Sima Hong lowered his head and ate quickly, occasionally picking up a steamed dumpling for Miao and urging her to eat quickly, with a calm face, as if nothing had happened.
Miao carefully observed her son's face and said, "I heard that the people who beat up your cousin also called the Luo family a bunch of bastards."
Sima Hong immediately choked on the porridge in his mouth, coughed a few times, and said vaguely: "My cousin has always been careless in doing things, and he is not careful at night. He went to that kind of place to fool around. I believe he must have offended many people on weekdays. Being beaten up in the middle of the night can teach him a lesson."
"Besides," Sima Hong muttered, rather dissatisfied, "It's just that she couldn't get out of bed for half a month. I was already gentle enough. What else do you want!" There were two accomplices in the case, and he had already let it go because Luo Lingxian was a woman. Isn't that generous enough? !
Miao knew it all. She couldn't help but shake her head and sigh as she watched her son walk out after eating. Lian had just vaguely revealed why Baoger wanted to teach Luo Lingguan a lesson. Luo Lingguan and Luo Lingxian, two little beasts spoiled by her good second sister, actually dared to bump into someone on the street, and the person they bumped into was Mingyu.
Miao couldn't help laughing when he was so angry that he risked his life for the beauty he loved. This boy was really a lovesick boy, much better than his father.
Sima Hong bid farewell to his mother and rushed to the Miao Mansion without stopping. He bid farewell to his grandfather and uncle, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to them three times, begging them to take care of his wife. After saying goodbye, he left the Miao Mansion.
When riding through the streets near Xu's house, Sima Hong couldn't help but slow down his horse, and Baihao caught up with him. He asked tentatively, "My Lord, why don't you go visit the Xu family?"
Sima Hong shook his head and whispered, "Let's go, it's getting late." Then he kicked his horse and ran towards the city gate. Bai Hao hurriedly rode his horse to catch up.
Mingyu didn't know what was happening. Counting the days, today should be the day Sima Hong left Beijing for the northwest, and silently wished him a safe journey. The days passed by like water for a long time. Mingyu followed her mother to learn how to identify fabrics and do business in the morning, and calculated the accounts of the two shops in the afternoon.
Referring to the clothing stores in her previous life, Mingyu also asked someone to make two slim wooden models. She asked the tailor to make a few beautiful clothes for the wooden models, and put them on them. She changed the models into new clothes every once in a while and put them in front of the store as a signboard to attract people's attention. The business in the store was much better, and many people came in and asked for the same colored fabric as the models were wearing.
Mrs. Xu simply hired two tailors to stay in the store for a long time. Most of the customers who bought cloth wanted to find tailors to make clothes. Xu's store could not only buy cloth but also make clothes at the same time. Even if the price was a penny or two more expensive, people in the capital city wanted convenience. They were not short of small change.
Mingyu carefully studied the accounts of the incense, candle, paper and pen shop over the past few years and felt that this place was not close to the academy and there were not many people nearby who needed paper and pen. Business was barely maintained at ordinary times. Only on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month when there was a big market in Beijing, the market was in front of the door and many people from the countryside came to buy things, so the incense and candle business would be very good. The transaction volume on that day was equivalent to that of half a month at ordinary times.
Mingyu and Madam Xu discussed for a long time and wanted to change the business of the shop. The incense and candle business was not easy to do, and there were stalls selling them everywhere on the street. It would be better to change it to a restaurant business. Usually there were quite a few people at the small market, and even more at the big market. Many people came early on an empty stomach, and they were starving when they arrived at the market, so they were happy to spend a little money on a meal.
The business of those who set up stalls to sell snacks is extremely good. Even if there is no place to sit, many people are willing to eat with their food. Often, there is a crowd in front of a stall. If their shops were changed into snack bars like food stalls, with lower prices, more food, and a place to sit and eat, their business would surely be good.
However, changing the shop to make a living is not an easy matter. The owner of the incense and candle shop is old. Although the small restaurant business makes money, he thinks that he has to get up early and work late, and has too many things to worry about. He also thinks that cooking in the shop will be full of greasy smoke and dirty. In short, he is reluctant. Moreover, there are so many incense and candles in the warehouse that it will be difficult to find someone willing to take over for a while.
The contract of a shopkeeper is usually signed for one year. Mingyu and Madam Xu decided not to purchase any more goods during this period and use this half year to digest the inventory. When the shopkeeper's contract expires at the end of the year, they will no longer hire him. The snack shop will no longer need a shopkeeper, and by then Mother Liu will be able to be the shopkeeper alone.
Mrs. Hu came several times during this period, and each time she tried to inquire about Lu Hao in a roundabout way. Mingyu didn't know him well, so even if she wanted to tell Mrs. Hu, there was nothing to say. Mrs. Hu couldn't find out anything, so she returned in disappointment every time. However, after returning, she always felt that Mingyu was hiding something from her, so she came again next time.
Mingyu felt annoyed and complained to her mother, "Why does she like Lord Lu so much?"
