Jiang Yanyi finally persuaded Old Madam Chu with all his persuasion. After saying goodbye to the old lady, he took Chu Yan back to the main street of the Protectorate.
Qiu Kui is a hard-working person, and with the help of Aunt Guo, everything at home is kept in order. Starting from the sixth day of the New Year, the shop started selling oden and instant noodles again.
What surprised Jiang Yanyi was that Mrs. Chen and her husband, who owned the clothing shop next door, closed their shop and returned to their hometown.
"Mrs. Chen said that embroidery work is not easy to do nowadays. If it weren't for the clothes you ordered from her shop, Huahua, her shop would have closed down long ago. Her parents in the countryside are old and need someone to take care of them, so she went back to the countryside with Brother Chen. Before she left, she made a new set of clothes for you, saying that she wanted to thank you for taking care of her business for the past few months."
Qiu Kui took out the clothes that Chen Niang had given her from the closet and gave them to Jiang Yanyi.
Jiang Yanyi pinched the edge of the fabric. The material was not the best, but the embroidery was exquisite. She sighed, "Why didn't she tell me before?"
Aunt Guo had been on the main street of the Protectorate. She knew that Madam Chen had come to give her a gift, so she said, "Maybe she was afraid that you would be sad. Madam Chen also said that she would stop by to see you when she goes to the market in the future, and she could also bring you some fresh mountain products."
The personal connections between wealthy families may be mixed with some interests, but the interactions between small families are really just neighborly affection.
Jiang Yanyi sighed and said casually, "I wonder what kind of shop will open next door."
One has to hope that the shop owner is an easy-going person. Although Jiang Yanyi is not afraid of anyone, if someone with the same temper as He Xingniang who owns the jewelry shop across the street comes, and their two shops are next to each other, there will definitely be chaos in the future.
Aunt Guo smiled and said, "Don't worry, boss. The house next door has been rented out. The tenant is a girl. It is said that she is a relative of Advisor Chi and is also acquainted with Old Master Chen. She often comes here to play chess with him."
Jiang Yanyi paused as he put down his clothes and asked, "Is that girl's surname Xie?"
Aunt Guo asked curiously, "Boss, do you know that girl?"
Jiang Yanyi said: "Of course I recognize it."
That day, after Xie Chuji handed the evidence to Feng Shuo at the Chu family, she asked to see Chi Qing, and Feng Shuo's people took her away from the Chu family.
Previously, in order to protect her and the Grand Empress Dowager, Feng Shuo had set up secret sentries throughout the entire street of the Protectorate.
I think it was to ensure Xie Chuji's safety. It just so happened that Madam Chen didn't rent the shop after the New Year, so Feng Shuo's men gave that place to Xie Chuji.
Feng Shuo and Mu Xuanqing went to great lengths to find no clues. The fact that Xie Chuji was able to obtain the evidence to exonerate the Mu family can only be considered as retribution for Liao Kun's actions.
The Xie family is a loyal family. The current empress dowager and queen are both daughters of the Gao family. The Gao family used the military power of the Mu family to support Feng Shiyan's ascension to the throne and made great contributions to the cause. It is no exaggeration to say that the Gao family has been able to cover the sky with one hand in the court over the years.
The Xie family, which had been engaged to the Mu family, was naturally targeted by the Gao family and became increasingly weaker in the court. Although Liao Kun was at odds with the Gao family on the surface, he was promoted secretly.
When Xie Chuji and Prince Mu got engaged, everyone in the capital city would say that they were a handsome man and a beautiful girl. Liao Kun felt that everything he had now was comparable to that of Marquis Mu Wu, so he planned to let his stupid eldest son marry Xie Chuji.
Xie Chuji was unwilling to marry, so she bribed some ruffians to spread rumors, saying that Liao Kun's eldest son was marrying a slut.
At that time, she didn't know that Liao Kun was a lackey of the Gao family. She only wanted to discredit her reputation and make the Liao family give up the marriage.
The Liao family was indeed embarrassed, so they had to settle for the second best and marry Xie Chuji's younger sister.
Xie Chuji regretted it deeply, but the matter was already settled.
After her sister got married, Liao Kun's eldest son spent his days drinking and having sex, even having affairs with a maid in his study. Her sister went to make a scene, but was given a divorce letter saying that she was jealous and wanted to divorce her. Her sister smashed Liao Kun's eldest son's study in anger, and then she accidentally discovered a secret compartment and found the letters.
The Gao family kept Liao Kun just to use him as a hidden chess piece, and to learn from him the progress of the Mu brothers in their search for evidence. Liao Kun also knew that if the Gao family was completely free of the threat of the Mu brothers, they would definitely find ways to get rid of him, so he kept all the letters he had exchanged with the Gao family over the years, in order to protect himself when he was at the end of his rope.
