Xie Chen stood in the crowd, staring blankly at the three characters on the plaque, "栖山居". The three characters were written with such force that he would probably never be able to achieve that in his lifetime.
Before, he was worried that his paintings would be laughed at if they were hung in a restaurant, but now he thinks it is his honor to have his paintings hung together with such words.
The restaurant was very busy, so Xie Chen turned and left.
Behind the crowd, Qin Yao saw him leaving and wanted to chase him, but her cheeks turned red again and she stood there stamping her feet.
"Ayao, stay away from that restaurant." Lin Yubai stood beside her without her knowing when, and said with concern.
"Why?" Qin Yao asked.
Lin Yubai had been to the capital several times. Once, he was drinking with his friends in a restaurant when suddenly someone exclaimed, "The Qilin Guards are here!" The restaurant was immediately thrown into chaos.
Out of curiosity, he stood in the restaurant and looked at the street, and saw a group of black cavalry riding towards him from a distance.
Anyone who dares to ride a horse in the capital must be no ordinary person.
Looking at the black cavalry, they were really heroic and fierce. Especially the man in the front, he was like a cold knife, making people dare not look directly at him.
Hearing the whispers of the people around him, he realized that the man was Shen Fengming, the commander of the Qilin Guard.
A few days ago, the Lin family had received news that the emperor promoted Shen Fengming to the position of Left Commander. Now the capital is like a whirlpool, and in this life-and-death game, Shen Fengming definitely plays a key role. Now everyone in the capital wants to see him, inquire about his physical condition, understand his attitude, and if possible, of course, try their best to win him over to their side.
His eldest uncle, Master Lin, seemed to have visited the Shen family several times, but he never saw anyone.
Lin Yubai really didn't expect that he would see Shen Fengming in a small restaurant in Wuling County.
He could hardly believe his eyes. Wasn't he injured? Why did he look fine
Of course, it is hard to explain what happens in the court.
Lin Yubai thought about telling this matter to his uncle or his father, so that their Lin family might get a slight advantage.
But in the end, he gave up.
Shen Fengming didn't seem to want to reveal his identity, so if he exposed his identity, who knows if it would backfire. If it happened, it would be a huge shock, and the Lin family might die even faster.
Of course, he couldn't tell Qin Yao about this, so he hesitated for a while and said, "Ayao, what's so good about that poor scholar? Come back to Luzhou with me."
Qin Yao said angrily, "Who said he's fine?"
Lin Yubai was helpless.
Qin Yao chased in the direction Xie Chen left.
Lin Yubai wants to keep up.
Qin Yao turned around and said, "Don't follow me. You have so many sisters. Just go with them."
"Ayao..."
"If you follow me again, be careful or I will be rude to you." Qin Yao pretended.
Lin Yubai could only stop there.
Qin Yao continued walking forward and came to the entrance of an alley, where she saw Xie Chen entering a house.
She didn't know what was so good about Xie Chen, but when he stood in front of her and drove away the two scoundrels that day, she wanted to see more of him. Especially his frown, she wanted to smooth it out for him.
Xie Chen entered the yard and heard a crackling sound.
He looked into the kitchen and immediately became furious.
"I told you to hide, try hiding again. You put so much salt in the dish, you want to choke me to death, right?" Xie Yong held a wooden stick in his hand and hit a basket again and again.
The basket was shaking constantly, and a whimpering sound came from under the basket.
Xie Chen grabbed the stick in Xie Yong's hand and shouted, "What are you doing!"
When Xie Yong saw that it was him, he said angrily, "Why, you have no right to interfere when I beat my daughter? If I provoke you, I will beat you too."
It's not like he hadn't beaten them before. Before Xie Chen was thirteen, Xie Yong would beat or scold them. Later, Xie Chen copied books to earn money and became stronger. Xie Yong wanted to beat him every time but failed, so he stopped beating him.
"You try it!" Xie Chen gritted his teeth.
Xie Yong looked at him. He was half a head taller than he is now. Although he was thin, he was no longer the child who allowed himself to be beaten and scolded.
