Recruiting soldiers and buying horses (2)
Fangbi reacted the fastest, running far ahead of the three towards the little leopard. When Yan Qing and the others caught up, Fangbi was holding the little leopard, whose paws were gripping something and refusing to let go. Fangbi was moving her mouth, trying to persuade the little leopard, but unfortunately, the communication failed, and the little leopard still wouldn't let go.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the little leopard was holding a jade pendant in its paws, and a young woman stood beside it, her face still showing signs of panic; she must be the owner of the jade pendant. Yan Qing quickly stepped forward, placed the princess in Fang Bi's arms, and took the little leopard from her.
[Cat Number One, communication skills.]
[Cat No. 1 received, distribution in progress.]
The next moment, Yan Qing began to educate the little leopard.
[Little Leopard, let go! This belongs to someone else.]
Upon hearing this, the little leopard turned its head and looked at Yan Qing with its round eyes.
[It's shiny, I want it.]
Yan Qing glanced at the pendant and noticed that it was remarkably similar to the little leopard's eyes—bright and emerald green. The little leopard really wanted it, and a thought struck her: why not buy the pendant for the little leopard?
[Okay, okay, let go first, I'll buy it for you, okay?]
The little leopard obediently released its paw.
Yan Qing took the pendant, walked over to the girl, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, young lady, we didn't keep a close eye on the little leopard and it scared you."
The girl waved her hand, indicating it was alright. After returning the pendant to her, Yan Qing offered to buy it, but was refused. Only then did Yan Qing learn that the girl had fled to the capital with fellow villagers, and that the pendant was a keepsake left to her by her mother, which she couldn't bear to part with.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qing apologized once again for his lack of consideration.
The girl looked to be no more than thirty years old. Although her clothes weren't made of expensive materials, they weren't something an ordinary family could afford. It was truly strange that she was here to escape disaster. With many questions in mind, Yan Qing asked a few more.
This young woman's surname is He. She lives in the northern border region and was originally the daughter of a merchant family. Recently, war has been raging, and her city is in the center of the war, so her whole family embarked on a journey of escape. However, she accidentally got separated from her family and ended up traveling south to the capital with her fellow villagers. Now, she has no news of her family and nowhere to go.
Yan Qing understood, and suddenly realized that there were indeed many more refugees in the capital, no wonder the happiness level was declining little by little.
The little leopard, having lost its beloved pendant, slumped down, occasionally reaching out its paw to pat Miss He. Miss He, no longer panicked, reached out to pet it as well. The little leopard's mood immediately brightened, and it forgot all about the pendant, letting out a comfortable purr.
[Little Leopard, do you like Miss He? How about you ask her to play with you sometime?]
【good! 】
The little leopard seemed very happy and even meowed once.
Having received an affirmative answer, Yan Qing inquired of Miss He, "Miss He, what are your plans for the future? Would you be willing to work at Cat Cat Tea House?"
“Of course, I’m just looking for a place to go. If you’re willing to give me a place to stay temporarily, I will do my best to help you.” Miss He was delighted and agreed without asking what it was for.
After speaking, Miss He suddenly pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, and then spoke to Yan Qing: "I wonder if your tea garden is short of manpower? The old man who accompanied me is also all alone and has no one to rely on. He has excellent bamboo weaving skills. If you need his help, could you please take him with you?"
The old man accompanying Miss He was a bamboo craftsman who had been making bamboo strips for decades. He had received kindness from the He family in his early years, which is why he led Miss He on her journey south to find her relatives.
Miss He went to the side to call him, and came over an old man with a hunched back and graying temples, who looked to be around fifty years old. His clothes had several patches, but they were not filthy; aside from the dust and grime that was inevitable from days of fleeing, they were actually very clean and tidy.
After a few words of conversation, Yan Qing felt that he was a kind and honest man, so she agreed.
The group then headed back to the Cat Tea House.
Back at the Cat Tea House, Deng Chan and the other two played with the kittens in the front yard. Yan Qing led Miss He and Old Man Zhang to the back yard, but there was only one room left, so Miss He and Fang Bi had to make do for a few days.
Bringing Old Man Zhang back wasn't just a momentary act of kindness on Yan Qing's part; she saw great potential in bamboo weaving skills. Leaving aside the future, the kittens currently only have some plush toys. Yan Qing tried making some cat wands herself, but she had to admit she was clumsy, and the finished products were far too rough. Fortunately, Xue Tuan and Xiao Bao were very supportive, so her efforts weren't in vain.
With Uncle Zhang's bamboo weaving skills, the kittens have many more things to play with. He can make cat toys, bamboo rattan balls, and even small insects and birds for them to play with. I just don't know how good Uncle Zhang's skills are.
They should rest well today, and it won't hurt to ask again another day. So the two of them settled down at the Cat Tea House.
"The war in the north has become increasingly tense recently. There must be something fishy about the Crown Prince's request to personally transport the grain. Should we send someone to accompany him?"
"You personally lead the men to keep a close watch on him. What about Prince Qi?" Rong Xuan carefully reviewed the information his subordinates had gathered about the Crown Prince's movements, and then asked, as if struck by a thought.
"Everything is normal on King Qi's side; there are no unusual developments."
Rong Xuan tapped the table lightly with his index finger a few times, pondered for a moment, and then instructed, "From now on, let Wenli keep an eye on Prince Qi's side."