On the surface, his study was heavily guarded, but the Gao family was extremely powerful, and Liao Kun did not dare to remove the spy who was planted around him. His own study was not safe, so he put all the letters in the secret cabinet of his eldest son's study.
Xie Chuji's sister took the divorce letter and these letters back to the Xie family that day. Mr. Xie was afraid of revenge from the Gao family and Liao Kun, so he immediately arranged for his family to leave the capital and return to his hometown in Sheng'an.
Sheng'an is under the jurisdiction of King Anyang. If the Gao family wants to take action against the Xie family, their influence cannot reach that far.
Xie Chuji sent letters to Xizhou several times, but Chi Qing had previously told Duke Chen that if there were any letters from Xie Chuji, he should not give them to him or reply to them.
His brother has passed away and the engagement is no longer in place. Chi Qing hopes that Xie Chuji will marry into a good family and stop worrying about the Mu family's affairs.
However, Xie Chuji couldn't contact Chi Qing, and thought that something had happened to him. She was determined to overturn the case for the Mu family, so she went to Xizhou with the letters and several servants. She was chased by the Gao family all the way, and all the servants were killed or injured. She herself only escaped by hiding in a brothel.
Jiang Yanyi could see that Chu Chengmao had not yet agreed to marry because he was still waiting for Xie Chuji. Xie Chuji was indeed a girl who deserved to be loved.
But when it comes to love, how can an outsider tell whether it's worth it or not, or whether you're compatible with it
If Xie Chuji was always thinking about Master Mu, Jiang Yanyi felt that Chu Chengmao would probably never see Xie Chuji come back in his lifetime.
Who can forget a person who is so good until his death
However, in the next few days, Jiang Yanyi discovered that Chu Chengmao, who seldom came to Duhufu Street, would "happen" to pass by when Xie Chuji went out every morning. Occasionally, he would say hello and a word or two, but more often he would just nod and pass by.
In the beginning, Jiang Yanyi squatted at the door of the shop every day, eating pancakes and peeking at them with great interest. Later, he just got used to it and asked Huo Jianjia to bring out a jar of wine and give it to Chu Chengmao when he returned.
Not to mention any sparks flying between the two of them, she felt that the relationship was almost becoming a stagnant pool.
One day, the Lady of Xing'an Marquis also walked into the shop in silence, ordered a bowl of oden but did not eat it, and watched Chu Chengmao pass by the door with her chin supported by one hand. Jiang Yanyi felt numb all over.
Huo Jianjia, on the other hand, had a look of envy and regret on her face: "I wish I were the Second Young Master Chu."
Jiang Yanyi was puzzled: "Why?"
Huo Jianjia held her large sword wrapped in cloth strips, looking fascinated: "The county master is good-looking and good at fighting. It would be great to practice martial arts with him every day."
Jiang Yanyi was amused by this silly girl.
Yang Zheng and Xie Chuji are both very good girls. It is a blessing to be liked by them, and it is worth it to like them.
Jiang Yanyi sincerely hopes that these three people can be well and find their own happiness.
***
Feng Shuo has been busy again since he got the evidence to exonerate the Mu family. In this era, the voices that the lower-class people can hear are those that are spread from one person to ten people, and from ten to a hundred times before reaching their ears.
If we want the voices for redress to be louder, there must be someone behind the scenes fanning the flames.
It was Feng Shuo's people who were responsible for finding Confucian scholars to write articles that denounced the imperial court. As for the storytelling in the entire Xizhou City, there were not many storytellers who could tell stories as well as the old scholar.
When the old scholar told the story of the injustice suffered by the Mu family in the past, every time he told the story, when it became emotional and tragic, he could make the diners in the restaurant cry.
Jiang Yanyi also funded a drama troupe to choreograph a play about the murder of the Mu family. The storytelling and opera sounds on the stage eventually set off a huge wave among the people. This wave rushed out from Xizhou, and wherever it went, it rolled up higher waves. By the time they arrived in the capital, the Gao family and the Liao family had already been cursed by the people.
The articles written by the Confucian scholars seeking justice for the Mu family were passed on by word of mouth among scholars all over the world, and some people even wrote doggerel poems to be sung by children on the street.
Back then, the Gao family supported Feng Shiyan to ascend the throne. Now, Feng Shiyan was naturally suspected of being the mastermind behind the Gao family's actions. For a time, the Daxuan Dynasty was really on the verge of collapse.
The capital city had become a turbulent place since Feng Shuo's men went there to fish in trouble. Jiang Yanyi started this fire to avenge himself for being exiled to the military camp by the emperor, and then turned around to busy himself with his porcelain export business.
