In the middle of the seventh lunar month, Qin Zhao left for Beijing with Qin Yue. For the next few days, the breeze was still, and the waves were quiet in Yu City.
Han Ji searched outside for half a month. Finally, he found a satisfactory store with two floors, but the location was a bit remote. He reported his finding to Yuxi, "Madam, the owner of this store intends to sell it. I wonder if Madam is willing to buy it?"
Yuxi asked, "How much is it?"
Han Ji replied, "The other party is offering eight hundred taels, but if Madam truly wants to buy it, Madam can still request a price reduction." He thought that six hundred taels would be enough to take it.
Yuxi had some doubts and asked, "Isn't the price already low?" A casual purchase of a residence would cost thousands of taels in the capital. Although this place was not like the capital, eight hundred taels to buy a two-story shop still seemed cheap.
Han Ji said, "Madam, that house is some distance away from Mugu Street. For this price, it is already considered expensive here." For its price to be this low was also because the economy of Yu City was not prosperous, and business was not very good. If not for Yuxi's planning to open a restaurant, and if she was planning on doing other than this, he would have advised her to think twice before making a move.
Yuxi nodded a little and said, "Just do it then." She only needed to grasp the general direction of the business. Its specific matters would be handed over to Han Ji.
Han Ji hesitated before asking, "Madam, shouldn't wine be bought and stored first? I've asked Hao Dazhuang. He said that he had already ordered them." It was said that it had been decided, but they hadn't received the wines yet. If the other party went back on their words, they would be the one caught unprepared at that time!
Yuxi replied, "After we purchase the store, we still need to renovate it first, so there is no hurry."
When Yun Qing returned that evening, Yuxi told him about this matter. Yuxi stated, "The method to purify the wine is very simple. It's just that the person we are looking for must be reliable." She lost most of the people she brought from the capital, and only six of them were left intact, so she could only use Yun Qing's people. Please read this chapter at xinshou blogspot com.
Yun Qing really did not know much about this kind of thing. "Reliable people?" The guards around him definitely couldn't be sent to make wine.
Yuxi smiled as she suggested, "Husband, I think a few people like Uncle Yu and Uncle Qiao would be good. What do you think?"
Yun Qing was a little surprised and asked, "Can they do this job well?" Old Leader Yu's left leg was not very agile, Old Qiao had lost his left arm, and there were several disabled people. These people had crawled out of a pile of dead people with him. So when Yun Qing saw that they didn't have any family to return to, he placed them in his residence to look after his home. They could also do some cleaning and cooking in passing. It was Old Leader Yu who handled the cooking in his place before.
Yuxi smilingly answered, "When the time comes, I will put the strong ones to do the heavy work, and I believe the others are still competent to do other things. I'm just worried that they will overthink. Such as how I make them work hard just because I can't see them being idle."
Yun Qing nodded lightly and said, "If they know that you have sent them to do such a job, they will be delighted. Some of them are probably good at this!" These people all like to sip wine, but they were still measured.
Yuxi was relieved to see that Yun Qing did not object to her proposal. It was not that she was stingy and unwilling to feed these people. She merely thought it was better to eat off with one's own strength than to have someone else do it for them.
When Old Leader Yu and a few other people knew about this matter, they immediately agreed without even thinking about it. They couldn't find other work because of their disabilities. Before, they used to clean and cook a little in the General's residence. Now they were really just drifting along with their life, waiting for death, and their days had been dull. Now that they had something to do, they wouldn't be so bored anymore. Furthermore, they became even more pleased when they were told they would receive monthly wages, which wouldn't be too low.
After Huo Changqing found out about this, he was satisfied and told Yun Qing, "Your wife is very thorough." The wages offered by Yuxi were the same as the wages provided by a typical wine shop. This was tantamount to saying that Yuxi was treating them as ordinary people. This was better than giving Old Leader Yu and the others any kind words.
Yun Qing nodded his head in agreement.
Huo Changqing skipped this topic and talked about something else. "Guo Xun has fancied your wife's personal maid, Zisu. You should go back and ask your wife. If she agrees, the marriage will be done at the end of the year. If she disagrees, then just forget about it." If they disagreed, he wouldn't mention it again.
Yun Qing was a bit puzzled and asked, "Why didn't Guo Xun himself come to talk to me?"
Huo Changqing smiled and explained, "It was Ah Zheng who inadvertently knew that he was inquiring about that maid. I asked him about it, only to find out that the boy had fallen for your maid." Huo Changqing had a little impression of Zisu. He just remembered that she seemed to be very delicate and pretty. But he thought, since Yuxi was intelligent, the maid around her must also be not bad.
When Yun Qing returned to the backyard, she told Yuxi what Huo Changqing had said and asked her opinion after he was done.
Yuxi hesitated before saying, "Marriage is a lifelong matter. I have to ask for her opinion on this first."
Yun Qing nodded and said, "That's natural. But your maid is not too young anymore. You can't let her remain single any longer." He actually knew that quite a few people around him had set their eyes on Zisu! There was nothing he could do. He had too many bachelors in his hand, and he could only solve one person at a time.
Yuxi asked a few more questions to be on the safe side. "Who else is there in Guo Xun's family? Will they dislike Zisu's background?" Zisu was good in everything and had a striking look, except that she had a poor background. If someone was picky, they would dislike her maid origin.
Yun Qing shook his head and said, "He has lost all his family members, harmed by the western barbarians. Since Guo Xun himself has longed for your maid, how can he dislike her?"
Yuxi nodded and said, "In that case, I'll ask Zisu tomorrow."
After sending Yun Qing away the next day, Yuxi told Zisu about this matter. "Guo Xun is the General's personal guard. He is not bad looking, and his martial arts skills are good, so his future prospects will not be bad. What do you think, Zisu?"
