This kind of speculation made both Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng feel unpredictable when they stared at each other.
"We can't guess the idea of this big shot, so let's ask someone." If the guess was true, it meant that the other party put Su Qingze in his heart, and Su Qingze might not suffer after marrying him in the future.
Gu Changfeng nodded, and immediately went out to find the secret guard. It stood to reason that the dark guards were extremely good at hiding, besides that there were many flowers and trees in the Su's Family's pavilions. Even if Gu Changfeng was a martial artist, it was still not easy to find people. As a result, he doesn't know if the other party did it intentionally, Gu Changfeng hasn't looked for a long time yet, and the other person had appeared in front of them.
The young man was still dressed in black, with a cold look on his covered face.
"Something?"
Shen Yanbei smiled. "I have something to ask, I don't know if it is inconvenient for Eleven xiōngdì."
"Say." Eleven seemed to value words like gold.
"I take the liberty to ask whether the person Qingze is going to marry is the one who sent you here."
Eleven answered without hesitation, "Yes."
Both Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "I have troubled you."
"The master said you can tell Su Gōngzǐ about this."
Shen Yanbei was taken aback. Eleven didn't explain much and flew directly to the tree.
Shen Yanbei touched his nose, thinking that this big shot just didn't take the usual path. Let them tell the truth through their mouths- I have you in my heart?
Gee! If it was him, he wouldn't be so veiled, he liked to tell his wife in person, and then admired his shy appearance!
Shen Yanbei took Gu Changfeng's hand back to the house in a good mood, took a bath and ate, and then hugged and touched him while sleeping. After staying on the boat for so many days, although they saw each other's faces every day, because of the presence of someone, the two of them were very restrained.
"Changfeng, come!" Shen Yanbei laid lazily on the bed and beckoned to Gu Changfeng.
"It's not good to lie down just after eating." Gu Changfeng walked over to pull him up, but the young man pulled him down instead.
Meeting the bright eyes of the young man, Gu Changfeng didn't know where to put his hands. Shen Yanbei hooked his lips, tilted his head, and chuckled softly in his ears. "I'm not doing bad things, why are you nervous?"
His Adam's apple rolled, and Gu Changfeng's ears were red. "We... we are in someone else's house..."
"Oh? Is there anything that can't be done in someone else's house?" Shen Yanbei raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.
Gu Chang's face turned red, and he turned away without speaking. Shen Yanbei smiled and kissed his neck. "Well, since we can't do it in someone else's house, how about buying a house here?"
Hearing this, Gu Changfeng immediately turned his head. Shen Yanbei's eyes were serious. "It will take at least a month to build a restaurant. So we can't stay here forever. Next year, we will have to find a place to stay to prepare for the autumn imperial examination next year. When the restaurant has been launched, we will come and see Su Qingze from time to time... After thinking about it, we really have to buy a house."
Gu Changfeng thought for a while and nodded.
"Since there were only the two of us and Zhou Yu, let's just buy a second-entry house."
"Okay." Su Qingze would marry next year. It was okay to stay here for a while with him.
"Then tomorrow, let's look for a suitable house!" Shen Yanbei finished speaking, he hugged him with a smile. "After talking about business, let's do something else!"
After all, they were guests here, and the two did not dare to mess around. Then took a nap after tasting it a mouthful.
After getting up in the afternoon, Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng arranged their clothes and went to the main house of the east courtyard to meet Su Qingze's mother, Su Liu.
"We greet fūrén."
"You don't need to be polite! Please sit down!" Finally seeing her son's friend after waiting for a long time, Mother Su was overjoyed and couldn't help but look at the two of them carefully. The young man was gentle, with a smile on his face, he looked humble and polite. The other man was physically strong, with a resolute face and pure eyes. The two body types were indeed slightly different, but when they stood together, they unexpectedly looked matched. Retracting her gaze, Mother Su asked them where they lived, and if they were still used to it, and happily told the husband and wife not to be so polite, and told her if they needed something.