Years ago, Yang Xiubing Shao had already completed the organization of the caravan. When they were transporting the first batch of official porcelain out of the customs, Jiang Yanyi specially brought a pot of chili peppers to show them, asking them to bring back more seeds if they saw such plants outside the customs.
Now that Huo Jianjia is with Jiang Yanyi, Yang Xiu and Bing Shao feel much more at ease. Jiang Yanyi arranged for Yang Xiu to follow the caravan out of the border, and he did not refuse.
Jiang Yanyi instructed Yang Xiu: "Be careful when you leave the border, don't show your wealth to others, and try not to cause disputes with the locals when you get there."
Instant noodles and dried meat became essential foods for traveling at this time.
If they only ate dry food, they would probably eat their mouths out after several months. However, the diet of the foreign tribes they were going to had different characteristics from that of the Great Xuan Dynasty. Many people from the Great Xuan Dynasty could not get used to the food there and would rather eat the dry food they brought with them.
Yang Xiu agreed to all of them and said, "Don't worry, Boss. Bing Shao has poached the guide of the caravan that went out of the customs to sell porcelain. Compared with other caravans, we know the market better this time. We know which tribes and small countries are offering what prices. We guarantee that we will be the first to return to the customs at a high price."
Bing Shao has always been a man of few words and always focused on his work. If Yang Xiu hadn't said anything, Jiang Yanyi wouldn't have known that he had secretly brought the guide of the caravan over.
She smiled and said, "I'll give Bing Shao a raise this month."
Bing Shao said hurriedly, "It was the foresight of the boss. That caravan hoarded a large amount of porcelain. Now the porcelain kilns are supervised by the government, and the seals have been changed. Porcelain that is to be shipped out must have customs documents. That caravan obtained the documents, but the porcelain in their hands was different from the porcelain that was to be shipped out on the documents. The goods could not be shipped out, and if they could not be sold, they would have to lose money. Most of the people under them ran away, so I poached their guide."
Jiang Yanyi said: "It's your contribution, so don't shirk it. No one would feel bad about money."
Bing Shao touched the back of his head, smiled foolishly and said nothing.
After the caravan transported the porcelain out of the customs, Jiang Yanyi finally resolved a worry.
However, there is still no place to plant peppers. Jiang Yanyi went to the suburbs several times but couldn't find a suitable place to grow peppers.
It happened that Mrs. Chen went to the city to attend the market and brought a full basket of winter bamboo shoots to Jiang Yanyi. When she heard that Jiang Yanyi wanted to buy land in the countryside, she asked about his needs and then selected some fertile land for him.
Jiang Yanyi went to see it in person and found that the soil was truly fertile.
After she bought the land, she was in need of help to grow the peppers. In order to take care of the two elderly people at home, Mrs. Chen and her husband had only Chen Dalang go to the fields to farm. Mrs. Chen wove cloth and made clothes to supplement the family income while taking care of the elderly. However, she still had a tight budget when she went to the hospital to see a doctor and get medicine.
Jiang Yanyi asked Mrs. Chen and her husband to help her manage the pepper field in the future, and she would pay them a reward.
The remuneration she paid was of course much higher than the market price. Firstly, it was to repay Mrs. Chen's favor. Secondly, peppers are precious, and Jiang Yanyi was not at ease hiring a strange farmer. She still trusted the character of Mrs. Chen and her husband.
***
Everything that had been planned for the whole new year was finally coming to fruition. The business of Ruyi Tower and the noodle shop was still booming. The wealthy businessmen from the Chamber of Commerce began to try to find out whether Jiang Yanyi had any plans to attract others to invest.
Jiang Yanyi naturally hopes to expand her business, but with more people, management and systems must also keep up. Otherwise, the hot pot she sells is just hot pot in Xizhou City, but she doesn't know how it will turn out if it is sold to other places in the West. If she wants to expand her business, she must build a good reputation.
The franchise deal was not finalized, and Jiang Yanyi had been busy like a top for so long that she wanted to take a few days off, so she ignored the wealthy businessmen who had been trying to bargain with her.
Maybe it was because he was too tired these days and had a lot of meat and fish every meal during the New Year. Jiang Yanyi now felt sick of meat and had no appetite for anything.
Aunt Guo watched Jiang Yanyi take a few sips of the lotus seed soup and put it on the small table beside her. Seeing that she was not in good spirits, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her: "Boss, you don't have to worry too much about business. It's more important to take care of your own health."
Jiang Yanyi slumped in a rocking chair covered with a wool blanket, with a fat, plump orange on his shoulder. He said weakly, "Auntie, I want to eat stinky tofu."
Jiang Yanyi didn't know what was wrong with her, she suddenly missed the snack street in front of her home. There was a middle school next to her house, and there were always vendors selling snacks.
