Chapter 318 Production on New Year's Eve
Ye Chutang had already invited Song Jingning, the Cui brothers and sisters, and Sun Chu to have New Year's Eve dinner.
She looked at Chen Ruoyun who looked anxious and said, "New Year's Eve dinner is usually eaten at twilight hour. It's still early. Miss Chen, don't worry."
Mrs. Chen felt that her daughter's behavior was a little too obvious and hurried to explain.
"Yun'er's life was half saved by Madam Qi, and the other half by Young Master Song. I want to thank him very much."
Ye Chutang nodded in agreement, "That's right. If it weren't for Master Song using the rejuvenation pill to save Miss Chen's life, she wouldn't have been able to come to Tianshan County."
After saying that, she moved closer to Chen Ruoyun and asked tentatively, "It is said that a life-saving favor should be rewarded with one's own body. Miss Chen to Mr. Song..."
A suspicious blush appeared on Chen Ruoyun's face, and she neither admitted nor denied it.
"When it comes to relationships, just let it happen naturally."
What she meant was that she had taken a liking to Song Jingning.
Next, it depends on whether Song Jingning has any feelings for her.
Ye Chutang felt that she had to talk to Song Jingning.
Because she was afraid that he would marry someone he didn't like in order to take down Chen Jiajun!
So, she smiled and said, "Yes, love is about mutual consent. A forced melon is not sweet."
After hearing this, Mrs. Chen frowned slightly.
She only has one daughter, and she will definitely let her marry the person she likes!
Ye Chutang did not notice Mrs. Chen's expression because her eyes were on Qiuhua.
Qiuhua's face, which was swollen from the sheets, has healed.
She appeared in front of Qi Yanzhou intentionally or unintentionally, pouring tea and water for him.
I even tried to make physical contact, but was avoided every time.
She was not discouraged and kept posing in various coquettish ways.
Qi Yanzhou was very annoyed with Qiuhua, but he didn't want to make a scene during the New Year, so he "accidentally" spilled tea on her dress.
When Ye Chutang saw this, her pink lips curled up slightly.
"Qiuhua, lest you have no new clothes to wear tonight, you'd better not show up in front of my husband. His hands shake easily and your clothes won't stay."
This sounds polite, but it is actually very impolite.
Qiuhua tried her best to hide the embarrassment on her face, took her leave and went to change her clothes.
After she left, Guo Tingting began to pester Qi Shuyan.
Qi Shuyan was more direct and tripped her with his foot.
Guo Tingting's face, which was covered with delicate makeup, fell to the ground, not only did her powder fall off, but her face was also swollen.
"Cousin, my legs tend to shake, so don't sway in front of me anymore. It's easy to fall."
Ye Chutang was trying not to laugh, her cheeks trembling, looking very adorable.
Qi Yanzhou couldn't help himself and reached out to pinch her face.
"Laugh if you want to, don't hold it back and hurt yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Chutang laughed out loud without any scruples.
"We are indeed a family. We all have the problem of shaking."
Yun Feiluan couldn't help but glared at Ye Chutang fiercely.
She helped her daughter up and said, "Aunt, I'll take Tingting downstairs to deal with it first."
The old ancestor looked unhappy and waved his hand.
"Go down, be more steady next time, and don't let others laugh at you."
She is now not only dissatisfied with Ye Chutang, but also with the ignorant Qiuhua and Guo Tingting.
There are outsiders here today, and they actually brought shame to the Qi family!
Yun Feiluan knew that the old ancestor was angry, and quickly said, "Aunt is right, Feiluan has learned the lesson."
After saying that, she took Guo Tingting away.
Madam Qi was worried that the old ancestor would find fault with Ye Chutang, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Mother, after the new year, our eldest wife is planning to have a banquet. Does the second wife want to join us?"
The first landlord owns the officialdom, and the second landlord owns the business world.
Since ancient times, only when officials and businessmen protect each other can they get what they need and go long-term.
