Chapter 173 172. I’ll compensate my husband when I get home
"The old lady of the prefecture has arrived—"
"The prefect's wife is here—"
"The prefect's daughter, Miss Li Yunqiao, has arrived—"
Lei Li was talking to a businessman named Huang. When he heard the voice, he subconsciously looked up.
A young lady in a pastel-colored dress with jingling jade rings was seen walking slowly with a kind-looking old lady and a graceful and elegant lady, followed by a dozen maids and servants. Li Weimao, the host, quickly stood up and responded with a smile.
"Oh my! Madam, Madam Li, and Miss Li are all here! I am truly flattered and honored to have you three here. It brings such honor to my humble home..."
"We are late, but we didn't miss the auspicious time, did we?"
Mrs. Li greeted Li Weimao with a smile.
Mrs. Li and Miss Li were the most distinguished of all the guests present, and they should have sat in the main seat. However, Mrs. Li said that today was the auspicious day of Mrs. Li Yunmao's birthday, so the birthday girl should have the main seat.
Several people smiled and talked politely. Finally, the old lady of Li Yunmao's family sat in the main seat, and the old lady of the prefect's family sat below the main seat, along with the wife and daughter of Li the prefect. The female members of the Li family were obviously a little restrained in front of the three people from the prefect's family.
Separate seats for men and women.
Li Yunmao was not at this table, and the prefect Li was not here either. The men in the Li family all looked a little more relaxed.
However, if Lord Li came, I'm afraid all the merchants present would feel uncomfortable. They would either rush to greet him or tremble with fear. The officials are very majestic to the people.
"Someone has come to the prefect's house?"
"Is this Li Weimao related to Magistrate Li's family? The three most distinguished ladies in the Magistrate's family, the old lady, Madam Li, and the young lady, all came to celebrate his old lady's birthday..."
"You guys from Zhongchuan don't know that the old lady from Li Yunmao's family is a cousin of the old lady from the prefectural family. They've been close since childhood!"
"Then why are they all surnamed Li?"
"Silly, it just so happens that both sisters married people with the surname Li!"
"The prefect, Lord Li, was once poor, and it was Li Yunmao's family who provided money for Lord Li's education. Naturally, they are grateful for the favor. Perhaps Lord Li was busy with official duties, so he didn't come."
The people who were talking were not far away, and Lei Li and Zhou Yi both overheard it. However, Manager Meng had told them all about these things, and it was no secret in Xiling. Anyone could find out by asking.
"This Li Zhifu family has become a prefect, but he still doesn't forget to help his relatives. He has a good reputation in Xiling. He is a good official who works hard for the people and repays his kindness."
Lei Li whispered to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi nodded and lowered his voice, saying, "This Magistrate Li is different from ordinary scholars. Many scholars have become pedantic, believing that all other things are inferior except for reading, and they look down on merchants and businessmen."
"For example, in Wensheng Prefecture, where scholars flourished, most scholars were aloof and felt the stench of money. They believed that merchants were exploiting the people's hard-earned income and were unkind. Therefore, merchants in Wensheng had a low status and were subject to heavy taxes."
"This Lord Li is a great advocate of commerce and encourages business. His commercial taxes and all other business-related taxes are the lowest among the nine prefectures."
"really."
Lei Li agreed very much. He himself was a businessman, so he had a very high initial favorable impression of the prefect, Lord Li.
Commercial taxes, that is, business income taxes, are low, and miscellaneous silk taxes, mountain and lake taxes, ship taxes, customs duties, etc. are all low or non-existent. There are also no messy regulations targeting merchants, such as not allowing merchants to wear silk, not allowing merchants to use four-courtyard houses, and not allowing merchants to own too much land.
Because Qingmi County has relatively developed water transportation and its port is one of the largest in Xiling, there are many merchants traveling back and forth.
He heard from those merchants that Xiling treated merchants the best, followed by Zhongchuan, and the trade routes with Dongyuan and the nomadic tribes were sometimes good and sometimes bad, so although the government did not exploit the merchants, the merchants' situation also fluctuated greatly.
"Wensheng's suppression of businessmen is the most severe."
Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "This is actually very detrimental to the local people's livelihood. Business is underdeveloped, many things can't keep up, and the local finances will not look good either."
"People like Bai Hui are not good either."
Lei Li frowned and said, "There's more arable land on the coast of Baihui than on the coast of Baihui. Farmers only make up a small portion of the land. Although the grain and rice taxes are low, they have no land and can only engage in business. However, Baihui exploits merchants and simply leaves them no way to survive."
Because Baihui is located on the coast and has developed overseas trade, the taxes and levies on merchants are very severe, the highest among the nine prefectures. The officials there are also the most exploitative, and they find all kinds of ways to take money from the merchants.
Officials protect each other.
The imperial court was unaware of the extra money, and it all went into the pockets of officials. From the prefect to the small constable, everyone became rich. Therefore, the financial situation did not look good, but the officials' pockets were bulging.
It was also the maritime merchants who made money, and the profits were huge. The price of an item would increase several times as it was resold from the Dayou Dynasty to the Southeast Asia and the East Asia. And the items shipped back from overseas were also in great demand in the Dayou Dynasty, and some were even priceless.
In addition, sea pearls, sea urchins, corals, etc. were also valuable items that were presented as tribute to the imperial palace.
Lei Li and Zhou Yi expressed their feelings, and the banquet began.
