Chapter 49 Chapter 49 My thoughts are turning around
Pei Yanqing had been interrogating people for months, and only had a chance to rest after all the cases were transferred to the Dali Temple. He had been sleepless for months and was so exhausted that he was about to collapse. When he saw Baozhu looking out the door from afar, his tiredness dissipated a little.
When the person looking around turned around, he finally realized what was happening and spoke out loudly,
"Are you here to see me?"
As soon as I asked, I saw that she was shocked.
As early as after the fall of the Sun family, Baozhu told her family that it was Lord Pei who helped them. The Zhen family knew that this matter was extremely risky. Even if the Sun family's property was paid into the national treasury, if the government knew that there was someone behind the scenes, they would inevitably be angry and use him as a tool.
For example, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, although he had made merit in reporting the Sun family, the emperor would not promote him, so his plan failed and the emperor appointed another person to the Ministry of Personnel.
"Master, you've been busy, and I haven't been able to see you for a long time. I finally met you today." Baozhu asked them to wait while she went back to get a box. The box was about the size of two palms and was filled with gold pages.
This is most of the wealth accumulated by the Zhen family.
"I should have brought gifts a long time ago, but I haven't seen you, sir." I didn't dare let my family know before, because she felt that people might not appreciate her small fortune. Now that the matter is done, I have finally gathered together the silver and exchanged it for gold leaves to give as a gift.
It's a significant gesture, but compared to what Lord Pei helped with, it still seems insignificant.
Pei Yanqing saw the person in front of him with sparkling eyes, holding the box in his hands and chattering non-stop. The three-point depression between his brows disappeared, and even his smile was much brighter than before.
He didn't take the box. "Your mother has helped me a lot. This matter was originally your idea. I just said a few words. Now that the Sun family matter is over, the emperor has valued me even more. If anyone really wants to thank me, I should be the one to do it."
Seeing Baozhu wanted to say more, he just said, "If you accept this box, it will seem that you are disloyal to the government."
Grandma Pei's voice was heard in the yard. The old woman who took care of her lit the lamp and asked at the door if the master had returned.
The night just happened to hide the blushing faces of the two people as they were tugging at each other. Baozhu hurriedly put the box away, thinking that she should ask her mother to come back and give it to them.
"Since you are unwilling to accept it, please come to my restaurant often to eat in the future. If you come without paying, I will definitely treat you well."
Baozhu didn't stop until he nodded. Perhaps it was because she had been looking for him all these days that she was paying more attention to him. She quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, thinking it was just a random thought.
Pei Yanqing sent the person to the corner. Baozhu turned her head from time to time to glance at the person who was so close to her, and felt even more weird.
Baozhu tossed and turned again at night, thinking about Master Pei. When she'd asked him for help, why hadn't he asked about any past grudges between the Zhen and Sun families? He'd been so forthright in agreeing to the task. She'd tossed and turned like a pancake in a hot iron pan all night, and the next day, when she went to the shop, she had two dark circles under her eyes.
Now that she had nothing to worry about, Baozhu just focused on running the restaurant business. Since the colored paper meal coupons she had distributed earlier were still valid, those diners who had not used them before hurried to come and eat while they could still be used.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and there are a lot of people on the streets. Most of them are going to the tile house to watch operas and listen to storytelling. Baozhu is busy with business in the store and has not been there to join in the fun for a long time.
A long table was set up in front of the restaurant today, and realgar wine and rice dumplings were being distributed to the diners. The rice dumplings were peeled and cut into small pieces and pierced with bamboo sticks. Next to her was the restaurant's new employee, who was originally the rice wine cook, called Sister Liu. She offended a customer and was kicked out by the restaurant. Baozhu hired her to work because she was quick and skillful.
The store does not sell rice dumplings, but only distributes them to diners to attract business. One rice dumpling is divided into five or six pieces, and diners waiting at the door can have a bite if they want to try it.