Of course, the ancestor was willing to let the second and first wives hold the banquet together.
"Now that the first and second houses are one family, the banquet will naturally be held together. When do you plan to hold the banquet?"
Madam Qi looked at Ye Chutang, "Tang'er is the head of the family, and she decides the date."
Ye Chutang knew that her mother-in-law was helping her consolidate her position.
She thought that the restaurant would open on the sixth day of the New Year, so she scheduled the banquet for the ninth day.
"The ninth day of the first lunar month is the most auspicious number."
"Okay, then it's the ninth day, Zhou'er, after the third day, you can write the invitations."
Qi Yanzhou nodded, "Okay, mother."
The old ancestor looked at Su, "Did you hear that? This is the first time our Qi family has held a banquet in Tianshan County, so we must compromise and be considerate."
Su quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to the ancestor.
"Mother, my daughter-in-law knows."
Next, everyone discussed the details of the banquet.
The second branch of the Qi family is not short of money, and they want to use the best of everything as long as they can afford it.
Ye Chutang heard that the second wife wanted to use money to suppress the first wife.
After all, in the eyes of the second wife, the property of the first wife, whose property was confiscated, must not be as great as theirs.
After the discussion, the ancestor asked Qi Yanzhou.
"Yan Zhou, do we need our second room to prepare the wine, drinks and ingredients needed for the banquet?"
As long as he nodded, the second branch’s position in the Qi family would not be as passive as it is now.
Qi Yanzhou looked at Ye Chutang, "Atang, what do you say?"
Banquets are usually hosted by the mistress of the house.
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "I appreciate your kindness, grandma. Although the eldest wife's property has been confiscated, we are not destitute. We still have money to prepare a banquet."
The old ancestor did not force it, and asked, "What are the plans for the eldest wife in the future?"
The second branch’s business has already been established in Tianshan County.
All the shops opened are related to food.
Pastries, buns, fruits and noodle shops.
We are just starting out now and the daily income is not much, but in a few years, we will be able to make the same as before in Bincheng.
Qi Yanzhou threw the question to Ye Chutang again.
"I'll listen to Atang."
Ye Chutang patted Qi Yanzhou on the shoulder and said, "To get rich, start with infrastructure."
Ancestor: “…”
Isn’t infrastructure the government’s responsibility?
Is the eldest wife preparing to seize the world?
If there weren't outsiders around, she really wanted to ask.
The mother and daughter of the Chen family thought so too and looked at each other.
They have different ideas from Chen Kui.
Chen's army should not only ensure the peace of the people living in the border areas, but also ensure their own security.
They want a wise ruler who cares about the lives of his soldiers!
Therefore, if Qi Yanzhou wanted to overthrow the tyranny and establish a new dynasty, they would be happy to see it happen.
If needed, I am willing to help.
Ye Chutang knew that the second branch and the Chen family had wrong ideas, but he did not explain.
What others think of her is none of her business.
At this time, Yun Feiluan and her daughter returned.
Guo Tingting's face was still swollen, but it was not obvious after covering it with makeup.
Ye Chutang didn't want to continue the previous topic, so he suggested, "Since we have nothing to do, let's play cards."
I'm just sitting around doing nothing, so it's nice to win some money.
The people from the second room often get together to play cards, and no one has any objections.
So, the women from the first and second wives sat at two tables.
There is one table for young people and another table for middle-aged people.
Ye Chutang, Qi Jingyao, Qi Minglan and Guo Tingting were at the same table.
Qi Jingyao originally wanted Chen Ruoyun to fight, but she didn't know how to do it, and she was weak, so she just watched from the side.
The old ancestor is old, his eyesight is blurry, and he can’t sit for long periods of time, so he can’t play mahjong.
So, Old Madam Qi, Aunt Xu, Mrs. Su and Yun Feiluan sat at the same table.
The men were chatting on the side.
