Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 316 Age
Wang Xifeng had just talked to Tanchun, and then turned around and a woman hurriedly came in, presented a gift list and said: "Grandma, Third Miss, the second master has guests this moment, please ask Grandma and Third Miss to answer Wuzhuangtou."

Wang Xifeng took the list, glanced at it, and handed it to Tanchun beside him. Tanchun looked at it carefully. After reading it, he frowned and said, "Why do you see there are fewer items than in previous years?"

Sister Feng sneered and said to the woman, "Bring her in and talk."

After a while, the Wu brothers entered the courtyard together, but they didn't dare to go in. They just kowtowed in the courtyard.

In Tanchun, there is a girl who has not left the palace. It is not easy to see her husband, so she is hiding in the back room. Then Wang Xifeng spoke, and the two brothers came forward to reply.

After asking a few questions about the family, Wang Xifeng asked about Zhuangzi's future. As expected, Wu Jinxiao said: "To tell you what grandma is saying, this year's harvest is really not good. It started raining in March and continued until August. It has not been sunny for five days in a row. In September, a hailstorm spread over a distance of 1,300 miles, injuring thousands of people, including their houses and livestock. That's why it happened. Don’t dare to lie.”

His brother Wu Jinxian also said: "My brother's place is quite good! I am only more than a hundred miles away from my brother's place, but who knows how far it is. Now there are eight villages and fields, and this year only these things are available, only two or three more." A thousand taels of silver, but there is still famine."

Wang Xifeng sneered and was speechless. Since Jia Lian took over the title, Wang Xifeng had been appointed a third-grade lady a few days ago. In Rong Mansion, she was only inferior to Jia Mu and Mrs. Xing, and even Mrs. Wang was inferior to her. Therefore, this sneer is not angry and intimidating.

Wu Jinxian knew that Wang Xifeng was not easy to fool, so he hurriedly said: "Grandma, don't worry, even though there is trouble in the house now, come and go, won't the empress and Lord Long Live reward you?"

Wang Xifeng was amused, pointed at Wu Jinxian and said, "Listen, are his words ridiculous?"

As far as Sister Feng is concerned, Tanchun, the sister-in-law, is someone who can win over and is very courageous, so Sister Feng admires her selfishly.

Wang Xifeng held Tanchun's hand and praised, "Thank you, Tanchun, for your efforts to overcome the disadvantages. Otherwise, the family will become more and more difficult to live in, and I don't know how to survive."

Jia Qin blushed and didn't dare to answer, so she had to walk away.

Tanchun shook his head and said: "I can only make fuss in the courtyard of the back house, but I can't get involved in the affairs of the outer house."

Wang Xifeng turned around and said to Tanchun: "Look, I thought he was a good person before, but now he is actually greedy. If he continues to be left to do this job, it will probably bring trouble to the family."

Jia Qin is also a child of the Jia family and is of the younger generation, so Tanchun did not shy away from it this time.

When the Wu brothers heard this, they immediately became silent. Wang Xifeng wanted to vent her anger, but after spending so many years together with Li Weijian, she and Li Weijian had always learned the same thing - make a decision before taking action. At this time, we can't get any evidence of the two brothers' crimes, and no matter how much we talk about it, it will be noisy. Why not send a suitable manpower to Liaodong after the year to conduct an on-site investigation, and then we can say nothing.

Wang Xifeng became happy and said: "I originally gave this to your uncles and brothers who were idle and unproductive. I also gave it to you when I was idle for two years. Where are you now? You are in charge of affairs in the government, monks and Taoist priests in the family temple. You have an exception in January. The money of these monks has passed through your hands. You still come to take this. You are too greedy! ”

Although Rongfu's industry is more than just farmland in Liaodong, it accounts for the majority, because Tanchun calculated and knew that this year there would be a famine in the family.

Once you have money in your hands, you start to dominate as a king, recruiting gangsters to gamble and support your wife and children every night. Now that you’ve spent so much money, do you still dare to get something? If you can't get anything, just get a water stick and go. After the New Year, I will tell the second master that I will take you back. "

Tan Chun frowned and said, "Sister Feng has revealed it so easily?"