Xie Yong spat on the ground and cursed, "What the hell are you? You've read so much and you dare to hit me. I think you're just like your bitch mother, both of you are ungrateful and can never be fed.
"If it weren't for me, how could you two have grown up so big over the years? Now that you've grown wings, you don't want me to touch you, right?"
Not long after Xie Chen's mother gave birth to Xie Lian, she couldn't stand Xie Yong's temper and ran away with someone else.
From then on, Xie Yong would either beat or scold Xie Chen and his sister.
Xie Chen stared at him, his eyes red, wanting to yell but also wanting to laugh. For so many years, he had only given them food and prevented them from starving to death. How could he be a father? If he could choose, he didn't want to be his son at all.
"Eat yours, and I will return it to you later. You are not allowed to touch Xie Lian again, or I will fight you to the death!" Xie Chen was serious, this was the last time he warned him.
"Repay? What can you give me? I gave you your life." Xie Yong cursed.
Xie Chen's eyes were red as he just stared at him.
Xie Yong was really a little afraid of him. He cursed again and held out his hand, "Where's the money? This girl puts so much salt in her cooking that it's going to choke me to death. I'm going to eat outside."
"No money." Xie Chen said.
"You paint and write every day, and you tell me you have no money? Have you wasted all these years of studying?" Xie Yong said.
"If I say no, then no." Xie Chen said coldly. Studying is a costly thing. For so many years, he has been painting and copying books, and he can barely support his studies. How can he have extra money
"You said you would pay me back in the future, but I see you don't plan to do that. Why did I give birth to two unlucky people like you?" With that, Xie Yong threw away the stick and went out.
Xie Chen bent down, reached for the basket, and said gently, "He's gone. Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Suddenly, a petite figure jumped out from behind the basket and threw herself into his arms.
Xie Lian was sobbing.
Xie Chen saw that her hands and arms were covered with red marks. He touched her head with concern and said, "I will take you to Beijing in April, and then I will not let him see you again."
The Xia Dynasty held the imperial examination in May every year. Xie Chen left home in April and made it just in time.
"Woo woo." Xie Lian sobbed.
Xie Chen felt even more sad when he heard her like this. Xie Lian could speak originally, but when she was eight years old, for some reason, she suddenly couldn't speak. She could make sounds, but she couldn't speak. He took her to see a doctor several times, but the doctor was helpless, so this was the only way.
He decided to wait until he arrived in Beijing and then find a famous doctor to treat Xie Lian.
Xie Lian rubbed against his arms again, then ran to the kitchen, took out a piece of dry biscuit from under a broken bowl in the cupboard, and handed it to Xie Chen.
"I'm not hungry, you eat it." Xie Chen said against his will.
Xie Lian shook her head sensibly and stuffed the dry biscuit into his hand. Her brother was studying and couldn't go hungry. When her brother passed the imperial examination, he would be able to take her away.
The brother and sister shared the dry biscuit. Xie Lian wiped the biscuit crumbs from the corner of Xie Chen's mouth and burst into laughter.
At this time, at the entrance of the alley, Xie Yong saw Qin Yao standing there, and his eyes suddenly lit up. Such a beautiful girl, and judging from her clothes, she must be the daughter of a wealthy family.
"Miss, why are you here? Are you looking for someone? I'm not exaggerating, there is no one in Wuling County that I don't know, and there is no road that I don't know." Xie Yong said to Qin Yao with a lewd look on his face.
Qin Yao saw him coming out of Xie Chen's house and guessed that he was Xie Chen's father or other relative, and her face immediately blushed.
At 3 p.m., almost all the customers in the store had left. Jiang Yunzhu came out from the kitchen and thanked those who had come to support the store today.
First of all, I would like to thank Gu Yanzhou and those scholars. They will go to class soon.
"Thank you." Jiang Yunzhu said to Gu Yanzhou.
"No need to say that." Gu Yanzhou was still as indifferent as ever, and didn't seem to mind Jiang Yunzhu's rejection of his marriage proposal.
Jiang Yunzhu smiled and said, that’s good.
She gave Gu Yanzhou and each of those scholars a blue membership card with their names written on it. With this card, these scholars could enjoy a 95% discount when they dined at her restaurant.
