Mingzhu doesn't plan to sit around in Yangzhou from now on, as her money will eventually run out. The most urgent thing is that she still has to find a way to support herself.
Mingzhu thought about it carefully, looked at Hongling with a pair of bright eyes, and asked: "Shall we open a small shop selling pastries? What do you think?"
Hong Ling left accidentally and felt that she smelled good and sweet. Is it possible that girls who have children smell so good
Mingzhu's slender thumb poked her gently, Tan's mouth opened slightly, "Hongling, I'm asking you."
Hong Ling came back with a trace of sadness on her face, "I can only make fire, but I can't make cakes."
A rippling smile appeared on Mingzhu's lips, and she said, "I will do it."
Hong Ling's gaze shifted to her belly, "But you are still pregnant with the child, so you will be very tired."
"Don't worry, I won't tire myself out. We can discuss this matter in the long term."
This child is very worry-free and never makes trouble to her. She has been eating well and sleeping well recently.
Besides, the pastry shop doesn't have to be busy all day. It opens its stall every evening and sells for two hours before resting.
Hong Ling asked curiously: "Why do you want to open a pastry shop? I heard them say that selling jewelry and embroidery make more money."
Mingzhu herself knows this truth. The patterns embroidered by a good embroiderer can easily be sold for sky-high prices in a wealthy land. A piece of Sichuan embroidered brocade handkerchief can be easily sold for not only hundreds of taels, but also dozens of taels of silver.
"Because I loved eating pastries when I was a kid, but I couldn't get enough of them all the time, so now I want to open one of my own."
The family only gave her two taels of silver every month. She was not only greedy, but also very naughty. The pastry shop she liked to eat at was expensive, and she would only let people buy it once every half month.
Hong Ling said in surprise: "I thought my family was very rich, but how could I be so poor that I didn't even have money for cakes?"
Mingzhu just smiled without any extra explanation.
Autumn in Yangzhou City is not cold at all. The sun has been shining for several days, and the catkins on the river bank are blowing wildly with the wind, and the catkins are fluttering.
Mingzhu and Hongling went to the most prosperous area of Yangzhou City to look at shops together. After wandering around for a while, they saw a shop that was to be sublet.
Mingzhu went in to find the owner of the shop and asked about the sublet price. After thinking about it, she still found it was too expensive.
When the boss saw that she was about to leave, he didn't stop her. He just said, "I don't have to worry about renting out this shop. Girl, you have to think carefully. There won't be this shop after passing this village."
Mingzhu turned around and replied: "I know, I'll discuss it with my sister and come back another day to reply."
Hong Ling spoke too directly. She asked, "Since your shop is so popular, why do you still rent it to others?"
This was originally a shop that sold antiques. The owner was young and used his family's money to open this shop. He was forced to inherit the family's business two years ago, so he became less and less interested in this antique shop that had been losing money for many years. Naturally, business is not doing well.
And he was tired, so he just rented it out.
"Business is not good," he said.
Hong Ling grabbed Mingzhu's arm, pulled her to the door, and whispered in her ear: "Let's find another one. He himself said that the business is not good, and the feng shui must not be good either. We rented it, and we lost money." manage?"
The young man stood behind them and listened to everything Hong Ling said. He immediately darkened his face, sneered at the corner of his mouth, and sneered at them mercilessly: "If you only make money in business and don't lose money, wouldn't everyone?" We are all here to do business, and we think of beauty."
Hong Ling stepped forward to argue with him, but Mingzhu held her hand and said, "My sister doesn't know much about this."
Hongling is like a firecracker, exploding at a moment's notice. This man looks like a human and has a really bad personality. Is he amazing
The young man looked at them carefully, and his eyes fell on the veil covering Mingzhu's face. The eldest young man lost his temper and showed a mean face, "The most important thing in Yangzhou City is beauties. I don't know what it means to wear a veil." Who are you pretending to show?" He laughed sarcastically, "Besides, you are already doing business, why are you afraid of showing up?"
This is really ugly.
Mingzhu said: "I finally know why your shop is not doing well."
The sarcastic boss is so annoying.
After Mingzhu finished speaking, she dragged Hongling away without looking back. Hongling was suffocating her anger. She cursed when she was unhappy: "It's so unlucky to meet such an unappetizing thing!"