While he was thinking about it, he saw the maid Cui Mo coming in a hurry and said happily: "Second Grandma, Third Miss, Fourth Master Jian is here to send you a congratulatory gift."

Sister Feng held her belly and said: "It's just a matter of venting your anger, and it's useless to waste the saliva. I'm thinking about sending Lai Wang to Liaodong after the new year, and then send a few more appropriate people to ask the dealers carefully. , I don’t believe that we can’t get evidence against these two brothers.”

Tan Chun said in surprise: "Sister Feng is really going to be replaced by Jia Qin?"

Wang Xifeng said with a smile: "Do you think the jobs in those factories are easy to do? There are not many of them. My bicycle factory alone has had two incidents this month. One was a leak in the steam engine, which scalded all the good people to death; the other was a leak in the steam engine. Something happened to the lathe, and Shengsheng cut off three of the craftsman's fingers.

Wang Xifeng said: "What can't be changed? I think Jia Qiang is a person who knows how to advance and retreat, and her temper is not as bad as Jia Qin. After the New Year, it is better to replace Jia Qiang as an errand."

Wang Xifeng hummed and was speechless. The Lai family has passed away, and a new generation has replaced the old ones, but a few compradors and stewards are still shouldering their original errands. These people are either Mrs. Wang's companions, or they have been won over by Mrs. Wang early on. How can Mrs. Wang, the head of the house, be willing to cut off her arms?

Because Wang Xifeng said: "That's all, it's not easy for you to come here every year, so please go down and settle down."

Tan Chun's mind immediately turned to Li Weijian and said with a smile, "Fourth brother Jian has given away goods from South China again this year?"

The two brothers kowtowed again and then followed the mother-in-law down.

Our family's errands are easy to do. We don't have many workers, but we have enough to eat and warm clothes. Once we have the money, we have saved it. Isn't it much better than the wind and rain outside? "

Ping'er said from the side: "How do you people on the mountain col seaside know this truth? Didn't the empress give us the emperor's treasury?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said: "Brother Jian is from both the north and the south this time, right? Is the cloth a Western product?"

Jia Qin lowered her hand and replied: "I heard Second Mistress asking us to pick up things, so I came here without waiting for anyone to go."

After a while, Jia Qin entered, and Wang Xifeng asked, "Why are you here?"

Because Tanchun said truthfully: "Sister Feng, since the imperial court has already issued a decree, I wonder if our family should also let out those who have no errands? I heard from Brother Jian a few days ago that factories everywhere are booming. As long as you work hard, you can always get two or three taels of silver every month. Isn't it much better than staying at home? "

Ever since what happened to Baochai, Tanchun would always think twice about anything. I secretly thought that there had been a rift between the big house and Jia Qiang because of the matter of inheriting the heir and seizing the title. How come Sister Feng has no grudge anymore? Then I thought about it, yes, instead of letting Jia Qiang hang around outside and feel resentful, it would be better to stay close to her.

One is to show kindness, and the other is to be wary of Jia Qiang being instigated by outsiders to deal with the big house...Sister Feng is indeed very scheming.

Tan Chun smiled bitterly and shook his head. She is just doing a dojo in a snail shell. How much can she save by moving around? The Rong Mansion expelled the masters and produced nearly a thousand maids and servants. Not counting the monthly salary, a lot of money was wasted every month. If things continue like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to support them anymore.

Even if she had this intention in her heart, she couldn't make the decision. Is there any reason not to reward them? They arrive on time for the festival, but they are just some colored satin and antiques. Even if they are rewarded with silver, they are only one hundred taels of gold. They are only worth a thousand taels of silver. What is enough for a year? In the past two years, in which year have I not lost thousands of dollars in compensation?

Cuimo smiled and said, "Young lady guessed wrong. Fourth Master Jian has eight Mongolian and Korean draft horses this time, as well as forty pieces of woolen fabrics of various colors."

Because Wang Xifeng said: "Brother Jian once said that running a big country is like cooking small dishes. If you find this girl capable, sooner or later you will be able to eliminate all the shortcomings in the family."

You will know how much it cost in the first year to visit relatives and build a garden. In another two years and one more kiss, I'm afraid I'll be exhausted. "

Wang Xifeng said with a smile: "Isn't that the case? Brother Jian said that this person is born to be indolent and indolent."