Li Yunmao and the men of the Li family shuttled between the merchants to entertain and toast them. The female relatives all held the wives of the prefectural governor and at the same time maintained relationships with the wives of other merchants.
Lei Li is a boy, so he should have sat with the ladies.
But his pregnancy mole is not on his face, he is tall and handsome, speaks freely and without any shyness, is knowledgeable, and can chat with anyone, he is a very suave and handsome young man.
So no one became suspicious, and Manager Meng would not be so tactless as to bring this up.
Lei Li didn't want to squeeze over to the side of the ladies. He didn't know anything about rouge and powder, nor did he know anything about children. He would have nothing to say if he just sat there, so it would be better to let Zhou Yi go.
——Zhou Yi had picked out the hand cream and body lotion for Lei Li. He was also very good at taking care of little Jiang. He was sure that the wife and father would be able to get along well with him.
Zhou Yi looked at Lei Li, who was not at all shy among a group of old foxes. She was in her prime, bright and beautiful, like a peacock, so attractive that people couldn't take their eyes off her. He felt very proud and happy.
As expected, it’s Lei Li!
So outstanding and charming!
but……
There seemed to be several girls and boys on the female family's side who were secretly looking at Lei Li, their faces flushed, and they would steal glances from time to time, whispering and laughing softly.
Zhou Yi recalled that when he was in high school, there was a girl in his class who was just beginning to fall in love. She would secretly look at the boy she liked, share her secrets with her girlfriends, and then be teased and blush. It was exactly the same scene.
“…”
Zhou Yi took a sip of wine slowly.
I couldn't help but think, Lei Li is married and even has a child, how come he is becoming more charming and more attractive to young girls and boys?
It used to be Qing Ge'er, but now it's a group.
There was a little girl there who looked familiar to him. He had met her in the bakery two days ago. She was Mr. Huang’s little daughter, and she was the one who was looking at Lei Li the most intently.
Didn't she know Lei Li was getting married? Why did she join in the fun?
Zhou Yi was a little confused and frowned unconsciously, looking cold and hard. Someone next to him spoke to him and he responded.
Perhaps because his reaction seemed cold or he looked too fierce, the man laughed dryly and said a few words before turning around to talk to someone else.
That's fine.
He wasn't good at socializing.
Zhou Yi no longer went to see those ladies. After all, Lei Li had married him and had children. It didn't matter whether they liked Lei Li or not. As long as Lei Li liked him, it was enough. After he figured it out, he started eating by himself.
He picked up a pair of chopsticks and ate the eight-treasure duck and the mushroom chicken soup, savoring the taste while nodding secretly. The chef hired by the Li family has very good skills and all the dishes he cooks are very delicious.
"Zhou Yi."
Lei Li was forced to drink a lot of wine, and he smelled strongly of it, with his ears and face flushed, but his eyes were bright and lively, and it was obvious that he was not drunk.
He hooked one hand around Zhou Yi's neck, his face almost touching Zhou Yi's ear, and when he laughed softly, his lips gently brushed against his earlobe, and the hot air also hit the cochlea, making Zhou Yi's face hot and his ears embarrassed.
"Why are you eating here alone? Do others think you're too fierce and don't dare to talk to you? Hmm? I'll take you to meet some people."
"Need not."
Zhou Yi put his hand over Lei Li's lips to prevent him from kissing her. There were people everywhere here, and if he really kissed her, it wouldn't be a question of whether he was shy or not, it would be against etiquette.
"I'm fine staying here. Are you drunk? Do you want some tea or something to eat?"
"I'm not drunk, my stomach is a little empty, and I feel a little uncomfortable after drinking too much."
Seeing that he was serious, Lei Li felt itchy in his heart. If there weren't so many people around and the location wasn't inappropriate, he really wanted to kiss Zhou Yi.
"Li Yunmao kept talking to me, but I didn't have time to come over and talk to him. I must have ignored my husband. I apologize to him, please don't be angry."
"I'll make it up to my husband when we get home, okay?"
"I'm not angry. I know you're busy. I don't feel left out."
Zhou Yi shook his head and picked up a piece of snack for Lei Li to fill his stomach. Lei Li didn't take it, but just ate it with his chopsticks, his movements natural and skillful.
Miss Huang over there saw it clearly and said to her good sister Li Yunqiao, "Look, I told you they were a couple, but you still didn't believe it. He really is a brother."
"But he doesn't look like a brother..."
Li Yunqiao twisted her handkerchief and bit her red lips. She came here because she knew Lei Li would come. She didn't like this kind of occasion. There were so many people, and her marriage was always mentioned. She was tired of hearing it.
After much difficulty, I found someone I liked. Although his family was a little low, her parents were not so pedantic as to insist on marrying someone of equal status. Who would have thought that he turned out to be a boy, and a married man with children...
"I've asked my father. That's Lei Li, the owner of your favorite dessert shop, bakery, and morning tea shop. He's also one of the owners of the Sichuan restaurant. He came to the capital to accompany his husband on a trip."
Miss Huang sighed and said, "The child we saw on the street the other day was his and his husband Zhou Yi's child. The sweet soup and bread were Zhou Yi's idea, but he married into the family, so they are all named after Lei Li."
"Anyway, you shouldn't like him. If you ask me, the second son of the Meng family is pretty good. He's the largest rice merchant in Zhongchuan, and he's not bad looking either..."
"You know me. I don't like the second son of the Meng family at all. He looks dull and stupid, not funny at all."
Li Yunqiao snorted.
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