Author Archives: Thandar

Princess Carry

Anfu Temple was located at the mountain top. Although the mountain wasn’t particularly high, it still took about two quarters of an hour to descend from the top to the foot of the mountain at a normal pace.

However, for Xue Baizhu, who was carrying an adult on his back, two quarters of an hour was clearly a bit challenging. Especially when the person he was carrying was someone he admired and intended to pursue, it didn’t matter if the journey took longer. Moreover, the path was a bit slippery, and if he accidentally slipped and fell, his image would be completely ruined.

Therefore, Xue Baizhu walked slowly but steadily. He was cautious.

Halfway down the mountain, Brother Chang watched as Xue Baizhu’s forehead was covered in sweat, and he was walking slower than others passing by. Brother Chang felt guilty and wondered if he was too heavy for Xue Baizhu to carry.

He said, “Young Master Xue, you can put me down. I can walk down slowly on my own.”

Xue Baizhu shook his head and said, “It’s alright, you’re not heavy. I’m just worried that if we walk too fast on the wet ground after yesterday’s rain, I might slip and drop you.”

Hearing this, Brother Chang felt a warm sensation in his heart. This Xue Baizhu, who usually appeared delicate and incapable of any physical labor, had been carrying him for such a long time.

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat off Xue Baizhu’s forehead.

Xue Baizhu cooperatively stopped walking and slightly turned his face, allowing Brother Chang to wipe the sweat for him.

At this moment, their faces were very close, with only about half a foot of distance between them.

Brother Chang’s breath gently brushed against the side of Xue Baizhu’s face, softly and delicately, creating a slight tingling sensation.

“Thank you,” Xue Baizhu chuckled softly and, once Brother Chang finished wiping the sweat, quickly turned his head away.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The proximity between them felt too close, as if a slight turn of the head would make Xue Baizhu’s face touch Brother Chang’s. He felt slightly nervous, and his ears grew warm.

Brother Chang withdrew his hand and placed it on Xue Baizhu’s shoulder. His eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of Xue Baizhu’s reddened pointed ears.

It must be tough for him in this cold weather. His body was sweating, yet his ears were still frozen and red.

Perhaps it was because Xue Baizhu had been learning medicine from his father since childhood, there was a faint herbal scent emanating from him, noticeable only when they were close.

It wasn’t unpleasant.

Knowing that he was a doctor, it actually made Brother Chang feel somewhat reassured and at ease.

It felt different from their usual conversations.

He wondered when it started, but Xue Baizhu would chat with Brother Chang for a while every morning during breakfast.

Despite his scholarly appearance, he enjoyed talking with Brother Chang, a mere employee of a snack shop. He was very easygoing and had no airs about him, perhaps because he was a doctor with a compassionate heart.

But talking with him was quite enjoyable…

“Brother Chang, we’ve arrived.”

Upon hearing Xue Baizhu’s voice, Brother Chang snapped back to reality. Somehow, they had already descended from the mountain and reached the carriage.

Xue Baizhu helped Brother Chang onto the carriage seat and said, “You can go directly to the Almond Hall. I’ll prepare some medicine for you to apply.”

“Thank you, Young Master Xue.” Brother Chang expressed his gratitude and handed Xue Baizhu the handkerchief, saying, “Here, wipe yourself.”

Xue Baizhu took it and wiped his sweat, smiling. “I’ll return it to you after I clean it.”

“No need to trouble yourself. Give it to me, and I’ll wash it.” Brother Chang reached out to take the handkerchief.

However, Xue Baizhu stuffed it into his pocket and said, “No, I’ll wash it and return it to you. Hurry and get into the carriage; it’s cold outside.”

Chang Le supported Brother Chang as they got into the carriage, and the coachman drove them back. The Xue family’s carriage followed behind.

Chang Le glanced at Brother Chang and gestured, expressing that Young Master Xue was really good-hearted.

Brother Chang nodded and said, “Yes, he’s quite nice.”

Seeing that Brother Chang didn’t respond much, Chang Le gestured again, suggesting that whoever becomes his spouse would surely be very fortunate.

“Yes, he’s a good person with a good personality. Dr. Ye and Dr. Xue are also great. They’re all doctors, understanding and reasonable. Anyone who marries into their family would be incredibly lucky, like having accumulated eight lifetimes of blessings. With their background and upbringing, they’d surely find a worthy and knowledgeable partner,” Brother Chang sighed and added, “a good match.”

“Marrying someone of equal social status, knowledgeable and reasonable…”

So that’s what Brother Chang was thinking. No wonder he didn’t react much; he hadn’t considered it at all.

Chang Le gestured again, saying, “I don’t think Young Master Xue is the type to care about social status.”

Brother Chang glanced at Chang Le, shook his head, and chuckled, “The difference would be too great. They would have nothing to talk about all day, wouldn’t it be boring?”

Chang Le gestured, pointing out, “But you get along well with Young Master Xue.”

“Me?” Brother Chang pointed to himself and burst into laughter. He laughed for quite a while before stopping and saying, “Brother Le, you don’t know. Young Master Xue, you see, he likes eating dim sum, and that’s why he chats with me.”

Chang Le blinked and said, “He picks the dim sum you make every day.”

Brother Chang was surprised and exclaimed, “Is that so?”

Chang Le winked at Brother Chang and gestured, “Don’t believe me? See for yourself. He even knows which ones you made.”

Brother Chang looked at Chang Le skeptically, shaking his head and saying, “It’s impossible.”

Although Young Master Xue had guessed what dim sum he made a couple of times, it was only once or twice, he asked himself. The other times he didn’t ask, he didn’t pay attention. But no matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely. With so many dim sum, could he really know every day which ones he made? They all looked quite similar, after all.

“It’s absolutely impossible,” Brother Chang firmly held his ground.

Chang Le shook his head helplessly, indicating that he should see for himself.

When the carriage arrived at the Almond Hall, Chang Le helped Brother Chang down. He was about to carry Brother Chang inside when he saw Xue Baizhu jump down from the carriage behind them. He immediately stopped.

Then, Xue Baizhu approached and carried Brother Chang into the treatment room. Brother Chang tried to decline, but he couldn’t resist and went along with it.

Chang Le followed behind with a smile as they entered the medicine hall.

Xue Baizhu personally applied herbal medicine to Brother Chang’s injury, then bandaged it up and instructed, “Eat light food for the next few days, and be careful not to get this foot wet or put weight on it. I’ll come over every morning to change the dressing for you, so you don’t have to come here.”

Brother Chang felt embarrassed and said, “But it should be me going over there.”

“Well, I go there every morning for breakfast anyway, it’s fine. Just stay put, your foot is not convenient.” Xue Baizhu finished bandaging and then squatted down, saying, “Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

Brother Chang rubbed his nose. Being carried in and out like this, with so many people in the pharmacy watching, made him feel a little embarrassed.

“I… I can walk on my own.” With that, Brother Chang stood up and prepared to hop on one foot towards the carriage at the entrance.

“Hey, I told you not to put any weight on your foot, how are you going to walk?” They were quite familiar with each other, so Xue Baizhu didn’t mince his words.

“I’ll hop over. My right foot is still fine. Watch.” Brother Chang took a hop, maintaining his balance, and then turned back to show his accomplishment to Xue Baizhu.

Xue Baizhu felt helpless and decided to walk over and horizontally carry Brother Chang in his arms.

“WHOA!” Brother Chang suddenly lost his balance, startled, and instinctively clung tightly to Xue Baizhu’s neck. Once he realized what happened, his face turned completely red. He indignantly lowered his voice and said, “Young Master Xue, what are you doing? Put me down quickly.”

Xue Baizhu was surprised to see Brother Chang blush for the first time and said, “Are you embarrassed? I just said I would carry you, but you didn’t listen. You kept hopping around. What if you fell again? It’s for your own good.”

Brother Chang felt like he was about to faint from embarrassment. He wanted to scratch this face in front of him.

How is carrying and hugging the same thing?!

“Put me down and carry me on your back!” Seeing everyone in the medicine hall watching them, with Chang Le still laughing from behind, Brother Chang urged anxiously.

Xue Baizhu chuckled and said, “It’s just a few steps, too much trouble to keep changing. Look, we’re here now.”

With that, Xue Baizhu placed Brother Chang on the carriage.

As soon as Brother Chang’s buttocks touched the carriage, he quickly let go and blushed uncontrollably. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Th-thank you!”

After speaking, he turned around and swiftly crawled into the carriage, using both his hands and feet, displaying remarkable speed.

Seeing his reaction, Xue Baizhu felt like he might have gone too far and upset him. He quickly pulled open the carriage door and said, “Hey, Brother Chang, don’t be angry. I was just worried, afraid that you might fall again…”

Brother Chang had already settled into a sitting position, and he gave Xue Baizhu a glare as he swiftly said, “Oh, Young Master Xue, I didn’t hear what you said. There are still people waiting for you in the pharmacy. Hurry back. Thank you so much for today, really, thank you.”

Listening to him speak without any signs of breathlessness, Xue Baizhu suppressed his laughter and thought, How can someone be this adorable? Even when angry, he’s cute.

“Alright then, I’ll come tomorrow to change your bandages. Remember not to let it get wet,” Xue Baizhu rubbed his nose with his index finger and suddenly said, “Or maybe I should accompany you back to the snack shop?”

“No need!” Brother Chang immediately refused. If he let Xue Baizhu carry him back to the snack shop again, he might as well not exist. He would be laughed to death.

Xue Baizhu regretfully said, “Alright, then be careful on your own. Don’t put any pressure on that foot for a while. Remember.”

“I will remember!” Brother Chang nodded quickly.

Chang Le had been listening from behind for quite a while and could barely hold back his laughter. Seeing that they had finally finished talking, he quickly got on the carriage.

As the coachman drove the carriage for some distance, Chang Le covered his stomach and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

It was fortunate that he couldn’t make any sound, or else the inside of the carriage would be filled with laughter by now.

“Why are you laughing? What’s so funny?!” Brother Chang grabbed a small cushion from the carriage and started hitting Chang Le with it while complaining, “You’re just laughing and laughing?! You only enjoy watching me make a fool of myself, but you don’t help me!”

Chang Le continued to laugh while innocently gesturing, indicating that he couldn’t make it in time to assist, so Xue Baizhu ended up carrying him instead.

Brother Chang vented his frustration by hitting the cushion, but as he got more and more worked up, he couldn’t help but start laughing himself.

This whole incident was just too embarrassing!

“It’s all your fault, all your fault, all your fault! I’m going to get revenge…” Brother Chang reached out his hand and started scratching Chang Le, specifically targeting the places where Chang Le was ticklish. He scratched wherever it itched the most.

Chang Le dodged and pleaded for mercy, laughing so hard that he could barely catch his breath.

When the carriage passed by House of Prosperity, Chang Le didn’t get off the carriage. Instead, he instructed the coachman to go directly to the snack shop.

The Almond Hall wasn’t far from the snack shop, so after a while of laughter and playfulness, they arrived.

Chang Le jumped off the carriage first, then stretched out his arms, gesturing as if he wanted to be lifted up.

Brother Chang had just moved away when he saw Chang Le teasing him again. He reached out and gave a firm pat on Chang Le’s hand, saying with a mix of crying and laughter, “You again?! Let me tell you, you better not tell anyone else, not even Boss Yu. If you do, I won’t let it go!”

Chang Le didn’t dodge his palm and nodded with a smile, carrying Brother Chang back to the snack shop.

On the other side, after returning to the pharmacy, Xue Baizhu entered his consultation room and saw his mother sitting inside.

“Mother, should I escort you back?” he asked.

Ye Man glanced at him and said impatiently, “Do you still remember your mother?”

Xue Baizhu scratched his head and laughed, “Mother, what are you saying? Of course, I remember you. Who could forget you?”

“Enough with the flattery,” Ye Man took a sip of water and then asked, “Did you ask Master Wu to help you deceive someone today?”

Xue Baizhu immediately shook his head and said, “Deceive? Mother, I didn’t deceive anyone. I asked Master Wu for guidance for Brother Chang. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know when he could have an awakening. And, Master Wu isn’t just randomly speaking. He also saw that Brother Chang and I are a good match based on our facial features, so he was willing to help. Didn’t you tell me to find someone to get married quickly? I’m just working hard on that, right?”

Ye Man shook his head and said, “Silly child, you still have a long way to go. I didn’t see any signs that Brother Chang likes you.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Baizhu also sighed and said, “Yes, why hasn’t he had an awakening? It must be because my approach is wrong, too subtle. It should be more obvious. But today, when it was obvious, he got angry again.”

Ye Man shook his head, wondering if this silly child is really his biological son. He didn’t grasp the key to the problem at all.

“Well, mother, how about you give me some advice?” Xue Baizhu leaned on the table, looking eagerly at his mother.

Ye Man raised an eyebrow and asked, “Advice about what?”

Xue Baizhu said, “Tell me how my father pursued you back then. Give me some reference.”

Ye Man let out a cold snort and said, “Your father and I grew up together, childhood sweethearts. What reference can I give you? You’re the one who wants to marry, not me. Figure it out on your own.”

Saying that, Ye Man leisurely went next door to find his childhood friend, Old Xue.

Xue Baizhu: …Oh my goodness!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Is it just me coz I don’t really care for these two?