As soon as these two people left, Tanchun walked out of the house. Although Mrs. Wang was still in charge of the house in name only at this time, in reality, ever since Sister Feng got her royal title, she had long regarded the Rong Mansion as a treasure.

Tanchun shook his head and was about to speak when another woman came in and replied, saying that Jia Qin was here.

Wang Xifeng sneered and said: "You are still trying to fudge me! You think I don't know what you did in the temple! When you get there, you are the master, and no one dares to disobey you.

Tanchun blinked and said, "Doesn't it mean that the family is full of idle people?"

Tanchun sighed: "Water from afar cannot quench the thirst of the nearer. What can we do with only eight thousand taels of silver in total?"

Jia Qin's face was neither red nor white and she said: "There are many people in my family, so the expenses are high."

Wu Jinxiao donated 5,000 taels, and Wu Jinxian donated 8,000 taels. The money donated by the latter went directly to Rongfu Gongzhong, but there was a saying about the money donated by the former. Since there was still family property in it, most of it would fall into the hands of Jia Lian, and the remaining one or two thousand silver would be sent to Jia Lian. Incorporated into public.

Cuimo smiled and said, "In reply to Second Grandma, what Fourth Master Jian is sending this time is made by Gan Ning. Judging from the quality, I'm afraid it's a bit better than the Western ones."

Although Wang Xifeng remained unchanged on the outside, she was full of resentment in her heart. Li Weijian was so busy these days that he left early and came back late. He only came to Rong Mansion three or four times in two months. It was she who went to the uncle's manor a few days ago in the name of asking for business information, so the two of them met in private. Once upon a time.

Now that her belly is getting bigger and bigger, Wang Xifeng, who has given birth to her eldest sister a long time ago, knows that she is pregnant this time. Because his mind became more and more acute, he felt that he had been eaten up and wiped clean by brother Jian, and then turned around and ignored him... so he could not help but feel resentful.

She was speechless for a while, then Tanchun asked: "Where is Fourth Brother Jian?"

Cuimo said: "I spoke with the second master in front of me for a few words, and I expect he will come here in a short while."

After the words fell, Tanchun looked up and saw a group of people entering the courtyard, and smiled and said: "Fourth Brother Jian is here."

Tanchun and Sister Feng stood up to greet each other. Sister Feng stopped at the screen because she was pregnant. Tanchun turned around the screen and opened the door, and saw Li Weijian in a bearskin cloak approaching.

Tan Chun was slightly dazed, then came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Is Fourth Brother Jian here?"

"How is third sister? Huh? I haven't seen you for a few days. It seems that you have grown taller again?"

When Li Weijian got closer, he compared her with her. Tanchun suddenly said happily, "Really? Yesterday, I compared with Shishu, and as expected, he grew taller."

Li Weijian smiled gently and said, "Third sister, please eat more. This is the time when you are in shape. I wonder if you will be able to grow as tall as your eldest sister or second sister-in-law in the future."

Tan Chun agreed with a smile, and the two of them turned around the screen together, and saw Wang Xifeng, angry and happy, saying, "Huh! As long as they are well-proportioned, don't grow too tall, otherwise it will be hard to talk to your husband's family in the future."

Li Weijian smiled and raised his hands in greeting: "How are you doing, my second sister-in-law?"

"No!" Wang Xifeng blurted out, and immediately felt that something was wrong, and quickly added: "I was bullied by the head of the village just now."

While talking, Wang Xifeng led Li Weijian inside, and only after he was seated did he talk about the situation just now.

Li Weijian frowned slightly, asked about the location of several farms, and then said with a smile: "It's easy. I have a good friend named Song Shixian, who was appointed as the county magistrate in the twelfth lunar month. Later, my second sister-in-law sent someone to take my post. Ask him to send a few government servants to accompany him. No matter how cunning the Wu brothers are, they will not be able to escape."

Wang Xifeng now doesn't care at all about the three melons and two dates in Zhuangtian. The accounts have just been reviewed this year, and it is surprising that the greenhouse business has an income of 53,000 taels. Even the bicycle business that just opened also has 3,000 taels, plus Sister Feng From the property next to her, Sister Feng alone has a potential income of 30,000 taels!
Sister Feng did nothing with the money, leaving only one or two thousand with her, and the rest bought all Li Weijian's shares. Furthermore, the stocks he had entrusted Li Weijian to buy were now gaining momentum. After such an inventory, Sister Feng's net worth was approaching one hundred thousand taels without her realizing it!

How much money did Wang Xifeng’s dowry cost that day?
I also wanted to understand this, and also thought that Li Weijian was worried about his reputation at this time, and it was really hard for him to have more contact with him, so Sister Feng did not have an attack. It's just that Sister Feng couldn't figure it out. She even pushed Ping'er over. Brother Jian is a lustful woman, so why are he pretending to be a gentleman again now?
Sister Feng didn't say anything, so Tanchun continued: "It's Brother Jian who has the idea."

Li Weijian smiled and said: "What kind of idea do I have? It's just to use force to suppress others."

Only then did Sister Feng change her mind and asked with a smile: "Why did brother Jian give you these items this year?"

Li Weijian said: "Second sister-in-law also knows that during the Western Expedition, I set up a wool spinning factory for the leaders of various places in Beishan. Now after all this time, it has finally produced some benefits. Those woolen cloths came from that factory!"

Sister Feng immediately started thinking about whether she should invest in a woolen mill in the future.

But Li Weijian continued: "I don't know why this matter was heard by the princes on the grassland. In the past few days, it was Horqin first, and then Khalkha. This Mongolian prince didn't have much else, only gold and horses. There were more than a hundred pieces sent away, and there was really nowhere to put them at home, so I had to borrow flowers and send them around."

Tan Chun already admired Li Weijian, and when he heard this, he immediately praised him: "It's also the fourth brother Jian who has the ability. Otherwise, why didn't he see Prince Mengwu giving gifts to others?"

Wang Xifeng also said: "Young Girl Tan is right, it's just like our family. Prince Mengwu doesn't need it, so why don't we just ignore it?"

Li Weijian waved his hands humbly and said: "I beg you not to pay attention to me. These Mengwu princes don't know where they can drink. They drink the best chrysanthemum white forum and have been with them for two times. They are like being executed. They really can't bear to be disturbed." Ah. If you don’t talk about this, I have to go back and see the old lady.”

Tanchun stood up straight away and said, "Then I'll send Fourth Brother Jian over."

Li Weijian stood up and said, "Second sister-in-law is busy, I'll go first."

Wang Xifeng suddenly stopped and called out: "Hey? Can't we do one of those woolen textiles that brother Jian mentioned in the capital?" Li Weijian turned around and saw Sister Feng folding her hands on her lower abdomen. He immediately understood and pretended to think: "Two What my sister-in-law said reminded me that wool spinning is more than just a craft. I discussed it with the teacher the day before yesterday and was thinking about separating the various crafts so as to adapt to local conditions. Since the second sister-in-law is interested, let's go back. Shall we study it more carefully?"

When no one was paying attention, Wang Xifeng glanced at Li Weijian and said, "Brother Jian, you have to talk to me carefully. I am counting on Brother Jian for support now."

"Haha, the second sister-in-law is joking."

Tanchun then led Li Weijian out of Sister Feng's Children's Courtyard, went straight through the hall to the backyard of Rongqing Hall, then turned to the front and entered Rongqing Hall.

Although the little prince never stopped, Yuanchun was not seriously injured at last. During these days, whenever she visited the palace, Mrs. Wang would come to the palace to see her. Perhaps in order to appease Yuanchun, the saint rewarded the Jia family twice during these days. Mrs. Wang was thinking about Yuanchun and took the opportunity to become a noble concubine. As a result, two months passed. But there was no movement.

Emperor Zhenghe is not a fool. How could he be willing to carry Yuan Chun to compete with Concubine Wu at this moment?
No matter what, Jia Mu was in good spirits at this time. When Li Weijian passed Baoxia, Yuanyang came forward to greet him. Li Weijian had always been careful, and he saw that Yuanyang was wearing a dark coat, his head and face were covered with silverware, and his hair was tied with a black rope.

Li Weijian immediately paused and asked, "Miss Yuanyang...which relative in the family has passed away?"

