Qian Yuanbao ate the kimchi fried rice with great satisfaction. Feeling that good things should be shared, he called for someone from the kitchen to ask how much kimchi was left. The kitchen staff knew this master loved to eat and had already sent a lot from Cuiping Town.
"Send one portion to the Old Madam. She hasn't been eating well these past few days, and this kimchi goes well with rice. Give the recipe to the kitchen staff and tell them to use their best skills to make it."
"Send three portions to the Huguo Duke's mansion. One for the young duke, and one for the Duchess."
"Never mind, I'll deliver the portion to the Duke's mansion myself."
Qian Yuanbao, with a string of people behind him, swaggered to the Duke's mansion.
The gatekeepers, under the Duke's orders, were forbidden to let this person in, lest he seduce their young duke.
But who was Qian Yuanbao? A merchant who was so arrogant in the capital that even the pampered young masters of noble families dared not provoke him. How could gatekeepers stop him?
"How dare you! What is our young master's status? Have you grown audacious enough? Instead of welcoming him properly, you're making my young master stand out here in the cold? My young master has a weak constitution. If anything were to happen, our Old Madam would surely hold you accountable," said Qian Yuanbao's attendant haughtily.
Qian Yuanbao, at the opportune moment, sniffled and sneezed, his brows furrowed in displeasure.
"Young master, you've caught a chill. You can't stay here any longer. What if you catch a cold... We won't come to the Duke's mansion anymore. I'll tell the Old Madam later that the threshold of their Duke's mansion is too high..."
The gatekeepers of the Duke's mansion gritted their teeth, "Young Master Qian, please stay. Please come in, please come in."
Although the Duke was fierce, he would at most punish them once for such a matter. If the Old Madam were to come, they feared they would not fare well.
Who was the Old Madam of the Qian family? She was the wet nurse of the current Emperor. The Emperor's birth mother had died early. In the cannibalistic imperial palace, if it weren't for the Old Madam's protection, the current Emperor might not have survived to adulthood, let alone ascended the throne and become the supreme ruler. Not only that, but the Old Madam's only son, the Emperor's foster brother, had taken an arrow for the Emperor and lost his life. The Emperor, having lost his birth mother, treated the Old Madam like his own mother. It was said that at that time, they even wanted to give the Sheng'an Palace to the Old Madam to live in, a place only empresses dowager were qualified to inhabit.
Weighing the options, the gatekeepers decisively made their choice.
Qian Yuanbao, familiar with the way, went to Qingquan Courtyard and showed off in front of Gu Sinian.
Gu Sinian calmly watched Qian Yuanbao's antics and ordered a portion of kimchi to be served, then cast a sideways glance at Qian Yuanbao.
Qian Yuanbao understood the implication—
What are you so proud of? What are you showing off about? The so-called good things you have, I already have them here.
"Where did you get this from?" Qian Yuanbao's first thought was that the supplier had violated the contract and supplied others, otherwise, how could Ah Nian have it?
"Qian Yuanbao, do you really not know whose hands this kimchi came from?" Gu Sinian asked calmly, his phoenix eyes slanting.
"I don't know," Qian Yuanbao replied honestly. He truly didn't know. This was handled by his subordinates. The Qian family had such vast businesses that it was impossible for him to know every single detail. As the helmsman of the Qian family, it was enough for him to steer the general direction.
"Cuiping Town, Huya Mountain, the little girl who saved us," Gu Sinian said slowly.
"What?" Qian Yuanbao was shocked.
Gu Sinian nodded, "Your kimchi is from her hands."
What Qian Yuanbao was thinking about now was not the kimchi, but how the girl had fiercely pinched his philtrum at that time. The mark only disappeared two days later, forcing him to hide at home for two days. What a heartless girl, not gentle at all. She would probably not get married in the future.
"This girl's craftsmanship is quite good," Qian Yuanbao said sincerely. He was a picky eater, so if he said it was good, it was indeed a good thing. He never expected they would have such a connection.
"She saved our lives. How do you think we should repay her?" Gu Sinian asked.
Repay?
"I gave her several gold ingots, which, converted to silver, would be enough for them to eat and drink well for several years," Qian Yuanbao said casually.
Gu Sinian narrowed his phoenix eyes, "Young Master Qian means to say that the lives of the dignified young duke of the Duke's mansion and the eldest young master of the Qian family are only worth a few dozen taels of silver?"
He felt the words were a bit strange, but upon reflection, they made sense. Both Ah Nian's and his own lives were precious. If that little girl saved their lives, they couldn't just dismiss it with a few dozen taels of silver, could they?
A life-saving debt should be repaid with marriage.
Qian Yuanbao's eyes lit up, "Ah Nian, this matter cannot be settled so hastily. We need to discuss it properly. The storybooks all say that a life-saving debt should be repaid with marriage. In terms of looks and family background, Ah Nian, you are above me. Although that girl is a bit fierce and looks a bit thin, if you look closely, her features are not bad, especially those peach blossom eyes, as if filled with water. When she glares, it's like she's acting spoiled. If you take her back and raise her well, she will surely become a great beauty in the future."
Gu Sinian remembered how he had presumptuously repaid her in the shed. Now that Qian Yuanbao mentioned it, his ears felt hot.
"Ah Nian, do you need to be so shy? Your face is red all the way to your ears!" Qian Yuanbao exclaimed. No wonder the esteemed young duke was not interested in women. Just talking about it could make his face flush. If he met a girl, wouldn't he just run away?
Teased by Qian Yuanbao, Gu Sinian was a bit annoyed, "I'm talking to you seriously, why are you bringing up these useless things?"
"Yes, yes, I'm being improper. Then tell me how you want to repay her," Qian Yuanbao said, crossing his legs.
Gu Sinian didn't have specific ideas. The two discussed it. Since they couldn't repay with marriage, they would repay the life-saving debt with money. They were noble people, and a small amount of money would not be presentable. Qian Yuanbao pondered it and decided on one-tenth of the profits from the kimchi sales. The Qian family's general stores and restaurants were spread throughout Da Feng, across its thirteen prefectures and fifty-six counties, as well as countless towns. Even if they only did business for one season each year, it would likely bring in tens of thousands of taels in income. In five years, that would be at least fifty thousand taels, a sum Qian Yuanbao felt was fitting for his and Gu Sinian's status.
Furthermore, from Shopkeeper Lin's letter, this little girl was ambitious. After five years, the businesses of both families would surely not cease. As long as the kimchi was sold, that girl would receive money. Such a long-term repayment was truly faultless.
Qian Yuanbao did not delay. He directly drafted a contract and sent it to Shopkeeper Lin, asking him to sign and affix his fingerprint. With two copies, Qi Zhenzhen instantly became a rich woman.
Therefore, the small amount of money given to the village each year was truly nothing to Qi Zhenzhen. Even without this one-tenth of the profit, four hundred taels of silver was something Qi Zhenzhen could part with, albeit with a slight pang of heartache.