Chapter 236 Chapter 236 Intent on Winning Over
"By the way, the Qi family's shop has sold a batch of candles recently. Have you heard about this?" Cheng Chiyan didn't know about these things. They were very busy with their studies at the Imperial College. When they returned home on weekdays, they never asked about trivial matters at home. It can be said that they didn't have to worry about big or small things. They just had to study hard. A few nights ago, he found that the candles used at home were different from the previous ones. After asking, he learned that these new candles that seemed rough but were actually no worse than the candles used in the past were actually the latest products purchased and put on the shelves by the Qi family.
He Fan: "I know, candles used to cost over ten or twenty coins each, but the candles the Qi family sells now are only three coins. This price is not only several times cheaper than other candles, but their brightness is just as good as other candles. The Qi family has attracted a large number of loyal customers with these candles, and the candles in the store are in short supply."
It’s no wonder. Even if you are a rich person, who would like to be cheated when you can buy candles that are cost-effective and cheap?
Cheng Chiyan: "Wasn't the fireworks and balloon incident that caused a stir in the capital some time ago actually caused by someone from overseas? Could they be the same person?"
"I guess so." Ji Ning said disdainfully, "It's just a publicity stunt. These people are actually willing to spend so much money on it."
I heard that some wealthy families had asked if the Qi family could get those fireworks and balloons from Xu Yunfan. The price and other things would be negotiable. Throughout history, how many of these exotic things were cheap? Ji Ning had never seen any fireworks, but after leaving the Imperial College, he had inevitably heard a few rumors about them, and he was very disdainful of them.
No matter how beautiful fireworks are, they are fleeting and cannot be compared with the value of a painting. Only superficial people are willing to spend a lot of money to pursue these flashy things.
He Fan glanced at Ji Ning and thought to himself, Ji Ning is a proud person. Because of his status as a scholar, he is very proud and can't easily catch other people's eyes. Ji Ning is also very jealous and can't stand others being better than him. But: "Have you ever thought that Xu Yunfan can make candles, but what about other things? If he continues to cooperate with the Qi family, it will be bad for our families."
Guo Shuwen said disdainfully, "He Fan, you think too highly of this guy. Even if he's from overseas, so what? Just because he can make candles doesn't mean he can do anything else. You think too highly of him."
He Fan: "Not necessarily. He's from overseas, so he might know more than us. Let's find a way to recruit him here."
Guo Shuwen disagreed and said, "You're overthinking it. So what if he came from overseas? Maybe those places are even worse than our Great Yan Dynasty. Otherwise, why would he come all the way here? If his place was so good, wouldn't he have gone back long ago? Since his place is not as good as our Great Yan Dynasty, what can he know? Maybe this candle is just a secret recipe passed down from his ancestors that he uses to support his family."
Hearing this, He Fan couldn't help but waver. Perhaps what Guo Shuwen said made sense.
Let's put Xu Yunfan aside for now. If he really has the ability in the future, it won't be too late to win him over.
…
After returning to the Xiao Mansion, Xiao Lin immediately sent people out to inquire around. Soon, Xiao Lin knew the background of the owner behind the Yunrun store.
The owners of Yunrun Store were actually a couple from the village. Xiao Lin found it unbelievable. Since they were from the village, how could his uncle and father know such people with whom he had no connection?
Xiao Lin was puzzled, so he could only squat outside the Yunrun store to take a look. Unexpectedly, while squatting, Xiao Lin discovered something incredible.
How could Qin Feiyu, the person he both respected and hated, appear in Yunrun store?
Could it be that he is here to look for his uncle?
Xiao Lin was stunned for a long time. His feelings towards Qin Feiyu were too complicated. Because of Xiao Hengzhi, he hated Qin Feiyu and hated Qin Feiyu for being blind. He actually dared to dump his uncle who was considered the most respected figure in the Great Yan Dynasty. If this wasn't blindness, what was it?
For Xiao Lin, who will become a military officer in the future, Qin Feiyu is one of the people he admires most. He is the hero who seems unattainable in his eyes and guides him forward. However, it is this person who hurt his relatives and abandoned his uncle.
Xiao Lin hated Qin Feiyu to death, but he also felt extremely uncomfortable because of it.
When he saw Qin Feiyu, Xiao Lin felt like something was about to break out of the ground.
What is it?
Xiao Lin pondered deeply and suddenly thought of Qin Run.
He didn't notice it when he didn't think about it, but after he thought about it, Xiao Lin discovered that Qin Run and Qin Feiyu looked similar, and that Xiao Hengzhi was dazed and distracted when he saw Qin Run.
