"Ping'er, where did this bowl of crystal lotus seed soup come from?" Qi Surong called Ping'er and pointed to the cup on the table.
Ping'er said: "Could it be that the madam prepared it for the young lady? I didn't see it when I came to clean the room in the morning."
It is indeed possible that Qi's mother often made lotus seed soup for her before. Qi Surong looked at the clear-colored lotus seed soup in the cup and couldn't help but take a sip. A chill penetrated her heart, and the heat suddenly disappeared.
"Well, it tastes really good." Qi Surong drank a few more sips with satisfaction and said casually, "Ping'er, the two bottles of silt removal ointment last time were very effective. Where did you buy them?"
"Removing siltation cream? What is siltation removing cream? I don't know." Ping'er looked confused.
Qi Surong paused, turned and walked towards the cabinet, took out two small porcelain bottles from the drawer and handed them to Ping'er: "Didn't you bring this to me?"
Ping'er shook his head: "No, I have never seen these two bottles before."
Qi Surong frowned. Only Ping'er knew about her injury. It was impossible for her mother to secretly prepare ointment for her without saying a word. So who sent this ointment? And this cup of lotus seed soup was probably not prepared by her mother as she had guessed before.
During the meal, Qi Surong talked about lotus seed soup in an insinuating way.
Qi's mother said: "If you are really greedy, ask your servants to buy some ingredients, and my mother will cook it for you."
"No, my daughter just said it casually. Let's wait until the family is richer in the future." It turned out not to be her mother. Looking around, everyone on the table looked normal, and it obviously had nothing to do with them.
Could it be that someone wanted to do evil to her secretly? Qi Surong's expression changed slightly, and then he denied this speculation. There is nothing wrong with the ointment from before or the lotus seed soup that I just drank. This person must have good intentions.
So, who could it be
Qi Surong was thinking about this issue until after the meal. This person seems to be aware of her every move. Is he always spying on her secretly
Qi Surong couldn't help but look out the window and saw only an empty yard and mottled tree shadows.
In her memory, there was one person who would do such a thing. He looks cold but has a soft heart. It's a pity that she didn't know how to cherish him in the past, and she was prejudiced from the beginning, so that in the end she almost turned against him.
Calculating the time, it will be a month or two before we meet him. It shouldn't be him...
Qi Surong shook his head and decided not to think about it for the time being. Tomorrow is the opening day of Yunrong Xiuzhuang, and there are still many things that need to be taken care of.
Neither she nor her mother was suitable to come forward, so they could only arrange for two maids to take care of the shop. But after all, the maid couldn't bear the situation, so Qi Surong thought over and over again and decided to ask Qin Xiang, his father's concubine, to participate in the management. This woman has been following the Qi family since the incident happened in her previous life. He has been sharing the joys and sorrows with the Qi family until he was driven away by his father whose personality changed drastically.
Qin Xiang is the only woman among all her father's concubines that Qi Surong does not have any ill feelings towards. She has had one more lifetime of experience, which is enough for her to understand her as a person.
Qi Surong originally wanted to find an opportunity to send all his father's concubines away, but now that he thought about it carefully, as long as they did not cause trouble, the Qi family could not tolerate them. No matter how disgusted she was, these concubines were also her father's women. Even if he wants to send him away, it should be his father's decision. Regardless of their identities, it is commendable to be able to share the pain.
Qin Xiang happily agreed to Qi Surong's request, and was even a little flattered. Given Miss Qi's character, it's hard to believe that she would entrust such an important matter to a concubine.
Qi Surong said: "Qin Xiang, when I hand over the management of the store to you, I am not recognizing your status in the Qi family. I am hoping that you can seize this opportunity, break away from your lowly status, and establish a female household in the future."
"What?" Qin Xiang was slightly stunned.
Qi Surong looked at her seriously and continued: "It doesn't matter how much you feel for my father, but my father definitely doesn't love you. He likes beauty, but he has a very heavy background. In his heart, you are just a kind of entertainment. , only my mother is his wife. You are not even qualified to bear children for him, are you really willing to follow my father without children for the rest of your life? "
Qin Xiang's face showed a bit of bitterness and he was speechless.
Qi Surong added: "Women often have no control over their destiny, but if you can have another better way to live, why not give it a try?"
"You want me to leave your father?"
Qi Surong smiled and said calmly: "Yes."
Qin Xiang didn't expect her to answer so simply. After thinking for a while, he asked again: "What if I don't want to leave?"
"Anyone who is loyal to the Qi family will not be treated badly by the Qi family. It is your own choice if you do not want to leave, and I will not make it difficult for you. If you change your mind, you can always find another way out. The premise is that you cannot Do anything that damages the reputation and interests of the Qi family."
"Is this true?"
"Once a word is spoken, it is hard to follow."
"Okay, I understand." Qin Xiang said cautiously, "Don't worry, I will definitely take care of Yunrong Xiuzhuang."
"We'll see."
On the opening day, Yunrong Xiuzhuang was decorated with lights and firecrackers, making it very lively.
This shop was rented in the name of a merchant, so most people thought that the boss behind it was that merchant.
Qi Surong wore a gauze hat and sat in the teahouse opposite Yunrong Xiuzhuang to watch the opening ceremony.
Qin Xiang used to be a singer. She was good at dancing and elegant, and she also earned Xiuzhuang a lot of face.
The opening process went very smoothly. Qi Surong felt relieved and said to Ping'er beside him: "Okay, let's go back."
