The next day, Zhang Lin was resting at home, but Zhang Qingshan came in her place.
Zhang Qingshan scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Sister-in-law, my mother is not feeling well and is resting at home. I came to help you. Anyway, I am not going to the carpenter's shop now. I have time. I don't want any money."
Li Hehua nodded without being polite to him.
Of course he can help, but helping is only temporary. At his age, it is time to learn things. There is no great future in helping her. If he wants to develop in the future, he still needs to learn the basics of life.
Li Hehua looked at Zhang Qingshan and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"
"Plans? Sister-in-law, I don't know what plans I can have." Zhang Qingshan was very depressed and didn't dare to look at Li Hehua, for fear of seeing the disappointment and contempt in her eyes. He was always not as good as his elder brother. His elder brother was very successful in everything he did. He could make money to support the family when he was not even as old as him. Many people wanted to ask his elder brother to help with things. His elder brother never had to worry about making money, but he, not only did he not learn a skill, but he also lost so much money. Now he can't even learn a skill.
He is really useless.
Li Hehua saw that he was dejected and did not say those empty words of encouragement, nor was he surprised that he had no plans, because most people at his age are confused and don't know what to do or learn, so his state is normal.
At this time, people need guidance.
So, Li Hehua changed the topic and said to Zhang Qingshan: "Then don't think about what you are planning. Think about what you like. For example, what are you interested in, what do you like to learn, or what do you find interesting? Take me for example, I like to cook delicious food, so I opened a restaurant to make money. In this way, I can do what I like and make money at the same time. Isn't that great?"
Zhang Qingshan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a new path opened up in his mind, and he suddenly became clear. Yes, he could think about what he likes to do, and then learn it well. He had never thought about what he liked to do before, but just thought that it would be good to make money. Learning carpentry was arranged by his elder brother, so he went, but he was not happy with it. He was not disappointed that he could not be a carpenter in the future, which showed that he did not like this job that much.
If he has something he really likes to do, won’t he be very motivated? Will he be happy to learn every day?
But what does he like to do?
Carpenter? No.
Blacksmith? I don't think I want to learn that.
Be a chef like my sister-in-law? No, no, he can't do that.
Being a pork seller? He couldn't bear the thought of that scene.
Zhang Qingshan thought of countless jobs he knew, but was disappointed to find that none of them made him very interested and wanted to do them. For so many years, he seemed to have never thought about this matter and really didn't know what he liked to do...
The joy that Zhang Qingshan had just felt was extinguished again. His brows knitted unconsciously, and he felt annoyed with himself for not being able to live up to his expectations. How could he not even know what he liked? Was he a pig brain?
Seeing that he was about to hit his head, Li Hehua quickly stopped him and said, "What are you doing? It's hard to remember whether you like something or not. It's the same for many people. You don't have to remember it right away. You have a lot of time. You can think about it slowly."
Zhang Qingshan sighed, feeling extremely frustrated, "Sister-in-law, I'm really useless. I can't even think of what I like to do..."
Li Hehua shook his head and patted his shoulder. "It's not useless, it's just that you haven't discovered it yet. There are thousands of professions in this world, and you haven't seen or experienced many of them. You know too little so far, so you haven't seen any that interest you."
Li Hehua said again: "How about this, Qingshan, you can help me for the time being, and then use your free time to find more new jobs. One day you will find something that interests you, and then you can tell us."
Zhang Qingshan nodded and decided in his heart to do as Li Hehua said. When he had time in the future, he would go out and find new jobs and look for things he liked.
Zhang Qingshan seemed to have suddenly unloaded a burden from his shoulders. He felt completely relaxed and went to help with the easy pace that only a young boy could take.
Zhang Tieshan was genuinely happy when he saw his brother relax. He took Li Hehua's hand and rubbed it in his palm, "You always have a way. I, your elder brother, am not as good as you."
Li Hehua smiled playfully, "That's right!"
Zhang Tieshan was amused by her and nodded. Yes, he was not as good as her, but he was blessed to have her. He cherished her more than anyone else and would keep such a treasure in his heart for the rest of his life.
After the two of them played around, Li Hehua started talking about the serious business she wanted to do. She had wanted to buy a carriage for her family before, and she was going to tell Zhang Tieshan about it, but what happened yesterday delayed her.
"Shulin now has to go to Mr. Nangong's place four days every month. It's not that close to us. We used to walk to pick him up, but when we go to Mr. Nangong's place, we are tired and Shulin can't stand it. We have to prepare a carriage. When Shulin goes to Mr. Nangong's place, we use the carriage to take him there and pick him up again."
She had never thought about buying a carriage before, because she could do things on foot, but now it is no longer possible. In addition to Shulin's studies, she also needs to go to other people's homes to cook from time to time, and she also needs to take Shulin and Jinzhao out to play when he is on vacation. All these things require a carriage, so buying a carriage is very necessary.