As it was almost time for the New Year’s Eve dinner, Song Jingning, the two siblings from the Cui family, and Sun Chu arrived.
Everyone brought generous gifts.
Ye Chutang pushed the card he had just received forward.
"A distinguished guest has arrived, so I won't fight anymore."
Sun Chu had a lot of interactions with the Qi family, so he asked familiarly, "Who won?"
Young table.
Ye Chutang had a clear goal. He held on to Guo Tingting and made her lose more than two hundred taels in one hour.
Qi Jingyao and Qi Minglan got the upper hand and won some money along the way.
The middle-aged table.
Old Madam Qi still remembered Yun Feiluan's initial humiliation of Ye Chutang, and she was still holding a grudge against her.
But her card skills were not as good as Ye Chutang's, and when she dragged Yun Feiluan into the water, she also lost some money.
Of course, what she lost was nothing compared to what she lost to Yun Feiluan.
Ye Chutang put the pile of silver coins on the corner of the table into his purse, picked it up and shook it.
"My luck was pretty good. I won two hundred taels."
After saying that, she handed the purse to Old Madam Qi.
"Mother, when you stay up tonight, you can use this silver to win back all the money you lost."
She knew very well that if her mother-in-law had not bitten Yun Feiluan to vent her anger, she would not have lost so much.
Madam Qi accepted the silver with a smile, "Okay."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Sun Chu and the others, "After the New Year's Eve dinner, you all stay and play cards together in the evening."
The four of them did not refuse.
"The old lady invited me so kindly that I dare not refuse."
After Sun Chu finished speaking, he handed the money he earned from yesterday's vegetable purchases to Ye Chutang.
"According to the price you set, it was sold out in less than an hour."
This hour also includes promotion time.
He not only promoted the dishes, but also spread the fame of "Tianxialou".
"From now on, all the vegetables grown in the glass greenhouse will be sold at restaurants."
Ye Chutang took the purse with a smile on his face, "Okay, you won't let me lose money anyway."
As soon as these words came out, the old ancestor asked in a deep voice: "Ye, are you planning to grow vegetables to sell?"
This is a job only a peasant can do, it is totally detrimental to the status of the mistress!
Ye Chutang knew what the ancestor was thinking.
She kept smiling, "Selling vegetables is just one of my sources of income. I will also grow grains and fruits in the future."
"Ridiculous! How can the mistress of the Qi family's main house face the earth and turn her back to the sky!"
"Grandma is wrong. I don't do it myself, but hire someone else. And I think as long as I can make money, it's a good business and worth doing."
The old ancestor wanted to say something to object, but Qi Yanzhou quickly spoke.
"Food is the most important thing for people. Everyone has a desire for food. Atang's idea is very good. I support it."
"There are so many businesses to do, why do you have to choose something so... tiring? Besides, it's dry now, so it's not suitable for farming."
If it wasn't the New Year, she wouldn't have been so tactful.
While peeling dried fruits for Ye Chutang, Qi Yanzhou said, "Grandma, Atang has a way to guarantee the harvest, so he chose to farm. Besides, the drought is not temporary, and the situation may become more serious in the future. Holding food is more important than holding gold and silver."
The ancestor didn't want to believe how much food Ye Chutang could grow.
She can grow vegetables at home simply because she has no shortage of water and fertilizer, and she also spent a huge amount of money to build a glazed greenhouse.
Under these conditions, even if a pig were to plant the flower, it could still grow a flower!
If it were the harsh environment outside, Ye Chutang would be afraid that he wouldn't be able to grow even a blade of grass.
But she didn't say anything against it.
On the one hand, I don’t want to upset the eldest wife.
On the other hand, he wanted to see Ye Chutang fall so that he could use this to control her in the future.
"Since you are confident that you can grow crops, then give it a try. But you have to behave like a proper mistress, and you can't do farming yourself."