When the two of them retreated, she sent a servant to find Su Qingze's father to tell him that there were guests in their house and asked him to come back for dinner early.
Unlike lǎo tàitài's indifferent attitude, Mother Su attached great importance to her son's friends. On the one hand, it was because Shen Yanbei cared for Su Qingze when he was in Dongjiang County; on the other hand, it was because of Su Qingze's future husband's family. Since her son’s life events were set, everything about her son had been under the control of the other party. Her son had made friends with this couple of husbands, and they could still make business in Qingzhou, which showed that the other party agreed and admitted that they were his son's friends, so she dared not neglect.
Su's Family had a simple population. Lǎo tàitài gave birth to two sons: the eldest son Su Jingheng and the youngest son Su Jingyou. The eldest son had one child and one daughter, Su Wanqing, who was the number one, and Su Qingze, who was fourth. The second room also gave birth to two, Su Jinyu, who ranked second, and Su Zhenrui, who ranked third.
Because the old lady was getting older, the two brothers Su Jingheng and Su Jingyou did not separate their families. They lived together in the Su's Mansion to serve the old lady, and Mother Su took care of all the affairs of the family. The old lady knew that Mother Su was going to host a banquet to entertain Shen Yanbei and his fulang, the old lady called Mother Su over to teach her. He asked her to discipline Su Qingze and said that he was about to marry, so he couldn't just associate with some inconsistent people, which made his the price drop and let others watch the jokes of their Su's Family.
Knowing that the old lady's behavior that looked down on people was happening again, because of filial piety, Mother Su didn't say anything on her face, but she said in her heart that she should not bully the young and poor. Although the other party came from the countryside, he was no worse than those of aristocratic children, especially in his son-in-law's letter, he also praised the other party. She believed in the eyes of her son-in-law and son, and she believed in zhǎngkòng lì*!
*a business philosophy and operation method used in business activities created by the local management master Mr. Shi Guangqi.
At dinner in the evening, Shen Yanbei finally met Su Qingze's father, Su Jingheng, a state shepherd* of Qingzhou Prefecture. As a governor of the largest state, Su Jingheng was quite prestigious. Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng got up, joined their hands in salute.
*zhōu mù: official name. In ancient times, it refers to the length of a state.
Su Jingheng waved his hand and said kindly, "I often hear Ze'er mention the two of you, I finally met you today. You guys have suffered a lot while taking care of Ze'er."
Shen Yanbei smiled and said, "You utterly praised. Xuéshēng has no valuable things at home, and Qingze rarely shares the same interests with us. Besides, Qingze is still young, so it's natural for us to care for him."
Su Jingheng nodded. Afraid that they were restrained themselves while eating, after a few bites, he said that he would go to the study to handle official duties and let Shen Yanbei feel free to do anything here.
In Linhai, Qingzhou, most of the seafood served on the table was boiled or steamed. It looked beautiful and the taste was good. Shenjia Village was close to the river. So they often ate fish and shrimps, but the things in the river couldn't compare with seafood. Shen Yanbei was very satisfied with this seafood meal!
After dinner, Su Qingze took the three of them to the night market. Looking at the pedestrians and the brightly lit shops on the street, Shen Yanbei sighed secretly. Sure enough, a big city was a big city, so the nightlife was quite lively.
Su Qingze introduced the things to a few people along the way, and when they reached the end of the street, he pointed to a shop with a closed door and said, "Shen Dàgē, Gu Dàgē, what do you think of this shop?"
The shop was a small two-story building located at the corner of the street, it had two doors.
"This shop was originally a fabrics shop. Since there was a fire last month, and several people were injured, everyone thought that this shop became unlucky, which made fewer people come to the shop to buy. The owner couldn't keep it up any longer so he planned to sell it over. I have met the owner before, if you like it, I can buy it for you first."
Shen Yanbei observed and said, "It's okay."
"There are also shops on the next street, but the next street is not as crowded as here." Su Qingze took them to see shops in other locations.