Zhang Tieshan agreed with the idea of buying a carriage. This way, when she goes out to cook, he can drive the carriage to pick her up and drop her off. She doesn't have to bother others, and she doesn't have to suffer walking. "Then buy one. I'll go out and take a look when I'm not busy in the afternoon."
Li Hehua nodded, "If there is a carriage that comes with the carriage, buy it. It's okay to spend a little more money. This way you don't have to find someone to buy the carriage, which will waste a lot of time."
"Yes, I know."
Zhang Tieshan has always been very efficient. No one knows where he got those connections, but he knows everything and can get a little bit of everything. Look, he went out in the afternoon and came back in a carriage when it got dark. He took out a deed from his pocket and handed it to her, "This is the deed for buying the carriage. The family selling the carriage is selling the entire carriage with the carriage. This carriage has been used for a short time, and the horse is also a strong horse. I asked someone who knows the business to take a look, and there is nothing wrong with the horse."
Li Hehua took the deed, on which was written thirty taels of silver. This price was more expensive than buying a horse alone, but it was a very good price to buy the entire carriage. It seemed that Zhang Tieshan had found someone.
He was quick at doing things. If she were to do it, it would take her several days. To reward him, Li Hehua pulled Zhang Tieshan's hand, scratched his palm with her index finger, and said, "Well done. I'll make you whatever you want to eat tonight!"
Zhang Tieshan was amused by her appearance of wanting to reward him greatly. He was very happy with her occasional rewards and was happy to play this little game with her, so he said, "How about eating the jerky you made?"
Li Hehua raised his eyebrows, "Have you finished the previous ones?"
This meat jerky was made by Li Hehua according to the method of modern beef jerky, but the raw material is pork. It tastes flavorful and chewy, and can be eaten as a dish with wine or as a snack. It is very filling and is very popular with Zhang Tieshan. This man who doesn't like snacks very much only likes this meat jerky. Li Hehua would make a bag of it for him from time to time so that he could carry it with him as a snack.
Zhang Tieshan had indeed finished what he had eaten before. He knew that making this jerky required a lot of ingredients, including some rare Chinese medicinal ingredients. It was very expensive and time-consuming to make a bag, so he usually didn't want to eat it. But even though he had been very frugal with it, he couldn't resist Zhang Qingshan, Luo Er and the others who would come to take some from him from time to time, so he ate it up quickly.
Li Hehua found his painful expression very funny and pinched his face, "Okay, it's okay. It's okay to share some with them. I'll make it for you again. Tell me when you've finished eating." Don't be silly and wait until you can reward yourself to tell me.
Zhang Tieshan nodded with a smile in his eyes.
In the evening, Li Hehua bought a lot of fresh meat and the ingredients needed to make jerky. He worked in the kitchen for several hours and made a large bag of new jerky for Zhang Qingshan.
Zhang Tieshan was holding the cake as if it were a treasure. He was only willing to eat one piece. He then took another piece and fed it to Li Hehua, and put the rest away.
Li Hehua was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when she saw his loving look. She knew that he saw that she was so tired after doing it once that he was reluctant to eat so quickly.
This man...
The next day was the day that Shulin went to study with Mr. Nangong. In the morning, Zhang Tieshan personally drove the carriage to take Shulin there. When he came back, he said that the county magistrate was also there, listening to Mr. Nangong's lecture with Shulin.
When Li Hehua heard this, he immediately thought about making more food to send at noon.
Originally, she was planning to send some delicious food to Mr. Nangong and Shulin during lunch. This could be considered a benefit for Teacher Shulin. It was rare that Mr. Nangong liked her cooking. And now that the magistrate was there too, she would make more as a thank you for what happened in court yesterday.
Li Hehua thought about it and decided to make them a crystal shrimp and radish roll, assorted eggplant soup, honey glutinous rice lotus root and whole fish with fermented soybeans. The four dishes should be the largest in size and served on the largest plates, which would be enough for three people, and they would only need to add a dessert and a fruit platter after the meal.
Li Hehua prepared the dishes quickly and put them into a special food box with six layers in total. It was full and covered with a lid. The food would not get cold for half an hour. It was just right to send it to Mr. Nangong.
Zhang Tieshan got on the carriage carrying the food box and soon disappeared around the corner.
Li Hehua smiled, feeling that Zhang Tieshan now had another job besides being the shopkeeper and bodyguard, that is, the restaurant's coachman. He really had multiple jobs.
When the other people in the restaurant heard her sigh like this, they couldn't help but laugh.
Zhang Tieshan was gone for a long time this time and didn't get home until more than an hour in the afternoon. He brought the food box back intact, but the full bowl of dishes inside was gone. There were only six clean plates, which seemed to have been eaten cleanly.
Li Hehua pulled Zhang Tieshan to sit down, took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face, and seeing that he had rested, he went to the kitchen and brought out the noodles with gravy that he had specially prepared for him.
