Chapter 47
In the end, the two sides held different opinions on whether he had taken the item or she had sent it. But they both backed off, pretending nothing had happened, to save her (him) some face. But the question of who owned the small piece of clothing remained unanswered. Ye Jiamu watched Zhou Jingchen fold it neatly and put it into his own clothes bag, her face flushing uncontrollably.
"...Do you have to pretend to take it away?" After holding it in for a long time, Ye Jia, who was a straightforward person, still couldn't help but sneer.
This guy is so incredibly rude. He's pretending to be blushing and embarrassed, yet he still hides his belongings with impunity. Shouldn't a normal person, feeling embarrassed, simply return the item when exposed?!
"Why not pretend?" Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyes, looking elegant and respectful like a gentleman.
His fingers were long and slender, and the earthy brown cloth made them look even whiter. He pinched the coarse cloth into strips with one hand, and held the fine clothes with the other. He slowly and methodically tied the package in a knot, blocking Ye Jia's view. He looked very elegant and refined. As if sensing Ye Jia's gaze, he turned his head and said confidently, "Isn't this a gift from you?"
Ye Jia: "..." Dou E was about to be mad at him and cry, but Ye Jia was too lazy to repeat what he had said.
"Do you think it's reasonable for a young man like you to do this?"
Zhou Jingchen squinted his eyes and asked, "What's unreasonable about that?"
Ye Jia: “…” Never mind, whatever. Zhou Jingchen had been caught in a trap before!
Ever since Zhou Jingchen was caught in a trap, Ye Jia has been able to face him calmly, no matter how awkward. Thanks to his example, Ye Jia's thick skin has been gradually improved. With this thought in mind, the knotted package suddenly seemed less of an eyesore. What's the big deal? At worst, while Zhou Jingchen is out, I can just cut up his messed-up package.
Ye Jia felt at ease to drive the man out, changed his clothes and went out. By then, Yu's hot water had also been boiled.
Zhou Jingchen watched Ye Jia leave, then glanced down at his package, unable to suppress a smile. He stood up to look for clothes in the closet, but as soon as he opened it, the pile of clothes inside made him move his fingers uncontrollably. When Yu appeared at the door with hot water, his son had already put all his wife's clothes on the bed and was folding them one by one.
That meticulous look left Yu at a loss for words for a long time: "...How about folding it after you wash up?"
Zhou Jingchen paused in folding his clothes and looked up at her.
Yu's eyes flashed with a strange smile. She raised one eyebrow and helped him carry the water into the house: "The water will get cold soon."
After saying that, he put down his things and left, ignoring his son's stiff expression.
When Zhou Jingchen finished washing up and came out, the kitchen was already busy.
Ever since Fifth Sister arrived, Ye Jia's workload had been significantly reduced. Many dishes that used to only be made by Ye Jia were now learned after watching her cook twice, and her recipes were even better than Ye Jia's. Cooking talent is a difficult thing to pin down, so Ye Jia ended up just standing by and directing the cooking. After all, Fifth Sister Ye understood what she was saying and followed instructions.
We had originally planned to have a banquet today, so we'd bought quite a few dishes. Ye Jia planned to make some beef stir-fry. It just so happened that we had chili peppers at home. After September, the chili pepper harvest was plentiful, and every plant on the two-acre plot was laden with fruit.
The other dishes can be cooked by Ye Wumei, but since the beef is in small quantity, Ye Jia will cook it himself.
Most excitingly, the few vegetables he'd tried growing in the backyard had all grown. The abundant sunshine in the northwest had grown the winter melons large and sweet. In reality, winter melons should be planted in May and eaten in July. Even though it was out of season right now, it was a good thing they all managed to grow. The one or two mu of land had yielded a good crop. Ye Jia picked a few and tasted them; they were crisp, sandy, and so sweet they tasted like sugar.
The other melons and cucumbers have also grown. Cucumbers are easy to grow, and after watering, the vines are full of them.
Ye Jia thought that if she couldn't finish the food at home, she should sell it in the market. However, Ye Jia had tried selling it once before, but the locals didn't know what they were talking about. They could spend money on food and fabric, but not on snacks. Snacks like winter melons and cantaloupes were almost unpopular.
It's not like she hadn't considered lowering the price. But when she thought about this unique commodity, which only her family had, selling it at such a low price seemed like a waste. Ye Jia hadn't picked all of them yet; the ones that were still growing were left in the field, hoping to find a way to sell them. It was still a bit hot today, and Ye Jia saw that the vegetables were already being cooked. Seeing that her fifth sister didn't need her to go, she went to the backyard and picked two large winter melons.
