"I caught it!" The young man with his trouser legs rolled up high, revealing a piece of white skin, stood in the ditch in disregard of his image, clutching the struggling fish tightly with both hands, and smiled crookedly.
"Young Master, here!" Ming'an hurriedly passed the fish basket.
Standing on the ridge, Shen Yanbei said to the master and servant. "Enough, come up soon!" The young man had to set off back to Qinghe the day after tomorrow so he had to go back to the county tomorrow morning, that was why he played a lot in these two days.
He had been having a lot of trouble these days. When he and his wife went to the bamboo forest last night, they found a lot of cicadas there. Then they caught it, and after arriving home, they soaked it in water, washed, and dried it. After that, fried them in hot oil until they were golden and crispy. Adding some salt and pepper, the taste was so delicious. After that, a few people stayed up all night just to run to the woods to catch some cicadas so Shen Yanbei could fry it again. Anyway making it again didn't need much effort.
After knowing that there were bears in the mountain, the villagers had been more cautious about going up the mountains, and only a few people dared to go to the mountain to gather firewood. But since the autumn was approaching, many wild fruits on the mountain had been ripe, and the pheasants and hares there were also very fat. So it made many people go up the mountain more often. And for them, these kids really wanted to go to the mountain to play again. So this time, they prepared a lot for safety before going to the mountain. In the mountain, they caught a few pheasants, cooked them in many ways. Everyone was really happy!
It was time to catch fish and ducks, Su Qingze also wanted to help. It could also make him practice. The fish's tail kept swaying, splashing the water on Su Qingze's face, but the boy just smiled.
"Shen Dàgē, let's make pickled cabbage with fish later!"
"Okay." Shen Yanbei smiled and turned to look at Gu Changfeng, only to see his wife pursing her lips, and his eyes a little complicated.
"What's the matter? Why have you shown this kind of expression recently?" Shen Yanbei asked in a low voice, looking directly at Gu Changfeng with his pitch-black eyes. There was no blame or question in the eyes of the young man, but there was still doubt and concern.
Gu Changfeng's eyes flickered, and he carefully observed around. They were in the rice field, as far as the eyes could see, these were only young and tender seedlings that had just been planted. At a glance, no shelter could hide people except for a nearby tree, but that tree was not luxuriant nor could hide people...
Gu Changfeng hesitated a little, and whispered Shen Yanbei's ears, "I feel...someone is watching us."
Shen Yanbei was taken aback, a little unbelievable. "Watch us?"
Gu Changfeng nodded solemnly. When they had a barbecue that day, he thought it was just an illusion, but then this weird feeling appeared from time to time. Especially when they caught cicadas last night, he clearly felt that someone watched nearby!
Frowning his brows tightly, Shen Yanbei's expression became very ugly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Did he also watch our bedroom?"
Gu Changfeng choked, his face surged with enthusiasm. "No...it didn't..."
Shen Yanbei breathed a sigh of relief, but his face slightly sullen. He twisted his eyebrows and asked, "Does the other party have malicious intentions?"
Gu Changfeng blushed and shook his head. This was exactly why he found it strange. The other party might have been watching them, but it didn't give the intention to kill.
Shen Yanbei wondered, "What is worth monitoring lowly people like us?" Shen Yanbei immediately reacted hard right after he had finished speaking. The two of them had nothing to watch, but Su Qingze was different! The value of Xiǎo Gōngzǐ of Qinghe Su's Family was not light!
"Are you sure that the other party is monitoring us?" Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows, and emphasized the words "us".
Gu Changfeng thought about it carefully, and he finally realized. In fact, the opponent was not there every day. Only when Su Qingze was there, he would feel someone watching them...
The two exchanged a few words in a low voice to find the reason. Shen Yanbei pondered for a while, and said, "The other party might not come to monitor him but to protect him?"
In some of the film and television works he had watched in modern times, there was an extremely mysterious and cool organization- the dark guard. One of the functions of these dark guards was to protect. The other party was not malicious but stared from nearby silently, especially Gu Changfeng felt it right after they were in danger in the mountain back then...
Gu Changfeng was silent. All of these were just guesses.
Shen Yanbei whispered in his ear. "Probably it is right? Try it and you will know."
"How to try?"
Shen Yanbei leaned over to his ear, looking to a distance as if he was kissing the side of his face. Su Qingze and Ming'an laughed teasingly at the two of them, which made the color on Gu Changfeng's face deepened.
Seeing his red ear, Shen Yanbei chuckled. "Get straight to the point." If the other party was really a dark guard sent to protect Su Qingze, then Su Qingze's position in the heart of the dark guard's master could be imagined. The other side sent a dark guard over obviously because they didn't want Su Qingze to know, but they were Su Qingze's friends most likely to tell Su Qingze about this. If they really told Su Qingze, the dark guard's mission could not be successfully completed.
Concerned about this matter, the dark guard would definitely show up.
Gu Changfeng. "If not?"
Shen Yanbei's eyes darkened, "Then get rid of the grass and startle the snake. The county magistrate will deal with it later, we can't get involved." The other party was in the dark, while they were in the light, and Su Qingze would leave tomorrow. So the time was too hasty to think of a better way...
Gu Changfeng nodded. When Su Qingze came ashore to wash his hands and feet, the two went home to cook.
The osmanthus trees in the village began to grow tender yellow flower bones, which were hidden under the green leaves and swayed in the wind. When the golden autumn came in August, the whole village would be enveloped in the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, then they could pick osmanthus to make crystal osmanthus cakes and osmanthus wine!
Standing by the fence with the fragrant food, Shen Yanbei shouted to the tall laurel tree outside, "Xiōngdì on the tree has worked hard. Come down to have a meal!"
Standing at the door of the house, Gu Changfeng locked the laurel tree with his Qi. His hands clenched into fists, as soon as Shen Yanbei found something wrong, he would immediately rush out.
After Shen Yanbei shouted, there was no movement in the tree. He was not worried, but kept standing there with a smile on his face.
"Gu Dàgē, Shen Dàgē !" Su Qingze shouted from the house, "Can we start to have dinner?"
Shen Yanbei replied, "You can. Let's feed a rabbit later!"
The laurel tree in front of him still did not have any movement. Shen Yanbei waited patiently for a while, and said, "If it is not convenient to meet each other, then I will put the food here, you can do it yourself." Then he turned and put the food on the wooden table under the tree. After that, he walked towards the door of the house without hesitation.
A thin black figure floated down from the laurel tree. The man was dressed in a black costume, covered his face with a black kerchief, showing only heroic eyebrows and a pair of indifferent eyes, and his whole body was cold and solemn.
Gu Changfeng's deep gaze crossed Shen Yanbei and met the indifferent gaze of the man in black.
The gazes of the two men collided in an instant, as if they were fighting dozens of times silently.
Perceiving that Gu Changfeng's eyes suddenly became sharp as a knife, Shen Yanbei frowned, walked over, and held his hand. "Okay, let's go eat. I've made your favorite braised pork."
Gu Changfeng retracted his gaze and followed Shen Yanbei's footsteps into the house obediently.
The man in black looked at the figures of the two, glanced at the food on the table that made the saliva drooling, took the food hesitantly, then jumped back to the tree.
After eating, the satisfied Su Qingze yelled while rubbing his chubby belly, "So full!"
Gu Changfeng cleaned the table, and Shen Yanbei brought out the boiled hawthorn water. "All come to have a drink, otherwise the stomach might be uncomfortable."
The three teenagers drank a big bowl hurriedly, Shen Yanbei shook his head and laughed, and went to the courtyard to take a look. The food was all eaten, and only empty plates were left on the table. Shen Yanbei cleaned up and took it to the kitchen to wash the dishes with Gu Changfeng.
"He ate it?" Gu Changfeng looked at the clean dishes, a little surprised. He thought the other party wouldn't eat it. After all, the other party had violated the rules and being exposed, he still dared to eat something from a stranger? What if there was poison in the food?
"He ate it just to make us feel at ease." His wife's thoughts were indeed correct, but in order to dispel their worries, the other party had to say something. So this was his bail. Besides that, the other party also understood what he meant.
Shen Yanbei's eyes were a bit playful. It seemed that the master behind the other party really valued Su Qingze!
Early the next morning, the carriage came to pick up Su Qingze back to the county. Su Qingze looked at everyone reluctantly, his eyes a little red. Gu Changfeng patted him on the shoulder to comfort, and Shen Yanbei instructed Li Zhiyuan's servant to give his gift to Su Qingze's parents. It was not a precious thing, it was only salted duck eggs, capers, sour and spicy radishes, etc., and he also prepared some snacks for Su Qingze to eat on the road.