You Look Particularly Cute When You’re Jealous

Chang Le took the opportunity to have another conversation with Brother Chang and learned that Xue Baizhu has breakfast at the snack shop every day.

In the following days, Chang Le purposely persuaded Yu Qingze to wake up fifteen minutes earlier each day, so they could have breakfast and coincidentally run into Xue Baizhu.

After observing for several days, they noticed that when Xue Baizhu arrived at the shop, the servant would fetch his food, and then he would chat with Brother Chang for a while. They appeared to be enjoying their conversations, but they never talked for too long, as it would end when the servant finished settling the bill.

Chang Le also noticed that Xue Baizhu would always eat the dim sum made by Brother Chang. It was a mystery how he could differentiate them. Chang Le had to ask Brother Chang himself to find out what dim sum he had made that day.

The more Chang Le observed, the more he felt that Xue Baizhu definitely had feelings for Brother Chang.

Brother Chang was attractive, with a pair of lively eyes. He had a lively and cheerful personality, was diligent and filial, and treated people well. He was such a good ger, and if Chang Le were a man, he would also like him.

Chang Le felt that only a good man would be worthy of Brother Chang.

Speaking of which, Brother Chang turned eighteen this year and would soon be nineteen after the Chinese New Year. Getting married at this age was considered late in the village. Because he had previously told his family that he wanted to find his own partner, his parents couldn’t do anything about it. They hoped he would find someone he liked, so they let him be.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

If it’s Xue Baizhu, Young Master Xue…

Chang Le’s lips curved into a smile, thinking that his idea was really great!

Yu Qingze looked at Chang Le, who was staring intently at Xue Baizhu with a smile on his face, and instantly became unhappy. It would have been fine if it was just for a day or two, but it had been three or four days already!

He held Chang Le’s face in his hands, turning it towards himself, and asked unhappily, “Wife, are you enjoying looking at other men?”

Chang Le was baffled:…

After a while, he finally reacted and immediately smiled, his eyes curving with amusement. He gestured playfully, “Husband, are you jealous?”

Yu Qingze nodded solemnly and said, “Yes, I’m jealous. Don’t stare at other men.”

Chang Le blinked his eyes and playfully gestured with a smile, “You look especially good when you’re jealous.”

Yu Qingze:…

Chang Le pulled Yu Qingze’s hand away from his face and gestured, “Don’t you think Young Master Xue and Brother Chang are a perfect match?”

Young Master Xue and Brother Chang?

Yu Qingze turned his head towards the direction of the door, looking at the two of them, and asked Chang Le, “Is this what you’ve been thinking about these past few days?”

Chang Le nodded and gestured, “Young Master Xue always comes and chats with Brother Chang every day, and he always eats the snacks made by him.”

Yu Qingze:… I really haven’t paid attention to this.

Chang Le gestured again, “It would be great if they could be together.”

Yu Qingze took a sip of porridge and said, “That depends on fate. We shouldn’t meddle.”

Chang Le naturally understood this and nodded. In his heart, he thought that if there was a chance to bring them together, he would definitely help make it happen.

That day, the weather was particularly cold, with rain falling and the strong northern wind howling, causing the windows to rattle. It was gloomy and chilly.

Before going to sleep, Chang Le listened to the sound of the wind and rain outside, worriedly gesturing to Yu Qingze, “It’s so cold, I hope the guards are okay. Should we send them a couple of thick coats?”

Usually, when it was mealtime, Chang Le and the others would pack the food into lunch boxes and place them in the storage room. They would go there to eat, and once they finished their meal, they would disappear.

Yu Qingze glanced outside and said, “I don’t know where they are hiding, but they have experience, so they should be fine, right?”

However, he still had some concerns. Yu Qingze took two coats and went for a walk. He asked in the empty hall, “Guard Luo, are you feeling cold? I brought you two thick coats.”

“Thank you, Boss Yu. We’re fine. Please go and rest.”

Yu Qingze looked up, and the voice seemed to come from the ceiling. He placed the coats on a chair and said, “I’ll leave the coats here. If you feel cold, remember to put them on.”

“Okay, thank you.”

In the middle of the night, Yu Qingze and the others were suddenly awakened by a loud noise, which sounded like a fight.

Yu Qingze quickly put on the thick coat and pants, grabbed a stick from the corner, and went out.

The sound was coming from the kitchen. He hurriedly approached the kitchen and found it pitch dark inside, only seeing three figures entangled in a brawl. He couldn’t tell who was who, making it difficult to intervene.

He returned to the room, took out a lamp and lit it. By that time, the fight had already stopped.

Chang Le also woke up and gestured, “What happened?”

“I don’t know, let’s go and have a look.”

The two of them arrived at the kitchen with the lamps, and the area was already illuminated.

“Did we wake you up, Boss Yu?” Guard Luo asked when he saw the two of them awake.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “No problem. What’s going on? What does this person want?”

On the ground, another guard was tying up a person dressed in black.

Guard Luo replied, “He entered through the front window, and I wanted to see what he was up to, so I let him in. After coming in, he went straight to the kitchen, so it should be someone from that side.”

That side referred to the Jia family. Ever since Jia Xiaoren was arrested, Xiang Man Yuan had closed its doors the next day.

Just as Lord Cai had speculated, they were indeed still thinking about seeking revenge.

“We’ll take him to the authorities tomorrow. Don’t worry, Boss Yu, you can rest. We’ll handle the interrogation, and we’ll let you know the news tomorrow,” Guard Luo said.

Seeing the person being captured, Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

The next morning, it was unclear where the person was taken for interrogation by the guards, but when he returned, he appeared visibly dejected.

Guard Luo informed Yu Qingze that this person was one of the individuals raised by Jia Xiaoren. Since Jia Xiaoren was arrested, those people naturally dispersed, but some of them managed to establish contact with Jia Xiaoren’s father. This person was sent by Jia Xiaoren’s father to seek revenge for his son.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take him to the authorities,” Guard Luo said. He and another guard from the snack shop hoisted the person up, leaving one guard on each side to watch over things, and then they headed towards the authorities.

During breakfast, Brother Chang and the others also learned about it.

Brother Chang’s mother said, “We’ve been going through a rough time lately. With so many things happening, it’s best to go to the temple when we have the chance, pray to the Bodhisattva, and seek blessings for peace.”

Brother Qing said, “I heard a gentleman say a couple of days ago that the Anfu Temple in the eastern part of the city is quite spiritual. They recently got a new abbot with profound spiritual powers, and many people have been going there to pray for peace and have him recite sutras to bless them with peace and safety.”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le felt somewhat intrigued. They had indeed experienced many things over the past year.

“Brother Le, tomorrow is the fifteenth, and you don’t have to undergo acupuncture. How about we go to Anfu Temple to pray to the Bodhisattva? Let’s bring back some blessings of peace,” Brother Chang suggested.

Hearing this, Chang Le nodded.

Yu Qingze didn’t have much opinion on this matter. He used to be a materialist, but ever since he experienced the phenomenon of transmigration himself, his worldview had been overturned. It seemed as if there truly existed some incredible and inexplicable forces in the world.

Well, at this point, he adopted an attitude of “rather believe it exists than dismiss it.” Besides, if it could bring peace of mind to Chang Le, he thought it was quite good.

The next morning, Chang Le and Brother Chang set off in a carriage.

Anfu Temple was situated on a nearby mountain in the eastern part of the city, and it was bustling with incense. The rain had stopped that day, and it being the fifteenth, there were many people coming to pray for blessings.

They instructed the coachman to park the carriage at the foot of the mountain, and Chang Le and Brother Chang proceeded up the mountain with their incense and candles.

After paying their respects to the Bodhisattva, the two of them specifically went to the newly appointed abbot to request blessings of peace.

The place was crowded, and they had to wait in line for quite some time before it was their turn.

Chang Le requested five blessings of peace, one for each member of their family, praying for their health and safety.

Brother Chang also requested blessings of peace for each member of their family. As they were about to leave with the blessings, the abbot suddenly said to Brother Chang, “Esteemed donor, I perceive the signs of spring in your brows and the aura of romance on your face. The red phoenix star is stirring, indicating a fortunate encounter with a significant other in the near future.”

“Huh?” Brother Chang was perplexed and asked, “Master, are you referring to me?”

Chang Le, who was listening nearby, suddenly brightened his eyes!

Fortunate encounter with a significant other!

The abbot nodded and said, “This person is a suitable match for the donor. Please do not miss this opportunity.”

Upon hearing this, Brother Chang became interested and asked, “Master, may I know the surname and name of this significant other and what they look like? How can I recognize that they are the one for me?”

The master wore a mysterious expression and said, “This is the secret of fate. The donor must rely on their heart and personal intuition.”

“I see. In that case, Master, may I request a marriage charm as well? Please consult with the Bodhisattva and bless me with the opportunity to meet my significant other soon,” Brother Chang sat back down and spoke to the master.

So, Brother Chang obtained another marriage charm.

After the two of them left, a figure approached the master, bowed, and said, “Thank you, Master, for your assistance.”

Leaving Anfu Temple, the two of them walked down the mountain.

Brother Chang held the marriage charm, examining it with delight and a beaming smile.

Chang Le looked at him teasingly and said, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Who knows, you might meet your significant other today.”

Brother Chang blushed slightly, a rare sight, and playfully bumped Chang Le with his arm, saying, “There’s no need to rush. It would be great if I can meet them next year.”

Chang Le gestured and said, “Perhaps they have already appeared and are waiting for you to cross paths. Didn’t the master mention it would be in the near future?”

“Really?” Brother Chang couldn’t help but look up and daydream. It would be wonderful if someone as good to him as Boss Yu was to Chang Le could come into his life.

Lost in his thoughts, Brother Chang accidentally missed a step and twisted his foot on the stone steps.

“Ouch, it hurts!” Brother Chang cried out in pain, almost stumbling if Chang Le hadn’t swiftly held onto him.

Chang Le helped him sit on a nearby stone, gesturing, “How is it? Does it hurt a lot?”

“It hurts, feels like a sprain,” Brother Chang touched his left ankle, frowning.

Chang Le removed Brother Chang’s shoe and sock, revealing a red and swollen ankle. He gently touched it, causing Brother Chang to wince in pain.

Seeing this, Chang Le was about to put the shoe and sock back on and carry Brother Chang down the mountain.

At that moment, two figures stood in front of them.

“Brother Le, Brother Chang, what happened to you two?” It was Xue Baizhu and Dr. Ye standing before them.

Both of them looked up and saw Xue Baizhu and Dr. Ye. Chang Le felt a surge of joy; Brother Chang’s significant other had arrived!

Upon seeing Dr. Ye and Xue Baizhu, Brother Chang furrowed his brow and explained, “Dr. Ye, Young Master Xue? Are you here to pray for blessings too? I accidentally twisted my foot.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Baizhu immediately approached and squatted down, frowning. He said, “Let me take a look.”

Chang Le gave him space and stepped aside.

Xue Baizhu half-knelt, holding Brother Chang’s left ankle with his left hand and gently extending it. He carefully examined it and checked again, saying, “It’s a sprain, but there’s no bone injury. It’s not serious.”

Upon hearing that it wasn’t serious, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Xue Baizhu helped Brother Chang put on his sock, securing it in place. He squatted down and said, “Come on, I’ll carry you down.”

“What? You’ll carry me?” Brother Chang looked at Xue Baizhu’s back, hesitating for a moment, and said, “I… I can go down by myself. I can find a tree branch to lean on.”

Xue Baizhu said, “Come on, it’s better to go down quickly and apply some medicine.”

“I… I’m quite heavy.” It was evident from his scholarly appearance that he wasn’t accustomed to strenuous activities. Could he really carry me? Brother Chang had some doubts.

Xue Baizhu chuckled and glanced at Brother Chang, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you.”

Brother Chang looked at him and then glanced at Chang Le.

Chang Le nodded at him while holding his shoes.

“Well then, I’ll trouble Young Master Xue,” Brother Chang reluctantly climbed onto Xue Baizhu’s back.

“Make sure you hold on tight,” Xue Baizhu secured Brother Chang’s legs and stood up in one smooth motion, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he walked down the mountain.

Chang Le supported Dr. Ye as they followed behind. In his heart, he thought to himself, the words of the master truly have power.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Author’s note: Brother Chang frowned, thinking to himself, “This frail body of mine…”

Xue Baizhu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Want to try a princess carry?”

He Couldn’t Help But Make a Move

Sizzle, crackle, sizzle…

Several skewers of pork belly and chicken fillets were placed on the heated iron plate, instantly producing the sizzling sound of oil. Before long, the oil from the pork belly started to seep out, filling the air with a delightful aroma of meat.

Yu Qingze continuously flipped and grilled the pork belly and chicken fillets on the iron plate. Once the meat was cooked to perfection, he sprinkled them with five-spice powder, cumin powder, chili powder, and Sichuan peppercorn powder. When the pork belly turned translucent and the chicken fillets changed color, he brushed them with his special sauce, gave them a slight toss, and voilà, the masterpiece was complete.

The fragrant scent of grilled meat and the aroma of cumin wafted through the entire hall of House of Prosperity, tantalizing the senses of all the guests.

“Is that the aroma of grilled meat? Hey, buddy, do you sell grilled meat here? We’ll have a portion too,” one customer asked.