Just as he was carrying it to the well, Zhou Jingchen came out with a bucket to pour water and saw it. What good things had he not seen before? Naturally, he recognized it at a glance: "Do you have winter melons at home?"
Ye Jia was washing the mud off it. He turned his head when he heard it: "Do you recognize it?"
"I've eaten it a few times before." Zhou Jingchen nodded, put the bucket behind the door and came over. The one in Ye Jia's hand was much larger than the ones he had eaten before, and the color was crisp, as if it had been picked fresh from the vine.
Ye Jia's brows raised. He glanced down at Han Gua, then up at Zhou Jingchen. Seeing that his expression didn't look like he was joking, he was surprised. "If I want to sell it, can I?"
"Why not?" Zhou Jingchen had never been to the back. Although he knew that there was a piece of land at the back, he didn't know what was planted there.
Ye Jia's heart started beating fast.
As they spoke, Ah Jiu was helping Ye Simei walk around the yard. Ever since she was older, Mrs. Yu had warned her against laziness. She'd told her it was going to be difficult for her to have her first child, and her belly was much larger than most. If she didn't move, things might get worse during the birth. Ah Jiu took these words to heart, often helping Ye Simei walk around the yard.
Ye Simei was due to give birth in the next two days. If she was really pregnant with twins, she wouldn't have been able to carry the baby to full term. There was only one clinic in town with two doctors. Ajiu had already hired a midwife, who would come by every now and then to check on the baby.
At this time, Ye Simei didn't hear what her sister and brother-in-law said, but Ajiu heard it. She turned her head and glanced at Ye Jia, who was frowning and thinking.
Tribute melons from the Western Regions couldn't be sold there, but they could be very profitable if sold in the Central Plains. The Central Plains was a wealthy region with many people who could afford to spend money. If the tribute melons were used well, they might even become a highly sought-after commodity.
Ye Jia couldn't help but feel anxious at the mention of this. She had been eyeing the caravans for a long time. She had tried a few times before, but she hadn't had the capital to negotiate with them. Firstly, fragrant soap wasn't anything special; the Central Plains region already had the craftsmanship to make it. And because their skills were sophisticated, their varieties varied, and their willingness to spend less, their fragrant soaps were made with more sophisticated ingredients than Ye Jia's. Ye Jia's small family workshop made fragrant soaps at an affordable price, so she naturally didn't have much confidence to negotiate with the big caravans. But the cold melons were different.
Winter melons are a new and in-demand commodity for the wealthy in the Central Plains of Dayan. Furthermore, these fruits are particularly vulnerable to long-distance transportation. They cannot be shipped abroad, so they must be sold domestically. If they were shipped to more affluent regions, wouldn't that give them the right to negotiate with the major caravans?
Ye Jia pondered her business plans, but her face remained silent. Many of her businesses weren't yet stable. While the breakfast stall and the pork head were stable, the fragrant pancreas was still in its infancy. If she wanted to earn the same profit from selling fruits and vegetables, she'd have to think again.
"Use well water to calm it down first and try it later."
After October, the weather turned cooler. But it wasn't freezing yet; wearing two long-sleeved shirts was just the right amount of warmth. Fifth Sister had just finished stewing the lamb and was now starting to stir-fry some vegetables. Except for one beef dish, which Ye Jia said she would cook for last, Fifth Sister cooked all the other dishes she could.
Ye Jia picked two melons and took them to the town. Suddenly, he remembered Sun Yushan's two recent visits to his house. He'd also run into Guo Huai several times in town. It was obvious that Zhou Jingchen's rapid rise was due to the hidden help of these people. Since he'd invited them to a banquet and prepared all this delicious food and wine, he figured he might as well take advantage of the camp's quiet days and have Zhou Jingchen invite his good colleagues over for a meal.
"It just so happens that you got a promotion. We've prepared a feast to celebrate the shop opening tomorrow. Since you're here, consider it a double celebration."
Zhou Jingchen had actually wanted to bring this up, but Ye Jia hadn't even opened her mouth when she brought it up herself. He smiled and tucked the loose hair that had fallen onto Ye Jia's face behind her ear. "Okay, tell the kitchen staff to wait a moment. I'll be right back."
The campsite is close by, making it easy to get there and back.