"Gu Dàgē, Shen Dàgē, and Zhou Yu, I'm leaving." Su Qingze said.
Gu Changfeng was also a little bit sad. "Be careful on the road!"
Shen Yanbei warned, "Remember to maintain good living habits, not overeating, and not sitting for a long time."
Su Qingze nodded. "I'll keep it in my mind!"
"Okay, don't forget to write a letter for us." Shen Yanbei waved his hand.
Seeing the carriage exiting the village, Shen Yanbei asked Gu Changfeng in a low voice. Gu Changfeng looked at it and pointed to the woods next to it. Shen Yanbei walked into the woods, and when he saw no one, he shouted: "xiōngdì on the tree, be careful too on the road while taking care of Su Qingze! There is some dry food here, if you don't dislike it, you can take it with you on the road!"
A dark shadow flashed past him quickly, and at the same time, an unfamiliar and cold voice sounded in his ear. "Dark Eleven. Thanks."
As soon as his clothes were raised, the dry food in his hand was gone!
The corner of Shen Yanbei's mouth twitched, thinking that this dark guard was quite cold!
The dark shadow disappeared in the woods in the blink of an eye. Shen Yanbei asked Gu Changfeng curiously, "Wife, if you fight against each other, can you win over him?"
Gu Changfeng said earnestly, "The dark guards are all elites, and their moves are deadly. I don't have much actual combat experience. If I try my best, it is still unknown."
Shen Yanbei immediately regretted asking such an idiot question, he hugged him. "What fight! Our good days are still waiting for us!"
"Let's walk around for a while! Then go home! Let's have a big meal!"
Gu Changfeng said "Yes", not knowing whether he agreed with his last sentence or his next sentence.
Su Qingze in the carriage sighed and couldn't help feeling that the happy days would be gone forever. Ming'an, who was sitting on the side, didn't say a word, but he agreed with it in his heart.
Although lǎoyé and fūrén were very fond of the young master. But everyone was watching on young master, so he couldn't do anything superfluous!
Suddenly the coachman yelled from outside the window, and then the carriage gradually stopped.
Ming'an opened the curtain and poked his head out. "Why you..." He suddenly stopped speaking, and his face changed suddenly. "What are you doing by stopping our carriage?"
"Is Su gōngzǐ going to the county? It happens to be the same way, how about we go together?" Li Yi ignored Ming'an and said with a gentle smile, his eyes clinging to the window that was blocked by the gauze.
Ming'an's face turned dark, he angrily said, "The road is so wide, you can go as long as you like. Don't bother us!" He urged the coachman to move the carriage with his eyes, but Li Yi's carriage blocked the way domineeringly in front of them, so the coachman couldn't go forward.
"Get out of the way!" Ming'an was furious.
Li Yi still kept smiling, looking at the car door for a while.
A lovely hand with a soft white fingernail and a lovely hand opened the curtain of the window, revealing Su Qingze's delicate facial features. He looked at Li Yi mockingly, and calmly uttered a few words, "good dogs don't get underfoot."
Li Yi's face instantly seemed to be splashed with the dye vat: red, white, yellow, and green one by one appeared to blend, and finally turned into a gloomy black.
Su Qingze raised his chin slightly and said, "Those who dare to block the běn gōngzǐ's way have become dead dogs!"
Li Yi dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak, his fist under the sleeve was clenched tightly.
Su Qingze "hum" and told the coachman to rush over. Hearing that, the book boy who drove the carriage for Li Yi gave his horse a whip to move the carriage away.
Putting down the curtain, Su Qingze's arrogance faded away, and Ming'an's face was happy. "Shen gōngzǐ is right, this kind of people like to bullying the weak but afraid of the strong!" Before Li Yi ignored the words from a servant like him, but he looked like being hit on the head by his young master's words!
Su Qingze agreed. Shen Yanbei said that people like Li Yi loved his face the most. If he came to cling to him again, it was better to directly attack him by using the power that he couldn't reach to trample on his self-esteem, so much that he couldn't pass the hurdle in his heart. So he would never come again. This trick really worked! Thinking of Li Yi's soy sauce-like face, Su Qingze felt refreshed! Not to mention that he had already been proposed. Even if no one wanted him, he would not look at someone like Li Yi, who not only looked ordinary but also had poor character!
Thinking of this, Su Qingze felt a little worried. Although he had admitted his fate, it did not mean that he could accept the other! After returning home, he had to ask his parents carefully, what kind of person was that even Su's Family dared not provoke!
The exquisite craftsmanship of the four-legged beast's small golden furnace was filled with green smoke, and the gentle wind blew in from the window, and the clear and gentle fragrance moved with the wind and drifted out of the room.
The cold-faced young man behind the bright yellow gauze slightly curled his lips, and his deep and focused gaze fell on the letter. When he read something interesting, the curvature of his lips couldn't help but expand.
The servant on the side stood with his head down, with a humble appearance but a galloping heart.
Oh my God! It happened again!
Who was the sender of this letter? Why was the master, who had always looked dignified and cold, and rarely smiled, softened the corner of his mouth every time he read this letter?
Having been for so long by the master's side, he dared to say that there was nothing that could make the master happier than reading a letter!
The servant lifted his eyes slightly, all he could see was a bright yellow brocade, on which was embroidered with a pattern of dragons in the sea with gold thread, and the golden waves of the robe corners were surging...
"Xiao Chunzi."
A deep and magnetic voice came, and the servant drew a sigh, busy converging his mind, and stepped forward. He said, "The slave is here!"
The young man folded the letter slowly and put it back in the envelope. The envelope style was ordinary, but the recipient's name on it was shocking.
Dear A-Heng.
Heng, this was the character of the name for the master when he was still young.
"Call Zhang Dàrén in." The young man opened the small ebony box decorated with precious stones and put the letter in. There were many letters in the box and some gadgets.
"Yes!"
The servant bowed and retreated. Then a middle-aged man dressed in a navy blue official uniform with a flying crane pattern embroidered on it knelt down in fear. "Minister Zhang Youzheng sees the emperor."
"Something?" The young man raised his eyelids and looked at the middle-aged man with a cold expression.
"This Minister..." The middle-aged man's scalp tightened, and seemed that he was hesitant to tell the truth. Seeing the young man's sword eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes condensed like ice, he gritted his teeth, as if death came to him. "Your Majesty is at the peak of youth when he is most energetic. So I deeply request to open the harem, so that Your Majesty can add branches and leaves, and add blessings and luck to Your Majesty's great prosperity..."
After saying this, the middle-aged man bowed his head and knelt there, sweaty on his forehead, wailing in his heart. What a shame! So many people grab the lotteries together, why his hand was so stinky that he was the one who got it! He wondered if these old guys deliberately colluded just because he was a newcomer!
The room was so quiet that fallen needles could be heard, and the middle-aged man did not dare to breathe. The elders had persuaded the emperor to open the harem before, if the emperor did not want to accept the concubine, they would say they would be ashamed of the first emperor and ashamed of the great Qi. Then they would kneel down until the emperor agreed. As a result, the emperor coldly lost a sentence: I have my own thinking! Later, he waved his sleeves and left, leaving the people to keep kneeling on the ground. The elders' knees become stiff after kneeling for a few hours. Because their bodies had been over half of a hundred years old, they finally fainted. The imperial doctor who had stood by side came forward to treat people. Eventually, this kind of method had no effect at all! But now these people actually played tricks on him and made him come to make admonishment*! But the emperor actually wouldn't listen! So he only hoped that the emperor wouldn't punish him too hard for the sake of his son and his pregnant wife.
*jìn jiàn: advice with faithful words (monarchs, elders, etc.).
Just as the middle-aged man waited tremblingly, the young man opened his mouth. "I heard that your fūrén is pregnant, so many people have recommended beautiful maidservant for ài qīng*, but ài qīng declined it?"
*The monarch's nickname for the minister. Seen more in novels and operas.
Hearing that, the middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment and hurriedly said, "This minister is too old for that, so this minister doesn't want to take advantage of these beauties!"
"The spread rumors say that your fūrén is a jealous woman and you are not allowed to get close to other women?" The young man's expression was faint, and there was no happiness or anger.
"Really nonsense! Just because this minister doesn't like other women, they dare to say my fūrén is a jealous woman !" The middle-aged man sneered, but wondered in his heart, why did the emperor ask about his family affairs? Thinking of this, the middle-aged man felt a thump in his heart, cold sweat broke out.
Would the emperor punish him by telling him to not bother his family affairs?
Nevertheless…
"It seems that fūrén is ài qīng's soft spot."
