Ouyang Nan looked at Zhao Xian, knelt down before him again, and said excitedly, "Thank you, benefactor, for taking my brother and me in."
Zhao Xian smiled and took in the brother and sister, not only to keep them from going hungry, but also to educate them so that they could become useful people when they grew up.
Although Ouyang Nan was young, he was very smart. He had already realized that Zhao Xian and the others were very kind. He and his sister were currently in trouble and in danger at any time. He thought that they would be safe if they followed them, and at least they would not go hungry.
After taking in the brother and sister, Zhao Xian finally felt relieved. In those days, the living conditions for the poor were extremely harsh. The brother and sister were so young, and without help, it would be very difficult for them to survive.
After getting on the bus, the brother and sister were very happy. Soon, Ouyang Xiaoyu began to doze off, so Ouyang Nan held his sister and let her sleep in his arms.
But Ouyang Nan was also a child, and soon he couldn't hold on any longer and began to doze off. Zhao Xian picked up Ouyang Xiaoyu and let her sleep in his arms, while Huang Bo hugged Ouyang Nan and let him lean against him.
The carriage traveled all the way back to Qing'an Prefecture at nightfall. As soon as they arrived, the brother and sister woke up. After such a long rest, they were full of energy.
Zhao Xian lifted the carriage curtain to let the brother and sister get some fresh air, and the scenery outside immediately attracted them.
Zhao Xian had the carriage stop in front of his house. He led Ouyang Nan and his sister down and had Huang Bo take the crabs to the hotel.
Ouyang Nan and his sister have always lived in the countryside and are very curious about everything in the city.
This house is huge! It's completely different from the houses in their village.
Zhao Xian led the brother and sister into the courtyard. Why were there so many people in the courtyard? Everyone was busy.
Upon seeing Zhao Xian return, the servant stepped forward to greet him.
"Master is back." After saying this, the servant stared at Ouyang Nan and his sister, but dared not ask any more questions.
Zhao Xian's trip took three days. Upon hearing the servants' voices, Yang Ruotong and Liu Xuan dropped what they were doing and came to the courtyard.
He was stunned to see that Zhao Xian had brought back two children.
"Husband, who are these two children?" Yang Ruotong asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's a long story, I'll explain it to you later. Is there any food at home right now?"
"Dinner is ready, you can eat now."
"Okay, let's eat first." Zhao Xian said and immediately pulled the brother and sister to the dining table.
I only ate a bowl of noodles for lunch, and after such a long journey, I was starving.
The same goes for Ouyang Nan and his sister; apart from having a bowl of noodles at noon, they haven't had a proper meal in the past few days.
The food on the table was very plentiful. Zhao Xian invited the brother and sister to sit down at the table. It was the first time they had ever seen so much delicious food, and the two of them were stunned.
The two were very reserved while eating here, which was different from the feeling when they ate noodles at a noodle shop. At the noodle shop, the bowl of noodles was their own, and they could eat it however they wanted. But here, it was different; they didn't know any of the rules for eating at the table.
"Eat up, you must be starving," Yang Ruotong said with a smile, serving food to the brother and sister.
The brother and sister were eating intently with their heads down, as if they were in a dream. When they finished the food in their bowls, they looked at the food on the table, but dared not pick it up.
The people sitting at the table had kind faces and were very concerned about the brother and sister. When they finished their food, they put more food on their plates.
The siblings had lived a very hard life before, and Zhao Xian dared not let them eat anything too greasy, for fear that it would upset their stomachs.
The two ate quite a bit during the meal, and Zhao Xian, fearing they were overeating, dared not let them eat any more.
After the meal, Zhao Xian began to recount his experiences over the past two days, focusing on how he took in Ouyang Nan and his sister.
Everyone listened quietly. As Ouyang Xiaoyu listened, she began to cry sadly. The servant standing beside her listened and wiped away his tears. He felt a pang of sympathy, thinking how much suffering these poor siblings would have endured if they hadn't met their master.
Yang Ruotong stood up, picked up the crying Ouyang Xiaoyu, gently comforted her, and wiped away her tears.
"Xiaoyu, don't be sad. From now on, you will live with your brother at your sister-in-law's house. We won't let you go hungry anymore."
After resting for a while, Zhao Xian went to the restaurant. The restaurant was packed with people and the kitchen was extremely busy.
Zhao Xian was surprised to find several customers waiting in the kitchen, their eyes fixed on the spicy crabs being stir-fried in the large pot, their mouths watering.
It seems that the spicy crab dish launched by the restaurant has become a huge hit. The original plan of using 200 catties of crabs per day is clearly not enough.
The next morning, Zhao Xian had Zhao Dani prepare a spicy crab dish and brought two jars of liquor with him to the government office.
At the main gate of the government office, Zhao Xian explained his purpose to the yamen runners and requested to pay his respects to Prefect Shen.
The yamen runner told Zhao Xian to wait at the gate while he went in to report. Shortly after, the yamen runner came out and told him that the prefect had invited him.
Zhao Xian had two jars of wine brought up, while he carried the spicy crab and followed the yamen runners to see Prefect Shen.
In a side hall of the government office, Prefect Shen met with Zhao Xian.
"Greetings, Your Excellency Prefect. I apologize for my unauthorized visit and hope you will not take offense." After saying this, Zhao Xian bowed deeply to Prefect Shen.
"Young Master Zhao, you are too kind. It has been more than a few months since we last met at the poetry gathering. If Young Master Zhao does not come soon, I will go to Narcissus Village to disturb you."
After Prefect Shen finished speaking, he invited Zhao Xian to sit down, and someone immediately brought him tea.
"When did Young Master Zhao arrive in Qing'an Prefecture without even letting us know?" Prefect Shen asked, taking a sip of tea.
“I have been in Qing’an Prefecture for several days now. I know that the Prefect is very busy with official duties, so I am only visiting you today.”
"I heard that a new restaurant called Qinghe Restaurant has opened in Qing'an Prefecture. I presume it's owned by Young Master Zhao?" Prefect Shen asked.
"That's right. This restaurant is a joint venture between me and a manager named Lu Wei, and the business is now on track."
“Yes, yes, Manager Lu came to the government office last time, and you even had him deliver two jars of liquor. I haven’t paid you for those yet,” Prefect Shen said.
"You flatter me, Prefect. The successful promotion of Qinghe Wine is largely thanks to the poetry gathering last time."
Prefect Shen laughed. He was very happy that Zhao Xian could make money from producing liquor, but he would not accept the gifts Zhao Xian gave him as a token of gratitude.
"The fact that your wine is in high demand in the market is mainly due to the quality of Qinghe wine. To be honest, 'good wine needs no bush.' Even if your Qinghe wine is not promoted at the poetry gathering, it will quickly become popular in the market."
So, for both official and personal reasons, I had to pay for the two jars of wine you sent last time. Now that you've brought two more jars, I'm determined to savor them and drink to my heart's content."
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