Chapter 27 [VIP]
The two people outside the door were Wang Ying's parents.
The two of them discussed it for half the night yesterday and decided they had to come to town. Even if they had to coax her, they had to win Wang Ying back. Her in-laws were landlords; if they could get on their good side, life would definitely be better in the future!
After asking around until they reached the shop entrance, Wang Laoshuan nudged his wife and said, "Go in and call him out."
"I wouldn't dare. What if they hit me with a bamboo pole?"
Wang Laoshuan glared at her, which startled her so much that she immediately lowered her head and went forward to inquire.
"Knock, knock, knock." The Queen Mother knocked on the door. "Er Ying..."
"Huh?" Wang Ying responded instinctively upon hearing the voice. She looked up and saw who was at the door. Her face immediately stiffened, and she knew that this family would not let her off easily.
What are you doing here?
"I've come to see you." Mother Wang tugged at the old man behind her, and Wang Laoshuan forced a stiff smile.
Wang Ying sneered, "Let's see if your eldest son beats me to death."
"What are you saying? Your older brother came over to eat a cucumber from you yesterday, and you actually asked him for money..."
"He eats at whose house without paying? Besides, my cucumbers sell for over twenty coins a pound. He just picks them up and eats them. Why can't I ask him for money?"
"Twenty-odd coins?" When Wang's mother heard this, her eyes lit up. She hadn't expected the vegetable shop to be so profitable.
Wang Ying knew what she was thinking, so she got up, picked up a bamboo pole, and the two of them were so frightened that they retreated outside the door.
"If you're not going to buy groceries, just say what you have to say outside."
"Ying'er, I know you have grievances in your heart. It was all my fault in the past. Please forgive us."
"I don't know what you're talking about, get out of here!"
Seeing this, Wang Laoshuan glared and said, "What do you want to do? You're not going to hit your own parents!"
"Whose parents? Are you senile? The disownment letter is already written; I'm no longer a member of your Wang family. You still want to come here and try to get something out of me? Bah! You should take a good look at yourself and see if you're even qualified!"
The elderly couple were stunned. When did their honest and taciturn second son become so shrewish? They were speechless for a moment after being confronted with his sharp tongue.
Taking advantage of the mechanism, Wang Ying bolted the door shut with a wooden bolt, and by the time the two realized what was happening, they couldn't get in.
"Open the door! You unfilial son! I'm your own father! How can you talk to me like that! Have you lost all your conscience?"
The mother played the bad cop, saying, "Second son, yes, you've suffered some grievances over the years, but which child in the village doesn't work? Didn't we still raise you to adulthood?"
Wang Ying remained silent inside the room; it was a shame they had the nerve to say it out loud.
If it weren't for his grandmother, he would have been drowned shortly after birth.
Later, his grandmother passed away, and he grew up to be able to work. Only then did the Wang family keep him as a servant.
He works 360 days a year without a single day of rest. He lives worse than an ox or a horse. At least oxen and horses have time to rest, but even if he has a high fever, he still has to do laundry and cook for this family.
I remember one winter when Xiao Wangying didn't have warm clothes to keep warm and got sick from the cold. She had a high fever, felt weak all over, and was dizzy, but she still had to fetch water and cook for them.
On his way to the river, he fell headfirst onto the ice and was unconscious for more than half an hour before waking up. His hands and feet were so cold that he couldn't feel them. He forced himself to carry water back, but his mother scolded him and slapped him twice.
Luckily, he survived, otherwise the grass on his grave would be hundreds of feet tall by now.
Now they're saying they raised him all these years? Did they really raise him? Shameless!
When Wang Laoshuan couldn't get the door to open, he got angry and started kicking it.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Chen Qingyan saw this and ran over, lifting his shirt.
The Queen Mother stopped and looked him up and down. "Who are you?"
"I am his husband!"
"Oh my, is this the son-in-law?"
