Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Returning to the court alone...
Lin Qiuran's hands couldn't help shaking. She read the letter carefully again to make sure she hadn't read it wrong.
The army will return to the capital soon. If Xiao Xun is still alive, he will be able to see him immediately.
She hurriedly took the letter to find Sun, and only then did Sun know that Lin Qiuran had returned. Her house was big, and if he was in Yu'an, a place that big, she would definitely see him as soon as he returned.
Sun came over, holding Tangyuan in her hand. "The Marquis' Mansion sent someone to deliver a letter to you. I asked someone to put it in the study."
This is something for Lin Qiuran, and Sun will definitely not look at it carelessly. Besides, Sun can't read. However, Tangyuan knows a few words and wants to show off his skills, but Sun stopped him from looking.
If it gets broken or something.
Lin Qiuran felt a mixture of emotions. She said, "Mother, I was just about to tell you about this. The old lady from the Anyang Marquis's Mansion wrote me a letter saying that the army will be returning to the capital soon. It would take at least half a month, or at most twenty days."
Today is the sixteenth, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Sun had been holding Tangyuan's hand, but her grip loosened upon hearing this. She asked in shock, "Qiuran, is this serious?"
Lin Qiuran said, "They definitely wouldn't lie to us about this. It must be true."
Sun murmured a few words, praying that Buddha would bless him. It had been almost two years, and he was finally back.
Tang Yuan looked confused. Seeing Sun and Lin Qiuran talking, he became anxious and quickly interrupted, "Mom, is my dad coming back?"
Lin Qiuran nodded heavily, "Yes, your father is coming back."
Lin Qiuran hadn't hidden Xiao Xun's affairs from Tang Yuan, but the child was young, so while she didn't intentionally hide it, she wouldn't reveal important matters to him. If Xiao Xun were alive, Tang Yuan would be happy to know. If Xiao Xun died on the battlefield, the child would also know.
Sun sniffed. Looking at the huge dumplings, she couldn't help but think of Xiao Xun when he was this age.
Seeing that Sun was about to cry, Lin Qiuran quickly showed her the letter and said, "It's a happy thing, just wait."
Although Sun couldn't read, she read the book over and over again. She felt very depressed, but there was a happy person at home.
When Sun was watching, Tangyuan wanted to see it too, and jumped anxiously, "Mom, don't just show it to grandma, show it to me too."
Lin Qiuran took him to the study and taught him to recognize these characters. After Tang Yuan finished recognizing the characters, he felt that something was wrong.
He looked up at Lin Qiuran, his eyes filled with confusion, "Mom, how come you can read now?"
When Lin Qiuran taught him to read, she simply told him what each word meant and told him to remember it. She said, "What's wrong with that? Don't you want to read the letter? But how can you read it if you don't know how to read? If you want to know something in the future, you can't just rely on others. Just like today, if you want to read the letter, you have to learn to read first... Mother can tell you, but what if Mother is not around?"
Tang Yuan nodded, "Mom, you make sense."
Lin Qiuran thought, how old is she, how could it not make sense? She couldn't even fool a child this age.
Knowing Xiao Xun would be back soon, they were only excited when they read the letter. After that, the family remained the same as usual. Lin Qiuran was still busy, and Sun was always watching Tang Yuan. After all, the Xiao family came to the capital to make ends meet, and it wasn't just to wait for Xiao Xun. The family needed money, and the shop needed renovations. They couldn't just stay at home every day waiting for the army to return.
Lin Qiuran has been a bit busy these days and is not in Yu'an. It is not easy to decorate a shop similar to Jindinglou. Originally, these things were handled by Manager Xu, but Lin Qiuran had not thought of opening a shop in the capital, so he did not think of asking for blueprints, so now he cannot copy the previous ones exactly.
Find a foreman and a master in the capital, and then Lin Qiuran will draw a rough blueprint, but some parts are not clear enough, so he needs to look at it carefully. Then he will make changes based on the situation here, taking it step by step.
There are many noble ladies from aristocratic families here, so the private rooms are not all large rooms that can accommodate more than ten people. There are also small rooms that can accommodate three or five people to sit down and drink tea and have snacks.
This requires rearranging the layout and trying the wood colors of the floor and walls one by one. No one else can help with these, so Lin Qiuran has to do it himself.
The only thing he was thankful for was that the original decor was elegant and would remain relevant even after moving to the capital, so he didn't need to buy a new one. The restaurant was now larger than Yu An's, and with one or two things done daily, it was gradually taking shape.
It was just decoration now; the real test was yet to come. Someone had invited her to a banquet recently, but Lin Qiuran didn't go, which wasn't good for the shop. Who knew how business would fare once it opened?