The scholars were very happy when they received the card. They saw that others had to deposit fifty taels of silver in the store to get this card, but they just came to help and got it.
From now on, when they come here to eat, they will not only save money but also have face!
Thinking this way, they all felt that their trip today was not in vain.
"You!" Gu Yanzhou smiled helplessly at Jiang Yunzhu. She was always so smart that he couldn't help her even if he wanted to.
Forget it, the group of them left and went to the academy across the street.
After them came Gu Yongde, Liu and others, who also had a blue membership card.
Finally, it was Li Biaotou and others who presented their membership cards.
Li Biaotou took it and laughed, "It will be much more convenient to eat your family's meals in the future." Ever since he and Li Yan stayed in Changshi Village for a few days before the New Year, they both fell in love with Jiang Yunzhu's cooking. However, they were too far away from home. Now it's good.
"Then come often." Jiang Yunzhu said with a smile.
"Of course." Li Biaotou agreed and led his men away.
The store became deserted, and the Jiang family had time to eat. After a quick lunch, Chen cleaned the floor and Jiang Yunzhu wiped the table. But at some point, she fell asleep while sitting at a table.
Chen was afraid of disturbing her, so she moved quietly and went to the backyard to prepare food for dinner.
Jiang Yunzhu was the only one left in the restaurant. She lay there quietly, breathing evenly.
Shen Fengming walked into the store, sat opposite her and looked at her.
Her profile was very pretty, with light and dark lines interlaced, her skin as smooth as cream, her lips slightly parted, rising and falling with her breathing, moist and soft. Her long eyelashes drooped, and although her eyes were tightly closed, he knew how lively they would be when they opened, just like her.
She was very tired, and he didn't want her to be so tired, actually.
But he knew that she was like the blue phoenix in the painting over there. Only when she flew freely in the sky could she sing happily.
Jiang Yunzhu placed one hand on the table, with the other fingers clasped together and her index finger extended out. Her fingertips were round and shone with a pink and lustrous luster.
Shen Fengming suddenly stretched out his index finger, gently touched her fingertips, and then slowly hooked them together.
Jiang Yunzhu slept for half an hour before waking up. After waking up, she sat there, dazed for a while before she was completely awake.
Then she thought, it's time to hire someone!
It just so happened that Jiang Cheng was going back to the village to get some food, so she asked him to tell Xue Jing that he had recommended someone before, and if it was convenient, please ask that person to come to Qishanju.
Xue Jing had been waiting for her to say this. Upon hearing this, he immediately got on Jiang Cheng's carriage, took a tour of the county, and then picked up his former partner.
At this time, Jiang Yunzhu had already finished cleaning up Qishanju and was waiting to open for business in the evening.
"Boss, this is the man I was talking about." Xue Jing said excitedly as soon as he entered the door. Qishanju opened today, and he also wanted to come and take a look, but the business at the mine could not be stopped, which made him very anxious.
It's ok now.
Jiang Yunzhu looked behind him and saw a man in his thirties. The man was tall and fat, but his face was gentle, especially his eyes, which were very funny when he smiled.
Tan Debao also saw Jiang Yunzhu at this time, and was surprised. He had heard Xue Jing say some things about Jiang Yunzhu, such as that she opened a restaurant in the county town in half a year, that she was a great cook with endless specialties, etc. He was curious about her, but also had some doubts about her.
The main reason was that he couldn't imagine what such a girl was like.
But when he really saw Qishanju and Jiang Yunzhu, he suddenly felt that what Xue Jing said was not an exaggeration.
Look at this Qishanju. Even in Luzhou city, there may not be such an elegant place. This shows how meticulous Jiang Yunzhu's thoughts are.
Then it seems reasonable that she can cook delicious meals.
"Boss Jiang." Tan Debao said respectfully.
Jiang Yunzhu was 50% satisfied with him. At least he looked like a nice person.
Next comes the test of cooking skills.
Tan Debao immediately put on an apron and went into the kitchen. Although he looked tall and fat, his movements were extremely agile and flexible, and he had fried a dish of braised liver tips in no time.