Zisu froze.
Yuxi sighed. Zisu had a bellyful of dissatisfaction when they were placed to the northwest. Yuxi purposely treated her coldly these days to let Zisu calm herself down. Thus, Yuxi said, "Zisu, Guo Xun isn't poor in all aspects, and he is a subordinate of the General. If he bullies you in the future, I can still stand up for you. If you don't object, you should meet with him first and settle down if you feel that he is good. If you think otherwise, then just forget about it." After a pause, she continued, "But there are some things I've to remind you first. If you refuse, your following marriage candidate may not be so good." There were four personal guards around Yun Qing. The other two were already married. Only Xu Wu and Guo Xun had not yet gotten married. Xu Wu was obviously not interested in Zisu. Otherwise, he would have already said so. If Zisu let Guo Xun slip away, the following candidate would have much poorer conditions.
Zisu spoke up after a moment of silence. "Madam, I want to meet this person first." Since she didn't care about this person before, she only had some vague impression of him.
Yuxi nodded a little and said, "It's good that you can figure it out. Zisu, for a married couple to get along well, having good food and drink isn't the most important thing, but for them to be of one mind. Then, they will have a happy married life. This is much better than living in brocade garments and eating jade meals while being dressed in gold and silver."
Zisu nodded. "Madam, my previous thoughts were too one-sided. I know I was wrong." These days she had watched Yun Qing treat her own Miss so well, and she had been smiling more these few days than the previous year. Only then did she deeply realise how superficial her last thoughts were.
Yuxi was relieved that Zisu could think it through. Zisu had been with her for so many years. Hence she did not want Zisu to still penetrate herself into a bull's horn, making the relationship between master and servant at odds. "If this marriage is settled, you do not have to worry about the future. With me around, Guo Xun won't dare to bully you."
Zisu smiled as she stated, "Miss, even if I marry someone, I'll return to the residence and continue to serve you." She did not want to be surrounded by her husband and children all the time in the future. This was also the inspiration that Zisu got from Zijin. Zijin had martial arts skills, and she could still live well even without relying on others. Therefore, Zijin could live so wantonly and be valued by Miss thus far.
Yuxi smiled and said, "As long as you are willing, you can return here, and I'll let you be the stewardess. Then you will be the one in charge of the food and drink for the people in residence." Zisu was good with the account, and her abacus skill was even better. If Zisu could come back to help, she would be able to save her a lot.
When Zisu heard this, a smile finally appeared on her face. "Okay." Only when she had something to do could she reflect on her own value. Even if a man changed his mind in the future, she still had a way to support herself.
Seeing the smile on Zisu's face, Yuxi was happy that Zisu was finally out of her shadow. "You will meet him in the afternoon. If it works out, we will set the marriage down."
In the end, Zisu was not as thin-skinned as Zijin. "I have not met him yet. So it is a little early for Miss to say this."
In the afternoon, Yuxi let the two meet. After the meeting, Zisu nodded and said, "He's quite good." She was actually judging him based on his appearance. As for his character, she couldn't see it yet.
Yuxi smiled and said, "Then, I'll talk to the General later." It was clear from the fact that Zisu had a crush on her Er Ge told her that Zisu liked tall, sturdy men, not the kind of frail scholar. Therefore, it was expected that Zisu would take a liking to Guo Xun. [+]
When evening came, Yuxi informed Yun Qing of the matter. "Zisu has already agreed. Since she is not that young anymore, if possible, let's immediately set a date for them to get married!"
Yun Qing nodded his head. "You can decide on this." If Guo Xun knew about this, he would be thrilled.
Yuxi was happy to think that the marriage between Zisu and Zijin had been resolved in such a short time. "There have been many happy events in residence recently." The resolution of Zisu's marriage also removed a piece of anxiety in her heart.
Yun Qing laughed. "It would be nice to have more happy events like this." He still had a group of bachelors under his hands, and he didn't know when their marriages could be settled.
Yuxi was stumped. There were not only one or two dozen unmarried people here, but hundreds or thousands of them. If the matchmaker could not complete such a difficult job, let alone her.
Yun Qing looked at Yuxi, who had a frightened look and smiled. "This kind of thing has to be solved by themselves. How can they totally depend on us? Even Jiang Bo and Yu Cong have found their own wives. Now, only Xu Wu's marriage is left unsettled. If you can, you should pay more attention to see if there is a suitable girl for him."
If Xu Wu was the only one left, it was much easier to solve. Yuxi said, "I'll have to hold it off until I know more people." The oldest one of her current single personal maids was the thirteen-year-old Shiliu! That was definitely not going to work.
Yun Qing laughed. "I just request for you to only pay more attention. It's not urgent anyway."
Noob Translator's Musing
I think since Yuxi doesn't have any in-laws, it has helped with how happy her marriage life with Yun Qing is. If she had married Chen Ran, she still had to control herself like she did in her maiden home.
Oh, I want to recommend two very awesome dramas and they are my favourites! One is The Imperial Coroner and the other one is Reset.
The reason I like The Imperial Coroner is, that not only do the leads have awesome skills, even the supporting characters have their own skills which complement the main leads. And it has a balanced mix of humour too, which I loved!
As for Reset, the storyline is seriously good. I've watched the 15 episodes in one day. I've loved Angel Zhao's acting in The Little Thing Called Love, a Chinese version of a Thailand drama with the same title. In Reset, her acting is marvellous and she is only 19 years old. 19 years old guys! While her co-star, Bai Jingting is 28 years old. But you won't feel the age difference in the drama. Probably because Jingting looks like he is still in his early 20s there.
The best things about these dramas are they can be watched on Youtube with English subtitle. You can just click at the link on the dramas' title if you want to try to watch them.
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi