Chapter 185 Yun Ling...I miss you so much.
The preparations for Shangshifang were not smooth.
When Pei Xiaoxing went to the government office to report, the clerk scratched on the file with his fingertips and looked evasive.
After a long pause, he managed to utter, "Master Pei, it's not that I won't do it. It's just that the Holy Female Palace just sent a message saying that shops like this that are related to people's livelihoods need additional review and we have to wait at least half a month."
The old food supplier that Tu Shanyi contacted came to his door with an apologetic look, rubbing his hands and sighing.
"President Tu, I'm sorry... Someone from Shengxi Mansion came to me yesterday and said that if I dared to supply ingredients to Shangshifang, I would have to close my shop, which I've run for twenty years."
Even when looking for craftsmen to repair the store, the carpenter who was familiar with him refused to see him and only asked someone to tell him that "he could not afford to offend the Saint Female Mansion."
"Sheng Jieyue is clearly trying to make things difficult for us." Tu Shanyi's knuckles turned white as he gripped the account book, his fox eyes gleaming coldly. "But it doesn't matter. The Chamber of Commerce has its own team of craftsmen, and the ingredients are shipped directly from the plantations in Yuhua City. At worst, we can just run a trial run. Once the people accept it, the government won't dare to block it anymore."
Sheng Ran sat at the table, her fingertips stroking the medicinal food menu she had just cut. Hearing this, she simply nodded: "It's just right. Let the people see who is sincerely wanting them to have a good New Year and who is playing tricks behind their backs."
As she spoke, she picked up the pen, added some water to the inkstone, and ground the ink.
Regarding the Shangshifang branch, she had already corresponded with Zhu Bajie in Beining City. The honest orc boss wrote a lot in his reply, saying "Miss Sheng, I support you no matter where you open a branch. If you need manpower or recipes, just let me know. I can also go and support you."
This time I wrote this letter, originally wanting to invite him to come to the central city, try the newly developed medicinal food, and also get together during the New Year.
As the tip of the pen just touched the rice paper, a soft "gu gu" sound suddenly came from outside the window.
Sheng Ran looked up and saw a white dove with gray feathers landed on the windowsill. Its black bean-like eyes stared at her and its wings gently flapped the glass.
She recognized this pigeon - it was one of Yun Ling's friends when he was alive. It was very human-like and Sheng Ran had fed it before.
Sheng Ran put down her pen and quietly pushed open the window. A white dove immediately hopped into the room and rubbed the back of her hand affectionately, its feathers soft and warm.
Her eyes instantly filled with sadness. Her fingertips gently stroked the pigeon's back, her voice choked with sobs: "Are you here to help me deliver the letter? Yun Ling...is he okay?"
Ever since Yun Ling left, all kinds of birds and beasts have appeared around her, as if they were accompanying her in his place.
When she missed him very much, Sheng Ran would talk to them.
The pigeon tilted its head and pecked her fingertips lightly with its beak, as if in response.
Sheng Ran sniffed and asked again: "The fire on Danxue Mountain has not been extinguished yet. Is he in there? When will he come back? We are all waiting for him."
After asking this, I couldn't hold back my tears, which slid down my cheeks.
Yun Ling...I miss you so much.
She quickly wiped it with her sleeve, afraid of scaring the pigeon, but the pigeon flapped its wings and landed gently on her shoulder.
The little head rubbed against her neck, and the warm breath brushed across her skin, just like the way Yun Ling used to watch over her silently.
"Thank you." Sheng Ran raised her hand, carefully held the pigeon, tied the written letter to its leg, and took out a handful of dried millet from the food box, spread it on her palm and fed it.
"Be careful on the road and don't get blown away by the wind and snow."
After pecking at the millet, the pigeon rubbed its surface against her palm before flapping its wings and flying into the sky, quickly disappearing into the snowy clouds.
Sheng Ran stood by the window and looked out for a long time, only coming to her senses when Tu Shanyi came in.
The touch of feathers still lingered on her fingertips, and she always felt that Yun Ling had not gone far. These creatures carrying his breath were messengers sent by him, telling her "Wait a little longer, I'll be back soon."
