He Qiulei hadn't expected things to proceed so smoothly.
He had initially thought that with Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi, that shrewd couple, they would have strung him along a bit longer.
But they had signed the cooperation agreement, each side sent someone to the authorities for filing, and Su Xiaoqi immediately gave him the production method for bitter buckwheat tea.
It even included instructions on how to cultivate it.
He Qiulei immediately felt a great deal of sincerity from Su Xiaoqi's side.
At that moment, he felt even more confident in the decision he had made.
Compared to the indifferent attitude towards Qi Yunwei,
Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi were both happy to befriend He Qiulei.
After inviting him for white fungus and lotus seed soup, they also kept him for dinner.
And after lunch, they took him for a tour behind the estate.
He saw that the estate servants at Furong Manor had different living quarters from those of other families, and even from their own.
He Qiulei secretly marveled at how truly benevolent and kind this family was.
And from the way the estate servants they encountered on the road treated them, their daily conduct must have been very compassionate and loving.
His business dealings were different from others; he didn't like to exploit people wholeheartedly.
Some people always thought they had to squeeze out every last bit of value from those doing the work.
Little did they know, that was simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Why bother? If you keep the goose, it can continue to lay eggs indefinitely.
Seeing his subtle approval of their conduct, Su Xiaoqi said gently,
"Money can't be earned endlessly; money begets money. As long as we cooperate well, there's no fear of not making money."
As they saw He Qiulei out, Su Xiaoqi summarized the meeting.
By this time, He Qiulei was already deeply impressed by the young couple.
Whether they made money or not was a secondary matter; first and foremost, he had decided to be their friend.
He left a message, saying that as soon as he returned, he would dismiss Liu Yishou.
He was no longer suitable for their He family.
Shen Yun, upon hearing this, suddenly said, "Do you see the Yangliu Manor next door? Perhaps your family could investigate where the owner of that place got the money to buy it."
He Qiulei naturally understood this remark, which was full of reminder and instigation, and immediately stated that he would definitely investigate.
He would investigate thoroughly.
Once the He family apprehended Liu Yishou, investigating Zhao Baoyi's affairs became much easier.
They soon discovered that Zhao Baoyi had used the He family's name to collect bitter buckwheat tea and then resold it at various prices, making a lot of ill-gotten gains, which was how they bought the estate.
It was just that Zhao Xiaohua had a keen sense and was quite clever, using the Su family's influence to evade the He family's investigation.
Su Xiaoqi learned about these matters later from Shen Yun.
Only then did she begin to take Zhao Xiaohua seriously.
"She is indeed formidable," Su Xiaoqi sighed, thinking her worthy of being reborn.
But what kind of script was this, with so many people reborn and transmigrated as if they were free?
Was there a bug somewhere?
Su Xiaoqi propped up her chin, looking speechless.
"Why is my wife thinking about such things? With this time, wouldn't it be better to tidy things up properly?
The New Year is over, and we'll set off on the seventh day."
"Ah, the seventh day? No, no, isn't there an old saying that you shouldn't leave on the seventh and return on the eighth? The ninth would be better."
Su Xiaoqi felt it was too rushed.
Today was already the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month; counting on her fingers, there weren't many days left.
Shen Yun said, "Is my wife someone who believes in such things?"
Su Xiaoqi said seriously, "Of course, I believe. Three feet above your head are the gods, and one should not speak of such matters lightly."
Shen Yun chuckled, "That's good. This date was calculated by Daoist Master Zhang at the City God Temple. It is said that he knows fortune and misfortune and can predict the future."
Su Xiaoqi twitched the corner of her mouth. She had just been trying to convince Shen Yun to believe in such things.
If she were to persuade him not to believe now, wouldn't she be contradicting herself?
So, she had been subtly tricked by Shen Yun.
The remaining days of the twelfth lunar month were extremely busy.
On the twenty-third, the Kitchen God ascended to heaven; on the twenty-fourth, they cleaned the house; on the twenty-fifth, they made tofu; on the twenty-sixth, they stewed meat; on the twenty-seventh, they slaughtered the rooster; on the twenty-eighth, they prepared white flour; on the twenty-ninth, they pasted couplets; and on the eve of the thirtieth, they celebrated all night.
By New Year's Eve, the government offices were sealed, businesses were closed, and everyone stayed home to celebrate.
The Shen family gathered together and cooked a large pot of food.