Yuanyang's eyes suddenly turned red, and he bowed and said, "Fourth Master... my mother is gone."

Li Weijian said casually: "That's it, Miss Yuanyang, I'm sorry."

He just said it casually, but it made Yuanyang feel deeply moved. It's not like the masters in the Rong Mansion didn't show consideration for their servants, just like Mr. Bao.

Unexpectedly, there were Qian Xue and Bi Hen in front of him, and Jin Chuan'er behind him. In addition, there was an attacker watching over Mr. Bao, so it was really not a good place to go. Yuanyang is a high-spirited person, and even the eldest master Jia She can't look down on him. How can he look down on the dirty and smelly second master Lian?

If nothing happens, I'm afraid Yuanyang will definitely end up miserable after Jia Mu's death. By chance, I made Xiangyun my mistress. As soon as the old lady left, she would marry Xiangyun into the uncle's house.

At Yuanyang's age, how can he not be full of love when he has free time at night? Maybe it was nothing before, but after thinking and thinking about it for the past few months, I couldn't help but think about it a little more.

"Well, thank you, Fourth Master Jian."

As she said this, although her eyes were red, her eyes were full of pulse, which made Li Weijian feel puzzled. He thought to himself, he himself had never provoked this big maid, so why did he fall in love with him again when he looked at her? Could it be that Sister Feng thought she looked down on Ping'er, so she simply pushed Yuanyang over?
What is this?

At that moment, he nodded slightly, suppressed his strange thoughts, turned around the screen, smiled and greeted Jia Mu.

Mother Jia smiled and invited Li Weijian to sit down. She asked a few questions about the family affairs, asked her widowed aunt Liu how she was doing, and then asked Fu Qiufang if it was appropriate.

Mrs. Liu has been used to hard work over the years. As soon as she arrived at Deborah and enjoyed the happiness, she fell ill every few days for some reason. Li Weijian went around asking doctors for help, but each time they said it was a minor problem, but they couldn't find the root. Fu Qiufang was in good health, and her belly was growing day by day. If nothing unexpected happened, Li Weijian would have given birth to her first child in March. .

At this time, Tanchun talked about the congratulatory gifts given by Li Weijian, which made Jia Mu pretend to be angry and said: "Why do you, my child, need to give these? They are all relatives, so it is too wasteful."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "It's also about borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha."

After retelling the story exactly as it was, Jia Mu was no longer angry. There was no one else in the Rongqing Hall at this time. Li Weijian felt sorry for him, but he also got up and left.

Jia Mu said hurriedly: "Yuanyang, go and see Brother Jian off."

Without waiting for Yuanyang to respond, Tanchun said: "Old ancestor, I just want to go back to the garden, why don't I go see him off."

Jia Mu agreed, and Li Weijian immediately stood up and left Rongqing Hall with Tan Chun. Watching the two of them go out one after another, Jia Mu and Yuanyang said, "I'll let you and brother Jian spend a little more time together, that's all. The days are long. Your mother just left, so I'm afraid she won't feel well, and you don't have to serve me. , go down and have a rest.”

Yuanyang responded and walked out with red eyes.

But it was said that Li Weijian and Tan Chun walked side by side and entered the Grand View Garden. Li Weijian said: "Yuanyang's mother..."

Tanchun said: "This is the letter I only got in the past few days. However, Jinling is thousands of miles away, and my ancestor cannot live without Yuanyang for another day, so he had to keep Yuanyang with him and send his brother and sister-in-law to Jinling for the funeral."

After a pause and seeing Li Weijian thinking on his face, Tanchun couldn't help but said, "I'm afraid Fourth Brother Jian doesn't know yet."

"what?"

Tanchun said: "Yuanyang has made Yun Yatou his mistress early in the morning, and he will marry Yun Yatou to the uncle's house in the future."

Li Weijian was immediately dumbfounded, stopped and said in surprise: "How long ago did it happen?"

"It's been a few months. When my uncle was still alive, wasn't he clamoring for Yuanyang? Later, our ancestors asked Yuanyang to worship Yun Yatou as his mistress."

Li Weijian immediately didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said: "I said that every time I see Yuanyang, I feel weird. It turns out that this happened."