Finally, Shen Yanbei chose the shop on the next street. The shop in the next street had a yard behind it, so there was a place for him to store chicken, duck, and pickles. As for the problem of low foot traffic, he naturally had a way to attract customers to come to his door.
"I want to buy a second-entry house. How much does it cost approximately?"
"You want to buy a house?" Su Qingze was overjoyed. "Do you want to live here?"
"We'll stay here for a while. If the restaurant's business has been on the right track, we'll go back."
"Great!" Su Qingze was full of excitement, and said to Gu Changfeng, "Then Gu Dàgē can teach me boxing! I can't wait to get stronger!"
Shen Yanbei. "..." Why was the young boy still thinking about this?
...
The next day Su Qingze sent someone to come and introduce a suitable house. At this time, they could see the price difference between big cities and small towns.
"Okay! If it's two hundred and thirty taels, then it's two hundred and thirty taels!" Shen Yanbei gritted his teeth. Unexpectedly, buying a second-tier house in Qingzhou was so expensive! When he bought a restaurant in Dongjiang County back then, it was only one hundred and sixty taels! He thought he had been living a well-off life, but in fact, the money he had only could afford enough food and clothing! Shen Yanbei paid painfully and let Gu Changfeng and the broker sign the official documents then did the transfer procedures. He made up his mind to open the restaurant as soon as possible to make money back!
When Shen Yanbei, who had a general understanding of the prices in Qingzhou after buying a house, was mentally prepared to buy the shop. But he was still abused.
"The location of this shop is very good, whether it's for an inn or a restaurant. The small courtyard at the back is a bonus. So it only takes 1,600 taels." The owner of the shop opened the door and invited a few people to go in and take a look.
One thousand six hundred taels...
The smile on Shen Yanbei's face was stiff for a moment. He felt distressed when he finally bought a shop that was nine times more expensive than the store in the county.
"Wife, I suddenly feel that our family is so poor." What so many chickens and ducks, and what many farm fields? They were all fake, it was not as valuable as a shop!
Gu Changfeng's eyes became serious. "It doesn't matter, we can make money back soon by working hard together."
Hearing that, Shen Yanbei's blood was boiled. He kissed him hard. "Okay, let's work hard together!" if husband and wife shared the same mind, their sharpness could cut through metal. He had to make twice the money he spent!
After cleaning the house and simply buying some daily necessities, the three moved into their new house and then proceeded with the decoration of the restaurant. With the experience of decorating Tongfu Restaurant, Shen Yanbei invited skilled craftsmen through the Su Family's link and spent more than half a month decorating the restaurant. During the period, Gu Changfeng went back to Dongjiang to bring a batch of chickens, ducks, capers, sauerkraut, and most importantly peppers, along with chef Shen Laifu.
After learning that Shen Yanbei opened a branch of Tongfu Restaurant in Qingzhou, he was asked if he wanted to be this branch restaurant chef. Hearing this, he thought he was dreaming. He hadn't gotten married yet, so he wanted to go out and take a look at the wider world. In Dongjiang County, his apprentice had already been a master and they could be the chef there. So he directly accepted it.
After that, they were busy investigating the market, adjusting the taste and style of the dishes, recruiting kitchen helpers and waiters. When everything had been prepared, Shen Yanbei chose a lucky day to open the restaurant. As a branch of Tongfu Restaurant, the decoration style of the restaurant was the same, but the main dishes menu had changed. Because there was a big wharf in the outer city of Qingzhou, getting delicious seafood was as easy as moving the fingertip. After Shen Yanbei tasted the signature dishes of the famous restaurants nearby, he introduced his own unique signature dishes-- pickled cabbage fish, boiled fish, salt pepper shrimp, etc.
On an opening day, many guests came after smelling the fragrance-- Shen Yanbei actually had asked people to build a fireplace to roast chicken and duck in the courtyard behind the restaurant. The fragrant taste attracted many people to inquire. Because of the distinctive interior decoration and unheard of delicious food, the restaurant was full of customers since the first day of opening.
