Wan'an County.
News of what happened in Ganning County has not yet reached Wan'an, so Yang Cui is currently unaware of what happened to Zha Zha Kang's family.
She's making a fortune in Wan'an County now.
The weather is already very hot. Last winter, Su Murong found some saltpeter and used it to make ice, popsicles, and shaved ice, which are now selling like hotcakes.
The Star Gazing Tower sells shaved ice, while Ouyuhe and Pinxiangzhai sell popsicles. A mung bean or red bean popsicle costs fifty coins, and a bowl of shaved ice costs two hundred coins.
Yang Cui accounts for 60% of the shaved ice sold at Guanxinglou and the popsicles sold at Pinxiangzhai. Now, less than a month after the cold drinks were launched, Yang Cui has already earned more than 300 taels of silver.
The Stargazing Pavilion and the Fragrant Pavilion earned relatively less, but customers wouldn't just buy cold drinks when they came to the store; they would always buy something else, so the sales volume increased immediately.
The two shopkeepers were so happy that they almost worshipped Yang Cui.
Another major event was the arrival of the imperial edict, which was read aloud by the eunuch in public, thus revealing Cen Xiao's identity!
When Qiu Mingxuan came before, the servants in the house already knew Cen Xiao's identity, but Yang Cui repeatedly instructed them not to reveal it, so it was kept secret. But now it can't be kept secret at all.
The entire Anjia Village was in an uproar!
Yang Cui's husband was actually a high-ranking general of the current dynasty!
A great general actually lives in their Anjia Village!
The news spread quickly, reaching Zhou'an Village and Lin'an Village.
The villagers of Lin'an Village were trembling with fear.
No wonder, no wonder Yang Cui dared to challenge Lin Shikang! So that's how it is!
"Chief, what do we do now? Yang Cui's husband is a great general!"
“It would be as easy for Yang Cui to crush us as to crush ants.”
"What do we do now? Waaah... It's all Lin Rongguang's family's fault. Why did they have to team up with Fan Shi to try and kill Yang Cui? Now look what happened, now look what happened..."
"What should we do now, Chief? Will he lead his troops to annihilate us?"
"Oh dear, does that mean we're doomed? Chieftain, say something!"
...
The members of the Lin clan surrounded Lin Gouya's house, terrified.
"Is it confirmed? Isn't Yang Cui's husband a son-in-law? The General has such a high official position, he can have anything he wants, why would he marry into the family? You must be just repeating hearsay."
Lin Gouya was somewhat skeptical. After all, in the eyes of the world, only men who lack ability would think of living off women and becoming live-in sons-in-law.
Could someone who could become a great general be incompetent?
"I'll go to Anjia Village myself to inquire," Lin Gouya said, then got up and walked towards Anjia Village.
...
The Zhou clan members shared the same question: if Cen Daniu was truly a great general, why would he be willing to marry into the family? No matter how outstanding or beautiful Yang Cui was, wasn't she a divorced woman? What woman couldn't a great general have?
"Dad, this... seems a bit unlikely." Zhou Hongda felt as if he were listening to a story.
"It must be true."
Zhou Daqing felt that the rumor was most likely true. He had long suspected that Cen Daniu was no ordinary person, but he hadn't expected him to have such a powerful background.
They were on Yang Cui's side. If Yang Cui's husband really became a great general, it would be extremely beneficial to the Zhou family. Zhou Daqing was now extremely grateful for his choice back then.
Moreover, their family had also formed a marriage alliance with the An family, indirectly becoming relatives with the General, which was truly wonderful.
"I really have good taste," Zhou Daqing said smugly, unable to resist praising himself.
Zhou Zhuoshi was a little worried: "Will the marriage between An Jia and Xiao Tao be disrupted?"
Not long after the incident involving An Xiaojiang and Gao Xiaoyu, everyone in the neighborhood knew that the Gao family was envious of the An family's money, so they resorted to such despicable means.
Now that Yang Cui's husband has become a great general, the An family's status will surely rise accordingly. Will the An family then seek a partner from an even higher social class? Or will others follow Gao Xiaoyu's example and scheme for marriage?
After Zhou Zhuoshi finished speaking, the Zhou family fell silent.
“I’ll go and sound out what the An family is saying,” Zhou Daqing said.
***
"Xiao Cui, Da Niu... is he really a general?" An Dafu and his family could hardly believe what they were hearing.
"Yes, I was worried that my identity would be exposed and cause trouble, so I kept it a secret."
Wen Shi asked nervously, "Then...should we kneel down and worship..." Wen Shi and An Dafu looked at each other, pretending to kneel down.
Cen Xiao stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Uncle and Aunt, there's no need for this. Whether I'm an official or a commoner, I'm still your junior and Xiao Cui's husband."
Yang Cui said with a smile, "The reason we kept it a secret from everyone was because we were afraid that you, my uncle and aunt, would feel uncomfortable. We will continue to do things the same way we did before."
An Dafu and Wen Shi verbally agreed, but they were still somewhat uneasy. This was a natural fear or awe that ordinary people had of officials.
After hesitating for a moment, An Dafu asked, "When are you going to Kyoto?"
“We planned to leave after the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s too hot now, not suitable for traveling,” Yang Cui said. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to come back for the Spring Festival this year.”
Traveling with family will definitely be slow, and if something happens along the way, it will definitely delay the trip, and we might not arrive in Kyoto until the end of September.
Given the distance, they couldn't just report back there and come back immediately. Yang Cui and Cen Xiao discussed that they would come back after the New Year when the weather was warmer, and spend the New Year there this year.
“When we go to Kyoto, I’m planning to hold a wedding for Xiao Cui. The previous wedding was too meager. You’re the only family she has left. Would you like to come along? It would be a good opportunity to see the prosperity of Kyoto,” Cen Xiao said.
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