The trial operation of Shangshifang was prepared in an extremely hasty manner. The cat helpers cleaned the store overnight. As soon as the ingredients transported by Tu Shanyi were unloaded from the truck, Zhu Jiuyin used flames to warm the stove, while Huai Jun stayed by the well and used his special powers to purify the water.
But the ominous premonition in Sheng Ran's heart became stronger and stronger.
Sure enough, early in the morning of the day before the trial operation, Sheng Jieyue arrived with a group of guards and a tall and thin orc.
The orc was wearing a washed-out cloth robe, his eyes were shining, and he was holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. When he saw the onlookers, he raised his voice.
"Everyone, come and see! This Sheng Ran is a liar! She plagiarized the name of Beining City Shangshifang, stole their medicinal recipes, and even dared to cheat people under the guise of a semicolon!"
Sheng Jieyue immediately stepped forward, her figure in her moon-white brocade dress standing straight, with an expression of justice on her face.
"My fellow villagers, Shang Shi Fang is the hard work of Mr. Zhu from Beining City. I've heard about it a long time ago! It's not enough that Sheng Ran deceived everyone's trust in the west of the city, she even stole other people's business! Today I must seek an explanation for Mr. Zhu!"
The crowd of onlookers exploded instantly.
Several merchants who usually depended on the Holy Female Mansion immediately started to make a fuss: "I knew she wasn't a good person! She looked like a pretentious person, but it turns out she's actually a thief!"
"Lady Saint is right! Her shop must be closed!"
They were worried that Sheng Ran would threaten their business, and they wanted Sheng Jieyue to smash Sheng Ran's store immediately.
Ling Rui burst into laughter on the spot.
If Sheng Jieyue had accused them of something else, it might have been a bit tricky, but she simply accused them of plagiarism.
That’s right, the people in the central city had no idea that my wife had done business in Beining City and was even a partner of Shangshifang.
He rolled up his sleeves, stuck a knife upside down on the table, and asked in a displeased tone, "Now you really have a mouth and you can spread rumors. Then I said that you, Sheng Jieyue, had an affair with this little dog!"
"—You're slandering me!" Sheng Jieyue's eyes widened in anger. "If you have the guts, produce the evidence!"
Ling Rui was calm and composed: "Then you should produce the evidence first."
Sheng Jieyue was choked by the rebuke and began to argue unreasonably, "The witnesses are all here, and you still want to quibble?"
The tall and thin orc, already furious at Ling Rui's implication that he was a thin dog, immediately chimed in, "I saw it with my own eyes! She was delivering a letter to Beining City, and the pigeon was heading in the direction of Shangshifang!"
Sheng Jieyue's voice was shrill: "That's right! Otherwise, why would you send a letter to Shang Shi Fang in Beining City? It's obvious that you have a guilty conscience!"
Sheng Ran's expression remained unchanged. "I sent a letter to Shang Shi Fang, so I stole the recipe? Then let me ask you, how can you be sure that I didn't get Boss Zhu's permission? What if that letter was a communication between him and me discussing opening a branch?"
"Discuss?" Sheng Jieyue laughed out loud, covering her mouth as if she had heard a huge joke. "You're just an exiled worthless woman, why would Boss Zhu discuss this with you? If you have the guts, show everyone the letter! If not, it's plagiarism!"
The jeers from the surroundings grew louder, and the tall, thin orc also shouted, "That's right! If you can't produce the letter, you're a liar!"
Sheng Ran looked at Sheng Jieyue's smug face and felt it was ridiculous: "The letter has been sent away by the pigeon. I can't call the pigeon back to show it to you."
"If you can't produce it, then it doesn't exist!" Sheng Jieyue stepped forward, a hint of pride in her eyes. "Everyone heard it! She can't produce physical evidence, which only proves that my witness is right! This Shang Shi Fang is plagiarized!"
Sheng Ran suddenly laughed, her voice clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Since you believe in witnesses so much, why not just call Zhu Bajie, the owner of Beining City Shangshifang? He has the final say on whether he authorized me to open a branch. He's more reliable than this witness you found from nowhere, right?"
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