The restaurant was full of diners. When a customer came in, Jiang Shi would give some instructions. When a customer stood up, he would go outside and call out their number. With his smooth talk, the diners were all seated in an orderly manner.
If a table isn't full, they'll let you know and share, and few people won't refuse. Those willing to share will receive a complimentary side dish, perhaps a salted egg. The Zhen family's salted eggs are excellent, and Baozhu also pickles eggs in sesame paste. These two are incredibly popular, but the Zhen family doesn't sell them; they only give them away in their shop.
If you wait for a long time, some will give you free food, and if you are willing to share a table, they will also give you free food. For a while, no one in the store got into trouble because of these small profits.
The vendors, storytellers, and opera troupes in the tile house often ordered meals, and people from the several schools to the north also often ordered meals. Liu Si'er also hired someone to help with the work and run errands at his stall at the dock. Baozhu asked him to keep an eye out for two honest and hardworking people, as many restaurants delivered food, and it was not cost-effective to run errands.
Baozhu had wanted to start a delivery business earlier, but it was not easy for her to do it alone now, and her elder brother was too busy to take care of her. She also needed the capital to negotiate with the restaurant.
As she leaned against the counter, lost in thought, she saw Lord Pei enter. Jiang Shi recognized him, and his call snapped Baozhu out of her trance. Seeing the tables and chairs in the restaurant were all full, she felt a momentary embarrassment. Not only were there no seats in the restaurant, but the diners waiting for a table at the door had also taken up all the seats. Yesterday, she had said that future guests would be treated well, yet now there wasn't even a seat for them.
Seeing that Lord Pei had no intention of leaving, Baozhu had no choice but to move the stool behind the counter out and ask him to sit down first, and then asked him what he wanted to eat.
"Fried noodles and fried rice are the best sellers in our store right now, and big brother's cooking skills are pretty good too. But mother said she's going to invite you home for dinner tomorrow, so please save some for something better tomorrow."
Baozhu saw that he had leisurely sat down on the low stool. He was tall, and when Baozhu looked at him from her standing position, she only felt that his nose bridge was very high. The way he sat hunched on the stool made her laugh.
He took a cup and poured him a glass of the shop's most popular kumquat honey water. Pei Yanqing took it and drank it in three or two gulps. He sat down seriously and thought for a while, "There's a lot of things to do in the shop. You should go ahead and do your work. I won't bother you today."
After going around in a circle, the person left again.
The next day, Auntie invited Grandma Pei and Master Pei to the restaurant, ordered some delicious dishes, and asked Dalang to make some of his specialties. The two families had a meal together. Grandma Pei didn't know the reason, but she just had a good chat with Grandma Zhen.
Lord Pei finally confiscated the box, and when Madam Xu saw that he refused to accept it, she also refused to collect rent from him.
From then on, Lord Pei often came to the restaurant. If there was a seat, he would order some food. If there was no seat, he would walk around and ask Baozhu to pour him a drink. After drinking it, he would walk around and leave. At first, Baozhu felt a little strange, but later she didn't feel anything. She just felt that she saw him more and more often.
It was already autumn when Zhen's father returned from Suzhou. The restaurant in Suzhou was smashed to pieces, and the courtyard was in chaos. Even the door was demolished and the planted osmanthus trees were uprooted. It was really a mess. After the Sun family fell, the neighbors helped repair the doors and windows to prevent hooligans and beggars from entering and occupying the house.
This time he went back and did some simple cleaning and repairs. When the neighbors heard that he was back, they all came to ask them where they had been and whether the restaurant was still open.
The Zhen family has established themselves in Bian Jing, and it is difficult for them to come back. The family sighed. Now that they are relatively stable in Bian Jing and have no shortage of money, they are naturally reluctant to sell the store in Gusu.
"I'll go back once a year. When I have some free time next year, I'll go back and renovate the store. Renting it out can also generate income."
