
Why? Fu Qiyuan closed his eyes.
Why else could it be? Fu Zhi knew that Jiang Shan was the woman he had found to cure his poison, but he didn't know that the seemingly foolish woman wasn't foolish at all; she was quite clever. He didn't allow Jiang Shan to get close to him because of the things his mistress had instructed him to do, and he didn't want a village girl to get involved with him, fearing it would implicate him.
The former county clerk surnamed Gu lost his job because of Jiang Shan, and he must be holding a grudge. He will definitely respond to Fu Zhiyi's call!
Fu Zhi probably never imagined that his master was very likely the child of the Jiao family who had been missing for three years, and was Jiang Shan's nominal future husband.
He had to keep Fu Zhi as far away from the Jiao family as possible. If Fu Zhi found out about his relationship with the Jiao family, the entire Jiao family would likely be in deep trouble.
But now, he has no choice but to speak out; he cannot reveal a single word even to his best friend.
"Nothing much. He thought that I helped the Jiang family out of a predicament because I had taken a liking to them."
Fu Qiyuan's few words conveyed everything.
Li Minghe knew all too well how high the standards were among the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital.
Indeed, a woman like Jiang, in the eyes of a prestigious family like theirs, would at best be a concubine, and would be utterly beneath their notice.
Lady Fu, the wife of the Minister, had finally found her legitimate son. How could she possibly let him marry a lowly village woman? She would definitely find him a noblewoman who was truly worthy of him.
Fu Zhi's actions were merely petty tricks and amounted to nothing.
"Alright, he's just a servant. Send him back. You're still injured, so there's no need to get angry."
Fu Qiyuan frowned deeply, as if he had made a great decision, and asked with difficulty, "Minghe, tell me honestly, was I really rescued by my mother by accident on the way back to the capital?"
"Huh?" Li Minghe was startled again. "What do you mean? Don't tell me you suspect you're not Lord Fu's son?"
Fu Qiyuan shook his head. "My father and I look five parts alike, so there's no doubt about our father-son relationship. What I mean is, is it possible that my mother was taken from someone else...?"
"Hahaha!" Li Minghe laughed loudly, "You think you're the son your mother snatched from someone else? Then you've really misunderstood your mother. She accompanied her mother back to her maternal grandparents' home for a visit, and on their way back to the capital, they encountered a flash flood. They also met you, who were swept down the mountain by the flood, and rescued you on the spot. Who knew that this would lead to your fate as mother and son! You don't need to doubt it, things just happened by chance!"
"Do you know how I got lost in the first place?" Fu Qiyuan asked again.
Li Minghe scratched his head with his fan. "I don't know about that. After all, I couldn't speak when you got lost, so I didn't run into you!"
After Li Minghe returned to his room, Fu Qiyuan went to the food festival alone.
He watched from afar as the woman, with her unskilled hands, prepared bowl after bowl of fragrant delicacies for her guests, her face always bearing a serene and elegant smile, neither humble nor timid, her integrity undiminished.
It felt as if an invisible hand was plunging into his heart and twisting it violently, causing him unbearable pain.
The woman who raised him to adulthood and helped him achieve academic success must have been incredibly knowledgeable and virtuous, someone who valued propriety so highly. Yet now, she's forced to work in the lowest of jobs to make a living, greeting everyone with a smile.
And that beautiful woman, after enduring all kinds of humiliation, still held her head high in the face of the most despicable accusations and curses in the world, just so that her family could live well!
Blurred vision, Fu Qiyuan fled back to the inn, but the belief in his heart grew stronger.
The seaside food festival in Guyang County came to a successful conclusion. Magistrate Cao verbally commended all the merchants who participated in the festival and awarded Jiang's Private Kitchen, which received the most votes, twenty taels of silver. Everyone was happy.
The Jiao family has been exhausted these past few days, but they've also made a lot of money.
After counting it carefully, it amounted to more than two hundred taels of silver.
Jiang Shan lavishly pushed the money box in front of Jiao's mother, "Mother, buy your son some fine writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and buy your grandson some good fabric to make some clothes. And don't forget mine!"
With a smile, Jiao's mother put the money box aside and said seriously, "Shan'er, ask your Uncle Qiao to buy some more land and rent it to those hardworking and honest families. If you have extra money, you might as well buy a house."
Oh wow! Has the old lady changed her mind?
"Mother has thought it over. This shop is still too small. The backyard should also be used as a shop. We don't care what kind of house we find, as long as it's big enough for us to live in."
Jiang Shan also felt that the shop was too small. She did not expect that Jiang's Private Kitchen would be so popular. It was packed with people every day, and her mother was woken up by noise several times a day and could not get any rest.
The matter of acquiring a house should be left to Yuan Wen to inquire about slowly; such matters cannot be rushed.
At noon that day, Jiang Shan was dozing off with his chin propped up on his hand when Xue Zhen brought Aunt Hong to visit him.
Jiang Shan was startled when he saw Aunt Hong. In just over half a month, Aunt Hong had lost a lot of weight and looked much more haggard.
"Auntie, what's wrong?" Jiang Shan stepped forward and helped Aunt Hong sit down, asking with concern.
"It's nothing. I haven't seen you for quite a while. How's everything at home? Hmm, you look pretty good. Has the child been fussy? Did you sleep well at night? Remember to get some exercise and don't be lazy!" Aunt Hong smiled and patted Jiang Shan's hand, tidying her disheveled hair.
Jiang Shan pursed his lips, "I'm asking you, don't interrupt!"
Aunt Hong smiled slightly, glanced around the room, and asked, "What could I possibly need? Where's your mother? I need to talk to her about something."
Jiang Shan had no choice but to take Aunt Hong to Jiao's mother's room in the backyard.
The two exchanged greetings and sat down on either side of each other. Jiang Shan served tea and also sat down.
Aunt Hong glanced at Jiang Shan and said, "Go out and watch the shop. This is none of your business."
Hmm, that's strange! What are these two old friends talking about that they have to keep from her?
Jiang Shan shifted his position, then lay down on the table with a roguish expression and remained motionless.
Jiao's mother smiled and said, "Shan'er, you go first, listen to your mother!"
Jiang Shan reluctantly stood up and went straight to find Xue Zhen.
Xue Zhen was cleaning the empty shelves when she saw Jiang Shan coming over, but she turned her head away as if she didn't see him.
"Sister Xue, tell me, what's wrong with your aunt? Why has she lost so much weight? What happened? Is she sick?"
Xue Zhen is Aunt Hong's niece. Because of her disability, she is not considered a relative and has been ridiculed by many. She could no longer stay in a place like Yuzhou City, so she came to a small place like Guxian Town to seek refuge with her aunt who had lost her husband at a young age.
Her aunt was kind-hearted and kept her by her side; she was her only support.
Remembering her aunt's instructions, Xue Zhen slowed down her movements, her words tinged with a hint of forced politeness: "No, there's a lot going on at the restaurant. Perhaps Auntie hasn't been sleeping well these past few days!"
"Sister Xue, you're not being honest! We signed an agreement, you can't do anything against your conscience behind my back!"
"I didn't! My aunt can't stay at the restaurant anymore, she's going back to Yuzhou City...!" Xue Zhen said, biting her lip, then turned and sat down in a chair to wipe away her tears.
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