Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Refugees alone...
There was a war in the northwest, and the people in the court were in a panic. No one knew when this war would last. The Jiang family gave Jiang Sijie a guard maid and sent her to Xuzhou for temporary refuge, waiting for the situation to calm down before bringing her back.
Jiang Sijie remembered that Xiao Xun, in the book, had risen to prominence around this time. His parents had passed away, and he, filled with rage, had taken to the battlefield, slaying his enemies and achieving remarkable military feats. He must have returned home by then, but he was probably in the northwest. He wondered how Lin Qiuran was doing, and if the child was alright.
In this era, giving birth to a child is as easy as going through the gates of hell. Moreover, the child is likely to die at birth. After all, there are no vaccines and medical conditions are poor, so it is not easy to raise a child.
Furthermore, Jiang Sijie had met many refugees along the way south, and she had even donated money. Fortunately, Xuzhou was still relatively peaceful, so if Lin Qiuran needed money, she could give him some.
It was already dusk when they arrived in Yu'an. Jiang Sijie found an inn to stay in. She asked a maid to pack up first, then she followed her memory to find the Xiao family restaurant. Next to it was still the jewelry shop she remembered, but the teahouse on the right was gone.
The Xiao family restaurant had changed a lot, even the sign had changed. The three big characters "Jin Ding Lou" shone brightly under the lanterns, and Jiang Sijie was a little afraid to go in.
Shopkeeper Shi, with his sharp eyes, came over to greet the guest and said, "Sir, are you alone? What would you like to eat?"
The eyes of passers-by fell on Jiang Sijie, and Jiang Sijie felt a little uncomfortable.
She followed Shopkeeper Shi inside and asked, "Was this the Xiao Family Restaurant? Why did it change its name?"
She thought Manager Shi looked familiar, but she couldn't quite remember whether she had seen him before.
Shopkeeper Shi smiled and said, "It's the Xiao Family Restaurant. They changed their name because it's grown. Since you're a regular customer, I'll give you a vegetarian dish. You came alone, so if you were alone, please eat upstairs."
This was Lin Qiuran's order. Things have been a bit chaotic lately. If a woman wants to eat alone, please go upstairs to avoid the inconvenience of staying on the first floor.
It is said that women rarely come to eat alone. Occasionally, there are one or two of them. They will not make a mess in the private room during their meal, and it is relatively easy to clean up, so they have always done so.
Otherwise, it would be very inconvenient for all the men here to drink and talk dirty.
Jiang Sijie nodded and went upstairs.
Seeing this, one table of customers complained, "I told you to go upstairs, but you kept making excuses and talking about other things. How come you can go upstairs as soon as someone else arrives? You're just being picky. There are so many empty tables upstairs, yet you won't let us go. You've grown your business, but you're not treating your guests as well as you used to."
A customer spoke up for the restaurant, "As a girl, you wouldn't feel comfortable eating with a bunch of grown men like us. Why don't you go upstairs? Besides, there are so many tables on the first floor, aren't they enough for you? The three of you insisted on going upstairs. If you want to eat, you should have a whole table. It's really pretentious with just a few dishes."
Shopkeeper Shi said with an apologetic smile, "Don't worry, sir. It's really inconvenient for a young woman to sit in the lobby. Please go upstairs. The same applies to your wife and daughter. If this table is too narrow, you can move to the window side... I'll give you two tables of rice wine. Let's eat in harmony and make money in harmony."
Manager Shi couldn't help wiping his sweat as he took the wine. There have been a lot of troubles recently.
Manager Shi asked Zhao Xing to go upstairs to order food. He had lost some weight in the past six months, but he was still too lazy to run upstairs.
Shopkeeper Shi reminded him, "I'll give you a vegetarian dish, don't forget."
Nowadays, restaurants have a lot of eggplants and cowpeas, and they have stocked up a lot, enough to sell for a while. There are also various small pickles, which are very refreshing and go well with rice.
Zhao Xing nodded and went upstairs to get the menu for Jiang Sijie. She pretended to look at it, but she still didn't recognize some of the words. She said, "Braised pork and shredded potatoes, and spicy diced rabbit... and braised eggplant."