Xiaoshu couldn’t help but sniffle, his mouth watering at the sight. He smiled and replied, “No, House of Prosperity doesn’t serve grilled meat regularly. The boss made it specially today to entertain his friends.”

The guests expressed their regret, saying, “Is that so? What a pity. Just the smell makes me crave it.”

At this time, it was approaching dinner time, and there were already seven or eight tables occupied in the dining hall. People arrived early to secure their seats and passed the time by sipping tea.

After Yu Qingze finished discussing matters with a few business partners in the afternoon, he called them over and went to the backyard together to see him cooking Tie Ban Shao.

Master Liao picked up a skewer of pork belly, slightly charred with translucent fat, and visible specks of cumin on the surface. He took a bite, devouring two pieces.

The pork belly was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry. The slightly charred and crispy oil residue on the side had a fragrant aroma, combined with the flavors of cumin and other spices. This grilled pork belly was simply a carnivore’s favorite!

“Mm, this grilled pork belly is delicious. I love this kind of meat!” Master Liao finished a skewer of pork belly in just a few bites and then took another skewer of chicken fillet.

The chicken fillet was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, infused with the flavors of spices and seasonings. The taste was absolutely fantastic.

“It’s delicious! Just too little to satisfy my craving! Xiaoyu, grill more!” Master Hu exclaimed while tasting it. He glanced at the shrimp marinating in the bowl and said, “Mm, it’s delicious. Don’t you dare snatch the shrimp from me later. If anyone dares to, I’ll be furious.”

Since squid and shrimp have strong flavors, they need to be grilled last to avoid flavor contamination. Both Master Hu and Young Master Zhao, who loved seafood, were eagerly awaiting the seafood.

“If you snatch my meat, I’ll be mad at you,” Master Liao teased him. He had finished his portion and sighed, “Ah, if only we had a cask of wine at this moment. Sipping on wine and eating grilled meat, life is so beautiful! Xiaoyu, you’re grilling too slowly. We’ve already finished eating.”

Yu Qingze grilled another ten skewers and placed them on a plate. Within moments, five skewers disappeared. He smiled and asked, “Do the family heads think this flavor is suitable for opening a restaurant? Can we make money from it?”

“It’s great! It’s definitely a winner!”

“Absolutely, it must be!”

Yu Qingze smiled and started grilling vegetables. He continued, “Master Liao, you made a good point earlier. With this meat, we should have some wine options as well. We can bring in different-priced wines, and they’ll surely sell well.”

Young Master Zhao suggested, “Should we have private rooms like House of Prosperity?”

Yu Qingze replied, “That’s a possibility. However, in that case, we’ll need a larger space, maybe two floors, as one floor won’t be enough.”

Another family head chimed in, “Having a bigger space is no problem. As long as we have this flavor, we’re not afraid.”

As Yu Qingze grilled, the family heads enjoyed the food and discussed their plans.

After tasting a skewer of grilled cabbage, Young Master Zhao remarked, “Grilled cabbage has its own unique flavor. Uncle Liao, give it a try. It’s delicious.”

Master Liao, being a true carnivore, didn’t touch any of the grilled vegetables and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t like eating greens. You guys enjoy.”

Master Hu murmured, “Be careful, you might do that thing again.”

“What thing?” Young Master Zhao asked, raising his head.

Master Liao’s face turned red. He glared at Master Hu and said to Young Master Zhao, “It’s nothing, nothing. Don’t listen to your Uncle Hu’s nonsense.” However, he reached out and took a skewer of grilled cabbage to eat.

Finally, the grilled squid and shrimp arrived. Master Hu and Young Master Zhao had been waiting for a long time.

Yu Qingze cleaned the iron plate, heated it, and added a little oil. He placed the marinated squid skewers on the hot iron plate. While grilling, he used a small spatula to squeeze out the excess moisture from the squid, flipping them and pressing them again. When the squid changed color and curled up on the edges, he sprinkled some onion slices, cumin powder, and Sichuan peppercorn powder as well as other spices, brushed them with special sauce. In no time, the aroma of grilled squid filled the air.

“Try it,” Yu Qingze placed a large plate of grilled squid in front of Master Hu.

Master Hu brought the plate to a small table and immediately took a skewer to taste.

The squid was delicious, tender, savory, fragrant, not greasy, and without any fishy taste. The flavor was excellent.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“It tastes good!” Master Hu nodded.

Young Master Zhao also nodded and said, “Delicious.”

While they both enjoyed the food, Yu Qingze was more concerned about the other three’s opinions. He asked, “Master Liao, Master Lin, Master Tian, what do you think? If someone who usually doesn’t care about food likes it after trying, would that be a good sign?”

They represented those who were indifferent about food on a regular basis.

“It’s not bad,” Master Lin nodded and said, “I think seafood might need a stronger flavor to be more enjoyable.”

Master Tian remarked, “The spicy flavor helps to mask the fishy smell, and Boss Yu has handled it well, so we don’t perceive it as fishy. But can an ordinary cook handle it well?”

Yu Qingze replied, “In fact, if the marination process is done properly and we pay a little attention while grilling, it can be achieved by most cooks.”

Master Liao said, “It’s very good, I think it’s feasible.” As he spoke, Master Liao ate another skewer.

Yu Qingze prepared the shrimp as well.

The taste of the shrimp was even more appealing than the squid, and the several bosses were very satisfied, especially Master Hu, who loved shrimp. He ate almost half of them by himself.

After tasting all the flavors from the iron plate, the group moved to a private room upstairs to continue their meal and discuss business matters.

The collaboration was decided upon, but the final draft of the contract still needed to be prepared. Master Hu was tasked with drafting the contract.

Master Hu worked quickly and completed the draft of the cooperation agreement within two days. The group then found time to gather together, discussing and making revisions one by one until the final version was settled.

Afterward, they rewrote six copies, and each person signed and stamped them. The agreement was finalized.

Regarding investment and profit distribution, Master Lin and Master Tian each held one share, while the remaining four families held two shares each. As Yu Qingze possessed culinary skills and Master Hu played a decisive role in shipping operations, the two of them used their expertise to contribute an additional share. In terms of investment, each of them only needed to contribute an additional sum of silver.

With an initial sum of eight hundred taels of silver gathered, the work began.

Master Hu will handle the shipping aspect, buying a few boats and leasing a few more. They also need to find experienced captains and crew members. Master Lin and Master Tian will handle the recruitment for the restaurant. Yu Qingze is responsible for the design of the shop, as well as training the chef and staff. Master Liao will find the shop location and oversee the renovation, while Young Master Zhao will purchase and customize other items according to Yu Qingze’s specifications.

Everyone became busy, and time flew by unnoticed, entering the twelfth lunar month.

After the Laba Festival, Xue family’s pharmacy, called Almond Hall, opened for business on Dongda Street. They had previously operated a pharmacy in the capital and had experience in the field. As all of them were doctors, they could provide medical consultations without the need to hire other doctors.

Xue Baizhu’s elder brother was knowledgeable about medicinal herbs and managed the procurement of herbs. Dr. Ye provided them with the herbs at cost, which they were deeply grateful for.

On the day of the grand opening, Yu Qingze and Chang Le brought gifts to congratulate them.

Having a doctor who had served in the imperial capital and could run a pharmacy while providing medical consultations was a great benefit for the people of Tongshan. Many people went to celebrate on the opening day.

Yu Qingze and Chang Le didn’t disturb for long and soon returned.

The next day, when they went to the snack shop to have dim sum, as soon as they sat down, they saw Xue Baizhu entering with his servant.

Shortly after, they noticed the servant went straight to collect their order, while Xue Baizhu walked over to Brother Chang and greeted him before striking up a conversation. They seemed quite familiar with each other.

Chang Le nudged Yu Qingze’s arm, gesturing for him to look over there.

“What’s going on?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Le glanced in that direction and secretly gestured to Yu Qingze, asking, “When did Brother Chang and Young Master Xue become so acquainted?”

Yu Qingze took a glance and shook his head, saying, “I don’t know. You guys go to his house every day, maybe Brother Chang got bored waiting outside and struck up a conversation with Young Master Xue?”

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, “Every time we go there, Young Master Xue has already left. Only once or twice did we happen to see him leaving, and they just exchanged greetings without much conversation.”

Yu Qingze shrugged and said, “Then I don’t know.”

Seeing that Yu Qingze was not sensitive to this matter at all, Chang Le quietly continued to observe on his own.

At the entrance, Xue Baizhu asked, ” rother Chang, what kinds of dim sum did you make today?”

Brother Chang glanced at him, handed a tray to a customer, and then smiled, “Guess.”

Xue Baizhu walked around the dim sum area and then said, “Lotus seed buns and crystal dumplings. Am I right?”

Brother Chang widened his eyes, looking astonished, and asked, “How did you know?”

Xue Baizhu smirked and said, “Guess?”

Upon hearing this, Brother Chang burst into laughter and said, “Why are you so concerned about it?”

“This is my secret,” Xue Baizhu shook his head and smiled, then called out to his servant, “Guipi, bring me two lotus seed buns, a plate of crystal dumplings, and a bowl of red bean porridge.”

“Yes, young master,” Guipi, the servant boy, responded loudly.

“Young Master Xue, you seem to be a bit late today,” Brother Chang said as he guided the guests, finding a moment to ask Xue Baizhu.

“Yeah, my father tested me on my studies yesterday, and it went late. I overslept this morning, so I got up a bit late,” Xue Baizhu glanced at Brother Chang, winked, and asked, “Brother Chang, do you know when I usually come here every day?”

Brother Chang nodded and replied, “Every day, you leave right after finishing your meal. Brother Le and his husband will come over shortly after. They arrived earlier today.”

“Oh…” Xue Baizhu subconsciously looked over at Chang Le’s table and happened to meet Chang Le’s curious gaze. He smiled and nodded, then turned his head and touched his nose. Seeing that the bill had been settled by the servant, he said, “Brother Chang, I’ll go have my breakfast now.”

“Sure, enjoy your meal, Young Master Xue,” Brother Chang said with a smile.

Xue Baizhu followed the servant to a table and began eating.

Chang Le glanced at Brother Chang, then at Xue Baizhu, and his lips curled into a slight smile.

When they were on the carriage heading to Xue’s residence, Chang Le pulled Brother Chang and tentatively gestured to him: Young Master Xue can treat patients at such a young age. He’s truly remarkable.

Brother Chang nodded and said, “Yes, in the morning, I heard that his father even tested him on his medical skills. Do you think he might misdiagnose someone?”

Chang Le smirked and gestured: Are you worried?

Brother Chang nodded and said, “A little. I mean, if he makes a mistake, it would be unfortunate for the patient.”

Chang Le winked…

He gestured, “Aren’t you worried about Young Master Xue?”

Brother Chang frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “I’m a little worried, what if the patient’s family members end up hitting him? He looks like the type that can’t help but provoke others.”

Chang Le: …Something seems off.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: LOL Brother Chang, that’s why you still single eh

Bursting Towards the Ocean

Master Hu’s words immediately energized Yu Qingze. He asked, “Master Hu, are you interested?”

Master Hu nodded and said, “If we can truly tap into the seafood market as you described, there’s definitely money to be made. However, the issue lies in the complexity of bringing seafood back. Seafood usually doesn’t survive long without seawater, and I believe it usually lasts only a few days on the market. It takes about three days from our location to the mouth of the sea, and there aren’t many Hongyun ships. Therefore, we can only obtain seafood from the areas near the coastal mouth to ensure a shipment every three days.”

“But if we want to venture further, we would need to form a fleet to ensure a timely supply of fresh seafood. It depends on how long it takes to reach a particular destination. If it takes a month for a one-way trip, we would need at least eleven ships to guarantee a fresh batch of seafood every three days. If it’s even farther, we would need to increase the number. That would require a significant investment.”

Indeed, he was the leader of Tongshan’s shipping industry, thinking this far ahead.

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment and said, “Eleven ships would indeed be a substantial investment. Preserving fresh seafood is a challenge. If we’re planning to open a Tie Ban Shao restaurant, using sea shrimp and squid would be sufficient. I’ve heard from the Hongyun crew members that these two items are not too far away and can be transported nearby.”

“In that case, we can have two separate lines for the ships—one for closer destinations, dedicated to obtaining fresh seafood, and another for farther destinations, primarily focused on dry goods. We can also bring back other local specialty products. To exaggerate a bit, if there’s anything edible that Tongshan doesn’t have, I can figure out a way to sell it as long as we can obtain it. If we have a significant quantity of dry goods, we can even open a specialty seafood and dried goods store. When the ships travel, they can also take additional merchandise from businesses along the way. Does this sound feasible?”

Master Hu looked at Yu Qingze appreciatively; he had a sharp mind. He said, “Your idea is excellent, but it still needs careful consideration. We have limited experience in seafood transportation. If we don’t handle it properly and end up with everything dead upon arrival, we’ll be at a loss.”

Curious, Yu Qingze asked, “Do you know how Hongyun transports seafood?”

Master Hu replied, “I’ve only heard that they use specially made wooden boxes to hold the seafood in seawater before entering the river. Once they reach the mouth of the sea, they transfer everything into wooden barrels filled with seawater, and they have to bring extra seawater for replacement. It’s quite troublesome.”