Ye Jia had become somewhat accustomed to his occasional smoothing of her hair. His movements were so quick and effortless that she often didn't realize he was done. She looked up as he gathered the basins and buckets from the well, brushed off his clothes, and turned to leave the yard. Ye Jia pouted and simply went back to the kitchen to ask Ye Wumei for more rice.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that these men are tall and thin; they are scary when they eat.
Ye Jia thought about it and went to the backyard to pick two more melons and four or five cucumbers, preparing to make another cucumber salad to go with the wine.
Fifth Sister had just finished cooking three vegetarian dishes and added some stir-fried pork belly. Ye Jia and her friends often ate pig offal, so they were so used to it that they'd miss it even when they didn't. It'd been ages since she'd had fish, so she planned to cook two sturgeons today.
The meal at the Zhou family was almost ready, so Zhou Jingchen led a few people of similar age into the yard.
It's not just birds of a feather flock together, but at first glance, the young men around Zhou Jingchen all seemed quite impressive. Sun Yushan, an old acquaintance, needed no further explanation, but Guo Huai wasn't there.
But it was normal, Ye Jia knew a little bit about what Guo Huai did. The camp was still busy catching the person who spread the rumors, so it was safer for him not to show up. The other three men were all strangers. As soon as they entered the yard, they looked at the nailed tiles on the wall. They heard that the wall was built by Ye Jia, and the look in their eyes was quite surprised. Ye Jia had some sense of people, and he always felt that these people were a little unusual. Especially the one with peach blossom eyes standing next to Zhou Jingchen. That person's every move was not restrained, but he just had a unique romantic demeanor.
As soon as he entered the yard, his affectionate eyes turned slowly and fell on Ye Jia. The moment their eyes met, he raised the corners of his mouth without any hesitation, and his smile was so bright.
Ye Jia blinked, having not expected this man to be so handsome. She wiped her hands and walked over, but before she could say anything, she saw Zhou Jingchen raise his hand in a gentle manner. Finding a subtle angle, he punched the Third Young Master Liu, who was smiling the brightest, in the ribs.
The man's face changed several times, turning blue, then white, and then blue again.
He mechanically turned his head to look at the people around him.
Zhou Jingchen slowly put away his fist and asked politely, "Are you feeling unwell? Or come back next time?"
"..." Liu Yuan stared speechlessly at the man whose expression changed like the pages of a book. They were of similar height, Zhou Jingchen perhaps slightly taller. Their brows briefly crossed, and when Liu Yuan looked back at Ye Jia, the bright smile on his face faded considerably.
"This is Liu San, my deputy."
Zhou Jingchen casually introduced the other man, then pointed to another man with thick eyebrows and big eyes and said, "This is Gongsun Erze, the flag bearer of the cavalry battalion."
Gongsun Erze nodded politely to Ye Jia and called out, "Sister-in-law."
Ye Jia had long since accepted these titles. She nodded and beckoned them inside to start working. Honestly, she wasn't very familiar with the military's organizational structure; she'd just listened to the titles. Thinking dinner was still a while away, she asked Sun Jun to fetch the two winter melons trapped in the well water and cut them up. When the melons were brought out, several people were startled.
Winter melons are not uncommon in the homes of wealthy and powerful families, but they are rarely seen among the common people.
But even though it was strange, they didn't ask about it. Ye Jia handed over a knife and asked Zhou Jingchen and the others to cut it themselves: "We grew it ourselves."
"Can winter melons be grown on this piece of land in the northwest?" Liu Yuan couldn't help but ask after he got a piece of land.
Ye Jiali stood sideways by the door, half in the sun and half in the shadows. Hearing this, she turned her head, her face bathed in the bright sunlight, a jade-like beauty. Her stance was unlike the hunched backs of country girls, or the submissive demeanor of the ladies of aristocratic families. Her back was straight, her composure steady, a gesture that startled everyone in the room.
She nodded: "Of course."
It had to be said that this melon was much sweeter than any they had ever tasted. Not only was it sweet, but it was also crunchy in the mouth. Liu Yuan stared at the melon for a while, then when he looked up at Zhou Jingchen, the bitter jealousy in his eyes was about to overflow.
Zhou Jingchen was too lazy to pay attention to him. Several grown men shared a cold melon. The meal was ready at the same time.
