Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Praying for a single release...
Xiao Wei's mind worked quickly. He felt that the Xiao family couldn't let it get away with it so easily. Now, whether the letter was delivered or not, the Xiao family would get the upper hand.
Li Cuihua was a little timid, "But..."
The most she did was spread gossip, she never did anything like that.
Xiao Wei comforted her, "Mom, don't worry, it's not us who made the mistake."
Hearing her son's words, Li Cuihua nodded, her heart at ease. She said, "Don't tell your brother and the others when you get home, or they'll let it slip."
He was still afraid just now, but now Li Cuihua has already thought of how to pass the message. Didn’t she just sit under the big tree at the entrance of the village when she had nothing to do in the past? She said that the Xiao family is doing so well, maybe someone in the family sent money, maybe it was Xiao Xun!
If someone claimed Xiao Xun was dead and had a cenotaph erected, Li Cuihua would say, "There's a cenotaph, but no body." Believe it or not, just spread the word.
After another two months, the villagers forgot who spread the news, and she said that Xiao Xun was not dead. She went to deliver a letter a few days ago. Xiao Xun was not dead.
Let's talk about the gift-giving incident. Someone's bound to make a scene if we bring it up. Let the Xiao family enjoy a few more days of peace, and then they'll be sent to jail.
Li Cuihua felt a little proud, but soon her face fell again. "What should I do with the letter? There's a five-liang silver note in it. I've put it away. Don't tell your second brother and his wife."
The youngest son was the most capable and clever, and Li Cuihua favored him the most.
Xiao Wei smiled and said, "Keep the letter for now, in case it comes in handy in the future. Use the money to buy Mom some nice clothes first! Don't envy the Xiao family, we'll have those things sooner or later. I'll also make some money, and when the time comes, we'll go to the county town and buy a house!"
Li Cuihua was delighted to hear this and immediately handed the banknote to Xiao Wei, "Take the money. You said Xiao Xun knew to send money home, but how come your elder brother didn't know? It's been several months, and there's no news at all..."
Xiao Wei didn't know about this. He put the banknotes in his pocket and smiled at Li Cuihua. Xiao Xun was fine. Maybe his brother would be back soon.
Five taels of silver is not a small amount, unless Xiao Xun has made a contribution. That shouldn't be the case. There are so many people joining the army, and anyone can make a contribution.
The two of them did it as soon as they agreed, and the task of spreading the gossip was handed over to Li Cuihua, who first spread the story in Xiaojia Village and then in the county town.
She talked a few words near Xiao's house in the county town. After that, she went to South Street and told Aunt Yu in detail, "Did you hear that Xiao Xun is not dead?"
Aunt Yu was too lazy to pay attention to her because she had customers. While serving the cakes to the customers, she found time to say, "Why, did you see it with your own eyes again?"
Li Cuihua said: "Otherwise, how could the Xiao family have such a good life without a man?"
Aunt Yu rolled her eyes at her and frowned, "It's none of your business whether it's good or not. You're just worrying about it."
In the past, Li Cuihua would have definitely argued with her, but today she just snorted and said, "How do you sell this cake? It smells weird."
Aunt Yu was not happy to do business with Li Cuihua, but she was a fool not to make money. "Eight cents a pound, how about it?" Li Cuihua said, "I'll give you half a pound."
Da Hu was afraid that Li Cuihua would not pay, "You have to pay first."
Li Cuihua murmured as she flipped through the money, "It's not like we don't have money."
She paid four coins, and Aunt Yu only gave her half a catty of food. After weighing it, Li Cuihua was dissatisfied, "Is this all for half a catty?"
Aunt Yu said, "This is a cake, it must be heavy."
Li Cuihua wanted to reach out and grab it, but Aunt Yu was startled and reluctantly gave her two more pieces. "Alright, alright, go away."
What bad luck.
Li Cuihua walked away and said, "Just wait. It's not that I didn't send the letter. I have told them the news. It's just that they don't believe it."
Aunt Yu really didn't believe it. What a joke. Sun and Xiao Dashi were nothing now. They still had the nerve to make fun of the dead. Were they still human?
*
Today is the sixth day since the Xiao family shop opened. Now there are more than 20 tables of customers at noon and more than 10 tables at night. The daily turnover can reach 6,000 coins.
On the first day of opening, the turnover was nearly 5,000 wen. Now the turnover is higher but the profit is not much, 20% because the shop has sold liquor.
The weather has been nice these days, and guests are willing to come out for a drink and some food in the evening.
The turnover includes drinks, which is much more significant. The daily profit is about two taels of silver, which shows that the restaurant sells drinks well.
Lin Qiuran was very satisfied with the current state of the shop. Shopkeeper Shi was old and experienced, meticulous in his work, and kept accounts every day. Lu Fan was quick-witted and perceptive, and he did whatever Lin Qiuran told him to do. Aunt Liu came on time, and she didn't say she would work hard for the first few days and then make do for the rest.
Wan Niang became more and more skilled at cutting vegetables. When Aunt Xu came, she would stay in the house and never go out. The child would cry occasionally, but Wan Niang would not care as long as she was not feeding him. She never took advantage of the child to slack off.
Lin Qiuran felt that such a day was very good.
Business was good at noon, but in the afternoon a few dark clouds gathered in the sky and it was getting darker. Lin Qiuran knew it was going to rain, so he prepared fewer dishes. Sure enough, just after 3 p.m., thunder came, followed by heavy rain.
Xiao Dashi went to close the window. The rain flowed down the eaves and formed a curtain of rain. The cold wind blew in through the doors and windows. He closed the window, but the wind rushed in through the door. It was not yet time for business, so he closed the door as well.
It’s better to have a shop. If it rains when you set up a stall, you have to pack up your things in a hurry and rush home.
Now it's better. I just need to cook less vegetables and it's fine. I can work and it's light. Even if it rains heavily, I can still live in the shop.
The shop had a room with mattresses. It was a little small, but it had everything you needed. Aunt Xu looked after the children during the day, and Lin Qiuran took a nap there at noon.
If it rains heavily at night and they are too lazy to go home, Lin Qiuran can still sleep in the house. Xiao Dashi and Sun can find bedding and spend the night in the lobby. It's just one night, no big deal.
It was raining heavily today, and since Lu Fan figured business wouldn't need too many people tonight, he asked for half a day off. But Shopkeeper Shi didn't ask him. The slower business was, the easier it was to just stand here, not busy. It was better to save the time off and use it when it was needed.
Shopkeeper Shi was yawning as he listened to the sound of rain. He didn't know how long he had been standing at the counter when he heard someone knocking on the door.
It was raining, but it was not yet dark. The light shone through the window paper. Manager Shi muttered "Who?" and went to open the door.
Opening the door, outside was a young man in brocade clothes, looking very noble and imposing, with a few people following him. Shopkeeper Shi quickly came to his senses, "Young Master, are you here to avoid the rain, find someone, or to have a meal? If you want to avoid the rain, come in and sit for a while. I'll call someone for you. If you want to eat... it's not dinner time here yet."
The rain is so heavy, even if you don’t eat, you can still avoid the rain for a while. Be kind to others, and you may come to the shop to eat next time.
The meal wasn't served because many dishes were still cooking in the pot and weren't ready yet. If you wanted to eat, you could only eat freshly made stir-fries. You had to wait for dishes like braised pork and ginger duck.
Xu Yuanheng could tell the kitchen was busy, so he said, "It's okay, I'll be there in a moment."
Xu Yuanheng entered the shop, followed by his servants and Manager Xu. Manager Xu put the gifts he brought on the table. He looked around the shop casually, as this was his first time here.
Shopkeeper Shi looked at him secretly for a while, then went to the back to call someone. This person didn't look like a customer.
Manager Shi went to call Sun. Lu Fan was not at home today. Sun was putting down her chopsticks at the back. When she heard someone coming, she put down her work and came over to see. It was Xu Yuanheng.
Xu Yuanheng couldn't be treated as an ordinary customer. This shop was still sold by Xu Yuanheng, and there were other businesses to do together. Sun immediately went to the kitchen and said to Lin Qiuran, "Qiuran, the young master of the Xu family is here."
Lin Qiuran was stunned for a moment, "I'll go check it out later."
Lin Qiuran had work to do. This needed to be done right away, otherwise it wouldn't taste good. She poured rice wine over the ginger ducks in several casseroles and prepared the seasonings. "Wanniang, just watch the fire. Keep it low."
Wan Niang nodded, "Well, go ahead."
She didn't know who Mr. Xu was, but she guessed he had some connection with the Xiao family.
Lin Qiuran and Sun thought the same thing: Xu Yuanheng couldn't be treated as an ordinary guest. Furthermore, his presence at this hour might indicate something important. Although Xu Yuanheng had plotted against her, he had also done much for the Xiao family.
Lin Qiuran went to the front hall holding an umbrella. Xu Yuanheng smiled at her and stood up and said, "I haven't congratulated you on the opening of the shop yet. Madam Lin, please don't think I'm late."
Manager Xu smiled and touched his nose uncomfortably. Before Xu Yuanheng left, he said that if Lin Qiuran had any problems, he would do his best to help, so he sent the extra snacks in Wufangzhai to Lin Qiuran and asked if he needed help to replenish them, but Lin Qiuran said no and never came to him.