“I see,” Yu Qingze frowned. In ancient times, there were no oxygen pumps, which was the main reason why seafood was difficult to transport inland. They could only rely on natural seawater.

Master Liao said, “You guys are getting into the details. Old Hu, shouldn’t we decide whether we’re going to collaborate and how many ships you can provide?”

Master Hu said, “We need to make sure it’s feasible. You’re too impatient. Fortunately, you’re not in the shipping business, or else you’d be incurring losses.”

Master Liao, who dealt in jade crafts, chimed in, “Indeed, I’m not as knowledgeable as you in this area. I can only judge jade. So, have you reached an agreement?”

(Note: Master Liao’s occupation was mentioned as dealing in jade crafts.)

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “I have no problem with that; it all depends on Master Hu.”

Master Hu replied, “There’s no major issue, but I don’t have enough ships. You’ll have to invest some money.”

Young Master Zhao was very interested in this business and said, “That’s not a problem. Discuss with Boss Yu, let us know how much we need to contribute, and we’ll do it.”

The other two family heads nodded, indicating their agreement.

“I should discuss it with Boss Yu? Are you trying to make us the hands-off managers?” Master Hu stared.

Master Liao said naturally, “Well, we don’t understand much about shipping and food business, as you mentioned earlier. Did you forget? This matter really depends on you and Boss Yu. We’ll provide the funds, and you tell us how we should proceed.”

Young Master Zhao added, “Yes, Uncle Hu and Boss Yu, you two should take the lead, and we can give suggestions along the way.”

“Do you both agree with this?” Master Hu asked the other two family heads.

The two family heads nodded.

That meant they agreed to cooperate.

Yu Qingze was very pleased in his heart.

Afterwards, they discussed the details of the cooperation and reached a preliminary agreement. However, they needed to discuss the specifics in more detail, and it wasn’t suitable to do so at this place today. Therefore, they scheduled another time to continue the negotiations.

In any case, the goal of tonight had been achieved, and Yu Qingze felt relieved.

As the banquet came to an end and the guests were seen off, it was almost time to close.

Only a few tables of customers remained downstairs, and the kitchen began cleaning up and tidying things as they were wrapping up for the day.

Yu Qingze had a bit too much to drink and felt a little dizzy, but he was still somewhat clear-headed. He walked into the kitchen and saw Chang Le washing the pots. He approached from behind and hugged him.

Chang Le was startled and turned around to see that it was Yu Qingze. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and gestured, asking if Yu Qingze had drunk too much and was feeling dizzy.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “I’m fine. Brother Le, I’m happy. Master Hu agreed.”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le smiled and gestured for Yu Qingze to let go of him. He suggested that Yu Qingze should first drink some sobering soup and then rest for a while.

However, Yu Qingze didn’t let go. His head was heavy, and he just wanted to hold onto Chang Le.

Chang Le felt helpless and firmly held onto Yu Qingze’s wrist, exerting a little force to pull his hand away. Then, he half-dragged and half-carried Yu Qingze to sit at a table in the main hall.

Da Song and the others looked on and stifled their laughter.

Jiabao also chuckled, but he was happy to see his elder brother and brother-in-law getting along so well. He poured a bowl of sobering soup and brought it out to give it to his brother-in-law.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Chang Le took the bowl and directly fed Yu Qingze to drink the soup.

After finishing the soup, Yu Qingze held onto Chang Le’s waist without letting go, burying his head in his embrace and rubbing against him. Feeling dizzy, he had no desire to move and closed his eyes, waiting for the alcohol to wear off.

Chang Le, feeling helpless, began massaging Yu Qingze’s head.

The guests at the remaining two tables soon left, and the staff finished cleaning up. Uncle Min spoke up, saying, “Brother Le, there’s medicinal soup simmering in the pot for you. It’s almost ready, so be careful. Boss Yu had too much to drink, and when you take a bath later, don’t soak for too long. Take care.”

Chang Le nodded shyly and thanked Uncle Min with a gesture.

Jiabao was a little worried. Chang Le reassured him that everything was fine and asked him to return to the rented house with everyone else.

After everyone had left, Chang Le stayed with Yu Qingze for a while longer. Finally, the effects of the alcohol began to subside a bit.

While the medicinal soup for Chang Le was still being prepared, Yu Qingze went to take a bath. He scooped out the medicinal soup from the pot and let it cool down. By the time Chang Le finished bathing, it would be ready for soaking.

Yu Qingze had no intention of looking at the account books today. After Chang Le finished the medicinal bath, cooled down from sweating, he immediately embraced Chang Le and nestled into the bed. Yu Qingze’s body covered Chang Le’s, and he kissed him passionately.

Since Chang Le started his treatment, they hadn’t been intimate, at most just a simple kiss. But now, with the lingering effects of alcohol, Yu Qingze’s body was restless, and he couldn’t resist anymore.

In the midst of their entangled lips and tongues, Chang Le mustered the last bit of rationality and gestured, indicating that Dr. Ye said they couldn’t.

Yu Qingze took a nibble and whispered, “I know, I won’t go in. Just take it out. Darling, do you want?”

Chang Le, dizzy from the kisses, his eyes watery and filled with desire, blushed even more. But he nodded. After so many days, of course, he wanted.

Seeing his response, Yu Qingze slid down his body and pulled himself under the covers…

Chang Le furrowed his brows lightly, half-closed his eyes, and felt the sensations. Afraid of suffocating his husband, he propped up the covers with his hands and bent his legs to allow air to circulate. But in the end, trembling sensations washed over him, his grip weakened, and the covers slipped off.

Yu Qingze, sweating profusely, emerged from under the covers. He grabbed a towel from the bedside and wiped away his sweat before reaching back into the covers to wipe Chang Le. He asked, “Are you comfortable, wife?”

Chang Le hadn’t fully recovered yet and only nodded lightly.

Yu Qingze kissed Chang Le’s lips and rubbed his body against him.

Chang Le also wanted to emulate Yu Qingze and serve him under the covers. But Yu Qingze held him tightly, not letting him slip down, and instead guided his hand to the right place, indicating for him to use his hand.

In the midst of the enveloping scent of Chinese medicine in the room, the two of them relieved the desires that had accumulated over the past ten days.

After they finished, they cleaned up a bit using the bathwater that Chang Le had prepared. Yu Qingze cleaned the bathtub and then embraced his wife as they slept.

The next morning, Yu Qingze woke up feeling a bit dizzy, but the pressure that had built up in his body had dissipated, leaving him feeling much lighter and relaxed.

When Dahe approached, Yu Qingze decided to have a chat with him, mainly to inquire about Dahe’s future plans. If Yu Qingze and Master Hu managed to establish a fleet in the future, he wanted Dahe to come aboard the ship and learn how to steer.

He didn’t hide his intentions from Dahe and directly told him about his plans. Then he said, “It’s not set in stone yet, but it’s highly likely. It mainly depends on you and whether you’re willing to join me. Your main responsibility would be leading the team to transport flour, seafood, and other goods. I can also ask Master Hu to find an experienced captain to teach you and guide you. It should have more prospects than just hauling sails.”

Dahe’s eyes brightened at his words, and a different kind of radiance appeared on his sunkissed face. Excitedly, he responded, “I want to go, I want to go. I’ve wanted to learn how to steer for a long time, but most captains refuse to teach.”

For over a year, Dahe had been doing manual labor on the ship, such as hauling sails and carrying cargo. These tasks only required physical strength and didn’t have much technicality. Anyone could easily replace him. He had also thought about not relying solely on physical labor in the future and wanting to learn some skills. However, he was unfortunate that the captain he followed already had apprentices and wasn’t accepting any more. So, he could only wait and make plans while hoping for an opportunity.

Now, Yu Qingze’s proposal struck a chord with him, and he couldn’t help but immediately agree.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Great, once everything is finalized, I’ll inform you.”

Dahe nodded happily and thanked him, saying, “Thank you so much, Brother Yu.”

Once everything was settled with Dahe, Yu Qingze headed to the blacksmith’s workshop to request another iron plate. Afterwards, he started preparing the recipe for Tie Ban Shao, wanting Master Hu and the other business partners to taste it beforehand to ensure a satisfactory collaboration.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Tactics

“Boss Yu, come, come, you’ve come at the right time. We were just saying that you disappeared again. Old Hu, quickly fill up his cup,” Master Hu shouted as soon as he saw Yu Qingze arrive.

Yu Qingze laughed and took a seat in the spot he was in earlier, saying, “I went to greet the officials and the others. Seeing that everyone enjoys the food, I feel relieved.”

“The dishes you made, even those who don’t usually enjoy them now love them,” Master Hu said with a smile as he poured a glass of wine for Yu Qingze. He continued, “Old Liao has been waiting for you for a while.”

Yu Qingze smiled, raised his glass to toast with Master Liao across the table, and took a drink before sitting back down.

Seeing Master Liao drink without any change in his expression, Yu Qingze couldn’t help but admire him and feel fortunate that it was the ancient times. They only had Baijiu and not beer; otherwise, someone like Master Liao would surely get into trouble.

After chatting casually with the heads of the families for a while, Yu Qingze began to inquire with Master Hu.

“Master Hu, you are familiar with shipping, and I’m not very knowledgeable in this area. I have some questions I’d like to ask you.”

Master Hu peeled a shrimp, dipped it in sauce, and ate it. He said, “What’s the matter? Speak.”

“I want to specially arrange a ship for someone to bring back some ingredients or new crops that Tongshan doesn’t have from various places. They can also bring back flour and raw materials for me. Do you think it’s feasible? How much does it cost to maintain a commercial ship?” Yu Qingze asked directly.

Master Hu looked at Yu Qingze and asked, “Do you want to buy a ship yourself? Or rent one?”

Yu Qingze asked directly, “How much does a seaworthy ship cost? And how much for renting?”

Master Hu said, “Ships come in different sizes, it depends on which one you want to buy. Here, we generally have three sizes. Excluding the ordinary fishing boats, there are three sizes that can go out to sea. There are those that are about three zhang long, five zhang, and eight zhang. Moreover, the price varies depending on the type of wood used for construction, such as fir, pine, and nanmu. Each type has a different price. The lowest would cost around fifty to sixty taels of silver, while the expensive ones can cost four to five hundred taels. Also, if you buy a ship and want to go out to sea, you’ll need a crew. Hiring an experienced helmsman and crew members would also require a considerable amount of money. The expenses for a year are not insignificant. If you’re just buying ingredients for a restaurant, it’s completely unnecessary to buy a ship.”

(T/N: A zhang is equivalent to approximately 3.3 to 3.7 meters or 10 to 12 feet).

“What about renting?” Yu Qingze asked.

Master Hu replied, “Renting is much cheaper. It’s similar to our cargo transportation. It depends on the amount of goods and the distance traveled. Generally, it ranges from ten to twenty taels or even up to a hundred taels. We usually have a fixed route for transporting goods, and one ship may have several customers. Of course, there are also cases where the entire ship is chartered if there’s a large quantity of goods.”

“Oh, I see…” Yu Qingze fell into contemplation.

Master Liao, who was nearby, heard and asked, “What’s the matter, Boss Yu? Thinking of getting a boat for fun?”

Snap out of his thoughts, Yu Qingze smiled and said, “No, it’s just that recently, flour and seafood prices have been rising. I thought about sourcing the raw materials myself. Otherwise, we’re always at the mercy of others. If another situation like Li Xiaoren or Wang Xiaoren arises one day, it would put us in a passive position.”

“In addition, there’s a fellow in our village who runs boats this year. I’ve asked him to bring back some fresh things from the places he goes to in the south and north. The durian, guava, abalone, and squid that I sell in my shop, as well as the tomatoes and eggs we currently have at home, are all brought back by him. They are all excellent products.”

“In Tongshan City, we only have Hongyun dealing with seafood, and they mostly focus on fresh products. Dried goods are scarce, so there’s still a big market for it. This time, the fellow brought back some dried seafood from the south, and I thought it could be an opportunity. That’s why I wanted to ask Master Hu about matters related to shipping. But now it seems that I can’t afford to maintain a commercial ship. It’s too expensive and not cost-effective.”

Yu Qingze sighed helplessly, took a sip of tea, ate a piece of squid, shook his head regretfully, and said, “This squid tastes great and is good for the body. It would be even better with abalone, but we hardly have any here. There are so many things that we don’t have in our area. It’s a pity.”

One of the family heads said, “Many perishable foods are difficult to preserve. Even if we manage to bring them back, they spoil after a few days. It’s unavoidable.”

“Yes, if we want to acquire something, it should be items that are easy to preserve,” another family head added.

Yu Qingze lifted his chin slightly towards the table and smiled, saying, “Well, these dried goods are good. They can be sun-dried and stored for a long time. It’s just that Hongyun doesn’t have many of them. It’s a pity I can’t afford a fleet, otherwise, I would bring back more. But Master Hu, you can do it. Your fleet often travels through various places.”

Master Hu shook his head and said, “You may not be aware, but it’s not that Hongyun brings back a small quantity. They used to bring back more, but no one bought them. It took a long time to sell, so they started bringing back only a small amount each time.”

Yu Qingze had a faint guess in his mind, but he still asked in surprise, “Why?”

Master Hu explained, “We are quite far from the sea here. People here are accustomed to eating fish and shrimp from the river. Many people find the taste of sea fish and shrimp too fishy and heavy. Moreover, they don’t know how to cook them. They only buy them once in a while to try something new. You can tell by the fact that there are only a few seafood stalls in the entire city. If the business was good, there would be more customers.”