This dish is very particular about the heat. If the fire is too high, the liver tip will easily become tough. If the fire is too low, the liver tip will lack the burnt aroma, which is not good.
Although Tan Debao's braised liver tip is not perfect, Jiang Yunzhu thinks it can get 8 points.
She looked at Tan Debao, then at Xue Jing, and suddenly became curious about how Yunhelou closed down in the first place. With these two chefs, as long as the business was not too bad, it should be able to continue.
Xue Jing seemed to see what she was thinking, and he suppressed his excitement and said to her, "Boss, be careful of Baofulou. They are not clean."
Jiang Yunzhu raised her eyebrows. Baofulou is the most famous restaurant in Wuling County. His unclean...
Speaking of Baofulou, Tan Debao's expression changed. He looked at Xue Jing and suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "In fact, before the owner of Yunhelou got into trouble, someone came to me and said that if I could do a little favor, he would give me ten taels of silver. I didn't agree."
"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier!" Xue Jing said.
Tan Debao was extremely embarrassed. Who would talk about such a thing? If something went wrong, even if it wasn't him, others would suspect him.
Xue Jing also thought of this and stopped blaming him. He thought it was good that he didn't take the silver and was willing to tell others about it now.
"Boss Jiang, you really have to be careful." Tan Debao also said, he didn't want the restaurant to close before it even started. Moreover, he felt that it was not easy for a girl like Jiang Yunzhu to run such a restaurant.
Bao Fu Building? Jiang Yunzhu knew what was going on. She didn't say anything more about it, but smiled and said to Tan Debao, "I want to talk to you."
Tan Debao vaguely guessed what she wanted to say and nodded immediately.
The two of them went outside, and Jiang Yunzhu said, "I don't know what Xue Jing told you, let me say it again, if you think it's okay, we can sign the contract.
I hired you because I want you to take over Xue Jing's job and cook in the village. The monthly salary is the same as Xue Jing's, one tael of silver per month, and the contract is ten years.
Most of our family now lives in the county town, and there are many vacant houses. You can choose one to live in.
Monthly salary increases by half every year.
Then you work for three years, and if you do well, I will transfer you to the county town." Jiang Yunzhu talked for a long time, the most important thing is to provide employees with a promotion channel.
Sure enough, Tan Debao became excited when he heard this. He had planned to stay in the village for ten years, but what did Jiang Yunzhu say now? In three years, she would transfer him to the county
What was he afraid of? "Boss, I will do my best!" he promised immediately.
"Okay, sign the contract first, and then let Xue Jing take care of you for a few days." Jiang Yunzhu said.
Soon, everything was ready, and Xue Jing immediately took Tan Debao back to Changshi Village. He couldn't wait to teach him about the things there.
Jiang Yunzhu looked at their backs and smiled. The employees are very motivated, that’s great!
Then the store will also hire two waiters and two handymen so that Chen and Jiang Yunxue can have a break.
Jiang Yunzhu took some red paper and prepared to write a job recruitment notice and post it at the door of the store.
At this time, Xie Chen walked in. He was still wearing the old green robe, frowning, and looked like he had a lot on his mind.
"Girl, do you want to count the accounts today?" he asked.
Jiang Yunzhu was just about to take a look to see how much money she had earned at noon, but there were no computers in that era, and the accounts she recorded at noon were a mess, giving her a headache.
"Yes." She said immediately, and handed the account book to Xie Chen.
Xie Chen took the account book and sat there, holding a pen in one hand and an abacus in the other. The sunlight shone on him, casting a long shadow.
Jiang Yunzhu continued to write her job advertisement.
Xie Chen looked up accidentally and saw what she had written. He frowned and thought for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Miss, are you looking for workers?"
"Yeah." Jiang Yunzhu looked up. Why? Was he going to be a waiter or a handyman
"It's not me. I have to prepare for the exam and don't have that much time. It's my sister. But she may not be able to do it for too long. In April, I want to take her to Beijing with me." Suddenly, he said, "Sorry, girl, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Then he lowered his head and continued to settle the accounts.
Jiang Yunzhu wasn't sure whether he wanted his sister to come to work or not.