Inside was a pot of simmered fish, and around the pot were placed various meats: chicken, duck, fish, beef, and lamb.
The Shen family had a lively New Year's celebration.
Not only were the five members of the Shen family present,
but also Old Madam Yu, Zhao Liushun, Zhao Xiaozhu, and Zhao Ye, a total of nine people.
They sat around the table and enjoyed a reunion dinner, finally getting to drink the "Zui Huayin" from Zui Feng Lou that He Qiulei had sent last time.
Su Xiaoqi couldn't hold her liquor; she got drunk as soon as she had a little.
Shen Yun carried her back to their room, where she murmured a great deal to herself as she lay on the bed.
"Dad, Mom, your daughter is unfilial, your daughter is unfilial."
"Brother, your sister is useless; the family relies on you."
"Grandpa, Grandma, your granddaughter, your granddaughter..."
"Shen Gege, you, are you alright? We..."
As she spoke, Su Xiaoqi waved her hands and fumbled with Shen Yun.
With surprising strength, she pushed him onto the bed, leaned close to his chin, and whispered softly, "Shen Gege, I, I don't know if I can come back. Will you, will you wait for me?"
"What do you think?" Shen Yun, who had been looking at Su Xiaoqi with a doting and gentle expression,
suddenly turned grim when he heard this, his face darkening as if water could drip from it.
He stared coldly at Su Xiaoqi's face, as if trying to discern from her expression who this "Shen Gege" she spoke of was, where he was now,
and when and where he had made his promise to her.
However, after her outburst, Su Xiaoqi on the bed was already too tired and had fallen into a deep sleep.
Whatever she had said or done, she knew nothing about it anymore.
In the middle of the night, the sound of firecrackers rang out, signifying the beginning of a new year.
On the first day of the New Year, greetings were exchanged.
Everyone received red envelopes from their elders, bringing joy throughout the year.
The second day was for visiting the wife's maiden family. Shen Yun asked Zhao Liushun to stay home to accompany Madam Zhao and Old Madam Yu,
while he himself accompanied Su Xiaoqi to the small courtyard behind the supermarket.
He now knew she was not part of the Su family.
Naturally, he wouldn't take her to the Su family's home.
But undoubtedly, the group of people from the City God Temple were her maternal relatives.
He prepared a large cart of gifts according to local custom for the return visit and took them to the small courtyard.
With Granny Wen cooking, everyone happily had a meal.
After the meal, Shen Yun went to the nearby bookstore that was watching the door.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi was talking with Xiao Yi, Xiao Xique, and the others about her business dealings with the He family.
She announced that they no longer needed to produce bitter buckwheat tea and would all be arranged to work in the shops.
She looked forward to the day when they could stand on their own.
Everyone listened with surprise, recognizing this as a great opportunity.
Seeing that everyone had no objections to the matter of bitter buckwheat tea, Su Xiaoqi was relieved and then spoke about her plan to accompany Shen Yun to the capital after the New Year for his imperial examination.
"Sister Xiaoqi, the capital is so far from here.
It's over two thousand li. You're not traveling with the official caravan, so will it be dangerous if you travel on your own?" Xiao Yi said with concern.
Su Xiaoqi smiled, thinking to herself that if traveling with Shen Yun was dangerous, then the danger would surely come from Shen Yun himself, not from outsiders.
Of course, Su Xiaoqi wouldn't say this aloud, merely telling them earnestly that they would be traveling with a merchant caravan and not alone, so they should rest assured.
"Then, then Sister Xiaoqi, what should I do if I miss you?" Xiao Xique said, her voice on the verge of tears.
Su Xiaoqi quickly embraced her and gently comforted her a few times.
Looking up, she saw that the people gathered around her, including Xiao Yi and Xiao Sanzi, all had red eyes and looked reluctant to part.
Su Xiaoqi's heart softened as she said, "Let me tell you, I'm not just going to the capital to accompany him for the examination.
I also need to look around for places suitable for opening our supermarkets and grain stores.
As I said earlier, you all need to study hard in the shops. In the future, you can also go out to scout for shops. We will get better and better."
"Okay!" everyone nodded in unison.
Su Xiaoqi then produced a land deed and handed it to Xiao Xique for safekeeping.
This was an estate in Yizhou Prefecture.
She had bought it for them.
The annual income from the estate alone was several hundred to a thousand taels, enough for their expenses.
If something unexpected were to happen to her in the future, she hoped they would have a place to go.