Mingzhu acted more calmly than she did, "Calm down."
"Is what he said human? What's wrong with the veil? If I had a face like this, and I wore a veil every day, anyone who wanted to look at me would have to pay me first!"
"After talking so much, are you thirsty?"
"It's not bad." Hong Ling's anger came and went quickly, and she calmed down after the cold wind blew.
The two of them did not return without success today. After going around in a circle, they saw another shop that was to be sublet.
The price and location are both suitable.
Mingzhu paid him the money and signed a contract with him.
The shop is not big, it used to be a noodle shop.
Mingzhu did not deliberately decorate the shop, but simply tidied it up and hung a new plaque.
Half a month later, the small shop was almost repaired and ready to open.
Mingzhu's belly looked very obvious, and even wearing a slightly looser skirt could not hide her bulging belly.
When the pastry shop first opened, business was not very good. People came and went, but they didn't enter her shop.
Mingzhuduo is a little frustrated.
Hong Ling also felt strange. The pastries made by Zhu Zhu were very fragrant and beautiful to look at.
She couldn't help but steal two pieces when she was hungry. Shouldn't there be no business
On the third day after the store opened, Mingzhu finally received her first order of business.
He was a very handsome little scholar. He stood outside and hesitated for a long time before taking a step forward and shyly asked the price.
Mingzhu said: "A piece of cake costs three pennies."
The little scholar seemed to be relieved. He bought ten sweet cakes. After paying, he looked up and was stunned for a long time.
Hong Ling saw that something was wrong with his eyes, and like a wandering spirit, she floated in front of Mingzhu, silently blocking her body and said, "Master, please go slowly."
The little scholar left in a daze.
Mingzhu was still confused, "What happened to him? I haven't found him yet."
Hong Ling looked at her with complicated eyes, and Jing Chai, a commoner, could not conceal her national beauty.
Her appearance is also extremely outstanding. As a woman, sometimes Hong Ling would easily go away when looking at her face. What's more, a young scholar who has never seen the world must be overwhelmed by the beauty.
Hongling discussed with her seriously, "Zhuzhu, otherwise you should just wear a veil!"
Mingzhu subconsciously touched her face, "Isn't it strange to look like that?"
Hongling sighed, "Forget it, wearing a veil will only attract more attention."
The business of the pastry shop is getting better and better. The pastries that could not be sold out in one day before were sold out in less than half an hour in the past two days.
Mingzhu's shop gradually became famous, saying that not only did she make delicious cakes, but she was even more beautiful and charming than the fairy in the painting.
It was also a coincidence that Mingzhu's shop was located opposite the antique store that was making ends meet and losing money every day.
The young man was busy entertaining his former classmates these days. When he got free time, he condescended to take a look at his shop and found that the opposite side was much lively. He casually asked what was going on.
"Second Master, I heard that the pastry shop is very delicious and has a good reputation. As the reputation spreads, the number of customers will increase."
Duan Sui became more interested and said, "I'll go take a look."
Duan Suinai was a famous second-generation ancestor in Yangzhou City. He colluded with other dudes and had been domineering for many years. His casual words made the accountant sweat.
Mr. Accountant has also seen the girl's face. She is very pretty, even more beautiful than the top girl in the flower house. I wonder if their second master will get interested and do something stupid.
The accountant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Second Master, that girl is pregnant."
There was an unpredictable smile in Duan Sui's eyes, "Am I a beast?"
The accountant smiled coquettishly, "You're exaggerating."
As soon as Duan Sui walked to the door of the small shop opposite, they were about to close the stall. He saw the woman in pink who was making noises and recognized her immediately.
He took two steps forward and said, "Make me a sweet cake."
Mingzhu raised her face and said, "We have closed, please come back tomorrow."
Duan Sui raised his eyelids and stared at her with his eyes. Even if he was wearing a coarse linen shirt, it was difficult to cover up her beautiful face. Her face was slightly red from the sun, and the ends of her eyes and brows were filled with a hint of spring, white and tender. Her moist cheeks were stained with some flour at some point, which gave her an indescribable pure silk beauty.
Duan Sui swallowed silently, "So it's you."
Mingzhu also recognized him, so naturally he was not embarrassed.
Duan Sui glanced at her belly with enigmatic eyes and raised his eyebrows, "I want ten pastries in advance and they will be delivered to my house tomorrow. I want to entertain guests."