Young Master Zhao nodded and said, “That’s true. It’s not only that they don’t know how to cook, but even when my family’s chef brings them back, as someone who loves to eat seafood, I find the taste not good. Not to mention those who don’t care much about seafood in the first place.”

The other family heads also nodded in agreement.

Master Liao suddenly said, “Well, now we have Boss Yu here, who knows how to cook. And Master Hu, you have ships. Why don’t you cooperate?”

Master Hu shook his head and said, “Bringing them back won’t be of any use. How much can House of Prosperity sell? Those who don’t like to eat seafood still won’t buy it, and those who like to eat it don’t know how to cook it and won’t regularly purchase it. Besides, not every household can afford to eat at House of Prosperity.”

Master Liao paused for a moment. It was indeed a practical issue. If they brought the seafood back, they still had to sell it.

Yu Qingze pondered for a moment and said, “I might have a solution to this problem.”

The others looked at him and asked, “What solution?”

Yu Qingze replied, “For those who don’t like to eat seafood, I’ll make them enjoy it. For those who don’t know how to cook, I can publicly teach them one or two simple recipes so that they can make it at home. Will that solve the problem?”

Young Master Zhao immediately applauded and said, “That’s a great idea. When will you teach? I’ll have my family’s chef come and learn immediately.”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Young Master Zhao, you’re too eager.”

Master Liao chimed in, “But that does solve the problem. Once everyone knows how to cook and develops a taste for it, you won’t have to worry about not finding buyers for the seafood.”

Master Hu thought for a moment and asked Yu Qingze, “What method do you plan to use to make everyone fall in love with eating seafood?”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Seafood has many ways of preparation, and we people from Tongshan love spicy food. There’s a cooking style that is particularly suitable and spreads rapidly, called Tie Ban Shao. This dish can be made with squid, scallops, shrimp, as well as chicken legs, wings, and breasts. Vegetables like mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and cilantro can also be included. Oh, and Tie Ban Shao tofu is also delicious. It can be considered a type of snack.”

As he spoke, Yu Qingze sighed and said, “Ah, I had thought about opening such a place before, but at that time, we didn’t have squid, and I didn’t have enough capital and energy to pursue it.”

(T/N: “铁板烧” (tiě bǎn shāo) is a Chinese term that refers to a style of cooking where food is prepared on a hot iron plate or griddle. It is often associated with Japanese teppanyaki, which is a similar style of cooking where ingredients like meat, seafood, and vegetables are grilled on a flat iron plate in front of diners.

There were so many possibilities, and Young Master Zhao felt impressed just listening to it. “You can open a restaurant like that now.”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “I don’t have enough energy. The assistant managing my snack shop has been trained for a long time, and I trust him. As for the restaurant, I haven’t been able to train any apprentices yet. I don’t have enough energy to open another shop. I can’t handle it alone. Unless I find someone to collaborate with.”

“Do you find Tie Ban Shao complicated?” Young Master Zhao asked.

Yu Qingze replied, “It’s not complicated. It’s actually quite easy to learn. I can teach someone in just a couple of days. But the problem is that I don’t have enough staff here. I need someone trustworthy to manage the operations.”

“And let me tell you, this food business is definitely profitable, especially because the prices are affordable, even for ordinary people. If more people start eating it, we can quickly introduce items like squid, scallops, and shrimp. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Upon hearing this, the group became intrigued.

Yu Qingze took a sip of tea, looked at the expressions of the family heads, and felt the need to further ignite their interest. He set down his teacup and continued, “This type of food is not affected by seasons. You can simply eat these foods skewered on bamboo sticks. It doesn’t matter if there are no tables and chairs. It’s perfectly fine to eat while walking. We have so many merchants in Tongshan, and the population is large. There will definitely be many customers.”

Master Liao, one of the family heads, sighed and said, “You’ve got me interested with what you’re saying.”

The other two family heads nodded in agreement.

Seeing their reactions, Yu Qingze’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Are you all interested?”

One of the family heads replied, “You make it sound so profitable, and those foods sound delicious. How can we not be interested?”

“Exactly. Boss Yu, are you intentionally trying to tempt us?” another family head chimed in.

Yu Qingze laughed heartily and said, “Oh, not at all. I initially wanted to talk to Master Hu about the ship and thought about getting flour and seafood for myself. It just so happened that our conversation reminded me of my past desire to open such a restaurant.”

Yu’s Delicious Delights specializes in dim sum, while House of Prosperity is a restaurant targeting relatively well-off families. However, in Tongshan, there are still many ordinary households. The market potential in this area is significant and needs to be properly developed.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Moreover, after the previous price surge incident, Yu Qingze deeply realized the importance of controlling the source of raw materials. He knew very well that he couldn’t afford to own a commercial ship on his own, but the Hu family did. If he could collaborate with them, it would be convenient.

Furthermore, if he formed an alliance with the Hu and Zhao families, creating a community of shared interests, in the future, if he encountered a situation like what happened with Jia Xiaoren, he could seek their help. Even if he didn’t ask, they might proactively come to his aid.

“But honestly, I really want to open such a restaurant. The amount of money to invest isn’t much of a concern. I’m just worried about the lack of seafood and someone to help manage the shop. Otherwise, I would have opened it long ago. If the family heads are interested, we can partner up and open a restaurant together, fulfilling my desire.” Yu Qingze sighed and said.

Master Hu thought for a moment and said, “We can give it a try.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Check out our official instagram. There are lots of BL pics for your cravings 😉

xxx

Seafood Feast

“Dahe, you’re back? Why did it take you so long this time?” Xiaoshu was selling cured meats at the door and saw Dahe returning, dragging a cart. He went over to help push it.

Dahe wiped the sweat off his forehead and dragged the cart to the door. He said to Xiaoshu, “It’s a long story. Xiaoshu, could you help me get those two barrels down? I can’t easily put them down right now.”

There were two large water barrels on the cart, filled about seventy to eighty percent with water. Dahe was dragging it carefully, trying to avoid splashing water onto the sacks behind. The distance from the dock to House of Prosperity wasn’t too far, but he ended up breaking a sweat in this cold winter weather.

“Okay,” Xiaoshu said and tried to lift it, but he found it too heavy and couldn’t manage. He glanced at it and frowned, “What is this, a seashell? It’s so heavy!”

He quickly called Da Song over to help him lift it together.

“It’s called a Nine-Holed Conch. It should be a valuable item. When Brother Yu comes back, we’ll let him take a look. It sells for a good price over there,” Dahe said. After they unloaded everything from the cart, he let go of the cart handle and carried the large sack into the shop.

“Hey, Xiaoshu, this sack shouldn’t get wet. Which one is the storage room? Open it for me,” Dahe walked to the back where there were two rooms and he didn’t know which one to enter.

The last time he left, House of Prosperity hadn’t opened yet, so this was his first time here. When he arrived at the snack shop earlier, the villagers he knew told him that Yu Qingze and Chang Le were staying at the restaurant now. After inquiring about the address, he finally made his way here.

Xiaoshu and Da Song came in carrying a large wooden barrel and said, “It’s the one near the main hall, the door isn’t locked. Just go in. The other room is for Boss Yu and Brother Le.”

“Oh,” Dahe took a look and then walked to the entrance of the storage room, pushing the door open and going inside.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Hey, Dahe, where should we put this wooden barrel? In the kitchen, the backyard, or should we also put it in the storage room?” Xiaoshu asked.

Dahe put down the sack and came out, saying, “Let’s put it in the kitchen for now. It’s too cold outside. Are Brother Yu and Brother Le not in the shop? Why are there no customers?”

Xiaoshu and Da Song carried the wooden barrel inside and replied, “Boss Yu took Lord Cai and two gentlemen from the capital back to the village. They should be back in the afternoon. Brother Le went to Dr. Xue’s place for treatment. He’ll be back before noon.”

“Brother Le is sick?” Dahe frowned upon hearing that Chang Le went for treatment.

Xiaoshu came out and explained in a somewhat embarrassed voice, “No, he’s not sick. It’s about Brother Le’s birthmark, which is very light in color, right? There’s a doctor who came from the capital specialized in treating it. He said he can help Brother Le regulate his body. If it works, Brother Le will be able to have children like other gers.”

“I see,” Dahe’s eyebrows relaxed upon hearing the explanation. He felt relieved and said, “That’s a good thing.”

Perhaps it was time for them to consider such matters after being married for so long.

Dahe looked at the two-story restaurant in front of him, beautifully decorated, and the cured meats sold outside were popular. He asked Xiaoshu, “Is the restaurant doing well?”

Xiaoshu replied, “It’s doing incredibly well! Customers start coming and occupying seats before noon every day. The private rooms on the second floor need to be reserved several days in advance. We’re busy every day. But we had a bit of an issue a few days ago, so we haven’t been able to open much these days.”

“What happened?” Dahe asked.

Xiaoshu then explained the incident at Xiang Man Yuan to Dahe. Dahe was surprised to hear that someone had tried to drug the restaurant. It was truly despicable!

While they were talking, they moved another large wooden barrel into the kitchen. This barrel was covered with a lid, leaving only two vent holes. They could occasionally hear the sound of splashing water from inside.

“What’s inside this one? Why is it covered?” Xiaoshu asked.

“Hehe, it’s a type of fish you’ve never seen before,” Dahe chuckled.

Curiosity sparked in Xiaoshu, and he wanted to lift the lid and take a look. However, Dahe held him back and said, “They might crawl out. Let’s wait for Brother Yu to come back. Xiaoshu, I need to go to the wharf to retrieve a barrel of fish. We’ll see if Brother Yu thinks they can still be eaten when he returns.”

“Do you want me to help?” Xiaoshu asked.

“No need, it’s just one barrel.”

By the time Dahe returned, Chang Le and the others had also come back.

Chang Le was delighted to see Dahe and chatted with him for a while before feeling tired and went to rest.

Jiabao took the medicine bag and went to brew the medicine. Since his eldest brother wasn’t present, he wanted to take good care of his brother-in-law.

In the afternoon, Yu Qingze and the others returned.

They arrived in two horse carriages, and Lord Luo and the deputy county magistrate had also come along. Naturally, they would have dinner at House of Prosperity.

When Yu Qingze saw Dahe upon getting off the carriage, his eyes brightened. “Dahe? You’re back.”

Dahe scratched the back of his head and called out, “Brother Yu.”

Yu Qingze asked Jiabao to invite the distinguished guests to the private room and then walked inside with Dahe. He asked Dahe while walking, “Why did it take so long this time?” He left in mid-July, and now it was already late November.

Dahe explained, “Oh, it was quite a journey this time. We initially went to the north. After unloading the cargo, I was about to go look for some unfamiliar crops when our ship captain received an urgent order. There was a ship in the other port that suddenly started leaking, so their cargo was urgently given to us. We immediately loaded the goods and headed south.”

“We stayed in a southern city for a few days. It’s a coastal area with not many crops, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. However, the order our captain received was to proceed directly to the north without returning. I noticed that there aren’t many dried fish sellers in Tongshan, so I directly bought a lot of dried fish there. Take a look, this is the bag.”

Dried fish?

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze immediately became excited. He moved the bag out to the courtyard and opened it.

On top were two bundles of dried fish, well dried in the sun. Yu Qingze took a sniff and tasted a bit. It had the unique salty and fishy flavor of sea fish, without any moldy or foul smell. It was quite good.

Afterward, there were several cloth bags inside. Yu Qingze took them all out, opened each one, and was pleasantly surprised.

There were dried silver fish, dried squid, dried scallops, and in the last small bag, there were dried abalones.

“Did you buy this in the south too?” Yu Qingze pointed at the small bag of dried abalones and asked.

Dahe glanced at it and replied, “Oh, no, this one is not. I bought it in the north. I added it later. It’s more expensive than the others, but I thought it must be good. However, I ran out of money, so I borrowed some from the boss to buy it. I also bought some live ones.”

“Well, this is a good thing!” Yu Qingze was delighted. He tied up all the bags and stored them properly. Then he asked, “Where are the live ones you mentioned?”

“They’re in the kitchen.”

The two of them went to the kitchen. Yu Qingze was ecstatic when he saw it. One bucket contained almost half a bucket of live abalones, and the other bucket had around twenty squids.

“Some of them died, and some went bad and smelled. I threw those away. There are a few that haven’t gone bad yet. I brought them back yesterday. I’m not sure if they’re still edible,” Dahe asked.

Yu Qingze smelled the dead squids and abalones. They had a strange odor, so he said, “Don’t eat them. It’s not worth the risk of getting a stomachache.” In this ancient era with poor medical conditions, it’s better not to eat things that have died.

“Then I’ll throw them away,” Dahe picked up the buckets and headed outside.

Yu Qingze said, “Throw them far away.”

“Understood.”

In the evening, Yu Qingze cooked stir-fried squid and steamed abalones for Lord Cai and the others.

The other guests enjoyed the seafood, savoring the delicious flavors and praising them.

However, Luo Mingda was allergic to seafood and couldn’t eat it, so he felt a bit resentful. Fortunately, Yu Qingze also prepared his favorite Drunken Goose, which brought him some comfort.