Just as they turned around, Gu Jinyun led the boy to the entrance of Xiuzhuang. He looked up at the plaque, his eyes paused on the word "Yunrong" for a moment, and then walked into the shop.
As soon as he stepped in, Qi Surong walked out of the teahouse, and the two of them passed each other.
"Su Rong, it's a good start today. Xiuzhuang did a big business." Qin Xiang returned home in the evening and said with a slightly excited expression.
"Big business?" Qi Surong was a little surprised. What big business could Xiuzhuang receive before its reputation was spread? On the opening day, all the top products had discounts, and at most they sold a few more trinkets.
Qin Xiang smiled and said: "There was a young man who bought all the silk flowers and embroidered handkerchiefs in the store at one go."
"What?" Qi Surong was slightly surprised. Silk flowers have the lowest cost and the largest quantity, but embroidered handkerchiefs are the most expensive items. If you buy them all, it will cost at least a hundred or ten taels of silver.
"Did you write down that person's name?" she asked.
Qin Xiang shook his head and said regretfully: "He was taciturn. From the time he walked into the store to the completion of the transaction, he only said three sentences in total, 'I want to buy all the silk flowers and embroidered handkerchiefs in the store'. How much does it cost?' Six sons, pay.'" Then he left, and I didn’t even have a chance to talk to him.”
Six sons? Qi Surong's heart trembled and she asked, "What does he look like?"
Qin Xiang thought for a while and replied: "About twenty-one or twelve years old, tall, with a cold face and a somewhat scary look. Oh, by the way, he has a red mole on the lobe of his right ear."
It's him! It was Gu Jinyun, her husband in her previous life, the person she once loved the most and the person she least wanted to see now.
Qi Surong clutched her chest, feeling emotions of excitement, joy, pain, and regret.
"Surong, what's wrong? Do you know him?"
"No, I don't know him." Qi Surong closed his eyes, and the fingers in his sleeves trembled slightly. If she could, she hoped she would never get to know him in this life. She didn't want to experience the pain she had experienced again, nor did she want him and his family to experience it again. Yes, just pretend you don’t know me.
Qin Xiang gave her a strange look, then took out the account book and said, "This is today's transaction account, please check it."
Qi Surong glanced at her casually and said to her, "Just check the accounts once a month. You don't have to report to me every day."
"Okay." Qin Xiang put away the account book without being pretentious.
Qi Su tolerated it for a while, and finally asked again: "Did the young master you mentioned before buy so many things as soon as he entered the store?"
"That's not true. He also walked around the store and focused on some of the more exquisite jewelry. I thought he would buy those jewelry, but what I didn't know was that he bought silk flowers and embroidered handkerchiefs."
Because silk flowers and embroidered handkerchiefs can make her the most!
At this moment, Qi Surong was almost certain that Gu Jinyun had seen her and was still paying attention to her secretly. Helping her in this subtle way was really his usual style. Qi Surong was secretly amused, feeling both sweet and bitter in her heart. From this point of view, the two bottles of ointment and the cup of lotus seed soup were probably sent by him.
He was quite familiar with breaking into private houses. Even if she was his fiancée, she couldn't come and go at will, right
Qi Surong began to quickly think about whether she had done anything embarrassing recently, such as forcibly giving her brother a bath, holding a pen on the table while wearing a bellyband, lying on the couch to mix perfume and color... Uh, wouldn't they all be seen
Qi Surong suddenly felt that his demeanor was completely ruined... But when and where did he see her
His thoughts were confused and he had no sleep all night, but Qi Surong had to get up early. Today is the Queen's birthday banquet, and she must go to the Song Mansion to comb Aunt Qiao's hair.
The tailor-made service she provided for Zhuang Qiao'e included dresses, shoes, jewelry, spices, makeup, etc. She needed to personally help her with makeup.
There is another thing that she did not tell Aunt Qiao, that is, her embroidery threads are all evenly dyed with special spices. The patterns embroidered with this kind of embroidery thread will have a faint fragrance, which is very interesting. The so-called fragrance on the sleeves is just that.
After finishing dressing up Zhuang Qiao'e, Qi Surong helped her get into the carriage and watched her go away.
"Miss, if nothing happened to the Qi family, you should dress up beautifully and go to the palace to attend the birthday banquet." Ping'er said angrily.
Qi Surong smiled: "Don't I attend too many banquets in the palace? I'm tired of it."
"Tired of it? I don't believe it," Ping'er said proudly, "In which banquet has the lady not been the most beautiful lady, with all the stars shining over the moon? No one else can compare with the lady."
Qi Surong suppressed her smile. Yes, what she once enjoyed most was the feeling of being high and sought after by others. She boasted that no one could compare to her and was extremely arrogant. He doesn't know how to be humble, tactful, and kind to others, so he offends too many people.
Most of the suffering she suffered in her previous life was her own fault.
"Okay, why are you bringing up the past? Even if you and I are wearing coarse linen clothes, I can still live happily." Qi Surong faced the sunshine and smiled in relief.
"Isn't this slave just for the lady?" Ping'er muttered.
"Let's go home. We still have a lot of things to do." Qi Surong thought for a while and said, "I did a big business yesterday. I'm going to buy some good food today and have a good meal at home."
"Miss, are you going to buy groceries?" Ping'er looked surprised.
"yes."
"No, just let Ping'er go. How can a young lady go to a place like that? It's too dirty."
"Okay, long-winded." Qi Surong ignored her and walked straight towards the market.
dirty? How could she still be afraid of getting dirty
The dirtiest thing in the world is the human heart, and the most beautiful thing is the human heart.