Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Planning a solo attack...
Tang Yuan also wanted to name his yard, but he hadn't read yet, so all he could think of were names like Big Yellow, Big Black, Little Dog, and Rabbit. "Tiger Yard? Mom, is that okay?"
Lin Qiuran: "...You haven't come to live here yet. Wait until you are enlightened."
They were busy all day, arranging the things they had brought and seeing if there was anything missing so that Lin Ming and Lin Xia could go out and buy it.
The house was large, and the things he brought back from his hometown only took up a small corner. Tangyuan also took out his favorite puppy and bird. He held them in his arms when he stayed at the inn, and he held them in his arms when he got home.
Feeling new and curious about his new home, Tang Yuan settled the dog and bird into their care and then headed out. He wanted to skate on the lake, but Lin Qiuran sternly forbade it. "If you want to skate, scoop some water and sprinkle it on the ground, wait for it to freeze solid, and then go where no one is."
Winter arrives early in Beijing, but it's only been a month. The springs in the lake haven't frozen over yet, and some of the ice is very thin. If you fall into an ice hole at this time of year, it's a question of whether you can climb out.
Lin Qiuran asked the maid to keep a good eye on him. Tangyuan repeatedly assured him that he would not go ice skating in the lake, and only then did Lin Qiuran let him go.
Looking at her grandson jumping around, Mrs. Sun couldn't help but say, "Our house is big, there are so many places to play."
Lin Qiuran: "I'm thinking of building a swing in his yard, and then finding an empty space next to the garden to use as a martial arts training ground. When Xiao Xun comes back in the future, I can teach him kung fu."
Sun nodded, "Very good."
The day passed quickly, and the next morning, Lin Ming brought back several people, assigning them to various locations to serve. Ya Ji had been keeping an eye on these people a few days earlier, and they were sent over today.
The gatehouse was an important place, and it had to be constantly manned. There were two servants on duty, and two others who were good at tending to the gardens were assigned to the greenhouse.
Sun thought it was a waste to plant flowers and plants in the greenhouse, and thought it would be better to plant some vegetables that could be eaten in winter. What's the point of flowers? Can you get enough by looking at them?
Lin Qiuran didn't want the beautiful greenhouse to be filled with vegetables. She told Sun, "When we have money in the future, I'll build you a small shed in Shou'an Hall, and you can grow vegetables whenever you want."
Lin Qiuran would not force Sun to plant flowers, because that was Sun's yard.
They haven't lived separately yet, but Lin Qiuran is quite content.
Since she is the housekeeper, she has the final say on how the house is made. Sun also has her own yard, and she can do whatever she likes and wants in her own yard, and she doesn't care.
Even if Lin Qiuran didn't like it, she wouldn't say anything. Anyway, she couldn't see it if the gate was closed.
There were also a few new maids, two of whom worked for Sun. Lin Qiuran gave their indentures to Sun, and they would be under her orders from then on.
Lin Qiuran usually doesn't tell the two of them to do anything, and they all listen to Sun in matters big or small.
Lin Qiuran also had two more people on his side, who usually looked after the dumplings. Meanwhile, Liu Niang and Yun Niang continued to do their embroidery, which they were good at.
The Xiao family also has an embroidery room, but there are only two of them.
Lin Qiuran allocated money for the two to buy cloth and needles and thread, as well as the material brought from Yu An. He temporarily ordered two sets of clothes for each maid and servant per season, with spring and autumn counting as one season.
The old clothes of Lin Qiuran and his friends are all made of good materials and can still be worn. They can be made as needed.
Lin Ming became the manor's manager, settling these people and leaving guards outside the gate. Guards were hired; skilled kung fu servants were hard to find, but hired men were. This was necessary, as the mansion was populated by many people, and guards had to patrol regularly.
Lin Xia is in charge of the maids, and the family will remain in the same state after the Jinding Tower opens.
Lin Ming rushed back and forth, arranging each courtyard one by one, and then the servants each went about their duties. Lin Ming and his men became well-behaved and disciplined without even Lin Qiuran reminding them.
They used to eat together, but now they eat together as a group of three, taking advantage of their free time.
The kitchen staff was also rearranged. After all, Jindinglou needed to maintain business in the future, and Lin Chun and the others couldn't always be in the kitchen. If they left, the kitchen would be short of staff, which was absolutely unacceptable.
Lin Ming found two older cooks who were good at cooking Beijing cuisine. In just one day, there were many more people in the house.