That evening, after much contemplation and discussion with Chang Le, Yu Qingze decided to host a seafood feast. He invited Young Master Zhao and Master Hu, who had helped them during the price increase and poisoning incidents. On one hand, it was a gesture of gratitude, and on the other hand, Yu Qingze had an idea he wanted to discuss with the heads of the families.

The next day, Yu Qingze had Jiabao write several invitations and sent people to deliver them one by one. He instructed the staff at the counter to reserve three large private rooms.

At the same time, House of Prosperity introduced some specialty dishes: steamed abalone, red-braised abalone, stir-fried squid, crispy fried squid, and grilled squid in sauce.

On their promotional board, they made a special note that these were seafood dishes and people with skin reactions after consuming seafood should avoid them.

The prices of these dishes were quite expensive, especially the abalone.

When the customers heard the prices quoted by the waiters, they knew these items were rare and must be delicious. However, the high prices deterred some customers who weren’t particularly fond of seafood. But for those who loved seafood, it was a rare opportunity.

There was no choice. Seafood didn’t taste good when prepared at home, and it was quite expensive. If they wanted to indulge in seafood, they had to come to House of Prosperity, so as not to waste ingredients on a poorly cooked meal at home.

Therefore, despite the high prices, on the day of the launch, there were customers who enjoyed eating seafood and placed their orders.

Of course, when the dishes were served, the taste was truly worth the money they had spent.

By the following evening, Young Master Zhao and Master Hu arrived as planned.

In addition to Young Master Zhao’s group, Yu Qingze also invited Lord Cai and his companions who were still in Tongshan, including Luo Mingda. Knowing that Madam Luo enjoyed seafood, Yu Qingze extended the invitation to him, his two children, Old Master Cai couple, Cai Yunwei, Young Master Zhao, and Master Hu’s wife.

So, there was one table for the heads of the families, one for the officials, and one for the three members of the Cai family and the wives. It worked out perfectly, as all the people they needed to thank were in attendance.

The seafood feast naturally focused on seafood dishes. In addition to the existing seafood options, including the newly introduced abalone and squid, Yu Qingze also prepared scallop and mushroom chicken soup, stir-fried chives with dried small fish, and a few other dishes to make it a sumptuous meal.

To cater to Luo Mingda’s taste, Yu Qingze made two additional dishes that Luo Mingda liked for the table of the officials.

After finishing the dishes, Yu Qingze went upstairs to socialize, leaving Chang Le and Jiabao to take care of the guests downstairs.

Yu Qingze went table by table to toast and express his gratitude.

“Xiao Yu, this seafood feast is excellent and delicious!” Old Master Cai said.

Young Master Zhao also praised, “Yes, I particularly like this soup. It’s very flavorful, more so than the usual mushroom and chicken soup.”

Madam Luo, being a true seafood lover, smiled and said, “From now on, we’ll have a few more dishes that I love.”

Yu Qingze accepted the compliments from the guests with a smile, then spent some time accompanying the official table. Finally, he sat down at the table of the heads of the families.

He had an idea and wanted to discuss it with the heads of the families.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Celebrate good times, come on ~~~

Changes

By the time the trial was over, it was already evening. In winter, the days grew dark quickly, and by the time the rooster crowed, the sky had turned black.

The boats at the dock had ceased operation, and the villagers from Wulipo who had come to testify couldn’t return home at this hour. So, Yu Qingze specially invited Cao Yuan and the people from their village to have dinner at his restaurant.

Cao Yuan had already tasted Yu Qingze’s cooking before, so he gladly accepted the invitation.

The other villagers were unfamiliar with this area, so they could only follow Cao Yuan and his brother Cao Ming. Seeing Cao Yuan’s agreement, they followed along and planned to have their meal first and then stay at the inn arranged by the county government.

Because they had attended the court session in the afternoon, the restaurant was closed in the afternoon. Everyone had gone to the county government to witness the trial. After leaving the courtroom, the employees who lived in the city returned home, while the emloyees from Niutou Village went back to their shop.

When Xiaoshu, who was watching the shop, saw them return and noticed the smiles on their faces, he guessed that they had succeeded. Excitedly, he asked, “How did it go? Tell me quickly.”

Da Song said, “You didn’t see it; it was amazing. Come in, let me tell you…” Da Song pulled Xiaoshu into the kitchen and, while washing vegetables, excitedly recounted the whole process to him.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xiaoshu burst into laughter and exclaimed, “Serves them right! This whole family isn’t a bunch of good people. What a joke, dogs biting dogs, full of nonsense, hahaha!”

“That’s right! You accuse me, I accuse you. What a family, a real family isn’t like that.”

“Fortunately, they are like that. Otherwise, this matter wouldn’t have been resolved so quickly.”

“That’s true.”

Others also started discussing the matter.

Yu Qingze arranged Cao Yuan and the others in the hall, then entered the kitchen. He saw Chang Le rolling up his sleeves, preparing to cook, so he took the spatula from his hand and asked, “Are you tired? You didn’t rest much today. Would you like to take a break now? I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

Because he went to watch the trial, Chang Le only rested for a while after his acupuncture treatment today.

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, indicating that he was fine. He said, “It’s alright, I’ve recovered. Lord Cai and the others will be coming later, so we need to hurry.”

“Are you really not tired?” Yu Qingze confirmed once again.

Chang Le nodded and took the spatula back from Yu Qingze’s hand. He gestured, telling him not to take his spatula and to get his own.

Seeing this, Yu Qingze washed his hands and started cooking.

After leaving the courtroom, Steward Zhou had already informed him that Lord Cai would be bringing two officials for dinner tonight, and there would likely be several other officials from the county yamen accompanying them. Furthermore, Lord Cai had mentioned that Yu Qingze should keep him company and not eat beforehand.

Since Lord Cai and the others hadn’t arrived yet, they could prepare the dishes for the Wulipo villagers and themselves first.

“Boss Yu, take a look, is this amount of water enough?” One of the helpers, who had finished washing, came in holding a jug and asked Yu Qingze to check.

Yu Qingze looked and nodded, saying, “It’s fine. Thank you, my friend.”

The helper chuckled and said, “No trouble at all, it’s just a small matter.” With that, he carried the jug and went to the backyard to brew medicine.

“Big brother, there are customers outside who saw that we’ve opened the door and asked if we’re open at this hour,” Jiabao came in and asked.

Yu Qingze turned his head and replied, “We’re not open today.”

“Oh,” Jiabao responded and went out to inform the customers.

The employees continued washing and cutting vegetables, while Yu Qingze, Chang Le, and Jiabao cooked together. They quickly prepared the dishes for Cao Yuan and the others at their table, as well as their own dinner.

Cao Yuan’s older brother and the other villagers were experiencing such delicious food for the first time. Apart from saying “it’s delicious,” they couldn’t think of any other words to describe it. They all just ate with their heads down.

Cao Ming expressed his admiration to Cao Yuan, saying, “Boss Yu’s culinary skills are something we can never catch up to in our lifetime. No wonder Jia Xiaoren wanted to deal with Boss Yu like that. With this kind of flavor in the neighborhood, his business there must not be doing well.”

Cao Yuan nodded and said, “Yes, with Boss Yu’s culinary skills, he won’t have to worry about business anywhere he goes.”

Just after Yu Qingze and the others finished their meal, Lord Cai completed the follow-up matters and brought the two officials and Luo Mingda with him.

Yu Qingze personally escorted them upstairs and led them to the prepared private room.

After ordering the dishes, Lord Cai introduced Yu Qingze to the two officials, saying, “Lord Huang and Lord Li, this is Yu Qingze, the person I mentioned to you earlier. He’s the one who came up with the foot-operated thresher and the wind-powered cart.”

The two officials looked at Yu Qingze with some surprise. Wasn’t he the plaintiff in today’s court case?

“Aze, this is Lord Huang, an official from the Ministry of Revenue, and Lord Li, an official from the Ministry of Works. They were sent here to learn about the new farming tools,” Lord Cai further introduced Yu Qingze.

“Yu Qingze greets Lord Huang and Lord Li.” Yu Qingze clasped his hands and bowed respectfully.

Lord Huang chuckled and said, “I thought that someone who could come up with such agricultural tools would be an experienced farmer. I didn’t expect it to be you, Boss Yu.”

Yu Qingze smiled inwardly, thinking that he couldn’t take credit for these agricultural tools as they were the result of the wisdom of his ancestors. However, he couldn’t say that outright, so he found an excuse and replied, “I came up with the idea because I saw how hard everyone worked during the harvest, and it just came to me.”

“Boss Yu is truly talented!” Lord Li praised and then said, “If Boss Yu has the time, I would like to learn from you about the principles behind the foot-operated thresher.”

This topic had been discussed for a while, so Lord Cai quickly interjected, “Lord Li, there’s no rush at the moment. Let him cook first. Today, I brought you here mainly to taste his culinary skills. Tomorrow, we can visit Niutou Village, where you can see the actual equipment, and then you can ask your questions.”

Lord Li nodded and said, “Alright, that sounds good.”

Lord Cai then asked Yu Qingze, “Do you have time to accompany us to the village tomorrow?”

Naturally, Yu Qingze wouldn’t delay Lord Cai’s invitation. He nodded and replied, “I can.”

“What about the restaurant here? Does it need any attention?” Lord Cai asked.

“No problem, I will make the arrangements,” Yu Qingze replied.

“Alright, we’ll come to pick you up early tomorrow morning,” Lord Cai agreed.

Yu Qingze went down to the kitchen and informed Jiabao and the others that he would accompany the officials to the village tomorrow. Since Chang Le had to go for acupuncture and wouldn’t be able to cook in the afternoon, and Jiabao alone would be too busy, he decided to close the restaurant for the day. He instructed Jiabao to sell cured meats with Xiaoshu and Da Song tomorrow, specifically for that purpose and not to open the restaurant.

After preparing a table full of delicious dishes, Yu Qingze went upstairs to dine with the officials.

The two officials praised Yu Qingze’s culinary skills once again, expressing that they had never tasted such delicacies before. Their impression of Yu Qingze grew even more favorable.

Not only did he come up with such excellent agricultural tools, but his cooking skills were also exceptional!

During the meal, Lord Huang looked at Luo Mingda and remarked, “It feels like you, Lord Luo, have changed a lot compared to before, after not seeing you for half a year.”

Lord Li nodded in agreement and said, “Yes, there has been quite a significant change.”

Luo Mingda smiled and asked, “Where do you see any change? It’s still the same. It’s only been half a year. How much can one change?”

Lord Huang shook his head and said, “Lord Luo, you’re mistaken. Sometimes, half a year can truly change a person, depending on what they have experienced.”

Luo Mingda smiled in response.

Lord Li chimed in, “Today, Lord Luo led the defendants and witnesses step by step in the courtroom, revealing the truth. His quick thinking and outstanding abilities are remarkable.”

If this had happened half a year ago, Lord Huang and Lord Li couldn’t have imagined that the notorious dandy Luo Mingda, known for his indulgent lifestyle in the capital, would have such a side to him.

Upon hearing their praise, Lord Cai also nodded and complimented, “The case was handled well today.”

Luo Mingda was delighted to hear the compliments from the officials and said, “Ah, you gentlemen may not know, but in matters of governance, I enjoy handling court cases the most. It’s the most interesting aspect for me. The other administrative tasks can be quite tedious, but fortunately, we have the deputy county magistrate and others to handle them.”

The deputy county magistrate and the chief clerk exchanged a glance, each seeing the helplessness in the other’s eyes.

This Lord Luo was truly peculiar. While other county officials disliked handling court cases and would doze off at the sight of piles of administrative documents, he would immediately become alert upon hearing the sound of the gavel outside.

In the county yamen, there weren’t many major cases involving loss of life, but Lord Luo surprisingly found enjoyment even in trivial disputes among the common people. He would listen attentively and handle the cases with precision.

However, because of this, there were no backlogs of cases in Tongshan City over the past six months. In fact, some old cases had been resolved.

Lord Cai chuckled and said, “Since you have an interest in this area, how about you handle the backlog of old cases when you have time?”

Lord Luo widened his eyes upon hearing this and said, “Lord Cai, don’t oppress your subordinates like that. I was just making a passing comment. Please don’t take it seriously.”

Lord Cai laughed and replied, “I actually took it seriously. How about this? There’s still a month until the Lunar New Year. You can handle three old cases by then, and I’ll come to inspect after the festival.”

Luo Mingda: …

Everyone laughed.

The two officials were satisfied with the meal, and all the guests were well-fed and had their fill of wine.

Before leaving, Lord Cai specially reminded Yu Qingze, “I listened to the trial today, and the people from the Jia Family are accustomed to being overbearing. They probably won’t let it go easily. Since you have so many people working for you, you need to be cautious and careful during this period.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze nodded solemnly and said, “Thank you for your reminder, Lord Cai.”

Lord Cai asked, “Do you need me to assign some people to help you?”

After considering for a moment, Yu Qingze thought that Cai Mansion had its own guards, and Lord Cai himself had bodyguards. It would be good if he could receive their assistance. However, he asked, “Will it affect you and your household?”

Lord Cai whispered to him, “There’s no problem with that. As long as you get through this period, the Jia Family won’t have the ability to cause trouble for you in the future.”

Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow, sensing the deeper meaning behind Lord Cai’s words…

He replied, “Alright, then I’ll trouble you to assign a few people to me, Lord Cai.”

That evening, after Lord Cai returned home, he instructed four individuals to seek out Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze divided the four individuals into pairs, assigning two to watch over the snack shop and two to watch over the restaurant. As long as they kept an eye on things after everyone went to sleep, he and Chang Le could sleep soundly at night and have the energy to work during the day.

With the presence of the two guards, Yu Qingze and Chang Le became more cautious during Chang Le’s bathing time, ensuring that the doors were securely closed when entering or leaving the room. Fortunately, during this period, they couldn’t share a room, as having two strangers in the restaurant would have been inconvenient.

The next day, Yu Qingze accompanied Lord Cai and others back to the village to see the agricultural tools and crops, while Chang Le went with Brother Chang to the Xue Family for treatment.

Not long after they left, Dahe returned with two large buckets and a big bundle.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Author’s Note: It is said that official complaints are the most deadly~

Thandar: GOOD NEWS!!! We have Instagram account now. So follow us and take a look at the collective images of your beloved characters

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Shi Sheng stared fiercely at Madam Jia and sneered, “Lin Lian, you wicked person. You deserve to die a miserable death.”

Madam Jia didn’t look at him and silently gazed at the floor, offering no response.

Luo Mingda asked Shi Sheng, “Shi Sheng, what’s your explanation for what Madam Jia just said?”

Shi Sheng coldly replied, “It’s not only me and Niu San in the study. Jia Xiaoren was there too. It was Jia Xiaoren who instructed Niu San to acquire the drug powder, and he also provided the powder to Niu San. I merely uttered that one sentence during the entire process, and he happened to hear it.”

Luo Mingda said, “Jia Xiaoren, is there any truth to this?”

Jia Xiaoren vehemently denied it and said, “There is absolutely no such thing. I had no knowledge of Niu San going to Tongshan.”

Shi Sheng snorted and said, “Lord Luo, in order to motivate Niu San beforehand, Jia Xiaoren took him to the Wangchunlou in the city a few nights ago for some fun. Niu San spent the night there, and you can easily send someone to inquire about it.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Mingda sent bailiffs to question the madam of Wangchunlou and the ger who was with Niu San that night. After thorough questioning, it was confirmed that Niu San was indeed brought there by Jia Xiaoren, and the ger was the one who spent the night with Niu San.

With the facts clarified, the case reached this point.

After consulting with several officials, Luo Mingda returned to the courtroom, slammed the gavel, and declared, “In the case of Yu Qingze accusing Jia Xiaoren of orchestrating Niu San’s infiltration and drugging at House of Prosperity with the intention of causing harm for personal gain, after thorough trial in this court, the facts are evident, and their actions are heinous. Jia Xiaoren is the mastermind, while Shi Sheng is an accomplice. In accordance with the laws of Dasheng, I hereby sentence Niu San to exile of two thousand li and one hundred strokes of the cane, Jia Xiaoren to exile of two thousand li and one hundred strokes of the cane as the mastermind, and Shi Sheng to three years of penal servitude as an accomplice. The execution will take place after approval from the governor’s office.”

(T/N: 1,000 li = 500 km = 311 miles approx.)

(T/N: Penal servitude = hard labor)

“Jia Mingzhi, Wu Shun, for lying and deceiving the court, disrupting the order of the court, I sentence you both to fifty strokes of the paddle, to be carried out immediately! Yuan Changhe, for threatening the merchants with severe misconduct, I sentence you to twenty strokes of the paddle as a warning, to be carried out immediately!”

Upon hearing this verdict, Old Man Jia and Jia Xiaoren slumped to the ground, both looking towards Lord Lu with despair.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Hold on! Lord Luo!” Lord Lu shouted loudly.

Luo Mingda frowned and asked, “Lord Lu, what’s the matter?”

“Niu San’s attempted drugging didn’t succeed. Lord Luo, your punishment is too severe!” Lord Lu said.

Luo Mingda replied, “Lord Lu, do you know how much croton powder Niu San used? One jin. If he had succeeded, who knows how many people would have died in Tongshan City by now!”

Lord Lu argued, “But he didn’t succeed. This hypothetical situation doesn’t exist.”

Luo Mingda responded, “You’re resorting to sophistry.”

Before Lord Lu could continue speaking, a voice suddenly shouted from outside the door, “Governor Cai is here!”

Upon hearing this voice, everyone turned around in surprise.

“Lord Cai is here?”

“Where?”

Yu Qingze, Luo Mingda, and the others were also surprised, but the most surprised were Lord Lu and Lord Zhang.

Cai Wendong was in Yunzhou, and it would take at least a day and a half to travel here. Even if the people from the Cai Residence had hurriedly notified him two days ago, it shouldn’t be possible for him to arrive so quickly, right?

The situation was really bad.

Lord Lu frowned. If Cai Wendong saw him here, he would surely make trouble for him. At the very least, he could be accused of dereliction of duty, and at worst, he could be accused of protecting his relatives. That would be disastrous.

Thinking of this, Lord Lu dared not say anything more to Luo Mingda. He quietly retreated, taking advantage of everyone’s attention being focused on Cai Wendong, and quickly slipped away.

“Oh, Lord Lu, and is this Lord Zhang? What a special occasion today to have both of you in Tongshan!”

Lord Cai walked out from the dispersing crowd, looking at the retreating Lord Lu and Lord Zhang, and then said with a smile.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Recognized, Lord Lu had to turn back and said, “Oh, Lord Cai, what a coincidence. I heard that the efficiency of resolving cases in Tongshan has been high lately, so I specially brought Lord Zhang here for a visit and learning.”

“Oh? Is that so? Welcome, welcome,” Lord Cai entered the courtroom and then said to Luo Mingda, who came to greet him, “Lord Lu is a colleague who has come over. Why not let him come inside and have a seat?”

Luo Mingda replied, “The culprit in this case is Lord Lu’s cousin. For Lord Lu’s sake, it is not appropriate for him to enter the courtroom.”

“Oh…” Lord Cai looked inside the courtroom and then at Lord Lu. He said to Lord Lu, “I’ve been here for a while. Is the case finished?”

Luo Mingda nodded and said, “Just finished.”

Lord Cai said, “That’s perfect. Lord Lu can come in and have a seat. I happened to come to Tongshan with Lord Huang from the Ministry of Revenue and Lord Li from the Ministry of Works for some business, and I didn’t expect to run into you while you were handling a case.”

Lord Lu and Lord Zhang broke out in a cold sweat when they saw the two people following behind Lord Cai, officials from the capital. They were being seen by officials from the capital, which made them uneasy.

Lord Lu quickly said, “We’ve also finished watching. We should return to Qingzhou and not disturb you any longer.”

Lord Cai looked at him and said, “Why in such a hurry?”

“Yes, we made a special trip and took time off these past few days. We can catch up with Lord Cai another time when we have the opportunity,” Lord Lu replied.

Lord Cai didn’t insist further and said, “Very well then, Lord Lu, Lord Zhang, take care.”

Lord Lu hurriedly left and didn’t pay any further attention to Jia Xiaoren’s situation.

Afterwards, Luo Mingda and the county magistrate were dealing with the follow-up matters, while Lord Cai and the others chatted casually at the entrance, waiting for them to leave the courtroom.

The onlookers gradually dispersed when they saw the courtroom emptying. Yu Qingze also returned to the restaurant with his companions.

In the adjacent room, Madam Luo, who had been observing the situation, saw Lord Cai and the officials from the capital arrive. He whispered something to a servant boy, and the boy went downstairs.

Soon, the servant boy returned with two people.

Madam Luo gave them some instructions, and their eyes lit up. They exited through the side and made their way to the entrance of the courtroom. They knelt down and began shouting, “Lord Cai, please help us! Lord Cai, please help us!”

Lord Cai and the other officials turned around upon hearing the commotion.

“Lord Cai, please help us!”

Lord Cai bent down to lift the two individuals and said, “Please, quickly rise. What grievances do you have? Come inside and tell me slowly.”

Luo Mingda and the others are preparing to have the constable put shackles on Jia Xiaoren and have Jia Mingzhi, Wu Shun, and Yuan Changhe whipped. Upon hearing the commotion, they also looked outside.

The two men shouting grievances were a middle-aged man and a man in his mid-twenties. They saw Jia Xiaoren inside the house, and the younger man immediately exclaimed loudly, “Master Cai, we want to accuse Jia Xiaoren of killing our loved ones. We also want to accuse the two unjust officials appointed by the imperial court – county magistrate and the governor of Qingzhou – of sheltering the murderer Jia Xiaoren!”

Upon hearing this, Lord Cai and the two officials from the capital were stunned.

“What’s going on? Follow me, my fellow villagers. Tell me the whole story,” said Cai Wendong. With the two officials from the capital and the two men, he went to the adjacent room and listened carefully to their grievances.

Before Jia Xiaoren was taken away, he saw those two men and felt a sudden shock, as an ominous feeling flashed through his mind.

These two individuals were none other than the victims of the Qingzhou restaurant incident over a year ago—the mother of the deceased child and the wife of the owner who jumped into the river.

The two men recounted the events of the previous year to Lord Cai and the others. Afterwards, Lord Cai took the two men back to his residence to provide them with accommodation.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Things really don’t look good for Jia Xiaodumb hahahahahah

Shi Sheng placed one hand on his abdomen and let out a cold snort from his nose, thinking to himself, “Child, look, this is the kind of person your father and grandfather are!”

Seeing his silence, Luo Mingda asked again, “Shi Sheng, answer my question promptly.”

Shi Sheng lifted his head, his gaze turning cold in an instant, and he replied, “Sir, I did not instruct Niu San to administer the drugs. I didn’t do it.”

Luo Mingda said, “But the note passed to Niu San was written by you. Your handwriting matches exactly with the handwriting on the carrier pigeon message received by Niu San.”

Shi Sheng paused for a moment and then said, “What note? I have no idea.”

Luo Mingda then had someone show Shi Sheng the note.

Sheng furrowed his brows and responded, “This note is indeed written by me. It only contains the words ‘Come quickly to Tongshan—Jia.’ It doesn’t say anything about administering drugs. This alone doesn’t prove that I am the mastermind.”

Luo Mingda raised an eyebrow, impressed by Shi Sheng’s quick thinking.

He turned to Niu San and asked, “Niu San, tell me, who ordered you to administer the drugs?”

Niu San glanced back and said, “It was Shi Sheng, Concubine Sheng.” Since the Jia family had decided to pin it on Shi Sheng, he went along with it.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Shi Sheng let out a cold laugh and said, “Niu San, you can’t even recognize who your master is? Do you think I can order you around?”

Niu San remained silent.

Luo Mingda watched them tearing into each other and felt excited. He wished they would reveal more and expose more secrets. It would make his job easier.

Shi Sheng then said to Luo Mingda, “Sir, Niu San is the servant of my husband, Jia Xiaoren. He was raised specifically to handle certain matters that cannot be dealt with openly. There are over a dozen people like him, who only take orders from Jia Xiaoren. Others cannot command them. The reason that note could summon Niu San is because it contained a specially crafted crow feather, which is their ‘code.’ Without that crow feather, the handwriting on the note would match Jia Xiaoren’s own handwriting, and Niu San wouldn’t have come to Tongshan. The only person who can instruct Niu San and that group of people is Jia Xiaoren.”

“Sheng’er! You…” Jia Xiaoren turned and glared at Shi Sheng, astonished that he would reveal even that.

“I am carrying your child in my belly, and yet you want to pin everything on me? Hmph, you showed no mercy first, so don’t blame me for being unjust.” Shi Sheng gave him a cold glance and then turned away.

Upon hearing this, Jia Xiaoren seemed as though he had been choked, unable to utter a word.

Seeing their silence, Luo Mingda spoke again, “Shi Sheng, the specially crafted crow feather cannot be found, and Niu San has admitted that you are the mastermind. What evidence do you have to prove that it’s not you but Jia Xiaoren?”

Shi Sheng replied, “That group of people has been under his command for several years. Weren’t they the ones who caused the downfall of many restaurants in Qingzhou on Jia Xiaoren’s orders? They’ve done everything from drugging, threatening, to kidnapping. Didn’t they even force two people to their deaths? Just investigate it, and you’ll find out. Moreover, I only met Jia Xiaoren this year. Does that mean I was also the one ordering Niu San to do things in the past?”

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Coming from Shi Sheng’s mouth, these words were even more convincing and impactful than what Cao Yuan had said earlier. After all, she was Jia Xiaoren’s intimate partner and naturally knew more about things.

Amidst the discussions of the onlookers, suddenly, someone shouted loudly.

“Lies! Shi Sheng, you’re lying! My husband came to Tongshan to start a new life, it was you, Shi Sheng, who had a personal grudge with Yu Qingze and instigated my husband to seek revenge for you!”

“Oh, here comes another person!”

Luo Mingda frowned and shouted loudly, “Who goes there? Step forward and speak!”

Among the crowd, Madam Jia stepped forward.

Jia Mingzhi and Jia Xiaoren looked at Madam Jia and gestured to him, signaling him to go back. But Madam Jia gritted his teeth and still stepped into the courtroom.

He entered the courtroom, knelt down and paid his respects, saying, “I am Madam Jia, wife of Jia Xiaoren. I have something to report to Your Honor.”

