Chapter 74 Chapter 74 What I want to say...
While Lin Qiuran was still confused, Xiao Xun had already moved the things over.
Xiao Xun asked: "Put it in the house?"
Seeing him effortlessly holding the things, his eyes still shining, Lin Qiuran seemed to understand something. She coughed and said, "Look what's inside. Master Xu said there's some for Tangyuan."
After saying this, Lin Qiuran could clearly see Xiao Xun was stunned and asked her, "Can I see it?"
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Why not? Let's see."
After saying that, she turned around and went back to the kitchen to busy herself. There was nothing to hide.
Xiao Xun stared at Lin Qiuran's back, and only lowered his head after she went in. He thought he couldn't see these things.
He took the gift from Xu Yuanheng and went to the next room. Aunt Xu was there with Ying Jie'er, who was older than Tang Yuan by half a year. Xiao Xun couldn't help but wonder what Tang Yuan looked like when she was that size. He teased Ying Jie'er for a bit before going to the table next to him to see what was in the box.
The first box contained children's toys. He breathed a sigh of relief after looking at them. They were different from the ones he brought back. They were some large shells and conches.
It's nice to have someone else care for Tangyuan, but as always, some of the stuff will go unused. Xiao Xun is a father, so naturally he doesn't want his stuff to be left aside. And Xu Yuanheng's gift was thoughtful, so it wouldn't be nice to leave it unused.
Among these novelties, Xiao Xun saw a string of shells strung together. There was everything on it, and he had no idea what it was used for.
He opened another box, and inside was a set of beautiful porcelain. The porcelain lay quietly in the box, each piece wrapped in paper and padded with straw to prevent any bumps.
Xiao Xun took a look at one, which was small and exquisite, especially in his hand.
After looking for a while, Xiao Xun's hand paused. He remembered that there was also a set of such porcelain on the table at home. The teacups and teapots were matched and placed on a tray. It made the room look beautiful, but also out of place with the somewhat empty house.
That was also given by Xu Yuanheng.
If he used it after being given as a gift, he must like it. If it weren't for today, Xiao Xun might never have noticed that Lin Qiuran liked these things in his life.
He closed the box gently and moved it to a corner to prevent anyone passing by from bumping into it.
There were a few bird calls outside. Aunt Xu was teasing Ying Jie'er. Ying Jie'er loved to laugh. Xiao Xun glanced at her and forced himself to sort out the complicated and chaotic thoughts in his mind.
Xu Yuanheng has always been polite, and Qiu Ran has never crossed the line. The two of them have business dealings as partners, but also a gentlemanly friendship.
Thinking this way, Xiao Xun felt uncomfortable. Even if Xu Yuanheng did this, he would not want it. But if he did not want it, where would Lin Qiuran be?
When Xiao Xun was not back, it was Xu Yuanheng who helped. He could help Qiu Ran a lot, which meant he could help the Xiao family a lot. Xu Yuanheng was very kind to Tang Yuan and would think of bringing Tang Yuan some gifts when he came over.
Xiao Xun is back and is also in Xuzhou. There have been some movements in the northern border recently... It is enough for Xu Yuanheng to be good to them and their son.
From then on, more people would give Lin Qiuran beautiful porcelain.
He was Lin Qiuran's husband, but he didn't do many things a husband should do.
Xiao Xun looked at Ying Jie'er again, he missed Tangyuan a little.
There's nothing to do here, so I might as well move my things back home, otherwise they might fall when it gets dark.
Xiao Xun went to the kitchen door, "Qiu Ran."
Lin Qiuran was cooking. She glanced behind Xiao Xun and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Xun forced a smile and said, "Mr. Xu brought some toys and a tea set for Tang Yuan. I'm afraid they might get bumped or damaged, so I'll take them back first."
Lin Qiuran nodded and said, "Okay, then come back later to get food for Mom and the others. You can decide whether to eat at home or come back."
If Xiao Xun was eating at home, Lin Qiuran would give him more.
In the past, Lin Xia would come to get it. When Xiao Xun was there, the two of them could focus on taking care of the children and also do other things.
Xiao Xun said, "I'll come back to eat."
After saying that, he carried his things home.
After the people left, Wan Niang couldn't help but say, "Your husband really listens to you."
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Why, Zhao Shi doesn't listen to you, I think Ri Ri will come to pick him up."
Zhao Shi has a good temper. Occasionally, Lin Qiuran feels that the two of them have a harmonious relationship, which is very nice to watch.
*
Xiao Xun arrived home very quickly. There was always someone at the Xiao family's house now. Today, Sun and Xiao Dashi were both there. Tang Yuan was asleep. Xiao Dashi saw Xiao Xun carrying something back and couldn't help asking, "What did you carry?"
