An Encounter

After school, Xu Xi said to Xu Xue, "Come with me to the carriage, I'm going to see my uncle and aunt."

"Will the people from the Marquis's residence tell us?" Xu Xue asked hesitantly.

After several days of preparation, Xu Yongyi and Madam Xie have successfully started their business. They hired six decent people and found five suitable locations in the county town to set up stalls, selling the cold dishes prepared by the Xu Family.

This was Xu Yongyi's first time doing such a large-scale business, and he was actually quite uncertain about his Xu Yongyi. Even though he didn't say it, Xu Xue could tell from his hesitant expression that morning that he actually wanted Xu Xi to go back. But worried about causing trouble for Xu Xi, he ultimately said nothing.

Now that Xu Xi has taken the initiative to visit the Xu Family, Xu Xue is naturally Gao Xing. But like Xu Yongyi, she is also afraid of Gao Xing the people of the Marquis's mansion.

"Don't worry," Xu Xi waved her hand and said, "Qingfeng is a good girl, I can see that. Now that the old lady has given her to me, she only has me in her heart and eyes, and she only thinks about what's best for me. She won't gossip to the old lady. As for the coachman, it's the same."

Ever since Qingfeng returned to the Marquis's residence and clashed with Lady Wei, she had earned Madam Wei's approval. Therefore, every day when she went to and from the academy, she only asked Qingfeng to pick her up and drop her off.

The carriages of that era were not comfortable to ride in, Matron Yuan, being elderly, was very reluctant to travel by carriage. Hearing Xu Xi's arrangement, she was naturally very happy. As for the two newbies, Yicui and Dianjiang, they had no say at all.

So it became a habit, and now picking her up and dropping her off at the academy has become Qingfeng's regular job.

As for the coachman, because of Matron Yuan, Xu Xi proposed that the same coachman be used for her every day, year after year. Matron Yuan's husband readily agreed and even picked out an old man surnamed Lu, who was about fifty years old, honest, and taciturn, to be her coachman.

These past two days, under Xu Xi's instructions, Qingfeng has been trying to win over Old Lu. Not only has he given him rewards and food, but he has also inquired about his family situation and promised that if Tea Tasting Residence adds maids and his twelve-year-old granddaughter meets the requirements, he will let his granddaughter come in as a third-class maid.

Old Lu was never one to meddle or gossip, and now that he had received such a promise, his gaze towards Xu Xi was different from before. Xu Xi believed that he would definitely not go back to the Marquis's residence and spread rumors.

Once inside the carriage, Xu Xi immediately ordered, "Don't go back to the Marquis's residence yet, head towards the East Market."

Qingfeng and Old Lu had no objections, and they didn't even ask a question about Xu Xue getting into the carriage with Xu Xi.

Xu Xue asked, puzzled, "Aren't we going home?"

"Yes," Xu Xi said, glancing at her, "Think about why I did this."

Xu Xue looked at Xu Xi with a puzzled expression, blinked her big eyes, tilted her head, and started thinking seriously.

Soon it dawned on her. "Ah, I get it! You wanted to check on the cold dish stall's business, right? Although my dad only told me there were five locations, without specifying where, the East Market is the biggest market in the county, so there's bound to be at least one stall there. Sis, was I right?"

"Only half right," Xu Xi said. "Think again."

"Huh? You're only half right?" Xu Xue scratched her head and frowned. "Actually, there's something I don't understand. You definitely can't go back to the Marquis's mansion too late, so you can't linger here too long. If you want to know how well the cold dish stall is doing, why don't you just go back and ask my father? Why do you have to come and see for yourself? Besides, just because one stall is doing well doesn't mean all the stalls are doing well. What's the point of looking at just one?"

Xu Xi tapped her on the head and praised her, "Very good, you're starting to think about things more deeply now."

Xu Xue used to be a naive and innocent girl, always asking questions and never actively thinking about problems. It's truly remarkable that she can think so deeply now.

Xu Xue chuckled shyly.

Seeing that they were almost at the East Market, Xu Xi didn't keep them in suspense any longer. "It's dinner time now. The vegetables we were going to make for today have already been made. If we make more, they might not sell and cause waste. Knowing Uncle's cautious nature, he would never be greedy for that little bit of money. So they should have finished what they were doing and be coming out to check on sales and ask customers if they are satisfied with the taste. If we go home now, wouldn't we just be wasting our time?"

Xu Xue blinked twice, seemingly lost in thought, "That's why we have to come directly to the East Market to find them. As for why we're coming to the East Market, it's because it's the largest market in the county, with buyers ranging from the poor to the rich, so we can get a comprehensive picture of their satisfaction levels. Am I right, sister?"

After asking the question, she looked at Xu Xi with bright eyes, clearly very confident in her answer.

"Yes." Xu Xi smiled and pinched her soft cheek. "Very clever, a quick learner."

Xu Xue pouted and rolled her eyes at her, then said Gao Xing, "I knew I hadn't thought about it carefully before. Now that I think about things more deeply, I've discovered I'm actually quite smart."

"Pfft." Xu Xi laughed and pulled Xu Xue along. "Stop being so vain, let's get off the bus."

Xu Xue then realized that the carriage had stopped; they had arrived at the East Market.

At this moment, a group of people were walking on a street very close to the East Market. If they glanced out the window when they got off the carriage, they would see Xu Xinda, the Proprietor Xu, whom they had met at the Abundant and Prosperous Pavilion, among them.

Xu Xinda, the owner of the largest jewelry store in Beining County, always walks down the street with an air of self-importance, and people fawn over him, trying to get close to him.

But today, Xu Xinda was uncharacteristically different. He walked cautiously behind the group with a forced smile and a slight bow, his posture resembling that of Xu Xinda. This surprised those who knew him, who couldn't help but look at the group ahead of him with astonishment and awe.

The person who could command Xu Xinda's attention in this manner must be a very important and influential figure.

Walking ahead of Xu Xinda were Fu Yunlang, three elegantly dressed young men, and several servants who looked like stewards and young men. If you paid a little attention, you could see that the group was centered around the two elegantly dressed young men in purple and sky-blue brocade robes, with the others subtly protecting them on either side.

"Second Master, Fifth Master, this is the largest market in Beining County. Because of its proximity to the capital and the abundance and fertile land here, Beining County is much wealthier than other places. Of course, many of the shops and fields here were acquired by wealthy and powerful families in the capital..."

Fu Yunlang was explaining the situation to the two elegantly dressed young men when his gaze suddenly sharpened as he saw the two women who had just stepped out of the carriage. He stopped abruptly in his tracks.

Of the two young men, the younger one, dressed in a sky-blue robe and addressed as "Fifth Master" by Fu Yunlang, turned around. Noticing Fu Yunlang's unusual expression, he followed his gaze and saw the two women chatting and laughing. One was tall and had striking features; the other had a sweet appearance.

[Disclaimer]: Fu Yunlang is not the male lead.

Also, what are everyone's thoughts on the male lead? Do you want a male lead? What kind of male lead do you want? Before offering suggestions, everyone should know that the male leads in Ling Shui's works have always been minor characters. \facepalm