Luo Mingda asked, “What is it? Speak.”

Madam Jia said, “Your Honor, my husband and I came to Tongshan last November to conduct our business peacefully. However, after my husband married Shi Sheng as his concubine, he took advantage of his youth and beauty to constantly seduce my husband. He also instigated him to confront the Yu family, all with the aim of seeking revenge for himself.”

Curious, Luo Mingda asked, “Revenge for what?”

“Madam Jia replied, ‘He had a personal grudge with Yu Qingze.'”

“Lin Lian, you’re talking nonsense!” Upon hearing Madam Jia’s words, Shi Sheng hurriedly exclaimed, “Your Honor, don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous that I, being young, have taken away my husband’s love and is seeking revenge on me!”

However, Luo Mingda was clearly intrigued, and he asked, “What kind of personal grudge?”

Madam Jia gritted his teeth, glanced at Shi Sheng, and then said, “Shi Sheng, he was originally the illegitimate son of the Shi family in Tongshan City. A year ago, his family arranged a marriage for him with the second young master of the Zeng family in the same city. But it is said that the second young master of the Zeng family has had poor health since childhood, and also… “

Luo Mingda raised an eyebrow and asked, “And what?”

Madam Jia closed his eyes, his face turning red, and said, “And he has a hidden ailment.”

“Hidden ailment?”

Seeing Madam Jia’s expression, the people in the courtroom roughly guessed what kind of hidden ailment it was, and their facial expressions were quite fascinating, displaying various emotions.

Luo Mingda also felt a surge of excitement, as if he had just drunk chicken blood. He asked again, “And then, what does this have to do with Yu Qingze?” As he spoke, he glanced at Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze: …It has nothing to do with me!

Madam Jia continued, “Shi Sheng didn’t want to marry the second young master of the Zeng family. He wanted to find a better match than the second young master and make his family give up on the marriage. So he set his sights on Yu Qingze, the owner of Yu’s Snack Shop. However, Yu Qingze was already engaged and rejected him. He even openly expressed his love for Yu Qingze on Beida Street in front of the snack shop, but Yu Qingze rejected him every time.”

“Later, when the Shi family found out about this, they confined him. Once, he managed to escape and sought help at the snack shop, but Yu Qingze’s wife and an employee ignored him and called the people sent by the Shi family, who took him back. As a result, he held a grudge.”

This was something Jia Xiaoren didn’t know, and he looked at Shi Sheng in shock.

Having their past dirty laundry exposed in this manner, Shi Sheng shouted, “Lin Lian, if you dare to talk nonsense like this again, believe me, I’ll rip your mouth apart!”

As he spoke, he got up and walked towards Madam Jia.

“Stop him!” Luo Mingda shouted, and immediately, bailiffs came forward and subdued Shi Sheng, also tying a cloth strip around his mouth to silence him.

Luo Mingda said, “Madam Jia, continue.”

Madam Jia pursed his lips and continued, “Later, Shi Sheng married into the Zeng family. According to him, the second young master of the Zeng family was wheelchair-bound, not only physically unhealthy but also psychologically twisted. Despite being unable to… uh, you know, he demanded that Shi Sheng use his hands and mouth to serve him. When Shi Sheng refused, the second young master of the Zeng family would beat him until he complied.”

As Madam Jia reached this point, his entire face and neck turned red.

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that the second young master of the Zeng family was truly inhumane?

This news was shocking! Such a scandalous revelation!

They perked up their ears and listened with great interest.

“How did you come to know about this?” Luo Mingda asked, puzzled. Such private and embarrassing matters shouldn’t be something one would disclose to others, right?

Madam Jia replied, “In April of this year, Shi Sheng was divorced by the second young master of the Zeng family and sent back to the Shi family. The Shi family, feeling ashamed of him, kept him confined at home. Unwilling to accept it, he escaped again and happened to be encountered by me. It was raining that day, and I saw him drenched and his family’s people were searching for him. He lied to me, saying that his family wanted to sell him to a brothel. Feeling sorry for him, I brought him back to my home.”

At this point, Madam Jia’s mood suddenly became low, and his voice softened considerably as he continued, “To gain my trust, he began pretending to be pitiful and seeking sympathy, telling me all about his situation. Little did I know, I had invited a vixen into my home. He saw that my family had a good financial situation and went to great lengths to seduce my husband. Eventually, my husband was seduced by him and they had a relationship, leading to Shi Sheng becoming my husband’s concubine.”

“And then?” Luo Mingda asked.

Madam Jia continued, “After marrying him, my husband became infatuated with him. He would often whisper in my husband’s ear, saying that Yu’s Snack Shop was affecting the business of Xiang Man Yuan, inciting my husband to take action against Yu Qingze. I’ve heard it many times. A few days ago, as I passed by the study, I overheard him telling Niu San, ‘If we’re going to do it, let’s do more. What’s the use of such a small amount of croton powder?’ So, Your Honor, the person who directed Niu San is Shi Sheng!”

Luo Mingda asked, “Are you certain that the statement you just mentioned was said by Shi Sheng?”

Madam Jia nodded and said, “I’m certain.”

“Very well,” Luo Mingda said to the bailiffs holding Shi Sheng, “Release him.”

The bailiffs obeyed and let go of Shi Sheng.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Unveiling the Truth and the Outcome

Shi Sheng?

Upon hearing this, Jia Xiaoren was immediately stunned. He frowned and looked towards his father, who subtly nodded at him.

Was his father suggesting that they should put the blame on Shi Sheng?

Jia Xiaoren turned his head back, feeling conflicted. Although Shi Sheng was just his concubine, he was currently carrying his child. If they were to shift all the blame onto him, what would happen to their child…

“Shi Sheng?” Luo Mingda furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s going on? Speak the truth!”

The servant named Wu Shun replied, “Concubine Sheng wrote a note and instructed me to deliver it back to Qingzhou. After that, Niu San came over. Master Jia Xiaoren was unaware of this matter. Initially, I didn’t know why Concubine Sheng had called Niu San, but it wasn’t until the incident at House of Prosperity two days ago that Master Jia Xiaoren sent me to the yamen to investigate. I saw Niu San kneeling in the courtroom, so I immediately rushed back to the inn to inform my young master.”

“When my young master heard about this, he suspected that it might be related to Concubine Sheng because Concubine Sheng seemed to have some personal grievances with Yu Qingze, the owner of House of Prosperity. He had always disliked him. And now that Concubine Sheng is pregnant, my young master was worried about the impact on his mood, which could be harmful to the child in his belly. That’s why he didn’t resist when the yamen officers came to arrest him. Our young master was completely unaware. He wanted to shoulder the responsibility alone, fearing it would affect Concubine Sheng’s health.”

After finishing this long speech, the servant turned to Jia Xiaoren and said, “Young Master, things have come to this point. Don’t torment yourself any further for the sake of Concubine Sheng.”

“Stop talking!” Jia Xiaoren gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles bulging. He lowered his head, tightly clenched his fists, as if forcibly suppressing something.

Yu Qingze glanced at him and sneered coldly.

This servant’s words were like flowers, describing Jia Xiaoren’s deep emotions and the profound love between the couple. It was all nonsense. At a critical moment, they were using Shi Sheng as a scapegoat.

Disgusting!

He’s not even a real man!

In the current situation, if they let them shift all the blame onto Shi Sheng, wouldn’t Jia Xiaoren escape punishment?

Yu Qingze couldn’t help but frown.

Meanwhile, Luo Mingda asked again, “Do you have any evidence?”

Wu Shun nodded and said, “Yes. When I went to the separate villa in Qingzhou earlier, I found a note in Niu San’s room. I was afraid of being discovered, so I kept it. Here it is, the note called ‘Niu San to Tongshan,’ written by Concubine Sheng.”

As he spoke, Wu Shun took out a rolled-up note from his pocket.

One of the attendants stepped forward, took the note, and presented it to Luo Mingda.

Luo Mingda unfolded the note, examined it, and then asked the assistant to take a look as well. He then ordered, “Bring Shi Sheng here.”

Four attendants received the order and left.

This sudden twist bewildered the onlookers outside the courtroom.

“After all that effort, are they trying to blame it on the concubine?”

“Who knows? Anyone who can specifically raise a dozen thugs in another courtyard can’t be a good person, right?”

“Exactly, let’s continue watching. The outcome might surprise us.”

“…”

During the time they were waiting for the yamen runner to return with Shi Sheng, Luo Mingda and several other officials from the county yamen gathered in the back to discuss for a while.

When he returned, Luo Mingda had someone verify with Niu San whether the note was the same one he had received before.

Niu San nodded.

After the incident just now, he had already figured out Old Man Jia and Jia Xiaoren’s intentions. If he wanted to save his own life, it would be best to cooperate with them.

Seeing Niu San’s confirmation, Luo Mingda instructed someone to bring paper and pen to Jia Xiaoren and had him write a few words. Then he compared the handwriting with the writing on the note.

Indeed, they were different.

In a house in the eastern part of the city, Shi Sheng sat in a room by the fireplace, furrowing his brows and staring blankly at a spot.

In these past few days, because of Niu San’s drugging incident, both Niu San and Jia Xiaoren had been arrested and thrown into jail. Jia Xiaoren’s father and cousin had come over, but they hadn’t immediately bailed Jia Xiaoren out, which indicated that things were not going well.

Today afternoon, their entire family had gone to the county yamen. Shi Sheng, due to his pregnancy and drowsiness, wasn’t called by anyone, so when he woke up, only he and the two children of the main wife were left with a few servants.

After a while, a servant rushed in, flustered and said, “Concubine Sheng, something bad happened, something bad!”

Shi Sheng was startled and immediately scolded, “What are you doing, being so flustered? You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, Concubine Sheng, but something really bad has happened,” the servant said breathlessly, running a bit too fast.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Sheng asked.

“Someone from the yamen has arrived,” the servant replied.

“What?! Who has come? What do they want?” Shi Sheng immediately sat up straight in his chair and asked.

Before the servant could answer, a man’s voice came from outside the door.

“Is the person inside the house Shi Sheng, the concubine of Jia Xiaoren?” the man asked.

Shi Sheng stood up and mouthed to the servant, asking who it was.

The servant also mouthed back, informing him that it was a yamen runner.

He quickly shook his hand, gesturing for the servant to answer that he wasn’t present.

The servant nodded and then cleared his throat before walking out and saying, “Honorable sirs, my master Shi Sheng has gone out to buy something and hasn’t returned yet. Do you have any business with him?”

The leader of the yamen runners, Ding Lai, looked at the servant and then waved his hand towards the back, saying, “Go inside and check.”

The two yamen runners walked towards the house, causing the servant to panic and shout, “Hey, hey, hey! This is my master’s room! How can you just enter like this!”

However, no matter how hard he tried, the servant couldn’t stop the yamen runners. Inside the room, Shi Sheng heard the shouting and quickly looked around for a hiding place. In the end, he had no choice but to hide inside a box.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The two yamen runners searched the room but found no one inside. They reported this to Ding Lai.

Ding Lai frowned. They had seen the servant rush in a panicked state earlier. He personally went inside and ordered, “Search.”

The four yamen runners quickly pulled Shi Sheng out from the box where he was hiding.

“What are you doing? I have nothing to do with my husband’s affairs. Why are you arresting me? Moreover, let me tell you, I am pregnant. Are you prepared to take responsibility if something happens to my child?” Shi Sheng shouted, struggling to prevent the yamen runners from grabbing hold of him.

“We have been ordered to bring you back to the county yamen for questioning. Please cooperate,” Ding Lai explained, but Shi Sheng didn’t listen. He continued to struggle, so Ding Lai and the other yamen runners grabbed his limbs and lifted him up.

“Ah, let me go! Put me down!” Shi Sheng yelled.

Ding Lai and his team ignored him and carried him to the county yamen.

Once in the courtroom, Shi Sheng still hadn’t figured out the situation when Luo Mingda ordered him to write on a piece of paper.

“What’s going on, husband?” Shi Sheng looked at the paper and pen, hesitating, then turned to Jia Xiaoren and asked.

Jia Xiaoren’s gaze flickered, he opened his mouth, and finally said, “…Write.”

Shi Sheng’s heart sank as he trembled, writing according to the content provided.

After finishing, the yamen runner handed the paper to Luo Mingda, who passed it to his subordinates for handwriting analysis. Then, he pointed at Niu San and asked Shi Sheng, ” Shi Sheng, do you know this person?”

Shi Sheng glanced at Niu San, then looked at Jia Xiaoren, realizing that something was amiss. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know him.”

Luo Mingda anticipated this response and continued, “Two days ago, in the early morning, there was an incident of drugging in House of Prosperity. The person who administered the drugs was caught on the spot by the owner of House of Prosperity, Yu Qingze, and his accomplice. That person is Niu San. Now, Jia Xiaoren’s personal servant, Wu Shun, has identified you as the mastermind who instructed Niu San to administer the drugs. What do you have to say about this?”

Upon hearing this, Shi Sheng couldn’t believe it as he turned to look at Wu Shun, then at Old Man Jia, and finally at Jia Xiaoren. None of them dared to meet his gaze.

His heart turned cold as he finally understood that they had pinned the entire incident on him.

No wonder they couldn’t look at him directly!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Dear readers, brace yourself, the drama is here.