Besides, the Xu family has so many things to do when opening a small shop. They have to take care of the business of Wufangzhai and the business of other places. So it was not until today that Manager Xu knew that the Xiao family had opened a shop.
It’s pretty fast. It’s not time to do business yet, so I don’t know how the business is, but since we have invited the shopkeeper, the business should be good.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "I'm very happy that Second Young Master can come. I'm hosting you today, but many of the dishes aren't ready yet, so you'll have to wait a while. Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Xu Yuanheng listened to the sound of rain outside and looked at Lin Qiuran again. He hadn't seen her for more than half a month, and Lin Qiuran hadn't changed much, except that her belly seemed to be a little bigger.
His gaze fell on Lin Qiuran's bulging belly, then quickly shifted away. "The braised pork is enough, and the rest can be done as conveniently as you like."
Lin Qiuran nodded and whispered to Sun: "Mom, please bring me a pot of tea."
Shopkeeper Shi watched from the side and almost understood that this should be a distinguished guest of the Xiao family. However, Xu Yuanheng's attitude seemed to be quite good.
It was only a little after 3 p.m., and there was still half an hour before the shop opened for business.
Xu Yuanheng sat down and waited. Manager Shi saw that he was thinking of the Xu family in the county town, but he was just a manager and had people with him, so there was no need for him to entertain them. He went to the counter to take a nap.
After Sun served the tea, Manager Xu took a look.
The Xu family has no shortage of money or good tea when it comes to business, but the tea that Sun brought to them was not good enough.
Steward Xu bent down and whispered in Xu Yuanheng's ear, "Second Young Master, there's tea in the carriage..."
Xu Yuanheng shook his head. He drank tea in the shop and listened to the sound of rain outside. Manager Xu said no more and just stood quietly behind him. After 3 p.m., two tables of guests came to the shop. Sun wrote down the menu and waited for a while. Then she brought Xu Yuanheng's dishes first.
A pot of ginger duck and a plate of braised pork. This time, the braised pork was not as simple as at the Xu family's, with only sixteen pieces per plate and no radish flowers. Xu Yuanheng's eyes flashed with a smile. In addition, there was also braised fish.
As for why they didn't make sour soup fish, it was because they had made it at the Xu family's house, and the soup base there was made with broth. Here, there was only fish soup, and the taste would definitely not be as good as the one at the Xu family's house. Lin Qiuran thought, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality, so he might as well get rid of this dish.
Sun also served two cold dishes, a braised food platter and pork skin jelly, and a dipping sauce. She also cooked some stir-fried dishes specifically for Xu Yuanheng, including spicy and sour potato shreds and hand-shredded cabbage. These were all the dishes in the shop.
Lin Qiuran also made another pot of egg soup, and served a pot of liquor and a pot of rice wine. There were seven dishes and a soup on the table, and two staple foods were served. It all depended on which one Xu Yuanheng wanted to eat.
The dishes were ready, so Lin Qiuran came out specially. Xu Yuanheng came to congratulate her, and she couldn't let him sit here and eat alone. But the kitchen couldn't do without her, and business couldn't be stopped either.
Lin Qiuran brought a cup of tea as an apology, "Business is busy, so please take your time, Master Xu. If you see any dishes on other tables that you like, please tell my mother."
Xu Yuanheng poured a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. "Well, thank you Madam Lin for your hospitality today."
It was raining today so there weren't many customers and it wasn't noisy. Xu Yuanheng enjoyed his meal very much. The sound of rain was clear and the customers next to him were talking and laughing. The small shop was filled with the atmosphere of life.
Xu Yuanheng couldn't remember what the previous tenant had sold. From here, he could see the kitchen, which was lit by orange candlelight.
The shop is doing good business. Even though it rained today, there are only three or four empty tables. With a shop like this, the Xiao family is able to live a relatively comfortable life.
However, Lin Qiuran still has to cook.
On the way back, the rain had not stopped yet. Xu Yuanheng sat in the carriage and couldn't help wondering what kind of person Lin Qiuran's husband was.
Only three days after their marriage, her husband joined the army and died in battle. Upon hearing the news of his death, Lin Qiuran was still willing to give birth to the child.
Xu Yuanheng listened to the sound of rain outside. The rain was getting heavier and more disturbing. He said to Manager Xu, "Go back later and send them back."
After hearing this, Manager Xu was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'll take the Second Young Master back to the mansion and then I'll go over."
Lin Qiuran was free today, so even with Xu Yuanheng's presence, it wasn't a big deal. There was still some food left, but before dusk, there was only the sound of rain outside. With no customers, they closed the shop early.
The dishes were prepared just right, with not much leftover. Lin Qiuran also fried some shredded potatoes, which everyone finished.
Wan Niang left early, and Zhao Shi came to pick her up in a donkey cart.