After the shop started to be decorated, Lin Qiuran also wrote a letter to Yu An, which was addressed to Xu Yuanheng.
Ever since Lin Qiuran declined Xu Yuanheng's offer of care, the two had no contact. She didn't know where Xu Yuanheng was, as they were so far apart.
But Xu Yuanheng had helped a lot in making Jindinglou what it is today. Lin Qiuran wrote to Xu Yuanheng, telling him that Jindinglou would open after the new year and hoped that Xu Yuanheng would come to support it.
After the letter was mailed, Lin Qiuran sighed inwardly. Xu Yuanheng had been traveling extensively for business, and she wondered if he would ever settle in Beijing. She had done what she was supposed to do, and she hadn't lost her manners.
Lin Qiuran also told Sun about this matter, and Sun nodded, saying that this was the right thing to do.
Young Master Xu has helped the Xiao family a lot. He cannot forget his roots just because he comes to the capital. Besides, there is also the spice business and other things. I should write a letter to tell him that in the future, when Xu Yuanheng comes to the capital, he doesn’t have to eat anywhere else. He can just come to Jindinglou. It is convenient and saves trouble.
Sun had been worried for the past two years, but Xu Yuanheng had continued to take care of Lin Qiuran, Tangyuan, and the Xiao family, without ever overstepping his bounds. Sun felt sorry for such a kind person, for always making wild assumptions.
And even if she didn't believe Xu Yuanheng, she had to believe Lin Qiuran. Sun thought, if there was anything, it would have been there long ago and she wouldn't have waited until now.
Then why do men sometimes advise women to turn a blind eye? This is a different principle. If Xiao Xun comes back, he can't use this as an excuse.
Sun also asked, after coming to the capital, the Jinding Building here would no longer give Manager Shi a share of the profits. This was reasonable, after all, Manager Shi did not come here and did not help much.
Sun Shi didn't have to worry about the shop's affairs. She took Tang Yuan with her these few days to prevent him from causing trouble for Lin Qiuran. Seeing Tang Yuan carefree, Sun Shi was both relieved and nervous. She was afraid that the news she would receive in half a month would not be good.
After a few days, the servants of the Xiao family could hear the news that the army was about to return to the capital when they went out on the street.
The people were talking about it. The current situation was much better than when the war started. At that time, everyone was in danger and many dignitaries in the capital fled south for refuge. Now everyone has returned. They also heard that a victory had been won in the northwest and the army would be back soon. People from all walks of life were talking about this matter.
When Lin Qiuran went out, he could still hear passersby mentioning Xiao Xun's name. Some were curious about what Xiao Xun was like, and they said all sorts of things about him, saying he had three heads and six arms, could fight and kill, and that he was as immortal as Yama. They made it sound supernatural.
Although the description was confusing, Xiao Xun was a hero in the eyes of the people.
This feeling was very novel, and Lin Qiuran felt proud of it.
Of course, Xiao Xun's name wasn't the only one there. Several other generals were also renowned. Lin Qiuran hoped they would return safely as well.
As the days passed, Lin Qiuran could hear these things without blushing or getting nervous when he went out.
On the 22nd, she went to the Dingbei Marquis' Mansion. Someone was sent to pick her up. She was helping the Dingbei Marquis' wife to organize a banquet. Of course, she didn't just go because she was invited. The Dingbei Marquis' wife gave her a set of very beautiful porcelain.
Mrs. Qin said that we should cater to his preferences, so we can't accept everything. This really catered to his preferences, and Lin Qiuran really liked these.
Xu Yuanheng had also given it to her before, and it was also fired in a folk kiln, but Lin Qiuran did not compare them and thought both were beautiful.
Lin Qiuran brought all the porcelain cups Xu Yuanheng had sent her back to Beijing. After all, she wouldn't be back in Yu'an often, so she definitely couldn't leave them in her hometown. However, she couldn't bear to use them, so they had been in the warehouse. Now she had three sets of porcelain, so she could use the old ones first.
But it was only for her and Sun, so Tangyuan should use sturdy bowls and plates. He was young and didn't know how to control his hands. If he dropped it, a piece of porcelain would be missing from the set. Lin Qiuran felt sorry for the porcelain but couldn't bear to blame Tangyuan, so he was the one who felt bad.
Of course, it had to be an accidental fall. If it was intentional, he would definitely be beaten.
She really doesn't lack other things. She has money and can buy herself clothes and jewelry. Of course, it's good to have them.
The wife of the Marquis of Dingbei was sincere, and Lin Qiuran didn't try to fool around. At the Marquis of Anyang's mansion, she had made peonies and roses. This time, she made azaleas and lily of the valley. The wife of the Marquis of Dingbei was very satisfied and talked to Lin Qiuran for a long time.