Zhang Tieshan looked at the steaming noodles, curled his lips, picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Li Hehua asked, "Did you wait until they finished eating before coming back? Just send it over later. You can pick up the lunch box when you go to pick up Shulin in the afternoon. Come back early to eat, don't wait on an empty stomach."
Zhang Tieshan swallowed the noodles in his mouth and said, "This is the first time Shulin went there. I wanted to see how he was doing, so I told Mr. Nangong about Shulin's situation. That's why I stayed a little longer. I'll be back after I send him there."
Li Hehua nodded, "What did Mr. Nangong say?"
Zhang Tieshan had a proud smile in his eyes and said, "Mr. Nangong said that Shulin is the most talented person he has ever met. He said that he is born to be an expert in this field and will surpass his teacher in a few years. However, he also said that Shulin is too young now and his talent cannot be exposed too early, lest someone with bad intentions do something sinister. We have to wait until Shulin's mind is mature and he can protect himself before his talent can be made public."
Li Hehua agreed very much with what Mr. Nangong said. She thought so too. She didn't want to expose Shulin's special qualities to the public before he became fully grown. But she also knew that Shulin's talent could not be stopped. But she hoped that Shulin could protect himself before he became a great man in the eyes of the world.
It seems that Mr. Nangong has already thought about Shulin. He really cares about Shulin, so they can rest assured.
Zhang Tieshan finished the last mouthful of noodles in the bowl and said, "By the way, the county magistrate asked me to thank you. He said the food was delicious. When Shulin comes to class in the future, he will definitely come. He asked you to prepare his share of the meal as well."
Li Hehua laughed. These words sounded like something that the unrestrained and carefree young man, the county magistrate, would say.
So, from that day on, whenever Shulin went to Nangong's class, Huo Yi really went there every day. Even if he was busy in the government office, he would rush there at lunch time just to eat the food Li Hehua sent him. He was obsessed with it. Li Hehua also got to know his taste. Every meal he sent must have something everyone liked. After a period of time, everyone who ate it gained some weight.
............................................
That day, it was almost time for lunch when an old acquaintance came to the restaurant. It was a businessman named Wang who had been traveling around for business and occasionally stopped in town. After getting to know him for a long time, Li Hehua learned that his real name was Wang Dayang.
"Brother Wang, are you in our town again today?"
Wang Dayang smiled and nodded. "I came to your town to deliver a batch of silk this time, and it's a good opportunity for me to have dinner here. I haven't eaten your food for almost a month. I missed it so much when I was on the boat. I have to eat it this time. Boss, even though I didn't make a reservation, you have to add a table for me. Don't let me go back with regrets."
Li Hehua smiled and nodded, "How can that be possible? You can only come to eat once a month, so I have to prepare a table for you. Wait a moment, I'll have someone take you upstairs."
After saying that, Li Hehua looked around and called Zhang Qingshan, who happened to be vacant, "Qingshan, take this Boss Wang to the Xianshui Hall upstairs."
"Okay--" Zhang Qingshan walked over quickly, smiled and invited people to go to the only reserved box on the second floor. This box was specially reserved by Li Hehua. It is usually not open to the public for reservation, so that there will be room for use in case of any emergency, like today.
After a while, Zhang Qingshan came down and repeated to Li Hehua the dishes ordered upstairs. Li Hehua then asked him to be in charge of the guests at the table of businessman surnamed Wang at noon today.
Zhang Qingshan nodded seriously, then quickly went upstairs with tea and snacks.
Zhang Qingshan is very responsible and hardworking. He is careful and quick in his movements. He is also good at speaking when entertaining guests. He doesn't even know how to take a break when he's tired after a day's work. He is like a diligent old ox.
Li Hehua observed for a few days and felt that the child was capable of doing things. As long as he was trained in the right direction, he would be able to do something. God would never disappoint those who are hardworking and down-to-earth. Zhang Qingshan was indeed not to blame for the incident in the carpenter shop last time.
Li Hehua thought to himself that he should find out more about Zhang Qingshan's skills training so as not to delay the child's studies.
When the businessman surnamed Wang paid the bill after the meal, he praised Zhang Qingshan to Li Hehua, "Your guy is pretty good, capable, and good at talking. It's a good hire."
Zhang Qingshan's face turned slightly red due to the praise, but he looked extremely happy, with his eyes shining brightly.
Li Hehua couldn't help but take a few more glances.
When the table of people led by the businessman surnamed Wang walked out of the restaurant carrying a large amount of packed food, Zhang Qingshan was still looking at their backs with a smile.
Li Hehua waved his hand in front of his eyes, "Qingshan, what are you looking at? Everyone else has left, why are you so excited today?"
Zhang Qingshan smiled and shook his head, "Sister-in-law, I can't tell you now. I'll tell you when I'm sure, okay?"
Li Hehua smiled and shook his head and didn't ask any more questions.
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