Shopkeeper Shi left after finishing his meal. Aunt Liu came early today and wanted to wash the dishes quickly and go back quickly. Now, only the three of them and Aunt Liu were left in the shop.
After dinner, Sun helped wash the dishes. She wanted to finish early and go home early, as it was quite cold.
Aunt Liu said she didn't need any, and Sun smiled and said, "It's not much."
Aunt Liu smiled and said that the Xiao family was very kind.
After packing up, the rain had abated a bit. Lin Qiuran still wanted to go home to sleep, so a slow walk would be fine. Sun nodded, "It's not too far, let's go back."
As soon as she left the house, Lin Qiuran saw Manager Xu lifting the curtain and waving towards her. "Madam Lin, it's raining today. I just finished my work. Let me take you back."
Lin Qiuran saw that the ground was wet and knew that her shoes would get wet if she walked back. Besides, she was pregnant, so it would be more convenient for her to take a carriage.
There were quite a lot of people, so Manager Xu waited here for a while and asked the coachman to send the Xiao family back first and then take him back to the Xu family.
Sun was still holding the gift that Xu Yuanheng brought today in her arms, and she was still holding it when she got in the car.
At first, Lin Qiuran was afraid that it was too expensive. If it was some kind of decorative jewelry, she couldn't afford to return it for the time being, so she planned to return it. But when she opened it, she saw that it was a set of tableware.
When he opened it, Lin Qiuran's breathing slowed down. No chef would dislike these.
There were two boxes, each piece of tableware wrapped in paper and stuffed with straw to prevent it from being knocked. There were long fish plates, deep round soup plates, and shallow plates with deep mouths, all painted with flowers and birds, and the patterns were covered with carefully fired glaze.
It was very smooth, similar to the tableware Lin Qiuran had seen at the Xu family. The spoons and chopsticks also came in a matching set. The complete set consisted of eight bowls and eight dishes, six deep and six shallow plates, as well as a soup bowl and a fish plate. It was a very beautiful set.
The plates and bowls bought from the shop were very ordinary white bowls, and the price was also cheap. Lin Qiuran didn't know whether this set of porcelain was expensive or not, but it was very much to her liking.
Cooks especially appreciate the presentation of dishes; everyone loves beautiful tableware. Lin Qiuran didn't buy any now simply because he didn't have the money. These looked expensive, and certainly not enough for a single meal, but he could always repay the favor later.
Lin Qiuran accepted it.
Sun smiled while holding the box. The things were good, and Master Xu was a nice guy. Sun really thought Xu Yuanheng was a good person. She didn't go to cook and discuss business like Lin Qiuran did. She just knew the result of the discussion: they would sell spices together, and she would also get a share of the profits from the bean cakes sold by Wufangzhai.
Moreover, he was always generous and always gave tips for cooking. He also sold a shop to the Xiao family for thirty taels of silver. Compared with the Jiang family, Sun felt that Xu Yuanheng was a very good person.
When they were almost home, Lin Qiuran said to the driver, "Just stop at the alley entrance."
The carriage couldn't go in, so the driver stopped at the alley entrance. After getting off, Lin Qiuran thanked them. She held up an umbrella, and Xiao Dashi, wearing a straw raincoat, held it for Sun. It was only a short distance, but the ground was a little muddy after a day of rain, so Sun reminded Lin Qiuran to be careful.
Lin Qiuran said, "Yes, I know. Mother, you should be careful too."
Sun must be careful. Originally, Xiao Dashi said he would hold the box, but Sun was afraid that he would be clumsy and break the thing.
The family walked towards home, Xiao Dashi and Sun were in front. The night was very dark. Xiao Dashi even saw a dark figure. When he got closer, he saw that it was Chen Yu, whom he had not seen for many days.
Sun turned around and said, "Qiu Ran, Chen Yu."
Lin Qiuran was the last person to see Chen Yu. She was holding an umbrella, her embroidered shoes were covered in mud, her skirt was wet, and she was shivering in the wind and rain.
She was at the door of the Xiao family, naturally looking for them.
But it was already late and it was still raining. Lin Qiuran was tired after a day and didn't want to say much to her.
Xiao Dashi didn't say anything, lowered his head and took out the key to open the door. He didn't have a good face towards Shen Yu, but now everything was over. Shen Yu went to Wuxiangju, and Qiu Ran also partnered with the second young master Xu. They had nothing to do with each other, so there was nothing to say.
Sun didn't even look at Chen Yu, but was wondering why she was here. After the door opened, Chen Yu was still standing there. Sun said to Lin Qiuran, "Qiu Ran, go home."
Chen Yu took two steps back. Her eyes were red, and she looked at Lin Qiuran with a hint of pleading, "Sister Qiuran... I have a few words to say to you. It won't take too long."
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