The middle-aged man sneered and said, "This minister had promised to the fūrén to join hands with the white head. So this minister dare not break his promise."
The young man's stern expression eased a little, and he looked at him with a serious expression. "Zhèn already has someone in the heart and will marry this person soon. Tell the elders to stop worrying about me."
The middle-aged man was stunned, and then he said happily, "Congratulations to the emperor! Congratulations to the emperor!"
The young man nodded. After the middle-aged man stepped back, he got up and left the imperial study room. There was a delicate birdcage hanging under the corridor of the hall, a beautiful blue bird tilted his head and looked around. Its black eyes blinked, which looked very cute. The young man fed the bird, his dark eyes looked at the vast sky outside the palace wall, his expression soft and slightly apologetic.
"xiǎo dōngxī, I can only let you play for a while..."
Suddenly, a black figure came and stopped a step away in front of the young man.
"Master, there is news from Eleven." The man in black respectfully presented a letter sealed in lacquer.
The young man took it and immediately unpacked it for inspection. While reading the letter, the young man's originally calm eyes suddenly became cold and sharp, and the whole body released a murderous intention. The man in black knelt there, bowing his head respectfully and readily accepting the orders.
"Someone dares to think about my people heedless of consequences." The young man calmly crumpled the letter paper into a ball. Thinking of the other thing mentioned in the letter, his face slightly sullen, and said to the black man, "Go check if there is someone about eight feet tall, has a sharp face, robust and strong body, and excels in martial arts in the capital."
"Yes." The man in black replied and disappeared before the young man's eyes in the next moment. The young man turned around and entered the room, sat behind the desk, and shook his ink. After a short time, a letter was written, the young man took out his seal, stamped it at the place where it was signed, and then ordered his servant to send it. The letter was quickly delivered to the recipient through a special channel.
"It's strange. Aren't people on the way home? Why are you still sending a letter to me?" Li Zhiyuan opened the letter suspiciously, and let out a cold sweat after reading it.
"My goodness, how did he know about this?" Li Zhiyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead. No one dared to leap on an earth god's head to make trouble*. It was just some people being reckless with greed wanted to make a bad idea. He thought it was just a trivial matter so he didn't report it. ...
*provoke someone far superior in power.
"If the king has to die, the minister also has to die!" Li Zhiyuan said coldly. He kept the letter and let the secretary come to discuss the matter.
This was the golden autumn in August when the sweet fragrant of osmanthus was on the peak. The sweet-scented osmanthus in Shenjia Village was blooming very brilliantly. Shen Yanbei planned to pick some sweet-scented osmanthus to make sweet-scented osmanthus cakes and make sweet-scented osmanthus wine. A large piece of cloth was spread under the sweet-scented osmanthus tree. Shen Yanbei took a long bamboo pole and beat the sweet-scented osmanthus vigorously, while Gu Changfeng stood on the tree and shook the branch vigorously, while Zhou Yu carried a big cloth bag to keep the sweet-scented osmanthus.
"Wow..."
The golden sweet-scented osmanthus fell from the tree like golden rain, and in a short while, the ground was golden. Under the tree, Shen Yanbei's clothes were covered with sweet-scented osmanthus, Gu Changfeng leaped lightly and landed firmly in front of him.
The young man was dressed in elegant spring clothes, and his posture was as straight as bamboo. The ink hair was lightly put in a bun behind his head, which made him look gentle and casual. The young man's handsome eyebrows were smiling, and his eyes were soft. The osmanthus flowers fell on his eyebrows, but it seemed to fall on the lake of his heart, gently swaying a circle of ripples...
"What's the matter?" Shen Yanbei couldn't help but ask when he saw Gu Changfeng staring at himself in a daze.
Gu Changfeng didn't speak and reached out his hand to pluck a piece of osmanthus petals from his eyebrows. Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows, and the corners of his lips curled slightly. "It looks good?"
Gu Changfeng nodded honestly, his face a little hot. Shen Yanbei chuckled lightly and asked him in a low voice, "Do I look good in clothes or not in clothes?"
Gu Changfeng was taken aback for a moment, and a thin layer of red appeared on his honey-colored skin. If the young man wore clothes, he was like a vigorously growing green bamboo, with elegant eyebrows, which showed a kind of intellectual and a bright unique aura as a scholar. If the young man undressed, he was like a wolf with sheep's skin, wild and unruly...
Thinking of the body covered with thin muscles under the clothes, the enthusiasm on Gu Changfeng's face was soaring, and he hurriedly stopped looking at Shen Yanbei.
Looking at the red ear, Shen Yanbei's eyes became more smiling. "Why don't you answer?"
Zhou Yu pretended not to see the embarrassment of his Shīfu, lowered his head, and put silently the sweet-scented osmanthus on the ground into the cloth bag. Gu Changfeng looked at the back of the young man's head, his eyes flickering, his face blushing, but he didn't make a sound.
Shen Yanbei liked to see him like this and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "If you don't tell me, then I will tell you!"
"You look good in clothes, but you look better when you are naked!"
Gu Changfeng's face burst into flames, and Shen Yanbei took his hand and laughed. "Okay, I won't tease you. Let's take the sweet-scented osmanthus back to clean up. Then dry it under the sun."
After putting the sweet-scented osmanthus into the cloth bag, it filled a big bag full.
"Are you picking sweet-scented osmanthus?" Seeing Shen Yanbei holding a long bamboo pole, Zhou Yu and Gu Changfeng carrying big bags, Aunt Li asked from a distance.
"Yes, Aunt Li." Shen Yanbei replied with a smile.
Aunt Li glanced at the three people, and said mysteriously to Shen Yanbei, "You don't know yet, do you? Something has happened!"
Shen Yanbei was very cooperative and made a curious look. "What happened?"
Aunt Li frowned and said, "Lijia Village is over!"
Shen Yanbei appropriately expressed his confusion. "Social drama will be held in Lijia Village in two days. How can Lijia Village be over?"
Three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival every year, everyone in several villages near Shenjia Village would gather together. They also invited the opera troupe to entertain people. On the day of the social drama, they also slaughtered pigs and prepared wine to worship heaven and the earth, to pray for a good harvest in the coming year. This event definitely would be very grand and lively. This was a major event in several villages and everyone valued it very much. With so many villages, where would the social dramas be held? Just as in modern times, to show the strength of their country to the world, each country competed for the right to host the Olympic Games. Several villages participated in the competition, and the most powerful village finally got the right to host the social drama. Two years ago, Li Yuanwai who was the owner of the most famous restaurant, Changsheng restaurant, was from Lijia Village. Last year, Li Yi was the first person in these ten miles and eight townships who became Juren. In the past two years, the social drama was held in Lijia Village. This year, Lijia Village was still the host of this event.
"Lijia Village's biggest support has fallen!" Aunt Li's voice suddenly rose.
Shen Yanbei was taken aback, this time he was really curious. "What happened to Li Juren?"
"What Li Juren? There is no Li Juren in Lijia Village anymore!" Speaking of this, Aunt Li no longer stopped a story at a climax to keep the listeners in suspense but told the cause and effect as if she poured beans.
There was a lot of friction between Shenjia Village and Lijia Village, the two villages firstly became incompatible because of one thing- there was a woman named Shen Ru in Shenjia Village. Shen Ru was called an idiot because she had a brain problem. The idiot was washing clothes by the river one day and was humiliated by the villager of Lijia Village who drank too much. Afterward, the Lijia villager was afraid of being criticized, and even more afraid that the Shenjia villagers wanted him to marry an idiot, so in despair, he drowned the idiot in the river!
This matter was seen by others. As a result, Lijia Village used the money to plug the man's mouth, and Li Yi used his power to oppress him to change his confession. The former county magistrate, Zhang Dàrén, who got benefits from Lijia Village turned to Lijia Village's side and let the villagers of Lijia Village to acquittal!
The villagers of Shenjia Village were filled with righteous indignation but helpless. Just because the murderer was Li Yuanwai's son? Just because Lijia Village had a Juren? No one had power and influence in their Shenjia Village, so they deserved to be bullied!
"The county magistrate turned the file and felt that the case was full of doubts, so he sent someone to check and finally found out the truth!" Aunt Li was very relieved. "Li Juren was immoral and not virtuous, and abused power so his title was taken back!"
"Is that true?" Shen Yanbei was slightly surprised.
Aunt Li snorted. "There's more! Didn't he say that we had to collect money for building a school? Actually, this school was not gonna be opened. Instead of returning the money to everyone, Li Juren put it in his pocket. He wanted to use this money to buy an official position!"