Xiao Lin seemed to have caught a glimpse of something. When he found Su Yan, Xiao Lin did not mention Xiao Hengzhi. He pretended to remember something and casually said, "Dad, do you know that I saw a boy in Qingling County before. Speaking of which, this boy was also unlucky. He actually looked about 60% similar to Qin Bastard. Dad, what do you think of this person?"
Su Yan was checking the account book. He had ignored Xiao Lin's previous talk about what he had seen and heard, which was irrelevant. He just casually responded and left it alone. But when Xiao Lin casually mentioned this, Su Yan paused and asked casually, "Have you seen such a person? I'm not mistaken, but there are a few people in the world who look alike. It's not surprising."
The eldest brother said that the fewer people who knew about Qin Run's existence, the better. Xiao Lin couldn't keep a secret at his age, and his brain didn't seem to be very bright. He was often questioned by his grandmother since he was a child. Su Yan didn't dare to tell Xiao Lin that you have a cousin. As long as Xiao Lin knew about it, this big mouth, tomorrow, no, probably tonight, Qin Run's secret would no longer be a secret, but would be known to everyone.
Xiao Lin raised his eyebrows and said nonchalantly, "I have seen him. Not only have I seen him, I even beat him up. Otherwise, why would I say he was unlucky? He couldn't look like anyone else, but that bastard Qin. He deserves the beating."
"What?" Su Yan was startled and stood up. "Why did you hit someone?"
"Little Daddy, why are you so surprised?" Xiao Lin asked meaningfully, "Who is he? Can't I beat him up?"
Su Yan realized that he had lost his composure and turned to scold Xiao Lin: "What did your father, your grandparents, and I teach you? How could you hit someone for no reason?"
"How can it be considered without reason? Didn't I tell you that he looks unpleasant and I don't like him?"
"You bastard, you're not happy with others, so they're happy with you? Are you looking for a beating? From childhood to adulthood, we've repeatedly warned you not to take advantage of your family background and status to do anything wrong, otherwise you'll be punished by the family law. How dare you hit an innocent person? I think it's been too long since you've been beaten by your father, so you're itching for trouble, aren't you?"
Su Yan was really angry. His three sons had been tough since they were young. In a family like the Xiao family, some things were destined since they were born. The three children had been practicing martial arts since they were young. Su Yan was really afraid that one day they would be disobedient, unruly, and even be beaten by their elders for being rebellious. Therefore, he was very strict about his sons' education. But after hearing what his youngest son said today, Su Yan couldn't help but think that sometimes, even if education was strict, good bamboos would still produce bad shoots. Could it be that his youngest son was the rat shit in the pot of porridge of the Xiao family?
That won’t do!
Even if the youngest son was a rat, Su Yan would still have to smoke him.
Xiao Lin secretly observed Su Yan and found that he was really angry at this moment, but it seemed that behind this anger, there was also a hint of worry.
"I'll beat him up, it's his fault for looking like that. I'll beat him up every time I see him next time."
Su Yan's eyes turned red with anger. He turned his head to look around, but unfortunately there was no weapon in the study that he could use to fight. Otherwise, he would have definitely beaten Xiao Lin to a pulp.
Su Yan was furious. "Nonsense, really nonsense! How could you hit Qin Run just because he looks like Qin Feiyu? How dare you? You hit a boy like him? This is what I taught you since you were a child. Come on, I'm going to let your grandfather teach you a lesson today, otherwise you will become lawless in the future!"
Xiao Lin was scolded and pulled by Su Yan, "Dad, how do you know he is Qin Run? I don't think I told you his name! So, Dad, how did you know?"
Su Yan: “…”
He was really confused by anger!
I actually did such a stupid thing.
Su Yan looked at Xiao Lin with a complicated expression, thinking that he had really misjudged him. He thought that the dumbest person in the Xiao family should be his youngest son, but one day he was fooled by this idiot.
…
Dali Village.
Xu Yunfan was extremely busy today. Qin Run went to Xiaoli Village yesterday, and early this morning, Xu's father brought him two hundred eggs.
Because of what Qin Run said when he went to Xiaoli Village, the Xu family's status in Xiaoli Village is no longer what it used to be.
Father Xu is a grateful person. Although the canteen is closed, the noodle shop on the second floor of Yunrun store still needs about a hundred eggs every day. The eggs laid by the Xu family's own hens can meet the needs of the noodle shop. On a snowy day like this, Father Xu doesn't have to go out to buy eggs. But the day before yesterday, after Qin Run asked someone to help pass on the message, Father Xu learned that Xu Yunfan wanted eggs. Without saying a word, he walked more than 20 kilometers to several villages the next day to collect 200 eggs and carried them home. His feet were so frozen that he could hardly feel them.