Tan Chun had always been close to Li Weijian. He had some hard-to-say things, but he preferred to say them to Li Weijian. So he whispered: "My ancestors are also afraid that Xiangyun has a simple temper and is young. He has a mandarin duck to help him, so that he will not suffer in the future."

Suffered a loss? This is because I am afraid that I will suffer a loss if I marry into my own family.

Li Weijian shook his head repeatedly, thinking secretly that if he continued like this, he was afraid that the Jia family would be emptied out by himself.

After passing Qinfang Pavilion, I saw a swing erected next to the flower stand outside Yihong Courtyard. Bursts of cheerful laughter came from it. The swing was swinging, and the Xiangyun was swinging wantonly. I happened to glance over to this side of the room, and my body suddenly became unstable. Fortunately, the maid Cuixi on the side helped me, and the master and servant hurried back to Yihongyuan.

Li Weijian touched his nose and thought, "Who said anything to Xiangyun again?"

Tanchun said: "Sister Bao said a few words last time, I'm afraid that Miss Yun will still hide from Fourth Brother Jian when we see him again."

Li Weijian secretly thought that Daiyu and she were in love with each other, so the marriage was a natural progression; Baoqin was now being raised at home, was it considered...nurture? Only this Xiangyun, who was originally a cheerful person, was choked by Baochai's reasoning and now avoids him like a snake and a scorpion. It can be regarded as a blind marriage, right?
Fortunately, this girl has a simple temper and will be easy to fool in the future.

After passing Qinfang Pavilion, seeing no one around, Tanchun stepped on the thin snow and muttered suddenly: "Fourth Brother Jian, the person guarding the east corner gate now is Aunt Fei, she is... my person , I have made it clear to him that if Brother Jian wants to see his second sister in the future, he can come in just by saying hello. "

Li Weijian smiled and said, "Thank you, Third Sister, for your concern."

Tan Chun shook his head, feeling bitter in his heart, but smiling on his face: "I also hope that the fourth brother Jian and the second sister will start well and end well."

Li Weijian was secretly amused. Tanchun probably didn't know that Mrs. Fei had been knocked unconscious by him with money early in the morning. He had not had many private meetings to welcome the spring in the past two months.

Arriving at the Dongjiao Gate in a blink of an eye, Li Weijian took a deep look at the Jade Emperor Temple and said, "I'll come when I have time. Third sister, I'll go home first."

"Brother Jian, walk slowly."

Li Weijian said no more and entered Huifang Garden after exiting the east corner gate. Jinglingbo Mansion is naturally complete with all kinds of features. The door gods, couplets, hanging signs, and peach charms have been replaced, giving it a completely new look. From the main gate, the ceremonial gate, the hall, the pavilion, the inner hall, the inner three gates, the inner ceremonial gate and the inner gate, to the main hall and Huifang Garden, under the steps on both sides, there are large high-rise lamps of the same color, which look like strips of light at night. Like a golden dragon.

He passed Ningxixuan all the way, went up the arrow path from the back corner door of Tianxiang Tower, and arrived at the courtyard of Dedong Road in a blink of an eye. At this time, all the warblers and swallows are here. As they are approaching their old age, Fu Qiufang, Hongyu and Baoqin are discussing how to arrange their wedding arrangements.

Seeing Li Weijian entering, the girls greeted him and asked him to make up his mind. Li Weijian was too lazy to take care of the trivial matters at home and only let his daughters take care of the affairs.

Because in the blink of an eye, Fu Qiufang, Hongyu, and Baoqin were discussing again. Li Weijian felt bored after sitting for a while, so he simply said hello and got up and went out again.

After wandering around for a while, he unknowingly arrived at the Consciousness Room in Huifang Garden. As Li Weijian approached, he saw a graceful figure writing at the desk - it was Xing Xiuyan.

After thinking for a moment, Li Weijian took out a red envelope from his sleeve, counted a hundred taels of silver notes and stuffed it into the sleeve, then tucked it into his sleeve again, and then stepped into the sleeve.

Hearing the noise, Xing Xiuyan hurriedly raised his eyes and saw that it was Li Weijian coming. He stood up and said, "Uncle."

Li Weijian smiled and nodded: "Miss Xing is still writing recipes?"