Who was the happiest opening of the branch of Tongfu Restaurant? Naturally Su Qingze! The young boy who had been tempted by the delicious taste had been thinking about the food he ate when he was in Dongjiang for a long time. Part of the reason why he lost weight so quickly was that the food was not to his appetite.
Now the Tongfu restaurant branch had opened up, and the young man ate at least twice a day at the Tongfu Restaurant. Because he was going out more often, lǎo tàitài at home had opinions on him again.
"A Shuānger, who is going to marry, runs outside all day long, does he still put the rules on his mind?" The richly-dressed lǎo tàitài scolded with a calm face.
The young woman who was standing behind her to massage her back said sourly, "The fourth brother has no longer fear! No matter how he messes around, this marriage agreement won't be broken."
Lǎo tàitài didn't say a word, her son and daughter-in-law said that this marriage was a certainty, but she still couldn't figure it out. Why did the other party fall in love with her stubborn grandson?
Su Ruizhen's eyes were full of jealousy. "Grandma, who is the relative of the emperor that wants to marry the fourth brother?" Everyone in the family said that Su Qingze had been favored by a noble in the capital, so he would fly on a higher branch and become a phoenix. But which branch was this?
Lǎo tàitài shrugged her eyelids and said neither salty nor indifferent, "A prince."
"The prince?" Su Ruizhen opened her apricot eyes slightly, and asked with a trembling voice, "Which prince?"
Lǎo tàitài became a little impatient. "You only need to know that he will become a wángfēi in the future. Don't argue with him so as not to be hated by him. It doesn't matter which prince he will marry!" She extremely disliked Su Qingze and was too lazy to cover up. Her eldest son Su Jingheng talked to her about this marriage, that was why she knew that Su Qingze was going to marry a certain prince in the capital.
Su Jingheng did not disclose which prince it was but only told her that the other party was highly powerful and loved Su Qingze very much. If the other party knew that she treat Su Qingze harshly, it might bring disaster to Su's Family. Seeing her son's serious look as if he was not joking, she still doubted it. Later, she discovered that Su Qingze had many valuables from the hands of craftsmen in the palace, then she finally was willing to accept the news. Afraid of the other party's power, she had to pretend to be nice toward Su Qingze, but Su Qingze had already been eighteen but the other party still didn't do anything. She suspected it so she asked Su Jingheng. Su Jingheng really kept it secret, and he refused to disclose the other party's information to her. So she complained in front of the confidant but Su Qingze heard it all...
"Grandma..." Su Ruizhen yelled aggrievedly.
Patting her hand, lǎo tàitài comforted her, "Don't worry, grandma will definitely find you a marriage that will not lose to his husband's family!"
"Rui'er knows that grandmother loves Rui'er the most!" Su Ruizhen smiled and said, but the expression on her face when she left lǎo tàitài's yard was not as happy as it was just shown.
"When will I get it? Probably I still don't get it after Su Qingze gets married ..." Su Ruizhen muttered dissatisfiedly. Thinking of Su Qingze's mysterious fiance, she was jealous and curious. Who was the other party? Why did he fall in love with Su Qingze?
"Who is the other party? Are you not curious at all?"
In the private room, Gu Changfeng was peeling crab meat, and Su Qingze on the opposite side was peeling shrimp. The difference was that Gu Changfeng used internal force to peel the crab meat for Shen Yanbei, while Su Qingze did it manually. The white crab meat was dipped in ginger and vinegar, and Shen Yanbei asked casually.
The cheeky Su Qingze shook his head and said vaguely, "What curious? Anyway, I still have to marry him whether I know him or not." It was not that he was not curious, but that the other party's way made him unable to resist making him not like him. Besides, was there something shameful so it had to be covered up like this?
"You are not curious, but we are very curious." Shen Yanbei took a cloth towel and wiped Gu Changfeng's hands, telling him not to peel it anymore. "What kind of big shot was him that he had to send a secret guard to protect his future fulang."