Xu Yunfan made a hand-cranked blender, beat dozens of eggs and put them into a wooden barrel. After placing the blender in the barrel, he could beat the eggs by sliding the sliding roller on the blender up and down.
While the mixer was rolling rapidly, Xu Yunfan continued to add sugar into the bucket. After beating for half an hour, he whipped it into a creamy consistency.
Xu Yunfan put it into a mold and sent it to the oven in the yard for baking. During this process, he also prepared mayonnaise.
Qin Run and the others didn't know where they had gone. Xu Yunfan didn't know how to make a fire, but luckily Qin Run had lit a pot of charcoal for him to grill before he went out. Xu Yunfan used a small pot for hot pot to make mayonnaise on the charcoal pot. After the small cake was baked, he found a tool to beat the mayonnaise into the small cake. In this way, the exploding egg yolk pie was ready.
After the first batch of egg yolk pies was ready, Qin Run and his friends chose the right time to come back just when the cakes were still hot out of the oven.
Xu Yunfan once suspected that several people were just slacking off.
"Wow, father, what are you doing? It smells so good!" Xiaobao smelled the fragrance at the gate of the courtyard and twisted himself to get out of Qin Feiyu's arms, "Grandpa, let me down."
As soon as Xiaobao landed, he followed Qin An and Qin Mu to Xu Yunfan. Three pairs of eyes stared at the small cake the size of a duck egg on the dustpan beside them, "Oh, it turned out to be a delicious little bread."
Yunrun store also sells small breads, but those small breads are not as fragrant as the freshly baked egg yolk pies!
One is made of flour and eggs, and the other is made of pure eggs and white sugar. Without a doubt, the latter is more fragrant.
"Brother, can we eat these bread rolls?" Although they wanted to eat them and the bread was made by Xu Yunfan, they would not take it for granted and take it without asking.
Seeing that Xiaobao was too short, Xu Yunfan took one and handed it to him. "This is a small cake, different from bread. You can eat as much as you want, but don't eat too much. You can only eat two per person, okay? Otherwise, you won't be able to eat dinner tonight. Brother-in-law made a lot, so I can leave some for you as snacks."
Qin An was delighted to hear this. He took a bite and discovered that there was an even more delicious sauce inside the cake. The little guy was even happier. He turned around and shouted to Qin Run and the others, "Brother, Daddy, come quickly. Brother-in-law has made something delicious."
Xu Yunfan looked up at the two people approaching, his hands moving non-stop. He glanced at the cake and gestured to Qin Run and the others to eat. "Try it and see how it tastes. Is it too sweet or too bland?"
Qin Run took one and gave it to Qin Feiyu, who was too embarrassed to take it. "Daddy, try it. Yunfan's cooking is delicious."
Qin Feiyu thought Xu Yunfan made these for the children, and he was embarrassed to eat the children's food. Just when he was about to refuse, Xu Yunfan seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "Father-in-law, please try it and give me some suggestions so that I can improve it."
Since Xu Yunfan said so, Qin Feiyu took the cake and took a bite. His narrow eyes, which looked very much like Qin Run's, narrowed instantly, and he looked like a cute and satisfied cat.
Qin Feiyu, like most guys, likes sweet things and loves desserts, but he used to live in the frontier for many years. The conditions there were difficult, not as good as in the capital. Qin Feiyu didn't have dessert for a long time, so he missed it even more. Later, after returning to the capital, Qin Feiyu bought a lot of desserts privately to satisfy his appetite, but this was the first time he had eaten the dessert made by Xu Yunfan, but he had to admit that it was really delicious.
Seeing Qin Feiyu finish one in two bites, Xu Yunfan knew his opinion without asking. Qin Run smiled and ate four or five in a row before slowing down. "Yunfan, is this the egg yolk pie you were talking about?"
"Well, how's it, delicious!"
Qin Run nodded fiercely. "It's delicious. Very delicious. How much do you plan to make? I'll help."
"Brother, we'll help you too. Can you make more?" Qin An ate two, and even though he wanted more, but Brother said he could only eat two. So he sensibly stopped making a fuss and gently shook Xu Yunfan's arm. "Brother, you made a lot. Can An'er take a few to share with Dadan and the others?"
Xu Yunfan glanced at Qin An and touched his forehead lovingly. "Sure, our An Ge is awesome. He remembers his friends even when he gets something good."
Qin Mu on the side looked at it with envy, "Brother, Mu Ge'er is also great."
Xu Yunfan smiled, kissed Qin Mu on the forehead, and continued to praise, "Yes, Brother Mu is also great, brother-in-law is really pleased. Your generosity is exactly the same as your brother-in-law and me."