There were so many people that Ye Jia simply brought out the table in the house and divided it into two tables. Zhou Jingchen, the four colleagues he brought with him, and Ajiu ate in the main room, while Ye Jia and Yu's fifth and fourth sisters set up a table in the back yard.
After lunch, Zhou Jingchen went out with a few people.
Ye Jia originally thought he wouldn't be back after he left, so after finishing his meal, he went back to his room to rest for lunch. The new shop would open tomorrow, specializing in pig heads, and they would also be braised that afternoon. Since the breakfast stall had been handed over to Ye Wumei, she would prepare everything else in advance, except for the sauces. As soon as he entered the room, he saw the package Zhou Jingchen had left on the bed, and without a word, he reached out to untie it.
While he is away, quickly get her little clothes back.
The good thing about cloth wrapping is that even if you tie a knot, you can still untie it if you try hard. Ye Jia's fingers were red from picking at it, and finally he untied the knot. Inside was a piece of paper. There were three sentences and twelve words written on it.
First sentence: Are you searching my package?
Second sentence: I advise you not to translate it.
The third sentence: Not in it.
Ye Jia: “…”
She refused to believe it and had to look through it for him. Inside were all Zhou Jingchen's clothes, one set of outerwear and one set of lining. Other than that, there was indeed no light red fabric. Ye Jia took out the clothes again and found a small note underneath: I told you, don't you believe it?
Ye Jia: "..." Does this guy have the ability to read minds? How come he can predict everything she wants to do?
With a blank expression, she tied the package back to the owner, tying it into a knot. She had no idea how Zhou Jingchen had tied it, and since she couldn't recreate it, she just made a fool of herself. After finishing, Ye Jia tossed the things on the table, took off her shoes, and fell asleep.
She always sleeps well, whether at night or at noon.
He slept until the afternoon, then woke up quickly to prepare the braised pig's head and gather the ingredients. Since opening the shop, the number of pig heads has increased. After all, it's not just half a day; the shop is open all day, so naturally there has to be something to sell. However, the two pork shops in town only slaughter five pigs a day combined. To meet sales targets, Ye Jia thought again and again and decided to increase the amount and variety of meat sold.
Originally only the pig's head was braised, but now it's also braised pork belly and pig's intestines. The pig's intestines aren't cooked in the same pot as the pig's head and pork belly; the former is served cold and doesn't take long to braise. However, the pig's intestines have a strong flavor, so the marinade needs to be increased to mask the odor.
While Ye Jia was squatting by the well cleaning her large intestine, Ah Jiu came over and said, "Sister, do I want to ask you something?"
Ah Jiu rarely approached anyone at the Zhou family. He usually came to help when the Zhou family needed help. Most of the time, he was very reserved and wouldn't approach Ye Jia easily. After pinching the pig intestines and turning them over, Ye Jia looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Do you want to ship out the winter melons and sweet melons to sell?"
The Zhou family alone couldn't finish eating all the fruits and vegetables in the backyard. Fruits and vegetables don't last long; if they're not eaten after the season, they'll rot in the ground. At first, Ah Jiu thought it was a shame that they couldn't finish them, but she didn't think much of it. But today, she overheard her conversation with Zhou Jingchen, and realized that leaving the tribute melons rotting in the ground was indeed a shame, so she couldn't help but come over and mention it.
Ye Jia was stunned, then turned serious: "Do you have a way to sell it?"
Ajiu looked a little embarrassed, but he felt there was nothing to hide. His wife's sister and brother-in-law were also his relatives. After struggling for a moment, he nodded and said, "I have a way to transport furs to the Central Plains and sell them inside the Great Wall."
Ye Jia: “!!!”
This was indeed a surprise. Ye Jia hadn't expected that something she had no clue about would actually lead to a pleasant surprise. "How far can it be delivered?"
"Jizhou is enough."
Ye Jia smacked the ground twice. She wasn't quite sure about Dayan's territory. She always felt that Dayan's territory was a bit like the ancient Tang Dynasty, but after listening to Zhou Jingchen's fragments, she felt that it wasn't that big. Which Jizhou was this? Was it the place she thought it was? She wasn't sure: "It's such a long way, can we guarantee that our melons won't go bad when we deliver them? They can only be kept for half a month at most."
"this……"
Ah Jiu sells fur, and as long as it's handled properly, there's no need to worry about it spoiling or rotting. Fruits are different; their shelf life is very short. In this day and age, without high-speed trains or airplanes, shipping them so far would be too much of a hassle, even without the skins.