He said, taking out an ingot of gold and placing it on the table, "This is the deposit."
Mingzhu swallowed the words of rejection when she reached her lips. She accepted the gold, lowered her eyes, and said the word "ok" lightly.
Duan Sui did not embarrass her, paid the money and returned to his mansion.
There are also distinguished guests in his house.
Mr. Wei who came from Changzhou.
The Duan family was in the boat business and smuggled a lot of items. Last month, his third brother's boat capsized in the ditch and asked Changzhou to find something from the fourth-level prefect.
Duan Sui had some friendship with Wei Chiyu, who was then the deputy envoy of the Department of General Affairs, so he wanted to ask him to be a lobbyist so that the prefect could shut up.
Duan Sui and Wei Chiyu went to school together for two years, and they knew that Wei Chiyu was very scheming, hidden, and quite capable.
Wei Chiyu didn't say he wouldn't help, he just said: "He is not short of money."
Duan Sui also didn't expect that his classmate, who was taciturn in the past, would kill the Changzhou magistrate without saying a word.
Killing people and silencing them is indeed the best way.
This courage and cruel methods made Duan Sui feel frightened.
Now that the matter was over, Duan Sui had to thank Wei Chiyu properly. He happened to hear that Wei Chiyu was not in a good mood. Maybe someone died around him, so he invited him to Yangzhou as a guest to relieve his mood.
"Where's Mr. Wei?"
"I just took the medicine and am still busy."
"Don't disturb him. Go find two clean girls in the flower house and send them to Mr. Wei's house tomorrow."
"Master Wei doesn't seem to be interested in beauties."
"That's because they don't have the skills." Duan Sui didn't know why but he thought of the girl selling cakes. With her appearance, no one could resist her.
Wei Chiyu actually had selfish motives for being invited to Yangzhou this time. He remembered that Zhuzhu's mother seemed to be from Yangzhou.
Before he planned to propose marriage to the Ming family, Mingzhu asked him if he would like to accompany her back to Yangzhou in the future.
At that time, she was blushing, shy, timid, very cute, and very heart-warming.
Wei Chiyu never thought that he would hear the news of her death so soon.
His eyes seemed to be filled with blood, and his throat was dry and sore. The room was filled with panic, and Wei Chi stepped out of the door. It was getting dark, and it was about to start raining gloomily.
Wei Chiyu was walking on the stone road, and two voices were faintly heard at the corner of the alley.
"Hong Ling, you don't need to eat secretly from now on. If you want to eat, just tell me and I will make a special portion for you."
"I'm afraid you'll scold me."
"How could it be?" A gentle voice was carried by the evening breeze, "Go home quickly and count how much money we made today."
Wei Chiyu hesitated in a trance. When the sound drifted away, his expression changed and he chased after him.
…
Zhao Xin was grounded by her eldest brother, and Wei Liu was like a watchdog, guarding her strictly.
She could go somewhere else, but it was absolutely impossible for her to go to the palace.
Zhao Xin lost his temper and smashed things, and Bai Ling, who was three feet tall, had found them and threatened them with hanging.
Wei Liu showed no emotion at all, and cut off Bai Ling with a knife indifferently, "Your Highness, don't make it difficult to do a humble job."
Zhao Xin pointed at him angrily, "Get out of here! What qualifications do you have to look at me?"
Wei Liu said, "The prince has an order. You can go wherever you want."
Except for the temple.
Zhao Xin was really wronged this time, and she couldn't help but screamed every day. Her hands were shaking and she said "good words" three times.
She turned around and ran to her mother's house.
She had a lot of things to complain about, but she didn't dare to tell her mother.
Zhao Xin was forced to cry because she was wronged. The more she thought about it, the more sad she became, especially for Ming Zhu.
She wiped her eyes with her sleeves and thought for a while, she still had to ask her cold-hearted eldest brother for this matter.
Although her brother is very cold, he has not been able to see her tears since she was a child. As long as she cries, he will definitely give in.
Zhao Xin ran to Zhao Shi with tears in her eyes, her eyes looked particularly pitiful, and she said, "Brother, just think of me as begging you to let Mingzhu and my little niece go in front of you."
Zhao Shi paused with his fingers and made a mistake on the paper. The ink was stained and the words he just finished were ruined.