Lin Ming felt strangely happy as he watched the increasingly orderly mansion. He had once been a servant in the Qian family, and later in the Xiao family. Now the Xiao family was far more prosperous than the Qian family. Although he was a servant, Lin Qiuran treated him well. Naturally, Lin Ming hoped that life in the mansion would get better and better, that he could live a stable life and not be sold off again.
In other words, even though it is not his own yard, he still lives here.
Lin Qiuran was happy, and his life became better.
Having just moved in and bought some people, Lin Ming planned to settle them down and then have the house cleaned up inside and outside, especially the garden. Although it was winter, the garden had some evergreen trees and a few plum trees, which were worth seeing if they were well maintained.
This yard is much larger than the Qian Mansion. Who would have thought that there would be mountains, water and pavilions in the yard? Lin Ming does not want such a house to end up abandoned.
After he settled the people, he went out again. He had important things to do, which was to customize furniture.
While the servants were busy, Lin Qiuran took some time to relax.
The mansion was very lively, but the main courtyard was the first to be cleaned up, and the mansion was large, so Lin Qiuran couldn't hear the cleaning sounds outside, and neither could Tangyuan, who was still sleeping on the kang.
Sun couldn't lie down, so she went out early in the morning and walked around here. Such a big place was enough for her to walk around for a long time.
Lin Qiuran was awake too, but with nothing to do, she just lay down on the kang. The kang was harder than a bed, but after laying out a few mattresses, it was quite comfortable. She was still tired from the journey.
Tangyuan woke up once in the morning, but didn't want to get up, so he wrapped himself in the quilt and pretended to be a rabbit.
Lin Qiuran thought he was a little childish, but then she thought that he was not even three years old, so it didn't matter if he was a little childish.
Tangyuan played with the rabbit in the nest for a while and then fell asleep again.
There was a little pink on his cheeks, and Lin Qiuran couldn't help but smile when he saw it.
This child is sleeping soundly now, not as noisy as he was last night.
The kang was heated last night, and Tangyuan was surprised that it could actually become warm. He felt so warm that he insisted on sleeping at the head of the kang.
The head of the kang was the hottest spot. Lin Qiuran felt it burning to the touch. Even with the mattress on, it was still hot. Lin Qiuran planned to leave this side empty, but Tangyuan insisted on sleeping there. Sun Shi also advised him against it, "It's too hot. You won't be able to bear it at night."
Tang Yuan said: "I'm not afraid of the heat!"
Lin Qiuran had no choice but to put his blanket over there. "Okay, you sleep over there. Don't cry no matter how hot it gets at night."
Tangyuan got into the quilt as he wished, and thought happily, it's so warm that he won't even complain about the heat. How could Yu An not have such a good thing?
But after just a while, I felt like my back was on fire, as if there was a fire burning in the stove. Whichever side I lay on was burning.
Tang Yuan also wanted to save face, so he gritted his teeth and endured it for a while, but he was afraid that Sun and Lin Qiuran had really fallen asleep. He moved a few times in the dark night, and no one asked him. Finally, he asked anxiously: "Mom, Grandma, I feel a little hot."
Lin Qiuran: "I told you not to complain about the heat."
Tang Yuan sniffed and tried to stretch out his arms and legs. Lin Qiuran only heard the noise and said, "Don't leave it out in the open. Everyone sleeps at night. Who will cover you with a blanket?"
Tangyuan: "I was wrong. I will never do that again."
Lin Qiuran moved him between himself and Sun, leaving the side near the head of the kang empty. Sun was older and slept at the head of the kang, while Lin Qiuran slept at the end.
Tang Yuan was still curious, "Mom, how did you know the kang was too hot to sleep?"
Lin Qiuran said, "Because I'm an adult, I know a lot, and you're still young, so you should be obedient most of the time. Otherwise, we would have fallen asleep a long time ago. No more talking, just go to sleep."
One night, the three of them slept well. Sun woke up early and went out quietly without disturbing the mother and son.
The mansion is covered with snow. It fell a few days ago, but the weather here is cold and it hasn't melted yet.
The sky was covered in snow, and the house was large and beautiful. The snow in the capital was heavier than in Yu'an. Yu'an also had snow, but it was much lighter. Sun Shi didn't go out, but walked around the house. The two maids followed her, but didn't disturb her.
Such beautiful scenery and such a large house were something Sun had never dared to imagine before.
It would be nice if his father and Xiao Xun were here too.