Zhao Xing said, "The dishes ordered by the young lady are quite a lot. I'm afraid one person can't finish them all."
Jiang Sijie: "It's okay, I have maids and guards here."
I just don't eat at the same table with her, but I will eat it anyway.
Zhao Xing nodded. "The braised eggplant is a gift from the restaurant. Our boss just mentioned giving us a vegetarian dish."
Zhao Xing asked again, "How about the meal? Would you like rice, steamed buns, or dumplings?"
Jiang Sijie thought they were boiled dumplings, but when he asked, he found out they were steamed dumplings with large fillings. "What's the filling?"
Zhao Xing: "Now we have eggplant and melon stuffing with meat, three cents each."
The dumplings in the restaurant are sold according to the season. In spring, there are dumplings with Chinese cabbage, shepherd's purse, and leek fillings; in summer, there are eggplants and cowpeas; now that it is autumn, they also sell eggplants and squash.
It is also sold in winter. The restaurant has stocked up a lot of radish and cowpea, which can be used to make shredded radish and dried cowpea fillings. If beef or donkey meat is available, they will sell pure meat and nothing else on that day.
Jiang Sijie: "Then I'll have one with the same filling, a bowl of rice, and a steamed bun with fermented glutinous rice."
She wants to try them all.
Zhao Xing nodded and went to serve the dishes.
There were no outsiders in the private room, so Jiang Sijie relaxed a little. She looked at the decoration inside and felt a little happy. This restaurant was not worse than those in Beijing. Lin Qiuran must not be finished by now, so she didn't bother him and decided to eat first.
Soon, the food came.
Rice and braised pork were served first. Jiang Sijie guessed that they had been prepared long ago and kept warm, but they could not be considered pre-prepared dishes.
She took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves, and began to eat heartily. There were many rules in the Jiang family, and the same was true when she went out. Finally, there was a place where she didn't have to worry about the rules, and Jiang Sijie felt a lot more relaxed.
She tasted the braised pork, which was soft and delicious. When the other dishes came, she took a bite of the diced rabbit, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and very spicy. She also took a bite of the braised eggplant, which was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and covered with sweet and sour soup.
Eggplant is delicious, no worse than braised pork, and the price is not expensive. It is a simple dish and looks very nice.
Shredded potatoes are a great dish to eat with rice, and it also comes with some pickled vegetables, which are sweet and sour. They taste unique when mixed with rice and braised pork.
Jiang Sijie felt that this kind of dish, with its distinct wok aroma and precise cooking time, looked better than the Jiang family's chef's dishes, and was a hundred times more delicious than dishes that were cooked more often. The Beijing restaurant also had these dishes, but they weren't as good as the ones here. Small Yu'an, however, had a delicious restaurant.
When Jiang Sijie finished his meal and came down from upstairs, there were still quite a few people on the first floor.
She couldn't help but think, it's really lively, but I don't know how long this liveliness will last.
Jiang Sijie was waiting in the carriage at the door. When the restaurant closed in the evening, she saw a group of people coming out of the restaurant, including shop assistants, and they left in a different direction from the Xiao family.
There were a few others who followed Sun and the others, all dressed the same, like the servants of the Xiao family. Lin Qiuran had lost weight, but looked better than before. Her clothes were made of silk, and she no longer wore a cloth scarf on her head.
Sun was holding a child in her arms, lying on her shoulder, her eyes blinking. Jiang Sijie couldn't help but smile. This must be Lin Qiuran's child.
Xiao Dashi was still watching the shop today, so he waved his hand and told them to go back quickly. Sun was a little worried, so Xiao Dashi said, "It's so dark now, let's go quickly. There are dogs around, don't be afraid."
The shop now has two new wolfhounds, which were brought in April to guard the house.
Sun nodded and they went back together.
Tangyuan is now more than seven months old, and Mrs. Xu is still feeding him, but he can eat some food.
Lin Qiuran tried everything one by one, starting with eggs and meat floss, and slowly moving on to rice porridge and vegetables.
Start with a small amount to avoid allergies, and then gradually increase the amount if there is no problem. She also asked Wan Niang about feeding the baby, and Wan Niang then fed him egg custard or something, which was not very delicate. Lin Qiuran asked the doctor and figured it out on her own.