He stood in the light, his skin as white as a cold moon, his face lowered and calm.
Zhao Xin was shedding true tears at this moment. Her thin shoulders were trembling slightly. She grabbed his sleeves and choked out: "Brother, you really can't treat Mingzhu like this."
Zhao Shi slowly raised his face, his throat was dry, "Stop crying."
Zhao Xin knew that her brother must feel sorry for her, so she hurriedly wiped the tears from the end of her eyes.
Zhao Shi had a headache. If you look closely, you can see bloodshot eyes oozing out of his eyes. He said, "I'll send someone to the village to play for a few days. I'll come back after a while."
Zhao Xin really had no choice at all. She had no strength in her hands and feet, and she didn't want to say a word to him at the moment.
After sending her away, Zhao Shi opened the window and faced the scorching golden light of the sun. The rising sunlight stung his eyes slightly.
His eyes were full of darkness, his eyebrows were furrowed a bit gloomily, and there was a chill on the soles of his feet. His limbs were still cold even after standing under the scorching sun.
Zhao Shi has been sleeping in the study these days, and there seems to be the smell of pearls on the pillow and quilt, with a faint sweetness. I don't know if it is a smell he imagined or if it really exists.
He suddenly felt a little pathetic.
It seemed that all he had left was this vague smell. He absorbed the smell from the pillow, and his whole body seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the mud.
Zhao Shi closed his eyes, with a crystal-moist luster at the end of his eyes. He frowned in pain, and the pain he felt after he realized it was like vines densely wrapped around him, locking him tightly.
Zhao Shi admitted that he deliberately refused to let her rest in peace, and he refused to admit that she was dead.
And that child, if he was still alive and well, would be five months old.
The little girl had already prepared her clothes, and he locked the pair of silver necklaces into the box.
Manager Lin looked at the lights in the room and sighed, "Everyone, please step aside."
"yes."
It's already midnight, and His Highness the Crown Prince has been up all night. If this continues, how can his body bear it
Zhao Shi was called to the study by his father after going to court the next day.
His son was raised by Zhao Nanyu himself, and he knew clearly what kind of character Zhao Nanyu had.
"My mother has been very worried these days. She said you have lost weight."
Thin and pale.
Zhao Nanyu held the pen in his hand and glanced at him lightly, "You should handle your own affairs on your own. The only thing is, don't let your mother worry."
Zhao Shi lowered his head and said, "Yes."
"Isn't it just that someone died in the backyard? I don't think I liked her that much."
Zhao Shi couldn't answer, so he simply didn't speak.
Zhao Nanyu knew about him robbing civilian girls, so he didn't want to care about it and didn't bother to care about it. Now that the woman is dead, it's his own fault and no one else to blame.
"Since it is your weakness, it may not be a good thing if it is gone." Zhao Nanyu said something slightly meaningful.
Zhao Shi raised his pale face, "Really?"
The hoarse, dry voice was trembling.
He once thought that the prince should not have weaknesses.
"I don't know, you have to ask yourself."
Zhao Shi doesn't like anything out of control, and he has extremely strong control. He was suddenly able to understand why he saw himself forcing her to death again and again in those dreamlike dreams.
Investigating the reason, it's just that he doesn't want to be bound by love.
Zhao Nanyu glanced at him and said, "If you can't figure it out, go out and relax."
Zhao Shi hummed.
Song Luan was very happy when he learned that his son was finally no longer trapped in the capital and wanted to go out to relax.
Zhao Shi seemed to be getting thinner and thinner, and he really needed a good rest.
Song Luan asked him where he planned to go
Zhao Shiru said: "I haven't thought about it yet."
Song Luan laughed twice and said, "My cousin is going to Yangzhou tomorrow. Why don't you go with him and come back together?"
Zhao Shi didn't really want to go to Jiangnan. He put down the cup in his hand and said, "Forget it, I'll go to the other village to pick up my sister, so that she won't hate me in her heart over time."
"She can't bear to hate you."
Zhao Shi smiled and said nothing, but at night, he suddenly changed his mind and decided to go to Yangzhou with Song Huaiqing.
There was no other reason, it was just that the jade crown Mingzhu gave him had a crack in it.
It was one of the few things she gave him.
Hearing that there were many skilled craftsmen in Yangzhou city, he wanted to repair this jade crown.