There wasn't much rain this summer, and after the busiest period, my second brother got a holiday. When Erlang came home on vacation, the whole family was there. Dalang solemnly called his grandmother, father, and mother together, and kowtowed to the three of them together with Ah Xiu.
"I want to marry Ah Xiu."
This was a happy occasion. After the two of them kowtowed, they looked at each other and blushed.
Ah Xiu had no relatives living in Bian Jing, so Madam Xu said that everything should be done according to the rules of Bian Jing. Er Lang was already an official, and Madam Xu also had some respectability outside, so she specially invited two official matchmakers.
Grandma Zhen checked the couple's engagement cards and declared them a perfect match, a happy marriage. Dalang and Ah Xiu were both already quite old, and after the formalities, they chose an auspicious date for their wedding. The date was set for August 15th, which coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival. As soon as the date was set, Madam Xu began distributing wedding invitations.
When my aunt came to help with the Zhen family's wedding, she discussed with Madam Xu that it would be better to re-discuss the original marriage.
Madam Xu only said that she wanted to discuss it with Baozhu. Baozhu originally wanted to marry into any family, as long as the man had good character, but now she felt that something was missing, but she didn't know how to say it.
"Let's focus on the marriage of the eldest and second brothers first..." After some coquettish and silly words, A'niang let the matter go for the time being.
Ah Xiu was getting married at the inn. Since no relatives were by her side, Bao Rong, Zhen's daughter, and Grandma Zhen were there to accompany her. The auspicious time had arrived and the gongs and drums were blaring outside. Meanwhile, Bao Rong kept busy, looking down from the window and scribbling a few strokes on the paper.
The eldest brother came in with a beaming face to welcome the bride into the sedan chair. Baozhu Zhurong gave the sedan bearers some wedding money before they were willing to leave. They walked around the street before returning to the Zhen family.
As soon as the sedan arrived, firecrackers blasted and people gathered at the door to watch the fun. Today was a happy day, and Madam Xu and Zhen's father were at the door to welcome the guests and distribute beans and grains as gifts.
The yard was filled with tables and chairs borrowed from various households, barely enough for people to sit through. Even the vegetables in the fields had been picked to make room for the tables and chairs.
After the bride and groom entered the house and paid their respects to their parents, they were led to the bridal chamber. The room was decorated with red silk and colorful satin for the occasion. The attendant sang the lyrics as they completed the procedures of holding the scarf, tying the bun, and drinking the cup. Then the eldest brother was surrounded by people and went out for a drink.
Everyone in the bridal chamber dispersed at once, Baorong went out to see what was happening, Baozhu brought a plate of snacks and asked Ah Xiu to fill her stomach first.
"From now on, I should call him sister-in-law." Baozhu was a little curious. "Big brother is such a fool. It's hard for Sister Xiu to marry him."
Ah Xiu blushed at what she said, and the corners of her lips curled up unconsciously when she thought of Da Lang. "Before your brother, I thought all men in the world had the same face. Maybe he's just used to hanging around me all day."
As Ah Xiu finished speaking, Baozhu suddenly remembered that Master Pei often hung out at the restaurant. Could it be that he also had feelings for her? If so, why didn't he say it? Baozhu's mind turned over a thousand times, and she slapped her forehead again.
What do you mean? She doesn't have that intention!
I looked at my face in the bronze mirror tied with red silk on the table, and suddenly felt that I was thinking too much, and perhaps the other person had no intention at all.
The courtyard was bustling with activity. Lord Pei had also arrived for a drink, sitting at the same table with his second brother, laughing heartily over something they were discussing. Pei Yanqing saw her emerge from the room and immediately followed her gaze. Baozhu glanced at him from a distance and immediately turned her head, only to discover that her cousin from the Dong family was also at her second brother's table.
My aunt and my mother were sitting at the same table. When they saw her, they waved to her to come and sit down.
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