"Who is your son-in-law?" Chen Qingyan shook off Wang Shi, who was trying to grab him, and looked at the two of them with a wary expression.
“I am your mother-in-law, Wang Ying’s mother.”
Wang Laoshuan wanted to put on airs as a father-in-law, so he sized up Chen Qingyan with an air of superiority. After waiting for a long time without seeing Chen Qingyan take the initiative to greet him, he coughed and said, "I am your father-in-law, Wang Ying's father."
Chen Qingyan ignored the two men and walked straight past them to the shop, knocking on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock, open the door, it's me."
The door opened from the inside, and Wang Ying peeked out and looked around. Seeing that the two people hadn't left yet, she quickly pulled Chen Qingyan into the house and then immediately locked the door again.
Chen Qingyan nervously pulled him up and down, asking, "They didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
"No, don't bother with them. Aunt Chen's fish-shaped fried pancakes smell really good today! Hey? Why didn't you bring chopsticks?"
Chen Qingyan stopped his hand as he reached for food, "Are you just going to let those two ruin your reputation outside?"
"What can I do? I'd rather not curse them than risk getting my mouth dirty, and if I start a fight, even if I'm in the right, I'll lose my right."
"I'll go talk to them."
"Don't go. You don't understand these people. They're greedy and shameless. You can't get rid of them even if you scold them. If they get a taste of the benefits here, they'll be even harder to get rid of in the future!"
"Don't worry, I have a solution. This matter has to be resolved, otherwise they'll keep coming to cause trouble every day. How will you continue doing business?" Chen Qingyan got up and opened the door.
Wang Ying couldn't stop him, so she licked her back teeth and had no choice but to play it by ear.
The two men at the door rushed in as soon as the door opened, their shifty eyes fixed on Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan, as if afraid they would slip away.
Chen Qingyan took the initiative to speak, "Are you Wang Ying's parents?"
"Yes, yes, yes, the groom was seriously ill on the wedding day and did not come to pick up the bride, so he did not see the two of us."
"You've come at the right time. Let's take Wang Ying back."
"ah?"
"?"
Not only were Wang's parents stunned, but even Wang Ying was full of questions, not knowing what he meant by those words.
Chen Qingyan said impatiently, "I married him to bring good luck, otherwise who would marry a country bumpkin who can't read? He's not good-looking, can't speak properly, and is useless except for doing some chores." He paused and winked at Wang Ying.
Wang Ying instantly understood and lowered her head, pretending to be meek and submissive.
“Our Chen family is a landlord family, and we have an uncle who is a sixth-rank governor. As the eldest son, I should marry a respectable and capable wife, not a country bumpkin like this.”
Wang Ying took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away tears. Her parents panicked when they heard this. Before coming, they had only heard their eldest son say that their second son was living a good life, and they thought he had a lot of face in the Chen family. They never expected that he was being looked down upon.
When Wang Laoshuan thought of the ten strings of cash betrothal gifts, his face immediately changed. "You can't say that. Although Wang Ying isn't as good as the young men and women in town, she's still been with you for a while. Now that you've married her, there's no reason for you to take her back..."
“Why can’t I get a refund? Two strings of cash wouldn’t even be enough to marry a young man in the village. I spent ten strings, so naturally I have to marry a good one. How about this: you refund me eight strings so I can take him home, and I won’t take the remaining two.”
Let alone two strings of cash, Wang Laoshuan wouldn't even part with two strings of cash. Upon hearing this, the two turned to leave.
Wang Ying chased after them, crying, "Father, Mother, you can't abandon me!"
"Let go! Who's your father? I wrote a letter of disownment a long time ago, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. If you keep causing trouble... if you keep causing trouble, I'll report you to the authorities!"
Wang Ying's stomach ached from trying to suppress her laughter, but she still put on a heartbroken expression. "The Chen family despises me, and you don't want me either, I might as well just kill myself!"