After strolling around the garden, Sun went to her own yard and stayed there for a while.
The courtyard was quite large, with a main house and side rooms, one of which was used as a kitchen, and several old trees, but she didn't know what they were. She went to the Buddhist temple and took a look around, but there were only rooms but no Buddha statues.
Sun returned to the main courtyard and asked the maid Lin Qiuran if she was awake before going in. Lin Qiuran saw that she was full of energy and seemed to be two years younger. "Mother, is it cold outside?"
Sun said, "You won't feel cold when you walk. Qiuran, you should also get me a Buddha statue when we move there."
Tang Yuan only heard the voice in front of him, "Mom, I want to go out."
I poured water over the glutinous rice balls yesterday, so they should have frozen solid.
Lin Qiuran asked the maid to follow him, and then said to Sun: "Okay, I will ask someone to invite you another day."
Lin Qiuran entrusted the matter to Lin Ming. It was simple. He just needed to find a temple and invite a Buddha statue there. He could burn incense and offer sacrifices every day to seek peace of mind.
Sun planned to worship Buddha often in the future. The family's current situation must be due to the Buddha's blessing. Only those who are rich should offer incense.
Sun nodded, "There's no rush. We'll just invite it over once we move over. Otherwise, if we leave it there and forget about it someday, it would be disrespectful to the Buddha."
Lin Qiuran nodded, this made sense.
She got up late, and it was already noon after she had been tidying up for a while. Since no one was suffering from acclimatization, and they were all family members at home, there was no need to follow local customs, so lunch was mainly composed of the usual dishes.
Lin Chun made braised pork, boiled pork, and spicy and sour potato shreds... Because he had just arrived in the capital, he didn't bring anything on the way here except for the convenient sauce and a few seasonings. These days he had to look for a shop while brewing rice wine to make pickled vegetable dipping sauce for his business.
There was no news from Ya Ji, and Lin Qiuran was anxious for two days, but then she calmed down. Just as she had advised Sun, they hadn't come to the capital just to close Yu An's Jindinglou. Besides, they still had the spice business, making money every month. Even if they did nothing in the capital, they could still make a living. They just had to slowly look for a shop.
Of course, Yu An was far away, so it was inconvenient to send money. It would be better to do business and make some money. As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench near thirst, so it would definitely be better to make money.
Two days passed like this, and on the afternoon of the sixth day of the New Year, Lin Qiuran finally took Tangyuan out. This was the first time she went out after moving. In the past, there were many little people in the family and she always had to work, so Lin Qiuran didn't stay at home often. Now she has a big house and a big yard, and everything inside and outside is new and exciting.
It is more comfortable at home. Lin Qiuran also likes the west room, except that there is no furniture. Once some good furniture is bought, it will definitely be more comfortable to live in.
If it weren't for Tangyuan, Lin Qiuran wouldn't have gone out today, because she had promised Tangyuan at the end of last month and was going to eat copper pot hot pot the next day.
Tangyuan quickly forgot about this incident, and Lin Qiuran didn't mention it. But after a few days at home, Lin Qiuran made braised lamb for lunch today. Yu An's meat was delicious, but not as tender as Lao Jin's hot pot, so Tangyuan remembered it again.
Although it was promised a long time ago, it is important to keep one's word. For a child of this age, it is most taboo to teach him not to break his promise, otherwise he will follow suit in the future.
Besides, just going there to heat up a hot pot was a small matter for Lin Qiuran.
Snowflakes were falling from the sky again in the evening. Sun felt cold and didn't want to go out. There were maids serving her at home and the food was ready. Lin Qiuran didn't persuade her and just came out with the dumplings.
The carriage arrived at the hot pot restaurant, and Lin Qiuran and Tangyuan got off.
The scenery at night is also good. The lights in the capital are as bright as day. The last snow has not melted yet, and new snow has fallen again. But it is very lively. Even though it is snowing at night, many people come out.
There was a seat inside, so Lin Qiuran didn't order much for two people. He only ordered a pound of frozen meat, some cabbage, vermicelli and frozen tofu. This time he didn't order mixed noodles, just half a pound of noodles.
Tangyuan likes to eat frozen tofu. After being frozen, the tofu is full of holes. Then it is cooked in the soup used to cook meat. It is particularly tasty and has the aroma of meat. It is then coated with a lot of sesame paste and tastes delicious.
