After that verbal battle, Yuan Wen was highly valued by Jiang Shan, who even gave him a raise.
Of course, he also received a considerable amount of money as a reward, but he wouldn't tell anyone.
With a house, Jiang Shan simply let Qiao Shi live in the shop as well, and let Xue Zhen live with them in the new house in Tianshui Hutong.
The new house is a spacious two-courtyard house. Although the outer walls look a bit dilapidated, the interior can be quite nice if properly arranged.
Jiang Shan, even in modern times, has a fondness for these antique-style courtyards, complete with a front yard and a back yard, a main house and side rooms, and a small covered corridor.
In short, she was very satisfied with her new home and put a lot of effort into its arrangement and decoration.
On the day they moved into their new house, Jiang Shan didn't inform anyone. She planned to have a meal together with her family, the Qiao family father and son, and a few helpers.
While Sanlang was helping wash the vegetables, a pair of small hands suddenly appeared in the basin. Looking up, he saw none other than Cao Qing, who was smiling broadly with squinted eyes.
"Ah Xian, congratulations on your housewarming! I brought you a gift!"
This is terrible! Could it be that the county magistrate has come too?
Saburo quickly wiped his hands on his clothes, turned around and ran towards the door.
But then they saw the county magistrate's wife walking towards the corridor, accompanied by her maid.
Sanlang stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "This humble one greets the Magistrate's wife; I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"
The county magistrate's wife smiled and took Sanlang's hand, teasingly saying, "You won't be unwelcome to me, will you? Aqing wanted to come early this morning, but I stopped her. We finally made it to this hour, and we came on empty stomachs!"
Sanlang bowed again and said solemnly, "Welcome, Madam and Aqing, to my humble abode. My mother and sister are inside. Please come in, Madam!"
"Alright, alright, I'll go by myself. You and Aqing can continue washing the vegetables!" After saying that, she really ignored Sanlang and went to find her own way.
Cao Qing said excitedly, "Ah Xian, come on, I'll help you wash the vegetables."
The two children bent down and went to wash the vegetables together.
Before long, Yuan Wen arrived with Master Wu and his family.
Sanlang and Cao Qing bowed to Master Wu and his wife, turning the two who were washing vegetables into a group of four.
Cao Qing whispered to Sanlang, "Ah Xian, should we wash a little more vegetables? I'm afraid it won't be enough to eat."
There's not enough rice! Besides, the pot isn't big enough to cook enough for so many people.
Saburo was so worried that he had no choice but to ask his sister for help.
Jiang Shan and Jiao's mother were chatting with the county magistrate's wife and Madam Wu in the courtyard when they heard Sanlang's words and couldn't stop laughing.
"That's easy! Let's have hot pot! Sanlang, go to the storeroom and find Brother Asheng and Sister Xue. Ask them to prepare lots of ingredients. Just say we're having hot pot for lunch!"
Jiang Shan solved Sanlang's problem with a single sentence, and he happily went to ask them for hot pot ingredients.
Master Wu, accompanied by Qiao Shi, was drinking tea inside the house when he heard the conversation outside. He stroked his beard and chuckled, saying, "Very good, very good!"
Qiao Sheng and Xue Zhen, along with several children, were busy in the kitchen chopping, washing, and packing vegetables. Baskets of all sizes were filled with various slices of meat, skewers of meat, and marinated seafood, and several baskets were filled with fresh vegetables.
Looking at the scene before him, Cao Qing asked with a mixture of surprise and excitement, "Ah Xian, can we finish all this food?"
Saburo said calmly, "Pretty much, we can just eat more vegetables!"
"But my father hasn't come yet!"
Saburo paused for a moment, then said, "Your father... is all alone, so he should have enough to eat."
"And Uncle Li and Uncle Fu, should we wash some more vegetables?"
Sanlang put down the vegetables in his hand and looked quietly at Cao Qing with his big, dark eyes. "Qing, do you think we have that many stools at home? Should you ask someone to go back and tell your father that he doesn't need them...?"
"Sanlang, the magistrate has arrived! Go and greet him!" Wang Siniang came running in from outside.
"My dad's here!" Cao Qing cheered and ran out, and Sanlang had no choice but to follow.
In fact, Magistrate Cao didn't want to come at all. It was fine for his wife and son to come and join in the fun and express their feelings, but there was really no need for him, a dignified magistrate, to condescend to do so.
However, these two benefactors seem to have turned him into a follower.
Upon seeing Fu Qiyuan again, Jiao Sanlang still couldn't control his emotions; his small body tensed up instantly, and his eyes reddened in a flash.
However, he still remembered what his mother and sister had said: this brother was not his elder brother, but the son of a high-ranking official, someone they could not afford to offend.
Li Minghe stepped forward with a smile, bent down and looked at Sanlang, handing him a gold ingot. "Congratulations, Sanlang, this is my congratulatory gift to you."
Saburo slowly extended his two small hands to take it, and murmured, "Thank you, big brother."
Fu Qiyuan also came over, slowly squatted down, looked directly into Sanlang's reddened eyes, took out a beautifully wrapped book from his pocket, gently placed it in his hand, and stroked his head, saying, "Sanlang, this is... a gift from your brother Fu... hoping that you will make a name for yourself in the future and achieve your wishes."
Sanlang's nose tingled, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
Magistrate Cao stepped forward to smooth things over: "You can't cry on such a joyous occasion. We came uninvited, so perhaps Sanlang is reluctant to treat us to your family's private cuisine?"
Sanlang burst into laughter through his tears, bowed slightly, and said humbly, "Please come in, sir. Please also come in and sit down, brothers. The teacher and his wife are here too. My mother and sister are having tea and chatting with them!"
Li Minghe really liked Jiao Sanlang's mature demeanor, so he took his hand and walked inside with a big laugh.
When Jiang Shan saw Fu Qiyuan, his first reaction was to turn around and look at Jiao's mother. However, Jiao's mother's reaction was surprisingly calm. She politely bowed, gave Sanlang a few instructions, and led the women and children into the backyard, leaving a group of men standing in the courtyard looking at each other.
Qiao Shi and his son couldn't handle the situation, so they made an excuse and left, leaving Sanlang and Yuan Wen to receive a group of distinguished guests.
Saburo calmly crossed his hands in a gesture of respect and said matter-of-factly, "I never expected that distinguished guests would come. I haven't had time to purchase chairs, tables and benches yet. Please bear with me."
Yuan Wen seemed to have anticipated this, and quickly ran back to the inner courtyard to fetch several soft cushions, which he then placed on an open space at the end of the corridor.
The meaning is clear: either sit on the ground, or do as you please!
"Hahaha, interesting, this kid is so interesting!" Li Minghe laughed so hard he bent over.
Fu Qiyuan smiled and said a few words to Magistrate Cao. At Magistrate Cao's command, the attendants guarding outside dispersed.
Before long, several servants carried furniture into the courtyard, including tables, chairs, screens, tea sets, wardrobes, and bookshelves. Except for the bed, almost everything that could be moved was brought over.
Saburo felt a little flustered. What if he thought he had done something wrong?
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