Xiao Xun glanced at the things in his hand and said, "Mr. Xu came over and brought some toys for Tangyuan."
Xiao Xun didn't say anything about the teacup.
Xiao Dashi nodded. "Mr. Xu is a really nice person. He usually takes good care of our family. Tang Yuan even came over for a full moon and gave us a gold lock."
Xiao Dashi treats Xu Yuanheng differently from the way he treats Manager Shi and the others. Manager Shi's family is poor, and Lu Fan and the others are not married yet, so he has to be on guard.
But Xu Yuanheng was different. Xiao Dashi admired Xu Yuanheng in his heart. He was rich, generous and open in his work. Moreover, he felt that Xu Yuanheng's family was rich. In the past, he thought that Xu Yuanheng looked down on Lin Qiuran, a widow. Now Xiao Xun was back and they had a child. Xu Yuanheng had seen all kinds of women, so it was impossible for him to have other thoughts.
Xiao Dashi had been wary of Shi and his gang, but he simply thought Xu Yuanheng was a good person. The Xu family was wealthy, and Xu Yuanheng was young and promising.
Sun was stunned when she heard this. Seeing Xiao Xun was also stunned, she quickly said, "His father, why are you only talking about Master Xu? Didn't Xinghua also buy a lock for Tangyuan? And didn't Manager Shi and the others also buy one together?"
Lin Qiuran really didn't mention this matter. Firstly, it had been a long time since the incident, and she didn't let Tangyuan wear the lock for fear of losing it, and she couldn't remember it. Secondly, Xu Yuanheng probably did this in his daily interactions with others. Given the Xu family's wealth, he would either not give it at all, or if he gave a silver lock, he might think it was not presentable.
Besides, Lin Qiuran felt that if Xu Yuanheng really had feelings for her, Tangyuan was Xiao Xun's child, so how could he be so generous?
Xu Yuanheng had never crossed the line, and Lin Qiuran couldn't possibly be so sentimental as to tell him, "I have a husband and children, and we should have minimal contact except for business matters." She certainly couldn't have specifically told Xiao Xun, "Xu Yuanheng gave Tangyuan a gold locket. As a father, why don't you show some appreciation? Isn't she just too bored?"
Sun was a little anxious, afraid that Xiao Xun would start to overthink things. "It's the full moon, and Master Xu is doing business with Qiu Ran again, so he must do his best to save face."
Fortunately, Xiao Xun just smiled and said, "Mom, I met Master Xu today. He's a nice guy. I'll go into the house first and pick out the toys that Tangyuan can use. Put away the ones that he can't use and give them to him later."
Sun nodded repeatedly, "Well, I'll give it to Tangyuan to play with later."
She looked at Xiao Xun's expression, and it seemed that there was nothing unusual. Sun couldn't help but blame Xiao Dashi, "What are you talking about? You say everything."
Xiao Dashi said, "What did I say? Didn't I buy a gold lock? Why don't you allow me to say it?"
Sun was so angry that she said!
Sun: "Speak softly! What's there to say? Just do what you need to do..."
Xiao Xun carried his things into the house and closed the door, blocking out all the noise from outside. He sighed. It would be a lie to say he didn't mind. Too many things happened at home while he was away, many of which he didn't know about and had no way of knowing.
Xu Yuanheng bought a gold lock for Tangyuan.
He also wondered how anyone could be willing to treat someone so well.
But after some doubts, Xiao Xun wondered if he hadn't done enough to make him feel this way. Perhaps Master Xu was still wondering why his father was so busy, unable to come home for days, not even having Tang Yuanyue at home.
Xiao Xun sighed again. He put the things away and picked out the ones that were fun to play with.
He took a few glances at the tea set, tidied up in the house for a while, and then returned to the restaurant. He first brought food to Sun and the others, and then went back to eat.
When he returned, there were still customers in the restaurant, but the people on the second floor had already finished eating. Zhao Xing and the others had cleaned up the place, and the customers on the first floor were also eating, so Lin Qiuran didn't need to cook for the customers.
She took the mutton from the side, sliced it into thin slices and marinated it, planning to make a cumin mutton dish for lunch. Nowadays, restaurants have a full range of seasonings, including green onions and cilantro, so the taste will not be bad.
This dish is made for Xiao Xun.
When Lin Ming and the other two came, Lin Qiuran added two more dishes. Although the dishes were simple, they were still too many.
It can’t be that Xiao Xun is a family member and he finally came back. I had to eat half of what they ate last night, so I can’t just finish it today.
Xiao Xun is a family member now. Lin Qiuran cannot treat him badly. If Lin Xia and the others see it, they will also treat Xiao Xun badly and even not take the Sun family seriously.
Lin Qiuran remembered that he had been injured, and since she was free today, she was willing to cook two more dishes to make the place more lively.