For adults, these are not particularly rare foods, but every time they take a bite of glutinous rice balls, their pupils dilate slightly, and they can eat it all up.
Since he eats complementary food here, he doesn’t need as much milk. Moreover, Tangyuan is not very willing to drink milk after eating, and even watches adults eat with his eyes wide open.
Madam Xu would go home every night to feed her child, so Lin Qiuran turned a blind eye. As long as Tangyuan didn't suffer any loss, anything was fine.
Madam Xu is also a mother. If it weren't for the money, she would never have been willing to send her child out to work. Besides, when fighting, it is better to raise the child well than to feed him egg custard and rice porridge.
When Lin Qiuran and the others arrived home, Madam Xu had already returned. She took the glutinous rice balls and said, "You're back. Are you tired, glutinous rice balls?"
Tangyuan is not tired, but a little sleepy.
Now that the daytime heat wasn't too hot and they could eat, Tangyuan loved going to the restaurant. With a room to stay in, Lin Qiuran could easily make some food and play with Yingjie, so he didn't want to go home.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "I'm sleepy today. I fell asleep on the way back. You can go to sleep first with Tangyuan in your arms."
Madam Xu nodded and carried the dumplings into the house.
The new arrivals, Liu Niang and Yun Niang, have already boiled hot water and delivered it to each room. Having a maid at home is indeed more worry-free and convenient, and Lin Qiuran also gives them a monthly stipend.
Lin Dong, Lin Xia and others each received one tael, while Liu Niang and Yun Niang each received half a tael, all from home.
As the number of people in the family increased, the maids all slept together, but with ten people in a room, not counting Tangyuan, it was not quite enough.
However, Lin Qiuran had no plans to move. Tangyuan was only seven months old, and time had flown by quickly. By the time he was three or four, it would be time for him to start his education. Lin Qiuran felt that the academy in Yu'an wasn't a good option, so he decided to either go to Xuzhou or the capital to prepare for his future studies.
I will buy another house in Yu'an and keep it there in the future.
The front yard is still big enough for us to live in. When Madam Xu stops nursing him, Tangyuan can sleep with her or Madam Sun when he's a year or two old. He can even sleep in the study in the middle when he's older. We might move out by then, so it's better to save our money and buy a bigger house.
The spice business hadn't been very good in the past few months, and Wufangzhai's business was also average. However, the restaurant business was still okay. She had over 700 taels from her family and 680 taels from her spice business.
The family earned a lot of money, but they also spent a lot of money on furniture and people. Lin Qiuran also bought some gold and silver jewelry for himself, which was also a big expense.
Xu Yuanheng said that the spice business has not been very good recently and a lot of goods are overstocked.
It is probably affected by the war, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Lin Qiuran also hopes that the war will end soon.
Xu Yuanheng returned to Yu'an once a month. He would come to see Tangyuan and give some things to Lin Qiuran, and then leave after a few days.
He knew that Xiao Xun was not home and had not returned for quite some time, but he knew Lin Qiuran's character even better. There were some things that Lin Qiuran would not agree to even if he told her, so he never mentioned them at all. He just asked Manager Xu to keep an eye on the Xiao family and help directly if there was anything.
Xu Yuanheng really likes Tangyuan. Looking at the child laughing and playing, he looks like Lin Qiuran.
*
It was very dark at night, and from time to time one could hear the chirping of cicadas and sometimes the sound of falling leaves. It was almost September, and Xiao Xun had been away from home for more than four months.
The next day was a sunny day, and Jiang Sijie came to the restaurant to eat again. She asked the maid to pass on a message that she wanted to see Lin Qiuran, "Just say Jiang Sijie was here last year."
There were not many customers today, so Jiang Sijie waited slowly on the second floor after eating. After noon, Lin Qiuran finally came up.
The door opened, and Jiang Sijie stood up in an instant. "Mrs. Lin, do you still remember me? I came here last year and talked to you in the teahouse."
It may still be in the same location as now, but the teahouse has become a restaurant.
Jiang Sijie: "I forgot to say congratulations, the shop has become bigger."
