Xia Yang's arrival made Xia Tian very happy.
In the next few days, she accompanied Xia Yang to wander around Sangluo City. To be honest, there were shops that made braised dishes, but the taste was not as authentic as theirs.
After several days of investigation, Xia Yang bought two shops in Sangluo City.
Both shops have yards at the back, where people can live and process braised food.
After the store is acquired, renovation will begin.
Fortunately, all the braised food shops are takeout shops, so the decoration is not difficult.
Xia Tian asked Fu Gui to find a decorator and also to take charge of the material procurement.
Although the decoration of this shop is not as high-end as that of a restaurant, it will still take about a month to complete.
During this period, Xia Yang recruited a few guys and gave them some simple training.
He was not planning to go back, so he thought of recruiting people here directly.
Xia Tian was not sure if he could ask an outsider for the master chef's advice, so he simply asked Fu Gui and his wife.
Xia Yang didn't want Xia Tian to worry about him, so he took Fu Gui to do the preparations every day.
Because he already knew that Xia Tian was pregnant, he was happy but did not let her interfere at all, saying that she had finally gotten pregnant and naturally had to take good care of the child.
Xia Tian was at a loss for words. Now Shen Nian and the others treated her like a fragile porcelain doll, not allowing her to touch this or that.
Feeling bored staying at home, she made an appointment with Mrs. Cao, Mrs. Wang, and Mrs. Li to play a few games of cards.
"Hey, have you heard?" Mrs. Wang asked them mysteriously.
"What did you hear?" Mrs. Li asked curiously.
Several people did not stop grabbing cards, and their ears were perked up to listen to gossip.
Seeing the three Shangguan ladies staring at her, Madam Wang didn't keep the secret and whispered, "Just a few days ago, Mr. Chen, the co-magistrate, took a concubine. Did you know about this?"
Madam Cao and Madam Li thought it was nothing special, but when they heard that it was just about someone else taking a concubine, they lost interest.
Whose family doesn’t have several concubines in the backyard?
Xia Tian's mind moved, wondering if it was the girl from the Guo family.
He calmly replied, "I've never heard of Lord Chen taking a concubine. What's the matter?"
Seeing Xia Tian answer, Madam Wang's gossipy heart was aroused again. She leaned closer and whispered, "The concubine that Master Chen just took in committed suicide the next day."
"Ah? Why?" Mrs. Cao and Mrs. Li also became interested and asked with some confusion.
"I heard that the girl was unwilling and committed suicide. These days her family members are making trouble at Master Chen's house."
Because Lord Wang is the prefect, he works with the co-prefect. Lord Chen has taken leave for the past few days because of this matter.
Mrs. Chen also fell ill because of the disturbance, so Mrs. Wang knew about it.
"Whose family is that girl from? Could it be that she was forced upon Lord Chen as a concubine?" Xia Tian couldn't help but ask.
I wonder if it’s the girl from the Guo family?
"It's the Guo family, who run a grain business in Sangluo City. The girl is the eldest daughter of the Guo family's main branch." Madam Wang sighed, "I really can't understand it. Even if the Guo family is a merchant family, they wouldn't be so willing to stoop so low as to marry their eldest daughter off to someone else as a concubine!"
"Who says it's not?" Madam Li also found it a little unbelievable. "I know the Guo family too. They're not just any merchant family. Although this legitimate daughter may not be as good as the housekeeper's daughter, she's still a legitimate daughter. They're actually willing to let their daughter become a concubine for a middle-aged man. I wonder what they're thinking?"
Madam Li also thought that the Guo family was foolish. Even if they did not regard the girl as their own family, they would not treat their eldest daughter so badly.
You said that marrying a concubine's daughter is understandable, but letting the eldest daughter be a concubine is something I really don't understand.
"The Guo family probably took a fancy to Lord Chen's management of grain, so they hope to gain some benefits from the marriage?" Mrs. Cao said after listening for a while.
"Then there's no need to exchange the legitimate daughter for benefits, right?" Xia Tian was also very confused.
Even though Miss Guo's mother passed away, her stepmother still had to consider the impact. Before they even met, Xia Tian had already begun to dislike Miss Guo's father.
This stepmother doesn't feel bad for her daughter, but Miss Guo's father is her biological father, right? How can she be so confused?
"You don't know that Miss Guo's biological mother has passed away a long time ago. Her current stepmother is her stepmother. They say that if there is a stepmother, there will be a stepfather. This is absolutely true." Mrs. Cao couldn't help but sigh.
What they heard was gossip, but this gossip sometimes made people feel bad.
"Has the girl been rescued?" Mrs. Wang just said that she committed suicide, but did not say what the consequences were.
"Of course not." Madam Wang sighed again, "If that girl had been rescued, why would the Guo family come to Master Chen to cause trouble?"
They looked at each other and saw understanding in each other's eyes.
The Guo family must be here to ask for benefits because their daughter has died and they haven't received any benefits yet.
It's definitely not to seek justice for Miss Guo!
"Miss Guo must be suffering if she is born in such a family!" Xia Tian felt a little uncomfortable. Although she heard that Miss Guo was going to marry Chen Nian, she was still thinking about whether she should see what kind of person Miss Guo was.
It’s a pity that I didn’t see what Miss Guo looked like at Cui’s house at that time!
When I heard the two girls talking, I felt that Miss Guo should not be such a weak person. I didn’t expect that she actually committed suicide!
This person must have been forced into a desperate situation and chose to commit suicide.
Xia Tian remembered that he had asked Shen Nian about who the Guo family was some time ago, but he didn’t expect that the news he heard again was that Miss Guo had committed suicide.
Life is so unpredictable!
When they got home, Xia Tian told Ningxiang about Miss Guo. Ningxiang was so surprised that she didn't react for a long time.
At that time, she was still worried that the girl would really become her son's concubine, and she felt a little angry when she heard them talking like that.
I didn't expect that he died in just a few days!
Xia Tian also felt unhappy. The status of girls in this era is really too low!
Not only is their fate completely out of their control, but they are often used as tools and betrothed to others at random.
"Madam, don't think too much. Everyone has their own destiny!" Ningxiang saw that she was obviously in a low mood. After a moment of silence, she comforted her.
"Yes, I know." Xia Tian nodded, looking at Ningxiang seriously and said, "Ningxiang, although you are my maids, I promise you that you can find someone you like in this life. I will never let you marry someone you don't like. Even if you don't get married, I will take care of you for the rest of your life."
Ningxiang and Ningxue gave her more companionship than Chen Nian. She could not control the fate of others, but she could definitely protect these girls.
"Thank you, Madam." Ningxiang was a little moved. She didn't expect that just because of the Miss Guo whom she had never met, Madam would make such a promise to them.
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