There was also a pot of pickled rabbit cubes, which Lin Qiuran had asked Zhao Xing to buy from the street that morning. The hunters in the village would come to the street to buy rabbits after they shot them. She bought two, planning to make spicy rabbit cubes. Xiao Xun seemed to like spicy food, and Lin Qiuran also liked spicy dishes, which could make her eat two more bowls of rice.
There are two rabbits, half of which will be eaten at noon, and the other half will be taken away by Xiao Xun tomorrow afternoon. Oily things are not easy to spoil and can be eaten for two days.
Deep-fry the diced rabbit directly in the pan, paying careful attention to the heat. Turn the diced rabbit frequently to ensure it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Once done, remove the diced rabbit from the pan, clean the pan, and sauté the dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, and garlic in a generous amount of oil until fragrant. Lin Qiuran uses more chilies than the rabbit in this dish, filling the kitchen with a spicy aroma mixed with the meaty goodness, making it incredibly tempting.
The aroma drifted into the courtyard and then into the lobby, where there were two tables of guests. One of the guests couldn't help but look up and said, "What is this? What dish is this? Who ordered it? It smells so good!"
A regular customer knew about it, and he sniffed but didn't look up, "Don't ask, probably someone from home is back, so they're making something fresh and delicious."
Either my husband has returned, or there are other guests.
Besides, the cook has to eat too, right? He knows a lot of dishes, so it's normal for him to make something new. They come every few days, so they don't eat enough, but the cook makes the same thing every day and is not allowed to try some fresh dishes?
The customer who asked the question nodded. "I see. But we can also add it to the menu. We can make money."
Seeing others making money is frustrating, but restaurants are desperate to have more dishes. If the restaurant next door also opened a business, they would definitely add more dishes. Otherwise, it would be a shame to have such a limited menu in such a large place.
In the kitchen, Lin Qiuran served the dishes. When she cooked, she didn't think of a menu in her mind before cooking. She just went with her gut feeling, adding meat and seasonings when she felt it was about right, as if she had a scale in her heart.
Lin Qiuran asked Lin Dong to check if the guests had finished eating. If the guests were not particularly hungry, Lin Qiuran would still wait until the guests had finished eating before they ate. This way, the guests could eat comfortably and feel more comfortable.
And sometimes the dishes are different, so all the guests will ask about it.
Lin Dong went out to take a look and came back, "Madam, they haven't finished eating yet."
Lin Qiuran covered the dish with gauze and said, "Wait a moment then."
There was nothing to do here at Wan Niang's place, so Lin Qiuran served her food first, which was enough for one person. She always took the food home to eat and only left it for herself occasionally. When Xiao Xun came back, she didn't join in the fun.
After waiting for a while until the customers left the restaurant, Lin Qiuran asked Lin Dong and others to serve the dishes and rice.
Xiao Xun also came over to serve the dishes. Because there were so many people, the small table downstairs couldn't accommodate them all, so they brought the dishes directly upstairs.
The portion of each dish was quite large, and Zhao Xing's mouth was watering as he watched. However, he had been there for several days and could not eat as much as he had on the first day.
Anyway, you can eat it every day, so you can’t overeat.
A group of people sat down, Xiao Xun sat next to Lin Qiuran, and on her other side was Shopkeeper Shi. The others sat wherever they wanted.
Lin Qiuran said, "We've been busy for quite some time, come eat."
Cumin lamb and spicy diced rabbit were placed in front of Xiao Xun, and the other dishes were placed separately. Lin Qiuran picked up his chopsticks, and the others also started to eat one after another.
They had been working for half a day, and even Lin Ming and the other two had some work to do. Lin Ming followed Shopkeeper Shi to buy and unload goods, while Lin Chun and Lin Ying washed and cut vegetables in the kitchen.
They had worked as servants in wealthy families and knew that they could not refuse to work unless their master told them to. They even understood that the work was stolen and that only by plundering their master's favor could they have a better life in the future.
After joining the Xiao family, I still follow this.
It's really tiring to work at the Xiao family. When I was at the Qian family, the kitchen wasn't very busy. It was only busy for a short while a day, preparing three meals a day. There are so many customers in the Xiao family restaurant, but Lin Qiuran is also busy, so they can't be idle.
Moreover, it was the first time that she saw the host’s cooking was better than theirs. The bok choy was so delicious.
Xiao Xun looked at the two dishes in front of him, then at Lin Qiuran. He first gave her some of each before eating. "We didn't have these last night, but we have them today. They were made just for him."
Xiao Xun tasted the diced rabbit. He added chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. He didn't mind the spicy taste of the dry chili peppers, nor the numbness of the Sichuan peppercorns. The spicy aroma of the spices mixed with the aroma of the meat was extremely delicious.
