At this moment, Pei Yanzhi strolled over as if he had suddenly noticed her, drying his hair as he sat down opposite Jiang Shuwan.
Dipping sauce is essential for hot pot. Jiang Shuwan had already prepared her own sauce, and seeing that Pei Yanzhi's hands were busy, she prepared one for him as well.
"Do you eat spicy food?" she asked.
“Okay,” he said.
Nodding, Jiang Shuwan added half a spoonful of chili to his oil dish. Thinking about how he had been exposed to the wind and snow, she added another half spoonful, placing the bright red bowl in front of him.
The pot was bubbling away, and Jiang Shuwan picked up her chopsticks and started adding vegetables and meat.
As soon as she started cooking, she thought of the vegetables that had fallen on the street earlier that day, and she felt a pang of heartache.
Li Chengyun is such a fool; vegetables are so expensive in the dead of winter.
All they do is smear good things.
Cursing Li Chengyun in her heart, Jiang Shuwan buried her head in her food and ate diligently. She was really hungry after her trip to the Fourth Prince's residence today, which had been both frightening and exhausting.
Halfway through the meal, the kitchen brought over freshly boiled milk.
After drinking half a bowl in one gulp, Xiao Tao quietly walked over and lowered her voice.
"Miss, Fang is back."
Jiang Shuwan immediately looked up at Pei Yanzhi, who was eating with his head down, seemingly unconcerned about what was happening on her side. Jiang Shuwan thought for a moment, then waved for him to come in.
"Greetings, Miss."
Fang Xiaozi is taller than last year. The young man braved the wind and snow to come back from the north, and he is in great spirits.
He was accompanied by eight burly men, each with agile physiques and steady, powerful strides, clearly skilled soldiers.
This time when Fang returned to Beijing, he brought nothing but these eight people.
The leader was an acquaintance of Jiang Shuwan's, the younger brother of the general who led the team transporting the glass before. His surname was Gu, and Jiang Shuwan called him General Little Gu.
General Xiao Gu is one of General Sun's top generals, specializing in protecting General Sun's safety. Jiang Shuwan had previously heard Sun Wanwan say that General Xiao Gu was extremely skilled, and even Lu Shaogan was no match for him.
Unexpectedly, with just one sentence from her, General Sun sent General Gu over.
"Thank you for your trouble, General," Jiang Shuwan said politely and solemnly.
"It is our duty, and my subordinates and brothers will swear to protect the county magistrate's safety with their lives."
General Gu spoke in a deep voice, glancing at the courtyard outside Jiang Shuwan as he spoke.
There seems to be something in the yard.
His cold gaze swept over the area several times without turning back, while the soldiers behind him placed their hands on the long swords at their waists, their nerves on edge, and the veins on their wrists bulging.
"..."
Following their gaze, Jiang Shuwan looked out of the courtyard with a puzzled expression.
The snow was falling heavily, and everything was a vast expanse of white. Apart from the snow and the familiar scenery of the courtyard, she couldn't see anything else.
However, she had her own mind and turned her head slightly to look at Pei Yanzhi.
The other person sat upright behind the kang table, holding a teacup in both hands. Despite being stared at by Jiang Shuwan, his expression remained unchanged from beginning to end, gentle and composed, self-disciplined and courteous.
General Gu also realized the problem and turned his gaze to Pei Yanzhi, his eyes filled with vigilance and a hint of murderous intent.
After a pause, Jiang Shuwan spoke, "The Crown Prince is one of our own."
"Yes." General Gu lowered his head, concealing his guarded expression.
However, he remained very vigilant, as his orders were to protect Jiang Shuwan's safety.
Everyone except Jiang Shuwan was someone he was wary of, including Pei Yanzhi.
After exchanging a few words with Fang, Jiang Shuwan asked him to take General Gu and the others to be settled down. From now on, General Gu would be her personal bodyguard.
Fang Xiaozi didn't come back for the New Year, so Jiang Shuwan gave Fang Pozi three days off to let the family reunite.
Three days later, Fang Xiaozi will return to the North. In the spring, the North needs to clear land, plant flowers to make perfume, and grow sugar beets.
To improve efficiency, Jiang Shuwan also asked the northern region to build several large greenhouses for seedling cultivation, as the northern region is currently in dire need of manpower.
After giving these instructions, Jiang Shuwan sat down to continue eating, still clutching the letter written by Sun Wanwan in her hand.
She was drinking milk, opening the letter and about to read it when she heard Pei Yanzhi call Yin Quan in.
"Remove the bodyguards around the young mistress."
Yin Quan was startled. He looked up at Jiang Shuwan, then at his own young master, and finally answered "Yes." He walked to the door and waved his hand outside. Instantly, several dark figures jumped out from the rooftops and corners of the courtyard.
In the snow, they bowed to Jiang Shuwan from afar, then retreated swiftly like the tide, leaving not even their footprints on the ground.
Xiao Tao's jaw dropped when she saw it.
"Miss, have they been here the whole time?"
"……I guess so……"
Jiang Shuwan was unaware that if General Gu hadn't noticed something amiss, she wouldn't have known that Pei Yanzhi had people in her own courtyard.
The girl's clear gaze fell on Pei Yanzhi, who had already finished eating and was preparing to leave. He didn't say anything when he saw her questioning look.
Jiang Shuwan didn't ask.
It was indeed unethical of Pei Yanzhi to send people to monitor her, but the people came to her rescue as soon as they received the news, and now that they saw she had bodyguards, they withdrew them without saying a word...
Therefore, to continue to argue would be ungrateful.
She's not like the female lead in a TV drama, where she has to say things like "You actually sent someone to spy on me" when her life is in danger.
Achoo!
Across from him, Pei Yanzhi suddenly sneezed and rubbed his forehead.
Did I catch a cold from the cold?
"Xiao Tao, call the imperial physician to come and examine the young master."
Soon the physician from the prefectural office came, took her pulse, and prescribed medicine. While the medicine was being decocted, Jiang Shuwan went to her private storehouse and found an old ginseng root from the north, which she had someone deliver to Pei Yanzhi's courtyard.
"I'm losing so much money—"
She murmured to herself, staring at Pei Yanzhi's departing figure.
The furs and ginseng from the north are in high demand, and she is reluctant to give them to ordinary people.
I'm going all out today...
Back in her room, Jiang Shuwan soaked her feet while reading the letter Sun Wanwan had given her.
Ever since she went to the north, Sun Wanwan has become addicted to writing letters, rambling on and on about everything in her life, big and small, such as what Young Master Lu is doing lately, and what General Sun and his wife are doing.
Jiang Shuwan read it word by word, feeling an extraordinary sense of warmth.
In particular, Sun Wanwan mentioned her pregnancy in the letter, saying that the baby's movements had become more and more obvious recently, and that the baby was turning over in her belly and sometimes kicking her, which hurt her, so she chased after Lu Shao and hit him.
Lu Shaogan dared not fight back or run away. Once, she punched him in the eye until it was swollen. Lu Shaogan was fine, but she was taught a lesson by General Sun.
Then they talked about the greenhouse, saying that based on Jiang Shuwan's description, they found many coal mines in Hedong, but the mining was difficult and transportation was also troublesome. The local aristocratic families also wanted a share of the profits, so they could not transport them in large quantities.
However, it's enough to provide heating for Dashi, as the temperature is stable and the fire burns for a long time.
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