"Yes." Wenwu accepted the order, clasped his hands in a bow, and left the study.
Just then, Fangbi arrived. The two exchanged a slight nod and walked away.
"Your Highness, please take a look at Miss Yan's condition this month." Fangbi handed Rong Xuan a booklet recording Yan Qing's every word and action.
He took it, flipped through it casually a few times, and then tossed it aside, as if he had just read a rather uninteresting play. "This month has been rather uneventful."
Rong Xuan's tone was indifferent, revealing a hint of disappointment, as if it was something very wrong that Yan Qing hadn't brought him any new surprises.
The spring breeze melts the winter snow, the sun rises and lifts the veil of white clouds, and the weather gradually warms up.
Yan Qing, accompanied by Fang Bi and carrying various snacks, arrived at an unnamed grave in the suburbs.
It was Qiao's grave, but there were no remains of hers underneath; only a bloodstained wooden hairpin was buried there.
The wooden hairpin was given to her by Rong Xuan through Fang Bi. Although it is unknown how he obtained it, it was indeed the hairpin that Qiao wore at the banquet that day. Yan Qing then erected a grave here, hoping that she could rest in peace underground, which can also be considered as a consolation to Yan Congjin.
The food brought was all that Cong Qiao loved to eat. As Cong Qiao's memories were gradually filled in, Yan Qing was able to better feel the weight that Cong Qiao held in Yan Congjin's heart, and it seemed that Cong Qiao felt the same way.
Thinking about how she had always refused Cong Qiao's kindness, Yan Qing felt a little apologetic, but she had no choice but to do so if she had to do it again.
Strangely, Rong Xuan's memory of ordering Yan Congjin's death would frequently resurface. In his dreams, Rong Xuan was cold and ruthless, and Yan Qing would be terrified every time he saw him.
At first, she would always wake up in a cold sweat. Gradually, she stopped waking up in the middle of the night, but she still felt lingering fear when she woke up in the morning.
What grudges exist between Yan Congjin and Rong Xuan? It remains shrouded in mystery.
Rong Xuan was indeed eccentric, but Yan Qing was no pushover either; he would meet force with force and water with water.
Yan Qing laid out all sorts of food and placed them in front of the blank stone tablet. He didn't inscribe any names on it to avoid any complications. After pouring a pot of peach blossom wine, the two of them left.
"Spring has arrived, why is the number of refugees increasing instead of decreasing?" Yan Qing murmured to himself as he saw the hordes of refugees outside the city on his way back.
As they entered the city, the two women were stared at by the eager eyes of the refugees. Not only them, but everyone in the procession was being watched.
The number of refugees in the city had become so large that it was considered a problem. The city gate guards received an imperial decree to stop letting refugees into the city. Those who could not enter the city then gathered outside the city, waiting for the distribution of porridge and food from inside.
Upon entering the city, Deng Chan suddenly appeared, startling Yan Qing, who was deep in thought.
"Sister Yanqing, what are you doing here?"
Yan Qing snapped out of her reverie and said, "I went out of the city on business. But what are you doing here?"
Deng Chan pointed to a soup kitchen and said, "Our family is distributing soup here today. I came with my mother."
Yan Qing followed her gaze to the long, gray queue and asked, "Why are there so many more refugees lately?"
"I'm not entirely sure either, I only know it's due to the war in the north." Deng Chan pouted and replied, "Sister Yanqing, would you like to come with me to distribute porridge? I don't know how long this war will last, these refugees are so pitiful, they can't even go home."
"My status makes it inconvenient for me to go today. You go ahead." Yan Qing shook her head, thinking that a soup kitchen should be set up at the Cat Cat Tea House, so that the situation could be eased as much as possible.
"Okay, I'll head over now."
Back at the Cat Tea House, Miss He was entertaining the guests, while Old Zhang was weaving bamboo birds. Four little birds were running and playing around him, checking on his progress every now and then, just like four supervisors.
Having failed to find anyone suitable at the dental market last time, Yan Qing went several more times, but with little success. During this period, Yan Qing also rented a courtyard behind the Cat Tea House and had Old Zhang move there.
Over the past two months, Cat Cat Tea House has earned a lot of money, and Yan Qing's purse has become full. However, it is still a bit difficult to buy another house, so he rented a house for the workers of Cat Cat Tea House to live in.
The courtyard had been rented for more than half a month, but only Old Man Zhang lived there; there was no sign of anyone else. Yan Qing was getting anxious, but seeing the crowd of refugees today gave her other ideas.
After closing the shop, Yan Qing called over Miss He and Old Man Zhang and told them about his idea of recruiting more refugees. Both of them agreed.
"Miss He, go and find some kind women to take care of the cats. Uncle Zhang, find some bamboo weavers and carpenters for me. I'll decide after I meet them." Yan Qing quickly made the decision, and the matter was settled just like that.
As the Cat Tea House became increasingly popular in the capital, many young ladies from wealthy families also started to raise cats. The craftsmen that Yan Qing asked Old Man Zhang to find were specifically for them. Yan Qing planned to open another shop to sell cat toys.
This idea is still in the planning stages.
Miss He and Old Man Zhang acted quickly, and the next day they found many people, who were all brought to Old Man Zhang's house for Yan Qing to inspect one by one.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