"Fortunately, the county magistrate arrested him! Otherwise, everyone's hard-earned money will be gone, and we Shenjia Village can't bear it!"
Shen Yanbei frowned.
"It is said that you will reap what you sow. This Li Juren has done a lot of wrongdoing, and now he has finally been punished!" Aunt Li looked at Shen Yanbei with a sincere tone. "Shen Yan, you have a good heart and help many people. God sees it, and will bless you to be selected in the imperial examination!"
Shen Yanbei smiled. "Thank Aunt Li for the kind words!"
Aunt Li waved her hand. "I just came back from the county. So I still have to tell the villagers about this. I'm going first!"
"You go slowly." Shen Yanbei said politely.
"He deserves it!" Zhou Yu spat fiercely.
Shen Yanbei glanced at Gu Changfeng. "Why do I feel a bit weird about this?" Even if the new official looked through the files after he took office, he generally paid attention to looking up those unsolvable cases. The Shenjia Villager case had been settled for so long, and it also involved the former county magistrate. Why did Li Zhiyuan take a risk offending the former county magistrate to reverse the case for the Shenjia villager without doing an appeal?
He felt that this was deliberately aimed at Li Yi!
Why was Li Yi? Who did Li Yi offend?
Who in this poor county had such great power that Li Zhiyuan was not afraid of risks and defeated Li Yi? Shen Yanbei thought about it but only found one possibility. Li Yi might have offended many people, and the most significant of them was only Su Qingze, the youngest son of the Su's Family. But this was obviously not done by Su Qingze's family, and when it came to power, no one could afford a dark guard unless it was a person with a strong background.
If this was really the order from the master of the dark guard, what was the relationship between the master of the dark guard and Su Qingze? Shen Yanbei became more curious in his heart. But curiosity was only a curiosity, Shen Yanbei didn't even think about exploring it. However it was his friend's affair, so he should respect it.
Li Yi had fallen. The villagers who had been bullied by villagers of Lijia Village in the past and only could swallow it because of Li Yi's identity went to Lijia Village to beg for justice. The one who got rotten tomatoes and rotten eggs had turned side. This time it was the Lijia Village's turn to dare not be angry. In this situation, it was clear that Lijia Village no longer had the qualification to hold social dramas, Shen Dezhong wanted to take it over, so he discussed it with Shen Yanbei. But Shen Yanbei did not agree.
It was not that he couldn't afford to sponsor with the money, but...
"Lijia Village is now in dire straits. If we grabbed the right to host the social drama, it would undoubtedly make the already tense relationship between the two villages even more incompatible," Shen Yanbei said sternly. "It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow shot from a hidden place. It's better not to increase the villain's hatred, so Shenjia Village should keep a low profile." It was unwise to leave trouble for himself for the sake of face, and he himself was unwilling to show the limelight.
He was only a small xiùcái, he still couldn't support the villagers.
Thinking about the same reason, Shen Dezhong sighed, regretful in his heart. Their Shenjia Village had been under the pressure of Lijia Village for so many years, and finally, Lijiacun had fallen, but their Shenjia Village failed to walk with their head held high.
Shen Yanbei comforted. "When a man attains the tao even his people also ascend to heaven, but individual strength is ultimately limited. Only when everyone becomes strong, no one dares to bully us!"
"I think we should take this opportunity to stand up and let the money bags of the villagers bulge up. Only when we have money, we have confidence!"
With the sound of "pop!" Shen Dezhong patted his thigh hard, and said excitedly, "Yanbei! You can still see it clearly!" He always wanted to make a good counterattack. How could momentary pleasure be better than letting yourself live a rich and comfortable life?
Having figured this out, Shen Dezhong stopped worrying about it but instructed the villagers to spend their minds on the farm and take care of the crops. Because most people in the village raised fish, rice, and ducks together according to the previous method of Shen Yanbei, most of the paddy fields in Shenjia Village were now surrounded by fishing nets. In the daytime, in the field, apart from the occasional sound of insects and birds, there were more cheerful rattles of ducklings. The white figures cruising in groups among the seedlings become a special landscape in the field. Since Shen Yanbei bought beans, cucumbers, white radishes, and Chinese cabbage at market prices, the villagers worked hard to generate income for their own families and opened up a large wasteland behind the house to plant many fruits and vegetables. To plant fruits and vegetables did not need much effort, it only needed to be watered and weeded on time, and it also could be harvested quickly, which made villagers very happy. Raising fish, rice, and duck in the field, planting the fruits and vegetables, and occasionally pickling some salted duck eggs. People in Shenjia Village felt that this day was full of hope!
After dealing with Li Yi's matter, Li Zhiyuan immediately replied to the letter, feeling quite anxious. After harvesting rice, it was proved that Shen Yanbei's planting methods could indeed increase production. He asked Shen Yanbei about the principle of fish-rice-duck polyculture and other matters needing attention, and then how to achieve fish-paddy-duck co-cultivation to double the grain production. These pieces of information were sorted out and ready to send over. He didn't know how that person would feel after seeing it. If this method could be promoted vigorously, it would definitely benefit many people! And it also happened in the county under his jurisdiction. When the time came to increase grain production, a bumper rice harvest was definitely his political achievement! This would be of great help to his future official appraisal! Li Zhiyuan sighed in his heart, secretly determined to go to the countryside more, on the one hand, to learn more about the agricultural planting situation, on the other hand, to see which villages were suitable to promote such a method.
To Shen Yanbei, Li Zhiyuan also appreciated and valued him more. Such modest, studious, flexible young man who was willing to lead the villagers to wealth were definitely people who would do important things in the future. If he could pass the imperial examination smoothly, his future would be limitless. Based on this, Li Zhiyuan paid close attention to Shen Yanbei's studies, and he almost became Shen Yanbei's teacher. Shen Yanbei was naturally willing to be guided by someone. Taking advantage of waiting for the harvest, he directly went to the county with Gu Changfeng for a short stay. When Li Zhiyuan was free, he would ask for advice. On weekdays, he would read and write articles. When he was tired, he would walk around the street with Gu Changfeng, which was really interesting.
When the weather gradually turned cooler, the pepper grown by Shen Yanbei finally matured! Looking at the red hot chili peppers as thick as a little finger, Shen Yanbei couldn't help but beckoned to Gu Changfeng and Zhou Yu to pick off some ripe chilies.
"What are you going to do? Make pickled chilies?" Gu Changfeng couldn't help asking when Shen Yanbei took the sauerkraut jar and ingredients such as star anise and cinnamon.
Shen Yanbei washed the peppers and dried them. "It's not pickled chilies, but pickled peppers!" He sprinkled some salt to pickle the peppers, then brushed the pot clean, adding white vinegar, sugar, and salt to them. Boiled an appropriate amount of water and let it cool. Put the pickled peppers in the jar layer by layer, pour in boiling water that had been cool until the peppers were submerged, closed the lid, and placed the pickled pepper jars in a cool place. "That's it! You can eat it in seven or eight days!"
Gu Changfeng nodded. The young man always had many unique ideas, but these ideas could always bring surprises to people after they were implemented.
"Let's make another chili sauce!" Shen Yanbei enthusiastically took some peanuts, fried the peanuts, and added them to the chili sauce.
Seeing Shen Yanbei working alone, Gu Changfeng hesitated. "Let me help?"
"Okay!" Shen Yanbei stuffed the spatula into his hand, holding his hand to stir-fry twice. "Just keep stirring like this, and fry the peanuts until they are browned and the peanut coat was taken off."
"Yeah." Gu Changfeng lowered his eyes slightly, only feeling that the hand who wrapped his hand was too hot.
Shen Yanbei smiled and took his hand back, then turned around to wash and chop the peppers.
Heated the pan and heated the oil. When the oil reached the sixth level of heat, Shen Yanbei poured the chili froth into it. After being boiled with high heat, added a little white wine and a little salt, then boiled it slowly, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the pan.
After stirring for a while, Gu Changfeng put the fried peanuts out on the chopping board, spread the peanuts, and rubbed them off. Because there was no pestle and mortar for pounding things at home, he covered the peanuts with a kitchen knife and lightly pressed it, which made all the peanuts break apart.
Shen Yanbei looked at the man's calm and focused appearance and really loved this look so much. His heart moved slightly, and couldn't help but move his face over...
Feeling a breathing approaching, Gu Changfeng turned his head, only to make his lips brushed against Shen Yanbei's lips. He was stunned, and his face was slightly red.
Shen Yanbei took advantage of the situation and pecked on his lips. "Wife, you are so capable!"
The color on Gu Changfeng's face couldn't help but deepen. "...you are better."