Xing Xiuyan smiled and said: "I racked my brains and finally wrote out the last few recipes." As he spoke, he dried the ink, held up the recipe and said, "Uncle, let's see if there are any omissions?"

Li Weijian took the booklet and didn't rush to look at it. He said, "Miss Xing, why are you so anxious? Just write slowly after the New Year."

Xing Xiuyan was a strong person. Although she smiled on her face, she shook her head and said: "I know that my uncle is taking care of me. Thanks to him, my life has been better these few months. It's just that the dishes I know are just like that." "If you don't stick around in the future, I'll take my uncle's money for nothing."

Before Li Weijian could speak, Xing Xiuyan said again: "Uncle, I don't care about this. I just...please forgive me."

Li Weijian was speechless. After a while, he sighed and said, "Miss Xing... are you tired?"

"Ah?" Xing Xiuyan suddenly felt sad.

Tired? However, the usual question made Xing Xiuyan feel sour. She has been homeless since she was a child. She lives in a girl's house, but there is no maid around her, so she has to do everything by herself. The family was in dire straits, so she even went to work as a cook for the girl next to her.

There was no other decent girl in the Grand View Garden, so who could really take her seriously?
She is always trying to make ends meet without losing her integrity, and at the same time she has to deal with the greedy Mrs. Xing and her short-sighted biological parents.

Every time she came back to the uncle's house, her mother would always ask about what was going on inside, and she wished she could be sent over immediately to become a concubine with Li Weijian.

Xing Xiuyan was naturally happy to have a person like Uncle Li, but her parents were so flattering that it made Xing Xiuyan rebel, so she decided to stay away from Li Weijian. It was also today that she was eager to finish writing the recipe, so she lingered for a while. In the past, Xing Xiuyan would have returned to Zhujin Tower early in the morning.

Because she sighed and laughed miserably, and said: "So what if I'm tired? People have to live."

Li Weijian said: "That being the case, why should Miss Xing refuse my kindness?" After a pause, he said: "I don't mean to offend Miss Xing, but I deeply admire her character, and her craftsmanship is indeed excellent."

Xing Xiuyan just shook his head and said nothing.

Li Weijian thought about it and said: "Well, the girl has her own character and will not eat the food she comes to. In this case, there is no need to count money in the future. If Miss Xing is bored, she might as well come to find Baoqin and Qiufang to talk. Oh," Li Weijian shook his clothes He took out his sleeves and found the red envelope from inside: "Miss Xing has not resigned yet. I will accept this new year's red envelope."

It is not easy to reject the first one, but not the second one. This is Li Weijian's words. Xing Xiuyan murmured slightly, then took it with a smile: "Thank you, uncle."

Li Weijian smiled and waved his hand: "Nothing to talk about. By the way, I went to a banquet a few days ago and ate a dish that I really thought about. If Miss Xing has time in the future, she can taste it with me and write down the recipe afterwards?"

Xing Xiuyan consciously went to do her errands, and no longer had the burden of eating the food she brought, so she happily agreed: "My uncle has always been a tricky talker. If he can be so interested in me, the dishes will be tempting. Okay, I will try it when the New Year comes." try."

Just when Li Weijian was about to say something, Qianxue suddenly came in a hurry and replied: "Master, Miss Qin's brother is here."

"Oh?" Li Weijian thought it was Xue Biao who came to deliver New Year's gifts. He left the Consciousness Room and went straight to the study in front of him.

When I entered the study room, I saw Wu Haiping chatting with Xue Biao. Seeing Li Weijian's arrival, Xue Biao hurriedly stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Uncle, the green vitriol oil... is ready!"

Li Weijian was startled and asked hurriedly: "It's done? How?"

Xue Biao said excitedly: "Back to my uncle, the next craftsman put in the materials one by one. I don't know who made the mistake of adding saltpeter too. As a result, after three days of running the furnace, a barrel of green vitriol oil has been obtained, and the income from then on is endless. !”

Saltpeter... what does this thing produce when heated? Li Weijian was confused for a moment whether the catalyst was nitrogen oxide or ammonia, but he was very excited and said happily: "Okay! There will be rewards for many!"

(End of this chapter)