Seeing Ajiu's expression, Ye Jia understood: "I'm afraid it's impossible to send it to Jizhou. It's too far."
"It's indeed far to send it to Jizhou," Ajiu admitted, but since things had come to this, he might as well make it clear. "But sending it to the vicinity of Luntai is enough. Luntai is much more prosperous than Dongxiang Town. After all, the Governor's Office is there. There are many wealthy families and officials, but supplies are scarce. Sending some fresh fruits there can ensure their freshness and sell for a high price."
Ye Jia's eyes suddenly lit up. She had never been outside of two towns since she traveled through time. "Do you have anyone?"
Speaking of this, Ajiu's expression became awkward. He glanced at Ye Jia, unsure whether to speak or not. Thinking about the group of people under his command, he simply said vaguely: "There are a few brothers and sisters from relatives, but they are very rough and rude. We don't usually interact with each other..."
Ye Jia didn’t actually want to get to the bottom of it, she just wanted to make sure the thing wouldn’t get in her hands.
"Don't worry about that." Ajiu can guarantee this point, "Since I dare to say this, I can guarantee that it can be sold at a profit. Sister, you don't have to worry too much."
Ye Jia felt relieved after hearing what he said. "Okay, you can discuss it with them later. We don't have a lot of fruits and vegetables at home this time, so let's try selling them. But I'm not asking you to work for nothing. If you can run this business for me, you will definitely get a lot of money for your hard work."
Ajiu laughed when he heard this. He was a handsome man. When he smiled, he looked like a puppy with two canine teeth.
"Okay then," Ajiu said without saying anything about not having to pay. He could do without money, but he had to pay others when he asked them to do work. "I'll go out and ask as soon as possible. I'll be back in two days at most. Wait for my news. Sister, please take good care of Yuanniang in the next two days."
Ye Jia would pay attention to this even without him saying anything. Fourth Sister Ye's belly was so big, and she was about to give birth: "The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back."
Just as they were talking, Ah Jiu disappeared in the evening. Ye Simei went out to look for him. After Ye Jia told her that Ah Jiu had gone out to look for someone, she felt relieved and went back to her room. Simei didn't have many other advantages, but there was one that Ye Jia particularly liked: she was obedient and well-behaved.
In the evening, when Ye Jia finished washing up and was ready to go to bed, Diandian jumped out of the window.
Ye Jiacai washed her hair and followed him out with her hair loose. She casually grabbed a large knife from the back of the house. It was a gift from Ah Jiu earlier. It was light and handy. When she reached the door, she heard a familiar voice coming from outside. Zhou Jingchen's voice was unusually vague. He lowered his voice and said softly, "Jia Niang, it's me. Come out and open the door."
He learned his lesson this time and never climbed over the wall again.
Ye Jia opened the door with a large knife, the knife gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Zhou Jingchen's cheeks flushed slightly, and his watery eyes gently fell on Ye Jia. The flash of the knife froze his gentle expression.
He walked over with a slightly unsteady gait, one hand seemingly casually grasping the handle of Ye Jia's knife, and with a deft move, he snatched the knife from her hand and threw it to the ground. Then, like a boneless person, he threw himself directly into Ye Jia's arms. He smelled of alcohol, but it wasn't too bad. "It's a good thing I knocked on the door tonight. If it were like that time, you would have hit me in the head with that knife, wouldn't you?"
Ye Jia: "...That's not the case. I can chop you in the stomach."
Ye Jia was forced to hold him, her cheeks flushing. But she held on tight, holding the tall man and forcibly locking the door with one hand. Then, half-carrying, half-dragging him, she pushed the door open and closed it behind her.
Open the door and close it again.
Yu, who had gotten up at some point, stood by the bed and watched. After watching the door close, she said to Ye Wumei happily, "Sleep, sleep, sleep! Go to sleep! Even if it rains knives from the sky tonight, don't go out and disturb that room!"
Ye Jia helped the man into the house. He couldn't sit still in this state, so he simply helped the man onto the bed.
The man fell onto the bed, rolled inside obediently, and then lay there motionless. Ye Jia locked the door and turned around. Seeing that he was in this state, there was no way to drag him to the ground. He thought that since he was drunk, he would just make do with it for one night and deal with it tomorrow. Just as he was about to take off his shoes and sit on it, he saw Zhou Jingchen, who was sleeping soundly, reaching out to straighten the pillow.
She paused in taking off her shoes and narrowed her eyes.
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