Shen Yanbei chuckled lightly. The chilies in the pot were bubbling to remind the two of them that they should do the things in front of them. Gu Changfeng blushed and accelerated his speed to break the peanuts.
Directly put crushed peanuts to the chili, Shen Yanbei added some sugar to it. Then boiled it for a while, and if the chilies released the fragrant smell, it meant the chilies were ready!
This oily red pepper sauce looked very tempting. Shen Yanbei tasted it and raised his eyebrows. "It's delicious, do you want to try it?"
Gu Changfeng nodded. Without a shame, Shen Yanbei hugged the person, and kissed him fiercely— The spicy taste filled his mouth with the domineering lips and tongue, and Gu Changfeng opened his eyes slightly.
Zhou Yu, who smelled the scent, wanted to go into the kitchen to see what Shen Yanbei was doing. But he was caught off guard by seeing the two people with their mouths stuck together, he was so scared that he hurriedly covered his eyes and turned back.
"It's a sin!"
Gu Changfeng struggled, and Shen Yanbei let him go. Looking at the red-faced and embarrassed wife, he laughed in a low voice. "How? It tastes good, doesn't it?"
Gu Changfeng blushed and didn't know whether to answer or not. It seemed that Shen Yanbei was becoming more and more arbitrary in front of him...
Compared to Shen Yanbei, who was gentle and tender in front of people, he actually preferred Shen Yanbei who was unscrupulous in front of him. Because such a unique Shen Yanbei could only be seen by him!
After the peppers were harvested, Shen Yanbei finally left life without spicy food. At the same time, his plan to make pickles was put on the agenda. Finally, before harvesting rice, he pickled a batch of hot and sour cabbage beans.
The rich golden rice in the field made the plant bent over and swayed in the autumn wind. Villagers of Shenjia Village stood on the ridge and looked at the golden rice waves with joy. This was the only collective harvest in their Shenjia Village for so many years! The village chief, Shen Dezhong, smiled so wide that there were a few more folds on his face.
Shen Yanbei inspected the rice fields of the villagers and made records one by one so he could give proper advice to help the villagers adjust their planting patterns during spring plowing in the coming year. After receiving the news that Shenjia Village had a great harvest this time, Li Zhiyuan came to take a look. At the same time, he brought a letter from Qinghe to Shen Yanbei.
Young Master Su who had returned to Su's House had found a place for them! Let them come there quickly!
So after dealing with the things including putting fish, chickens, and ducks in the restaurant, Shen Yanbei took the silvers and the local products then rented a boat to Qinghe. None of the three had traveled to a far place, so they were full of enthusiasm. Especially Zhou Yu, he even couldn't sit down properly due to the excitement!
"Gōngzǐ, is Qinghe really so prosperous?"
"Gōngzǐ, do you think we can see those foreign people with high noses and deep eyes in Qinghe?"
"Gōngzǐ, how rich and honorable is the Su's Family?"
"Gōngzǐ..."
Facing Zhou Yu who kept asking curiously, Shen Yanbei had a terrible headache.
After changing his body, he didn't get blind or deaf, but he found that he had seasickness!
In modern times, Did he ever get seasick while surfing at sea? What the hell!
Shen Yanbei said weakly with a pale face, "Wife, come here. Let me lean on, I'm dizzy..."
"Feel uncomfortable?" Gu Changfeng took Shen Yanbei to lean on his leg, gently rubbing his abdomen with a gentle palm.
Shen Yanbei barely pulled out a smile. "It's still... okay..." The warm current passed through the skin, which made nausea relieve a bit. But even so, Shen Yanbei still felt terribly uncomfortable.
"Gōngzǐ, have a drink." Zhou Yu brought warm water over and looked at the half-dead Shen Yanbei with worry.
Gu Changfeng carefully helped Shen Yanbei up and brought the water to his mouth. Shen Yanbei opened his mouth and took a sip, but before he could swallow it, a swift wave hit and made the boat shake, which made his stomach overwhelmed. Shen Yanbei hurriedly pushed Gu Changfeng away, vomiting dimly while holding the boat.
"Yanbei..." Gu Changfeng worried. "Or, let's go overland instead?"
Shen Yanbei, who even vomited bile, took a long time to gargle with water. "...It's okay, just spit it out and get used to it." In ancient times when transportation was backward, travel could only rely on human and animal power. The boat was one of the important means of transportation. If he got seasick, how could he visit the rivers and mountains with his wife? So this seasickness problem must be overcome!
The boatman heard Shen Yanbei's words and said with a smile, "Gōngzǐ is right. When I first started doing this business, because of the seasickness the old man couldn't stand up. To overcome it and get used to the boating life, I asked people to tie me to the mast..."
So cruel? Shen Yanbei glanced at the boatman's still very strong body, deeply admired. "Lǎo gē, you are so brave!" The most swaying part of the ship was the bow mast. He felt goosebumps just to think about that.
The boatman waved his hand. "Now I have been old and useless. But nowadays the emergence of talents one after another!" As he said, his gaze fell on Gu Changfeng with profound meaning.
Hearing this, Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows, instinctively that the boatman was someone with a story, so he talked to him.
Seeing that Shen Yanbei was dressed as a scholar but didn't act arrogant like a scholar he ever saw, but was polite and talkative, the boatman was very happy and immediately told the interesting facts about going out to sea for so many years. It turned out that the boatman also traveled north and south when he was young, so he had seen many types of people. Seeing Changfeng's walking posture was different from ordinary people, and he could also walk on a swaying boat easily and stably, he could know that he was a martial artist. Seeing that he stroked Shen Yanbei's abdomen with internal force, he immediately concluded that he was a master.
Shen Yanbei was shocked by the sharp eyes of the boatman and carefully remembered it when the boatman was still talking about his experience of going to sea.
Because was immersed in chatting, Shen Yanbei felt better and asked Gu Changfeng to bring him some pastries. He had vomited a lot which emptied his stomach. If he vomited again, it would hurt his stomach, so he had to eat something.
Knowing that Shen Yanbei was the famous Shenjia Village Shen Xiucai, and he went to Qingzhou to get acquainted with the environment before taking the exam next year, the boatman praised Shen Yanbei for his foresight. He had been on the boat for many years, and he had often sent candidates to Qingzhou for the exam. Some candidates had never taken a boat. As a result, they got dizzy and vomited all the way when they were on the boat. After arriving in Qingzhou, they couldn't completely recover. So most of them failed the qiū wéi.
Shen Yanbei smiled, and also secretly rejoiced. When it was time for dinner, he would eat some pickled vegetables, which could help greatly to relieve the discomfort of seasickness. It was also this time that Shen Yanbei remembered something. Actually eating something during the trip could relieve symptoms such as dizziness and stuffiness caused by motion sickness and seasickness, such as acidic foods, mustard pickles, soda cakes, and so on. Even though he didn't have mustard, he still had a lot of capers, sour radishes, and pickled cabbages!
What a good chance! Not only increased the appetizing for the main dish, but it also could relieve seasickness, his pickled could definitely open up the market!
Seeing this new dish, The boatman looked very curious. So Shen Yanbei gave him capers and sour radishes to let him taste it.
" What a unique flavor! It makes my appetite greatly increase!" The boatman's eyes lit up and praised a lot. He had been tired of always eating fish, so these spicy and sour side dishes were very suitable for his appetite!
Upon seeing this, Shen Yanbei generously gave the boatman a jar of every pickle.
The boatman accepted it politely and taught him how to adapt to life on the boat. Shen Yanbei had good perseverance, he would eat slowly after vomiting. When he arrived in Qingzhou, the symptoms of seasickness were significantly reduced, even though he could barely walk around on the boat.
"Thank you lǎo gē!" Shen Yanbei joined his hands in salute to the boatman on the dock.
The boatman smiled and waved. "Thank you too! When lǎodì returns to Dongjiang, let's take up the wine cup and chat merrily!"
After taking a waterway trip, the two became friends.
Several beautiful seagulls wiped the blue water, flapped their wings, and screamed. The wind brought the salty sea smell. The three of them stood at Qingyun Dock, watching the countless large and small boats moored at the wharf and busy unloading their cargo, and also the endless stream of carriages and horses. They were so excited. Zhou Yu was naturally excited because he could finally see the world, Gu Changfeng was excited because Shen Yanbei no longer had to suffer because of the seasickness, and Shen Yanbei...
Your uncle! This was what a big city should look like! Shen Yanbei silently held back the sad tears, feeling like a migrant worker coming to the city.