Lin Qiuran nodded. They had met in October last year, when the shop had just opened. "Long time no see. How are you, Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Sijie felt that he was doing okay, that he had a loving family, and that his life was pretty good. "I'm doing fine. How about you? The baby has been born, right? Is it a boy or a girl?"
Lin Qiuran: "It's a boy. I wonder what Miss Jiang wants to talk to me about?"
Jiang Sijie signaled the maid to close the door. Her expression became more solemn as she said, "Things have been turbulent lately. I came to Xuzhou from the capital to take refuge. The capital is a bit chaotic, and now there's a war in the northwest. Refugees have already moved south. I saw them when I left the capital. It's been quite a while, and I don't know where they are now. I stopped by to tell you, please be careful."
Lin Qiuran was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily, "Yes, thank you."
Beware...
When refugees head south, they are bound to be short of food and clothing. Even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered, let alone a human.
Lin Qiuran looked at her clothes. After her family became rich, she no longer dressed as simply as before. When people have enough food, they want more things.
Lin Qiuran planned to go back and change her clothes. She looked at Jiang Sijie again. Jiang Sijie had a pearl hairpin on his head and his clothes were also gorgeous.
Lin Qiuran said, "When will you return to Xuzhou? Yu'an is relatively peaceful now, but you should change into some plain clothes and wear less jewelry. You must bring guards with you when you go out, and they must follow you at all times."
Shopkeeper Shi said that there were quite a few people causing trouble in the shop under the influence of alcohol, but fortunately Lu Fan and Lin Ming were tall and strong respectively, so they escaped danger every time.
Lin Qiuran was a little worried about Jiang Sijie, a girl.
Jiang Sijie glanced at himself and nodded, "I forgot. I'll buy some clothes to change into later."
Lin Qiuran said, "I'm a local. If you need help, just tell me."
Although Lin Qiuran didn't know why Jiang Sijie came over twice, she could tell the difference between good intentions and bad intentions. Now he was reminding her with good intentions, but she had many people here, so she could always keep it under control.
Jiang Sijie smiled and said, "Yeah."
She did not mention Xiao Xun. In Lin Qiuran's eyes, she and Xiao Xun did not know each other, and it was always like this. She only knew the Xiao Xun in the book, but she was not in the book now.
Now that Jiang Sijie sees his family caring about him, the busy pedestrians, and the real refugees, he can no longer treat this as a book or the people here as paper people.
If it was mentioned, Lin Qiuran might start to have wild thoughts.
Jiang Sijie planned to stay in Yu'an for two more days. After all, he wouldn't be able to eat such delicious food if he returned to Xuzhou.
Lin Qiuran sent the man downstairs, and Jiang Sijie said, "If you need help, just ask."
Seeing that Lin Qiuran didn't seem to be short of money and that the business of such a big restaurant was pretty good, she didn't say anything more.
After Lin Qiuran sent the people out, he came back to eat. No one else asked Jiang Sijie what he did. Everyone had some private matters to attend to.
After the meal, Lin Qiuran said, "Food prices have gone up, you should also stock up."
The autumn harvest was in progress back home, and part of the harvested grain was sent to the restaurant, and part was sent to the Xiao family. It turned out that some grain was also stored in the house. More than 5,000 kilograms of grain was also a source of confidence.
If there are really refugees coming to Yu'an, Lin Qiuran plans to give them porridge. After all, the restaurant also makes money from the people. It is not easy for the people in the war, so it would be good to be able to help a little.
There is a saying that goes, "If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world." Lin Qiuran also hopes that Tangyuan can become such a person in the future.
Shopkeeper Shi said, "Well, several grain shops are raising their prices right now. There's no one that's not raising their prices."
Rice and flour used to cost six or seven cents per pound, but now it costs eleven or twelve cents. In a few days, it will cost less than fifteen cents.
The price of meals in restaurants has not increased, but the price of alcoholic beverages in wineries has increased, and salt and sugar have not been adjusted for the time being, but they are difficult to buy. If this continues, the business will still lose money.
Lin Qiuran remembered that Xiao Xun said that the war would not affect Yu An, but with refugees, it would be difficult not to be affected.
