Jiang Yuwei felt very sorry for the boy after hearing his words, so she nodded and said:
"May I have your name?"
"My name is Yan An."
Jiang Yuwei nodded.
"Good name. Would you like to come with me and be my son's page? At least you won't have to worry about food and lodging, and you'll get money every month. That way, you won't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from."
Upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, Yan An immediately stood up and knelt down before her.
"Thank you for saving my life, Madam. I am willing to do so. I don't even need wages. I will be satisfied as long as I have something to eat. I will definitely take good care of the young master. Don't look at me now because I am thin. I am very strong."
Jiang Yuwei reached out and helped Yan An up.
"From now on, you can stay by the young master's side and do your job well. The young master will not treat you unfairly."
Yan An nodded excitedly.
"I will follow Madam's arrangements."
Jiang Yuwei then led Xia Yue and Yan An to the stall. By then, almost everything was sold out, and Aunt Zhou and the others were already busy packing up.
Upon seeing Jiang Yuwei arrive, they all crowded around her, excitedly saying:
"Madam, you've been so busy lately, we haven't seen you for so long."
Jiang Yuwei smiled and took Aunt Zhou's hand, saying:
“We’ll have more opportunities to meet in the future. I’ve bought a shop on Jin Street. Once the shop is renovated, you won’t have to set up your stall here in the wind and sun anymore. You can move everything into the shop to sell.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Qiu clapped her hands happily and said:
"That would be wonderful. Moving to Golden Street to do business would allow us to be closer to Madam."
Jiang Yuwei nodded.
"Once the General's Mansion is repaired, you should move there as soon as possible. It's right on Jin Street, which will make it more convenient to do business."
Daya smiled shyly upon hearing this.
"Will I have more opportunities to meet Brother Tiezhu from then on?"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and took Ning Daya's hand to comfort her:
“Da Ya, I was short-handed before, and I didn’t trust the servants in the Prince’s mansion, so I sent Tie Zhu to take care of the General and Ning Zhao.”
Jiang Yuwei pointed to Yan An following behind her and said;
“Look, I just hired a page for Ning Zhao. Tie Zhu won’t be as busy with his work anymore. Once the shop is open, I’ll occasionally have him help out there, so you two can see each other more often.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Daya nodded gratefully and said:
"Madam, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything by it. Our family is just supposed to follow your orders. It's just that I can't see Brother Tiezhu often, and I can't help but feel a little empty inside."
Jiang Yuwei patted Daya's hand.
"I know you didn't mean anything by it. We've been friends for so many years, how could I not understand you?"
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei looked at everyone again.
"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. I'll go and hire a few more waiters and assistants in the next few days. They'll be useful when we move to the General's Mansion. Besides, there are many places in this shop that need manpower, and you few alone can't keep up with the workload."
Aunt Zhou said happily:
"Our business is growing bigger and bigger, and we are very happy. It is good to have helpers, but if we can't find suitable ones, we won't force it. We are all from farming backgrounds, so this little bit of hardship is nothing to us."
Jiang Yuwei smiled and patted Aunt Zhou's hand, saying:
“Aunt Zhou, you don’t need to worry about this. I will arrange it properly. Although you are capable, you can’t keep doing this all the time. Alright, I have some things to do at the Prince’s Mansion, so I’ll head back first. Just wait for my message.”
After seeing Jiang Yuwei off, everyone happily began packing up their stall.
Inside the General's Mansion, in Xu Qianqian's courtyard.
“Sister, I came to see you as soon as I got back from the temple of the goddess. I went to my master to draw a fortune stick, and it was a very auspicious one. The child in your belly is indeed worthy of having been to the palace. It will surely bring good fortune to our royal family in the future.”
As she spoke, Madam Sun took out a beautifully designed sachet from her bosom and handed it to Xu Qianqian.
“Sister, this sachet contains a peace charm drawn for you by the master. I spent a lot of money to get it. You must carry it with you at all times. This way, we can buy peace of mind with our money.”
Xu Qianqian smiled and accepted the amulet from Madam Sun.
"Oh dear, sister, look at all the trouble and money you've gone through for me. I really feel bad about it. Don't worry, I will definitely carry this sachet with me at all times and will never let you down."
As she spoke, Xu Qianqian put the sachet on her belt, reached out and touched her belly, and proudly said:
"I told you long ago that the child in my belly is extraordinary, why did you bother to consult the master again? It's just a waste of money."
Sun glanced at Xu Qianqian's belly with a smile and then said:
"It's alright. As long as you can give birth to your son safely, this little bit of money is nothing. Let's just consider it as peace of mind."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qianqian quickly reached out and pulled Sun Shi back.
"Sister, I knew that you were the one who cared for me the most in the whole palace. Look at that princess, she always claims to be sick and refuses to see anyone. Now that I am pregnant with the child of the palace, she doesn't even want to see me. She never sends the rewards for the child. She really doesn't care about me at all."
Madam Sun picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, a smile barely concealed in her eyes. It seemed the Princess Consort didn't care much for the child. And rightly so; what good was a concubine's child? Thinking this, Madam Sun felt much more at ease.
"Good sister, don't worry about the princess's gifts over these things. Our mother-in-law is sickly all the time, how can she have the mind to care about anything else? Perhaps she hasn't thought of you yet. Once the child is born, will you still worry about not receiving the princess's reward?"
Upon hearing this, a slight smile appeared on Xu Qianqian's face.
"That's right. When I give her a healthy and chubby grandson, she'll be overjoyed."
Sun glanced at Xu Qianqian indifferently and continued:
"How often does the young master come to your courtyard these days?"
Xu Qianqian, who had been smiling, frowned upon hearing this, and then slammed her hand heavily on the table.
"Now that Lianyao has fully recovered, she's always clinging to Brother Chunlin and won't let go."
As she spoke, Xu Qianqian sighed.
“When Chunlin first found out I was pregnant, he came to my courtyard every day for the first few days, but now it’s been seven or eight days and I haven’t seen him at all.”
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