Chapter 204

He Jinglan gave Master Liu a meaningful glance, then pulled Meng Dangni zi and Qinger inside.

Come on, let's go inside first to get acquainted with Zhang Shen and the others, have some water to catch our breath, then we'll slowly move the things.

An Qinghe practiced calligraphy in the main hall together with Shitou.

This is a temporary 'mission' assigned by Gu Xixi, who did not allow him to follow her today.

Hearing the mule's cry, An Qinghe sprang to his feet, smiling broadly, and ran outside.

Xixi! Xixi, you've finally come back!

An Qinghe stepped out but only saw He Jinglan, with two unfamiliar women, one older and one younger, beside her.

He Jinglan? How come only you came back?

And who are these two?

He Jinglan introduced, 'This is the owner of Zhenbaoge in Qing Tian Xiancheng, Meng Dangni zi.'

This is Qinger, Meng Dangni zi's daughter.

They were invited by Xixi to stay a short while at our home.

Meng Dangni zi, this is An Qinghe of the Yunling County Seedling Merchants Association.

An Qinghe, who had been in business since childhood, immediately straightened his posture and clasped his hands in salute to Meng Dangni zi:

So you're the owner of Zhenbaoge.

I've been going to the county seat often lately; I've passed Zhenbaoge's door several times and left a deep impression. It's a pity I've been in a rush and haven't yet had the chance to go in for advice.

Meng Dangni zi had long heard of An Qinghe, returned the salute, and smiled, 'I dare not accept such advice.'

It's just that the shop has recently closed for business; after a while we'll reopen and will surely extend a formal invitation.

An Qinghe startled, 'Closing the shop? In summer, when clothing is light and jewelry sells better, why close now?'

Meng Dangni zi knew the matter was important and couldn't speak plainly, especially since An Qinghe was an outsider, a foreigner.

Well...

He Jinglan hurried to smooth things over, 'Boss An, the affairs of Zhenbaoge are Meng Dangni zi's arrangement; why are you asking so much?'

An Qinghe realized his mistake and quickly apologized, 'Sorry, I overstepped.'

Seeing such an outstanding fellow merchant like Boss Meng, I've been thinking about possible cooperation; I got carried away for a moment, please forgive me.

While the adults were talking, Shitou had already run out to meet Qinger.

The two little ones held hands and went inside to play.

Meng Dangni zi smiled at An Qinghe, 'No problem,'

I've always been interested in the gold and silver styles, gemstones, and jade materials of the Western Regions,

If Boss An really has any ideas or opportunities, we can discuss them in depth.

An Qinghe was delighted, 'That's wonderful.'

He Jinglan first ushered Meng Dangni zi into the main hall, glanced sideways at An Qinghe, and whispered, 'Boss An, when do you plan to return to Yunling?'

An Qinghe chuckled, 'No rush, no rush—we've just made new friends; we can leave in a couple of days.'

I'll go find Xixi first; she surely needs help unloading the cart!

He Jinglan couldn't let him just run off, and quickly stopped him, 'Hey, Xixi's side isn't urgent.'

She thought of a delaying tactic, 'Zhang Shen isn't here right now, I need to keep the guests company, so I'll have to trouble you to go to the kitchen and fetch a pot of tea.'

An Qinghe realized, 'Indeed, Boss Meng and company just arrived; we must not neglect them.'

He Jinglan watched An Qinghe walk away, breathed a sigh of relief, lifted the curtain, and entered the house.

Nowadays, no one knows where Mu Nan Zhao has run off to; even though An Qinghe, this helper for making vinegar, is now useless.

But He Jinglan still means well.

Who knows how chaotic the world will become in the future? Big or small, far or near?

These people can stay in the village and not go out, but what about An Qinghe?

He still has several businesses on his hands.

If he wants to leave but can't, that would be terrible.

He Jinglan secretly decided to discuss this with Gu Xixi tonight.

Outside the gate, Master Liu bowed to Gu Xixi and said, 'Today letting Boss Gu and He Jinglan suffer a fright is my negligence.'

Gu Xixi said, 'It's nothing to do with you; not having you follow and protect me in everything was my own intention.'

Master Liu, however, lowered his head slightly, his expression rather guilty, and… embarrassed?

Gu Xixi eyed them suspiciously, slightly furrowing her brows, 'Are you really playing a long game to catch a big fish? Is Jing Lan the bait?'

Master Liu coughed, finding it hard to speak.

Gu Xixi's face turned a bit colder as she smiled, 'Then today we went out, captured that old bachelor, and made a showy tour of the county seat—truly a pointless effort.'

It won't cause you any trouble, will it?

Master Liu quickly shook his head, 'No, no, it's not that bad.'

He lifted his eyes to Gu Xixi, put on a smile, and said, 'So I've come to apologize.'

Gu Xixi snorted coldly inside, 'If that old bachelor hadn't been caught, would you still come here saying these things?'

She showed no reaction to Master Liu's apology, only calmly said, 'Is Jing Lan's safety guaranteed?'

Master Liu saw Gu Xixi neither angry nor resentful, and broke out in a cold sweat, 'Yes, our people have been watching—both in the county seat and the village.'

Regardless, we must first guarantee the safety of Boss Gu and He Jinglan.

Gu Xixi still gave no response, then said, 'Jing Lan wants to transfer the He family's dark guards here.'

'Whether it can be done and how, please trouble Master Liu to handle it.'

Master Liu nodded in agreement, 'No problem, I'll arrange it; you'll hear back at the latest by tomorrow night.'

Gu Xixi thanked lightly, then left Master Liu behind, and turned to go pick up Fortune's rope snare.

Master Liu, seeing the situation, also politely took his leave.

Gu Xixi listened to the footsteps, then turned to look.

People do different things, and their positions differ.

She can understand some practices, but that doesn't mean she has to accept them happily.

As dusk fell, when Zhang Shen returned, Gu Xixi had already led Fortune into the shed and put out fodder and clean water.

Shitou and Qinger sat in a row, squatting there to watch Fortune eat and drink.

Gu Xixi told Zhang Shen about the guests who had come to the house.

Kind-hearted Zhang Shen didn't inquire further, only smiling, 'More people is good, lively.'

She affectionately waved at the children, 'Grandma picked fresh cherries, come, let's go wash and eat the cherries!'

Shortly after, Zhang Shen, Lao Langzhong, and Meng Dangni zi all met.

Meng Dangni zi had already changed into everyday narrow-sleeved clothing; upon hearing they were to make dinner, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and followed Zhang Shen to the kitchen.

Zhang Shen felt a bit embarrassed, 'How can this be? You're a guest.'

Meng Dangni zi smiled gently, 'If you don't treat me as an outsider, please let me help.'

Chopping vegetables, stir-frying, simmering porridge…

Zhang Shen watched, bewildered, 'Xixi said you manage the great estate, have many servants around you, I never expected you to also be skilled in cooking.'

Meng Dangni zi laughed, 'Before I left the inner chambers I couldn't do it either; after becoming a mother, Qinger was picky, so I wanted to make food for her myself, gradually learned, and actually came to like it.'

Zhang Shen sighed, 'They say that becoming a mother is like being reborn; you too have had it hard.'

Outside, Qinger and Shitou were tossing a ball for Little Flower to play, laughter filling the small courtyard.

Gu Xixi, An Qinghe, and He Jinglan each had a small stool, sitting under the eaves working hard.

Lao Langzhong said, 'Pay close attention, these are of great use!'