The Queen Mother pushed him away in disgust, saying, "If you want to die, go die somewhere else and don't dirty our clothes." With that, she quickened her pace and fled as if escaping.
Once everyone had walked away, Wang Ying burst into laughter and turned back to give Chen Qingyan a thumbs-up.
Chen Qingyan scratched his head, his ears turning red, "Go eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."
Wang Ying borrowed two pairs of chopsticks from the wonton stall next door. "Have you eaten? Let's eat together."
"good."
The food was still warm. Aunt Chen had made three dishes today. One was fried fish cakes. The fish were all caught from the river. There were fish vendors in town who sold them for ten coins a pound. They were coated in batter and fried until fragrant and crispy, and tasted delicious. The other two dishes were vegetarian: stewed eggplant and stir-fried cucumber with eggs.
Wang Ying would take some of the vegetables she couldn't sell home with her in the evenings, which saved her a lot of money on groceries.
During the meal, Wang Ying nudged the person next to her with her shoulder and said, "Hey, what you just said, was that what you really thought?"
"How could that be?!" Chen Qingyan immediately put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "That was just a temporary measure, and everything I said was a lie. Do I need to tell you what you're really like?"
Wang Ying chuckled twice. "Just kidding. I know you're faking it, but I didn't expect you to have these skills. It's really impressive."
Chen Qingyan's face flushed again. "I was afraid they would harass you again. How could there be such heartless and ungrateful parents who could treat their own son so despicably? It's truly chilling."
"Sigh, it doesn't matter, they can't hurt me." If it were the original owner of this body, she would probably be sad, but Wang Ying felt nothing at all. At most, she would feel annoyed, like stepping in dog poop.
However, it must be said that Chen Qingyan's move was very effective against them. It is estimated that the next time the Wang family comes to town, they will have to avoid him.
*
After lunch, the owner of Yingke Restaurant came again.
Last time he came to inquire about the price of vegetables, he thought it was too expensive and wanted to bargain, but the other party completely ignored him.
After waiting for four or five days without any contact from the vegetable shop, Zhao Lan became increasingly impatient.
There are three restaurants in the town now, and Yingke Restaurant is the largest one. All the prominent people in the town invite guests to dinner here.
Several customers have asked if we have fresh vegetables these past few days. If we don't buy some soon, we're afraid we'll be overtaken by the other two stores.
Zhao Lan coughed and walked in with a pleasant expression. "Both managers are here."
The two men, who were leaning against each other looking at the ledgers, looked up. "Boss Zhao is here."
"Hey, hehehe, about the last time we talked about buying groceries, I wonder what Manager Wang's thoughts are?"
Wang Ying said, "The price really can't be lowered. Each type of vegetable can only be supplied with a maximum of five catties per day."
"Only five pounds?"
"Manager Yang from Cuixianglou just came by yesterday and ordered some dishes from our shop. We won't have enough to sell if we order any more."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lan immediately became anxious, "Alright, alright, the price will be the same as before, and the five catties must be the freshest!"
"Of course, if the shopkeeper is not at ease, he can call a shop assistant over to make a selection."
"Okay, do you still have those tomatoes from last time?"
"Yes, but not many. The Feng family, who run the grain shop in town, like to eat them and send people to buy quite a few every day. If you want them, I can give you a maximum of twenty, at ten coins each."
"So expensive?" Zhao Lan hesitated.
"If you don't want it, then I'll sell it to Manager Yang..."
"Yes, yes, yes, keep them all for me!" Rivals are competitors, and even if it's expensive, he can't let Cuixianglou outshine him.
"Please trouble the shopkeeper to pay the deposit in advance."
"Would my big restaurant lie to you?"
Wang Ying laughed and said, "Of course not, but we're a small business and we're counting on this money to buy more goods, otherwise we won't be able to keep our cash flow."
"Okay, I'll order half a month's worth of groceries first. Make sure to reserve the freshest ones for me!"