Speaking of Lu Hao, Madam Xu's face was full of satisfaction. She said with a smile: "Lord Lu is handsome and gentle, and he is kind and humble. How wonderful!"
Mingyu was secretly surprised. She didn't expect her mother to be a fan of Lu Hao. She thought that a gentle, polite and modest young man like Lu Hao was most popular among middle-aged and elderly women. She wondered what his fans' expressions would be like when they found out that he could climb walls smoothly. Thinking about how much the old lady in the Marquis' Mansion liked Lu Hao, Mingyu secretly gave her lifesaver the title of "housewife killer" in her heart.
"That doesn't necessarily mean Lord Lu will like my cousin." Mingyu said. Lu Hao holds a high position. It was he who carried the emperor, who was nearly dying of illness and starvation, to safety. This achievement alone is enough to make him rise to the top of the world. As long as he doesn't get crazy and follow Prime Minister Dong's example of rebelling, Lu Hao's life will be tied to wealth and glory.
Second uncle is just a low-ranking official. Lu Hao has so many noble ladies to choose from, how could he fall in love with Xu Mingrui? Second aunt is either confused or has too high expectations, which obscures the facts in front of her.
Mrs. Xu was hesitant to speak. It was not that Mrs. Hu was not clear about her own identity. She might have originally intended to make Mingrui a concubine. The second wife's thoughts were none of her business. Mingyu would never have thought that someone would be willing to send her daughter as a concubine. She just couldn't guess to this level.
"Your second aunt is such a smart person, who knows what she is thinking?" Mrs. Xu smiled and changed the subject.
As the season gradually approached midsummer, a minister who was sent to the northwest to supervise the army reported that the northwest army was short of food and clothing. When there was no battle, the soldiers went to the mountains to hunt wild game to save food, but they still fought bravely and killed the Tartars very bravely. The emperor approved and personally ordered to reduce his daily expenses and use the money saved to support the northwest army. The queen also set an example. After that, except for the queen mother, all the expenses in the palace were reduced by 50%. In particular, the queen was very considerate to Concubine Xie, whom she disliked.
The emperor has set an example, so naturally his subjects cannot lag behind. Madam Xu's two shops were also mobilized by the people from the yamen. Madam Xu originally inquired about donations from several surrounding shops and planned to donate five taels of silver, neither too much nor too little. At this time, Mingyu brought in a handkerchief, opened it, and put twenty or thirty taels of silver in it. It was the monthly allowance issued by the marquis's mansion when Mingyu was in Tianshui, and she donated all of it.
The officer looked at Mingyu in surprise. It was rare to meet a shop owner as generous as Mingyu. After asking for Mingyu's name, the officer wrote it down in the registration book.
"This child..." Mrs. Xu shook her head and smiled. She didn't feel sorry for the money. It was Mingyu's own money and it was her daughter's business how she wanted to spend it. But Mingyu was the most stingy person. She didn't even buy her rouge, powder, hair ornaments or jewelry that other girls liked. She saved all her pocket money. But who would have thought that when it came to donating money, she would be so generous.
After the money was donated, Mingyu felt relieved. The money belonged to Sima Hong's family. She would feel comfortable only if she used it on him. He would not want it anyway, so she just regarded it as giving it back to him. Of course, Mingyu clearly distinguished between her own money and Sima Hong's money. After returning home, Mingyu was reluctant to spend a penny of her own savings. She was very stingy.
That afternoon, Xu Mingrui, who had not visited for a long time, came to see Mingyu. She held Mingyu's hand and talked for a long time. Finally, she smiled and said, "Mingyu, the Gao family is going to hold a banquet tomorrow. Their second daughter and I are good friends. She sent me an invitation and asked me to attend the banquet at their house. Would you like to go with me?"
Mingyu was surprised. Because of Hu's relationship, she and Xu Mingrui didn't have a good relationship. A few months ago, when Xu Mingrui occasionally saw her, she still glared at her. How come she suddenly became so affectionate
"That's not good." Mingyu refused with a smile, "Miss Gao doesn't know me. What if a stranger like me goes there and she gets unhappy? Wouldn't that make my cousin unwelcome as well?"
Xu Mingrui quickly laughed and said, "How could that be? Miss Gao Er is a very friendly and easy-going person. She also asked me to bring more girls who are fun to play with. It will be more lively with more people."
Mingyu blinked. With her personality, did she look like the kind of person who could play around with a bunch of little girls
Seeing Mingyu remained silent and clearly refused, Xu Mingrui became anxious and said with a red face, "I heard that Gao's house invited a lot of people, and Lord Lu will come too!"
Mingyu smiled mischievously, "Cousin, are you in such a hurry to go? Do you want to meet Lord Lu?"
Xu Mingrui hastily denied, "Of course not, not only Lord Lu, but also many noble sons will be there."
Mingyu was amazed. It turned out that she was too narrow-minded before. Hu gave her the illusion that Xu Mingrui was only targeting Lu Hao. She didn't expect that she was casting a wide net and focusing on catching fish.