"Madam Lin and I really feel like family when we meet. I've always been curious about what kind of person could make such a dessert, and today I finally get to see it." Lady Dingbei Marquis's voice was contemptuous. Normally, she was not like that, but Lin Qiuran was from Xuzhou and spoke with an accent there, so she subconsciously followed suit and spoke in a soft and slow tone.
Lin Qiuran is good-looking, well-dressed, and makes snacks slowly and leisurely, which is pleasing to the eye. And when you talk to her, you can tell that she is literate.
A woman with her own ideas is as gentle as water, but a drop of water can wear away a stone.
The wife of Marquis Dingyuan also took the opportunity to ask about Lin Qiuran's husband. Lin Qiuran replied, "My husband is not in the capital. He is on his way."
Lin Qiuran's words were ambiguous. If Xiao Xun could come back, since he had been promoted, he could provide protection for his family. If he was gone, she would also be the widow of a meritorious official.
The Marquis of Dingbei's wife understood that Lin Qiuran's husband had probably become an official and was now living in another place. There were many such men, who went out to fight in wars, came to the capital to take the imperial examinations, and had wives and children at home. But it was hard to say what would happen to them after that.
She couldn't figure out whether Lin Qiuran came here on his own or if his family had brought him here. Regardless, Lin Qiuran was capable and probably wasn't afraid.
The wife of the Marquis of Dingbei smiled and said, "Madam Lin, if you can ever use me, please don't hesitate to ask. You've really helped me out today. I'm a rough person, I don't know how to host a banquet, let alone arrange beautiful flowers and plants. I used to be laughed at, but today I can finally hold my head high."
Lin Qiuran smiled and nodded, but didn't say much. After the banquet was over, the wife of Marquis Anding gave her another gift, which Lin Qiuran accepted with some politeness.
After returning and opening it, he found a set of beautiful cups. Lin Qiuran always liked these things, so he asked the maid to remove the old ones and replace them with new ones.
Tang Yuan thought these things were pretty, too, but he wasn't particularly interested, and he didn't understand why his mother liked them so much. Because of a habit he'd developed since childhood, Lin Qiuran wouldn't let him touch them, so he obediently stayed put, never digging them out to look at them when the adults weren't around.
Lin Qiuran took out the set of porcelain given by Xu Yuanheng and used it. It was given by the wife of Marquis Dingbei and put it away in the warehouse in the main courtyard.
There were only so many people in the family, so Lin Qiuran turned one of the rooms in the main courtyard into a warehouse to store his own things, and the public things were placed in another courtyard.
Everything is categorized and available to everyone. Of course, Sun and Tangyuan's things are also placed in their own yard.
Lin Qiuran didn't want the main courtyard to be cluttered with all sorts of things. He could just take out what he needed and put away what he didn't. It would all be at home, so it wouldn't be a hassle.
If Tangyuan's yard is messy, Lin Qiuran will say that it is because good habits must be developed, and she will not care about Sun, because she is the elder and she cannot see it even if the yard door is closed.
As a result, the house was in perfect order, with the maids and servants each doing their job. Lin Qiuran had basically never taken care of the maids and servants, as they were all managed by Lin Ming and Lin Xia, and they were in good working order.
Lin Ming became more and more capable, while Lin Xia had long forgotten about her original home. She had never imagined that she would have the life she has now, with enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, and even be able to come to the capital.
She is sixteen years old this year and has never thought about getting married. She suffered in the past, but now she just wants to save money and eat and drink more.
She received two taels of silver as monthly allowance, and over the years she had saved quite a bit, enough to buy her freedom, but Lin Xia didn't want to. There were so many delicious foods in the capital, and she wanted to try everything she had never tasted before.
Besides, life after redeeming oneself may not be as good as it is now. If the master comes back, life at home will definitely be better.
The Xiao family moved to this street, and there were people living on both sides. People coming in and out asked who lived in the Xiao family, and gradually rumors spread.
It had only been a month since she arrived, but there was already a lot of gossip. Some were saying that Lin Qiuran was the mistress of some noble family's son, and the words were quite harsh.
These things don't happen in Yu'an, but people in the capital do. Lin Xia cursed in her heart, but she must not let the lady and the young master hear this.
When I went out today, no one gossiped about the Xiao family. Instead, they said that the army was back. “Have you heard? They’re coming back.”
"I heard it, I heard it, I'm in Youzhou now, I wonder if I can get there today."
"Shall we go to the city gate and take a look?"
"Walk."
Lin Xia then went out and hurried back to the mansion after hearing the news. She ran from the mansion gate to the main courtyard. As she entered the main courtyard, she shouted, "Madam, someone said the army is back!"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Thank you for your support, please support me~[Panda Head][Cat Head][Sprinkle Flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