He didn't need to be fed the glutinous rice balls; he ate them slowly with long chopsticks. He would tell Lin Qiuran what he wanted, and she would cook it and pass it to him. Of course, this was the only way to eat them, because the copper pot was high and open, so it was easy for the glutinous rice balls to get burned if they were eaten by themselves.
The mother and son were halfway through their meal when Lin Qiuran heard someone say, "This is the young master from that day, right?"
It was a man who was talking. Lin Qiuran was unfamiliar with the capital, so she didn't think he was talking to her. It was not until the man said it for the second time, and a shadow fell in front of her eyes, that Lin Qiuran raised her head. The man looked familiar. It was the old man she met when she went out that day.
Tang Yuan also raised his head and said, "Grandpa, it's snowing today. Why did you come out? You have to be careful."
There was sesame paste on the corner of Tangyuan's mouth. Lin Qiuran coughed and immediately wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.
Lu Zheng said, "It wasn't snowing when I came out. It just started. I was planning to go back soon. What a coincidence."
Tang Yuan nodded, "Well, go slower. My mother said that you can't fall in the same place twice."
Lu Zheng couldn't help laughing. This kid's words were really interesting.
Lin Qiuran smiled at Lu Zheng and said, "What a coincidence, we meet here. Has the old man finished his meal?"
Lu Zheng could tell that this was an attempt to drive him away. He said shamelessly, "Don't worry, my lady. Your son and I really hit it off and are destined to meet. We've even met twice. I live in the Anyang Marquis's Mansion. Don't worry that I'm a bad person."
He doesn't look like a servant in Anyang Marquis' Mansion. At this age, is he the old marquis?
Lin Qiuran nodded slightly, and Lu Zheng smiled and said, "If you need help, come to Anyang Marquis Mansion to find me. I'm old and don't have much to do."
Lü Zheng had retired, and the title had been given to his son. Now he had only one wish. Even if this child was not Minzhi's descendant, it was still a hope.
Lin Qiuran nodded, "Okay, take care, old man."
Lu Zheng had almost finished his meal. He hadn't been eating in the past few days, and he was afraid that it would be difficult to return if the snow got heavy, so he left.
Lin Qiuran glanced at the door a few times, waited for a while, and asked the waiter to settle the bill. "The one just now was from the Anyang Marquis Mansion..."
"Ah, it's the old Marquis of Anyang Mansion. Do you know him?"
Lin Qiuran shook his head. They had only exchanged a few words, so it couldn't be considered as acquaintance.
After eating, Lin Qiuran took the dumplings back home. She didn't mention what happened today to Sun, but she could see that the old marquis was not lying.
Since he came to ask twice, he must be sincere in wanting to help and not just saying it empty words.
Lin Qiuran didn't know much about the relationships between the aristocratic families in the capital, so the next day she asked Lin Xia to go out and inquire, and it turned out that it was indeed the old marquis of Anyang Marquisate.
If the other party wanted to return a favor, they could do something small or big. Lin Qiuran had thought about asking the old man for help and seeing if he could send Tangyuan to school. It was just a matter of helping him, but asking him to do such things would be too much trouble.
So Lin Qiuran wanted to ask if the Marquis' Mansion needed someone to cook.
If she was given a chance, she could make the banquet a beautiful one, and also promote Jindinglou. She wasn't sure, because in Yu'an, she had set up a stall before opening the shop, and after renovating it twice, there were still regular customers. But when she came to the capital, there was nothing.
Lin Qiuran made up his mind and wrote a note and asked Lin Xia to deliver it.
She also didn't know how the aristocratic families interacted with each other. Although the old man told her to go to the mansion to look for him, she couldn't go there directly and had to wait outside the door.
Lin Qiuran stated her purpose. If the Marquis' Mansion needed anyone, she could help prepare the banquet, but if not, that was fine too.
Although the old man promised to help, she felt that this was a matter of mutual consent. If the old man could not help and could not be forced to help, she would think of other ways.
The letter was delivered to the Anyang Marquis' Mansion, and Lu Zheng couldn't wait to open it.
"Madam, please come and take a look at the post written by the child's mother."
Madam Qin hurried over to see what was happening. As for the Marquis' Mansion, they could help with anything, even a place to live and gold, silver and treasures.
Mrs. Qin had never spoken to Lin Qiuran, but she heard from Lu Zheng that the child was well raised, and the children's goodness was due to the adults' words and deeds. Mrs. Qin hurried to see what was written on the post.
After reading it, she wondered, "Is that all?"
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