After settling the three sheep, having a quick wash, and changing out of the bloodstained dirty clothes, the whole family gathered in the living room for dinner.
With a few more people tonight, they naturally had to split into two tables to sit down.
Liu Hongcai had brought wine specifically, and amidst the clinking glasses, they discussed things encountered on the road or listened to Uncle Liu talk about the family’s situation over the past three months.
So things had already been said once at noon, but ntioning them again now didn’t feel botherso.
The al lasted almost an hour, and by this ti it was almost the first watch of the night, even though it was sumr—no, early autumn, it was already completely dark by now.
"Dad, it’s probably inconvenient to go into the city at this hour. You, Mom, and Sister should stay here for the night. I still have rooms over there; we can have soone tidy them up."
Liu Qingfeng, having had a drink, was now flushed red.
Liu Hongcai fared better, his face equally ruddy but still energetic, even patting Liu Ze on the shoulder.
"Alright, Ze’er, take care of the third one tonight, and I have so matters to discuss with Uncle Jiang."
As if coincidentally, before Liu Hongcai had finished speaking, from the ladies’ table next to him, Mrs. Liu was also talking.
"Second Aunt, we ca today with other matters to discuss with you and Xiaomi."
The couple almost spoke in unison, and after they finished, everyone paused for a mont before Mrs. Liu explained.
"We’re not talking about the sa thing. Second Aunt, Xiaomi, let’s head to the side courtyard to talk."
With dinner done and so important matters to discuss, it was sensible to get so rest earlier.
"Alright." Second Aunt had no suspicions, picked up a lantern, and led Mrs. Liu and the others to the courtyard next door.
Seeing his parents were occupied, Liu Qingfeng led his own wife back ho; after all, Xie Fuya was over six months pregnant and had walked in the fields all afternoon; she needed a good rest.
Then, Xiaoxue took Liu Yajing to her room to sit for a while, and Han Yan and ng Tao went back to tidy up the house. Later, they all stayed over at Liu Qingfeng’s place for the night.
The side courtyard wasn’t big, and with only a couple of rooms, they went directly to Xiaomi’s room to talk business.
"Oh, I’d heard Ze’er ntion before that both Xiaomi and Ziang like playing with knives and swords—I didn’t realize it was true."
Mrs. Liu first noticed the small wooden sword hanging by the bed, a gift from Wei Ziang.
Though Liu Ze stayed with the Jiang family, he would co ho for two to three days each month, as it wasn’t as far as Fu’an Village, which could only be visited once a year.
Xiaomi laughed awkwardly, "I’m not much into delicate things; I just like these. My parents often say I’m not like a girl, though."
"Who cares about such things? The law never stipulated that girls must learn painting, chess, calligraphy, and embroidery. I think having a lively little girl at ho is wonderful."
Second Aunt nodded with a smile, "Exactly, Xiaomi is the joy of our ho. Though she fusses around daily, without her, things wouldn’t be the sa."
People often say boys are naughty, but neither of the two boys here act naughty at all, with Xiaoxue being particularly reclusive, almost never going out unless necessary.
Luckily, with Xiaomi being lively, otherwise, it would be dreary for the whole family.
After so laughter, Mrs. Liu motioned for them to quiet down and then took an envelope from her sleeve pouch.
"Xiaomi, I’ve been inford by Manager Wang about the matters in Nanyang Prefecture, and I also know about the spicy hotpot."
Second Aunt, puzzled, didn’t understand why Mrs. Liu was suddenly bringing this up.
Xiaomi, however, had a bit of an inkling.
Sure enough, Mrs. Liu opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper.
"Manager Wang was very clear; regarding the spicy hotpot, you were the one who suggested the soup base formula, target market, pricing, and so on."
"He wrote a letter back ten days after you left, and it reached yesterday thanks to the swift courier. It’s said that from the opening up to the day he wrote the letter, nearly exactly a month, after eliminating all expenses, it profited over one hundred taels."
A hundred taels might not be much; for a restaurant, with slightly better business, it would make more than that.
But this spicy hotpot place was different; it catered to society’s lowest class—a bowl of vermicelli made at most two copper coins of profit, needing to sell five hundred bowls to earn a tael of silver!
Both Xiaomi and Second Aunt had helped out in the spicy hotpot shop and naturally knew how hard-earned those hundred taels were.
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