Qin Feiyu: "..."
Xu Yunfan really knows how to flatter himself.
However, one has to admit that Xu Yunfan treats his two brothers-in-law as if they were his younger brothers and sons. No wonder An Ge'er and the others always call them brothers and husbands.
Xiaobao came over, not even having time to swallow the food in his mouth, and said in a childish and unclear voice, "Father, Xiaobao is also great." After that, he raised his little face and wanted Xu Yunfan to kiss him, but Xu Yunfan changed his gentleness and patience with his two brothers and slapped him on the butt. "Go away, take the cake and go away. It's not right for a little boy to kiss his father all day long."
"Father is so bad!" Xiaobao stomped his feet in anger. Since his father didn't kiss him, he would kiss his father. It was the same anyway.
Xiaobao held the cake in one hand and rested the other on Xu Yunfan's knee. He pouted and kissed Xu Yunfan on the face. Xu Yunfan smiled, put down the tools in his hand, and took Xiaobao's face in his palm. He kissed her several times like a hen pecking at rice, and asked with a smile: "Is this okay?"
"More!"
"Oh, little fat pig, you're going to push your luck, aren't you?" Xu Yunfan smiled and kissed him twice more. Seeing that Xiaobao was about to move his mouth, he slapped him on the butt. "That's enough. If you keep asking for kisses, your father will kiss you to pieces. Believe it or not? Now, go play with the uncles."
Xiaobao got a kiss, and while Xu Yunfan wasn't paying attention, he grabbed another cake and ran away giggling.
As soon as the three children came back, the house suddenly became much more lively. Xu Yunfan glanced at Qin An and Qin Mu who ran into the kitchen with baskets to pick vegetables, and then looked at Xiaobao who was following his two uncles with his short legs almost leaving an afterimage. He couldn't help but sigh, how could his children be so well-behaved and sensible?
Qin Run found two low stools and gave one to Qin Feiyu. "Yunfan, how do we do these? You tell me and I'll do it."
Xu Yunfan taught it once, Qin Feiyu was responsible for baking, and Qin Run was responsible for beating the eggs. With the cooperation of the three, they finished making 200 eggs in just one afternoon.
Qin Feiyu was very happy to know that Xu Yunfan made these cakes to bring him some goodies. Rather than giving him gold, silver and jewelry, he preferred the things Xu Yunfan prepared for him personally. The gift may be small, but the thought is great. What matters is not the price, but the thought.
Qin Run took out a few tightly sealed bags and put the cakes in them. "Dad, are these cakes enough? If not, we can make some more tomorrow. If it's inconvenient for you to carry them, we can ask someone to help."
Xu Yunfan: "There's still some time before the Chinese New Year. There's no need to rush back. You can rent a carriage."
Qin Feiyu nodded. "Well, it will probably take a few days to go back by carriage, but it will only take three days if you ride a horse. But it won't be very comfortable to ride a horse in the heavy snow."
"Then I can make more. Run Ge'er said that you have two little nephews. An Ge'er and the others love to eat these. I'm sure the two younger brothers will like them too."
"Yes, we also need to send some to father's side. Yunfan, do you think we should bring some to Xiu Ze and the others as well?"
"Give them some tomorrow if you make more. It's not something expensive anyway."
"Okay, I'll go to Xiaoli Village later before it gets dark."
"No need to go. When Uncle Xu came this morning, I told him to bring it to us tomorrow. He's probably already collected the eggs from several nearby villages by now."
Xu Yunfan thought about it when he got the eggs this morning. He knew that he couldn't be partial. If he prepared one for Qin Feiyu, he had to prepare one for Xiao Hengzhi as well. If he didn't give one to Qin Feiyu before, it would mean he didn't recognize him. Now that he has recognized him, he has to treat everyone equally.
"That's great. What are we having for dinner tonight?" Qin Run was in a good mood. Thinking of Xu Yunfan's love for chicken soup, he asked, "Why don't we make some soup?"
Xu Yunfan raised his hand to check the time, "Okay."
Qin Feiyu listened to the two of them discussing things as if no one was around, and couldn't help feeling relieved, but also a little envious and sour.
The day after tomorrow, Qin Feiyu, under the reluctant farewell gaze of Qin Run and others, had to suppress the reluctance in his heart and embark on his journey back to Beijing.
He was reluctant to leave his child, but he couldn't let the four elders in the family be alone because of the child. When other children of the same age had children and grandchildren around them, they could only envy them.
Qin Feiyu hugged Qin Run and said, "Promise Daddy that we will celebrate the festival together next year, okay?"
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