The cumin lamb was even more delicious, and Xiao Xun quickly went to get a second bowl of rice.
Today we had delicious braised pork, crispy and tender ginger duck, tasty braised fish... and two spicy and appetizing dishes, so everyone ate longer than usual.
After finishing his meal, Shopkeeper Shi didn't want to move at all. "I ate too much again. I'll be scolded when I get home."
Being fat means that his family is well-off, but when he is fat, he is too lazy to move and even gasps for breath after walking a lot. Shopkeeper Shi’s wife even says that he snores, and he eats too much, so he must be scolded.
Xiao Xun glanced at Lin Qiuran. He had also eaten too much today.
Zhao Xing interrupted, "Of course not. If you're like Tangyuan's dad, your sister-in-law won't say anything no matter how much you eat."
Lin Qiuran: "Alright, alright, it's getting late, you guys should pack up and go back early."
The restaurant is just a small room, so you either have to bring your own chairs and lie down like Manager Shi, otherwise there is no room for so many people.
A few of them cleaned up the place quickly and then dispersed.
Lin Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief. She said to Xiao Xun, "I need to get some sleep. How about you?"
Xiao Xun: "Then I'll go home and see Tangyuan."
He had just gone back twice and Tangyuan was sleeping. He should have woken up by now.
Lin Qiuran nodded. Xiao Xun didn't come back often, and Tangyuan was not in the restaurant during the day. The time the father and son spent together was very short. It would be better for him to go back and take care of the child for a while, so that he wouldn't forget to recognize him in the future.
Xiao Xun nodded, but Lin Qiuran calculated that he had run back and forth several times today, no wonder he looked thin.
From afternoon to sunset, and from sunset to night, the number of people on the street gradually increased and then gradually decreased, and the busy day was finally over.
Lin Qiuran was really busy all day. In the evening, Xiao Xun pulled the donkey cart and she rode back.
The car was a bit shaky, making Lin Qiuran drowsy. When she got home, she rubbed her shoulders and said, "You have to go to bed early today."
She hugged Tangyuan and kissed his cheek. He was in good spirits today. Sun said, "Xiao Xun held me in the sun for a while at noon."
The sun is not very strong at this time of year, but it will not be like this in May or June.
Tangyuan was very happy because he had been away for so long.
Lin Qiuran smiled and handed the task of coaxing the child to Sun. Xiao Xun had already returned to the house, and Lin Qiuran also entered the house.
The light was on in the room, and Lin Qiuran saw the teapot on the table at a glance.
Xiao Xun also looked at the teapot and said, "This was a gift from Master Xu. I thought it was good, so I replaced the original one and made some scented tea. Would you like to try it?"
Lin Qiuran nodded. She didn't expect Xiao Xun to do this.
Put yourself in his shoes. If she were Xiao Xun and Xiao Xun were her, and there was a woman doing business with him and giving him gifts, Lin Qiuran would not be able to do the same as him.
She even felt like a bit of a bully.
Lin Qiuran sat at the table. Xiao Xun poured her a cup of scented tea. She took a sip and it tasted sweet.
Lin Qiuran said slowly, "Mr. Xu and I have partnered up in a spice business. These spices are used in cooking. Adding a little to stir-fries and stews makes them taste better. We've been doing this for half a year now, and we make tens or even hundreds of taels of profit every month. I invented the spices myself. We also have a snack business..."
Lin Qiuran briefly explained the whole story, including how the two Suns were taken away and how she went to the Jiang family to make snacks. However, when she asked the Xu family for help, she was left with nothing.
Xu Yuanheng treats her and Tangyuan very well now. Lin Qiuran sometimes feels unworthy of him, but from beginning to end, she has never forgotten what happened in the past.
Xu Yuanheng is a businessman, and businessmen value profit. He is making a profit now, but who can predict what the future will be like?
Lin Qiuran said, "Mr. Xu from Tang Yuanyue also came and gave me a longevity lock made of gold. Occasionally, when he comes to discuss business, he also gives me porcelain. We also have other things in the storeroom at home."
Lin Qiuran didn't know why she said this. Maybe it was because Xiao Xun had given her a new cup, and she would change it herself every time there was a new one.
Or maybe it was because of this pot of tea. Lin Qiuran originally drank water, and she didn't know where the scented tea came from.
It is also possible that Xiao Xun knew it even without her saying it, but she did say it anyway.
Xiao Xun poured Lin Qiuran some more tea and said, "It's good to have more people care about Tangyuan. I also want to tell you something."
Lin Qiuran asked, "What's the matter?"
Xiao Xun glanced into Lin Qiuran's eyes, then lowered his head again. "There's a war going on in the northwest. I don't know when I can come back, or if I can come back. Qiuran, if I..."
Lin Qiuran couldn't help but interrupt: "What are you talking about, a will?"
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