"Don't worry." Wang Ying took out her abacus and typed away quickly. "Half of the deposit is fine. It's three strings and five hundred and seventy coins in total. I'll round it down to three strings and five hundred coins for you."
Zhao Lan calculated it several times to make sure it was correct, and then paid the money with a pained expression. Seven taels of silver for half a month's worth of vegetables was just too expensive!
It's expensive, but there's nothing I can do about it. Besides this place, I can't even buy leafy greens anywhere else. I absolutely have to find out where they get their vegetables from!
After seeing Manager Zhao off, Wang Ying happily weighed the silver ingot in her hand and tossed it to Chen Qingyan, "How about it? My business is doing well, isn't it?"
"I'm still worried that someone will investigate the source of the vegetables."
"Don't worry, we didn't borrow your fourth uncle's name for nothing when we opened the shop. He's a sixth-rank official, after all. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to offend us easily."
This was just one aspect; Wang Ying made other preparations as well.
A few days ago, I was chatting with Ershun and I didn't expect that there really was a warm spring on the estate, which is what we would call a hot spring in later generations.
The place is warm all year round, and even in the coldest winter, there is green grass all around. He plans to build a small villa around the hot spring next spring when the vegetable shop is not busy, and plant some vegetables in winter to cover his tracks. That way, if someone comes looking for him, he can hide it.
*
The weather wasn't great in the afternoon; it looked gloomy and the wind was blowing, so it might snow in the north.
Wang Ying closed the shop early, and the two walked home together.
The snow started falling halfway there, sprinkling down on them like salt, and the two quickened their pace, jogging all the way home.
As soon as they entered, they saw that Madam Li was already waiting at the door, waving to the two of them with a smile on her face.
"Mother, why are you waiting outside?"
"We've been waiting for you. Are you cold? I made a hot pot today. Come and eat something to warm up."
"Mmm, it smells so good!" Wang Ying took off her cloak, and Chen Qingyan took it from her, shook off the snow, and hung it on the clothes rack next to her.
"Where are Qingyun and Qingsong?"
“They’ve all eaten, and I’ve eaten too. You two should eat while it’s hot.”
The hot pot is a dish simmered in an earthenware pot, containing chunks of radish and meat, and it smells delicious.
The meat in the pot was tender and flavorful, more like beef than pork. The Wu Dynasty prohibited the consumption of beef because cattle were the main source of labor for plowing the fields, and even if it were allowed, ordinary people would not be willing to eat it.
"What kind of meat is this that tastes so good?"
"Today I went to the Qiu family for the full moon celebration. Madam Qiu gave me a piece of game meat that she hunted in the mountains, and I asked Aunt Chen to stew it."
Without giving it much thought, the two sat down and started eating.
This piece of meat is actually venison. When Li visited the Qiu family today, she was incredibly envious of their chubby grandson and couldn't help but chat with her old friend about her own family's situation.
"These two have been married for so long, but there's still no sign of a baby. I heard from the servants the other day that they're even sleeping in separate beds. I wonder when they'll be able to hold their grandchild."
Madam Qiu mysteriously pulled her aside and said, "I have something good. Take it with you when you leave and stew it for the young couple. I guarantee it will work on the first try!"
Upon hearing this, Li perked up, "What is it?"
“My brother-in-law is a hunter. He hunted a deer in the mountains the other day and gave us a hind leg. I had the servants stew a small pot of it, and guess what?”
"What's wrong?"
Madam Qiu blushed and covered her mouth, saying, "That stuff is an aphrodisiac; the old man kept me up for half the night."
"Oh dear!" Li couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.
The two looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Before leaving, Madam Qiu let her take the rest of the meat back.
Wang Ying ate most of the meat in the pot, and Chen Qingyan also ate quite a bit. The two young men even drank the soup clean.
Sitting next to her, Mrs. Li smiled kindly and said, "Eat up, eat more, so you can have a big grandson."
A note from the author:
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