In spring, grandmas mix glutinous rice flour with mugwort juice to make fragrant and soft green dumplings. In summer, uncles push tricycles to sell cold rice noodle rolls. In autumn, corn cakes are steamed with cornmeal wrapped in sycamore leaves or corn leaves. In winter, the streets are filled with the fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes...
The most popular items sold all year round are fried potatoes and the stinky tofu that you never get tired of.
"Stinky tofu?" Aunt Guo was stunned. "Someone is selling it in the west of the city. I'll ask Jianjia to buy some for you."
Jiang Yanyi nodded, looking listless and unable to muster any interest.
She does know how to make stinky tofu, but the marinade for braised tofu takes fifteen days to make, which is really troublesome.
Huo Jianjia walked very fast and ran all the way back after buying the stinky tofu. When Jiang Yanyi ate it, the stinky tofu was still a little hot.
But she only ate one piece and put it down.
The tofu was not braised well and was over-fried. The shell was not crispy but a bit hard, and the soul-infusing soup had not been poured over it.
Aunt Guo saw that Jiang Yanyi had lost his appetite, so she reached out and touched Jiang Yanyi's forehead, and said in surprise: "Boss, you are probably sick, with a low-grade fever."
Jiang Yanyi thought she was too tired. When Aunt Guo said that, she reached out and touched her forehead, "It's not hot."
Aunt Guo said, "Your hands are hotter than your forehead. OK, I'll get you a doctor!"
After the doctor took Jiang Yanyi's pulse, he finally determined that he was overworked and had caught a cold. Jiang Yanyi knew that Feng Shuo was busy, so he specifically asked Aunt Guo not to tell Feng Shuo that he was sick.
She drank the medicine and fell asleep. Perhaps she was still thinking about stinky tofu and she even dreamed of eating it.
However, this stinky tofu was even worse than what she had eaten during the day. Not only was it hard to chew, but the soup inside also tasted like medicine when she bit into it.
"Jiang Yanyi, let go of the spoon."
In a daze, Jiang Yanyi seemed to hear Feng Shuo's voice.
She stammered and was about to call Feng Shuo by name, but unexpectedly she called out, "Stinky tofu..."
Feng Shuo sat by the bed, watching someone wrinkling her nose and asking for stinky tofu. He felt amused but also a little distressed. He took out the spoon while Jiang Yanyi was talking, scooped up a spoonful of medicine and continued to feed her: "Take the medicine first, and eat the stinky tofu after you get better."
When Jiang Yanyi smelled the medicine, his facial features wrinkled up and he avoided it and refused to open his mouth.
It was also the first time for Feng Shuo to feed medicine to someone, and he had no experience. After thinking for a while, he reached out and pinched Jiang Yanyi's nose, then put the spoon to her mouth.
As a result, Jiang Yanyi had difficulty breathing and was suffocated and woke up.
After opening her eyes, she saw Feng Shuo was still pinching her nose. The two stared at each other for a moment before Jiang Yanyi asked in a muffled voice, "What are you doing?"
Because of the low-grade fever, her voice was a little hoarse, and her originally fair face was flushed. When she just woke up, there was a mist in her eyes, and she looked defenseless and easy to bully.
Feng Shuo took his hand back and looked away from her face. His eyes deepened slightly as he said, "I'll give you some medicine."
Jiang Yanyi rubbed the tip of his nose that was pinched and hurt, and the accusatory meaning in his eyes was obvious: "How can you feed it like this?"
"I have never served anyone before. You hid when you smelled the medicine. I had no choice but to resort to this last resort." He explained.
Jiang Yanyi felt a little relieved, but his head was still dizzy. He half sat up, took the remaining half bowl of medicine from his hand, and drank it down in one gulp. It was so bitter that his nose and eyes wrinkled.
Feng Shuo asked her, "Is it bitter?"
Jiang Yanyi wrinkled his face and nodded.
Feng Shuo supported her pillow with one hand, held her chin with the other, and lowered his head to kiss her.
Jiang Yanyi's lips were very hot. They felt slightly cool, but soon became hot again.
When he finished, his breathing was not steady, and he stroked her fair and rosy cheeks with his fingertips, saying, "It's so bitter."
Outside the window, the night was deep and the sound of clappers could be heard from the street.
Jiang Yanyi felt a little short of oxygen because of the kiss, and his mind was not very clear. When he heard him say it was bitter, he raised his head and kissed him back.
Things got a bit out of control afterwards.
The next day, Jiang Yanyi's cold was gone, but she still wore a thick rabbit fur scarf at home. Aunt Guo thought she was afraid of the cold, but Jiang Yanyi knew that her neck was too small to be seen in public.
When copying the account book, I rubbed my wrists from time to time because they were so sore.