Ye Chutang looked at the ancestor who was high above her and ignored her orders.
"Grandma, it's better to do the money-making work yourself."
Sun Chu knew that he shouldn't get involved in the Qi family's affairs, but he saw that the old ancestor was targeting Ye Chutang, so he spoke up anyway.
"Mrs. Qi is right. No matter how you make money, you must first understand the ins and outs of it. Otherwise, you will be cheated by the people below without knowing it."
His words made sense, and since the business was big, the old ancestor nodded reluctantly.
"Mr. Sun is right. No matter what business you do, you have to master it, but don't do the hard work yourself."
After saying that, she didn't want to continue this topic and looked at Qiuhua beside her.
"Go to the kitchen and see if the New Year's Eve dinner is ready?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the kitchen maid came to deliver the message.
"My dear masters, the New Year's Eve dinner is ready and you can eat anytime."
The old ancestor looked at Madam Chen.
"Mrs. Chen, can General Chen arrive today?"
Chen Kui is a man of his word. He promised to come to Tianshan County to spend the New Year with the mother and son, and he will definitely come.
But Mrs. Chen didn't know the exact time.
But she was just a guest of the Qi family, and it would not be good to let everyone wait for someone who might come at any time.
"Grandfather, I don't know when my husband will arrive, and the New Year's Eve dinner can't wait."
The old man nodded and said, "Then let's eat slowly while we wait."
The group went to the dining room.
The exquisite meal was served quickly, and it was delicious and appetizing just by smelling it.
After everyone raised their glasses to celebrate, they started eating.
After eating a few bites, the doorman came to report that Chen Kui had arrived.
As soon as the letter arrived, Chen Kui appeared at the door of the kitchen.
He was weather-beaten, with dark eyes, and it was obvious that he had traveled all night.
His face was cracked by the cold wind, and dried blood could be seen in the wounds.
Qi Yanzhou quickly stood up and greeted them.
"General Chen has arrived just in time, just in time for the New Year's Eve dinner. Come and sit down."
"Thank you, Master Qi."
Chen Kui sat down next to his wife and daughter.
He looked at his daughter, whose complexion had improved a lot, and his heart settled down.
Then he took out a silver note from his arms and handed it to Ye Chutang.
"Madam Qi, gold is not convenient to carry, so I will convert it into silver notes. Is that okay?"
If that didn't work, he would go to the money shop later to convert the silver notes into gold.
Ye Chutang took the banknote and said, "As long as the value is the same, it doesn't matter whether it's a banknote or gold."
After saying that, she counted the banknotes and put them in her arms.
"General Chen, you must be exhausted from the long journey. Hurry up and eat something."
Chen Kui was indeed tired and hungry, so he didn't bother to be polite with the Qi family and just picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
It's like he hasn't eaten for several days.
The dinner table became lively again, with people drinking and laughing.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the elders will give red envelopes to the younger generations.
Whether married or not, everyone has a share.
Guests also have a share.
Chen Kui and his wife did not expect this, and without putting a red envelope on it, they quickly refused to let Chen Ruoyun accept it.
Madam Qi smiled and said, "General Chen, Madam Chen, there isn't much silver in the red envelope, but it's just for good luck, so let Miss Chen take it."
But in the end, I couldn't refuse it and accepted it.
Sun Chu accepted the red envelope calmly. After all, the gift he gave to the Qi family was of great value.
The two siblings of the Cui family also appreciated the kindness of the elders of the Qi family.
After Song Jingning received the red envelope, he took out a very thick red envelope from his arms and handed it to Ye Chutang.
"Madam Qi, this is a gift from me to the two little ones. You must accept it."
Ye Chutang was just about to say that after the baby was born, he would let Song Jingning personally hand the red envelope to them.
Before I could finish my words, a warm feeling surged through my lower abdomen.
My water broke!
Her face changed slightly, "I'm about to give birth, send me back to Tangzhou Courtyard quickly."
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