Lin Qiuran said, "Stock up first, and we'll see if it's not enough."
The family had twenty acres of land, which was enough for them to use for a year or two, but with so many customers in the restaurant, it had all been used up.
Lin Qiuran was a little worried, and Manager Xu happened to come to him.
Manager Xu asked, "We've been short on food lately. The Second Young Master stockpiled quite a bit a while ago and is planning to sell it now. If Madam Lin wants it, I'll give it to you at cost price."
Xu Yuanheng got the news early. The refugees hadn't yet moved south, and the locals didn't know about the imperial conscription. It was easy to collect grain in the countryside. Regardless of whether it was old or new, he could get it for six or seven coins. If he took action now, he would definitely make a profit.
Food is life-saving. If there is not enough to eat, we will definitely buy more. Even if we sold it for six or seven cents before, we now have to spend double the price to buy it back from Xu Yuanheng.
Lin Qiuran was stunned for a moment, and Manager Xu said, "The Second Young Master and Madam Lin are in partnership, but he won't make money from Madam Lin."
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "I know, but I have stockpiled some food before, so it will be enough for now. Thank you for your help, Second Young Master."
She sent Manager Xu away and looked at the snacks, fruits and toys that Manager Xu brought on the table, feeling an indescribable feeling in her heart.
She could clearly feel that Xu Yuanheng was a businessman who would do any business that could make money.
Lin Qiuran was stunned for a moment. She didn't want to buy grain from Xu Yuanheng, save money, and then blame him. She also didn't want to lecture Manager Xu about his high morals and take advantage of others. Besides, all the grain shops were raising their prices, and if only one didn't, what would others think?
She planned to look at other restaurants. If the prices of meals in other restaurants were also raised, she would also follow suit, otherwise something might go wrong.
Lin Qiuran also asked Xiao Dashi to find someone to reinforce the doors and windows of her home and restaurant. After these were done, the worry on her brow did not diminish. She also asked Lin Ming to go to the north of the city to inquire if Yu An had any refugees from other places.
Lin Ming went to inquire, but there was no news yet. On the second day of September, Jiang Sijie was ready to return to Xuzhou after a good meal, but he saw that the north gate of the city was closed. The general guarding the city said that there were many refugees outside the city.
These people traveled all the way south, their faces dirty, their clothes ragged, their shoes torn, their hair messy. Some of them were dressed relatively clean, but they were skinny. It wasn't cold in early autumn, but they huddled together in their clothes that let the wind out.
The imperial court would not leave refugees in one place, but would drive them away once they arrived at a place, otherwise riots would easily occur.
But they still had nowhere to stay after going elsewhere. Those who were rich were fine as they could find a place to settle down, but those who were poor had spent all their money on the way here and were now hiding under the city wall, looking at a loss.
These are just refugees who came to Yu'an. Now that the city gates are temporarily closed, Jiang Sijie cannot return to Xuzhou and can only return to the inn.
Jiang Sijie also asked the maid to tell Lin Qiuran that there were quite a few refugees, hundreds of them, and they were crowded under the city wall.
Shopkeeper Shi was a little worried. Yu An would have to come sooner or later. He didn't know how long he had been hungry. Jindinglou had a good reputation, and he was afraid that the refugees would come and steal things and cause trouble.
Lin Qiuran was also worried, so he told Sun not to take the dumplings out these days. If Madam Xu came home, she should go back during the day and not go out after dark.
But the one who arrived before the refugees was Xu Yuanheng. He took a detour from Lin County and came directly to Jinding Tower. "It's been a bit chaotic lately. Don't stay in Yu'an. I'll take you and Tangyuan out to hide."
Lin Qiuran was silent for a moment, then looked up at Xu Yuanheng and said, "There are so many people at home, I can't leave. Second Young Master, can you take Tangyuan and my parents out to hide?"
She was indeed worried about Tangyuan, but Lin Dong and the others were there, and Jindinglou was also there, so she couldn't leave.
Xu Yuanheng looked at Lin Qiuran for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."
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The author has something to say: It’s the end of the month. Shake the little angel and drop n bottles of nutrient solution - put them back ~ kiss ~ [panda head][pink heart]
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