The servants of the Su's Family had been waiting at the pier a long time ago, watching all day long to see if there were any distinguished guests described by the young master. Seeing Shen Yanbei and others' appearance fit the description, they hurriedly stepped forward to inquire. "Are you Shen Gōngzǐ of Dongjiang County? This lowly person is a slave of Su's House, I came here by the order of xiǎo gōngzǐ."
After confirming his identity, Shen Yanbei smiled and said, "Xiǎo gē leads the way."
The three of them were dressed in ordinary clothes, but the servants who had been told so much did not dare to neglect at all. They brought the carriage over to invite the three to get on the carriage, and the remaining goods were sent to another carriage to take back to Su's house. Su's Family's Mansion was in the inner city, so they had to pass the outer city to come to the inner city. The horse-drawn carriage passed through the bustling downtown, and the streets were full of shops. All the carriages here were pulled by horse, which made Zhou Yu open his eyes widely.
"Gōngzǐ, why are those women who are applying cream and powder on their face are standing at the door?" The innocent kid pointed to a brothel and asked, when he saw a woman hug the man who came in, he couldn't help but stare. "This... Isn't it vulgar?"
"They opened the door for business." Shen Yanbei glanced at the green corridor. If it was not forced by life, who was willing to sell their flesh?
Zhou Yu was even more curious. "You have to pounce on customers when doing business? What kind of business is this?"
Shen Yanbei coughed twice. "The children are so curious about what to do."
As soon as the voice fell, he felt someone stare at him. As soon as Shen Yanbei raised his head, he met Gu Changfeng's quiet black eyes, he suddenly felt a little guilty for some reason. "What's the matter?"
"If you hadn't bought me back then, my life would have been worse than them." He had an ugly appearance, so he could only keep doing labor since he couldn't do business with flesh and blood. He was hurt so badly back then that he might be enslaved to death.
Shen Yanbei was taken aback, and he scolded distressedly. "What are you talking about! How can you talk "buy or not buy"? It's too miserable."
Holding Gu Changfeng's hand, Shen Yanbei stared into his eyes and said with a serious face, "They say that it has been decreed by destiny that you meet someone. If God doesn't allow it, even though you traveled a thousand li, you still fail to meet. Because I was so sick back then which made me can't walk, God especially sent you to my side!"
Gu Changfeng was moved and delighted when he heard such words for the first time. The resolute facial lines gradually softened, and the corners of his lips were raised. "Yes."
The bright and handsome smile made Shen Yanbei's heart itchy. Because there was a minor, he could only hold their fingers together.
Zhou Yu, who was caught off guard again with a handful of dog food, turned his head decisively to look at the street scene.
About half an hour later, the carriage driver yelled, and the carriage gradually stopped. The servant got out of the carriage first, walked to the door, and said, "Shen Gōngzǐ, Su's Mansion is here, please get off!"
Shen Yanbei opened the curtain, and at a glance, he saw the majestic gate of the Su's Mansion, as expected from a big and influential family. There were mighty stone lions on each side of the magnificent vermillion lacquer gate, and the golden characters on the plaque on the lintel shone brightly in the sunlight. Looking at the half-branches of autumn showing in the glazed tile top, it was not difficult to imagine the richness and wealth inside.
"Gu Dàgē! Shen Dàgē!" Wearing a moon-white gown with flowing clouds and bright moon embroidered on it with silver thread, the young man with a jade belt wrapped around his waist and a ring of bells ran over excitedly.
The young servant who followed the young man was also full of joy. "Shen Gōngzǐ, you are finally here! My young master's neck had become long!"
Gu Changfeng looked up and down at the young man who looked thinner and more conspicuous than before and nodded. "Very well. I can see that you have exercised a lot."
"Stop talking..." Su Qingze was a little embarrassed. Since returning to Qingzhou, everyone's eyes have changed. Xiǎojiěs and gōngzis who flattered him because of his family's power looked at him with envy and jealousy. Those gōngzǐgēs* who would not spare a glance for him in the past looked at him in surprise. Now they all came to show him courtesy. The funniest thing was that his family's old lady rubbed her eyes in disbelief and shouted how it could be possible. The most ridiculous reaction was the old lady's favorite granddaughter, his third sister Su Ruizhen saw him with sour eyes. Su Qingze snorted inwardly. He had to admit that weight loss was indeed beneficial, at least it was easier to move around, but still his goal was...
*The children of large families are spoiled.
Seeing Gu Changfeng, who was as tall as a pine, calm and powerful as a mountain, Su Qingze was full of confidence. He has lost weight, was it still far to become like Gu Dàgē?
"It's a busy trip, Gu Dàgē, Shen Dàgē, come in and rest!" Su Qingze moved sideways and greeted people at the door.
"Excuse me for bothering you!"
They walked in from the side door with a smile. The first thing they saw was a picture hanging on the wall, with a pattern of flowers and full moon painted on it, which was lifelike. Worthy of being a famous mansion, all plants and trees were arranged extremely ingeniously. Shen Yanbei was amazed at the sight, and he really appreciated the beauty of ancient architectural art.
While Su Qingze introduced it to them as they were walking, a beautifully decorated small sedan appeared in front of the gate. The pretty-faced female maid got off first, and opened the curtain to invite people to get off the sedan chair. A snow-white arm stretched out and put it gently on the maid's hand, followed by a pink dress, and a graceful woman poked her head out of the sedan chair. Seeing the servants carrying a lot of sauerkraut jars from the carriage, the woman frowned. "What are you doing? What are these?" When she learned that this was the pickled vegetables brought by Su Qingze's friend, the woman covered her mouth and nose with her veil and her eyes were full in disgust. "I wonder why there is a strange smell, it turns out to be pickles? Where do these soil buns* come from, and yet still bring pickles when they come as a guest?
*tǔ bāo zi: refers to people who have never seen the world (including sarcasm).
"What kind of friends did the fourth gōngzǐ bring? How are they so poor? The won't come to seek financial help, will they?" The maid said contemptuously.
The woman's eyebrows raised lightly, her eyes contemptuous. She waved her veil, and walked toward the Moon Gate arrogantly. "The fourth brother is still young, so it is inevitable that he can't know people clearly. I have to tell my grandmother about this!"
Knowing that there were elders in the Su's Family, Shen Yanbei wanted to meet the old lady if it was convenient.
Su Qingze hesitated. The old lady didn't like him, so she probably didn't want to see his friends. But not seeing was one thing, If they didn't go to see her, she would regard Shen Yanbei as a rude person, so he asked Ming'an to go over and ask.
When he walked to a courtyard called zhī huá, Su Qingze smiled and said, "Gu Dàgē, you can stay here. See what is missing, I'll let someone buy it!"
Several osmanthus trees were planted in this yard. It was late autumn, so the osmanthus flowers bloomed brilliantly. The autumn breeze also brought the smell of the sweet-scented osmanthus, which had some secret fragrant that could be described as elegant. Looking at the exquisite furnishings in the room, the daily necessities were all available, and the pillowcases and bedding were all new, which made Shen Yanbei very satisfied.
After shaking on the boat for so long, he finally got a good sleep!
"I have sent someone to prepare water and lunch. Gu Dàgē, you can take a bath, eat, and rest. I will give you a banquet in the evening!" Su Qingze said cheerfully.
He was so happy when he finally met his friends who came from afar. When Ming'an came in, he said that the old lady did not want to see Shen Yanbei, and told Su Qingze not to take all the messy people home, and just directly gave some money to them then sent them away. Su Qingze's good moods were all gone.
"Ruizhen xiǎojiě is also there, i think she had said something to lǎofū rén!" Ming'an was very angry. Looking down on young master's friends meant that they also looked down on young master! Lǎofū rén was too partial!
"If she doesn't want to see, then don't see!" Su Qingze snorted angrily. Since recognizing the true face of the old lady, he no longer had any beautiful illusions about the old lady. But it was still too much to treat his friends like this!
When hearing that the old lady didn't want to see him, Shen Yanbei comforted Su Qingze by saying that the face was earned by ourselves, not given by others. Moreover, lǎo tàitài had her own grade, he was only a xiucai, so it was completely understandable that lǎo tàitài wouldn't see him.
"Shen Dàgē, you don't have to defend her!" Su Qingze frowned and said in an angry tone, "She is angry because I didn't promise to help Su Ruizhen climb to a higher branch!"
Seeing the two of them looking puzzled, Su Qingze explained expressionlessly, "Su Ruizhen is an arrogant person who looks down on the aristocratic children of the family in this county. She only wants to marry a powerful man in the capital. She might marry in the next year, so lǎo tàitài came to me to ask me to find someone for her, but I refused." He was going to marry someone so far away from home, instead of being worry that he might be bullied by his husband's family and became helpless, lǎo tàitài actually asked him to find Su Ruizhen a husband with a distinguished family background through his husband's family relationship.
Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng were surprised. "Are you going to marry? When did you engage?"
"My parents said that I had been engaged when I was still a child!" Su Qingze said angrily. After he returned, he specifically asked his father and mother who the person was, but his father and mother fooled him, saying that the other party had a good temper and a good-looking person. No need to question his family background and the family population was simple. He could take care of him as soon as he got married. At his family's house, he could never be wronged!
He casually said that although the other party's conditions were so good, he would only fall in love with him if he was blind. As a result, he was scolded by his parents!
This sounded strange, and Shen Yanbei couldn't help frowning. "What kind of person is the other party? Do you really want to marry him?" The teenager was only seventeen years old. In his eyes, he was just a child.
"I don't know what kind of person it is." Su Qingze laughed helplessly. "My family can't afford to provoke, so the decision to marry or not to marry isn't in our hands."
Looking at his parents' cautious appearance, the other party's background might be bigger than he imagined. It was just that he didn't understand why his father and mother's mouth so tightly, no matter how he persuaded his father and mother did not want to reveal the identity of the other party?
A blind and fool marriage? Shen Yanbei frowned more tightly.
"He's not happy." Gu Chang closed his eyes in worry. When they mentioned the marriage just now, the young boy's tone was indifferent as if the major event in his life was a task that was ordered to be completed without the slightest expectation or joy.
Shen Yanbei sighed. "If even the Su's Family can't afford to provoke the opponent's power..." At this point, Shen Yanbei was stunned and said in surprise, "Perhaps the dark guard was sent by the other party, wasn't it?"
This kind of speculation made both Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng feel unpredictable when they stared at each other.
"We can't guess the idea of this big shot, so let's ask someone." If the guess was true, it meant that the other party put Su Qingze in his heart, and Su Qingze might not suffer after marrying him in the future.
Gu Changfeng nodded, and immediately went out to find the secret guard. It stood to reason that the dark guards were extremely good at hiding, besides that there were many flowers and trees in the Su's Family's pavilions. Even if Gu Changfeng was a martial artist, it was still not easy to find people. As a result, he doesn't know if the other party did it intentionally, Gu Changfeng hasn't looked for a long time yet, and the other person had appeared in front of them.
The young man was still dressed in black, with a cold look on his covered face.
"Something?"
Shen Yanbei smiled. "I have something to ask, I don't know if it is inconvenient for Eleven xiōngdì."
"Say." Eleven seemed to value words like gold.
"I take the liberty to ask whether the person Qingze is going to marry is the one who sent you here."
Eleven answered without hesitation, "Yes."
Both Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "I have troubled you."
"The master said you can tell Su Gōngzǐ about this."
Shen Yanbei was taken aback. Eleven didn't explain much and flew directly to the tree.
Shen Yanbei touched his nose, thinking that this big shot just didn't take the usual path. Let them tell the truth through their mouths- I have you in my heart?
Gee! If it was him, he wouldn't be so veiled, he liked to tell his wife in person, and then admired his shy appearance!
Shen Yanbei took Gu Changfeng's hand back to the house in a good mood, took a bath and ate, and then hugged and touched him while sleeping. After staying on the boat for so many days, although they saw each other's faces every day, because of the presence of someone, the two of them were very restrained.
"Changfeng, come!" Shen Yanbei laid lazily on the bed and beckoned to Gu Changfeng.
"It's not good to lie down just after eating." Gu Changfeng walked over to pull him up, but the young man pulled him down instead.
Meeting the bright eyes of the young man, Gu Changfeng didn't know where to put his hands. Shen Yanbei hooked his lips, tilted his head, and chuckled softly in his ears. "I'm not doing bad things, why are you nervous?"
His Adam's apple rolled, and Gu Changfeng's ears were red. "We... we are in someone else's house..."
"Oh? Is there anything that can't be done in someone else's house?" Shen Yanbei raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.
Gu Chang's face turned red, and he turned away without speaking. Shen Yanbei smiled and kissed his neck. "Well, since we can't do it in someone else's house, how about buying a house here?"
Hearing this, Gu Changfeng immediately turned his head. Shen Yanbei's eyes were serious. "It will take at least a month to build a restaurant. So we can't stay here forever. Next year, we will have to find a place to stay to prepare for the autumn imperial examination next year. When the restaurant has been launched, we will come and see Su Qingze from time to time... After thinking about it, we really have to buy a house."
Gu Changfeng thought for a while and nodded.
"Since there were only the two of us and Zhou Yu, let's just buy a second-entry house."
"Okay." Su Qingze would marry next year. It was okay to stay here for a while with him.
"Then tomorrow, let's look for a suitable house!" Shen Yanbei finished speaking, he hugged him with a smile. "After talking about business, let's do something else!"
After all, they were guests here, and the two did not dare to mess around. Then took a nap after tasting it a mouthful.
After getting up in the afternoon, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng arranged their clothes and went to the main house of the east courtyard to meet Su Qingze's mother, Su Liu.
"We greet fūrén."
"You don't need to be polite! Please sit down!" Finally seeing her son's friend after waiting for a long time, Mother Su was overjoyed and couldn't help but look at the two of them carefully. The young man was gentle, with a smile on his face, he looked humble and polite. The other man was physically strong, with a resolute face and pure eyes. The two body types were indeed slightly different, but when they stood together, they unexpectedly looked matched. Retracting her gaze, Mother Su asked them where they lived, and if they were still used to it, and happily told the husband and wife not to be so polite, and told her if they needed something.
When the two of them retreated, she sent a servant to find Su Qingze's father to tell him that there were guests in their house and asked him to come back for dinner early.
Unlike lǎo tàitài's indifferent attitude, Mother Su attached great importance to her son's friends. On the one hand, it was because Shen Yanbei cared for Su Qingze when he was in Dongjiang County; on the other hand, it was because of Su Qingze's future husband's family. Since her son's life events were set, everything about her son had been under the control of the other party. Her son had made friends with this couple of husbands, and they could still make business in Qingzhou, which showed that the other party agreed and admitted that they were his son's friends, so she dared not neglect.
Su's Family had a simple population. Lǎo tàitài gave birth to two sons: the eldest son Su Jingheng and the youngest son Su Jingyou. The eldest son had one child and one daughter, Su Wanqing, who was the number one, and Su Qingze, who was fourth. The second room also gave birth to two, Su Jinyu, who ranked second, and Su Zhenrui, who ranked third.
Because the old lady was getting older, the two brothers Su Jingheng and Su Jingyou did not separate their families. They lived together in the Su's Mansion to serve the old lady, and Mother Su took care of all the affairs of the family. The old lady knew that Mother Su was going to host a banquet to entertain Shen Yanbei and his fulang, the old lady called Mother Su over to teach her. He asked her to discipline Su Qingze and said that he was about to marry, so he couldn't just associate with some inconsistent people, which made his the price drop and let others watch the jokes of their Su's Family.
Knowing that the old lady's behavior that looked down on people was happening again, because of filial piety, Mother Su didn't say anything on her face, but she said in her heart that she should not bully the young and poor. Although the other party came from the countryside, he was no worse than those of aristocratic children, especially in his son-in-law's letter, he also praised the other party. She believed in the eyes of her son-in-law and son, and she believed in zhǎngkòng lì*!
*a business philosophy and operation method used in business activities created by the local management master Mr. Shi Guangqi.
At dinner in the evening, Shen Yanbei finally met Su Qingze's father, Su Jingheng, a state shepherd* of Qingzhou Prefecture. As a governor of the largest state, Su Jingheng was quite prestigious. Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng got up, joined their hands in salute.
*zhōu mù: official name. In ancient times, it refers to the length of a state.
Su Jingheng waved his hand and said kindly, "I often hear Ze'er mention the two of you, I finally met you today. You guys have suffered a lot while taking care of Ze'er."
Shen Yanbei smiled and said, "You utterly praised. Xuéshēng has no valuable things at home, and Qingze rarely shares the same interests with us. Besides, Qingze is still young, so it's natural for us to care for him."
Su Jingheng nodded. Afraid that they were restrained themselves while eating, after a few bites, he said that he would go to the study to handle official duties and let Shen Yanbei feel free to do anything here.
In Linhai, Qingzhou, most of the seafood served on the table was boiled or steamed. It looked beautiful and the taste was good. Shenjia Village was close to the river. So they often ate fish and shrimps, but the things in the river couldn't compare with seafood. Shen Yanbei was very satisfied with this seafood meal!
After dinner, Su Qingze took the three of them to the night market. Looking at the pedestrians and the brightly lit shops on the street, Shen Yanbei sighed secretly. Sure enough, a big city was a big city, so the nightlife was quite lively.
Su Qingze introduced the things to a few people along the way, and when they reached the end of the street, he pointed to a shop with a closed door and said, "Shen Dàgē, Gu Dàgē, what do you think of this shop?"
The shop was a small two-story building located at the corner of the street, it had two doors.
"This shop was originally a fabrics shop. Since there was a fire last month, and several people were injured, everyone thought that this shop became unlucky, which made fewer people come to the shop to buy. The owner couldn't keep it up any longer so he planned to sell it over. I have met the owner before, if you like it, I can buy it for you first."
Shen Yanbei observed and said, "It's okay."
"There are also shops on the next street, but the next street is not as crowded as here." Su Qingze took them to see shops in other locations.
Finally, Shen Yanbei chose the shop on the next street. The shop in the next street had a yard behind it, so there was a place for him to store chicken, duck, and pickles. As for the problem of low foot traffic, he naturally had a way to attract customers to come to his door.
"I want to buy a second-entry house. How much does it cost approximately?"
"You want to buy a house?" Su Qingze was overjoyed. "Do you want to live here?"
"We'll stay here for a while. If the restaurant's business has been on the right track, we'll go back."
"Great!" Su Qingze was full of excitement, and said to Gu Changfeng, "Then Gu Dàgē can teach me boxing! I can't wait to get stronger!"
Shen Yanbei. "..." Why was the young boy still thinking about this?
...
The next day Su Qingze sent someone to come and introduce a suitable house. At this time, they could see the price difference between big cities and small towns.
"Okay! If it's two hundred and thirty taels, then it's two hundred and thirty taels!" Shen Yanbei gritted his teeth. Unexpectedly, buying a second-tier house in Qingzhou was so expensive! When he bought a restaurant in Dongjiang County back then, it was only one hundred and sixty taels! He thought he had been living a well-off life, but in fact, the money he had only could afford enough food and clothing! Shen Yanbei paid painfully and let Gu Changfeng and the broker sign the official documents then did the transfer procedures. He made up his mind to open the restaurant as soon as possible to make money back!
When Shen Yanbei, who had a general understanding of the prices in Qingzhou after buying a house, was mentally prepared to buy the shop. But he was still abused.
"The location of this shop is very good, whether it's for an inn or a restaurant. The small courtyard at the back is a bonus. So it only takes 1,600 taels." The owner of the shop opened the door and invited a few people to go in and take a look.
One thousand six hundred taels...
The smile on Shen Yanbei's face was stiff for a moment. He felt distressed when he finally bought a shop that was nine times more expensive than the store in the county.
"Wife, I suddenly feel that our family is so poor." What so many chickens and ducks, and what many farm fields? They were all fake, it was not as valuable as a shop!
Gu Changfeng's eyes became serious. "It doesn't matter, we can make money back soon by working hard together."
Hearing that, Shen Yanbei's blood was boiled. He kissed him hard. "Okay, let's work hard together!" if husband and wife shared the same mind, their sharpness could cut through metal. He had to make twice the money he spent!
After cleaning the house and simply buying some daily necessities, the three moved into their new house and then proceeded with the decoration of the restaurant. With the experience of decorating Tongfu Restaurant, Shen Yanbei invited skilled craftsmen through the Su Family's link and spent more than half a month decorating the restaurant. During the period, Gu Changfeng went back to Dongjiang to bring a batch of chickens, ducks, capers, sauerkraut, and most importantly peppers, along with chef Shen Laifu.
After learning that Shen Yanbei opened a branch of Tongfu Restaurant in Qingzhou, he was asked if he wanted to be this branch restaurant chef. Hearing this, he thought he was dreaming. He hadn't gotten married yet, so he wanted to go out and take a look at the wider world. In Dongjiang County, his apprentice had already been a master and they could be the chef there. So he directly accepted it.
After that, they were busy investigating the market, adjusting the taste and style of the dishes, recruiting kitchen helpers and waiters. When everything had been prepared, Shen Yanbei chose a lucky day to open the restaurant. As a branch of Tongfu Restaurant, the decoration style of the restaurant was the same, but the main dishes menu had changed. Because there was a big wharf in the outer city of Qingzhou, getting delicious seafood was as easy as moving the fingertip. After Shen Yanbei tasted the signature dishes of the famous restaurants nearby, he introduced his own unique signature dishes- pickled cabbage fish, boiled fish, salt pepper shrimp, etc.
On an opening day, many guests came after smelling the fragrance- Shen Yanbei actually had asked people to build a fireplace to roast chicken and duck in the courtyard behind the restaurant. The fragrant taste attracted many people to inquire. Because of the distinctive interior decoration and unheard of delicious food, the restaurant was full of customers since the first day of opening.
Who was the happiest opening of the branch of Tongfu Restaurant? Naturally Su Qingze! The young boy who had been tempted by the delicious taste had been thinking about the food he ate when he was in Dongjiang for a long time. Part of the reason why he lost weight so quickly was that the food was not to his appetite.
Now the Tongfu restaurant branch had opened up, and the young man ate at least twice a day at the Tongfu Restaurant. Because he was going out more often, lǎo tàitài at home had opinions on him again.
"A Shuānger, who is going to marry, runs outside all day long, does he still put the rules on his mind?" The richly-dressed lǎo tàitài scolded with a calm face.
The young woman who was standing behind her to massage her back said sourly, "The fourth brother has no longer fear! No matter how he messes around, this marriage agreement won't be broken."
Lǎo tàitài didn't say a word, her son and daughter-in-law said that this marriage was a certainty, but she still couldn't figure it out. Why did the other party fall in love with her stubborn grandson?
Su Ruizhen's eyes were full of jealousy. "Grandma, who is the relative of the emperor that wants to marry the fourth brother?" Everyone in the family said that Su Qingze had been favored by a noble in the capital, so he would fly on a higher branch and become a phoenix. But which branch was this?
Lǎo tàitài shrugged her eyelids and said neither salty nor indifferent, "A prince."
"The prince?" Su Ruizhen opened her apricot eyes slightly, and asked with a trembling voice, "Which prince?"
Lǎo tàitài became a little impatient. "You only need to know that he will become a wángfēi in the future. Don't argue with him so as not to be hated by him. It doesn't matter which prince he will marry!" She extremely disliked Su Qingze and was too lazy to cover up. Her eldest son Su Jingheng talked to her about this marriage, that was why she knew that Su Qingze was going to marry a certain prince in the capital.
Su Jingheng did not disclose which prince it was but only told her that the other party was highly powerful and loved Su Qingze very much. If the other party knew that she treat Su Qingze harshly, it might bring disaster to Su's Family. Seeing her son's serious look as if he was not joking, she still doubted it. Later, she discovered that Su Qingze had many valuables from the hands of craftsmen in the palace, then she finally was willing to accept the news. Afraid of the other party's power, she had to pretend to be nice toward Su Qingze, but Su Qingze had already been eighteen but the other party still didn't do anything. She suspected it so she asked Su Jingheng. Su Jingheng really kept it secret, and he refused to disclose the other party's information to her. So she complained in front of the confidant but Su Qingze heard it all...
"Grandma..." Su Ruizhen yelled aggrievedly.
Patting her hand, lǎo tàitài comforted her, "Don't worry, grandma will definitely find you a marriage that will not lose to his husband's family!"
"Rui'er knows that grandmother loves Rui'er the most!" Su Ruizhen smiled and said, but the expression on her face when she left lǎo tàitài's yard was not as happy as it was just shown.
"When will I get it? Probably I still don't get it after Su Qingze gets married ..." Su Ruizhen muttered dissatisfiedly. Thinking of Su Qingze's mysterious fiance, she was jealous and curious. Who was the other party? Why did he fall in love with Su Qingze?
"Who is the other party? Are you not curious at all?"
In the private room, Gu Changfeng was peeling crab meat, and Su Qingze on the opposite side was peeling shrimp. The difference was that Gu Changfeng used internal force to peel the crab meat for Shen Yanbei, while Su Qingze did it manually. The white crab meat was dipped in ginger and vinegar, and Shen Yanbei asked casually.
The cheeky Su Qingze shook his head and said vaguely, "What curious? Anyway, I still have to marry him whether I know him or not." It was not that he was not curious, but that the other party's way made him unable to resist making him not like him. Besides, was there something shameful so it had to be covered up like this?
"You are not curious, but we are very curious." Shen Yanbei took a cloth towel and wiped Gu Changfeng's hands, telling him not to peel it anymore. "What kind of big shot was him that he had to send a secret guard to protect his future fulang."